Everyone these days is all about self-improvement - losing weight, getting healthy, learning new skills, becoming a better parent, student, etc, etc. But lets look beyond ourselves for a moment, shall we? The world beyond our range of experience can be a terrible place, full of hunger, disease, misery, and death. And it is completely within our range to improve the lives of those who cannot help themselves. There are a million and one ways we can help our society, our country, and the world. But how often do we take it upon ourselves to do so? You're probably thinking "Now hold on, i donate money in those little jars at the super-market. And I buy free-trade coffee. And I'm aware of all the problems in the world, thank you very much!" And for those steps you may be taking towards being a more responsible human being of the little green and blue planet called Earth, I salute you. But believe it or not, you can do more. You should do more. We all should. But everyone has different time restraints, financial situations, energy levels, and limitations in general, so it's important for each person to find those things they CAN do, within their own special circumstances. For that, I offer a few web-site which have some very good tips and advice, as well as some specific Organizations and efforts which I feel strongly about and would love to see more support for.
~~~
US News.com Top 50 Ways to Improve your Life in 2009
100 Ways to Make A Difference in Your Community
An Amazing List of Groups and Organizations that Make a Difference
Leigh Steinberg's 'Saving the Environment' Tips
A Global Service Blog that will give you hope for the world
And last but certainly not least, and blog of a good friend of mine named Mark Arnoldy, who took the initiative to dedicate his life to those in need, and I couldn't be more proud or envious of his bravery in doing so. His cause is a noble one - read all about it here.
That's it for today - If you know of more links I should add to this list please leave me a comment!
Peace and Love,
SociallyInept
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Behavioral Problems on a Silver Platter, Anyone?
Today was the first day of kid’s art classes at work, which will be going on for 6 out of the 10 days these 2 weeks. Today was pretty decent, especially the first class, 6-9 yr olds. They were a lot of fun, very active and energetic, and really into the art. The only 2 I had any problems with was one child who talked constantly, and loudly – especially if I was giving any attention to any other student. The other was a petulant little girl that had her head down half the time, didn’t want to work, didn’t care about it, really. After snack time, she livened up, got involved, and got chatty. We were joking about something, and when I turned away to answer a question, she slapped me on the upper arm, hard. Mind you, this is a seven or eight year old, and I believe that hitting is NEVER okay. So I quickly told her that hitting was not acceptable. She just smiled at me, like it was a joke. After that, we proceeded to have a pretty good time, finishing class. That is, until it was pick-up time. The parents startin rollin in, and the kids start rollin out. This little girl’s mom asked me how it went, and I told her okay, but that I had to get onto her child for striking me. And she said, and I QUOTE:
“And that’s a problem?” With attitude galore. I was completely astounded, to say the least. I stared at her, jaw agape I’m sure, and tried to figure out what to say. Finally, I stuttered:
“Ummm…yes, it is a problem. That isn’t allowed.”
She answered: “We love-tap at home all the time.” With even more attitude.
I composed the most adult answer I could, took a breath, and told her “Well, this is not your home, this is a classroom, and that is not appropriate behavior.”
She left in a huff, and I was left dumbfounded. How can anyone be THAT ignorant? We wonder why mental and behavioral problems in our youth have become a rampant plague, but here you go - The cause of the problem: super-shitty parenting. A LOT of people have no idea how to raise children – pregnancies aren’t planned, parents don’t prepare themselves. It’s just like ‘Oops, I’m pregnant. Lets get a bigger TV, and we’re good to go.”
What. The. Fuck.
I have already decided, ten years in advance: I will home-school my children. You want to know why? Because children raised by bad parents can seriously corrupt children raised by good parents. And since you can’t hand-pick what kids will be in class with yours, I’m seriously scared to send my future kids into the public school system. I know I’ll never be able to afford or want to send them to a stuffy private school, so I opt for home-schooling. With lots of group activities to develop social skills of course. However, no cable TV will be in our home, and no non-learning or fitness based gaming systems. I refused to corrupt my children’s minds, or mine, with all the media and entertainment (if you can call it that) garbage, I feel really bad for this little girl with the insane mother. This is the kind of woman who’s child gets sent home with a note from the teacher, and who calls the teacher bitching instead of disciplining their child for poor behavior. Parents like these are sending our country to the shit-heap at warp speed. Almost makes you want to move to Europe, take up a new career and primary language, and forget all about this place. But roots run deep, so I guess I’ll keep doing my part to improve my society, and hope for the best while I’m at it.
Until next time avid readers (ha!),
SociallyInept
“And that’s a problem?” With attitude galore. I was completely astounded, to say the least. I stared at her, jaw agape I’m sure, and tried to figure out what to say. Finally, I stuttered:
“Ummm…yes, it is a problem. That isn’t allowed.”
She answered: “We love-tap at home all the time.” With even more attitude.
I composed the most adult answer I could, took a breath, and told her “Well, this is not your home, this is a classroom, and that is not appropriate behavior.”
She left in a huff, and I was left dumbfounded. How can anyone be THAT ignorant? We wonder why mental and behavioral problems in our youth have become a rampant plague, but here you go - The cause of the problem: super-shitty parenting. A LOT of people have no idea how to raise children – pregnancies aren’t planned, parents don’t prepare themselves. It’s just like ‘Oops, I’m pregnant. Lets get a bigger TV, and we’re good to go.”
What. The. Fuck.
I have already decided, ten years in advance: I will home-school my children. You want to know why? Because children raised by bad parents can seriously corrupt children raised by good parents. And since you can’t hand-pick what kids will be in class with yours, I’m seriously scared to send my future kids into the public school system. I know I’ll never be able to afford or want to send them to a stuffy private school, so I opt for home-schooling. With lots of group activities to develop social skills of course. However, no cable TV will be in our home, and no non-learning or fitness based gaming systems. I refused to corrupt my children’s minds, or mine, with all the media and entertainment (if you can call it that) garbage, I feel really bad for this little girl with the insane mother. This is the kind of woman who’s child gets sent home with a note from the teacher, and who calls the teacher bitching instead of disciplining their child for poor behavior. Parents like these are sending our country to the shit-heap at warp speed. Almost makes you want to move to Europe, take up a new career and primary language, and forget all about this place. But roots run deep, so I guess I’ll keep doing my part to improve my society, and hope for the best while I’m at it.
Until next time avid readers (ha!),
SociallyInept
Monday, June 15, 2009
Tired but still kickin!
So, today has been a VERY long day, but I wanted to post a few things you should definitely see. So here goes:
An amazing music video that always makes me LMAO! Truly. I introduced it to a few people in Boulder, and it spread like wild-fire. So enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WgT9gy4zQA
A great game that is definitely addicting - I'll admit I haven't beat it yet. It's tricky!
http://www.addictinggames.com/superstacker2.html
Another addicted game, that I also got everyone addicted to when I was in Boulder. A coupla people actually played it during class. Not cool, but really amusing. lol.
http://www.bubblebox.com/play/puzzle/975.htm
Oh, and here is a dating site a friend of mine started, and I gotta say, it's actually kinda cute. I'm on it, but not to date - I have some pretty cool conversations with friends on there. www.brainiacdating.com. If you're smart and single, check it out!
So I think that's all I've got, but I might post some more stuff later. I dunno.
L8er,
SociallyInept
An amazing music video that always makes me LMAO! Truly. I introduced it to a few people in Boulder, and it spread like wild-fire. So enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WgT9gy4zQA
A great game that is definitely addicting - I'll admit I haven't beat it yet. It's tricky!
http://www.addictinggames.com/superstacker2.html
Another addicted game, that I also got everyone addicted to when I was in Boulder. A coupla people actually played it during class. Not cool, but really amusing. lol.
http://www.bubblebox.com/play/puzzle/975.htm
Oh, and here is a dating site a friend of mine started, and I gotta say, it's actually kinda cute. I'm on it, but not to date - I have some pretty cool conversations with friends on there. www.brainiacdating.com. If you're smart and single, check it out!
So I think that's all I've got, but I might post some more stuff later. I dunno.
L8er,
SociallyInept
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Starting Over
Almost 2 years after I started this blog, I'm starting over. I'm going into my Senior year of college, I'm working an unpaid internship, lots of other random jobs, and have a pretty poor social life. To make up for this verbal outlet, I'm going to try this out...again. I have ideas, thoughts, opinions, declarations, and lots more every single day, and I want to express them - if only so I can come back to them for inspiration later. The things I'll post most often will probably be links to news stories, videos, or things like that that have interested me lately. So, here are some things that have interested me lately.
Johan Lippowitz (David Armand) and his rendition of 'Torn'. This man is a comedy genius, and amazingly talented. If you haven't heard of him, you're really missing out. Here's a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TM3GbxaNLI.
Line Rider 2. This game is the BOMB. I discovered it a long time ago, and it's still just as fun as ever. If you need some ideas for what to draw, there is a huge wealth of videos on the you of tubes. But before that, here's the actual game: http://www.linerider.eu/game36.php
Rodent's Revenge - this classic game was on our original Olive Green Acer Desktop computer, and I've loved it ever since. Now it's in an easy-to-download format, which offers hours of enjoyment at work when the server goes down. :-) http://www.pcgaming.ws/viewgame.php?game=rodents_revenge
That's all of I've got for tonight. Color Texarkana (kids art classes where I work) start Tuesday, and I'm wiped from packing - we move in 1 day shy of 2 weeks. Busy busy, as usual!
Sleepily yours,
Socially Inept
Johan Lippowitz (David Armand) and his rendition of 'Torn'. This man is a comedy genius, and amazingly talented. If you haven't heard of him, you're really missing out. Here's a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TM3GbxaNLI.
Line Rider 2. This game is the BOMB. I discovered it a long time ago, and it's still just as fun as ever. If you need some ideas for what to draw, there is a huge wealth of videos on the you of tubes. But before that, here's the actual game: http://www.linerider.eu/game36.php
Rodent's Revenge - this classic game was on our original Olive Green Acer Desktop computer, and I've loved it ever since. Now it's in an easy-to-download format, which offers hours of enjoyment at work when the server goes down. :-) http://www.pcgaming.ws/viewgame.php?game=rodents_revenge
That's all of I've got for tonight. Color Texarkana (kids art classes where I work) start Tuesday, and I'm wiped from packing - we move in 1 day shy of 2 weeks. Busy busy, as usual!
Sleepily yours,
Socially Inept
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