Discussions on Society.

I was in the local pharmacy earlier today, and I heard this from the next aisle over. An elderly gentleman declares to the guy that works there, "Excuse me, do you have any clothesline? I'd like to hang myself." The guy that works there, completely unconcerned, declares that they are in aisle four.

Am I the only one this strikes as "odd"?

Testing out my mad skillz, yo

Blogger has this wonderful article up in the help section about how to prevent your mom from finding your blog, how to hide it from her, and so on.

Well, my mom knows about Hyphen-Dash, so it's not that big a deal.

And she told me how annoying blink tags are.

So I just had to test it out.

This is summer.

Ai'ight. If there is anyone reading this, or Sixty Percent, I'll apologize now for completely ignoring you.

Having said that, I'm really enjoying this whole summer thing. Every one decided that I had a "difficult year" -- I didn't have a lunch last year, that's how packed my schedule was -- and that, if I just help out around the house a little -- run the laundry, not run over my own foot with the dishwasher -- then I can be left to my own devices.

Computer games and books. That's all I have to say.

And, on the subject of Sixty Percent, I'm rummaging through all of the notebooks, legal pads, and random separate pages that are just filled with random stuff. It'll go somewhere very soon. I didn't like where it was going before, so I'm fixing it.

In 1984, a reference is made to "ownlife" -- thinking that is unorthodox.

Well, Hyphen-Dash and Sixty Percent are both examples of "ownblog".

Sixty Percent Chance of Rain

I don't know if there's anyone that reads Sixty Percent Chance of Rain, but, if there is, I just want y'all to know that I'm rewriting it.

Yeah.

thnx.

One who rules during the minority, absence, or disability of a monarch

That is the definition of the word "Regent". It goes on to say, "One acting as a ruler or governor; A member of a board that governs an institution, such as a state university."

Yeah.

Well, the Physics Regents this year wasn't as bad as it was the past two or three years, and it certainly wasn't as bad as the semi-infamous Math A regents last year, but it wasn't fun, either.

For those of you who want to test out the Physics exam, and have no problems downloading it in a pdf format... there's a website that has the old exams up, as review. (I think the Oswego distirct runs it.) They don't have the June '04 exam up yet, but, they should have it up some time within the next month. I think. I don't know.

Oh, and, I found out that there is no summer school for Physics, because, there is no August sitting, of the Physics Regents.

I'm not taking any consolation in the local media's silence -- I did a Google Search for "Physics Regents Exam", and the only news sites made references to the June '02 and '03 exams.

But everyone's sick of the Physics Regents, and the damn thing isn't even mandatory...

Seriously. You're only required to have three years' credits (class credits), and you only need two to graduate.

Even if you want an "advanced" Regents diploma, you only need three of the four sciences.

Now I'm freaking out over the A.P. Chem exam. We don't get our grades back until the first week of july. I hope I passed.

Delusions of Adequacy

Okay. I'm going to pretend that there is someone out there, reading this. I'm also going to pretend that they are outside the New York State Public High School System.

The State has a Board of Regents. They say that we have to know specific things, and they have a series of state-mandated Exams, called, Regents Exams. There's two math (Math A and Math B), one English, one foreign language, two social studies (Global, and USHistGov't), and four science (Earth Science, Bio, Chem, and Physics).

The passing grade foe the state is 55%. My district says 65%. Fine. There's also this thing called "Mastery". Basically, you've mastered the subject matter, and got an 85% or better on the exam.

I'm one of those geeks, who has, like, no social life. A blog, and iChat. You know, I sit and read the Dictionary, or one of my textbooks. For fun. Up until the end of this year, I had missed Mastery on one exam (math B), and only by one point.

Doesn't bother me; I don't want to be a mathematician.

I want to be a Physicist.

Here's my problem: On the Physics Regents, I got -- ready? -- a 79.

(btw: I'm crestfallen.)

If there is actually someone reading this, you don't have to have sympathy from me. I'm used to this kind of thing.

The PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test) carries with it a second Acronym: NMSQT. The National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Based on you grade on the PSAT, if your total grade -- your "score index" -- falls within the top 55,000 scores in the country, you get a Scholarship from the National Merit Corporation. And all colleges in the United States either accept it or match it.

This year, you needed a 201 or better to get the scholarship.

I got a 200.

So, I post a question to the comments section: What's the deal with summer school? I'm taking the exam again.

I severely hope you guys feel like doing a lot of reading...

And, when I say 'you guys', I am assuming there is more than one of you out there, and if there are, don't tell me about subject-verb agreement.

Now, here's the first part. Today was the last day of school. Then, I have tomorrow off, and I just have to go in for exams; two on the sixteenth (wednesday), and one on the twenty-second (next tuesday?). Anyway, having nothing to do, I spent the day reading, and sharing a supermarket tabloid. I would hold up the paper, and declare to any nearby teachers or students, "Quality Literature, huh?" Meanwhile, the first thing that catches your eye is "Gay Aliens found in UFO Wreck!", with the tag line "They died in a last loving embrace!" underneath. In the picture is a picture of two small skeletons with elongated skulls, and anime-sized eye-sockets.

Right. Here's part two. As of today, I am a senior. At least, well, in the theory that I'm no longer a junior. Yeah. Okay. I just had to say that.

As for part three? Well, I got tired of reading about how space aliens were lousy lovers, so I was just standing around, listening to some of the girls talk. And I don't actually take them seriously. I mean, I don't "hang out" with them, I despise the stores they shop in... and they don't do Physics. Or Politics. So, in essence, I have no use for them. But I still end up listening to them. Anyway, I'm standing there, and I'm listening to the one girl explain how she's going to run for Homecoming Queen. My first thought is "Why?", the second is, "What's the point of Homecoming Queen?", then, "What's the point of Homecoming?". Then, after about a minute of a Holden Cauffield-style train of thought revolving around this "Homecoming Queen" thing -- which, I ought to point out, is an entirely foreign concept to me -- I declare, to anyone who could hear me, "I'm running for homecoming queen." Well, first they asked if I was serious. When I told them I was, they thought it was great, and they'll nominate me.

Now, I post the question to you, dear reader: What does a Homecoming Queen do? I just have to dress up, in a prom dress, and, like, go to homecoming, right? And I wear a little tiara, and I go to the parade. And that's it, right?

I'm leaving the comments section open to this, for you guys.

You've got to help me out here. It's, like, your civic duty.

p1z h31p. p1z. k k thnx.

I feel so much better now.

Am I cool or uncool?

You are a Square! You are a total dork. The pocket protecter and thick-lensed glasses give it away. Try watching some popular TV.. Get yourself some fashion sense already! On the plus side, no wait hang on, there is no plus side! Nerdsville, population YOU!

Gee, like that makes me feel any better.

Am I really this oblivious?

I used to ask that question to my friends.

The answer was always, unequivocally, "yes".

First off, I thought today was Father's day. So, I have my dad's present wrapped in Green Santa Claus paper, sitting on a shelf, waiting for next Sunday.

Then, my mom had to go to some kind of luncheon, and, dad and I had nothing better to do, so we decided to go to the local International House of Pancakes. (I probably would have used my mUN skillz and knowledge of World affairs to make a scene, but that's entirely beside the point.) So, we get there, and there's a long wait, so we decide to go to the food court in the mall, for some Chili-fries and soda. (There's a healthy breakfast, yes?) So then, we decided to wander around.

Now, my first question, what's the deal with the girls wearing short pants? Maybe my concept of trousers is skewed because I'm tall, and I'm used to searching for a pair of pants that is actually long enough, but did I miss something?

And question number two, why do all the guys in the posters in the "trendoid" clothing stores look like they haven't showered since last summer? Meanwhile, all the guys around me are "gangsta"? What's up with that?

Somebody please clue me in. The simple fact of the matter is, I am so far out of the loop, I can't even see it from here.

Virtually non existant...

Okay... I'm just testing out my almost-non-existant HTML skillz.

If you click here, you should be directed to a remarkably odd story. Yeah.

Snob.

Okay, I know I'm going to come off as a snob -- indeed, I am -- but I have something that I simply need to say. This is in reference to the Funeral procession for Former President Ronald Reagan, which was televised.

Number one, it is exceedingly poor form to applaud at a funeral, or for the procession. (It's also poor form to applaud at a wedding, but I'm not even going to go there right now.)

Number two, all societal matters aside, applauding will probably spook the horse, and that's really the last thing you need. (That's why you always see race horses with blinders and shadow rolls -- so they aren't spooked by people, or their own shadow.) Horses are very easy to spook.

Yeah. That's really it. I'm done. I'll get off the soapbox now.

Decaffeinated Liquid Death.

"I'm multi-talented. I don't need a barbeque to get drunk."

I need you to simply not ask.

My dad decided, on a whim, to make, as he calls it, "Nitzche tea". (Fridrich Nitzche was a German philosopher, who originally said, "What does not kill us makes us stronger.")

Yeah. "Nitzche tea" started when Dad had to drive me to school early for mUN. He'd make me a mug of tea, and leave it on the dining room table when I was ready for it. By the time I got around to it, however, it was pure tanic acid.

Uh-huh. Imagine my dad, standing over a spaghetti pot on the stove. In it, is a lot of water, and many tea bags from the obscure brand decaf green tea. Into it, he dumps in the leaves of an herb. He looks down, and mumbles, "I hope that was mint..."

Need I say more?

Makes you wonder...

I saw an interesting cartoon, with the title, "If D-Day had been covered by today's media"; It depicts a reporter, screaming into a microphone: "The question still begs: do the French want us here? Do the French even want to be free? Is this just another World War One? And, isn't this just a war over America's dependence on Wine and Cheese?"

That says a lot, right there. Because, we have the ever-present "liberal media"... and then there's Fox News. Everyone always makes fun of Fox News for being conservative. But it is, as its slogan states, "Fair and Balanced": you have everyone else, for one view, and Fox for the other. It is fair.

It's called a remote control.

(The Cartoon was drawn by Mike Lester, for the Rome-News Tribune, in Rome, Georgia.)

"That's Horse-racing..."

My dad is snoring happily away on the couch.

My mom's voice comes toward us, "Jim? You watching anything? We'd like to watch the horse-race. Channel 4."

1 to 5 odds -- 40 cents on a standard $2 bet.

Smarty Jones was the favorite, Rock Hard Ten was the second.

Nobody saw Birdstone; he came out of absolutely nowhere.

But, as said by Smarty Jones' jockey, "That's horse-racing."

Musing #2

Odd question for the comments section:

What is the strangest or most infantile thing you've ever heard "smart people" talk about?

Third Jewel.

What is the Belmont Stakes?

The third jewel in the Triple Crown, of thoroughbred horse racing. (Kentucky Derby, The Preakness Stakes, and then the Belmont Stakes.)

Fair enough.

The last horse to take all three was 'Affirmed', in 1978.

We've had a couple horses almost take the crown -- win the Derby and the Preakness, only to lose the Belmont -- and I'd like to see Smarty Jones take the crown.

By the way, last time I checked, Smarty Jones was bet off the board, at something like 2 to 5 (if he winse, and you put down five dollars, you get two back. It evens out to about 80 cents on a $2 bet.)

Before anyone asks, I don't have a bet on Smarty Jones for one very simple reason: I'm not old enough to bet.

Well, that's not civil, now is it?

I heard this on the radio just the other day:

The so-called "Christian Right" is going to, or is planning on, picking up, and moving to South Carolina. Then, when the "Christian Right" has control over politics in the state, they'll secede from the Union.

Again.

I think the idea is that the "Left" won't have the guts to stop them. Or that the country, in a social sense, is beyond repair.

I don't know.

It was interesting, though, because today, in Social Studies (henceforth known as UShistgovt), a girl declared, "This country is doomed."

Another asked, simply, "Why?"

The first girl declared, "We are the future of this country. It's doomed."