I was sitting around today, fresh from a game of 8-Ball and a round of Worms Armageddon, when I received a call for assistance from one of my on-campus friends. It turns out that Matt is installing new headlights in his BMW 328is (clear corners and different lenses for the main lights), but the new lights take a different connector than the old lights. He was trying to wire up the new connectors, but the wind and [mild] cold was making his 30-watt soldering iron ineffective.

I came over to new res with, among other things, my propane blow torch in tow. Needless to say, the torch made short work of the soldering. Problem was, a considerable amount of solder vaporized before reaching the wires. Mindful that successful soldering means having solder on the wires, we set out in search of a more appropriate iron. Half an hour later, a 100-watt gun was fired up. It proved barely adequate, so we fell back on the torch several more times. At the end of the evening, one headlight was done. It even worked! More amazingly, Rose Security only bugged us once to get the Bimmer off of the sidewalk (which Matt had parked on to facilitate access to AC power).

After an interlude of a few hours, which included a Speed Three mini-reunion trip to BW3’s and Black Hawk Down, Matt, Chris (a.k.a. Dr. Smack ), Joey and I decided to take Chris’s car out for some donuts. No, not mini donuts, nor square donuts: car donuts. We drove around for a while until we spotted an elementary school parking lot, conveniently located in the Middle of Nowhere. The time being after 1:00 a.m., there wasn’t a soul to be seen. After a brief trek over grass (oops!) we arrived on the parking lot. Chris gunned it, gained speed, and flicked the wheel. Though not really a dount, we DID manage to get the Camry sideways and enjoyed the distinct smell of rubber burning. Not satisfied with this 1/3 donut, we set out again. Before long, we found a deserted, snow-covered, gravel parking lot. Chris dropped the auto into reverse (FWD == donuts easier in reverse), cranked the wheel, and massaged the loud pedal. Brakes were slammed, the rears bit, and the front broke loose. Several revolutions later, we high-tailed it outa there and back to Campus.

Because of these escapades, I was able to miss the enitre Luau Party, a fact that I feel no compunction about. In my mind, our parties are nothing more than excuses to get drunk, not to mention playing loud music throughout the night. As I write this at 3:30 a.m., there are STILL subwoofers thumping. So you can get inebriated and make a fool of yourself. Wow, that took a lot of effort and maturity – good for you. Oh wait, there’s more to it than that. I forgot about breaking random stuff, leaving various messes, and losing all recollection of the night. Man, I must be missing out. Sure, there are women at the parties, but I’m sorry if I don’t find dames reeking of alcohol attractive. Overall, the thing that really gets me is the ‘Saving of the Whales.’ Suffice it to say that for me, avoiding our parties would be more of a benefit than a loss.

Today one of my Profs decided to spend about 15 minutes reading Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. The message that I got from the Professor was an opinion about affirmative action, though such words were never used. I too have feelings about affirmative action, though because of the lasting nature of the Internet, I will not voice them here. Rather, I wonder about the use of class time to talk about personal ethics.

Certainly racial issues are not directly related to engineering sciences – op-amps and turbines couldn’t care less who designs with them. None the less, ideas we experience in school will influence our morals throughout our lives, conciously or no. Therefore it is imperative that we mold our own minds in a manner that we may focus on the good and justness in one’s soul. When a professor talks about how to be an upright citizen and a moral professional, take heed; certainly one wastes more time daydreaming in class than the five minutes a week taken to discuss virtue.

I try to live a positive life. My mantra is, “Everything happens for a benneficial reason; it merely takes time to recognize the good.” I believe, like Cicero wrote, “nature has given to mankind … a compulsion to do good, and … a
desire to defend the well being of the community” [credit]. If someone feels the urge to recite rhetoric emphasizing positive ch ‘i, I am fully supportive.

The world would be a better place if everyone stopped for just one minute a day and wiped all hurtful thoughts from their psyches.

(Sorry, Netscape doesn’t support extended character sets very well)

Today was a productive day. I did laundry, applied for several jobs, altered my class schedule, plotted to take over the world… In other words, the usual.

Back in December I donated blood. Early this afternoon, I remembered that I could get a free cholesterol count based on my blood donation. I waded through some voice mail menus (‘Press 9 if you want to hear a duck quack’), talked to a real person (!) and eventually found the correct number for my reading. The result? I have a cholesterol level of 135 mg/dL, which I guess is pretty good.

To what do I attribute this reading? Beats me. I live a fairly sedentary life, and my paternal family tree has a history of heart issues (one of the reasons I want to work for Guidant or Medtronic). It must be the several bowls of Cheerios that I’ve eaten almost every day for as long as I can remember. Avoiding everything in the ARA except the sandwiches probably hasn’t hurt. In addition, I haven’t eaten at a fast-food joint in about six months, and have all but given up pop [soda for you Wisconsonites].

Appropriately enough, my Fraternity lineage is going to Outback tonight. Mmmm…. delicious cholesterol-laden steak.

Once again I am reminded of the conservatism that enshrouds Indiana. Today in the Commons at Rose, I was reading the Indianapolis Star when I came across this article. In a nutshell, the Indiana legislature wants to require the words “In God We Trust” in every room in every public school in Indiana. Danville schools already have such a requirement. My favorite quote from the article: “Our country was founded on the belief of trust in God. We need to bring that aspect of patriotism back into the schools and in the classroom.” Hmmm… I’m not sure I agree with that one. Our country was founded with secular ideals. It wasn’t untill 1955 that “In God we Trust” became the national motto; prior to that year, E Pluribus Unum held the honor.

It is my belief that the Indiana law is an effort by the religious right to get prayer into schools. I am especially intrigued by the use of patriotism as a justification. Why? The use of ‘In God We Trust’ as a patiotic phrase was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals in the 1978 case O’HAIR vs. BLUMENTHAL. Wrote the court about the motto: “Its use is of a patriotic or ceremonial character and bears no true resemblance to a governmental sponsorship of a religious exercise.” Church and State should be separated. Period. No ‘Believing in God is patriotic, so we should indoctrinate our children to do so’ rhetoric. Absolutely separate.

Now before you dismiss me as a heretic atheist, let me describe my religious position: I believe in God. [Update, June 2003: this has changed. I would now describe my position as agnostic] I have no problem with religion. I have issues with the Catholic Church, but those are political in nature. However, I have a big problem with organizations forcing their beliefs on others, especially children. I have an even bigger problem with people who use religion as a means for power. Most of all, I cannnot tolerate when religious zealots start wars in the name of God.

I was reading Tomislav’s blog earlier today when I was reminded of the letter I got from Lexmark:

“Dear Mr. Keacher:

Thank you for your interest in summer employment with Lexmark.”

Seems to start off like a rejection form letter. However, the next paragraph throws a curve:

“We anticipate a limited summer hiring program, so competition among candidates will be intense … In order to reviw your qualifications in detail, please complete the enclosed application for employment and return it in the envelope provided.”

Upon reading this, I became hopeful: Why would they send a more detailed application for employment with a rejection letter? I’ll fill it out and see what happens.

New revelation:

I just noticed that the letter uses the future tense, “will,” when referring to the job competition. Therefore, the jobs have not been selected yet. I still have a shot at it!