The Law isn't Justice, it is Procedure

It is not about responsibility--whether it was your job to do something and you failed to accomplish the deed. More so, I think of it as whether you had the opportunity to do something and failed to perform in this given window of potential.

There is one lesson of the law that everyone should learn: For the whole, there must be individual failings. Society prospers at the blemishes of "ones." We stick to the procedure of the law because, overall, it produces net benefits. Yet, what about those case-specific instances where the procedure fails the truth and falls flat of justice? Oh well, we just let those slide. Because, the Economist would say, cost-benefit analysis shows that, as a whole, the one individual is less than the whole (the latter that benefits). The gross benefit of society outweigh the loss of the "one."

Try knowing the "one." Try surrounding yourself on a daily basis with those "ones." The Economist is the academic, with his head in Cloud 9, untethered to the land. He is the man who works blindly on the basis of procedure and thinks in theoretics. He has forgotten the Rule of Our Existence: There is no Perfection. Only a strive towards the unattainable state, a pursuit that ensued at the moment of the Fall.

I am sad because today, because I know a "one" and his story. And the likely end of it, too.

This is my life

I am a clutz. A spaz, person who falls over air, runs into doors, you get the picture. And I just can't help it. Most of my friends ask me to stop, and no offense, but that is the most ridiculous piece of support I have ever heard. Do you think I choose this? Do you think I want to make an idiot of of myself by tripping over a chair in the dining hall or something as equally stupid? If you say yes, then you're the one with a problem. Let me take you on a journey of some memorable moments:


1. You know how really nice kitchens in movies have those cool swinging doors? Whenever I saw those in movies, I imagined myself just going back and forth through that picturesque door. In the few moments of my life in which I've been able to experience that, I've felt amazing and fancy. I felt like a pro.

There is a set of double doors to a building on campus, and both of them swing back and forth. Maybe I wrongly assumed the best in people when I thought that the person leaving and the guy in front of me entering were both holding the door open. How wrong I was. I tried walking right through the middle of the doorway and the swinging doors (emphasis on swinging) hit me in the back of the head and right in the face. On a brighter note, the people around seemed concerned. They asked me if I was okay. After they stopped laughing, of course.



2. Today, a biker biked into me. I didn't know that was possible. The sad part is that I didn't even realize what was going on. All of a sudden, I noticed that something was making me walk crooked and in a different direction than what my brain was telling me. I looked around and saw a guy next to me patting my shoulder repeating over and over again, "I'm so sorry. Man, I didn't mean to. I am so so sorry." I didn't know what he was talking about, and frankly, I didn't care. I just wanted this stranger to stop touching me so close to my face. I starting twisting my torso back and forth trying to throw his hand off and told him not to worry about it. Maybe the uncertainty in my voice and my weird movements encouraged him to keep on patting, to keep on apologizing. When I realized this wasn't working, I looked down to move my feet. That's when I realized that his bike was between my legs. It pretty much looked like I was straddling his front tire. I disentangled myself, busted out laughing, and quickly walked away.

I try to keep it classy.

Quotation to Mark the Time

'"Don't worry," he said to her in a quiet voice. "'Harry Potter' is like the Beatles' music. It will go on forever."'

I also like the reference to real-life application in terms of Harry Potter and Twilight in the following article: Real-Life Litmus Test: Are you a "Potter" or a "Twilight?"

This all relates to my broader appreciation for the Harry Potter phenomena. I love that hundreds of people could gather (most not knowing the other), dressed to their imagination, and escape for those hours and minutes on an adventure together. For some reason, I think this reflects something of our inner purity and common humanity.


Reminder to self: Post Biblical analysis of Harry Potter in the near future. I told my Christology teacher about it once but he didn't get it. The man knows the Gospels so well; and yet, he admitted that he hadn't read Harry Potter. He promised he would look into it.  All I'm going to say is this:

Harry Potter : Neville Longbottom :: Jesus : John the Baptist

I like strawberry jam because I like strawberry jam

Sometimes, I will see someone and have this inner urge that I want to know this person better than this first appearance. It is not a crush. It is not a love. It is a general curiosity that peaks to a new level.

I don't think too hard as to why this occurs with A and not with B. I am a firm believer in the initial emotional reaction. These days, we think too much. If I give you five minutes to explain why you like strawberry jam, you will give me a rationalized list. If I give you 10 minutes, you will give me a longer list of reasons. Yet, the truth is: You like strawberry jam b/c you just like it.  The first reaction is emotional, innate, and pure.  The secondary rationale is just that--secondary. An afterthought to explain the unexplainable as to why you like it.  I think this has to do with the general functioning of society today where we are uncomfortable with the unknown and inexplicable. Let's be comfortable in our skins.

I like strawberry jam because I like strawberry jam. Done.

Returning to the initial point: I meet people and feel that I want to know more. Sometimes, I will go out of my way. Generally, I will get an opportunity and take advantage of the moment. Force myself into their lives. Cause battleships to converge. And then, having succeeded, let each run its course.  Yet, I will have accomplished my goal. I grew with an interaction. I added that additional person into my life. I am forever changed.

I may not remember you but I will always remember you. You are a means to the person I am. I grew and am different than I was before. Thank you for contributing.

Mischief freakin' managed.

PostSecret from here

Tonight, I'm going to see Harry Potter and am so pumped. It's the perfect way to begin my Thanksgiving break.

On my way to a study room yesterday, I passed by a guy looking absolutely furious. Face red, he was yelling at the top of his lungs. Maybe he was so caught up in what he was talking about that he didn't realize he was in an area full of people studying, but whatevs. It was only until I passed him that I realized what he was yelling about: Harry Potter.

Now, I can be supa enthusiastic about the books and about the details in those books that no one else pays attention to. And maybe I'll nicely make someone feel guilty if I find out they've never picked up any of the seven books. But I am sure not like that kid. For example, I would have never yelled (or told) that girl that she's lived a deprived childhood or question her parents' motives if they she hasn't read or seen a HP movie. Neither would I repetitively yell, "What is wrong with you? What the f* is your PROBLEM? You were born in the past two decades, weren't you?"

As sad as it must be for that girl, I couldn't help but laugh at the whole situation. After experiencing that, I didn't have a care for what I was doing or that I was running late for class. So thanks, kid. I appreciate the enthusiasm.

The Empties, Love

I like the small venue concerts and discovering the $5 band that five years later requires me to pay an amount equivalent to an expensive dinner just for seats in the nosebleed section.  I prefer the former venue above all.  To date: Only one major concert (and proud of it). The rest are the local venues with musical discoveries that flavor my iPod.

I also like the bands that have a distinctive sound such that the mainstream may never pick up and yet these groups retain a loyal following loved by their fans long-term, truly madly deeply.

I don't know to which category I should place The Empties. However, I ran across them in 2005, and I still go back to them on my iTunes time and time again. Also, I like how they video-tape the songs while walking through downtown Athens, GA. Awesome.

Flood Rises, It's not me (local), Oh my God (local)

Meditation on Mediation

"No matter how thin the pancake, there are always two sides."

This sentence embodies it all: When entering mediation, the question of liability can never be solved. One side will always see the facts from a particular angle; the other side will never oblige the former.  In all, the pancake of a conflict will remain two-sided.  Mediation does not attempt to solve the question of liability. If you want that answer, go to court.

A synopsis of mediation:

A: I am right.
B: I am right.
Mediator: I can't solve this. Do you want to settle?

A Reflection on the Kennedys. Quotation and Melody

'Clare Boothe Luce, a celebrated journalist and playwright, came away with a particularly memorable impression of the Kennedy brothers and sisters. "Where else but in Gothic fiction," she once wrote, "where else among real people could one encounter such triumphs and tragedies, such beauty and charm and ambition and pride and human wreckage, such dedication to the best and lapses into the mire of life; such vulgar, noble, driven, generous, self-centered, loving, suspicious, devious, honorable, vulnerable, indomitable people?"'

A more contemporary take can be found in the eye-liner band Kill Hannah's  I Wanna be a Kennedy

I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and smile.

"...it's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes, I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much; my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst...And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid life...You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry...You will someday."

American Beauty

Travel: Alps (Swiss Side)

The Alps

Choose your mode of transportation--train, plane, or automobile and you'll be satisfied with the view.  My first time, I took the train from Geneva, through Bern and to Interlaken.  The goal was a one day, 8-hour hike starting from G-- to a point 2/3ds of the way up.  All you see is God.  It's like no hike you've ever had in the U.S.  No trees cloud your vision as you stare up the slopes. Yet, the land isn't especially rocky, either.  There is vegetation galore.  Jungsten is generally in your view, somewhere or another.  Look over the shoulder.  The snow and ice blaze in the sun. One sound above all: Cow bells.  Bessy is everywhere.  At one point, we had to push the cows out of our path.  Initially, there are a lot of summer and winter homes.  You can always stop by on a family picnickingin their yard and ask for cold water.  Usually, a bottle of wine will be chilling in a cool glacier well.  It's a dichotomy of sight--the bright grass against the snow topped peaks. You might meet a couple of guys from your hometown (like we did).  Sunbath on the way up and take a picture with the snow-topped peaks in the background.  Look up and eventually you'll see the Swiss flag marking your destination. And once there, stare out at the land that presents a wierd mixed-image of a highly prestine golf course with cows milling around the hills and glaciers magestically placed at the outskirts.  On the way down, I suggest spinning through the field of flowers located in the slightly flattened portions of the hike while singing "The Sound of Music" off-key. Yeah, definitely on the to-do list.  At least for the first-time visitor. 

The train ride back home isn't a let down, either.  Stare out onto Lac Geneve and the mountains are still there, reflected and then a great backdrop to the whole scene.  Then, at some point, you'll realize that the water captivated you long enough and kept you company as the Alps bade farewell. 

A road trip is equally as fun. CRAZY drivers, though! Or, may be just having some fun.  Regardless, the cars are small and the speed is fast.  It's like a strange Mario Kart race, with you having picked a fantastic scenery and the Mountain Drive Course taking you over bridges and next to the lake featuring a scattered number of boats.  The colors should clash--the bright blue of the water and deep seedy green of vegetation.  But, like Mario Kart, there is no tacky. The weather seems to be almost always perfect.  Rain comes at night and is gone by the morning.  The perfection of the environment can't be mimicked anywhere else on Earth. 

Airplane--there's only one great way to see the Alps in this form: JUMP. Skydiving's a big thing here. So is Canyoning. But seriously, I went on a whim and ended up hiking the entire time. No regrets.

Regardless--it's all about the Alpine air and water. So jump. But don't be stupid.

Today, I thought of the Vending Machine

Three points I pondered today while staring at the vending machine:

First: Coke v. Pepsi.
Which should I pick? Truly, I have no preference in terms of taste. I don't like either too much.  It's about the caffeine and my decision to obtain "cold" caffeine rather than "hot" caffeine, the latter also known as a coffee/cafe/chai. So there I am--standing in front of two vending machines nestled in the same corner of the Student Lounge, Snack Bar, wherever. I always hesitate between the two. My hand hovers over the buttons. If no preference in taste, I then resort to aesthetics. The Pepsi machine features square, wide-as-my-palm button selectors. It is my childhood dream of pushing too many elevator buttons that attracts me to the selection before me. The bill acceptor takes the wrinkled dollar easily. The blue coloring of the machine is calming versus the hellish red of the Coca-cola beside it. And yet...
The Coke machine exhibits a slight wave in its frame, and the architect slyly captures a momentary frame of liquid frozen mid-pour. The red color is blinding, and you feel like that mosquito attracted to the light. Buzz.
In the end, the selection is not based on aesthetics or differential taste. It all comes down, as in most things, to economics. I am from Georgia. I am a patriot of that state. Thus, my hand consciously selects the Coke machine. I push the button. Atlanta feels my presence. The Coca-cola dream lives on. I might have created a job with just one touch.

Second, I think I have found the solution to the Penny dilemma
In Season 3 of The West Wing, Rob Lowe (whether accurately or for purely script purposes) pointed out that pennies are the most useless coin in America. I do not know if this is an accurate assessment. I can, however, attest to the fact that, out of all coinage, the penny is most often found and left unbothered on my fridge, the cracks in sidewalks, countertops, and public restrooms. Abe Lincoln deserves more respect. Thus, I propose that vending machines be altered so that they may accept the American penny. This will have several positive effects. First, vending machines will increase the utility of the penny, giving it an actual purpose in our lives.  The vending machine is universal and a common source of nutrition nation-wide. The penny now has a service in being part of the monetary whole with eventual return of nutritional value.  Second, pennies will witness a rise in their social status.  Children will learn to respect each and every penny in our economy since vending machines are vital liquid dispensers in our public school systems.  Third, this proposal promotes cleaner streets, lawns, and wallets by providing a destination for that not-so-copper-made coin that we are constantly find and yet infrequently utilize. 

Third, I faced an ethical dilemma when the Coke machine's change dispenser malfunctioned and has, for the past few days, been unable to digest quarters.  
Basically, any change I put into the machine falls through the dispenser and is re-routed into a small socket (not the change return) completely reachable if I tried. Should I reach in and pocket the change? Leave it resting since I vested any rights to the quarters by feeding them into the vending machine in the first place? What Would You Do? 

Sir Pinkerton: nuff said.

With finals just around the corner, the last thing I expect is for my classes to be mundane. So of course that is exactly what happened. And in times like those, it's great to have a friend by your side.


Speaking of a friend, this is Sir Pinkerton. Anatomy & Physiology is his favorite class, and his helmet is only and most precious accessory. He likes wearing it because other pens think it makes him look supa fly. And it hides his bald spot. Double win.


So don't hate. When you're surrounded by a lecture hall full of random people, you make do with what you have. The only thing I apologize for is the quality of this photo.