The Knowledgemonger Kronicles

"Love all, trust a few. Do wrong to none."-William Shakespeare, "All's Well That Ends Well", Act 1 Scene 1

What could be easier than this concept? It is almost written in process. It seems to me that people are starting to put a price tag on love. The cost of their love is that you must do whatever it is that they believe that their love is worth. It also seems to me that they have forgotten a very central concept that as price goes up, demand goes down, all other things remaining the same. So, as they put a higher price tag on their love, the demand for that love starts to dwindle until no one wants their love and instead people will seek an alternative.

Now, I know from a practicality standpoint that demand will never reach zero, but it will grow so slim that they start becoming very self-defeating. So, the price of your love is growing, can I offer to buy some of it. No? Your love is not for sale. Interesting. Well, perhaps than your love should be free. Perhaps, all love should be free.

Expressing love as a default is very simple. All it takes is loving yourself and then loving those with which you interact. Be kind to people. Offer someone something that they need if you have the means to do so. Smile at someone when you talk to them. Hug those who you think need it. Being kind is 20 times easier than being mean and at least 10 times easier than being apathetic.

Now, that you are loving people, let's get down to trust. Trust few. This is hard to do sometimes when you are loving everyone and you may and probably will get burned for trusting the wrong people. But, don't stop loving that person because you can not trust them, just know where you must hold them. Those people that you do trust, start small and work your way into trusting them as time goes by. As they trust you more, you will trust them more, etc. Just be sure that you continue to love them enough to maintain that trust.

Lastly, I get to the concept of doing wrong to none. Very simple in theory, much harder in practice. Most people that have accomplished the first two, do well on most aspects of this. but, the hardest part is "Being loyal to the absent." This concept is the idea that people gossiping about someone who is not there to defend themselves is not fair. Think about it the next time you are with a group and they start talking about the missing member. Should not someone defend that person? The answer I would say is yes, if at all possible. Being silent, sometimes, can be just as bad as being the gossip.

~L

Bud Selig says that A-Rod has shamed the game of baseball. Really? How is it possible that someone as an individual has shamed the game more than it already has been by admitting that he used "performance enhancers?" That makes no sense to me what-so-ever, with the shear number of players that took drugs during the 2001-2003 period, how could you possibly not expect A-Rod to do the same to remain competitive? That's just ridiculous! Who has shamed baseball? Mr. Selig shouldn't have to look far.

Bud, the mirror is calling and he thinks it is gut check time. The greed of the owners mirrors the greed of the players, perfectly. And you, sir, may be the worst of them. So, don't start pointing your fingers. Start questioning: Why there needed to be a problem before regular testing was done? Why did the league get so out of control before the issue was even addressed? Did you know that the "Honor System" only works so well?

Sir, put your finger away and start actually working to better the game. Maybe, start capping some salaries to start to gain league parody. I don't know do something other than getting your mug out there just to point your finger. SHAME ON YOU!

It seems that most lies that I have encountered in my life were told by people who claimed that they didn't want to hurt someone's feelings. This situation I have never understood. I have found that the opposite ends up being quite true.

Take for instance a situation where someone is supposed to have a birthday dinner and has invited you to attend. The day of you text with them and they are giving you the run around about it saying that his friends aren't getting it together properly and that his mother has decided to cook for him and that is what he is going to do instead. Okay fine his friends must suck...but, wait you have met his friends and you know that they do not suck, quite opposite to that they seem to get things together pretty well. So, you start to not believe this situation and already formulate that you have been dis invited, because said person's ex is there and he doesn't want it to be uncomfortable, etc. But, you forgive that and just deal with it as it is. But, then a few weeks later you get conformation of this lie, because his friends being the great people they are put up pics of the event on facebook and you are now friends with them on this lie-catching network. (yes, this does happen)

Do you confront these situations? Do they make you question other times that this person has canceled on you? the answer to both questions for me is a resounding YES. If you do not confront the situation you fail to allow the relationship of any sort with this person from growing. a) Did they lie just because they were trying to make something more comfortable? b) Are they playing you? c) They need to know that you are rather good at detecting lies and that doing so is pointless d) Lying about anything to make someone feel better does not work with all people. e) Do you even want to progress further with this person?

I am in touch with my emotions and regardless of someone's intentions I am going to feel the way I feel do to my reactions on a situation. Further I have come to notice that the times that I have the hardest time dealing with my emotions is when I suspect the truth is not being told to me. So, stop trying to spare my feelings! Tell me the truth, I'm a big boy I can handle it.

I love that life throws them at you from time to time. It keeps things from getting mundane and makes you continually think. Without them, I don't think life would be any fun at all.

Take my recent battles with financial aid, I could:

a) not deal with it & drop out of school.
b) get pissed off & go on a rampage at the financial aid headquarters.
c) get mad, organize my thoughts, laugh a little bit & then take them on.
d) drink heavily and do a) or b) anyway.

So, I have chosen path c). Less messy and overall, more effective. So, hopefully everything will work out for the better in a month or so and that they as well as myself will learn valuable lessons going forward.

Lots of changes going on around me and also within me. I am directing what I can in directions that I want them to go. How manipulative of me! Well, trust me when I say that I have very little control over the things that do not directly involve me, but that is something that I am okay with at this time. People come and people go, just make the most of the time that they are around.

Spring semester has resumed. Wish me luck. With any skill, I will finish up the year with a very high 3.XX GPA, w00t!

~L

I think that subject tops my list of things that are not fun, beating out: "having a root canal" & "waiting at the DMV." This is the 2nd time in my life that I have had to deal with complete stupidity from a financial aid office and guess what, I have yet to have real interaction with them. I have called every office at every campus and left a message. I have sent an e-mail to Financial Aid Help 3 times. No responses. So, tomorrow my unhappy self will most likely be chewing out some unsuspecting financial aid "adviser," because of the overall office's incompetence.

And what may be the issue, you ask? Well, the financial aid department has a SAP policy that uses a 67% completion rate as making significant progress through coursework. Which it should; however, they should also have the responsibility to make sure that it is being correctly utilized. Because, I have 3 classes that conclude on February 12th and have 3 that have been completed their system views the 3 as not being complete and as not making significant progress. Huh? Really? Seems like a simple fix overall, right? Well, add in the complications of reaching ANYONE it becomes not so simple.

How a campus can offer classes with varying start and end dates in a semester and also have a financial aid department that does not know how to appropriately handle the situation is beyond me. I am beginning to think that these are:

Top 5 Things Taught To a New Financial Aid Employee

1. NEVER, under any circumstance, answer your office phone.
2. If you listen to voicemail, please take at least 3 days before considering your response.
3. If it is important enough the student will come to your office.
4. Make sure you take sedatives before dealing with angry student mobs.
5. Don't worry about e-mails, let the auto-response pacify their concerns.

So, now I am going to have myself a good laugh about this situation, because I love that someone or something out there cares enough to mess with me. Thank you, omnipotent being!

From the Album Dear Sciene, which this Magazine chose as its Album of the Year, and in my opinion for very good reason.

"Halfway Home" is an amazing song from this album and as a fan of TV on the Radio for a number of years, it is good to hear that they have stuck with their musical experimentation. I hope you enjoy :-)


Halfway Home - TV On The Radio

A great start to the year 2009. I went shopping with the roomie at Tysons. Bought enough shirts to complete the winter wardrobe (w00t). After the shopping extravaganza, the roomie dropped me off at the metro and I headed into the city to meet up with The Diarist, Tuffie & a friend to watch the Caps take on the the Lightning. What an awesome game! A lot of violence (with the unfortunate side effect of a Tampa Bay player having to be taken off the ice on a stretcher), a lot of goal scoring and the Capitals increased the Eastern Conference Best Home Record to 16-1-1 with a 7-4 victory!

Thanks again guys for the invite, love you much. After the game I called the roomie, who still was not feeling well, so I stayed in the city with a friend and headed over to Cobalt, where I got to see another pack of friends.

So, I started the New Year with most of my friends, w00t and I hope that trend can continue throughout this coming year. :-)