Sunday, October 30, 2005

Lapsed Drawing Skills


I have been trying to draw in my sketchbook every day. I realized that it had been months since I had been doing that regularly. Although, in reality, I never spent time drawing every day. I tend to think that it isn't worth the time spent on a sketchbook drawing, since it's not a finished product that will last. But that puts too much pressure on each finished piece, since I have learn the skills while I'm doing the finished product. A lot of my work doesn't come out right because I didn't spend the time to plan it. I want to be able to draw better, so I can paint better. I think that no matter what the idea is, you have to have some decent drawing skills to carry it out.
Also, now that the time has changed, I'm not looking forward to the 4:30 sunsets. That's too short of a day.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

River Art


I saw this when I was riding my bike and it seemed interesting. It reminded me of the artist who uses natural surroundings to create art, Andy Goldsworthy. I wonder how many people did this, and when. I like seeing random stuff like this, that shows someone is doing something different. Most people, including myself, just go from one place to another, seeming to be on a strict schedule. This shows that someone stopped to look around and change their environment, and create something unexpected.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Exercising Routinely



A couple days ago, I rejoined the gym. I had still been working out, but not as often. I want to get a lot more fit aerobically. That seems to be my biggest weakness. I see people running who look almost comfortable, and they're barely out of breath. Every time I run, it's extremely difficult, and I feel like I'm gasping for air. But maybe those people had been excercising all through high school and beyond. After childhood, I became a lot more inactive, until a couple years ago. I know that must make a difference, if a person has been excercising solidly for ten or more years straight. Anyway, going to the gym just makes it easier to get into a routine.
I've also been working on a vest, but I miscalculated the guage, so it turned out ten inches too big. I still seem to have a lot of problems with calculating the guage and having the sweater fit normally. I wonder if anyone knits something and it turns out perfectly the first time. Every item I knit that I want to wear, I have to redo two or three times. It's frustrating enough that it makes me want to stop knitting for awhile. I think for now, I'll just work on a scarf, so there's no guage problem.

Monday, October 10, 2005

The ESA Act

There is a revision to the Endangered Species Act that's trying to weaken it, and it already passed the House. It is supposed to give property owners more rights, more than the animals. It creates loopholes so politicians can decide what is considered enough scientific evidence to save a species. It would end up being none, because developers can make more money that way. I hope it's not passed in the Senate, but I think it will. I don't have any hope for this administration doing much for the environment. Some people seem to only want a barren field, with animals or plants in the way, so they can develop or mine, or do whatever. They won't be satisfied until every piece of land is totally developed, and there are no animals to get in the way, except domesticated ones. Then every corner of the world is totally controlled and basically polluted, since development always weakens and pollutes the land.

Saturday, October 08, 2005

Financial Advice from Rich People


I found a financial blog that was irritating. It reminds me of most of the financial advice I hear, which is geared towards the same income level. In some ways, it makes sense, because you have enough money to actually buy a house, yacht, save for retirement, or whatever, and manage your money. Low income people just have to scrape by, basically balancing the budget month to month. There isn't anything for future investments, or ways to trim the budget. So much of the financial advice seems to include, going out to dinner one less time a week and not buying as many $3.00 lattes, since everyone spends hundreds on a month on those things.
Anyway, the people who wrote this blog probably have good tips for people at their income level, but it still was annoying. I don't know how these people, who all seem to make about $50,000 a year, have any problem saving money. It's ridiculous that they even have a column about saving money. Something is seriously wrong when you make that much money and still don't have enough. One person said they spent $1000 a month just on going out. I don't understand even spending that much. Are they flying to Italy every month? Are they paying for hundreds of people's dinner? I don't get it. That's what my whole family lived on when I was growing up. People who raise a whole family on minimum wage should be the ones writing about how to save money, not some upper class people. It makes me mad because some of these people are my age, yet they make more than anyone in my family ever did or will. It just goes to show that there is a definate class system, since they probably grew up in that economic zone, and spending that much money is natural. I really believe that makes a difference, since I literally didn't know of anyone making that kind of money when I was growing up, and it seemed about as attainable as becoming a famous Hollywood actor. To these women, it's as if they think everyone makes that kind of money, since a lot of their tips seem to correspond to that belief. The whole thing makes me angry. They seriously should have poor people write a column about saving money.

Republicans Conserving?

President Calls for Less Driving to Conserve Gas - New York Times

I can't believe that Bush is telling people to conserve. He is waiting until the last minute, since people should have been conserving for the last thirty years. Since oil is finite, wouldn't it make sense to conserve the whole time? But in the conservative and economists minds, the supply amount doesn't matter, it's only the prices that tell people whether they should conserve. Maybe if so many people hadn't bought SUVs, then we'd have more in reserves. But Bush isn't trying to start more public transportation or conservation programs to drastically cut back on people's use. He is basically just suggesting cutting back. I just wish this attitude was a given in our government, because I know that in a little while, they'll be selling SUVs and not mentioning conservation at all. But maybe not, since hybrids and solar energy panels are becoming more popular.

Sunday, October 02, 2005

'The Lovely Bones' & Heaven


I just finished the book 'The Lovely Bones'. At first, I wasn't interested in reading it because it sounded too depressing. A girl is killed and watches her family deal with her death, from heaven. It actually was better than I thought, because the story focused more on how the people around her dealt with her death. It could have turned into a detective story or a manhunt for the killer. But, within the story, her killer doesn't even matter, since it won't bring back the girl to punish him. It's more how her family fractures and then has to come together again, without her. The thing I didn't like was the concept of heaven. It works for the story, because we get some idea of what the girl is like, and can look into different character's thoughts.
But I have a problem with the general idea of heaven as a place where you keep your identity, and your family eventually joins you, with their own identities. Everything you want is available, and you spend eternity as yourself. It makes life seem pointless. If you get to spent eternity as yourself, with everyone you know, then what is the point of life? After you get to know some people you can be in heaven with, why keep living? Everything's better there and eventually everyone you know will join you. Also, if you are yourself for eternity, what would you do? If everything is instantly available, it makes desire pointless. If we were exactly the same in heaven, we would be driven insane, since we have eternity to spend doing nothing. The novelty of having anything would wear off after a while.
I really don't see how people trully believe in the idea of heaven as an actual place you spend as a normal conscious human. It makes more sense as a place where you merge and have no consciousness, and it's nothing like life. That makes life the most important thing, since there is nothing like it. I guess it's a lot more scary to think like that, and I can see why people would prefer to think of heaven as a place that's not much different from earth. I can't convince myself to believe that, so I just try not to think about it.