Odd Experience

It had been a long day, so I decided that I would go home, eat, relax, and play something on the computer. I pulled in the driveway and grabbed my stuff, heading straight to the office to dump everything. I entered the office and started up the computer just as my stomach started growling. While I waited for the computer to load, I went to the kitchen and made myself a couple sandwiches. I began chomping greedily as I typed the password into my computer. I began to open one of my favorite games of all time when I sensed it. Something was terribly wrong. I paused for a second to make up my mind. There was no going back. This is my home and I will make sure that I am safe. I casually reached down and gripped my baton. As I withdrew from the drawer in which I kept the baton I stood up and turned, swinging the baton into the air and expanding it. Nothing. I looked around the room. I could tell that something was still wrong. I crept through the hall slowly, ready to attack. I made my way to the bedroom and grabbed the glock 17 from the gun safe in the closet and the vest that hung above the safe. I began to clear the house, one room at a time. I made it up the stairs and into the spare bedroom. There was only one room left. My heart pounding, I moved to the door. My hands started to shake as the adrenaline pumped through my veins. “This is it.” I thought, “I have this person cornered.” I reached for the handle and turned, pausing to catch my breath. I kicked the door, sending the door flying on its hinges. As the knob crashed into the wall, I stood there in the doorway, staring into an empty room. I didn’t understand. Something was wrong, I sensed it! I checked the room and holstered the glock. I walked back to the office puzzled. I ran backwards through everything that just happened, then forward, like I was walking through the house again. What was wrong? What had made me so uneasy? I began going through it all again. “Came home, grabbed my stuff, started the computer, made my sandwiches, went back to the…. Wait.” Why did I make my own sandwich?

Christmas' Past

In light of the holiday season, I thought I would take a little time to reflect on past holidays and maybe tell a few of my favorite things about Christmas. I am, as many people will tell you, quite the Grinch. I have never been a big Christmas fan and I am always a bit difficult to please at Christmas. Well, maybe that’s an understatement. I have always been impossible to please. Looking back, I realize that I was every parent’s worst nightmare when it came to Christmas. I was never happy with the presents that I received. My parents tried so hard to make me happy, but no matter what they bought me, it never made me happy. It took me a long time to see this, and now I really wish I would have seen it sooner. My favorite Christmas was the one where I watched all my siblings open up presents and realized that my parents didn't get me anything. I realized that they didn't do that on purpose, they just forgot about me. I laughed a little inside and joked about how I had been forgotten and how now I knew that I was the middle child. I was looking for a reason to be mad that day and my parents gave it to me. My mother tried to find something to give me as soon as she realized what had happened. She found some clothe and told me that she would help me make a hoodie. I was happy enough with that. And so, the day went on. I got mad when I wanted to, and I was never once upset with my parents. That Christmas was the one that I needed. I realized that year that all the years that I had gotten something and wasn't happy, I would have been just as happy not getting anything. My parents tried to buy me things and make me happy, but the truth is I knew that Christmas was the time of year to give. To me getting presents was receiving and all I wanted was to give. I never told my parents all this. I recently had a conversation with my wife and realized that my mother never forgot that year either. So, I want to take the time in this blog to remember my parents.

To Mom and Dad, I love you both and I never told you how much I appreciated being forgotten. That Christmas woke me up and taught me a life lesson. I joke about the Christmas I was forgotten, but it's because it was what I needed, and it was supposed to happen at some point. I am, after all, the middle child. Thank you both for giving me that present.

Here's to the best Christmas memories!

Resumes and Cover letters

With the economy in the sink, I thought I would take a moment to write a short blog about the importance of a resume. I have several friends who have never had to have a resume before and most of them have never even considered writing a resume. Resumes may seem like a waste of time to the crowd that has always been connected, but for the average Joe, a well written resume can be the difference between getting a great paying job with amazing benefits and working as a part time cashier at McDonalds making minimum wage. A resume is your work history and your qualifications all listed on a paper so that a potential employer can see why you are the best person for the job. If someone else has a better resume than you it will be a lot more difficult to score a job. A lot rides on that little resume, so I have listed a few websites to help you with both your resume and cover letters. So, write a great resume and go get the job you want. At the very least you will be able to look at your resume and see what you want to add to your qualifications. Good luck!

Cover letters
Resumes
DIY Guide to Resumes
Online Jobs

Vacation

Everyone needs a little time off every now and then. I love taking vacation days to just roam around and visit new places. The best thing about taking off and going somewhere new is the adventure that takes place along the way. I enjoy traveling with a couple friends and driving for hours just to see where we will end up camping. If I could find a cheap air fare, I might even fly to some other state just to see what's there. I have a goal in my life to visit every state in the United States of America. What better way to accomplish that goal than with friends?

Mandatory Tip?

I was listening to the radio the other day and the talk show host came on the radio saying that some restaurants are taking about starting a mandatory 25% tip. I almost laughed when I heard this. I just ate some food at a Denny's and I was so dissatisfied with the service that I didn't leave a tip and I even considered leaving without paying. Of course, I had to do the right thing and pay for the food I ate, but there was no way I was leaving a tip. I like Denny's... normally... but this particular visit I paid twenty dollars for my waitress to bring me a coffee, water, and a little food. She never offered me a refill on my water or even brought me a check. I had to go to the register to get my check and pay. I'm a pretty nice guy and usually leave a tip if the waiter/waitress does a mediocre job and I try to leave a generous tip if they make me laugh or even just keep my water filled. Needless to say, for me, the tip is a sort of grading scale. The standard 15-20% tip is a good rating, while anything more than 20% is a great rating. If you don't get a tip, quite honestly, your service was bad and needs TONS of improvement... or I'm broke... either way, make me laugh a little next time. If these restaurants start charging a mandatory tip, I will have to stop eating out. It already costs around $10 for one person to eat out somewhere decent, with a 25% tip, that's $12.50 plus tax. Now, for those of us who aren't single, that's a minimum of $25 every time you want to go somewhere even mediocre. That's going to cut my eating out down a lot. I don't think this mandatory tip is a very good idea. If there are other people out there like me who realize how much of a difference $5 can make, then those people are likely going to quite eating out also. Translation: less people eating out = less tips for waiters/waitresses = less money for waiters/waitresses to spend = larger demand for better jobs = higher unemployment = less money = even HIGHER demand for better jobs... it's a vicious cycle and I AM taking things a bit extreme, but let's face it, I'm right. So, waiters and waitresses earn that tip! Everyone else, if they earn the tip, give it to them! generosity is helpful!

Food Stamps

I don’t like to give out a lot of details about my life, but for this blog, I am going to let everyone in on a little secret. I am twenty-one years old and married. My wife is nineteen years old and pregnant. We had been married about eight months before we found out she was pregnant. When we first got married I had a pretty good job lined up, the contract was signed and I was ready to go. I was working at this place full time making pretty good money. In fact, almost half of my income could go straight to savings while I still got a lot of fun little toys. My wife had a job as a waitress at a local restaurant and actually enjoyed working there. We were pretty happy with our life.
After living this life for a while, I lost my job. The program that was funding my job took a big hit and was shut almost completely down. I did not lose my job because of anything that I did wrong, the economy just felt like collapsing. As upset as I was about losing my job, I didn’t let that get me down. I immediately went looking for a job. I found a job that would get us by and I applied for the position. I knew some of the people working there and was confident that I would get the job. I was interviewed and later hired for the position. I was glad to have a job, but I had taken quite a pay cut. After asking my advice, my wife quite her job due to sexual harassment issues and we began living on a single income and savings. We were less comfortable, but God has a way of always providing.
I found a job opportunity for an entry level position at a very wealthy company in my city. The job required a test and an interview. The economy was doing very poorly at this time, and so, for seven or eight positions, this company received almost 1,500 applications. After weeding out almost 1,400 applications, they sent out letters to the 100+ candidates left. I was one of these candidates. I received a letter telling me to come take a test to see if I could proceed to the interview. I took the test and passed. Only an interview to go and I would have a full time job paying nineteen dollars an hour and getting guaranteed raises that would put me at twenty-five an hour within a single year. Only around twenty people made it to the interview portion. I went to my interview and felt pretty good about how well I did, only to receive a letter telling me that a better candidate had been chosen. I learned later that there was a very strong possibility that I was turned down because of my age.
After six months of living on a small income and saved up money, looking for jobs the whole time, we decided that we could not continue living life on our income. We applied for food stamps, something that I am still embarrassed about. My saved money was almost completely gone and we had no choice but to rely on other people. My wife was already pregnant by now and was now on state health insurance. I found a new job, but it didn’t pay any better. Still, I enjoyed the work and decided that even though I wouldn’t make any more money, it would be worth the move later.
So, here I am, living on a minimal income at a part time job, still applying for a second job, and studying full time at the local college. I have a temporary job that will help me to catch up on the bills that I still owe (yes, I am out of savings and now in debt) and I am only getting food thanks to food stamps. I got a call today from my wife (on the cell phone my parents are paying for), she was crying. She had been yelled at by a woman behind her because she was using food stamps to pay for our food for the month. This woman was upset that her tax money was going towards my pregnant wife’s food. This woman yelled things at my wife until she was in the parking lot, all because she is upset about these food stamps. My wife was very upset and even more embarrassed.
I have told this whole story, which I am not proud of, to say one thing. I know that there are people out there who are just lazy, qualify for food stamps and don’t even try to get a job, but there are also others of us out here who work our very hardest to get jobs and work even harder to keep our jobs, and we literally can’t afford to put food on our own table. For the females out there, here is a little insight for you to remember: There is no worse feeling for a man than to know that you can’t provide the most basic needs for your family. Sitting there being helpless makes even the strongest men crack.
I’m not telling this story for sympathy. I have two reasons for telling this story. The first reason is to inform everyone out there that some of us using food stamps are using them because we need them. I hate having to use food stamps, but it does put food on the table. Secondly, I want to say that through this entire ordeal, God has always provided for me and my wife. There have been several times when I didn’t have the money to get by and somehow God provided money for me. God will always provide for those that are faithful to Him. I’m not always faithful to God, and He still provides for me.
In Christ,

Taking Leave

Saturday night I was sitting on my bed trying to find something for my wife and I to enjoy. I just wanted to watch a movie, but she wanted to get out of the house. After some debate, I finally made up my mind. "Pack a bag; we're leaving." I told my wife. She immediately began smiling and threw together a bag of clothes, make-up, and a few snacks. We threw a couple bags in the car and left the house. We had no idea where we were going, but that was half the fun. We went to Wal-Mart and picked up a few supplies and left town. Since it was the night before father's day, we decided to go visit my parents for a little while. We stopped and got coffee at their house and visited for a couple hours, and then it was back onto the road with no clue where we were heading. We headed east until we found a motel, stayed the night, watched some TV, and then continued on our way in the morning. We basically drove in a giant circle around a small part of east Kansas. We had an amazing adventure. In one day, we drove a few hundred miles, went to the zoo, stopped at a couple historic sites, visited a wind farm, and went back home to enjoy an amazing steak and potato dinner. Oh! We also saved three turtles!

 The reason I like telling this story is because it reminds me of a time when I was able to just drop everything and leave without any plans. I was able to take my wife and drive away from home with little regard for where I ended up, and it turned out to be one of the best trips that I have ever taken. We didn't get to do a lot of site seeing or ride any rides, but it was still a very enjoyable trip. I recommend everyone just take off and leave every once in a while. Just get away from all the stress you encounter in your daily life, and don't even plan it. Just take a couple hundred dollars and drive. If you don't want to spend that much money, take a fifty for gas and pack a tent and some food. Leaving home for the weekend on a whim is an adventure all by itself.

If you go on an adventure as a result of my blog, comment and let me know! I would love to hear about it if I inspired you.

Click here for some great coffee shop secrets!

That's gay...

I was sitting at my computer the other day and my wife had the radio playing a little distance away. Taylor Swift came on the radio singing "Picture to Burn" and I noticed that from the album version to the radio there was a part edited out. Now, before I write anything else, I have to clarify that I have no desire to be politically correct, though it does happen occasionally. The part that they edited out in this song now says, "...you won't mind if I say...” what it used to say was, "...I'll tell mine (friends) that you’re gay...". Now, apparently a girl singing about telling her friends that her ex-boyfriend is gay is offensive. I have to point out a flaw in this logic. If you are taking offense to this line, it can only be because you are either misunderstanding what she is saying, or you think that being gay is a bad thing. She simply said that she was going to tell her friends that the reason they broke up was because he liked men, and she is a women. Obviously, if he was gay, they would end up breaking up. Taylor Swift never said, in this song, that being gay was a bad thing, so, why did that line have to be edited out? This same logic can be applied to the phrase, "That's gay." It's only offensive if you take "gay" as a bad thing. Food for thought.

A poem I like

Saw this poem today. I can relate. Share it if you like it.


"With a clouded mind, I sit down here
And try my hardest to think very clear
To think of things that I believe
And to consider what my mind perceives
I can’t seem to think clearly today
Almost as if being blocked in some way
Blocked by worries I can’t control
And stress I have, my head is full.
I feel as if I will explode
If I can’t lighten this load
But what can I do to shift this weight?
I sit and consider this very debate
What can I say, and what is there to do?
What can be done, or maybe it’s who?
Who can help me with all of my stress?
I feel so stuck, like I’m under a press
I’m just a grape being turned into wine
And the only help I see is divine
So I will cry out for His help and relax
And on me this weight will no longer tax."

-Unknown

Alternate Realities

This blog contains my thoughts and opinions with a minimal amount of research. It's not necessarily factual!

I recently heard that string theorists say that they can prove that there are eleven different dimensions that currently exist. What this tells me is that if there are eleven different dimensions, than each of those dimensions would contain an alternate reality. Now, if there are eleven different realities, then in those eleven different realities there are eleven dimensions. That could go on forever, but we will stop at one. This results in 39,916,800 alternate realities. Simply stated, for each dimension there are that many more alternate realities. (ex. 1d = 1 reality, 2d = 2*1 or 2 realities, 3d = 3*2*1 or 6 realities, so, 11d = 11*10*9*8*7*6*5*4*3*2*1 or 39,916,800 realities) Now, here's where things begin to get complicated. Since there are somewhere around seven billion people in this world you have to consider a few more factors.
First off, those 39,916,800 alternate realities are based on a single person at a single moment. The next thing you have to consider is the fact that every decision you make changes which of those alternate realities becomes your true reality. Every decision we make changes the current reality. For example; every decision made in Afghanistan is effecting our reality in the United States. This means that the entire population of this world is interdependent. Since there are seven billion people in the world, you have to multiply 39,916,800 times 7,000,000,000 giving you 279,417,600,000,000,000 or 2.79 * 10^17. The next twist to consider is time. 2.79 *10^17 is how many realities there are at this very second. So, every second compounds and the result is 6. * 10^1046 realities every minute. That's a lot of zero's. The last question I have is, "How many alternate realities have there been?" I'm not doing the math on this for two reasons: 1) It's late and my brain couldn't function that much longer, and 2) It's impossible. The only way to do it would be to know the population of the world at every given second since the beginning of human existence. Based on Christian beliefs, this would be around 6,000 years. There are 188,697,600,000 seconds in 6,000 years. Good luck with that.

Just think. If Shakespeare hadn't decided to write plays, you might have been a billionaire. And no, those realities aren't related... or are they?

An Artist’s Influence

This blog entry should be read all the way through to avoid misunderstandings. If you do not read the whole entry it will most likely be taken out of context.

This is an entry I have been considering writing for a while now. It was inspired by the way I was treated by a few talented artists.  I finally made up my mind to write this because I want people to be reminded of how much influence they have over people who admire them.

A few years ago I went to a concert with my girlfriend. It was a winter jam concert with Toby Mac being the main artist. I remember going to get autographs from different bands including The Afters, Hawk Nelson, Family Force Five, and, of course, Toby Mac. I remember saying something like, “Hey, What’s up, T-Mac?” which was just my way of saying hello as a socially awkward fan. I remember watching his non-existent reaction thinking, “His heart isn’t in this.” I was a little hurt by the reaction, or rather, lack of reaction. Now, before anyone jumps on me about this, I understand that I am in Kansas and that they are halfway through their tour and ready to go home before they even make it to Kansas. Please just bear with me. I left that concert in a very insightful mood, but also a little burnt out. Toby Mac was this great artist that I really liked and he didn’t seem to care about his fans.

A couple years passed, I ended up volunteering to help with load in at Toby Mac’s Winter Wonder Slam Tour. I didn’t really go for any of the artists. I went to help some people out and to hang out with friends, besides, working backstage meant free tickets. I worked as a stage hand during the concert and Toby Mac’s set actually encouraged me quite a bit. So, as I was heading from one side of the stage to the other, I had a chance to stop for just a second and tell him thanks. He told me (politely) he was in a hurry and couldn’t really talk, but he appreciated my telling him thanks. That simple little act of sincerely thanking me (and he was very sincere) gave me a completely renewed outlook on Toby Mac music.

The next month I volunteered to help with Winter Jam. I had volunteered to be a stage hand, which was later switched to security. After arriving we were informed that they had their own security and would be helping with sell merchandise. We never complained about the switch, though we weren’t particularly happy and because of the switch we were basically guaranteed to miss at least half the show. Still, we were just there to help out and hang out so it wasn’t a big deal. A friend and I were assigned to Chris August’s table. Ironically, I had never even heard of Chris August, and neither had my friend. We helped out with the merch and had a good time. We even made designs out of the CD’s to attract attention (and it did attract attention, by the way). We shot rubber bands at a friend at another merch table and we even got free popcorn and a drink later on. Over all, it was a good time. My one complaint about that night is this: Chris August. He only talked to me once, and that was when I offered him popcorn and he said, barely audibly, “No, thanks.” He just seemed to be in a grouchy mood. This probably wouldn’t be a big deal, but here’s where the problem lies: This is probably the only time I will ever see this guy. I left that merch table thinking that Chris August was a guy who wanted to make music and money and didn’t really care about his fans as much as he pretended. Now, since it is the only time I have ever met the guy, I will give him the benefit of the doubt. He was probably having a bad day, maybe his dog just died. I don’t know, and I never will know.

The last artist I want to mention is KJ-52. I have seen him in concert twice and loved both times. After I left Chris August’s table, I stopped and said hi to KJ on my way out. I even got his autograph… on my new Chris August shirt (free gift from the band. Much thanks!). KJ ended up putting my friends and I in his video for that night. Thanks, KJ! I don’t have any complaints about KJ because I have only seen good things from him. I love his YouTube videos, I really like his music, and he is a pretty nice guy.

Now, my intention in posting this particular blog is to remind artists (if they ever read this) that they have a HUGE influence over people. That doesn’t just include fans. I didn’t know who Chris August was and he completely botched his first impression. The goal in this life is to glorify God. If you are a musician, artist, or some other public figure, you have to live life for God 24/7. People see you when you are off stage and people will take most first impressions to their grave. I am very fortunate that God has helped me to give people second chances; otherwise, I would still be changing the station every time I hear Chris August on the radio.

If you intend to be a Christian, your only option is to glorify God in everything you do. It’s a good thing we have such a gracious God. I want this to blog to be an encouragement. Please, don't think that I am trying to bad-mouth Chris August. This is just something I feel that these artists need to be aware of. I think all these artists are doing a fantastic job. God bless.

To Him be the glory,

Aaron

P.S.
I just re-read this entry. I do owe Chris an apology, this came off a little more harsh than I meant. I tried to write this from a perspective that acurately told the story. I actually like Chris's music and I am very thankful for the shirt. My only intention was to point out the influence that we have even when we don't know someone. This concept applies to everyone, but artists tend to be all over the world and meet millions more than I will ever see in my lifetime.

Changing the world

After reading the story posted below, I realized that Abraham Lincoln referred to the people of the United States as “The Great Tribunal”. It is, simply stated, a sad fact that this great tribunal has become so apathetic. We the people have become so lazy and uncaring that we do not even care to change anything that our government does. We complain about the policies and politics, but how often do we actually stand up and tell them what we want? How much would change if we the people would forget about hurting everyone else’s feelings and think about our own feelings every once in a while? There are far too many complacent people in this nation and it is past time to wake up.

“Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” –Margaret Mead

4 ways we're still fighting the Civil War

By John Blake, CNN

April 11, 2011 9:07 a.m. EDT

The president as dictator

Barack Obama isn't the first black president, according to some Southern secessionists. That would be Abraham Lincoln. He was called a "black Republican" and the "Great Dictator."

There a reason a large number of Americans despised Lincoln during the war. Think of the nation's recent "War on Terror." Some Americans thought Lincoln used the war to ignore the Constitution and expand the powers of the presidency.

Lincoln suspended habeas corpus (it gives a person who is jailed the right to challenge their detention in court) during the war and used military courts to arrests thousands of civilians.

Those legal decisions loom over post-9/11 America, historians say.

How do we treat American citizens caught attempting to bomb U.S. cities? How do we clamp down on American citizens who preach overthrowing the government? What rights do Guantanamo Bay prisoners possess?

"It's not just what does a president do against an enemy," says Blair, the Civil War historian. "It's what do you do against your own citizens to determine loyalty. That's a big debate today."

Lincoln skillfully addressed that debate, says Brian McGinty, author of "Lincoln & the Court."

He says Lincoln confronted unprecedented problems: The South was in rebellion, the nation's capital was in real danger from rebels in Virginia and their sympathizers in Maryland.

At one point, a mob blocked passage of Northern troops through Maryland to defend Washington.

"His oath of office required him to 'preserve, protect and defend the Constitution' and he believed that the best way to do that was to preserve the Union," McGinty says. "What good would the Constitution be if the country itself was lost?"

McGinty doesn't think Lincoln became a dictator. He says he allowed the presidential election to take place in 1864. He worked with Congress. He asked military officers to arrest disloyal persons sparingly, and he never tolerated abuse of prisoners.

Lincoln said his actions would ultimately be subject to the review of the American people, not the courts, McGinty says.

"He called the people 'The Great Tribunal' and said that they would have the final word on constitutional issues. In the end, The Great Tribunal approved of what he had done. So, for the most part, has history."

The Great Tribunal, however, has yet to render a unanimous verdict on the Civil War.

A century-and-a-half after the war ended, people still clash over the causes and meaning.

Blair says they still clash because the war doesn't fit many Americans' image of themselves or their past.

"The American story of our past has been a hopeful, helpful narrative," he says. "But it's hard for us to understand that there was a time in this country when the Constitution protected slavery, and it was actually legal.

"How do you insert the story of slavery into that?"

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/04/08/civil.war.today/index.html?iref=NS1

Goals in a Blog

I suppose I should start out by sharing my goals in having a blog. This will probably be a space that I will rant and vent and maybe just share ideas. I plan on traveling and I want to be able to put my stories on here so that my friends and family can hear about my life. I will try to keep it current and I would love to have your input. Give me ideas of things I can do or tell me which stories are your favorites. If I start slacking and I haven't posted anything for a month, tell me I'm getting behind. Thanks for reading my blog!
Aaron