Mike's thoughts on the world

Sample Message

2009-01-22T20:21:00.002-05:00

This is a sample message I have sent to all of my representatives in Washington.

Dear Senator,

I would like to register my opposition to the so called "freedom of choice" act. In my opinion, it should not be put up for a vote until the title is changed to something more accurately descriptive like " the freedom of murder act".

I know that President Obama is pushing hard to get his "progressive" goals passed quickly, but this is a matter that must be considered carefully, and we must have a national discussion on this matter, using the proper terminology, and exposing people to the details of what they are fighting for.

Thank you for your time.
Mike Sassman
Crown Point, IN

Elections and opinions

2008-05-31T17:38:00.002-04:00

Now that I am a homeowner, people have been a lot more interested in calling me and having me take surveys to gather my opinions. Every survey I have taken has been so obviously slanted toward the left-wing eco-crazy liberals. As a conservative, I proudly tell them that I support more oil drilling along with conservation and I always tell them that our economy is simply in a period of correction that occurs every so often and we will come out stronger than ever.

John McCain and I don't agree on everything, but compared to the Hill-Bama possibility, he looks great.

Message to all politicians:
DO NOT RAISE TAXES, DO NOT INCREASE THE SIZE OF GOVERNMENT, DO NOT INSTITUTE ANY MORE GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS

Looking on the bright side...

2007-11-23T13:14:00.000-05:00

So yea, big update since my last post. Melissa and I are now engaged (since June 4th). No wedding date has been set yet.

I just downloaded the soundtrack for Monty Python's Spamalot from iTunes...it's really great if you are a Monty Python fan. My favorite song is "Always look on the bright side of life". It pretty much mirrors how I see the world. People who know me know that I am always an optimist (plan for the worst, expect the best). I see the good in people and situations that many people don't or won't see.

iTunes Link

Update

2007-04-18T23:39:00.000-04:00

Ok everyone, I know I have not been blogging...at all lately. I have a lot of projects that have been taking my energy and time.

1) My wonderful girlfriend, Melissa, who has been an absolute blessing to me
2) My DeMolay chapter, which has been growing by leaps and bounds since November (we are up to 20 new members since November)
3) My new house
4) My new cat (accidently adopted)
5) When I am not spending time with everything else, I am working.

This is my life, for better or worse. Honestly, it's been getting better and better since I met Melissa back in August 2006. There is no doubt in my mind, She's the one.

All in all, i am happier now than I ever have been!

I give in

2007-02-12T01:47:00.001-05:00

I'm on myspace now. myspace.com/msassman

Moving

2007-01-15T01:16:00.000-05:00

People say that moving is the most stressful thing that a person can do. I consider myself an old pro at this. Here is a bit of history.

2001: Highland to Bloomington, Bloomington to Highland, Highland to Bloomington
2002: Bloomington to Highland, Highland to Bloomington
2003: Bloomington to Indianapolis, Indianapolis to Bloomington
2004: Bloomington to Indianapolis, Indianapolis to Bloomington
2005: Bloomington to Bloomington, Bloomington to Bloomington (dorm to apartment and back again), Bloomington to Highland
2006: none
2007: Highland to Crown Point (into my new house!!)

Hopefully I will be able to stay in one place for a while!!!

update

2007-01-08T00:55:00.000-05:00

The financing part of my house-buying experience is almost done! I have submitted all of the paperwork, and now I just need to wait for it to process.

LIFE IS GOOD

House inspection

2007-01-06T16:55:00.000-05:00

Today, I had an inspector come out to (almost) my house. Only minor things were found that needed repair...40 dollars and everything is perfect!!

It's so much fun when people come to you and want to help you with a new house. I love my circle of friends and supportive co-workers.

I got it!!

2007-01-04T08:46:00.001-05:00

My offer has been accepted! Now all I have to do is some paperwork for the mortgage and I HAVE A HOUSE!!!!!!

Dare to Dream

2007-01-03T00:13:00.000-05:00

My personal motto, or saying to go by has been Dare to Dream. So many times in this society, we come into situations where people stifle our dreams by saying they are not practical, or "keep your head out of the clouds".

As of today, I hereby REJECT anyone who tells me that I cannot accomplish that which I dream. From now on, my sole focus in life is to make my dreams come true. If you plan to stand in my way, get ready to be left in the dust!

More on what those dreams are....later.

the house

2007-01-03T00:06:00.001-05:00

The offer has been made...I will know in 24 hours what my housing fate is.

2007!!

2007-01-01T18:41:00.000-05:00

This is going to be an amazing year! I have decided that I am going to buy a house in Crown Point, Indiana. More details on that later. I am still with my AMAZING girlfriend Melissa, I am solidly performing in my job at Applied Systems, and I am working on a little (big) something on the side.

2007 is going to be an amazing year. Let's see if I can retire by 2011....

DeMolay is BACK

2006-12-20T22:44:00.000-05:00

I am proud to announce that Steel City DeMolay is back and BETTER THAN EVER. We have a dozen energetic young men who want to get everything they can out of their DeMolay experience. I couldn't be more proud.

I am now functioning as the main adult advisor to these guys, and I can't wait to see what they can do.

It's a lot of work, but it's a lot of fun at the same time. Who knew that being an adult could be so much fun?!?

Being Conservative

2006-11-18T11:22:00.000-05:00

What does it mean to me to be conservative?

The meaning of this word in politics is changing almost daily. Here is what I believe.

The people can manage their money better than any government can. Big government taxes and spending should only occur when such spending will benefit a large group of Americans in need. This should only be done when the benefit is immediate, compelling, and not possible if the money is spent on an individual basis.

Government should be flexible, but firm at the same time. We need to reserve our hard-line politics for situations where 75% of the country actually does believe what you believe. The issue of Gay Marriage affects a very small portion of the country. There is no reason why the federal government should get involved with this issue. We do need to be flexible enough to allow it to happen, but we don't need to go hard-line for or against it.

Foreign Policy should read as such: If there is something happening in the world that might have a direct effect on the daily lives of American Citizens, we should get involved. If there is only a small chance, or if there is a war happening somewhere else, STAY OUT. If we want to offer humanitarian aid, it must only be offered if it is asked for. Interjecting our views on other countries has proven to be a big mistake, and we should focus our efforts on domestic issues.

Education should be taken out of politics. Period. Unless you are a parent of a child in a school, or unless you have an advanced degree in Education, STAY OUT OF THE SCHOOLS. Politicians are ill-equipped to rise to the challenge of Education policy. When allocating government funds, we should only provide enough oversight to ensure that the dollars allocated get spent at the ground level with good teacher salaries, moderate administrative salaries, and making sure that our schools have the best equipment and facilities in the world. Finally, stop all standardized testing. We need another way to rate our children's progress. Filling in bubbles on a sheet of paper is not enough. I don't pretend to know what the best way is, but I'm sure our educators can figure this one out.

Social Security should be more dynamic than it already is. The amount that we pay into Social Security should increase with inflation. Our senior citizens are valuable to this country, and we should never allow them to become "the dying poor".

With regard to Health Care, the idea of "for-profit" hospitals is appalling to me. All hospitals should be not-for-profit organizations. Exorbitant salaries for administrators just raise the price of healthcare. Don't get me wrong, people should be rewarded for the work they do, but it should be within reason. If you are running a hospital and making 300K/year or more, I'm talking about you.

That's about it. Any questions?

American Politics

2006-11-11T14:57:00.001-05:00

In this last midterm election, I really tried to pay attention and get some cold facts out of all of the silly rhetoric. I have come to some disappointing conclusions.

1) Americans are fickle. They only see what they want to see today, and they have very little memory when it comes to history. This is best exemplified by the war issue. Do you remember how you felt on 9/11/2001? I was PISSED and ready to do whatever it took to prevent it from happening again. 90% of Americans felt the same way at that time. As the years passed, and now a mere 5 years later, so many Americans have forgotten about what happened. Some people even start developing theories that actually blame our own elected officials for the attack itself. This kind of lukewarm patriotism would never happen in the countries that we are fighting. Why are we this way?

2) Americans feel invincible. We have such lukewarm support for this war because 90% of Americans still feel perfectly safe in going about their daily lives. They still have the teenage mentality that "bad things won't happen to us". It's not our fault, though. Our president told us right after the attack that we should go about our daily lives and not live in fear. While it was a good statement to calm our feelings at the time, it worked a bit too well, and we have been lulled back into our comfortable place. The very place we were on 9/10/2001.

3) Americans really don't care about the rest of the world. Unless it has something to do with our daily routine, we generally don't care about it. We care about things when they come on the news. We donate money in the days and 4-5 months after a natural disaster, but after that, we move on to something else. Have you heard anything about New Orleans lately?

Don't get me wrong, I love this country and her people. I just wish that people would wake up and realize that they need to start holding grudges. We have been burned many times, and as soon as we see something else that we want, we forget about our national injury.

Cartoon Friends

2006-10-23T01:06:00.000-04:00

In MMORPGs like World of Warcraft, you can really develop some cool online friendships. One example is my character, Lightguard and a Warrior named Redriver. We first met and teamed up in the game when we were barely beginning at level 15 or so. We played together and conquered challenges through the mid 20's. We became pretty good online friends, but he disappeared after a number of months and I just went about my business. Then, after 8-10 months, here he is again asking for my help with some end-game content.

He talked to his guild-mates about me like an old friend, and it was really nice knowing that he remembered me as a good player and an honest person....meaning I won't steal things.

Online gaming has gone into the mainstream and it is giving our already-interesting culture another layer of complexity, especially on the issue of trust. How far should online friendships go? What do you reveal about yourself in conversation? How much should you share? The rules are already taking shape, and i will post my thoughts as they develop.

Moving up

2006-10-20T01:32:00.000-04:00

Literally. Friday is the day I get to move from the classroom, which has been my home for 2 weeks, to my desk at work. I am actually excited about taking calls now. Our customers seem wonderful and I can't wait to help them.

http://www.appliedsystems.com

I'm a geek

2006-10-17T19:47:00.000-04:00

It’s official, I am a total geek…and here’s why.

I like Star Wars, Star Trek, White Castle, World of Warcraft, Apple computer, SQL databases, I live in Instant Message-land, my job is to support a Windows program that is older than I am, and I am a political wiz.

With all of that, how in the world do I have a hot girlfriend??

Life is good! Time for WoW now. May the force be with you.

Moving on

2006-10-14T16:49:00.000-04:00

It's Official. I quit my white castle job today. We parted on good terms, and I will remember my time there fondly.

Now on with the rest of my life!!

sleepless

2006-10-09T01:56:00.000-04:00

I have to say, I am excited and nervous about starting work today. I can't wait.

And now I can't sleep. Oh well.

Brain dump

2006-10-06T04:39:00.000-04:00

Ok, I feel like this is going to be the summation of all of the posts that I have meant to make over the last couple of months.

There is a big wave of changes headed my way in the coming weeks and months. First, I am starting my new job at Applied Systems on October 9th (which I am excited about) and that alone is going to bring about a wave of change that I can't hope to avoid.

First, my church is going to change. Over the past few months, I have been acting as song leader at Our lady of Grace church in Highland. In the past, Cantoring has been very good for me, spiritually, but this time it has been nothing short of a disaster. Every time I go up to sing a song, it comes out wrong, I lose my place, and we barely make it through the song without starting over. I am doing a disservice to the church by disrupting the masses, and I am worried about myself, wondering what happened to my singing ability. Maybe this is a test, maybe this is telling me to switch parishes. I am going to try a different parish once my life slows down.

Second, my involvement in Masonic organizations is going to increase. Now that I will have evenings and weekends off, I am free to attend various Masonic functions. I am really excited about this, and it is going to be a major change in my nonexistent social life.

Third, I plan to move out of my parents house after the first of the year. I have been living with them, because I couldn't live alone on White Castle pay and still be able to pay all of my bills. Now that I have my new job, I can't justify living at home anymore. I can't wait to get my own place!

Fourth, I will be committing myself to DeMolay in a big way by becoming Chapter Dad. I simply refuse to let this chapter die because of the lack of adult support. We have an open house on November 4th. It should be interesting.

Fifth, and most importantly, I will be seeing where my relationship with Melissa is going to go. The drama and festivities of the holidays should make things interesting.

If you have read this far, you can see that I have a lot going on in my life. I haven't even started to talk about where my business is going. All in all, this adds up to a difficult and exciting time in my life. I am convinced that it is going to make me stronger, but I hope it doesn't break me down too much in the process.

best prank calling ever

2006-08-29T01:59:00.000-04:00

iTunes Link to: Roy D Mercer

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=77680849&s=143441

Applecare = Good!

2006-08-09T14:17:00.000-04:00

I just had a great experience with Apple's technical support for my iPod nano. It started freezing, so I tried to use the iPod Restore utility to fix it, but it didn't solve the problem. So I entered my product's serial number at the Applecare web site and arranged for a repair. Within 2 business days I received a box, I shipped it back, and the next day I receive an email saying that they received the package. The day after that, I get a note saying that my replacement is on it's way.

The communication from Apple has been superb throughout the whole process. If you get an iPod, get Applecare, it's worth it.

Updates and Musings

2006-08-09T02:49:00.000-04:00

In the past two months, a lot has happened that has kept me away from Blogging. First of all, my business has begun to grow in every way that I had hoped. The revenue is starting to grow, and I couldn't be happier with my progress. Second, I have taken a bit of a break from techno-analysis to gain some perspective on life, and to really think about what my goals are in life. I have come up with some expected direction, and even some help from fate.

One thing that I have been wrestling with is "what do I want out of life?" The answer is a family, and unmitigated success in whatever business venture I decide to try. However, I think I will settle for family and a decent job....Family is the most important. I have decided to do all of this in the most fiscally sound manner possible. If I can accomplish my dreams while generating very little debt, hopefully life will be easier.

One of my favorite business quotes is "Success is the progressive realization of worthwhile dreams". To me, that means that as long as you are progressing toward your dreams, no matter how small the step, you are successful.

In my next post, I will write about everyone's favorite subject....Apple!!

Transition

2006-06-07T23:11:00.000-04:00

I think I have moved into a different stage of life. I am excited about my business (which is growing), and I really don't mind the lack of sleep that seems to be necessary to get everything done on a daily basis.

Can anyone help me schedule a nap within the next couple of weeks?
:-P

Now Reading

2006-05-22T11:56:00.000-04:00

The Millionaire Mind - Thomas J Stanley, Ph.D

Bootstrap - Kenneth L Hess

The Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki

Reading the first pages of the Millionaire Mind, it sounds like a perfect description of me. I'm excited to continue. I am also very excited to begin reading the Art of the Start. I have been following Guy Kawasaki's blog for some time now, and I really like what he has to say. Hopefully, reading these books will give me some valuable insight into entrepreneurship and success.

White Castle

2006-05-09T00:55:00.000-04:00

Check it out! Do you have a White Castle Story? Then post it on www.truecastlestories.com

What you crave!!

Mini Vacation

2006-05-06T03:00:00.000-04:00

I have Sunday and Monday off, so I have decided to spend some time at our family cottage in Monon, Indiana. It's right on the lake, nice and quiet....like stepping back in time. Hopefully I will get a chance to refocus on my life.

Advice

2006-05-05T02:53:00.000-04:00

Do the thing you believe in. Do the best you can in the place where you are and be kind.
Scott Nearing (1883-1983)
Activist and conservationist

Life and Business

2006-05-02T14:39:00.000-04:00

My personal life plan is really starting to come together. I have one job that provides a small, steady paycheck and the VERY important health benefits, and I have started my business of IT consulting and selling Apple computers. Now that I have all of the pieces in place (a web presence, business cards, a logo, etc.) now I have to determine how to position myself in this market. How am I going to advertise myself and let people know that I am here and offering services? Part of me wants to put up a billboard and be done with it, but I want to make sure I get the biggest bang for my (very limited) buck. Should I try and join professional organizations that focus on IT consulting? Should I join the Chamber of Commerce (yes, I think). How am I going to really ramp things up?

random

2006-04-24T16:52:00.000-04:00

Powdered green tea is nowhere near as good as brewed green tea.

Birthday

2006-04-19T15:59:00.000-04:00

Yes, It's my birthday today.

The way I see it, aging is mandatory, getting old is optional :)

My Doctor gave me a week off of work as a gift... really it's to get rid of the stabbing pain that I have in my side. At least I'll be able to work on more profitable ventures.

Music!

2006-04-16T11:28:00.000-04:00

I have decided to get back into Music by Cantoring at Our Lady of Grace Church in Highland, Indiana. For those of you that don't know, the Cantor is the Song Leader in the Catholic Church. I'm so happy to be singing again!!

removed

2006-04-16T02:53:00.000-04:00

I removed my last post out of respect for the family who might read this blog.

It's Official

2006-04-11T13:27:00.000-04:00

Once again, you can count on me as your source for anything Apple! I am now an Apple Authorized Business Agent. Just let me know if you need to purchase anything!!

Growing up

2006-04-10T14:41:00.000-04:00

How can one be considered grown up? Some consider graduation, moving to a new city and living on your own as being grown up. I prefer to see it as being able to respect and honor your past, your family and also be able to move forward with your life while maintaining those connections. When all of our worldly possessions and experiences are taken away, all we have is family. If I were to move out right now, get an apartment and be totally independent, when I go home at night...it will be just me and the 4 walls. Living with my family, I have warmth, love, pets, and my history. Thankfully, I am also able to move on and have my own consulting business that draws on all of the skills I have acquired in college.

Promotion

2006-04-10T13:26:00.000-04:00

It's official....I've been promoted to Crew Manager at White Castle. I expected this....but I'm still happy!!!!!

Quote

2006-04-10T02:33:00.000-04:00

"I can’t imagine a person becoming a success who doesn’t give this game of life everything he’s got."
Walter Cronkite, Broadcast journalist

Very well said, Mr. Cronkite.

tired

2006-04-09T02:04:00.000-04:00

White Castle shift sales total....over $3,000....I made/sold a lot of food tonight....

BootCamp!!

2006-04-05T17:03:00.000-04:00

Now Apple has really done something great. They have released software called Bootcamp. This software allows Intel-based Macs to boot Windows XP natively! Switchers take note...if you buy a Mac for Mac OS X, and it doesn't suit your needs, don't worry...you can always use Windows!

This is truly unique.

Give me a break

2006-04-04T16:15:00.000-04:00

Some politicians out there are trying to create a "guest worker" program for illegal immigrants that are working here in the USA. Why in the world are we looking to say to these illegals "you snuck over the border and you probably have taken advantage of millions of dollars in tax-funded services. It's OK, we'll just document you now and forget the whole thing." COME ON!! We need to hold these people accountable for breaking our laws and extorting services from our government agencies.

The solution as I see it is 2-fold. We need to plug the holes in our border so we stop the influx of illegal immigrants, and then we need to get these people that we have TAXED as soon as possible.

Who's with me!!

Beware

2006-04-01T22:10:00.000-05:00

There is a big religious scam going on right under our noses, and our pocketbooks. Be aware of groups that claim to send people to "convert" people in exotic locations to your religion. These groups are especially prevalent in college campuses. Most of the time, it simply becomes a vacation trip for the "crusader" with a smattering of bible study with some locals.

Don't donate to these groups. Instead, go on the trip yourself and spread the word, if you are willing to put your money where your mouth is.

Why am I writing about this? So many people at IU were involved with these organizations and most of them were total fakes. ie. bible study on monday, but a wild keg party on friday. Some people were at my grandmother's church today collecting for a trip to Mexico, telling a story of the poor locals who were being persecuted by their government. Let's be real, no group of college students are going to go into a country and clean up a corrupted government. I could tell that they were total fakes because they smiled when the story was being told. I could almost see the dollar signs in their eyes.

I <3 Volunteering

2006-03-24T18:42:00.000-05:00

Today, I saw the results of great generosity. A local gym chain held a food drive for a local women's shelter, and the result was probably close to a ton of food (literally). I went with my grandmother to sort through everything, and I was positively amazed at the amount of food that they have now. Unfortunately, they have so many women and children in need of refuge, they go through a lot of food, so this big donation won't last too long.

I am glad that I was able to help today, the people that run the shelter are wonderful.

newness

2006-03-22T00:05:00.000-05:00

New Sheets, New Pillows, New blanket. Man am I going to sleep well tonight!!

Work Work

2006-03-16T21:00:00.001-05:00

Overtime at White Castle this week, next week, and probably the week after. Promotion in less than a month.

Consulting business is taking off faster than I had planned.

This is not good for my social life, but I'M LOVIN IT!!

Business

2006-03-09T13:28:00.000-05:00

I was blog surfing, and from http://dexandbirdieyager.blogharbor.com/, I found these business pointers from Jack Welch.

Control your destiny or someone else will.
Face reality as it is—not as it was, and not as you wish it were.
Be candid, up-front, and totally honest with everyone.
Don’t "manage" people. Lead by example.
Change before you’re forced to. Be in control of the change and the pace of change.
If you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete. Either get a competitive advantage or get out of the game.

randomness

2006-03-09T13:12:00.000-05:00

I am really starting to settle in to living at home. I am getting more comfortable with my hectic schedule, and I am rebuilding my life.

Work at White Castle has reached routine status. Even though the hours I spend in the building vary, the work is mostly the same.

My business is steadily getting better, and hopefully by the end of the week, I will be an Apple Agent! I can't wait to do this full time.

I have reconnected with some of my High School friends. I can't wait to spend some more time with them....it has been way too long.

I just downloaded the Ghost Buster's soundtrack from the iTunes Music Store....how is that for random and corny?

As with everything that I do, I am keeping the following quote in mind. "Success is the progressive realization of worthwhile dreams" - Dexter Yager

yay!

2006-03-05T01:36:00.000-05:00

Sometimes life throws you a little happy moment in the form of relief. A girl at work who I was at odds with (she broke the rules, I enforce) pretty much fired herself by calling off one day, and simply not showing up the next. In White Castle's book, she just resigned.

I probably should not be happy that this person is not working now, but hey, it'll make my days a lot easier.

So true

2006-02-28T03:44:00.000-05:00

Be grateful for the doors of opportunity--and for friends who oil the hinges. Author unknown

Why?

2006-02-24T03:13:00.000-05:00

People have been asking me why I wanted to start my own business. There are a lot of different reasons. I don't want to assimilate myself into someone else's overly complex business, I don't want to get stuck in a cubicle all day doing mindless work, and I want to be able to have control over how much money I make. I have had dozens of interviews that all result in some variation of "you're not good enough". I'm tired of it because I KNOW I am good enough for any job I apply for.

I've been doing a lot of reading on how to start a small business, and one of the first things that I needed to determine was my view on how my business would be run. My view is that business should enable freedom. Freedom with regard to scheduling, finances, clientele, and my personal lifestyle. If my business helps me to accomplish this, then I can consider myself a success.

Also, I have been thinking about where I am in my life. If you look at it from a pessimistic point of view, I graduated from college after 4.5 years and I am still living at home working at a fast food job making 6.75 an hour. It's like I should have never gone to school in the first place. However, if you take an optimistic view, I have returned to my roots, strengthened my relationship with my family and friends, and I made a smart financial decision by starting my business from my parent's house (free rent, food, and internet access) and I am using my first client to learn essential skills and practices that I will need for my future clients.

So what is in my future for 2006? I will gain all of the necessary certifications to become a part of the Apple Consultants Network, I will gain 3-4 more clients through word-of-mouth advertising, I will establish a web presence as a business, and I will start formalizing Michael Sassman Consulting. It should prove to be a very interesting year.

And now for something slightly different

2006-02-19T03:55:00.000-05:00

Anyone that knows me knows that I am a very independent person. I sometimes have difficulty following rules that don't make sense, and I have a hard time working in situations that restrict my personal and professional freedom. I have been playing the "HR Game" for over 4 months now. I have had dozens of interviews and spent hundreds of my hard-earned dollars on gas driving to these interviews. I have never found a job or company that I am passionate about. I have found plenty of positions that I am well-qualified for, but nothing seems to pan out. I think this is because the interviewers all sense that I didn't really want the job they were offering, I just wanted to get paid to do work that I am qualified to do. To date, I have heard at least 6 dozen variations of "No".

I'm done with my job search.

I am fully intent on going another direction. I am starting my own company. I have done my homework, and the ball is already rolling. Mike Sassman Consulting has been born. I already have one client who has hired me for a technology overhaul of his office. Once I have one success under my belt, hopefully word of mouth will take hold and I will get busier. The bottom line is that I am never going to get rich working for anyone else. I have to work with myself. I have the work ethic, and the business sense to get it done.

For now, there is a ton of work to do, not only on getting an identity for the business, but also getting the work done!! Does anyone have a suggestion for a slogan/motto/marketing thingamajig that I can use?

Male mentors needed....

2006-02-14T15:37:00.000-05:00

I received a message from Keith Klein who is very active with DeMolay International, which is a young man's fraternity. See what he had to say about the state of boys in our society.

Please read the following excerpt from the January 30, 2006, issue of Newsweek carefully. Please note the sections I have bolded and colored blue.
Yes, the article speaks to issue of education - but you cannot escape the presence of the word mentor. For my purposes and for DeMolay, read the word mentor as - Advisor.
I have been spending a great deal of time of late thinking about change and what we (DeMolay) and the rest of the Masonic Family can do to embrace the times in which we now find ourselves.
For DeMolay I would say - stay strong...grow and welcome as many young men as possible. In DeMolay's key active member and initiate age demographics there is a definite parallel with a crucial time in a young man's life. A time when, as is noted in the complete Newsweek article - young men (boys) need to be with other young men (boys) of a similar age. What better argument could there be for the need for, and a purpose for, DeMolay - TODAY.
For the Masonic family which has numerous wonderful causes - what better purpose could the Adult members of the Masonic Family have then to assure the highest quality possible next generation and the one after that and the one after that.
We need Advisors. Young men (boys) need role models. If we truly believe in what the organizations in the Masonic Family are about - then there could be no higher calling or purpose than to make a difference in the life of a young man.
I strongly urge you all to read the entire Newsweek article and think DeMolay as you do. I'm willing to bet a light will come on when you do that. It smacked me in the head and maybe that is what we need - a jolt of reality and a new purpose to an old mission.
Keith

Newsweek, January 30, 2006 issue
The Trouble With Boys
One of the most reliable predictors of whether a boy will succeed or fail in high school rests on a single question: does he have a man in his life to look up to? Too often, the answer is no. High rates of divorce and single motherhood have created a generation of fatherless boys. In every kind of neighborhood, rich or poor, an increasing number of boys—now a startling 40 percent—are being raised without their biological dads.
Psychologists say that grandfathers and uncles can help, but emphasize that an adolescent boy without a father figure is like an explorer without a map. And that is especially true for poor boys and boys who are struggling in school. Older males, says Gurian, model self-restraint and solid work habits for younger ones. And whether they're breathing down their necks about grades or admonishing them to show up for school on time, "an older man reminds a boy in a million different ways that school is crucial to their mission in life."
In the past, boys had many opportunities to learn from older men. They might have been paired with a tutor, apprenticed to a master or put to work in the family store. High schools offered boys a rich array of roles in which to exercise leadership skills—class officer, yearbook editor or a place on the debate team. These days, with the exception of sports, more girls than boys are involved in those activities.
In neighborhoods where fathers are most scarce, the high-school dropout rates are shocking: more than half of African-American boys who start high school don't finish. David Banks, principal of the Eagle Academy for Young Men, one of four all-boy public high schools in the New York City system, wants each of his 180 students not only to graduate from high school but to enroll in college. And he's leaving nothing to chance. Almost every Eagle Academy boy has a male mentor—a lawyer, a police officer or an entrepreneur from the school's South Bronx neighborhood. The impact of the mentoring program, says Banks, has been "beyond profound." Tenth grader Rafael Mendez is unequivocal: his mentor "is the best thing that ever happened to me." Before Rafael came to Eagle Academy, he dreamed about playing pro baseball, but his mentor, Bronx Assistant District Attorney Rafael Curbelo, has shown him another way to succeed: Mendez is thinking about attending college in order to study forensic science.

Youth Protection Online

2006-02-13T10:59:00.000-05:00

Protecting your kids online
By Mike Sassman

The internet has taken out lives and propelled them to a whole new level. Now, children are setting up their own web sites with the help of companies like myspace.com and facebook.com. These sites are useful for social networking and for making new friends. However, predators also use these web sites to set up meetings and prey on children. Police regularly pose as 9, 11, and even 18 year-old boys and girls to catch these criminals. However, it is not enough. You, as the author of the site, or the parent, need to stay vigilant when it comes to online safety. Here are a few tips to get started.

Parents
1. Limit your kids time online. Monitor what your children are doing when they are using the computer
2. Ask what your children’s screen names are. Have them show you their sites.
3. Install monitoring software on your computer

If you have a web site
1. Never put your address or phone number on any web site.
2. If anyone chats or emails you and you do not know them (personally), do not reveal personal details like where you go to school, what kind of car you have, address, or phone number.
3. Do not post pictures that could lead a predator to your house, school, or work.

Stupid Government

2006-02-07T01:01:00.000-05:00

Sometimes our government can just be plain stupid. They have passed rules that actually make it HARDER for people to get a job online. We have gotten to the point where people are going to have to update their resumes every week or so in order for employers to even look at them.

Do yourself a favor, find out if your senator voted for this...and if s/he did, slap them on the back of the head for being stupid. Finding a job can be hard enough without the government getting in the way.

Story Link:
http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/06/news/economy/annie/annie_0206/index.htm?cnn=yes

new cafe!

2006-02-06T13:20:00.000-05:00

While running errands with my mom today in Highland, we found a new coffee shop called the Blue Room Cafe. It is a very nice, laid back atmosphere where you can bring your laptop, surf the 'net and enjoy a cup of specialty coffee or one of their WONDERFUL fruit smoothies. It is located on Highway Avenue in Downtown Highland. Definitely worth a stop if you are in town.

www.theblueroomcafe.com

cool job

2006-02-03T11:06:00.000-05:00

You know what a cool job would be? Wall Street Analyst. Think about it. You get to have major impact on stocks by making up stories and publishing your opinion on what a company is going to sell in a quarter or year. IT'S ALL MADE UP!!

It really wouldn't be a bad job. All I'd have to do is say "Company XYZ is going to have 1.5 billion dollars in sales and have a profit of 324 Million for the quarter". If I am close, people will pay attention to me. If I am way off, I just adjust my numbers a bit and wait for the next quarter to come around.

Am I wrong? I am sure there must be some complex business formulas to work with....or something.

Petition

2006-01-28T19:42:00.000-05:00

Go and sign this petition to make "Da Day" after the superbowl a national holiday!!

http://whitecastle.com/daday/

I'm Tired

2006-01-28T18:23:00.000-05:00

The more I think about things, the more I realize that after 4 and a half years of technology being in every part of every day of my life, I am pretty tired of it. I am tired of counting typing as work. Basically, I need a break. I need to do something more with my hands. That is why I enjoy working at White Castle right now. I am actually making something with my hands that I can touch and smell. It's more than working with pixels on the screen.

I know I will be ready to get back into tech in a big way soon, but right now I just need a break.

Update on my life

2006-01-27T00:07:00.000-05:00

Things have been fairly busy for me as I have come home from my San Francisco adventure. Let me start off by saying that going to Macworld in San Francisco was the best decision I have ever made. It allowed me to relax and see things that I have never seen before in a very beautiful part of the country. I also got to solidify a couple of friendships, which was nice.

What have I been doing since then? I have made the decision to continue my job search in a broader, but more localized sense. Hopefully my connections in the Chicago-land area will prove to be fruitful on the job front. In order to facilitate this decision, I have decided to go back to a job that I once loved....working at White Castle. I know, some of you are saying "White Castle? How could that possibly be enjoyable?" I don't know why, but for the last 3 years (since I quit) I kept telling people that White Castle is one of the best jobs I have ever had. I enjoyed working there, and getting to know the people, as well as providing customers with their little moments of joy. It makes me happy to make other people happy. I started back at White Castle this week, and I have enjoyed every minute of it. I will be promoted to management in a couple of weeks and I suspect that is where I will stay until I get a job that pays real money. For now, I am surprisingly content.

The Keynote

2006-01-13T01:48:00.002-05:00

In the Mac user's world, there are few events more exciting than watching the CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs, deliver a speech and release new products. I am among the lucky few that was able to watch this year's Macworld keynote address where iLife '06, iWork '06, the iMac Core Duo, and the MacBook pro were all released. I started waiting in line at about 5:30 in the morning and there were already about 100 people in front of us! My group was able to get into the keynote via a "home alone-style" dash through the Moscone center to the keynote area. The atmosphere was simply electric! Everyone was excited and ready to cheer when new products were announced. If anyone thought that the cheering at the keynote was fake....you are dead wrong, because everyone was totally pumped for the event.

This will definitely be an event that I won't soon forget.

Watch for a post later reviewing the new products!

Macworld posting #1

2006-01-11T20:30:00.000-05:00

The trip

My trip to get to San Francisco was an interesting one. First off, I decided to go to Macworld only 2 weeks before the conference. This wasn’t exactly the best planning that I had ever done, but my entire trip has been relatively unplanned and disorganized, so it’s OK.

So my parents decide to drive me to O’Hare airport in Chicago to start my journey. The last time they took me to an airport was when I was in High School. Back then, you could have guests come with you to the actual gate to say goodbye. As we found, guests are not allowed past the security checkpoints. So we frantically said goodbye and I proceeded the awkward and rushed process of taking off my shoes, unpacking my computer and passing all of my belongings through the X-ray machine. The whole process was very impersonal and I received no directions, and they only screamed at me to keep moving along. This was a very negative experience.

The flights were fine and I actually got lucky and was seated next to another newly graduated college student, so we had a nice conversation.

Once I got to San Francisco and I got checked into the hotel, I attempted to find my friends at Fisherman’s Wharf. They told me to take a trolly, so I hopped on and hoped for the best. The trolly proceeded to break down halfway through the trip and the trolly tow truck had to rescue us. Finally we reached the end of the line at Fisherman’s Wharf and I had to walk 4 blocks to get to them. They met me with a gift of cold soggy veggie pizza. Disgruntled from the ride, I take and eat their gift and I tried to discuss where to go in the city. Then my friend Sarah calls and wants to know if I wanted to go out for dinner and coffee. Since a calmer night sounded really good, I took a cab back to my hotel and met Sarah. We walked around town for a while, wandered into some very seedy neighborhoods (quite by accident) and finally found a pizza place to have a bite to eat…which ended up being right across from my hotel. 5 bucks for pizza and pop…in this expensive town…I’ll take it. That was enough for me for the night.

Macworld mini-update

2006-01-11T01:28:00.000-05:00

OK, so I have been at Macworld in San Francisco for 3 days now and I have not posted a single thing. The 4-year old iBook that I brought with me decided to kick the bucket, so I finally broke down and got a new iBook G4. I am in the process of writing a big update, and moving my blog to my .Mac account once I get my hands on iWeb.

More updates soon...lots to talk about.

Computer Dreams

2006-01-08T07:41:00.000-05:00

Do you want to have the coolest screen saver on the block? Check out Electric Sheep...it's amazing.

http://www.electricsheep.org

venting frustration

2006-01-07T13:45:00.000-05:00

So, I'm about to leave for San Francisco to go to the Macworld conference. Everything is fine and dandy until Thursday rolls around. I get my "once-a-year-it's-not-that-bad" ear infection. No problem, right? Take some antibiotics and life is good.

wrong

It has turned into the "painful-as-hell-can't-be-any-worse-can't-hear-just-cut-it-off-and-I'll-be-fine" ear infection.

One thing is for sure....nothing is going to keep me from flying tomorrow.

French maids + Technology

2006-01-06T00:59:00.000-05:00

I ran across this video of french maids instructing us on how to make video podcasts. Very interesting (and PG-13)

http://www.youtube.com/watch.php?v=TnnaI-ttFVE

bargains!

2006-01-05T22:21:00.000-05:00

My family rocks at bargain hunting. My dad and I picked up 4 12-packs of pop for 1.99 each with 2 free liters of sierra mist last night, and my mom and I used gift cards and bargain hunting to get 4 pairs of jeans and a pair of shoes for about 20-30 bucks.

Yea, we rock.

update

2006-01-04T12:22:00.000-05:00

While I am knee deep in my job search, I decided that a vacation was in order. Finally, this year, I am going to do something that I have wanted to do for at least 4 years. I am going to the Macworld expo in San Francisco, California!! I am really excited about meeting up with friends and colleagues, and seeing what's new in technology. There is no doubt in my mind that Apple and other companies will amaze me with their new products.

I will keep posting while I am there from a borrowed iBook from my dad. After all, I can't leave my readers hanging now can I?

Ethics in computer sales

2005-12-28T11:28:00.000-05:00

While doing some after-christmas shopping with the gift cards that my brother and I received, he made the suggestion that until I accept a full time job, maybe I should work at Circuit City or Best Buy. I thought about this for a moment because I have been going stir crazy at home. Then I realized that I could not bring myself to work at either of those places. I simply could not imagine recommending (in good faith) that a customer buy a Windows machine. At this point, if a customer wants to connect to the Internet and use it in meaningful ways (more than just browsing CNN), they need expert help just to keep things safe and secure. In my mind, all Windows systems will fail in this way. How can PC manufacturers possibly sleep at night while they advertise "safe and secure" PCs?

I am not looking to place blame on any company, but I wonder why these stores have never made real attempts to offer better products to their customers? Apple's Mac OS X operating system has been completely virus free for almost 6 years. I have asked Apple engineers about why this is the case, and they tell me that it is no accident. Apple takes internet security very seriously, and it shows. The real question in my mind is why haven't these stores offered Apple products? Apple has resorted to opening their own retail stores and they have actually accomplished the unthinkable (as far as retail goes)....every store is profitable in 6 months. Can Best Buy or Circuit City say that? I doubt it.

Hello World? You need to wake up and take your internet back. You don't need to be at the mercy of virus writers. Get a Mac...you'll thank me later.

cool gift

2005-12-25T12:58:00.000-05:00

Grandma strikes again with her cleverness. She gave all of us small blocks of wood. Then she told us to run around it twice. Now we can say that we ran around the block twice and got our exercise for the day.

I love christmas!

unemployed....and liking it?

2005-12-23T13:52:00.000-05:00

I admit...being unemployed and having no obligations...it is kinda fun. I get to play with my dog more, I get to play World of Warcraft more, and I get to catch up with people I havn't seen in a while. All of a sudden, money is not really that important anymore.

Caution: Thick irony ahead

2005-12-22T10:37:00.000-05:00

This has to be embarrassing for Symantec. The company has spent years convincing Mac users of an impending virus threat in order to scare them into buying their antivirus program. Now, a report has surfaced that reveals that Symantec's Norton Antivirus actually makes Macs LESS secure.

Read details here:
http://www.macnn.com/articles/05/12/22/symantec.nav.exploit.found/

P.S. Someone commented about me not making web addresses in my posts into hyperlinks. This is a conscious decision. By forcing people to copy and paste the links, I eliminate the possibility that a link could go to the wrong place or possibly a malicious web site.

All done! and I have proof!

2005-12-18T23:26:00.000-05:00

I have posted some pictures from my graduation party. Thanks to iPhoto and .Mac it only took like 5 minutes!

http://homepage.mac.com/frivols1/PhotoAlbum18.html

reminder

2005-12-16T10:14:00.000-05:00

Graduation party....1:00PM...Dec 17th....Mother Bear's Pizza.

Be there or be square!

Moving on

2005-12-15T23:07:00.000-05:00

I never thought about the day I would stop being an Apple Campus Rep. I never thought about the day where I would say goodbye to so many dear friends. I never realized that I would be so nervous about leaving school and completely changing my lifestyle. All of this seems to be happening so fast....sometimes it makes my head spin.

No matter what happens, I believe that this is all for the best, and I will make the most of all of the opportunities that I will find in the coming days.

DONE!!!

2005-12-13T20:35:00.000-05:00

That's it. I'm done. College is finished. I have taken all of the exams, gotten the grades, and made this my own experience.

I love IU. I love being in Bloomington. Apparently it is time to move on. Graduation is such a bittersweet time.

Amazing Saturday

2005-12-12T01:33:00.000-05:00

On saturday, I attended a Masonic installation of officers where a friend of mine was going into the top position of the lodge. I have been to many installations before, so I knew it was going to be fun, I would feel proud of my friend, we would talk for a while and we would go home. What I wasn't expecting was to be totally blown away.

When my friend sat in the master's chair for the first time, he gave a speech about the Masonic family (Blue Lodge, Scottish Rite, York Rite and Shrine). When he started speaking, it was the most impressive, sincere and wonderful speech I have ever heard. The best title I can give him now is "Orator". His thoughts were well developed, he never said "um", it was perfectly paced and sincere. I now know that he is going to be a great leader for his lodge, and hopefully I will be able to work with him in the near future.

Poor Windows users...

2005-12-07T10:22:00.000-05:00

Now at least you can talk to your viruses....
http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/12/07/145243&from=rss

Seriously folks....this is insane.

What's next?

2005-12-04T14:43:00.000-05:00

I have 13 days left until graduation. Scary....

I have been thinking about alternatives to starting a career after college. Here is what I came up with.

Icky Geek
I could move home and get a menial part time job just to have come cash flowing in. During my down time, I would play WoW and work on coding obscure software programs. I would start inventing worthless things. I could even begin writing a series of books. All the while, I would let my hair grow out and I would stop bathing for a couple of months...who needs to waste time on cleanliness when there are murlocs to be slain?

Man in the Sand
I could find my way onto a desert island and proclaim myself "man of the year" every Sassyear and have a 1-man awards ceremony to give myself the award every 2.32 days. Everyone knows that a Sassyear is 2.32 days in normal society.

Begger
I could stake out my claim where I think the next city will be built and start begging. There might not be anyone there now, but just THINK of the growth potential!!

Gold Digger
Find an old lonely rich woman...make her feel wonderful for her last years....collect the dough and enjoy the rest of my life after she is gone.

Funny Man
Become a clown. Who doesn't like a clown? And those shoes...now THAT'S fashion.

dorms...bad

2005-12-02T23:31:00.000-05:00

Today is one of those days where I really don't want to be in the dorms. Our roof is being fixed, so the machines and the hammering woke me up at 8AM. No big deal, I needed to be up anyway. When I went into the bathroom to get ready for my day, my nose was invaded with the stench of vomit (damn freshmen). I go about my day like normal, and when I come back, I start relaxing and watching TV when I hear someone screaming in the hallway "I'm fu**in wasted!!!"

I can't wait to get my own apartment.

Graduation Party!!

2005-12-01T13:00:00.000-05:00

Plans have been confirmed!

Where? Mother Bear's Pizza in Bloomington, IN
When? Dec 17th, 2005 @ 1:00PM

Come one come ALL! The more the merrier!

Graduation

2005-12-01T10:49:00.000-05:00

16 days and counting....

The excitement is building...

home stretch

2005-11-30T09:21:00.000-05:00

Working in the Informatics building from 5PM-3AM -- Cost: 4 hours of sleep
Writing a last minute philosophy paper from 3AM-6AM -- Cost: 3 hours of sleep

Knowing that I will never have to do this EVER again -- PRICELESS!!

Music

2005-11-28T20:46:00.000-05:00

Dr. Siegel's class strikes again!

Today we held class in a local church that has a great pipe organ. The lesson was on Music Informatics and how music can be designed. It was absolutely wonderful to hear real, live, non-digital music for a change. I could feel the music...it was like it was surrounding me.

Classes like this make me want to continue to graduate school, but the real world is calling my name louder than ever.

GO Informatics GO!!

2005-11-27T20:29:00.000-05:00

The Indiana University School of Informatics has just launched a cybersecurity program. Check it out at:
http://security.informatics.indiana.edu/

I'm FREE!!

2005-11-27T19:26:00.000-05:00

As of today, I am officially free from credit card debt. I have met my goal of paying it off before graduation!

Now for that little matter of all of those student loans....

Home

2005-11-23T22:21:00.000-05:00

I just got home and my family had our special recipe fudge ready for enjoyment. I love the holidays.

On Security and Platform Wars

2005-11-23T01:30:00.000-05:00

Anyone who has been following the tech industry for any amount of time knows that there is a platform war going on between Microsoft Windows and Apple's Macintosh Operating System. I have read article after article debating the merits of either one, and bashing the other, proclaiming the eventual death of one of the systems. Many times an author will proclaim "Macs are safer to use, but only because nobody uses them and it is only a matter of time before Macs get viruses because of all of the bugs in the OS".

I consider this statement to be complete and utter crap.

First of all, I agree that software is incredibly complex. I agree that no OS is completely bug free. I agree that Apple has a very small market share.

How can authors, many of whom have little technical experience, explain why there are no viruses for Mac OS X? They either use the small market share argument or the "it's only a matter of time" argument. Does anyone really even know why viruses are written? Some people say they are written for bragging rights within the hacker community. Some people assert that virus writers actually make money from companies. The truth is, nobody knows for sure.

From my observations since the release of Windows XP, and Mac OS X, I have come to the following conclusions.

1. Microsoft is a victim of their own success. They have nowhere to grow, and due to their size, true innovation is not possible without losing customers and revenue. Windows XP has been a disaster when it comes to consumer confidence. As a customer of mine put it "Windows XP is like an abusive relationship. You know it's bad and you need to get out, but you keep going back because it is familiar and comfortable".

2. Apple has an amazingly bright future. Apple has proven time and time again that it is a very nimble company that keeps cranking out amazing products. When the iPod came out, all of the "experts" proclaimed "Nobody is going to pay 400-500 dollars for an MP3 player!". Apple proved them wrong. The "experts" doubted Apple's retail store initiative because of Gateway's failure. Apple proved them wrong. The "experts" at one time said that Apple would best serve it's investors by closing it's doors and giving it's shareholders' money back. Apple proved them wrong...in a big way. Does anyone else see a pattern here?

For the grand finale.... Look at Windows Vista. The successor to Windows XP. If you look at the published features you will find that most of them, if not all, already exist in Mac OS X today. If recent history gives any sort of insight to the future, you will see more of Microsoft copying Apple, and Microsoft's new OS will be a collection of features that may or may not work well.

The next 2-3 years should be very interesting. I will be watching the situation very closely.

simply amazing

2005-11-22T12:36:00.000-05:00

http://www.rocketboom.com/video/extra/unknown/house_lightsx.mov

VOOM!!

2005-11-21T13:55:00.000-05:00

The amazing Dr. Siegel is forcing me to develop wisdom by reading The Cat in the Hat comes back to the class. I was left contemplating the meaning of VOOM.

More details later...I have a headache thinking aobut it.....

Lost and found

2005-11-21T11:02:00.000-05:00

The iPod nano is definitely my favorite iPod so far. It's smallness is amazing, but it caused a bit of heartache this weekend. When I came back from my interviews in Louisville, I thought I had lost the iPod. It turns out that it found it's way into a very tiny pocket in my backpack that I didn't even know existed.

Oh well...I found it and life is good again!

The marathon

2005-11-19T22:18:00.000-05:00

12 interviews...6 hours. Man I hope I get a job after all of that.

That's my saturday.

Path, Meet Mike...

2005-11-18T12:44:00.000-05:00

I have been thinking about this "life" thing all wrong. I have been thinking (and writing) like I am looking forward to starting this path to my future. As Dr. Siegel so wisely pointed out, I am already on the path to my future. The journey has already started. I guess I spent so much time worrying about the details of the journey that I didn't realize that I was already on it.

I am interviewing with two companies primarily, so I guess all I can do is give my best interviews and see what shakes out. Wish me luck!

Inspired Confusion

2005-11-16T13:45:00.000-05:00

In Dr Siegel's Human Computer Interaction Design course, he is showing a documentary called "The Journey". It is about this guy who graduated from college, but was searching for purpose, so he started traveling around the country interviewing leaders in government and industry. He gathers all of this advice from incredibly notable people and decides that he wants to get it on TV. The story is great, and every time I watch a segment, it leaves me in a state of Inspired Confusion. I feel like I need to do something, but I know I am not going to copy the guy in the video.

I can't remember who said it, but "Once you start copying something, you have already set yourself up for failure". I really take this to heart. This semester has been all about designing my own future and figuring out what I have set myself up for. I definitely have not followed the standard formula of "take the classes, get the grades, and get out." I have really made this university experience my own. I have 4 weeks of class left. I still don't know which company I will start out with, but I am OK with that. In the documentary, the guys who were driving sometimes didn't know where they were going. All they knew was that they were moving. I guess that is the state I am in right now.

Wild Weather

2005-11-15T19:55:00.000-05:00

It's mid-november and we have had two tornado warnings in one day, and a forcast of snow flurries tomorrow. I love Indiana!

What am I doing?

2005-11-14T13:05:00.000-05:00

Now that I realize that my graduation and the start of the rest of my life is coming, and I can't do anything to stop it, I am asking myself "what am I doing with my life?"

I have a cutting edge technology degree, a supportive family, and great job prospects. I should be perfectly happy. I wonder if I am meant to do more with my life than get a job and start a career after school. I need to do something daring. Something foolish that nobody expects. I need to enrich my life.

Does this mean that I need to drive across the country for a few months? Backpack across Europe? Follow the Grateful Dead!?? I don't know what my adventure will be, but I have a feeling that I need to take it.

Scary driving

2005-11-14T00:15:00.000-05:00

Today, while driving in Northwest Indiana on I-80/94, I had an extremely scary experience.

I was driving on the highway in congested traffic when a truck got blown into my lane (we had very windy weather that day) and as I was trying to get out of the way, I lost control, spun completely around, and finally came to rest in the right hand lane. As I was spinning, I stared directly into the headlights of a big rig that was behind me. At that moment, I realized that all of my worry about my future, moving, getting a new job, etc. really didn't matter. I am not in control anymore. I just need to let things happen and have faith that everything will be OK.

Pride

2005-11-13T00:52:00.000-05:00

Today I am really proud of my younger brother Rich. He is graduating High School soon, so we made a college visit to Calumet College of St. Joseph http://www.ccsj.edu . He has never been one to want to go to college, but during this visit, I think he was inspired by the people at CCSJ. The faculty and staff there are warm and inviting and very proud of their institution. I think they represent all of the smallness and personal attention I wish I had received at IU. At any rate, he has already made a few friends (including the admissions director!), and I think it would be perfect for him.

Now we look forward to Monday, when he turns 18 years old (yikes!!). Sometimes I forget he is not 10 years old anymore. If anyone wants to send him a birthday wish, email rvsass aol.com .

BAD Sony!!

2005-11-11T08:39:00.000-05:00

Nobody should trust Sony music CDs anymore. According to multiple reports, Sony's new music CDs will actually install files onto your Mac or PC to prevent you from doing anything with the music you just PURCHASED. I don't know what these files will do, or what they will track. Bottom line? I don't want sony to install ANYTHING on my Mac.

Why don't they just swallow their pride and go with what works (aka iTunes)? Instead they practically monitor us like felons when we just want to listen to music. It makes me sick.

BOYCOTT SONY!!!

Here we go...

2005-11-04T13:39:00.000-05:00

I just picked up my Cap, gown, and tassel for graduation in December. Wow...this is getting real.

Online Services

2005-11-02T23:34:00.000-05:00

I thought that the purposes of buying new systems and providing things online was to increase availability. Apparently IU doesn't quite get that. Even though we have spend millions of dollars on a new Student Information System from Peoplesoft, the system still closes down at 11:30PM. It just doesn't make sense.

Universities - Experts at wasting money.