jvarn: bits and pieces

2006-10-06T16:29:00.000-07:00

Well its finally fall and today was my birthay. School is in full swing. CHS golf won states yesterday. Thats sweet, i look forward to defending our title again next year.

hmm

2006-08-28T19:53:00.000-07:00

So lets see, what is there to post about... Def not the Red Sox who continue to suck worse than the yankees. How about work. So I now work in the bagroom at the CCC. Its a sweet deal. I get paid to drive carts around all day with minor club washing scattered throughout. Yesterday I got to drive a reporter from the local paper around to take pics. Fun fun.

poor pluto

2006-08-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

Well today it happened... we went from our nine planets to eight. Pluto has been dumped, demoted from planetary status today. Now how will we remember the names of the planets? My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles? (or any other food starting with n) No more pluto... Poor fellow, how would you feel being called a human and one day scientists decided to demote you to a neanderthal because you have hair and eat squirrels and rabbits?

2006-08-24T04:45:00.000-07:00

Hey whats happening. Golf team tryouts were this week and now the fun begins. You can check out the standings at www.concordmodel.org/beta. Lets see, with school steadily approaching it looks like its back to the grindstone for me. Oh boy.

2006-08-13T09:02:00.000-07:00

I havent posted in a while. The weather for the last week has been beautiful. I read an article today in the paper about solar energy. It sounds more feasible every day. For 20-40k you can have enough solar energy to power most of your home and energy companies are creating ways to work with this to give many benefits. You can remain tied into utility power and then instead of buying the expensive storage batteries you can give power to the company when you have excess and they give you credit for when you need power. Not bad. I actually think that BP's closing the nations largest oil field is good, perhaps more people will be forced to change.

see ya

2006-07-23T03:21:00.000-07:00

I dont have much time this morning, I'm off to a program at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ for a couple weeks. It should be fun, my roommate seems to be a cool kid. Its about all of the career options in science more specifically engineering. Covering many fields from bioengineering to robotics, it should give me some idea of whats out there for me.

2006-07-23T03:16:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I saw An Inconvenient Truth, the documentary by Al Gore to save our planet. It was actually quite enjoyable I though, it made you think. My brother didn't like it though so its not for everyone. It is worth watching even if you arent a liberal democrat (which I most certainly am not). It brings into play the connections between CO2 emissions and temperature. There are some neat graphics that demonstrate this. Gore is right, we do need to do something.

Superman returns

2006-07-22T06:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I saw Superman Returns. I wasn't sure what to expect, the trailer looked pretty good. It didn't do the movie justice. It was a very enjoyable film. The effects were good although the flying was a bit artificial. It doesnt matter, great movie.

WOW

2006-07-20T16:24:00.000-07:00

Today I learned something I found very facinating from reading some of Richard P. Feynman's lectures. Absolute zero doesn't work with current quantum mechanics- it would violate the uncertainty principle.

Starlight

2006-07-18T18:52:00.000-07:00

So today/ recently I finished a song that I've been working on for a few days. I think its pretty good. Unfortunately I don't feel like messing around so you can hear it. I also don't feel like messing around to get the vocals on the cd with the accomp. It started in an AIM conversation with a couple cool kids. The phrase goodnight bugbite was used and being the lyrical genious that I am i countered with goodnight starlight. Not bad, eh? So anyway, I had been playing around with a chord progression on the piano for quite some time and I deciede it would be perfect for a song titled goodnight starlight. I wrote up some lyrics and put them to the music and it worked well. I'm one of those people who has the ability to play and sing. I tend to have kinda a romantic theme in most of my lyrics. I try not to sound like all the 90's boy bands with the "ooh i need ya girl" and that junk though. It actually came out a blend of I think, Drops of Jupiter by Train, and an ELO song i don't remember the name as well as a song sung by Herb Alpert, This Guys in Love With You. Here are the lyrics and the only way for you to hear the song right now is to have me perform it for you.

When I look up
And see you shining
I feel your warmth
And I start dreaming
I know that you
Are watching for me
And know that you
Are all that I see
Your gleaming face
And your smile
Are enough
To drive me wild
Like the sun
You are out there
To lift me up
In the cool air

And you shine
From the heavens bright
All alone
You are my starlight
And you make
My heart take flight
Out in the night
You are my starlight

You are there
Endless evenings
Floating in
My distant yearnings
Sparkle light
My desire
In my eyes
Like wildfire
With the clouds
You are flirting
Each time they pass
My heart stops hurting
Promise me
With all you beauty
That you will never
Be without me

And you shine
From the heavens bright
All alone
You are my starlight
And you make
My heart take flight
Out in the night
You are my starlight

And you shine for me
And I live for you
Together we can be
A shining virtue
And you shine for me
And I live for you
Together we will be
A brilliant virtue

And you shine
From the heavens bright
All alone
You are my starlight
And you make
My heart take flight
Out in the night
You are my starlight

And you shine from the heavens bright
My starlight

2006-07-08T06:28:00.000-07:00

So Dead Man's Chest was pretty amazing. I have to say I was a bit dissappointed but it was still very good. It really leads to a sequel unlike the first one. It leaves a lot of open ends and a lot of questions unanswered. Still a great movie worth several watches.

2006-07-06T15:47:00.000-07:00

I began my college visiting a couple days ago with Colgate. Not a bad school, a bit small perhaps. The campus is beautiful. The town it's by is a little lacking for a college town. I'd say that for me Colgate is a little small when it comes to technology and science capability. On a scale of 1-10 for my personal criteria I'd give it maybe a 6 or 7. It does have a golf course but the lack of science is a large problem.
I also looked at Penn State. Talk about the other end of the spectrum. Huge campus, tons of students, tons of money, tons of capability. My dad went there so I'm a bit partial to it. It seems way too big for me although I'm sure I would manage. Oh yes and their football team is back to its kick arse status due to amazing freshmen and good old Joe Paterno.

2006-07-06T15:40:00.000-07:00

Well we managed to get tickets to the midnight premier of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest for tonight. That should be fun. I can't decide if I want to dress up like a pirate or not to get the whole effect of a midnight showing. Probably not. You can watch the trailer here if you want. http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/pirates/

Verduccis's All-star team a joke

2006-06-30T09:18:00.000-07:00

Today I saw Tom Verducci's All-star picks. I can't comment on the NL side because I don't have adaquate exposure. I do know however that the AL is very messed up. Catching is the Twins Joe Mauer. If the numbers are to be trusted then he's fine. On first is Giambi. As long as your going to put a marginal fielding guy in, Ortiz is more qualified. Jose Lopez is at 2nd. Not sure about him, he's probably fine too. Short is Tejada. He also is probably ok, but Jeter from the Evil empire is a close second as far as i'm concerned. Third is Troy Glaus. Fine. OF Includes Jermaine Dye, Vernon Wells, and Alex Rios. What about Manny Ramirez? Trot Nixon is having a quiet but explosive year. Manny didn't have a great start but lately who is better? He also has a couple assists out there in LF. The starter is Santana, hes ok too I guess. The closer Papelbon was the only player I fully agree with.
Without a doubt the current Redsox team could slaughter Verducci's team. I'd say he needs to revamp.

Clinton at the CCC

2006-06-27T11:39:00.000-07:00

Today one of the coolest things happened. I was playing golf at the Country Club with my dad and brother and guess who showed up. Mr. Bill Clinton himself. We shook hands and said hello, took a few pictures with him and the other kids there, and then watched him tee off. He's a little wild of the tee but has nice control on his iron play. The secret service guys had been hanging out for the last week checking things out. With his entourage of police and state troopers it was really quite special. Another good time at the CCC. He wasn't to bad for a former Democratic president...

2006-06-26T19:17:00.000-07:00

I also watched Syriana last week with some cool kids. It was a very facinating glimpse into the politics in the Middle-east over oil. It is worth a look. It seemed to be anti-American in its conclusion. I say substitute any country in place of us and its the same. Oil has become worth killing over it seems. It also seems to be pro-terrorist but I think is more of a very real glimpse into the minds and actions of some very devoted (and misguided) people.

2006-06-26T19:11:00.000-07:00

SO.. I did it tonight, I gave in and saw the DaVinci Code. I went in with open eyes and a closed mind. I'm not one to let that crap get to me. I will say it was an enjoyable movie that did a good job following the plot of the book. Hanks wasn't as bad as some claim. Ian made a good anti-Christian villain. Overall well done. Even the question of faith was open in the movie, essentially stating either you believe or you don't. True. It certainly didn't change my views/beliefs. Waldo, it may be worth a couple bucks.

2006-06-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

Howdy again, its been awhile since I posted. I've been busy. Did anyone else watch Phil Mickelson squander another Major? He always manages to choke when he needs a win.

2006-06-08T03:21:00.000-07:00

Illegal Aliens

OK, so that didn't work. How about a topic thats very facinating to me. Illegal aliens in the US. Now I am a conservative and agree with most of what Bush has done so far. He is beginning to lose me though in his failure to take illegal immagrants seriously. This is a major concern for everyone in America. Our benefits and money are begiven out to these undeserving people. Our jobs are being taken over by illegals trying to live here. This is a problem and it must be stopped.

2006-06-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

OK, well as the Red Sox seem to be neck and neck with the evil empire I find it fitting to use the Sox as one topic in my blog. For you redsox fans or whoever, who is your favorite player on the Sox? I think mines Mike Lowell. What a glove and he can hit.

2006-06-02T03:36:00.000-07:00

I started this blog when a friend of mine, told me about this site. I have never had a blog before so this is my first attempt. To me a blog is only as good as the issues it addresses be it the DaVinci Code or whatever. I think that this space would best be used forsomething that I am passionate about as well as knowledgeable.