I don't know where from my fascination for abandoned structures stems. I wonder and awe at the falling apart of old buildings and places no longer inhabited by humans. It seems to be such a oddity in the world we live in which we have taken and "own" almost all of the land in the world. Due to this we must set aside land just to preserve that in which we have taken over.
With this mentality there is no surprise that we'd feel no shame in just building and abandoning something useless to us as there is plenty more land to use elsewhere.
This results in a surplus of abandoned and intriguing locations. In Iowa there are lots of abandoned consolidated school buildings, which comes as no surprise due to the fact that, gosh we have so many freaking farms and areas of sparse population.
If only it were legal to explore abandoned places, gosh dang it.
But laws weren't made not to be broken, so let's do this.
There's an assumed abandoned location right by my house and I totally want to explore it with all of my heart, and so I shall.
I'll get back to ya'll on this in a few days. Until then, stay hella.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Monday, October 27, 2014
Spooky Capitalism
As the spookiest time of year draws nearer and nearer (no I'm not talking about finals) the effects of capitalism in the US are ever strong, as usual, with the massive quantities of Halloween themed goods.
Much like myself, most of us are slaves to Capitalism and it's ever-inciting new goods, fancy cars, and electronics that conveniently break just about the time of the newest version's release.
But despite the obvious flaws of the system, when most Americans hear "Capitalism" we think of freedom to choose and, by gosh, at least it's not Communism. Communism, the dreaded equal work and sharing of goods produced by the country, oh the horror.
Of course both systems have flaws, but we seem to have blinders on as a nation as to the obvious flaws of Capitalism.
Now tell me, doesn't this just sound wrong when I'd tell you that just a few weeks ago my neighbors rented a dumpster and took out Tupperwares full of old possessions and just threw them away, didn't even donate them to Goodwill or anything. Yet despite that, I still have the itching feeling that they're better than my family because they have more money. That, my friends, is Capitalism at work.
Yet it's not like we haven't been warned before about the problems of this system we so highly revere. Everything in our lives centers around this accumulation of wealth, and that's the way it's always been and probably always will be in our country. Sadly, there isn't a whole lot we can do to change or reform it because the power of change and reform is, unlike what our founding fathers wanted, very much out of our hands.
Take for example the 2nd Amendment, the right to bear arms. This was enacted not as a "we want our guns" sort of thing, but more so to allow the people to be at the same level as the government, so if a revolution was needed, it could happen. If this were the case, the people should have access to military-level weaponry. Yet this isn't really a feasible option or solution. It just really goes to show how fundamentally broken our system is.
But alas, we must put up with it none the less.
Much like myself, most of us are slaves to Capitalism and it's ever-inciting new goods, fancy cars, and electronics that conveniently break just about the time of the newest version's release.
But despite the obvious flaws of the system, when most Americans hear "Capitalism" we think of freedom to choose and, by gosh, at least it's not Communism. Communism, the dreaded equal work and sharing of goods produced by the country, oh the horror.
Of course both systems have flaws, but we seem to have blinders on as a nation as to the obvious flaws of Capitalism.
Now tell me, doesn't this just sound wrong when I'd tell you that just a few weeks ago my neighbors rented a dumpster and took out Tupperwares full of old possessions and just threw them away, didn't even donate them to Goodwill or anything. Yet despite that, I still have the itching feeling that they're better than my family because they have more money. That, my friends, is Capitalism at work.
Yet it's not like we haven't been warned before about the problems of this system we so highly revere. Everything in our lives centers around this accumulation of wealth, and that's the way it's always been and probably always will be in our country. Sadly, there isn't a whole lot we can do to change or reform it because the power of change and reform is, unlike what our founding fathers wanted, very much out of our hands.
Take for example the 2nd Amendment, the right to bear arms. This was enacted not as a "we want our guns" sort of thing, but more so to allow the people to be at the same level as the government, so if a revolution was needed, it could happen. If this were the case, the people should have access to military-level weaponry. Yet this isn't really a feasible option or solution. It just really goes to show how fundamentally broken our system is.
But alas, we must put up with it none the less.
Elimination Destination Nation
Ah, the human reasoning power, what a marvelous thing it is. We have all been gifted with amazing mental power beyond what has been seen on earth (or at least we think ;) ) before. With our amazing mental reasoning we can be faster than any cheetah, swim deeper than any blobfish, and possibly live longer than any tortoise.
But among all of the powers of the human mind, what of which is the crowned gem?
As per most things, the answer varies depending on who you're talking to, and there's nothing wrong with not having a definitive answer if it lets us explore more (versus amusing things just to have an answer).
So I'm going to make the assumption that in my point of view, the process of elimination is the most valuable reasoning tactic that humans have in our tool belts of intellectual thoughts.
The process of elimination probably became most relevant in our lives when we entered 3rd grade and were handed our very first, at least in the state of Iowa, notable standardized test. We were given the down low on how to succeed on these bubble sheets from hell, and the biggest thing was elimination. If you don't know the answer for sure, at least narrow down the answers and then guess. It was a great method and anyone who learned to use it correctly could easily hone their reasoning skills quickly and perform very well on standardized testing.
However, what about outside of the school area? What is the usefulness there?
One notable example of our amazing ability of the process of elimination is death.
By death I mean murder.
By murder I mean murder mystery.
I am very familiar with murder mystery, but not in a creepy way, I promise. From a young age I have been enveloped by shows like Dateline and CSI Miami as my mother is a huge mystery enthusiast (as a child she read every Nancy Drew mystery novel in the world, and all of them are in our basement).
It is amazing how these mysteries can be solved sometimes; it almost seems super-human in ability to solve these murders. Yet when we peel away the sensationalism, we can see that all of these murders or mysteries are solved via the process of elimination as well.
These detectives use clues to narrow down the options of suspects, they eliminate to one or two people and pursue them.
It's amazing because almost anyone could do this if they knew were to look, we all have this ability within us.
So the process of elimation, it's pretty cool.
But among all of the powers of the human mind, what of which is the crowned gem?
As per most things, the answer varies depending on who you're talking to, and there's nothing wrong with not having a definitive answer if it lets us explore more (versus amusing things just to have an answer).
So I'm going to make the assumption that in my point of view, the process of elimination is the most valuable reasoning tactic that humans have in our tool belts of intellectual thoughts.
The process of elimination probably became most relevant in our lives when we entered 3rd grade and were handed our very first, at least in the state of Iowa, notable standardized test. We were given the down low on how to succeed on these bubble sheets from hell, and the biggest thing was elimination. If you don't know the answer for sure, at least narrow down the answers and then guess. It was a great method and anyone who learned to use it correctly could easily hone their reasoning skills quickly and perform very well on standardized testing.
However, what about outside of the school area? What is the usefulness there?
One notable example of our amazing ability of the process of elimination is death.
By death I mean murder.
By murder I mean murder mystery.
I am very familiar with murder mystery, but not in a creepy way, I promise. From a young age I have been enveloped by shows like Dateline and CSI Miami as my mother is a huge mystery enthusiast (as a child she read every Nancy Drew mystery novel in the world, and all of them are in our basement).
It is amazing how these mysteries can be solved sometimes; it almost seems super-human in ability to solve these murders. Yet when we peel away the sensationalism, we can see that all of these murders or mysteries are solved via the process of elimination as well.
These detectives use clues to narrow down the options of suspects, they eliminate to one or two people and pursue them.
It's amazing because almost anyone could do this if they knew were to look, we all have this ability within us.
So the process of elimation, it's pretty cool.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Nomenclature of Society
There is a lot to be said about our given names. For something that we did not choose ourselves, it is rather astounding how we adopt this nomenclature as a representation of self.
Yet how we define our name and the names of others changes for each person.
As per the egocentrical manner of this blog, when evaluating my own name, Annabelle, we can observe the simple quantity of variety that a name can hold within the characteristics of the person who claims it.
The most famous examples of the name "Annabelle" range from the somber poem, "Annabelle Lee" by Edgar Allen Poe to the modern and rather creepy representation of the name through a possessed doll in movies such as "The Conjuring" and "Annabelle".
Yet I do not view myself as the kind of person who is somber, creepy, or even possessed (or am I?). If I had to, I would describe myself as a dreamer and very fickle.
The sheer inconsistency of the characteristics of names is best explained via a game.
Try playing the 20Q name game with your own name or the name of someone you know well. Did you get their name? Probably not. In fact, chances are the algorithm-based genie was as far from the truth as possible.
But if names are so fickle, why not change the societal nomenclature to be more consistent and representative of the people who posses names.
We could create a system in which names are assigned to people by a common ruling of personality traits instead of the current system of whatever the parents want.
But the question arises, what age should we begin the assignment of names in order to get a good and accurate representation of the person? Perhaps the mark of the transition to adulthood, the start of puberty, would be the ideal time. Yet even with that we are all very familiar with the change that is subject between the start and end of puberty. So some might argue that physical maturity around age 20 would be ideal.
Maybe we need to simplify things a bit and take inspiration from an already existing and ingenious interpersonal nomenclature system, the traditional Native American nomenclature.
Native American (being a very broad term) cultures had a dynamic not present in common day naming. All names were subject and almost expected to change as a person evolved and achieved different things. The name was almost a manner of storytelling, kind of like the summary in the inside cover of almost every work of literature.
If only names were as easy as to change to our own liking, hopes, and ambitions as they once were in pre-colonization America. We could really know more about the people around us and feel like our personal id tags mean a little bit more than just a word given to us as our name. Names would almost become a form of poetry.
Personally, I would take a bit more ambitious approach to my self-assigned name.
You can go ahead and start calling me "Tumblr Famous".
But the question arises, what age should we begin the assignment of names in order to get a good and accurate representation of the person? Perhaps the mark of the transition to adulthood, the start of puberty, would be the ideal time. Yet even with that we are all very familiar with the change that is subject between the start and end of puberty. So some might argue that physical maturity around age 20 would be ideal.
Maybe we need to simplify things a bit and take inspiration from an already existing and ingenious interpersonal nomenclature system, the traditional Native American nomenclature.
Native American (being a very broad term) cultures had a dynamic not present in common day naming. All names were subject and almost expected to change as a person evolved and achieved different things. The name was almost a manner of storytelling, kind of like the summary in the inside cover of almost every work of literature.
If only names were as easy as to change to our own liking, hopes, and ambitions as they once were in pre-colonization America. We could really know more about the people around us and feel like our personal id tags mean a little bit more than just a word given to us as our name. Names would almost become a form of poetry.
Personally, I would take a bit more ambitious approach to my self-assigned name.
You can go ahead and start calling me "Tumblr Famous".
The world is subject to change
and in similar fashion, as is our personal interests and desires.
In short, I'm changing my blog from being about Pokemon to being about the human condition.
Monday, October 20, 2014
I HAVE ACCOMPLISHED EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD AND NOW I CAN DIE IN PEACE
LET ME JUST GUSH FOR A FEW YEARS HERE.
THE CHANCES OF OBTAINING A SHINY POKEMON IN POKEMON X AND POKEMON Y VERSIONS ARE 1/4096
ONE IN FOUR THOUSAND NINETY SIX
WITH THE MASUDA METHOD THE CHANCES ARE REDUCED TO 1/1024
ONE IN ONE THOUSAND TWENTY FOUR
(For those of you who do not know what the Masuda Method is:
The Masuda Method is a breeding method introduced in generation IV where if two pokemon from different game origins breed their child has an increased chance of being shiny. The exact chances vary from generation to generation, become more common in newer generations.
This is probably the best method for getting a specific pokemon in shiny hunting as pokeradar or chain fishing do not let you choose what pokemon you want to get as much.)
AFTER THREE MONTHS OF TRYING TO GET MYSELF A SHINY ESPURR
THIS WEEKEND
OCTOBER 19TH, 10:34 PM, MY ROOM, I FINALLY OBTAINED HER.
MY VERY FIRST NON-EVENT HUNTED SHINY POKEMON AND I APTLY NAMED HER CUPCAKE.
LET'S DO A SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARISON OF MY BABY AND NORMAL ESPURR
OKAY YEAH WHATEVER
CUUUUUUUUUPPPPPPPPPPCCCCCCAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEE
YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES
THE CHANCES OF OBTAINING A SHINY POKEMON IN POKEMON X AND POKEMON Y VERSIONS ARE 1/4096
ONE IN FOUR THOUSAND NINETY SIX
WITH THE MASUDA METHOD THE CHANCES ARE REDUCED TO 1/1024
ONE IN ONE THOUSAND TWENTY FOUR
(For those of you who do not know what the Masuda Method is:
The Masuda Method is a breeding method introduced in generation IV where if two pokemon from different game origins breed their child has an increased chance of being shiny. The exact chances vary from generation to generation, become more common in newer generations.
This is probably the best method for getting a specific pokemon in shiny hunting as pokeradar or chain fishing do not let you choose what pokemon you want to get as much.)
AFTER THREE MONTHS OF TRYING TO GET MYSELF A SHINY ESPURR
THIS WEEKEND
OCTOBER 19TH, 10:34 PM, MY ROOM, I FINALLY OBTAINED HER.
MY VERY FIRST NON-EVENT HUNTED SHINY POKEMON AND I APTLY NAMED HER CUPCAKE.
LET'S DO A SIDE-BY-SIDE COMPARISON OF MY BABY AND NORMAL ESPURR
YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES
REBLOG MY SELFIE
a.k.a- my emotional experience with the kindness of people with whom I have known for a maximum of a month.
I am often asked what my motivation for transferring schools half way through high school was. More times than not I complain about how my previous school was not the right fit for me or how I rather disliked the lack of diversity among my peers, but the straw that broke the camel's back was a sense of societal isolation.
My mentality for my representation among my peers is, "If people think I'm a loser, they would be right." So I'm not hugely concerned about what others think of me, but it's always nice to know that I matter.
And to my great surprise, I have found that I have felt more connected to my classmates than ever, despite me knowing these people for a meager 2 months versus the 13 years my other classmates and I shared.
The situation is kind of like finding the right fit of dress. You've gotta try on a helluva lot of dresses before you find that amazing one.
Of course what does any of this have to do with selfies? Well on my tumblr (FOLLOW MY TUMBLR IT IS QUALITY) today I posted a selfie because yes. To my great (and somewhat expected) surprise (as I went to many people and told them feverishly that reblogging my selfie is of utmost importance) I found several reblogs with super nice comments in the tag which just absolutely made my day.
Okay so what's the point with this diary-entry of a blog post that seems to really be most like an emotional gushing.
Well, I personally think that this drives the point home that you need to do a lot of searching before you're going to find what's right for you. I had always thought I would have graduated from Xavier with flying colors no big deal, but all of a sudden my life took a sudden turn and it turned out to be great for me.
Change is more times than not, super terrifying, but it can also lead to some pretty fantastic things too. It takes a lot of bravery to change something in your life, but if you feel like it's needed, take the risk! If all else fails, you've made it this far already, who's to say you can go even further?
Also, never underestimate the power of honest people. There is always going to be at least one person in your life who will leave nice tags on your selfie when they reblog it.
That's the end of my soap-box speech, back to your regularly-scheduled Pokemon.
I am often asked what my motivation for transferring schools half way through high school was. More times than not I complain about how my previous school was not the right fit for me or how I rather disliked the lack of diversity among my peers, but the straw that broke the camel's back was a sense of societal isolation.
My mentality for my representation among my peers is, "If people think I'm a loser, they would be right." So I'm not hugely concerned about what others think of me, but it's always nice to know that I matter.
And to my great surprise, I have found that I have felt more connected to my classmates than ever, despite me knowing these people for a meager 2 months versus the 13 years my other classmates and I shared.
The situation is kind of like finding the right fit of dress. You've gotta try on a helluva lot of dresses before you find that amazing one.
Of course what does any of this have to do with selfies? Well on my tumblr (FOLLOW MY TUMBLR IT IS QUALITY) today I posted a selfie because yes. To my great (and somewhat expected) surprise (as I went to many people and told them feverishly that reblogging my selfie is of utmost importance) I found several reblogs with super nice comments in the tag which just absolutely made my day.
Okay so what's the point with this diary-entry of a blog post that seems to really be most like an emotional gushing.
Well, I personally think that this drives the point home that you need to do a lot of searching before you're going to find what's right for you. I had always thought I would have graduated from Xavier with flying colors no big deal, but all of a sudden my life took a sudden turn and it turned out to be great for me.
Change is more times than not, super terrifying, but it can also lead to some pretty fantastic things too. It takes a lot of bravery to change something in your life, but if you feel like it's needed, take the risk! If all else fails, you've made it this far already, who's to say you can go even further?
Also, never underestimate the power of honest people. There is always going to be at least one person in your life who will leave nice tags on your selfie when they reblog it.
That's the end of my soap-box speech, back to your regularly-scheduled Pokemon.
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