Cornellian Thoughts

I don't leave the house much
I don't like being around people
Makes me nervous and weird
I don't like going to show either
It's better for me to stay at home
Some might think it means I hate people
But that's not quite right
...
I'm turning out just like my father
Though I swore I never would
Now I can say that I have love for him
I never really understood
What it must have been like for him
Living inside his head
...

Things The Grandchildren Should Know - Mark Oliver Everett

NOVA is beginning to be one of my favorite shows on PBS, at least when they have topics I'm interested in. I just saw an episode about parallel universes. The quote above is from the singer who was featured talking about his father who invented the idea. The more I think about it, the more I can't get my mind around the concept of infinite, much less infinite parallel universes. What determines when the universes split? Wouldn't it make more sense to split based on time rather than actions and decisions. I just keep trying to figure out how small a change must be to create a whole parallel universe. Either way, I can't get my mind around the idea generally, don't know how scientists do it. Now imagine if you are God and if you have an infinite number of people to oversee, that has to be hard work judging the living and the dead. I don't understand the science at all in this case, but in a lot of the NOVA shows I learn some really interesting things, like the debate that birds came from dinosaurs. People that don't believe that are treated like the creationists of the evolutionary world. I will admit that some bore me just from reading the description. Then again, when you give them a shot, they end up being good, like the one about absolute zero. I now Tivo it and check it out whenever I can.

I'm taking lots of cut back measures on my bills in order to put my actions where my mouth is. Today, I cut a lot of features on my phone bill, so now I have half as many minutes, no 7pm nights and weekends. I lowered my netflix from 3 at time to 2 at time. I made some cuts on our cable bill, called my student loan companies. I have a lot of leaks (Amazon), but I'm working on it.

Olbermann/Coulter Take Cornell Debate To Andy Bernard-Like Level (via Huff Post)
Coulter then went on to criticize Olbermann's educational background. Both Olbermann and Coulter went to Cornell, but different schools. "Keith didn't go to the Ivy League Cornell; he went to the Old MacDonald Cornell," she writes. Olbermann responds:

Poor Annie has completely lost it. Cornell diplomas don't make any reference to individual college or major. They're Cornell diplomas. Mine looks exactly like hers, only if she was an out-of-stater she probably paid 8-10 times what I did for mine. And the premise of the University is that anybody can take almost any course. Nearly half of mine were in "her" Arts College. And this is the first time since I went there in 1975 that I've ever seen a Cornellian rag on all the other colleges. It's a long way to go just to rationalize Limbaugh not knowing the Constitution from the Declaration of Independence.

It's a Cornellian debate that would make Andrew Bernard weep...

I did not know Coulter went to Cornell. Speaking of, I wish I could see those Bill Maher (who also went to Cornell) Coulter debates coming up. But back to the story, so I love it. I just love the Andy Bernard character and how much he talks about Cornell in such a dumbass way. The episode where Dwight wanted to apply was classic. I was in the Industrial and Labor Relations school ('02), which is a state school (even though as Keith put it, I paid at least 8-10 times what NY people had to pay.) I guess I didn't go to the real Cornell either. She makes it sound like he went to Cornell College. Funny petty stuff.

Speaking of college, it is my hope, ney goal, that my nephew go to college and at that, he go to Pan Am near his home. He seems on board for going to college somewhat, but for some reason he isn't taking the right steps. How do you motivate a person to do something that is in their own best interests? I mean, I don't get anything out of it. I hate to feel like I'm pressuring a person against their own will of what they want for themselves. I want to support dreams, not force them on people. What is wrong with wanting the best for your family? I'm going to move from hoping and lecturing to actually trying to help.

Here in Austin we have these Everest institute commercicals for what I want to say is a vocational college. They are real low budget and sometimes cheesy, but man they know their demographic, I mean they sometimes make me want to go. There is one part when they are asking you to not procrastinate and call in for for more information and the hip urban guy (by that I mean black guy) says, "They are not going to call you." [Not in the ad below I don't think.] A lot of people hate the ad and I did at first, but it grew on me. Also, look at the time they show the ad, usually really late when you'd be up watching TV if you didn't have to go to work in the morning.

forgiveness and understanding