Thesis - Round One

My boss got my thesis back to me with the first round of edits. It is pretty brutal. He did say it wasn't the worst he's ever read. Scientific writing is so different from every other form of writing, so it is hard to change your mindset. Scientific writing is also the most boring thing to read. With any form of higher academia, whether it be legal writing, medical writing, government writing, or scientific writing, it seems these communities have made it so difficult to understand, one begins to wonder if it isn't intentional. If you write things in a certain way that only you can understand it than you make yourself more valuable if other people want to know what you're talking about. Basically job security. When I go back and read some of the older papers with hand drawn figures and written on typewriters, they are so easy to understand when compared with the stuff from current day. It makes me wonder if all this research we are doing; what purpose does it serve if no one can understand it. Maybe these higher education circles will so isolate themselves they run themselves out of business.

Wasteful Wednesday - Stairmaster

I am a stairs only kind of guy except for a few situations. I probably go up and down 3 flights of stairs in my building 3-5 times a day depending on the schedule. I do take the elevator when I get here and when I leave because I have my bike with me. I used to carry it up and down the stairs as an extra workout, but I kept running into the walls making the turns and it was scratching my bike. So there are situations where an elevator is useful, however I suspect the vast majority of elevator use is from a lack of desire to exert the effort to take the stairs. From my office I have a clear view of the two elevators in our building. So I have a pretty good idea of the clientele that frequent it.

That brings me to this week's edition of 'Wasteful Wednesday.' Its really not that big of a deal nor a real waste. I have just been bored in my office lately and have noticed this so I thought I would tie it in for today. There is a seemingly fit lady who works on my floor and she is always taking the elevator. I know, not that big of a deal. The thing that stands out to me though, is in the afternoon she always changes in what appears to be workout clothes (shorts, t-shirt, tennis shoes, etc.), and has an gym bag with her. So after she changes and is leaving for the assumed gym she takes the elevator instead of the meager three flights of stairs. Maybe she doesn't want to wear herself out before she gets to the gym to wear herself out.

 (The view from my office door)

I just thought it was slightly humorous.

Dry Bags

Our big canoe trip to the 11 Point River in Missouri is coming up this weekend.  We went to this river last summer for Russell's bachelor party. We had a great time and I have been wanting to go back and take Rebecca. I started brainstorming the trip back in February and as of right now there are 5 couples going. The weather is looking good and all our plans are coming together. Since it is a canoe trip, space is limited and getting wet is always a possibility. Tedrick showed me these relatively inexpensive dry bags from Bass Pro. Ours and the Franci's came in today. One step closer.

Summer Stall

I feel I am at a standstill in my thesis writing. I am in the 90 page range right now. There is not much else I can do until I get some feedback. I have three things I'm waiting to hear back from other people so I can move forward on completing this thing.

1. My boss: He is in the process of making the first edit of my paper. This will be a bloodbath of red ink, but good because I know what direction to go from here. Been waiting since April 27th.
2. Committee member: I still have one experiment to complete as part of my research. The preliminary results were disheartening, so I need to meet with him to discuss adjusting protocol. Been waiting since May 12th
3. Committee member: He is the stats expert and met with me yesterday to go over some of data. I just emailed him with some of the updates to see if I was on the right track. Been waiting since 11:30 AM.n (Update: committee member called me at 2:30 and gave me some feedback, so that kept me busy the rest of the afternoon)

All of this waiting does nothing for my motivation. With Rebecca and my other interests taking off, it is hard to keep focused on finishing school. Much worse than senioritis. We will be leaving Starkville July 31 whether I am done or not. I would love to be completely finished so I don't have to come back to wrap up things.

"Up here...I'm already gone." - Kramer 

Garage Sale

I had been gathering stuff for a near future garage sale at my parents house for quite some time. Well, the day finally came and even though Rebecca and I couldn't be there we had contributed a good bit of stuff. Along with my parents, a few other families contributed to the sale. Mom told me Rebecca and I made $65 from the stuff of ours that sold. That will probably go towards our Atlanta trip coming up with David and Emily.

Rebecca and I have been married only a year and already our apartment is jam packed. Going through my stuff to see what I could 'let go of,' was an interesting thought process. I noticed a couple of things about my mindset that could always stand to be evaluated.

Why do we have so much stuff? Do we need it? Some of it yes, some of it no. The obvious stuff I no longer wanted (more appropriate word than needed) was easy to put towards the garage sale. However, the vast majority of it I wanted to keep. Is it because I need it? Do I use it often? Probably not. So why is it so hard to get rid of? Could it be I define myself and find comfort in my possessions? Unfortunately, all too often. If salvation in Jesus and eternal life in heaven is what we profess, then that should always define us, not our possessions. If eternity in heaven is our promise than what earthly possessions could possibly compare to that comfort.

"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." - Matthew 6:21

A second thing I noticed about selling my stuff, was the huge drop in value things take. The few things that did sell brought pennies on the dollar for what I paid for them. All the time, effort, and money put into buying, storing, moving these things and then they are practically worthless in such a short time.


Both of these reasons reminded me of the wisdom needed when purchasing stuff. No expenditure is above personal discretion as small ones can add up and it easy to make habits. When I am out and there are opportunities to buy things I want more than need, I have started telling myself 'I can do without that for a little longer,' and I have yet to have missed any one of those things I considered buying. Its always good to get rid of some of your stuff and remind yourself of what is important.

"Live like no one else, so you can live like no one else." - Dave Ramsey

Wasteful Wednesday - Mulch Volcano

Its time for the second edition of Wasteful Wednesday that I failed to write on a Wednesday, again. Another testament that I should change the name.

I saw this topic of discussion just outside Dorman Hall. These oak trees were planted within the last couple years during the creation of the Junction. I've seen this practice done several times on campus. It is interesting to me because it involves landscaping and university money.

From a academic point of view we call these 'mulch volcanoes.'  This improper way of mulching comes about after a couple of years of adding mulch. Each year when new mulch is added, the old mulch is left in place and new mulch is put on top. After a couple years of doing this, you get enough for a small burial ground.

This is bad for a tree from an agronomic standpoint because the mulch essentially chokes the roots. Roots require oxygen to function and this severely limits aerobic conditions in the soil. A large mulch pile is a huge producer of heat making a little microclimate around the tree trunk, much like a compost pile. The large amount of decomposing material and warm temperatures is also very attractive to insects to make their homes. Some of which could be harmful to the trees or tailgaters.

Its also bad from an economic point of view because its a waste of money. Each year the pile gets bigger requiring more mulch to cover it, and if the tree dies you're out a lot of money.

Not a huge deal as far as waste, so that why I threw in the plant physiology lesson for free.

True Life

For almost a year now a group of us have been anticipating an episode of MTV's True Life. This is not a throwback to my misguided TRL days. The real reason being, Rebecca's former roommate, Laura Beth and her now husband, Brett, were documented for the episode, "I'm a Newlywed." With an episode list that features entertainment such as "I'm Bisexual, I'm Addicted to Porn, I'm an Alcoholic, I work in the Sex Industry," what 'unusual' characteristic could MTV be interested in? Like many Christians, Brett and LB held to their convictions of not having sex until they were married. For MTV this is freakish enough, so as icing on the cake for the network, Brett and LB had never kissed each other, nor anyone else and wouldn't until they got to the altar. These facts allowed them the opportunity to be documented and share their story. Being MTV, Brett and LB had reservations about agreeing to the show for fear of an unfair portrayal. They obviously decided to do the show and do their best to accurately share their stories and the spiritual reasons behind their convictions, and let God handle how it is portrayed and received. Just like the stock market, there is always risk associated with reward. With a national audience a huge risk could have huge rewards for the kingdom. (Rewards are not always experienced in this life)

The big premiere was last night. David, Emily, Matthew, Clay, Kelsey, Rebecca, and I went up to the BSU to watch the show since we don't have cable. I was hoping to make the cut, but they showed very little footage from the wedding so I never got my face on national TV. Rebecca being the Maid of Honor made several clips and had a few lines. We were all pretty nervous about how they would be portrayed since they're Christians and from the South.The hour long show also documented another couple who were in a long distance relationship and just got married.There were parts that were very awkward. Since the show was about them going from 'nothing' to 'all the way,' clips were centered around conversations about sex. Having known these people for so long it was odd to see them talk about their sex life on national TV. I thought the show was good overall and cast them in a positive light. I could see some people on 'our side' not liking it so I sent Brett Williams an email this morning to give him positive feedback. I knew he wouldn't expect one from me, so it wouldn't be taken as lip service. Here is an excerpt:

Sure, parts of it were awkward, but that's the nature of MTV. I know they only took a fraction of a percent of the total film they shot and edited it to their liking. Even so, I took away two things from watching it last night.

1. I didn't feel like they tried to portray you in a inaccurate light. It felt like the same Brett and Laura Beth I was used to being around at Academy Village.
2. The crowd who usually watches MTV will consider the awkwardness mild compared to what's normally on that channel. Either they will be intrigued or write you off. If they are intrigued and seek out a greater knowledge of our Christian convictions, then mission accomplished. If not, then they are right where they started and you did them no harm.

You were able to tell your story as best as possible under the circumstances in a way that didn't compromise or misrepresent any of your beliefs to a crowd that would not have heard so otherwise. If there are those who say it was "too much husband/wife information" or "not enough about Christianity;" then the show was probably not intended to reach them and they maybe needed to change the lenses through which they viewed.

In a show that seeks to display the unique in society it is a bittersweet feeling that abstinence is such a foreign concept to so many. It is sad that so few people practice this. However, because of this reason Brett and LB were given a platform that would not have been available otherwise.

A few posts ago I wrote about marriage. The fact Rebecca and I saved ourselves for marriage has made it all the better. Abstinence prevents comparison, children out of wedlock, and STDs. It forces you to get to know the person emotionally rather than just seek out physical satisfaction.You have your whole marriage to enjoy that aspect and the good things in life are always worth waiting for.