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You know, I've always wondered exactly how much I've impact I've left on BZP. In my first year here, I was all about leaving my mark. I was anxious to make friends, create things, get involved, all that. Now, I guess, I feel my mark has been pretty well left. I placed in the first three RPG Contests, participated in Master of Bionicle, got promoted to Forum Assistant, and became a BZPRPG co-host. So yeah, it seems like I've put a few memories here, right? It seems pretty reasonable. I mean, I still come around daily. I post entries in my blog and make some posts. Check on everything. Close topics. And then I get off. I realized only recently, in light of an absolutely spectacular day, that I've lost sight of my real reason for coming to BZPower. It seems now that I'm surrounded by obligations here that keep me coming back. Signature reports, topics to close, the BZPRPG, Chaos in the Deep, etc. It has been so long since I've gotten on BZP simply for the sake of getting on BZP and having some fun. I think it really started with my Staff promotion. While being on Staff is great, since I'm able to help the site run more smoothly, and this is far from any sort of resignation, it has brought about obligations. Now I was getting on BZPower because a report told me to, not because I wanted to see what was hot in discussion or what art had been posted while I was gone. The Academy had been a subtle obligation, but not nearly so much because it was something I greatly enjoyed doing. With BZPRPG and more work to be done, I felt more obligation. Frankly, I didn't want to go to the RPG Forum to have a good time RPing, but because I had to straighten something out between members. Obligations, obligations, obligations. Recently, I've been rediscovering BZPower. While it's nothing profound (it is a kid's site after all), I've found out the reasons I grew to really like this community in the first place. The members here are great, the Staff does a fantastic job, and there's an endless pool of discussion and talent here. BZPower isn't just an obligation. It's a fun place to be. I had forgotten about that. What I'm trying to get across is that right now, I'm really not interested so much in being like an "employee" here. I mean, while I am Staff and I realize the responsibility that comes with that, I don't see why I shouldn't think of myself as any other member here. There are members here that come here just to have a dang good time and chill with people who share their interests. And isn't that what I want to do? So I figure right now, forget all that stuff that gets tacked on. While I may take on those responsibilities and take them seriously, I can't help but wonder why I can't just be Dr. Bionicle. In all honesty, that is who I am here. Not Doc the FA. Not Doc the co-host. Just Doc. And that's all I've really got to say. Just for fun, Dr. Bionicle
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Yeah, so those of you who stalk may have noticed that I haven't been on very frequently and haven't posted very much. A few people have been inquiring as to the cause of my inactivity now that band camp is over and my summer is pretty much open. Well, you want the answer? Guys, at this point in my life, I am just not very big with BZPower or Bionicle right now. Before some of you kill me or start bombarding me with "Why?!"s, let me continue. The fact is, when I joined BZPower, I had basically nothing to worry about. I chilled here because it was one of the ways to fill up all my free time. I didn't have much of anything to worry about or to be concerned about. I basically needed BZPower to save me from boredom. It's been a few years since then... And, well, number one, I don't have as much time as I used to. But that's not the big issue. Quite simply, BZPower is no longer a comfort zone of mine. I mean, I love this place and all, and I think the people here are awesome, but I don't "need" it anymore. I've been taking a much more active role in my real life, one that not only overshadows this one, but just about makes this place unnecessary. Now, before you guys all start freaking out, since I obviously haven't made this any better, let me just say that "No, I'm not planning to leave BZPower any time soon." I have commitments here, and I still enjoy being here. I've got this blog and the BZPRPG and Staff and all that jazz. I'm not going anywhere. At one point, this place was a great little social pillow. If I was bored or lonely or angry or whatever, I could get on here. I wasn't Ben anymore, I was Dr. Bionicle. I didn't have to face anyone from real life here, and in the very least, the amount of people I could talk to wouldn't be scarce. But now, with a lot of my relational foundations solidifying, that need has all but drifted away. Now, I know that within the next few months, I'll probably have surges of activity. I'll be really active in BZPRPG or as a Staffer or whatever, and then I'll slip back into dull activity again. That's going to happen. I guarantee it. But anyway, this is a totally muddled mess of writing, but I just wanted to explain a little bit. Yeah, it's not like I think Bionicle or BZPower is horrible, I've just lost some interest. Explanatory...ingly..., Dr. Bionicle
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Guys, just as a heads-up, you've probably heard this from your parents before. Now, whether you've heard the simplified version or had some sort of discussion or whatever, this really is an important issue for everyone. In our society, we're all about minimizing our workload. Don't think so? We have automatic dishwashers, clothes dryers, cars that work with a push of the pedal, and heck, we don't even have to waste effort switching CDs on our players, we just press a button and an mp3 pops up. Today's society wants you to do as little work as possible. Why? Because they want you to feel like you need to be convenienced. Let's face it, the human race is basically lazy. I know few people who would rather move a piano than sit on the couch reading a book/watching TV/whatever. We want our lives to be as easy and care-free as possible. Because of this effect that the media gives us, we get into this cycle in our brains. So long as there isn't any job being offered to us, it's OK to lie around doing nothing. Now, this isn't wrong... but consider these scenarios... You just got back home from whatever you were doing prior, and you sit down to see what's on TV. Your mom's busy working on the paperwork so that you can go on that trip with your friends. Meanwhile, the kitchen is a wreck. The dishwasher hasn't been emptied, so the sink's overflowing, the counters are a mess, and the remains of today's lunch are still left all over the stove. Your mom's already swamped, and someone's got to get that clean. You're bored out of your mind, so you decide to call up your friends to see if they want to get together at the park. You plow through all the junk on your floor to reach the door, and with some effort, shove it open. You see a remarkable difference as you step from your room into the hallway. You're logging onto BZPower and you notice that your sister's busy trying to throw the family room into shape. She has a group of friends coming over, and your younger siblings already trashed the room on one of their "space missions", and they're gone at a friend's house. You weren't involved in the mess, but all the same, your sister's hard-pressed for time, and she doesn't want her friends to think she's a total slob. Yeah, I kinda bludgeoned you over the head with those, huh? But you'd be amazed at how obvious these situations are. Imagine watching your life as if it were a TV show. Picture yourself in the foreground playing Halo 2 while your mom's in a frenzy trying to put lunch together for your grandparents who are coming over. What would your opinions of yourself be at that point in time? Probably not too high, huh? Now, guys, I'm not accusing you of anything. I'm not going to rant on the fact that "Oh, the children of America might as well have electric outlets in their heads" or whatever. Really, I enjoy a good TV show just as much as the next guy, and I obviously enjoy my time on the computer. And I totally love just killing time doing nothing. But... There is opportunity. That's a funny word, isn't it? Opportunity. Usually when we think of that word, it has a positive connotation. That is, it makes us feel good. To assume that there is an opportunity is to assume that you have a chance at something, the likes of which probably isn't offered to some other people, giving a sort of special feeling. When we think of opportunity, we like to think of our friends asking us if we'd like to go see the concert of the year with them or the girl/guy of our dreams asking if we're available to go to the dance on Friday. And quite often, we think of aggressive opportunity. In other words, someone shoves it towards us and says "You want some?" But there is initiative opportunity. That is where we see an opportunity and we seize it, without someone telling us or asking us to. That's knowing that your crush doesn't have a date to the dance, and asking them out. It's taking the initiative. And sure, we do this on a daily basis. We see that there's a seat open next to our best bud at the lunch table, so we plop ourselves down there. We see that the band teacher's not looking and take that opportunity to toss out our chewing gum. But these initiative opportunities that we do daily all have a common theme: We're keeping ourselves completely in mind. Why do you want to sit next to your friend? So that you'll have an enjoyable lunch. Why do you want to spit out that gum? So that the band teacher doesn't harp on you about it again. You're looking out for #1. This, also, is not a bad thing. It is your life that you're living, and there's nothing wrong with making it an enjoyable one. But we tend to ignore other initiative opportunities. Let's go back to Scenario Numero Uno. Now, even though the new episode of Monk is on, and the recliner feels nice and cozy, let's look at that kitchen. Do you really think your mom's going to have time to do a good job cleaning it up and still have time for herself afterwards? Would it be that hard to go in there and even just empty the dishwasher? Hey, I'm not asking for anything profound. I'm not saying hire yourself out to a charity. But it's the subtle things that really count to a lot of people. Taking out the trash when you see it's full instead of waiting for your Dad to nag you about it or do it himself. Wiping down the counter when you see that the kitchen is a mess. Heck, even opening a door for someone. These all mean a little something to those who would've had to do it if you hadn't. And guys, here's a little secret: you can cheat. That's right, you can trick yourself, and think about it and how it applies to you. I mean, if you don't help Mom with the kitchen, what's going to become of your dinner? Do you really want to ask her to write you that note for tomorrow when she's been flustered all night? But really, I think that everyone is capable of looking beyond themselves, even for brief periods. Just thinking about other people and what could help them. And hey, all you men out there, here's another secret: girls totally dig it. That's not to say that this should be your intention, but you'll notice it. Girls, even girls that are just your friends, will think a little more highly of you if you perhaps hold the door, help someone in line loading up their groceries on the conveyor belt, or even just asking them if they'd like you to refill their glass. In the experience of having two sisters on the dating scene, I always hear about dates afterwards. And guys, it's not the quality of the restraunt I hear about, it's little things. Things like the guy picking up something they dropped or helping them put on their coat or even just making friendly conversation to the waiter. The guys I hear the best things about are those who take the initiative opportunity when it rules in the favor of others. Believe me, girls are perfectly capable of seeing through phony behavior, so if you're just acting to get her impressed, she'll know. And anyway, moving off of that, it says a lot more about your character. People notice this, both important and unimportant. And can be anywhere from the stranger that glanced at you from a distance to the boss considering giving you a promotion. While it may not fully benefit you directly, it will certainly speak volumes about who you are as a person, and people will have more respect for you. Kind of funny that stooping to help someone else gives people a higher view of you, doesn't it? But guys, it does. It's taking the initiative. It's doing it without being asked, without being begged, without being forced, without being threatened, without even being implied. It's being willing to do it, even when no one else is around to give you praise. That's taking the initiative. And it's a darn good quality for any person to have. Rantingfuliciously, Dr. Bionicle
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Musical Stimulus - 100 Years by Five for Fighting. For those of you who know and love this song like I do, I'm sorry, but it doesn't relate to the deep lyrics of the song. I'm merely using this as an example. Music is ancient stuff. Depending on what you call music, we've been making it for ages now, from laying down rhythms with clapping to complex symphonies and concertos. Doubtless, music has gone through many different periods and progressions. Compare Renaissance music to that of the All-American Rejects. You'll find some noticeable differences. Many people will only listen to music of certain genres. I know people who will listen to Jazz intently, but go running for a bathroom as soon as Country kicks in. Hip-hop lovers that make faces when Orchestral takes the stage. I personally am not a fan of this. I think that the frontier of music is virtually the same in every field, and even the commonly mocked genres like Country and Techno are capable of creating great music. After all, great music is defined by the song/piece itself, not its genre. However, there is one genre I will not touch. Rap. Yeah, those of you who love your MC Hammer and P. Diddy (and who will laugh at me for mentioning stereotypical rappers), sorry, but I don't find the classification of music in rap. Rhythms may be unique, though they are commonly run-in-the-mill beatslaps. The actual music behind it is usually just a crutch for the rapper himself. I don't find the art of monologuing to a beat or rhythm enjoyable at all. While musical aspects are very important to music, the meaning behind them, too, is very important. Personally, while there are a few parts of the song Deathbed by Relient K that don't necessarily impress me, the lyrics and message behind them are powerful. I think some of that has been greatly lost on a very self-centered industry, where rappers talk about how great they are and rock bands talk about their girl. Ask Paul McCartney or John Lennon what the meaning behind Eleanor Rigby is, and the explanation will presumably detailed and have depth to it. Ask DJ Webstar what the meaning behind Chicken Noodle Soup is and the result will presumably not be so grand. While I don't think all songs have to be "this-is-the-meaning-of-life"esque, I do think that we are losing the number of songs that do this. Despite the meaning behind songs, sometimes that is sacrificed for music. I think that if you want to write something meaningful and put bad music behind, you might as well make it a poem. Unfortunately, there are lots of burlap bands (or "groups", as those who do not play instruments are called) who write something and slap music onto it (or at least sound that way). While I think sometimes things compensate, great music with little meaning, okay music with deep meaning, I believe that the real gold nuggets are not those who get the most awards or record deals, but those who have a good balance between the two. And I'm not talking "okay music with okay lyrics". I'm talking "great music with great lyrics". That's a pretty tall order, and of course, I can't expect every band/artist with an album to have that, but I think it should be strived for. A really great example of this, in my opinion, is Five for Fighting. As an artist, he's generally known for his deep, emotional songs. At the same time, he has a good mind for music, what with layering, dynamics, and other things. Other various groups, both modern and old, pull this off, but there's such a run-in-the-mill crowd for them to get lost in. Of course, this changes for everyone. While I may not really like the song "Thank God I'm a Country Boy", others may think of that song as the staple of life. I know it's opinion, but really, I think there is a pretty definitive difference between songs with blended effort, one-sided songs, and songs that are just plain 'bleh'. There are precious gems out there, some I've heard, many I have yet to hear, and many I will never hear. To them, this is just one who appreciates the musical world saying "Thank you for your effort and for your great music." And with that, I'm going to get down off my soapbox. Soapily, Dr. Bionicle
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Musical Stimulus - Lonely Nation by Switchfoot. Some of the things I say here may be frightening, so I would not recommend that those who are easily scared, especially little kids, read this. This is a serious, scary issue. As I'm sure most of you are aware, there was a tragedy that occurred on the campus of Virginia Tech University. A single gunman killed, I believe the number was thirty-two, people in a single shooting. The media, of course, has been all over the stories. Some stations are more rash than others, and certain controversies spring up. I heard over a radio talk show yesterday over the issue of NBC playing a video of the shooter's rants. Other stations have said that they will not play the video or pictures of the incident or its relations. It's no doubt that this is one of those incidents where America is taken into shock. I'd like to say first and foremost that my heart goes out to every victim, their family and friends, and also the parents of the gunman. The case of victims are simply horrifying and a sad day in American history. I hope for strength in the family and friends of these victims, in their sudden loss of someone they care and love. And I especially would like to give my heart out to the parents of this gunman, who have to now live with this burden that their son has left them. I am no cynic about this situation, as there are literal tears in my eyes as I write this. So often we watch the news and look at the terror going on in the world. We will tolerantly ignore the fact that five people died in a car bomb, and we will usually overlook any personal murder of some sort. Unfortunately, we live in a society where we put up filters of indifference to this sort of thing. My guess is that there were probably around thirty-two people across the country that died of murder the day of the Virginia Tech Shooting, and those are so commonly overlooked. It's when these huge, massive events happen (like Hurricane Katrina) where you just see the pain and the sadness. We get a realization of how unsafe the world is and how unpredictable our lives are. Not a single one of the victims at that school was expecting to die. You wouldn't pick up their PDAs or day planners and see in there "10-11:30 AM - Die". No. Freshman were going to classes. Professors were ready to give lectures. Students were preparing themselves to take notes. Janitors were expecting to clean the campus like any other day. It was a perfectly normal day. Then... Bang. The whole world of that entire campus turned upside down in one day. There is no word better than horror to describe the thought of being an innocent victim of one of these attacks. To play no important part in someone else's life and then be shot by them. The fear of walking in the hallways of your school and imagining the kid at the water fountain pulling out a gun or the freshman at his locker withdrawing a knife. And we aren't aware of that. We all just assume that happens to somebody else. But we're all somebody else...to someone else. Believe me, I'm not trying to scare anyone here. I'm not trying to puff up this whole idea and making it into some horror story it isn't. The problem is, it already is a horror story. And it scares the heck out of all of us that it actually happened. There are things to be learned, and sometimes we can only learn from these terrible events. What you take from these events is your own business. My personal thoughts are that Life is temporary, and we need to make the most of it to us and those around us. You need to hang onto what you have, stick to what you believe, and live. A whole nation united in mourning under one tragedy. But...we'll soon forget about this as an earth-shattering event. It will be a historic tragedy...something that doesn't affect us anymore. The families and friends of these victims and the parents of the gunman will always have this issue, and for that I truly am saddened. Eventually, we'll drift back to our normal lives. We won't think about it anymore. It won't spring into our minds. And we'll feel secure...till the next tragedy. Desparate, we are young. Separate, we are one. I want more than my desperation. I want more than my lonely nation. Sorrowfully, Dr. Bionicle
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We Are One Tonight - Switchfoot While you indulge yourself in the absolutely amazing musical aspects of that song, I'm going to basically break down this whole song into how I interpret it. I like songs that make a point, but the point is fairly (note, not completely, fairly) interpretable. Take a song like American Pie. That's such an insanely out there song that no one except the writer knows what it really means. It's one of those songs where it can be whatever you want it to be, and while I love American Pie, I gotta say that this stuff really just sounds like a cheap shot. I'm not a huge fan of writing music for yourself. I mean, it's fine to write a song about something only you would understand and just keep it in, but then to place that on an album for a whole population to muse over... I've got nothing against creative thinking or interpretation. But I think that songs need to drive a point. I'd say, from what I know, about half of people like songs for the music, and half for the lyrics. I am very flexible on these two aspects. While Gone by TobyMac is a great song musically, I don't understand the lyrics at all. At the same time, I think The Only Thing Worse Than Beating a Dead Horse Is Riding One is lacking musically, but the lyrics I like. Therefore I like both songs, but for totally different reasons. What I love is that one song where the lyrics and the music lock. I'd classify this as one of those songs. I have definitely been in an area where I've felt all alone. I suffered from a few problems my 6th Grade year due to the fact that I converted from homeschooling to public schooling in that year. It was a terrible experience for me, with hardly any friends, and only one, I'd say, good friend. 6th Grade was a nightmare for me. I learned things that I never had to confront in homeschooling. I'm not going to say I regret homeschooling, because it excelled me academically and in discipline, but it was still a terrible experience. Then 7th Grade, redemption year for me, came. The first kid I met was in my band class. He tripped over my case, and the teacher made him sit next to me since he was taking such a long time getting across the room. Ironically enough, he turned out being my best friend throughout most of 7th Grade and still remains my best now. A few days ago, I was staying at his house overnight, and you know, it's 2 AM and we're still talking, and we get onto the subject of 6th Grade. And he says to me, "Well, yeah, I really didn't have any friends in 6th Grade. I felt like a total loser." And I'm just thinking, wow. It's one thing to know that other people have the same problem as you, but to know someone that had the same problem is a whole other thing. At the same time, I was talking with this girl who had moved from my city to Wisconsin over the summer and was having a rough time with her friends. Her friend had gone behind her back with her boyfriend and all these things that nobody her age (or at any age) should have to go through. And remarkably enough, I had a friend with a very similar problem to hers a few months ago. It's interesting as a spectator to make comparisons. If you ever get the chance, talk to your friends about little bumps you had in your life that you feel comfortable about. I'll bet you that at least one of those you've shared at one point in your life. It's not so much "What's your favorite color" and "I like football too" that makes good friends, but similarities in trials and hard times. A whole bunch of other more minor things have occurred in a similar fashion to the two things mentioned above. Interestingly enough, I stumbled across the song you are/were/didn't care to listen to on my sister's mp3 player. And my mind's flashing back to all this stuff. And the concept's just hits me. To think that we are one tonight and we're dreamin' out loud, thinking about what we wish could be, all of us some how or another. And that whole concept that everyone goes through something tough, not just you, and that everyone feels pain. I don't know, I'm sorry if any of this sounds absolutely ridiculous and you've completely lost me through this whole thing. Sweet-action music has a way of doing that to your mind. But anyway, if you got nothing else out of this, just know that if you're going through a hard time that someone out there has done the same thing. We've all been through hard times and want to persevere, and you're not alone in wanting to push through your problem. Or, at least, a cool song. Interpretably, Dr. Bionicle
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Music stimulus. ^ To those of you unfortunate enough to not know what that song is, that is "Carry On My Wayward Son" by KANSAS. This song has been kind of my theme lately for a number of reasons. One, this song was done by KANSAS, which is totally the name of my state. Two, the bass player went to my Junior High, so it's kind of the school's rock theme. And three, Life's taken a few interesting turns. For a longated period of my life, I faced a lot of confusion. 8th Grade doesn't seem at an eye's glance to be a conflicting period, and I'm probably going to laugh at my evaluation of it in coming years, but confusion and conflict are still confusing and conflicting. I've gone through a somewhat self-conscious period of my life. I was always constantly evaluating how I was acting and always ridiculing myself for different reasons. Trying too hard to be funny or killing conversation too often or simply not portraying a good attitude. I always found some kind of flaw with myself. I'm not sure what brought it on, just a click in my brain. Granted, we all feel this way at times, whether we realize it or not. We're always just a little concerned whether we pushed a subject too hard or if we weren't social enough or whatever. I think a problem that a lot of us face is that we know people who have great, bright personalities and we always find ourselves comparing ourselves to that. That just brings us down. There's always room for improvement, of course, but sometimes we just set the bar too high. Sprinters can't compare themselves to long-distance runners and high jumpers can't compare themselves to pole vaulters. Another thing that stressed on me was my pathetic attempt at a relationship. I honestly don't know what I was thinking when I began it, and I'm glad that it's over. I finally got my head past the fact that 8th Grade relationships are usually just to say that you've had a relationship, and usually just spawn into awkwardness by the end. Of course, they don't all work out this way, but most of them do. I sure didn't help my end either. I was remarkably shy during the whole experience, a characteristic I never knew I really had. I've heard a lot of talk from friends talking about having a relationship, one of the worst critics being my best friend. To my satisfaction, he got into his own relationship, so to speak, and he suffers the same problems (although his efforts still dwarf my own). I'm not going to say that Junior High relationships are bad. I've only had one. What do I know? I will say, though, that they certainly are harder. Especially when your only transportation is via your parents. There's no reason for it to not be a healthy experience, but the odds of it growing into anything really vital? Slim, I'm afraid. Which is why I'm holding back till I think I'm actually ready. Needless to say, I learned much through the three-fourths of the semester that this lasted. I'm happy to say that it didn't end as awkwardly as some Junior High relationships do. We're still good friends and have both gotten over the experience with no hard feelings. I learned something else too, and that was about how to be a friend. Through my whole experience, the harsh criticism and mockery of my own friends was really something that only stressed me more. I advise all of you, if you ever have a friend going through a rocky relationship or a pathetic excuse for one, keep your criticism friendly and considerate, and don't make fun of them. It can be tough. However, that bit of overplayed drama (hey, it's the 8th Grade) wasn't my only concern. I've been suffering something I had only heard about for a semester. Kiddos, there's a nasty little thing called an ingrown toenail. Don't know what that is? Neither did I. Here's the lowdown: Your nails go at a gradual rate and they keep growing unless clipped. That said, if anything should get in the way of that, like a bandage or skin, some remarkable things are going to happen. When your skin gets in the way of your toenail, it's usually just brushed aside. That...or it grows into that skin. Disgusting? Yes. Painful? Yes. Unreal? No. I discovered this occurence at the beginning of the semester. I thought nothing of it. These things usually on go on one side, and if it grows long enough, you can get somewhat used to it. Then there's the case where it grows on both sides. Yup. Double-sided. Here's the fun part. Whenever you press on something or make contact with your skin, it pushes the skin back. There are nerves in that skin that send flares of pain to the brain. That means kick a soccerball, ouch. Trip the wrong way, ouch. Have someone step on your foot, REALLY ouch. This problem has been causing me a lot of stress. I didn't truly realize what I had till a month or so ago when I spied an article in an open Reader's Digest. On further research, I realized fully what was going on. Still, I was ashamed of it for some reason. You usually don't think of your feet, much less your toes, as a vital part of your body, but when your big toe is in pain, your whole body is in pain. For those of you suffering from this problem, here's some comfort and advice: Fact: Ingrown toenails are a common foot problem in teens. They are not irreversible. However, if you let them go for too long without telling anyway, you may become infected and in need of surgery. The best thing you can do is see a doctor. It doesn't help to try and do it yourself. Believe me, I've tried and it's nothing but pain. No matter how much progress you think you're making, it's not going to change. Ingrown toenails are commonly caused by some sort of trauma to the foot, wearing too tight of socks/shoes, or simply clipping your nails unevenly. Very rarely is it a disease or oddity of any sort. It's not going to get any better if you wait. It only gets worse! I didn't know any of these things until I was informed. I finally realized that I needed to see a doctor and will be seeing one very soon. Treatment beyond that has yet to be set. I definitely feel reassured, though, knowing that my pain can be corrected soon. There's been so much going on beyond this, but these are the repercussions that commonly go back into my thinking when I consider that conflicted time. I'm happy to say that the period appears to have passed through some real emotional digging and thinking and with a little help from others. Initially, this song is really inspiring for me, mainly because of the second line of the chorus. "There'll be peace when you are done." That has such a big effect on me now. Life is hard. Coming out of this point in my life, I'm just a little bit wiser. That's just how life works, I guess. Kudos to those of you who didn't lose interest by the worthy-of-an-eye-roll section about relationship and the gah-that's-disgusting portion. Thoughtfully, Dr. Bionicle
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I haven't posted a new entry as of recent because of a few items coming up (mainly my trip to Kentucky, which has nothing but dial-up). At the moment, though, I've got something I want to vent about. I read comic strips. Cartoonists can be real comical geniuses in comparison with the cheesy shows that now spawn on Disneychannel and Cartoon Network, which for some reason sends a good deal of my age range into laughing fits. What's so funny about The Suite Life of Zack and Cody or Dexter's Laboratory, I'll never know. Granted, I find that once again the old surpasses the new, both in television and comic strips. Because I'm just thinking over the subject due to reading over some old comic strip collections, I'm going to give a full evaluation of my newspaper's comic selection. Non Sequitor: It used to be I would find this occasionally humorous, when it wasn't throwing out political wisecracks I didn't understand. Now that they've tossed in that disturbing girl and her horse, its basically for the birds now. Pluggers: I never found this strip constantly funny. It irks me that the writer can't come up with his own ideas, and I'm thinking that the lack of selection he must get is what lends the one-panel to its common mediocrity. I've only seen two strips that have actually resulted in a positive reaction, and neither of them actually made me laugh. Family Circus: I still admire this cartoon in its older aspects, and I imagine that someday when I'm a parent and I look back on the strip, I'll laugh more than I do now. While the strip is a family-type sort of comedy, it seems more like the cutesy humor that appeals more to parents and grandparents now than it does to people of my age range. I love the writer's perspective on things, but currently, it doesn't strike me too often anymore. Off the Mark: The best improvement our newspaper ever made. This strip replaced the comic Marmaduke, which I despised due to its repetitive nature and lack of good timing. Off the Mark has a Far Side spin to it which I love seeing in present-day one-panels. I admire this strip for its clever outside-the-box thinking and the way it shifts perspectives, and I really think it's probably one of the better strips out there. Opus: I hate this strip, basically because it bludgeons the reader over the head with political humor and exaggerated stereotypes. The artwork looks stale, like lumpy dough, and the quality of the humor doesn't give me the idea that the writer puts a whole lot of effort into to it. Opus has only made me laugh once, and that was due to the fact that the strip turned on itself and actually made itself look stupid. Otherwise, it's pretty bad. Pickles: I like this strip to an extent because it reminds me of my own grandparents. Seniors have a great potential to be funny and the strip does utilize that fairly well. It's odd, though, that most of the really exceptional humor I get from it is what comes from the pets' own thoughts. In my opinion, while the writer handles grandparents fairly well, I think he would be much better off writing an animal strip. Beetle Bailey: This strip is really pretty bland. It doesn't make any real use of the setting, it's just constantly emphasizing how Sarge always gets mad and how Beetle dodges work. It's just not that good. Garfield: This strip used to be funny, but its humor has declined in the coming years. Its rarely more than Garfield firing some smart-aleck one-liner with those typical half-open eyes. I think that the writer must not be very heavily inspired by the strip anymore or else he's simply trudging through it. Either way, I think it's gone downhill since the older days. Peanuts: I've always admired Peanuts for its juvenile, yet philosophical humor. We often forget that these are kids speaking to us until they get into their tantrums. The character of Snoopy, probably the most famous cartoon character of all time, is in a world completely by himself, reflecting some of the more adult humor of the strip, though keeping it in a child's range of humor with the fact that he's really just a dog flying a doghouse. Peanuts has a great range of quality humor. Foxtrot: I really enjoy the book collections more than the daily strips themselves. Sadly, even Foxtrot has begun to fall into more of the stereotypical brands of family humor. The personalities have sort of derived into just people with punchlines. Foxtrot was brilliant in its earlier years, and it still makes me laugh, but its take a few steps backward. Get Fuzzy: Reading this strip feels like trudging through water. The ways its drawn doesn't give a lot of desire to look at what's happening, and the humor is often weak sarcasm. It doesn't take a lot of the creative liberties that it could take with a dog and a cat in the same house, it simply shows the cat abusing the dog and getting sarcastic commentary from his owner. It's just bland. For Better or For Worse: I'm not sure how to judge this strip because it relies so greatly on actually staying in touch with the comic. It's hard to simply jump in and get going. This storyline has been developing for a long time, it's obvious. It does have its moments, but so often I just don't understand because it's so much of an actual plot than it is simply a comic strip. Blondie: I do not like this strip very much.. The characters have no real depth and it relies on a routine humor. The arrogant boss, the mother that's always right, the constantly napping father, etc. Most comics end up with Dagwood simply falling asleep on the couch, and while I might've gone with that the first few strips, I think it's time to move past that joke and try something different, introduce some actual issues. It's pretty one-dimensional. Doonesbury: I despise political comics like this. Period. BC: This strip was never all that brilliant beyond sarcastic comebacks and slapstick. A good deal of the humor sounds like something you'd find on the inside of a Laffy Taffy wrapper. It really doesn't have any depth, any situations. It's just a joke book with illustrations. Baby Blues: I still like this strip. While a lot of the humor is aimed at parents, it has a nice homey feel that I enjoy. It works at a great range, from one-liners, to long diaglogues, to a single panel. Unlike so many strips that take on older kids, this focuses on raising younger kids, which I think is a great source for comedy. Hi and Lois: Stereotypical and cliche. Golf-playing dads, hard-working mothers, annoying next door neighbors, rebellious sons, etc. I don't think I've ever laughed at this strip due to its lack of real originality. Sherman's Lagoon: Funny at times, but not consistently. I like it better when it's more focused on the Shark idea rather than undersea life. It seems to be teetering on the edge of falling into a typical love-hate relationship between the parents. Still, it does lend a few laughs. Shoe: Not...that great. Basically, it's little more than a news reporter sitting around a bar hearing people bring in punchlines about their life. Luann: This strip really isn't that great. It seems to be constantly focused on the drudgery of teenage life and takes little focus off of anything else. While to some it may be funny, I simply don't laugh at it because I really can't relate. Hagar the Horrible: Does this strip really ever get past cranky wives, nights at the bar, and laziness? Dilbert: I don't know why, but I always make sure to read this strip. It has interesting bits of humor, even though I don't relate to office jobs. The style is interesting, mainly in the cartooning, but though the humor isn't consistent it makes enough turnovers to actually interest me at times. That may seem harsh for the most part, but it's most likely because of my obsession with older comic strips. I read Calvin & Hobbes almost religiously, and I think it would be great if they just reran his old comics like they did with Schultz. The Far Side is an era I'm sad I missed. I admire the humor it brought to one-panels, where otherwise it would seem fairly bland. Foxtrot and it's older book collections still make me laugh, and even Garfield and his older collections still bring about a few laughs. Ultimately, there are some brilliant writers out there and there are some that just aren't. Unfortunately, we seem to get more of the latter, but the former still does shine through where it lies. Critically, Dr. Bionicle
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So here I am, fourteen, and this is about the time of year where stores and restaraunts start offering jobs to the youth. I'm now legally allowed to work part-time. As I search for such a job, I have to consider whether or not to give up the newspaper route that I have painstakingly stuck to since I was only a single decade old. My newspaper route is not completely my own and is a pretty pathetic excuse for a paper route. I basically deliver the alternate paper, which means I deliver once a week whenever I want on Tuesday or Wednesday. Once a month I've got to take up what is known as 'saturation' where I have to deliver little coupon packets to every house on my route. Oh yes, and I have my sister who shares this job with me, which means we splits the profit. Sounds easy, doesn't it? Now, to those who are full-time, early morning newspaper boys, I salute you, as you are much more willing and persevering than I. However, this job is much more difficult than it appears. Rather than throwing the paper at the step, we must hang it on the door. Also, we don't have a lot of loyal newspaper receivers on our route. We have about 216 papers on our route, about 170 of which receive the regular paper. So yeah, it's not fun. And while early-morning newspaper boys have to put up with ice and darkness, I have to put up with slush, blaring heat, and rain. Oh yes, and let's not forget the sadistic dogs that enjoy running me down. Not to mention, I don't get paid once a week. I get paid biweekly, the likes of which I have to split with my sister. The fruits of my labor usually result in about $20-$30 (depends on if it's saturation or not). Yeah, people at McDonalds make more money in three days than I do. As con-filled as this sounds, there are some perks. I don't have to put up with a lot of thing part-timers do: ShiftsSet scheduleOvertimeUnexpected changes in scheduleOrnery co-workers Also, the deal is that we also get our satellite network 50% off. Pretty sweet. However, that doesn't cut out all the cons. So now we just have to think over my route experiences. Let's thing back to my very first route when I worked substitution duty... I've been running the streets, finally getting the hang of slinging the bags onto the knobs. At this point, I was getting comfortable, and the weather was perfect. The job felt like a breeze and I thought for sure this was easy money. Then...I met my first dog. Luckily, I was too tired at this point to run up to the door, so I start walking up the driveway. The garage door was open, but I thought nothing of it. I traipsed up to the walkway that led to the door when I heard a rumbling from the garage. There was a clinking of metal and I saw a golden blur shoot out from the garage. I leapt backwards, feeling something slam into the tip of my shoe. I looked up and saw a dog, fighting against his stretched chain, to get at me. I ran for my life as it snarled at me, making it so that I never looked at an open garage door without careful examination ever again. So much for easy money. That was one of many dogs to cause me stress. Luckily, that's the closest I've ever come to being bitten. I have been nipped by a small puppy, but it was nothing. And believe it or not, cats are much worse. For some reason, the cats are especially bold on my route. I have been scratched, pounced on, and tripped. Animals are always a problem on a route. I've been attacked by a kamikaze squirrel (I swear, it was aiming for my head when it jumped out of that tree), lunged at by dogs, scratched by cats, tripped by bunnies, and even scratched by a very large lizard. Animals are the most hazardous part of the job. People aren't completely innocent, though. I've delivered to many queer people. One old man I delivered to seemed a little too happy and a little too smelly to be in his right state of mind when I handed him the paper. I've been severely creeped out by a number of shady characters I've delivered to. Some people are simply ornery, and then there are people who are too nice and want to have a conversation with you while your mother's burning gasoline at the end of the street. There were also the instants where my mother's car broke down, one of the papers caught on fire from a lit tiki torch, my sister broke a flower pot, and I've been yelled at for hitting an attacking cat with a paper. I would say more, but I have a deadline for my sleep tonight. Basically, I would think that these kind of things would throw me off, but I think these kind of things have really helped me in developing as a person (whether you find defending yourself a cat and facing down a dog very life-changing or not). So I don't know. We'll just have to see. Reminiscently, Dr. Bionicle
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"it's Beginning To Look A Lot Like A Christmas..."
Dr. Bionicle posted a blog entry in blogs_blog_32
Well, yesterday was fun. We had our own personal Thanksgiving yesterday with our family here in Kansas because over Thanksgiving Break we're going to Kentucky to my aunt's place and having a Thanksgiving there. You know that wave of Christmas anticipation you feel when Thanksgiving ends? Yeah. Boom. I got a major case of it yesterday. My sister made some absolutely amazing food. The turkey was great, the stuffing was excellent, and it was so good I was about ready to puke by the end of the day. My grandparents and cousin shared our Thanksgiving, and it got to a point where there was food spraying across the table because we were laughing so much. Now here I am, in tomorrow-land, with it feeling like Christmas should take over the wheel. Oh, and I guess I should explain something. Every year my siblings and I put on a little performance for our parents on Christmas night. Sometimes it's heavily rehearsed, sometimes it's almost completely improvisation. We've had many memorable plays with Court TV, game shows, commercials, talent segments, and yours truly doing a spastic rendition of "I'm a Train" as performed by the King Singers. Our parents have taped all of these performances so that today we watched them and just about went into another foodspray. Granted, part of the humor was that the first play was in '02, back when I was a head and a half shorter, about an octave higher, and wasn't developing facial hair. But besides that, I've realized that almost every play we've done has been based off of the audio series 'Adventures in Odyssey'. It's a great series and we get some great plays from it, but we haven't done a lot of very...original skits. This year, with the middle sibling taking over the writer's position, that changes. Our theme this year is fairly simple. Here's the situation: Five/four (depends on whether my little brother will count or not) people are out Christmas caroling. They go around "town", almost always being split up (since we only have a cast of five) and experiencing some strange situations. From wrestling with a bell ringing Santa to the tune of Carol of the Bells to irritating "neighbors" with a terrible rendition of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!, this will be a fun play to put on. Not only will there be singing (as we have attempted to put into every play) but we can actually do bad singing. The problem? All of the scenes (most of them, anyway) have to conform to a Christmas carol. Thus far, here's what we have on the drawing board: -Carol of the Bells: Fight with bell-ringing Santa -Hark! The Herald Angels Sing: Some "out-of-tune angels". -Silent Night: A soloist who doesn't understand the meaning of piano singing out to a very noisy neighborhood. -It's Cold Outside: A rewritten version where a freezing caroler is trying to persuade a sleepy homeowner to let him in for a few minutes. -Silver Bells: A lulling piece, save the fact that one of the caroler's picked up the wrong set of handbells. -Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: A carol that would be cute if the dog who was supposed to be Rudolph didn't suddenly decide to have a revolution. -It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year: The one carol where absolutely everything just goes wrong. Those are our ideas. If you have anymore, please post them! We'd greatly appreciate it. Cheerily, Dr. Bionicle