My brain feels like it has rotted away from disuse this summer. And the following exemplifies my life of late:
Oh well. I really need to get out. And my morning run doesn't count. Too bad there's really nowhere to go in my city, especially without a car . . .---mini-rant---
So apparently, the Amtrak is closed on August 11th for maintenance or something in my state. Thus my cousin will be staying until August 13th. Which is okay except I want my room back! I want the ability to jack off in the (more or less) privacy of my own room (my stupid door doesn't have a lock on it). Come to think of it, I haven't jacked off in about a week. Go me and self-restraint!
And I think my cousin has that "stinky Asian" smell. I don't know how else to describe it. It's weird! He's been here 6 days already. At least half of his clothes have gone through the laundry rotations. My house is pretty open with high-ish ceilings, so it's not like there's no air circulation or anything. Yet he has a distinct smell that's a bit off. My youngest brother also kind of has that smell, but he minimizes it well by not spending too much time in small enclosed rooms where you marinate in the same smell for a long time.
Yesterday my dad was teaching my cousin some algebra that, for the life of him, my cousin just couldn't get. Seriously, how hard is the equation: y = mx + b?! Anyway, my dad kept challenging him intellectually, having him work through the problems himself. After a while my cousin started to cry a bit. Which is sad as my dad was being unnaturally patient and wasn't even yelling. If it were my brothers or me, my dad would've proclaimed us useless and stupid long ago. My cousin's really not good at math. His English skills are lacking too. I'm surprised he hasn't entered an academic coma yet from all the SAT/ACT he's been doing.
On a slight tangent, I read a while ago that we need to focus more on math and the sciences in school. It's almost a double-standard when people say "Oh I'm not good at math" and that's okay, but when people say "Oh I'm not good at English" (or whatever primary language) they're seen as dumb and/or illiterate. So why's it okay to say one's bad at math while it's not okay to say one's bad at English? It's kind of lame when you don't have the ability to do simple math and simple algebra problems, assuming you don't have a learning problem and aren't mentally retarded. We're not talking about calculus here, just as we're not talking about analyzing John Milton (probably not the best analogy, but whatever).
---end mini-rant---
Anyway, Hish found out the identity of the guy in the yellow briefs in my last post. He's fitness model Bryan David Thomas and apparently he has his own blog!
Here are some more gratuitous pics of him. :P
And I think my cousin has that "stinky Asian" smell. I don't know how else to describe it. It's weird! He's been here 6 days already. At least half of his clothes have gone through the laundry rotations. My house is pretty open with high-ish ceilings, so it's not like there's no air circulation or anything. Yet he has a distinct smell that's a bit off. My youngest brother also kind of has that smell, but he minimizes it well by not spending too much time in small enclosed rooms where you marinate in the same smell for a long time.
Yesterday my dad was teaching my cousin some algebra that, for the life of him, my cousin just couldn't get. Seriously, how hard is the equation: y = mx + b?! Anyway, my dad kept challenging him intellectually, having him work through the problems himself. After a while my cousin started to cry a bit. Which is sad as my dad was being unnaturally patient and wasn't even yelling. If it were my brothers or me, my dad would've proclaimed us useless and stupid long ago. My cousin's really not good at math. His English skills are lacking too. I'm surprised he hasn't entered an academic coma yet from all the SAT/ACT he's been doing.
On a slight tangent, I read a while ago that we need to focus more on math and the sciences in school. It's almost a double-standard when people say "Oh I'm not good at math" and that's okay, but when people say "Oh I'm not good at English" (or whatever primary language) they're seen as dumb and/or illiterate. So why's it okay to say one's bad at math while it's not okay to say one's bad at English? It's kind of lame when you don't have the ability to do simple math and simple algebra problems, assuming you don't have a learning problem and aren't mentally retarded. We're not talking about calculus here, just as we're not talking about analyzing John Milton (probably not the best analogy, but whatever).
---end mini-rant---
Anyway, Hish found out the identity of the guy in the yellow briefs in my last post. He's fitness model Bryan David Thomas and apparently he has his own blog!
Here are some more gratuitous pics of him. :P
Oh, on a final note, Chinese food is good for you. W00t!! Also, the sense of smell is totally underrated. Just a couple good articles in those links.
3 comments:
Interesting comments on the math/English literacy thing.
Right now in Cali there is a lot of talk about making Algebra mandatory for 8th graders. At first I was opposed to it thinking back to my own personal experiences and how I struggled. The more I have thought about it though, my mind has changed. Sure, a lot of kids don't take Algebra 1 in 8th. They take Algebra readiness and similar courses, then do it in 9th grade. A lot of kids do fail or don't do so well. Sure, there is a lot of frustration, which can be a bad thing and that was where my worry was. I think that we need to set the bar higher- force kids to rise to the challenge. We are accepting mediocrity if we don't set the bar higher.
Mediocrity is not ok in English. In English, when you do not understand you are given tons of extra help until you master the language. Math, as much as I loathe it is so vital; many lack important math skills.
I think math is ignored and it is ok to not be a whiz in it because over time there stigmas that have been associated. Girls haven't taken a lot of math classes in comparison to guys. Then parents say "I only took Algebra- you took a lot more math than me." Or they'll say, "I had such a hard time, you are too, what grade you get doesn't matter to me." So I think it is also more of a cultural way of thinking that it is ok to not do well in math and brush it off.
In reality to be more competitive in the U.S. we need math and to raise our standards for math.
---Long comment I know, but that's a good thing, right? It was something that interested me and I wanted to chat about.
Have a good day!
In your cousin's defense, I don't understand the problem given. And I have more than enough education that, if it's something basic, I should know how to do it.
Yeah, I know that smell. When we used to get books back at the public library some of them would have this really weird odor about them. And they were always from the Asian families.
Side note: it's been less than a week now...and you need a lock. :)
Well, you can use your toilet for jerking (that's my place :) lol)
And about that math and English stuff... Well, some people are good in languages and some are good in math and some in both. You can't judge people who don't get the point of some problem. Maybe they are slow or have their own logic how to solve problem. Maybe your cousin needs some more time or he's too lazy to look serious to that problem. For example, he's acting like little child, when don't know problem, cries. Why? Cause he don't understand it or doesn't want to.
Just give him time. If he really WANTS to solve the problem with math he'll do it alone or in his own way. Maybe he's not "stupid" at all, just LAZY!!! I know a lot of people like that.
P.S. OMG, thanks for that link on Bryan David Thomas... WOW!!!
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