Thursday May 28th

Greetings Fellow Citizens of the World,
I'm honored that some of you still care about my mildly interesting life. There has been one major development since my last TDR post and it is [drumroll] www.thedailyroutine.net. Yes, that URL is now property of ME. Currently, the website is under construction and that URL will forward you to this one (you have to use www. I don't know why). Hopefully, if I find nothing better to do this summer, the new website will be up and running soon. But let us move on to even more important matters. Over the last couple nights, I have been doing my duty as an American and playing a role in the purest form of democracy still existent in the United States. And this brings us to our Daily Topic: THE ANDOVER TOWN MEETING



As the name suggests, Andover Town Meeting is a congregation of the citizens of the Town of Andover, specifically the registered voters. Every year, a "Town Warrant" or a report by the town finance committee is sent out to all the residence informing them of the articles that have been proposed for that fiscal year. At the town meeting, the articles are reviewed one by one and arguments for both sides are presented. Then, all those voters present may vote aye or no on each article. There are no representatives or elected officials to cast votes on behalf of the people. Each voter has an individual say in what is truly a democratic process. Voters may also express points of order or interest, argue for or against an article, or call for a vote. So what, you might ask, is so important that every citizen is allowed to cast their votes for it? How about whether to renew the Federal Aviation Administration lease on land for their Compass Locator Antenna? We voted a resounding yes. Or what about the alottment of $10,000 from available funds for a fireworks display on the Fourth of July? Again, the ayes carried the vote. The highly debated request for $100,000 to examine and build plans for a renovated Ballardvale Fire House also passed, though with many voters opposed. On the slate for tonight: Water Treatment Plant Roof Repair, New Ballfields on Blanchard Street, and Temporary Moratorium on Wireless Communications Facilities. It should be wild. But not only did the town get to vote on important issues such as these, but they also became acquainted with some of the town's most active characters. Frank Pasquale, for instance, had something to say in support of almost every article while Mary Carbone was able to voice opposition in many regards. One woman confronted the moderator on referring to men by Mr. _____ and women by thier first names and demanded that she remain consistent. Overall, scintillating issues and a great celebration of democracy.
Go USA,
-ROF

Daily Food: Pretzel Bites

Daily Activity: Music Downloading

Daily Song: Ants Marching - Dave Matthews Band

Daily Attire: Green Boat Shoes

Daily News Everyone Should Care About: Obama Meets Abbas, Presses Israel on Settlements

Daily News No One Should Care About: Anything from Andover Town Meeting

Daily Life Goal: Demand a Point of Order that the Moderator say the Name of Our Town Manager Correctly

Daily Complaint: Job Market

Daily Drink: Coca Cola

Daily Studies: Democracy

Daily TV Show: Entourage

Friday May 22nd

Guten Tag,
For the past couple of days I have been recovering from my wisdom tooth surgery. Then I developed a fever of 103, and then a throat infection. If you can't excuse my lack of posts then you're a despiteful and indecent human being. Any way, while there is most certainly rest for the weary, there is no rest for the semi-weary, so I'm back to blogging. One of my recent Daily Topics was that of texting. Technology is becoming more and more integrated into our everyday lives in my different arenas. But at what cost? This is not to say that I'm completely against technology. I enjoy my laptop and Blackberry as much as anyone else but I think there needs to be a limit. I don't know if I could ever read a book not printed on paper or trust a computer to drive my car. So where are the limits? When does technology go too far? And this brings us to today's Daily Topic: SUPERPHONES



We all know the amazing capabilites of Blackberries and iPhones to give us directions, internet, Facebook, The Daily Routine etc. twenty four hours a day. These marvels of technology that are mobile phones have become intricately more complex in the past five years. However, recent developments show that home phones may be following the same path. But when does innovation reach extremes? I'll answer you that question: NOW. Recently, Verizon released "The Hub," an all-in-one home phone system with a marketing name clearly ripped off of the popular nickname for the city of Boston. Where do I begin in explaining the frivolousness, unnecessary, and downright disconcerting nature of this system? First, you can exchange picture and text messages with anyone on the Verizon network. Like we don't text enough as it is? Also, odds are, if you're considering getting one of these, you probably already have a cellphone with which to text from. (Verizon, Hint: You don't have to be out of your house to text) Additionally, unlimited television and internet radio are available straight to your kitchen counter. Because who doesn't want to watch a baseball game standing up on a 7 inch LCD screen? Additionally, traffic updates are available. But this is where Verizon begins to cross the line. If your child's cellphone has the Verizon "Chaperone" service, one touch on the Hub will show you their exact location on a map. Additionally, you can enter a family calendar and the phone will text you with automatic alerts about what you are supposed to doing and where you are supposed to be. You can also access your voicemail and address book from anywhere via the internet. My issues are twofold. First: Security. Lets say I have a dentist appointment at 3:30. I'll schedule this into my Hub (that sounds weird). But what if there is a malicious computer hacker out there that hacks into my personal calendar and changes it to 2:30? I'll never have clean teeth! Second: Reliance. So assuming all is well and hackers have more interesting things to do than change my personal appointments (they don't, they spend all day trying to make computer viruses) I'll let my Hub (still sounds weird) tell me what I have to do and where I have to go. Until one day, LIGHTING STORM, the power goes out. Now what? I don't know where my kids are, I can't text them (oh wait yes I can), I can't call them (The Hub is VoIP), I can't watch TV, can't listen to the radio, and worst of all, I don't know when my dentist appointment is. I'll never have clean teeth! So Verizon, maybe you should have considered all of this before you decided to make such a device. Superphones or Superdangerous? You decide.
That is all,
-ROF

Daily Food: Steak and Cheese Sub Courtesy of Phil's Roast Beef

Daily Activity: Doctors Appointments

Daily Song: Behind Blue Eyes - The Who

Daily Attire: Nantucket Reds

Daily News Everyone Should Care About: Canadian Judge Convicts Rwandan in Genocide

Daily News No One Should Care About: Whites Become Minority In Kansas County

Daily Life Goal: Not Be Medically Incapacitated Next Week

Daily Complaint: Sore Throat, Wisdom Teeth Wounds, 103 Fever, Taking Four Kind of Medication in the Last 24 Hours for 3 Different Things.

Daily Drink: Water

Daily Studies: Pharmaceuticals

Daily TV Show: Still Watching the Office

Monday May 18th

Readers,
The day has arrived. In exactly 30 minutes I will be going under for third molar extraction. Now I want you to picture the most delicious ice cream sundae that you've ever eaten. It has your favorite ice cream, mounds of your favorite toppings and is topped with several cherries. Now I want you to picture whatever the exact opposite of that is and that's what I'm about to go through. But I have chosen to make the best of this situation. When life gives you lemons, write a blog on a lot of prescription pain medication, is I believe how the saying goes. If you are unfamiliar with the
YouTube series in which individuals attempt to do different tasks after smoking the legal hallucinogenic drug salvia, it has served as the inspiration for our Daily Topic: WRITING A BLOG WHILE SEDATED POST-WISDOM TOOTH OPERATION

*** **Disclaimer** Anything written after this point may contain material that is solely the work of a writer under heavy medication. Be prepared that it may include utter ridiculousness and nonsense. But what else is new at the Daily Routine. Enjoy.***



Well I'm back. One minute, I was complaining to the nurses about how the Celtics are terrible, and the next minute, it was lights out. I woke up, not really sure how I got out of my chair or where I was. I proceeded to tell my mother that "las medicas aqui llevan ropa muy feo" or that the nurses here wear very ugly clothes. Next thing I know, I'm in the car after a walk somewhat similar to the one through a parking lot during a particular football game last December. Then apparently we visted the grocery store and the pharmacy. Who knew?

Daily Food: Chocolate Pudding

Daily Activity: Surgurey

Daily Song: Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd

Daily Attire: IV Tube

Daily News Everyone Should Care About: Sri Lankans Say Rebels Crushed and Leader Killed

Daily News No One Should Care About: New Services Promise Online Life After Death

Daily Life Goal: Speak More Spanish

Daily Complaint: The Four Gaping Holes in the Back of My Mouth

Daily Drink: Gatorade

Daily Studies: Pharmaceuticals

Daily Movie: The Office. Not really a movie.

Saturday May 16th

Greetings,
Day three of summer vacation and my life is more uneventful than ever. With no job and general lack of motivation, this summer could prove to be long and tedious. However, I've heard that since the economy is on such an upswing, finding a summer job that will employ an unqualified and unexperienced college student should be a breeze. So I am optimistic. But until that time, I am forced to find ways to entertain myself on a day to day basis. And as interesting as daytime television is I am going to have to look elsewhere. But there is one source of entertainment that never ceases to keep me enthralled. And that brings us to our Daily Topic: TEXTING



Now while I enjoy an occasional text message, I feel that this phenomenon has grown slightly out of control. Text messaging can be a quick and useful medium of communication between friends. It serves as a replacement for making a phone call in situations where it is inconvenient to interrupt one's activities, say a conversation, meeting, movie or International Relations 210 Lecture. However, as younger and younger children get hold of cell phones, texting has spiraled out of control and, in my opinion, is leading to the downfall of inter-human communication and people skills. So why do I think that this has become a problematic issue? While watching television the other day, I saw an advertisement for the following event:


Yes, a texting championship. Contestants compete to be the world's fastest texter. Last year, winner Nathan Schwartz texted "Does everybody here know the alphabet? Let’s text. Here it goes … AbcDeFghiJKlmNoPQrStuvWXy & Z! Now I know my A-B-C’s, next time won’t you text with me?" in 60 seconds to become the texting champion and win $50,000. Not only is this incredibly pathetic, but it is further advocating the use of texting. Texting has become an addiction for many middle and high schoolers. In Wisconsin, a 14 year old girl was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after she refused to comply with a teacher's demands that she stop texting in class. Additional recent trends in texting have proven equally as disturbing. One 13 year old girl racked up 14,500 texts in one month. Now let's do some math shall we? 14,500 divided by 30 is 483 texts a day. If we give this girl 7 hours to sleep, and divide that 483 by 17 other hours, we get 28 texts per hour or basically, one text per every two minutes that she was awake. Here is my concern: When does this generation reach a point at where it struggles with actual human interaction? When applying for jobs, campaigning for positions, or just meeting new people, will they know how to react without a phone in their hand to prescreen their physical reactions? While giving your 10 year old a phone might be convenient, I think that there should be a minimum age of 14 for owning a cell phone. The future of our country might depend on it.
Text any comments to 978-886-8140
-ROF

Daily Food: Papa Gino's

Daily Activity: Pool Cleaning

Daily Song: Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival

Daily Attire: Khakis

Daily News Everyone Should Care About: Falling Gas Prices Deny Russia A Level of Power

Daily News No One Should Care About: Man Tries to Smuggle 14 Birds in Pants

Daily Life Goal: Smuggle 25 Song Birds into California in My Pants

Daily Complaint: Cell Phone Service

Daily Drink: Lemonade

Daily Studies: None

Daily Movie: The Last Samurai

Thursday May 14th

Good Morning Readers,
It's 7:30 am here on the east coast and after a day of scrambling, packing, cleaning, loading and flying, I'm home. And while I had to briefly trust the well-being of a suitcase full of my worldly possessions in the hands of a Dollar Store rope and I have never seen a Ford Escape (or any car for that matter) packed so heavily, I have made it back to Andover with relatively few issues. With any luck, our strict apartment-cleaning habits that we have maintained throughout the year with leave us with minimum cleaning fines courtesy of the University of Southern California Housing Dept. But just in case, we credited any damages to Benjamin Weinberg. But this long and stressful traveling has proven to be the major event of my last 24 hours. Which brings us to our Daily Topic: AIRLINES



In my recent international relations class, we discussed at length the idea of interaction capacity. Interaction capacity is the capability of humans to interact with each other, whether it be a social capacity or a technical capacity. Advancements in the realm of transportation represent an example of a development in interaction capacity. However, the esteemed scholars Barry Buzan and Richard Little have predicted that in the coming decades, major improvements in interaction capacity are unlikely. And this worries me. Considering that I take six or seven cross-country flights a year, I am concerned with these predictions. There has to be a more efficient way to make that trip. After I was charged $20 for a second (yes, second) checked bag and paid $70 for a bag that was eight pounds overweight, I struggled through security, removing my shoes, belt, computer, hard drive and dignity. Then, after climbing the stairs off the tarmac and fighting my way to my seat, I climbed over the people in my row to my window seat. After being instructed on how to buckle my seat belt and watching the man next to me yell at the small child behind us twice, we took off. Not sure where to put my feet or head, I tossed and turned for the next five hours. Now while I prefer to jet with JetBlue, I know that we can do better. My proposition? Teleportation. As we all know from watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, teleportation is a completely plausible and safe form of transportation. Similarly, instantaneous transportation is represented in Harry Potter with floo powder and apparating. So while many (all) scientists say that it is currently impossible to travel faster than the speed of light, I'm going to be a bit more optimistic and say that teleportation will be a viable mode of transportation in the next five years.
Loyally,
-ROF

Daily Food: Terra Chips and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Daily Activity: Travel

Daily Song: Genesis - Justice

Daily Attire: Nikes

Daily News Everyone Should Care About: Leading Burmese Democracy Advocate Faces Military Trial

Daily News No One Should Care About: Kutcher Delivers "Ding-Dong-Ditch" To Ted Turner

Daily Life Goal: Go Back To School

Daily Complaint: Airline Baggage Policies

Daily Drink: Coke

Daily Studies: The Art of Packing

Daily Movie: Wedding Crashers

Tuesday May 12th

TDR Readers,
Please accept my sincerest apologies again for the lack of posting yesterday. I strive for perfection in all my endeavors but sometimes I come up short. I understand if you're upset and any issues will happily be addressed by our complaint department. Again, I'm sorry. However, in other news, after a 2 hour Spanish final and three IR essays and three IDs filling an 8 1/2 x 11 blue book cover to cover, I am officially finished with my collegiate school year. Let's pause and give me a round of applause. Thanks.

Daily Food: Grilled Cheese

Daily Activity: Finals

Daily Song: Burnin' For You - Blue Oyster Cult

Daily Attire: Whatever is Still Moderately Clean

Daily News Everyone Should Care About: I'm Done With School

Daily News No One Should Care About: Laws Against Baby Names

Daily Life Goal: Do No Academic Work for Three Months

Daily Complaint: My IR Paper Grade

Daily Drink: La Barca Margaritas

Daily Studies: Nothing, for 3 months

Daily Movie: none

Sunday May 10th

Salutations,
It's Sunday and the last weekend of my sophomore year is ending. As a very wise person once said, we have reached the end of the beginning, and the beginning of the end. This midpoint of my college career is saddening, mostly because it means that I have to deal with responsibility, jobs, and the real world. However, International Relations 210, the course that has proven to be one of the more difficult endeavors that I have undertaken in my college career or perhaps life, is days from coming to a close. And for this, I am grateful. But more pressing matters are at hand. And that brings us to today's Daily Topic: TRAINS



When I chose this topic six minutes ago, I landed on trains because on May 10th 1869, the Transcontinental Railroad was completed. However, in my research I discovered that yesterday was...NATIONAL TRAIN DAY. Unbelievable. How could I have missed one of my favorite holidays? I'll tell you how. Last year, Train Day was held on May 10th. This year, Amtrak's declared national holiday was held a day earlier, completely destroying celebration plans for dedicated train enthusiasts like myself. In any event, since I wasn't able to partake in this year's celebrations, I'll give you some of the highlights from last year. In Washington D.C., celebrations included appearances by Al Roker and a performance by Sara Bareilles (I don't know who that is). In Penn Station, there was a performance by the Harlem Globetrotters. Because what better way to celebrate trains than by assaulting commuters with basketballs? In all, Amtrak spent $2.2 million in last year's celebrations. Which made celebrations for this year difficult as they had to spend the last year recovering from their $2 million debt. However, should we be celebrating our American trains? The answer: NO. Of all of the industrialized countries, the United States has the least developed train system. While the United States' fastest train has a measly top speed of 150 mph, Spain, France and China offer services with trains at speeds over 200 mph. Additionally, China has a magnetic levitation train possible of attaining speeds over 260 mph and Japan's maglev train that is in development has topped out at an astonishing 360 mph in testing. So Amtrak, as much as it pains me to say it, maybe you should save your money and make some cooler trains instead.
Celtics, Red Sox, Bruins Won,
-ROF

Daily Food: Spicy Shrimp Sushi

Daily Activity: IR 210 Study Group

Daily Song: Rasta Courage - Soldiers of Jah Army

Daily Attire: Buttondowns

Daily News Everyone Should Care About: Shaky Pakistan Is Seen as a Target of Plots by Al Qaeda

Daily News No One Should Care About: Saudi Judge: It's Okay to Slap Spendthrift Wives

Daily Life Goal: Travel 360 Miles an Hour by Train

Daily Complaint: USC Sports Choking in Championship Matches

Daily Drink: Frozen Dr. Pepper

Daily Studies: Environmental Scarcity

Daily Movie: none

Saturday May 9th

Greetings,
After an extensive bath in aloe, my sunburn is beginning to ameliorate. Additionally, its Saturday which means that my sophomore year countdown has reached one hand. As of Tuesday at 6:30, I'm halfway done with college. Also, **Newsflash** after a trying semester of suffering through geology, I have earned a respectable term grade of a B+. Let's pause for a round of applause for me. But there is another pressing countdown which is a tad more antagonistic. And that brings us to our Daily Topic: WISDOM TEETH



On Monday May 18th at 10:30 I will be going under for wisdom tooth surgery. Wisdom teeth, or third molars, were used by our evolutionary ancestors for chewing leaves and plant materials. But rightfully so, we realized somewhere along the road that a tasty steak was more enjoyable than grinding lettuce with our back molars. Our jaws shortened with evolution and the need for a third molar became unnecessary. However, we didn't quite figure that out yet and these painful dentiles continue to grow excruciatingly into our mouths. And thus, they must be removed, which is what will be happening to me on Monday. You may have known all of this already but there is something about wisdom teeth that is largely unknown. Studies have shown that there is a direct correlation between the intelligence level of people who have had their wisdom teeth removed and those who haven't. People who have had their wisdom teeth out exhibit a consistent IQ level of 25 points less than those who haven't. So here is my dilemma. With my current IQ of 151, a loss of 25 points will drop me down to 126, ten points below the genius level of 136. And while we all know how wise I am, I can't afford to lose any of that wisdom. Ergo, I have 8 days to figure out how to avoid this procedure. I'm open to suggestions.
Out like my teeth,
-ROF

Daily Food: Peanut Butter and Saltines

Daily Activity: Aloe Bath

Daily Song: Hornz - 3Oh!3

Daily Attire: Boardshorts

Daily News Everyone Should Care About: Zuma Inaugurated in South Africa

Daily News No One Should Care About: Brady Bunch Mom Hugs A Lot of People

Daily Life Goal: Retain Genius-level IQ

Daily Complaint: Sunburn

Daily Drink: Milk

Daily Studies: International Security

Daily Movie: none

Friday May 8th

Sawubona,
For those of you not in Zimbabwe, hello. It's Friday and, naturally, that is synonymous with beach day here in Los Angeles. So as I sit here nursing my sunburned shoulders, face, back, and neck, I faithfully report to you on the exciting events of my life. And while I could begin studying for my finals that are next Tuesday, I could also not. And that seems like a better option. So I began my search for Friday night entertainment. After an eight course meal at the exclusive, 2-9 Cafe, I returned home for a scotch, a cigar and some fine conversation. And that's been my evening so far. But I won't bore you with the particulars of my action-filled life of high society and social ladder-climbing. Let's move on to today's Daily Topic: THE MALDIVES


Now, I understand that you're all not extremely well-learned in geography like myself (Fifth grade geography bee champion), so I'll enlighten you. The Maldives is an island country in the Indian Ocean southwest of India. A group of 26 atolls, the Maldives contains 250 inhabited islands. A former British colony, the Maldives has a population of about 396,000 people and a GDP of 1.26 billion dollars, coincidentally my exact net worth. As a scholar of geography, I now know the exact processes behind the formation of an atoll. As a mid-sea volcano erodes and sinks into the sea, the coral reef that forms in a circle around the island continues to grow, producing a ring of low islands. The Maldives currently holds the world record for lowest average height of a country with 4 feet, their highest point being only 7 feet above sea level. But holding this world record is something like holding the record for highest fall survived from an aircraft: you don't want it.

With even a slight rise in the world's sea level that is predicted to occur in the near future, most of the Maldives could be submerged. This has prompted president Mohamed Nasheed to make two major announcements. 1. The Maldives is striving to become the first carbon-neutral country in the world. Doesn't seem to difficult when your major industries are composed of tourism, fish processing, shipping, boat building, coconut processing, garments, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral and sand mining. (Yes, woven mats, rope and coral? are included in major industries in the CIA World Factbook). 2. The Maldives has looked into purchasing land in Australia, India and Sri Lanka to (wait for it): RELOCATE THEIR COUNTRY. Yes, according to the New York Times, the Maldives, using their revenue from tourism (73% of their GDP) are trying to buy a new location for their country. Talk about a losing attitude. My proposition? Build the world's first underwater country. What would be cooler than a vacation to a completely fiberglass, underwater country. When life gives you lemons, make an underwater country, is I believe how the saying goes. Or talk to the United Arab Emirates. I heard they're looking for a new place to build even more islands.
Out**,
-ROF

**Note: I attempted to research how a Maldivian native would say hello or goodbye. However, salutations and goodbyes are rarely expressed in the Maldives unless in a highly formal setting. Instead, smiles or a raised eye brow serves as a greeting accompanied by the question: "Where are you going?" and followed up by, "what for?"

Daily Food: 29 Chicken Fingers

Daily Activity: Beach Volleyball

Daily Song: Amsterdam - Guster

Daily Attire: Aloe

Daily News Everyone Should Care About: Wanted - A New Home for My Country

Daily News No One Should Care About: Pasta Lady Delivers Door-to-Door

Daily Life Goal: Vacation in Maldives Before They Sink

Daily Complaint: Sunburn

Daily Drink: Margs

Daily Studies: Geography

Daily Movie: Wedding Crashers

Thursday May 7th

Good Day,
Well it's day two of finals and it couldn't be going more slowly. However, with a paper, a take home exam and two finals out of the way I'm presented with a glorious break until my finals schedule continues on Tuesday. Also, its safe to say that I passed my sailing exam with flying colors, successfully plotting my location in Buzzards Bay and easily identifying the difference between a ketch and a yawl. And now that I have recently written and finished a 16 page take home exam about US Foreign Policy of the last 60 years and the Pakistani Crisis, I'm free to get back to blogging. But first, as you may have noticed, our website has undergone some major networking advances in the last day. Not only can you follow the Daily Routine on Twitter, you can also become a fan on Facebook. Additionally, you can email us at thedailyroutineonline@gmail.com with your positive feedback. Negative feedback can be directed to tferguson@andover.edu or you can take your anger out on the next Jehovah's Witness that comes to your door. Main point: you can't escape the Daily Routine so just read it and make me famous okay? But enough with the self-furthering, shameless advertising of how great this blog is. Let's move on to our Daily Topic: CLASSICAL MUSIC

Brahms Tchaikovsky

So as I'm sure you already knew, today, May 7th, is the birthday of two of the greatest composers of all time: Johannes Brahms and Peter Tchaikovsky. Besides combining for a venerable amount of facial hair, these two men are potentially the two most widely know classical composers of all time. Tchaikovsky is known best for Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and the 1812 overture while Brahms is famous for his piano and choral compositions. Additionally, Brahms (thanks to Thomas Edison) is one of the earliest recording artists of all time, recording a piano piece in 1889. This hit Hungarian dance leaped to the top of the charts and recieved extensive radio play time (easy when you're the only song ever recorded.) But what most classical afficionados of Classical music don't know is that Brahms and Tchaikovsy were bitter enemies. Born just seven years apart, these musical giants jockeyed for domination of the emerging music industry throughout their careers. To make matters worse, the two men each shared a scandalous companionship with wealthy widow Nadezhda von Meck. When Tchaikovsky discovered this, he was infuriated. But in those days, there was only one way to settle a situation of dueling composers. Beard-off. Clearly, Brahms had the superior beard growing skill and handily defeated Tchaikovsky ( in both categories: length and style), who committed suicide at the age of 53. Such is the price of Classical Music Fame.
Farewell,
-ROF

Daily Food: Haven't Eaten Today. Too Busy Writing.

Daily Activity: Crossword Puzzles

Daily Song: Let It Be - The Beatles

Daily Attire: Boxers

Daily News Everyone Should Care About: U.S. Says Ailing Banks Need $75 Billion

Daily News No One Should Care About: Diner Throws Screaming Fit Over Soup

Daily Life Goal: Be Nominated to the Supreme Court

Daily Complaint: Take Home Finals

Daily Drink: Coke

Daily Studies: U.S. Foreign Policy

Daily Movie: none

Wednesday May 6th

Shalom,
As my tasks become less and less, I feel a great weight lifted from my shoulders. My IR paper is done. My geology final is over. Only four more things stand in the way of me and my freedom. My next obstacle? Sailing final exam. I am currently taking a break from memorizing points of sail and honing my navigational skills. I'm good to go. But there are more important matters at hand that require discussion. With today's receding economy, the issue of money has been close in mind to the American people. Americans are asking themselves, have we saved enough? Can we ride out this financial hurricane? Shall we (if I may use a sailing analogy) reef our mainsail and lower our jib to slow our spending in these high winds and rough seas? And this concern over money brings us to our Daily Topic: US CURRENCY


Well America, money has been on my mind too. Yes, although I make an astounding average of $1.78 off of this website a month, it is something that I too have to think about. However, my concerns with US currency may differ slightly from those of your average American. I have several issues, so lets start at the very bottom. The Penny. The once-sign of good luck and odd-man-out when it comes to color. Who doesn't love a good collection of pennies? ME. As of 2008, it cost the United States 1.23 cents to mint every penny. Worth it? I think not. Pennies are not accepted in any coin operated machines and are rarely given in payment, only in change. Additionally, in relative terms, a US coin has never been worth less. When the half-penny was discontinued in 1857, it had the relative spending power of 13 cents today. And while we may have to abandon the saying "that's my two-cents," I applaud the efforts of Arizona Congressman Jim Kolbe for introducing the Currency Overhaul for an Industrious Nation act into Congress, lobbying to abolish the penny as a monetary unit. With respect to the other coins, I have no major issues except for this: not one US coin has a numerical value on it. Extremely considerate to all of the non-English speaking tourists. My next complaint is the ten dollar bill. The esteemed Alexander Hamilton adorns the front of this piece of currency. Ten Dollars? That's all we could give to the first Secretary of the Treasury? Ben Franklin gets the 100 dollar bill for flying a kite during a thunderstorm and we give Hamilton the ten? Treasonous. My last complaint is, of course, the 50 dollar bill. I don't know about you but I can't remember the last time that I saw a fifty dollar bill. While it serves its purpose for graduation cards and Daily Routine donations, the fifty is fairly useless otherwise. Few places will break them (at least in the neighborhood I live in) and even fewer will give them back. Additionally, Grant? Great, you won the Civil War for us and served as a mediocre president basking in the glory of your battlefield victories. I'd give him the five dollar bill at most.
And that's my two cents,
-ROF

Daily Food: Pasta

Daily Activity: Studying

Daily Song: Money - Pink Floyd

Daily Attire: USC Hats

Daily News Everyone Should Care About: Before U.S. Talks, Pakistan Claims Combat Gains

Daily News No One Should Care About: Idol Judge Admits Painkiller Addiction

Daily Life Goal: Abolish the Penny

Daily Complaint: Finals

Daily Drink: Coke

Daily Studies: Orogeny

Daily Movie: none

Tuesday May 5th

Ahoy Readers,

Please accept my sincerest condolences for my brief hiatus from the Daily routine. My days have been dedicated fully to preparation for my Sailing Final, which is on Wednesday night. But good news: I have the "Annapolis Book of Seamanship" down like the back of my hand. I took a short two hour break and considered writing a post but instead was forced to write ten pages of analysis on South Africa's denuclearization. But now that my paper is done and I know how to navigate a 45 foot sailboat around the world, solo while calculating the maximum hull speed, I can get back to blogging. Which brings us to our Daily Topic: FREE BIBLES

While translating Spanish words last week on my favorite translation website, a peculiar advertisement caught my eye. Instead of alerting me that I had won a free iPod nano or that there were several young and single women in my area looking for casual encounters, it read "Click Now to Receive a Free Holy Bible." Perplexed, I clicked the ad to find out who, of all people, would give away free copies of the bible. And the answer? Mormons. Of course. And while I have little vested interest or belief in the Bible, a free book is a free book. So I clicked order. While filling out my information, I wondered who pays for these Bibles. And who makes them? Is there a company whose strict purpose is to manufacture Bibles? Are there typos? Has anyone actually ever read this entire book? But my questions were banished from my mind when I reached the section labeled "delivery method." I had two options: US Mail, or Missionary. Yes, the Mormon church will send a missionary to personally deliver a Free Bible to my doorstep. How could I turn this down? So my free Holy Bible is on its way in the loving care of a Mormon missionary. I'll let you know when it arrives.
Later,
-ROF

Daily Food: Pizza

Daily Activity: Paper Writing

Daily Song: Echoes - Pink Floyd

Daily Attire: Lacrosse Jersey

Daily News Everyone Should Care About: Porous Border With Pakistan Could Hinder U.S. Troops

Daily News No One Should Care About: Future iPhone App Could Identify Trees

Daily Life Goal: Denuclearlize the Planet

Daily Complaint: Job Market

Daily Drink: Coke

Daily Studies: Sailing

Daily Movie: none

Daily Quote: ____ Pages to Go...

Saturday May 2

Добре день,
If you don't know what that means, tough. Take Russian. Day 11 here and still going strong. Updates are meager here due to a recent bout of illness. Besides sleeping through a great party of which I was the host, and coming home sick, clad in bowtie, from the Theta Formal, the weekend has been uneventful. But a blogger is not excused for lack of subject matter. When life gives you nothing, make lemonade, is I believe how the saying goes. So sitting here and watching "Dead Poet's Society," I have decided to leave you with my own limerick before we move on to our Daily Topic:

There once was a man who sailed the seas
and who piloted them all with great ease
He was so salty
but his rudder was faulty
So he was left to drift with the breeze

Pure Genius. And that brings us to today's Daily Topic and last installment of: US PRESIDENTS THAT YOU DON'T KNOW

CHESTER A. ARTHUR:


This highly respected 21st President took the oath of office after James Garfield's assassination. The first of two Presidents from Vermont, he is likely the third best thing to ever come out of that state, closely behind Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and Calvin Coolidge. HOWEVER. During the 1880 election, an investigative New York lawyer alleged that Arthur was actually born in Ireland and was therefore ineligible for the Vice Presidency. In 2000 I had similar information about George W. Bush being born in the Solomon Islands but my attempts to alert the Federal Election Committee went unnoticed. And to make Arthur's presidency even more controversial, President Garfield's assassin yelled, "Arthur is President now!," prompting allegations that Arthur was involved in some way with the assassination. In addition to enacting the first federal immigration law, Arthur also established the United States' adherence to the international time standard at the International Median Conference. So thanks, Chester Arthur, for setting us back 110 years and making us adhere to a British Time Standard. Why didn't you change us to the metric system while you're at it you un-patriotic British-appeasing Vermonter? Now that would be a bad president **cough**Reagan**cough**.
Carpe Diem,
-ROF

Daily Food: Pizza

Daily Activity: Nothing

Daily Song: Burn One Down - Ben Harper

Daily Attire: Vineyard Vines Pajama Pants

Daily News Everyone Should Care About: 50-1 Wins the Kentucky Derby

Daily News No One Should Care About: Baton-Twirler Smacks Down Two Assailants

Daily Life Goal: Steal From the Rich and Give to the Poor

Daily Complaint: Streaming Japanese Videos

Daily Drink: Dr. Pepper

Daily Studies: Conspiracy Theories

Daily Movie: Disney's Robin Hood

Daily Quote: Oodelalee

Friday May 1st

Hola,
Well classes are officially over for the year here at the University of Southern California. I finished my last TIRP session and have began scanning the internet for pre-written papers about South Africa's Nuclear Weapons Policies. Thank god for plagiarism. Professor Lynch, if you're reading this, just kidding. And while I could write about swine flu in Hong Kong or Justice Souter's announcement of retirement, I find that without an understanding of US History, one cannot fully understand the present. And this brings us to todays topic: ANOTHER US PRESIDENT YOU DON'T KNOW.

BENJAMIN HARRISON:


I'm pretty sure that you didn't know that there was a Harrison that was President. And I'm definitely sure you didn't know that there were two Harrisons. Benjamin Harrison (not to be confused with William Henry Harrison, number 9) was the 23rd President of the United States. Elected in in 1889, this Ohio Republican has the distinction of being the only president to be preceded and succeeded by Grover Cleveland. Not only can we thank Harrison's presidency for the admission to the union of both Dakotas, Montana, Washington, Idaho and Wyoming, but also for the appoint of four (count em, four) Supreme Court Justices. In 1892, Harrison ran for re-election, only to be defeated by the man that he unseated as president, Grover Cleveland. Clearly this defeat was a result of Harrison signing into effect the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, depleting the nation's supply of gold until Cleveland II could resolve the issue. Harrison, from all this information, you deserve for no one to know about you.
Peace,
-ROF

Daily Food: Pasta

Daily Activity: TIRP

Daily Song: Two Coins - Dispatch

Daily Attire: Bow Ties

Daily News Everyone Should Care About: Souter's Exit to Give Obama First Opening

Daily News No One Should Care About: Astronauts Pay Respect to Space Chimps

Daily Life Goal: Not Be Sick

Daily Complaint: Twitter is Not Interesting

Daily Drink: Dr. Pepper and Sailor Jerry's

Daily Studies: U.S. Presidents