the intricacies of chocolate and cheese

Putting these two topics in the same paragraph is kind of like mixing, say, chocolate and cheese. They're both alright on their own, together they're probably disgusting but the combination sounds interesting enough that most of us would give it a try. The first topic is a question, the second one is, well, also a question. So read on.
Have you ever thought about how rarely someone accurately answers a question you ask? We all ask people questions as part of daily life. In most cases the answer satisfies us so we move on. But if we stopped for a second and considered if our question was truly answered, we might be surprised at the answer. Think of a simple question....Hey, can you give me some help? "Give me a couple minutes." Ah ha! I did not answer your question. You assume that this means I will help you, in a few minutes of course. But really my answer has no connection to your question. I played you like a fool, like a fool! The problem is that in many cases, answering a question accurately sounds archaic or even rude. Do you know what time it is? "Yes, yes I do." And by actually answering what you've asked, I've annoyed you and ended our conversation. So we settle for giving responses that will simply appease the inquirer rather than address the question that was asked. What do you think of that car? "I like it." Well that's fantastic, but I didn't ask whether you like it or not. What's up? We've all heard the clever little answer to this classic. What kind of question is that anyway? What's up? Clearly we have an astonishing mastery of our language if we can come up with a dandy like "What's up?" In retrospect there's no real solution to all this. If you actually answer people's questions they're going to look at you funny and probably won't ask you questions anymore. So why did I write all this? It's probably best for the credibility of this rant that I don't try to answer that question.
How much extra gas does your car burn because it has an antenna? Think about it. Obviously the antenna creates wind resistance, which creates a force on your car in the opposite direction that the car is moving, which means the engine has to work harder to move the car. Of course the wind resistance is tiny, but it still exists. Let's say you have the privilege of owning a particularly reliable car, perhaps a 1997 Toyota Camry (ahem), that lasts for about 200,000 miles. The amount of extra gas the engine consumes is probably miniscule but the number still exists. Think of all the factors you'd have to consider to actually calculate this amount. You'd have to consider the altitude in order to find air pressure and obviously the altitude is changing with every dip or hill. That alone would be difficult enough. Then you'd have to take into account the speed of the car, the surface area of the antenna, wind speed, mileage of the car without an antenna, other measurements of the car that I don't even understand, and so on. I'm sure the master equation would be littered with atmospheric and structural constants and such. Everything considered, actually figuring out an exact number is impossible, right? I doubt it. Keep a couple instruments on the car that record factors like altitude and such and I'd imagine that you'd have enough information to calculate it. Not easy, but not impossible...I guess this really isn't as interesting as I thought it was when I was in the shower a while ago. Umm...yea, this paragraph is cheese, the first is definitely chocolate.

-alex

slowdance on the inside

It seems like there are some things that just shouldn't happen. Something that's just a mistake in the story that we're writing and we can go back to fix it all up. But we can't. It shouldn't happen. It does. It is and will be no matter how much it hurts. So what can you say? Today, a group of us stood under some trees down at a park and experienced something very few of us had experienced before. Some mourned the loss of a friend. Some the loss of a teammate. Others just the loss of a kid who shouldn't have a mourning group right now. It's a kid who should be hanging out with his friends right now. A few weeks ago he scores a state championship winning goal. Now, instead of continued celebration, he leaves a group of guys that are no longer the 2005 state champions. From February 15 until early this morning, we were. Now we are just a group of guys who played soccer together. Now we all take our prescriptions and go the the pharmacist, pick up our precautionary medication, and swallow the most bitter, most painful pill of our lives. As his friends and teammates, we join other friends and acquaintances in disbelief. We all just sit on the grass, stand against the fence, bury our faces in our hands, look off in the distance. That's all there is to do. Everyone there was part of something that not a single person wanted to be a part of. We can say it's not fair. It isn't. We can say it wasn't his time. It wasn't. We can search for consolation by saying that everything happens for a reason. Maybe it does. Maybe it doesn't. But it happened. It was sudden, unexpected, and rare. But it happened. They'll be an article in the papers in the morning. It'll be on the evening news. Everyone who hears about it that didn't know him will say "That's too bad." For everyone who knew him, it just makes it more real. I feel like I should be doing something now. But there's nothing to do. There's no absolution anywhere. Only pain, for everyone who knew him, everyone who was close to him. I wasn't even close friends with him, but it's still damn hard. Stuff like this shouldn't happen. We should be able to learn about death without anyone dying. I'm sure everyone who is affected by it will take something away from it all. I don't know what I will take away. I don't like thinking that I'm gaining anything from something like this. That's all I've got. It hurts for us all, it will for a while. Life goes on, until it doesn't.

Chris, it's been fun.

-alex