OK, I finally did it... it's been on Facebook for a while now, and I've had several of my friends put one together, so I figured, hey, I'll jump in, too... However, I wanted to put it on my blog instead of Facebook... Facebook's load time has sometimes irritated me, and I also want to practice putting more into this blog... I've been lax about posting.
Well, here we go:
1) I’m named after my Dad, but I’m not ‘Floyd Jr.’ After all, his entire middle name is ‘E.’ (really), mine is ‘Mark’.
2) I used to have fiery red hair… and then it turned brown about the same time my voice dropped two octaves.
3) My brother and I are both colorblind, so theoretically the only reason I know my hair was red is because people said it was… (the most common response to someone finding out you’re colorblind: “Then what color is THAT?”… and they point at some random object, most likely colored bright yellow or fire-truck red)
4) I may be in my twenties, but NOTHING can ever replace Double Stuft Oreos with milk.
5) I am witnessing myself turn into a guy that has a passion for hot sauce. Never intended to become that way, but when friends from several states give you hot sauce as a Christmas present, you start to get the hint…
6) At three years old and up, I would dissect every joke my Granddad ever told because he could make people laugh, asking him why was this joke or that joke funny. I wanted to understand humor. I have since been told many times I have my Granddad’s sense of humor. Words can’t describe how good that makes me feel.
7) I used to have the entire book of James memorized in the King James Version, word for word.
8) Two years prior to that, I was bordering on Atheism. I felt that ‘agnostic’ was stupid. You either believed in Something, or you believed in Nothing.
9) I used to compose music as a hobby. My senior year in high school I won First Place in a Gwinnett County-wide competition for the first musical piece I ever wrote. I later arranged it for a woodwind quintet. I actually have an official copyright on some of my music.
10) I hate being scared. One of the reasons I get myself to do crazy things is because I hate the idea of being too scared to do something… hence why I learned how to ride a motorcycle, and love riding.
11) That being said, I hate roller coasters. I’ve tried them again and again, and the feeling is the same. I’m not interested in spending time and money only to throw myself around loop-the-loops, giant drops, barrel rolls, or any of the like. AT ALL.
12) I am now a text maniac. I was still on pay-per-text a year and a half ago.
13) I have lived in Georgia, Louisiana, and Florida (Homes of UGA, LSU, and FSU). They all feel almost like home to me, but I’m still a bit restless anywhere I am.
14) When I was in elementary school, my brother and I slept in a Mickey Mouse child’s tent outside in the backyard one weekend. We continued the practice indoors on weekend nights. Eventually, the weekend project for my brother, step-brother, and I was to ‘build the tent’. This consisted of stretching ropes around chairs, beds and cabinets, laying sheets over those ropes to make a ‘roof’, and padding the floor with comforters, sleeping blankets, and pillows. Our tent had several ‘rooms’, but in one corner was always that same Mickey Mouse child’s tent. We would spend three hours putting the ‘tent’ together, only to crawl around in it for 30 minutes and then fall asleep from exhaustion.
15) I spell my last name ‘Rinehart’. Other people have spelled it Rhinehart, Rheinhart, Reinhart, Reinheart, Rhinehardt, or some amalgamation of these. My freshman year in high school, I had three different last names altogether (club pictures, etc.) In my senior year of high school, my Senior Page, a FULL page with my picture and my family’s personal comments to me, had my name misspelled… I still laugh at that one.
16) Food is most definitely a passion of mine… I love chocolate (the darker the better), cheese (ANY AND ALL TYPES!), chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, among other things… each one holds a special place in my heart. YUM.
17) On a related note, if I ever travel internationally (which includes traveling north of the Mason-Dixon line), I HAVE to try the food. I toke up on Pepto-Bismol (just in case) and try out the crazy stuff. Don’t ask what I had in China unless you REALLY want to know.
18) Although I rarely drink coffee anymore, whenever I do drink it I take it black. I decided that I was going to learn to drink it without anything… that way, it would never ‘need’ something… that, and I could bask in the joy of being too lazy to add anything to it.
19) Ever since I went to China in the summer of 2006, I heart green tea… I think it saved my life out there.
20) I love the subject of linguistics and language. It is something that has always fascinated me.
21) I did take gymnastics a long, long time ago. I don’t like to talk about it… probably because I’ve tried to block it out of my memory… stupid balance beam.
22) My proudest moment in a Java class I took in college was the creation of a program that created a virtual deck of cards, pulled a five card hand, and could tell me what kind of poker hand I was holding (whether I had a flush, straight, full house, etc.). I’m a nerd.
23) I enjoy teaching. I DON’T enjoy issuing administrative referrals, roll-taking, grading, lesson planning, answering countless e-mails, keeping track of all 20 (now 19) calculators, twenty-minute lunches at 11 o’clock, proctoring standardized exams, taking inventory… but I do it, and do it to the best of my ability, BECAUSE I enjoy teaching.
24) In college, and for reasons I don’t even know, I began using a loud, echoing ‘RRRRICA!’ call (with the R’s rolled very strongly), whenever I was excited and in an open area. Almost like a Confederate ‘YEE-HAW!’, but distinctly more south-of-the-border.
25) On a related note, I was awarded the ‘Best Laugh’ Superlative in UGA’s Redcoat Marching Band. People could say that they heard me on one 20-yard line when I was on the other. The RA on my hall in college once came up to me and told me that somebody down the hall on the other side of the building who was trying to sleep came to him with the following complaint: “Tell Floyd that, whatever it is, it’s not THAT funny.”… I apparently have a loud laugh.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Politics and ALL that comes with it
We have just seen the 44th President of the United States begin his term. Congratulations to Barack Hussein Obama. I hope he serves our country well. But still, I'm irked.
OK, so I didn't vote for him. I did vote. However, since he is now my President, I am going to take the high road as best as I know how and try to see the positive in the situation. He's promising to bring about some reforming changes... hopefully they will be in the right directions. Since I lean conservative, I am probably guessing that some of his 'sweeping changes' that he wants to implement will not be in the direction I think is best for this country (even if it means I get a pay raise as a high school teacher... I didn't become a teacher in order to make money).
But that's not why I'm irked. I was raised in, for lack of a better term, an ultra-conservative environment. Mom held high regard to Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, and Dad has a background in Finance, and was fiscally very conservative. Although there are some liberals among us, virtually all of my immediate family is far right.
Then came college. Among other things, I was drawn to the fine arts. I have a strong passion for them. So I became acquainted with people with a much more liberal background, and, in comparison to what I was familiar with, a VERY liberal background. For whatever reason, it seemed as if the majority of my close personal friends from college would have considered themselves 'liberal' or 'very liberal'. Although I still lean conservative, I can understand the other perspective much better than I could before college. My core thoughts lean 'right', but I have spent a good deal of time weighing how I feel on each issue. And, for the most part, I am willing to listen to a reasoned argument on political issues. I value the fact that I think for myself.
Well, while college was going on, trouble ensued. For the most part, I hate conflict, and try to avoid it. I couldn't get away from the negative end of politics... the name-calling, back-biting, and general 'immaturity' of the entire situation. I was surrounded by college newspapers giving me the liberals attacking conservatives (not politely), and it was countered by conservatives attacking liberals (again, not politely). My own girlfriend at the time, who I credit with helping me see things from a much more objective point of view, held some very liberal ideas, and I would see her quite often listen to news reels or comedy that bashed conservatives... didn't seem productive, just seemed to be for the fun of bashing. Was I free from candidate-bashing myself? Honestly, no... part of it is human nature... part of it is a sense of vengeance. But after I caught myself laughing at a couple offensive jokes (either conservative or liberal bashing), I would many times be upset with myself for having laughed at them. And, by the way, making a little fun of politics is OK... but making it outright offensive happens way too often.
This past election, as it always does, brought more controversy (which in American politics goes all the way back to the beginning... the Hamiltonian Federalists and the Jeffersonian Antifederalists, which is how our country developed two separate legislative bodies... The House of Representatives and the Senate.. there's your history lesson for the day). I felt the need to defend Obama against attacks from family that he was 'a radical Muslim bent on destroying the USA from the inside with his liberal agenda'. And then, after I got done defending Obama, I had to defend George Bush from people attacking him for being 'a war hawk idiot who can't pronounce English and is bent on running our country into the ground with his fascist agenda'. I'm sick of hearing this type of dirt on either side.
For that reason, sometimes I wish to God that I were either still ultra-conservative or that I became ultra-liberal, to the point at which I was naive about the other side. That way (one would think) the ugly comments made on one side or the other wouldn't bother me so much. Hearing people say that Obama 'is a darky' demands that I stop, grit my teeth, and demand an apology. Someone who is equally offended would start making fun of Dick Cheney because he happened to be in a wheelchair on the day of Obama's inauguration (Hey, I hate the Halliburton connection, too, but what gives you the right to laugh at another man's misfortune?).
In closing, since this is me getting rid of some steam, I guess I had better try to stay out of politics when it becomes 'election season'. I consider voting and political opinion to be a very important right to any democracy, but I can easily get wrapped up in it. I have to learn that if other people want to attack political leaders, especially when it is done 'immaturely' as opposed as to through reasoned thought, I need to avoid the situation as much as possible. No amount of energy I spend arguing or trying to reason with people who don't share a desire for civility is going to change their opinion much. It's politics.
SIDE NOTE: Many people are EXCITED Bush is gone. In his place, they've ensconced Obama. Obama is MUCH more talented at public speaking than Bush (in my opinion, that is). In that respect, Obama is a much better politician. But this is the very reason I'm still somewhat wary of Obama. A politician is one who likes to say what the people like to hear. But no one can argue that McCain has often said things that people didn't want to hear, but things that he felt had to be said. THAT is the type of person (man or woman) that I want to serve as President. One who I know will do what they feel is the correct course of action... not the one who feels that they must do what will garner the most votes. That was the reasoning behind my vote. Looking at their voting record, no matter how it was 'spun' during the election, neither candidate was a 'pure' conservative.
Neither candidate was perfect. And even though Obama has a hallmark in history as the first black President, it doesn't guarantee that the U.S. of A. has a Golden Age up ahead. Congratulations go to him, true. But we've got a challenge ahead, and I want to see how this guy runs Foreign Affairs. Obama is now my President. As such, he and his family have my prayers for a strong, prosperous, and directed future on the road ahead. And please, everyone, be civil to both those coming into office, and to those who are going out. Otherwise, you are no better than the guy that was equally rude about your candidate. If you really want there to be change, then quit doing what you've been doing all along!
OK, so I didn't vote for him. I did vote. However, since he is now my President, I am going to take the high road as best as I know how and try to see the positive in the situation. He's promising to bring about some reforming changes... hopefully they will be in the right directions. Since I lean conservative, I am probably guessing that some of his 'sweeping changes' that he wants to implement will not be in the direction I think is best for this country (even if it means I get a pay raise as a high school teacher... I didn't become a teacher in order to make money).
But that's not why I'm irked. I was raised in, for lack of a better term, an ultra-conservative environment. Mom held high regard to Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, and Dad has a background in Finance, and was fiscally very conservative. Although there are some liberals among us, virtually all of my immediate family is far right.
Then came college. Among other things, I was drawn to the fine arts. I have a strong passion for them. So I became acquainted with people with a much more liberal background, and, in comparison to what I was familiar with, a VERY liberal background. For whatever reason, it seemed as if the majority of my close personal friends from college would have considered themselves 'liberal' or 'very liberal'. Although I still lean conservative, I can understand the other perspective much better than I could before college. My core thoughts lean 'right', but I have spent a good deal of time weighing how I feel on each issue. And, for the most part, I am willing to listen to a reasoned argument on political issues. I value the fact that I think for myself.
Well, while college was going on, trouble ensued. For the most part, I hate conflict, and try to avoid it. I couldn't get away from the negative end of politics... the name-calling, back-biting, and general 'immaturity' of the entire situation. I was surrounded by college newspapers giving me the liberals attacking conservatives (not politely), and it was countered by conservatives attacking liberals (again, not politely). My own girlfriend at the time, who I credit with helping me see things from a much more objective point of view, held some very liberal ideas, and I would see her quite often listen to news reels or comedy that bashed conservatives... didn't seem productive, just seemed to be for the fun of bashing. Was I free from candidate-bashing myself? Honestly, no... part of it is human nature... part of it is a sense of vengeance. But after I caught myself laughing at a couple offensive jokes (either conservative or liberal bashing), I would many times be upset with myself for having laughed at them. And, by the way, making a little fun of politics is OK... but making it outright offensive happens way too often.
This past election, as it always does, brought more controversy (which in American politics goes all the way back to the beginning... the Hamiltonian Federalists and the Jeffersonian Antifederalists, which is how our country developed two separate legislative bodies... The House of Representatives and the Senate.. there's your history lesson for the day). I felt the need to defend Obama against attacks from family that he was 'a radical Muslim bent on destroying the USA from the inside with his liberal agenda'. And then, after I got done defending Obama, I had to defend George Bush from people attacking him for being 'a war hawk idiot who can't pronounce English and is bent on running our country into the ground with his fascist agenda'. I'm sick of hearing this type of dirt on either side.
For that reason, sometimes I wish to God that I were either still ultra-conservative or that I became ultra-liberal, to the point at which I was naive about the other side. That way (one would think) the ugly comments made on one side or the other wouldn't bother me so much. Hearing people say that Obama 'is a darky' demands that I stop, grit my teeth, and demand an apology. Someone who is equally offended would start making fun of Dick Cheney because he happened to be in a wheelchair on the day of Obama's inauguration (Hey, I hate the Halliburton connection, too, but what gives you the right to laugh at another man's misfortune?).
In closing, since this is me getting rid of some steam, I guess I had better try to stay out of politics when it becomes 'election season'. I consider voting and political opinion to be a very important right to any democracy, but I can easily get wrapped up in it. I have to learn that if other people want to attack political leaders, especially when it is done 'immaturely' as opposed as to through reasoned thought, I need to avoid the situation as much as possible. No amount of energy I spend arguing or trying to reason with people who don't share a desire for civility is going to change their opinion much. It's politics.
SIDE NOTE: Many people are EXCITED Bush is gone. In his place, they've ensconced Obama. Obama is MUCH more talented at public speaking than Bush (in my opinion, that is). In that respect, Obama is a much better politician. But this is the very reason I'm still somewhat wary of Obama. A politician is one who likes to say what the people like to hear. But no one can argue that McCain has often said things that people didn't want to hear, but things that he felt had to be said. THAT is the type of person (man or woman) that I want to serve as President. One who I know will do what they feel is the correct course of action... not the one who feels that they must do what will garner the most votes. That was the reasoning behind my vote. Looking at their voting record, no matter how it was 'spun' during the election, neither candidate was a 'pure' conservative.
Neither candidate was perfect. And even though Obama has a hallmark in history as the first black President, it doesn't guarantee that the U.S. of A. has a Golden Age up ahead. Congratulations go to him, true. But we've got a challenge ahead, and I want to see how this guy runs Foreign Affairs. Obama is now my President. As such, he and his family have my prayers for a strong, prosperous, and directed future on the road ahead. And please, everyone, be civil to both those coming into office, and to those who are going out. Otherwise, you are no better than the guy that was equally rude about your candidate. If you really want there to be change, then quit doing what you've been doing all along!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
I'M BA-ACK!!!
Some people keep online blog accounts. I used to keep them just the same... then, when 'Life' hit, I backed out, and deleted my old accounts. But 'Life' couldn't keep me gone forever... I'M BA-ACK!
Soon to come: Occasional stories, anecdotes, thoughts, ramblings, and whatever the heck I feel like putting on the web. I'm excited already!
Soon to come: Occasional stories, anecdotes, thoughts, ramblings, and whatever the heck I feel like putting on the web. I'm excited already!
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