Hey guys,

Been lurking most days now, but figured I'd stop in to say hello. I ended up getting a job a couple of months ago working for a market research/election research company. It's been a lot of fun so far and I'm learning a lot about both fields (even though currently I'm leg-deep in election research). Things are going well though and it feels very comforting to be employed.

Nope, Beats by Dre are a stain on the music industry in regards to headphones. They are pawned off as high quality when in fact they are made with a very low quality. Quality headphone companies (as well as fairly priced) I recommend using are Sennheiser, Audio Technica, or even Sony.

Now sound is a tough thing when you get a pair of quality headphones. There are a lot of different things that can affect it headphones is one, but the size/type of audio file used will also determine quality. I believe the player used can determine quality of sound, but I'm not sure.

If you'd like you could post a budget, and I will do my best to see what I can find.

Honestly? I hope that at some point I just get lost. I don't mean like lost literally. I just mean to kind of go on an unplanned trip and just figure it out as I go. I'm only twenty, but that's something I will wish I had done if I don't do it.

-Get a job

-Find a significant other (more of a hope really because to the best of my knowledge you don't plan stuff like that)

-Finishing any number of my incomplete writing pieces.

-Save money

-Go to an actual concert of some type

-Improve my wardrobe

Today I start cooking legit meals. Figure I'm gonna start out small with like a vegetable Lo Mein (really like Chinese food, but no good Chinese places around me) then go from there. My goal is to learn to cook a really great steak, and just general knowledge of cooking. I'm really prepping myself for the day I move away, so that I can do stuff for myself without relying on bad food, or stuff like that.

Without a second thought the new Star Wars. I wasn't alive when they first came out all those years ago, but my parents introduced me to the world when I was really really young. I'm really stoked. With George Lucas having very little to do with these new movies I'm at least a bit hopeful that this one will really revitalize the franchise for future generations to come.

Alright, so give me just a moment to brag about my gym-going. My squat and deadlift are finally over two hundred pounds, and my core lifts are all above 100 lbs. I'm so unbelievably proud because I really had no support at the gym, and the person I was suppose to be going with started flaking mid way into our second month. The consistency has honestly kept my head straight... Thanks for listen. Also, checking in arguewithatree! Keep pushing forward!

In other news, my last year of college begins in a week or two. I'm not sure how to feel about it honestly.

I don't understand the logic behind lower wages, but more production. Who are you producing for if everyone is poor? The whole focus on these minor short-term gains is ludicrous to me. I mean I don't have access to any real numbers, but I'm gonna make a wild guess that when people have more money in their pockets they are more likely to spend it...

You know how we say like heart disease is the number one killer of males. I wonder if men are high on the ranked list of killers of women.

I think Louis C.K said it best

How do women still go out with guys, when you consider that there is no greater threat to women than men? We’re the number one threat to women! Globally and historically, we’re the number one cause of injury and mayhem to women.

This for me is an important test on determining who really is a feminist? Women do not get a pass for committing acts such as these. Knowing someone very close to me who endured something like this, and watching this man talk about it made me honestly tear up.

Thank you so much for sharing.

So I'm most likely starting to become a nuisance to my two senators. I've sent letters, e-mail's, phone calls, smoke signals, etc. to share my deep concerns with many if not all of Trump's cabinet nominations. While I know my two senators will most likely vote "no" against his nominations, I'm still sending my concerns in case something stupid happens.

My town is going to be voting soon to split up the schools further because we are struggling with overcrowding. The set-up right now is 4 (K-5) elementary schools, 1 (6-8) middle school, and 1 (9-12) high school. The new plan is 4 (K-4) elementary schools, 1 (5&6) middle school, 1 (7&8) junior high, and then 1 (9-12) high school. The new additions being the creation of a new school for 7th and 8th, and moving 5th grade to the middle school. It seems like a solid plan and we are voting in a week or so on it. My town is really trying to upgrade itself before the train station is built, and then everything changes.

Has anyone been watching Westworld? I think it's a pretty cool show so far.

I think we are in agreement then? A feminist would find this heartbreaking/appalling because that is part of what feminism is about. Those who don't find this wrong aren't feminists, even if they refer to themselves as such.

Although I just recently got into it, the Witcher.

I was honestly blown away by the depth of lore in these games, and I've been slowly working through Andrzej Sapkowski's short stories and novels. Even with all the material there is now, there is so much to be discovered. I mean the Conjunction of the Spheres is a crazy cataclysmic event that brought humanity to The Continent, but it also brought a whole threat of monsters from different worlds. The colonization of The Continent is actually a huge part of the lore because it plays a huge role in the political structure for the present day Continent. Humans arrived after most of the non-human races, but humanity still managed to dominate. Just the way the whole world is set up is brilliant. The Witchers, the Sorceresses, the Wild Hunt, the non-humans, etc. I could probably go on for awhile about it, but honestly there is still so much unwritten about the world. I think over time if this series was done correctly it could be among some of the great fantasy lores

I would have to say among the numerous politics, and ambiguous morals my favorite part of the lore are the Witchers. They are just the most badass characters. They are usually talked about in the games as monsters or sell-swords, but they are so much more. They endure the Trial of the Grasses, and become so much more than human beings. If a person successfully lives through the trial they then spend the rest of their lives training in their respective styles (Wolf, Griffin, Cat, Bear, and Viper I think). Their knowledge of monsters is unmatched; from their weaknesses to the use of potions to further their advantage on a target. They are the perfect hunters. The politics of how Witchers are "chosen" is wrought with controversy as they usually just take children rather than ask for their permission. The entire witcher profession is one that is necessary(They are pretty much the only ones who can deal with monsters effectively), but at the very same time vilified by a majority of people on the continent. Plus, the wielding of the silver and steel swords is so awesome haha.

When I stared down a plate of freshly baked cookies yesterday, and didn't have any of them. My will to avoid fatty food is growing in strength, and dieting is becoming more of a lifestyle everyday. I felt like a god honestly... (ok maybe that is a little too far, but the control felt nice)

I don't understand what you are trying to prove with this.

Is this racist? Yup.

Does this one instance prove that there is a systemic issue of racism plaguing white people? Nope.

EDIT: Although my argument was more directed at the post being made rather than the content, but TheVenerableCain is 100% right that a lack of sympathy gets nothing done. I think it was terrible that this women had to endure this and furthermore had to explain to her children why this happened.

One thing I'm glad about is I can just hop off for awhile without technically missing anything because there is always something worthwhile to be discussed. Reddit used to move so fast that you really needed to stay on as much as possible to catch the next inside joke. If you missed something there would often be jokes made in an unrelated post that you wouldn't get without reference to another post.

Bird is alive and well actually.

Luckily we have double set glass, so there is two layers of glass. Bird only managed to get through the first one.

So, I went full authoritarian dictator on my group to get my project done. Suffice it to say none of them like me very much after it, but I don't think that will matter when we get our B or A and move on from each others lives. These are the types of things that exhaust me.

In other news, I actually got into a really interesting discussion on the self with a good friend of mine that stemmed from the IRC chat we all had it was pretty cool to get their perspective on the matter.

This probably doesn't interest many, but I noticed a bad? trend that has been growing in the gaming community. Fallout 4 is this huge game, and one of my friends beat it in like two days. When I talked to him about it he seemed lukewarm about the game. I have this other friend who works and goes to school who only plays like an hour a day or so. His reaction to the game is incredible makes me want to go out and get it. It's crazy how my generation has become so caught up with the rapid consumption of content, but at the same time it is to our detriment because we miss out on what makes that content worthwhile. This could of course be expanded beyond just games, but I thought it was an interesting observation.

So, I've been taking my Gender, Race, and Sexuality course. While its a shortened program for the winter it has led me to a lot of new material, and intrigued me to finish my reading of Foucault. So far the class has come with some level of liberation, and everyone in the class is very open. It's still a pretty basic class, but it has definitely opened my eyes.

I thought that SJW thing was an internet thing.

Interesting story. Was taking a creative writing class maybe my first year of college. We had this assignment where we had to write a short piece on an event in as much detail as we could possibly fit in. This dude in the class wrote about a scene of two people fighting (It was a pretty good piece). This really quiet woman in the class gets up and walks out. It was a small class, and everyone kind of noticed. Like 15 minutes later she comes back in, and the class continues. After class we were all talking outside, and the dude makes a rude comment about her leaving. She then continued to explain to all of us that maybe a year ago she got out of really violent relationship with a guy. His scene of a fight served as a trigger, and she walked out to compose herself. She asked if we could avoid it the best we could, but that she would most likely excuse herself as to not ruin discussion. We did our best to help her out though.

Point of the story is that if you have a serious issue, or condition to let people know. It shouldn't be an issue if you ask people to do their best to avoid the subject especially if it something easy to avoid. In the case above physical violence was sometimes a trigger for her. She didn't expect us to avoid it entirely, but to do our best. If anyone has an issue with that it would probably be best to distance yourself from them because those aren't the best type of people to be around.

I want to be a fantasy author, so I write. I wouldn't say that my hobby is something as general as writing. I think what I would consider my hobby is short horror fiction. I just love everything about the horror genre, but I love writing little freaky pieces.

I remember this started late one night while I was walking back to my house from a good friends barbecue. It was like maybe 1:30 in the morning, and I was slightly buzzed. I remember not having slept much for like the last week because of finals, so I was this weird combination of buzzed and exhausted. I was walking down this long road that has always been terribly lit at night (my good friend and I have lived in the same neighborhood since we were young). I swear that I heard my name being called from behind me, so I do a quick pat of my clothes making sure I didn't forget anything at his house. When I look back no one is there, and so I keep walking. At this point I'm power walking home, and I'm glancing over my shoulder constantly. To this day I swear I heard my name again, so I turned around to see a few of the street lights flickering. The farthest street light from where I was flickers, and finally goes out. For whatever reason this scared the shit out of me, so I literally sprinted home. When I got home I started writing down the experience with a bit of a fictional twist, and that was it. I've written a few really good horror pieces loosely based off stuff that I experience. I don't write them too often because the mood has gotta be right.

Being required to follow both primaries for class I find myself often questioning if I am somehow no longer living in reality, but some terrible nightmare.

Repeal the second amendment, the whole idea of the "right" to bear arms. Why is it a right to own a gun? It should under every circumstance be considered a privilege. The fact that it is considered a right makes it hard to meaningfully regulate it.

I'm all for outlawing guns, but honestly any form of gun regulation is a fantasy at this point. I would love for them to restrict guns to literally gun ranges and hunting space. You shouldn't be able to carry open guns around in public for any circumstance from a civilian standpoint. Obviously the process of attaining a gun must be expanded/secured. The basic premise is coming to terms that just because you want to own a gun doesn't mean you are going to get one. I'll try to go into more detail when I'm not on my phone.

In high school at least when I was in it people seemed to make it a contest to prove who did less work. If you want to succeed give it your all regardless of what others say. Make clear goals, and go after them. Ultimately it comes down to your attitude towards the whole thing.

Some practical advice:

-What I would say the best advice is ask for help from students, or teachers.

-If you don't understand something in class, ask for help. If you can't get it answered in class set up tutoring if the school provides it.

-Cut out a bit of time to do school work, but also study material that was gone over in class.

It may not be easy, but if you want it you have to put in work.

If I had to guess why I would maybe say that Hubski is really quick to teach you about its mechanics. I knew what I was doing after 10 minutes of actually being a part of the site. The other sites or at least the ones I tried weren't as quick to educate the user. Granted it doesn't take away from the fact the writer did a poor job reviewing the other sites, it just also means he/she may havr done a shallow job.