Joys of a Dilettante

I've made it my goal to know as much about as many things as I can. I boast a wide range of interest, with moderate knowledge and/or skill in each. I'm not really a know-it-all, I'm more of a know-a-little-about-a-lot. Admittedly, I often come off as a know-it-all, but that is hard to avoid I think. And, truth be told, there is something very satisfying about being pedantic every now and then.
That being said, I must tell you that I despise learning. To learn something I have to be taught, and that takes all the fun out of the knowledge. I much prefer to find it out when there's something I want to know. That's why I hated college so much - no education took place. All I had to do was repeat what a professor said so that I could receive a number to prove that I remembered what the professor said. This is one of the reasons why I'm now getting my degree online, rather than through a traditional college.
There's just so much information in this world - and in worlds parallel to ours. I don't know how anyone can go through life without finding at least one wonderful thing a day.

Education Haiku 

 

Opening one's mind;

learning what was always known.

Stories of the Earth.



Withdraw

I haven't been climbing in such a long time! It's not that I have been neglecting my favorite sport - I simply have not been able to climb.
The first climbing block was - with the gym I use being on a college campus - that it closed for three weeks between semesters. And then, after it opened again, I was whisked away to the State Fair for work. On the last day of the Fair, I came down with a cold and have been resting since. But tonight I am free and I am feeling better; I will be climbing no matter what.

Climbing Haiku   

 

Achieving new heights -

problem solving in motion;

don't ever look down.

Maxwell

Maxwell is the name of my mini van. I grew up in Maxwell; he is the vehicle I learned to drive, and he is reliable (for the most part). When my first car, Franklin, broke down Maxwell became mine since my dad had bought himself a truck. Apparently, I am not such a scary driver behind the wheel of a mini van. People have witnessed me perform surgeon-precise parking jobs with big, rusty Maxwell.
I drove Maxwell a lot this weekend, having to commute to the State Fair in Syracuse (from Palmyra) for four days. He was also crammed full of 4H projects yesterday for the final trip. I am really happy with Maxwell; he didn't complain once!
A lot of credit is given to family pets, but what about family cars? Sure, they may be old junkers by the time we get them, but they get us where we're going throughout our whole life.

Maxwell's Haiku 

 

Both long and short trips;

room for what we need to bring.

Coming and going.

Prerecorded Message Two

Just a short anticdote today.
There is a dying florescent light above my desk. It flickers all day. Sometimes, I play techno music really loud and pretend that I'm at a Rave instead of in my cubicle. I should start bringing Glow-Sticks to the Office.

Desk Party Tanka 

Production will stop

while this beat bounces about;

few minutes of fun. 

These three walls can't contain me;

the deadlines will have to wait.



Prerecorded Message One

The next few posts will have been written the past. I'm prepping a few before I go off to the State Fair for a few nights and will be unable to post new content. It's like time travel, but it's not.
It occurred to me that not a lot of people know what the 4-H program is. Well, let me take this time to tell you. Let's start with the four H's themselves.
The four H's stand for Head, Heart, Hands, and Health. There is a 4-H pledge, which goes: "I pledge my Head to clearer thinking, my Heart to greater loyalty, my Hands to larger service, and my Health to better living for my Club, my Community, my Country, and my World". Also, I recently learned that the 4-H clover is being plagiarized! To be an official, legal 4-H clover, the stem needs to be pointing to the right, and the serial code needs to be present.
The basic idea of 4-H is to teach youth applicable life skills through growing experiences while encouraging a sense of community.

4H Haiku 

Head, Heart, Hands, and Health.

Where could we go without them?

More than just four words. 

Busy Bee!

Get ready for an end of the month review! I will be at the State Fair when the month actually ends, so I'm updating live now and loading my blog-canon with some prepared poetry to update while I'm at the Fair.
August, why have you been so full?? Not that I'm complaining, mind you. It just seems that it should still be July, and here we are a week away from September.
It's the Fairs that have eaten up all of my time. First the Wayne County Fair, and now the NY State Fair. Things that aren't necessarily my responsibility are becoming my job because my "supervisor" (I use the term loosely) doesn't want to do them or forgot to do them. It's not that I can't do these things, it's just they way they were put in my lap without warning that gets to me. Oh well.
I am now contributing to a friend's blog. http://magickculture.blogspot.com/. It's a fun project, and hopefully we can make it grow. Scratch that; we are on our way to making it grow into a lovely, informative blog for a wide diversity of people to enjoy!
I seem to have emailed myself at my work email address with a picture of a recent Oracle Card spread of mine. I'm trying to decide why I emaild this to myself. I wrote about this particular spread, but why did I send a picture of it to my work email? Sometimes I baffle myself.
I'm over half way through getting my degree, which is very exciting for me. I will soon be a T.E. Wildlife Manager (for those of you who haven't read the Continued Adventures in Oz, "T.E." stands for "Thoroughly Educated").
Over all, I am prepared for the transition into Fall.

 

End of Summer Haiku 

 

Rain becomes cooler,

sunshine doesn't stay as warm.

The leaves will soon change.

Coffee Time

I love drinking coffee. It's not even so much the caffeine, but I love the taste. I like my coffee black, or with cream, or with cream and sugar, or with a flavor. At work, I usually drink it black - I like my coffee black, just like my metal. This week, though, we have leftover creamers from the County Fair that I've been using. And, oh, what creamers they are! Almond Joy, and vanilla, and York Peppermint Patty flavors! They are too tastey not to use.
Coffee its self is actually pretty good for you. Not only does it aid in one's ability to focus and retain information, it also kick starts the metabolism. It's when we add a cup of steamed milk and three packets of sugar that coffee becomes bad for us. Of course, in excess, anything is bad for you. I'm sure everyone is aware of what happens to the body after too much coffee. I've limited myself to two cups a day; one in the morning, and another one in the afternoon/evening if I want it. There's just something so comfortable about having a nice hot cup of coffee.

Coffee Tanka

 

Boiling and black,

as though brewed in a culdron;

steam floats to the Sun.

This bitter taste calms my mind;

this darkness makes me feel bright.