March 2002

March 03, 2002

In Wilkes-Barre

I'm home in Wilkes-Barre for spring break and a little R&R before a new quarter starts next Monday. It's good to be home but it can get boring. And the dialup internet connection is a killer. How does anyone live like this? What would I do without cable up in Rochester? Anyway, it's nice to be home to see family and friends, do some reading, relax--oh, and go to New York City! Yes, I'm going to the city for a few days. I'm drawn to that place in some way. Hopefully I can get a co-op there at some point or at least live there for a while. I'll be sure to blog when I get back.

Posted by Phil at 11:25 PM | Comments (0)

March 11, 2002

Thoughts

My mind is an explosion of thoughts.

I'm in a pensive mood and I thought I should get some of these thoughts on paper -- err, screen? Today was my first day back to classes in over three months. Perhaps that's why my mind is in such a high gear. Sometimes something or someone gets you thinking about something and then your brain is the site of a nuclear reaction. Then one thought leads to another and, before you know it you have to get it out. And isn't it just a terrible thing when you can't get that release of your thoughts, to have them bottled up inside your head waiting for it to explode! Then we have to say what we mean; mean what we say. It's good to not have to worry about that sometimes. After September 11th, though, it seems to have affected this notion. We never know what may happen next. We have to filter our thoughts sometimes in order to be politically correct, especially concerning the 11th--of September, that is. 2001. A day we'll never forget. And today, six months from that horrible day, we remember all that it changed. I find it very hard to believe that it's been six months because it feels like it was just last week. I don't know when its effect will wear off. As dreadful as it was, so much good has come from it. Will fighting the war we are fighting really end terrorism? Can we fight terror with what is essentially terror? Maybe so but we need peace. I don't have the solution but I will take any solution that is effective. 9/11 has made me a more peaceful person. And I think we all need to share the message of peace that we may all be peaceful and loving to each other. If only we can change a heart of terror into a heart of peace one at a time. Pray for this. It may be our only hope. I do know that this war cannot be fought solely on the battlefield.

I now leave you with some powerful words. Since I'm not the best with words, I figured I'd leave it to someone who is. It's hard to choose a small excerpt from this song because only in its entirety do you grasp the full potential it has to move you. It's Linda Eder's "If I Had My Way," lyrics by Jack Murphy. You must listen to this song.

Long ago and far away
Before the world had come to this
I took for granted how my life would be
Assuming that my freedom would be free
Before these evening shadows fell
I reveled in the light of day
I rarely ever cried, my patience wasn't tried
And heroes never died
But if I had my way
Things would be different
Danger wouldn't come from a sky of blue
Choices would be clear,
And strangers would be kinder
Love a little blinder
As it saved the day
If I had my way

If only we could go back to that world.

Posted by Phil at 11:52 PM | Comments (0)

March 19, 2002

Week 2

It is week two of the spring quarter. It is much different than week one. When my last class last Thursday was finished, I thought to myself that I didn't mind coming back to school at all after being on co-op. Piece of cake, right? Wrong! Over the weekend I realized I'd have my work cut out for me. So I proceeded to procrastinate--put everything off until Sunday. Then Sunday came and I still couldn't get the motivation to do my work, let alone work ahead. I will miss being able to come home after a day at work and not have to worry about anything until the next morning. I will miss being able to read what I want to read instead of what's assigned. Nonetheless, I love learning, but it's just taking me a while to re-adjust to the work that's involved with my classes. Motivation is key. I'm working on it.

Posted by Phil at 10:53 AM | Comments (0)

March 26, 2002

Psychopath

It's been a while. I've been a bit overwhelmed lately with a lot of things, like school work, my co-op plans, and what I'll be doing this summer to name a few. It seems as though I can't get much work done. I have plenty of things to do but when I finally get the motivation to do them I can't concentrate. Or my concentration doesn't last very long. What is it? It seems I'm "Relating to a Psychopath" in the words of Macy Gray on her latest album The Id. I often need to listen to her so I know I'm not the only psycho.

hot like hot wings with hot chocolate in hell
cold like in my isolation cell
in the winter
while kissing mr. freeze
take the weather man and blow him away
love is a desert and i need it to rain
you are so good at keeping me company
you are relating to a psychopath
your role model is in therapy
you must be real far gone
you're relating to a psychopath
...
it never adds up when you do your math
you are relating to a psychopath
yes i'm real far gone
you're relating to a psychopath

Posted by Phil at 09:25 PM | Comments (0)

March 29, 2002

Thursday

What a long day Thursday was. I had a 5 to 10 page human factors accident report due. I got 3.5 hours of sleep last night. But I actually did write eight pages. Their quality, however, I will not discuss. Now that this long, hectic week is over, I'm going home tomorrow for Easter.

I made a few stylistic changes to the site this evening to suit my fancy. CSS is great! I am hoping to purchase my own domain in the not so distant future. But I'm still debating over the name: philmakara.com (most likely) or philipmakara.com. What about philm.com? That might be neat? I am open to opinions and recommendations. I am also looking for a digital camera. Any insight into a mid-range quality camera would be helpful. Send me mail.

Posted by Phil at 01:36 AM | Comments (0)

March 30, 2002

E.T.

E.T. phone home... I saw E.T.: The 20th Anniversary in the theatre tonight. I was a kid all over again. It's been a while since I've seen it, and it was like seeing it for the first time again. I never did see it in the theatre. Seeing it at this point in my life (the movie's almost as old as me) allowed me to appreciate it so much more than I ever could have as a child. I may be biased toward Steven Spielberg movies, but this one is a classic. Though the effects are outdated, the story is still strong. E.T. still looked good after 20 years on celluloid. John Williams' music sounded better than ever with a digitally remastered score. This is one of the classic scores that really resonates through the audience. The music tells a story itself. Drew Barrymore, the child star of her generation, still so cute with her little lisp. I'm craving Reeses Pieces about now but I must keep my Lenten sacrifice for one more day.

Posted by Phil at 01:34 AM | Comments (0)