Shiver the Chihuahua

The summer before 8th grade, my mom bought my first pet. The impact he had on my life was huge, as being an only child, he provided companionship and enjoyment. Of course he came with down sides, as all dogs do, but his benefits far outweighed these downsides. Soon of course I found ways to using him to benefit myself academically. How? Science horizons in 8th grade. I made up a project of how I was testing different dog brands on chihuahuas to find the one they liked best. Of course I got an A because I am pro that way, but still wouldn't using him for my own benefits seem selfish in a way? It would also be considered a sin to religious folks as I lied to my teacher, my fellow classmates, and the Science Horizons committee. Yet there were no backlashes from my acts and I continued on perfectly fine.

Now what makes Shiver different than other dogs? He is a chihuahua and a spoiled one at that. Being a mommy's boy, he likes to get pampered, he likes to get massages, and he likes to lay around everywhere. Yet we all love him because of the joy he brings to the house. Because of him, I find myself to be friendlier in a way, to be more thankful of life. Of course being a Chihuahua he takes some criticism from my fellow peers. Chiocchio always makes me say "chihuuahuaa" while Dickson tells me his dog could beat my dog. These comments humour me, but do not affect me.

How would an economist view a dog? As a burden and waste of money. The money spent on the dog is an unneeded burden and money could have spent more wisely in other places. Now a veternarian would say it is great to have a pet as they bring joy to the household and that is good to have a pet rather it possibly being in an adoption center. He brings joy to my life . . . is there much more to say?

PS3 - An addiction?

Talking to Justin Cruz today, he told me he was doing video games for his American Portfolio. This reminded me of quite an obvious topic to write about. Since the PS3 came out it has adorned my shelf. Of course I did not play it as much because I started growing bored of the games.

As of late though the PS3 has been getting a lot of hype so I reincorporated myself with the system. Being recommended games by Jevic and Marcus, I soon found myself back in the old habit of massive finger pressing, button spamming. Call of Duty sound familar? Its been a dominating game since it came out and serves as a strategy game where the object is to stay alive. Its fun, interactive, and getting in fights with others with my microphone always makes me laugh. Sometimes when I get online, the aim is not to play, but to annoy others while they play. Sheer boredom to a new level.

Now why do I play? I have spare time on my hands and the games provide an escape from current live. They are fun, a different experience and when you get bored with one game, there is always another one to occupy one's time. Now what makes a PS3 better than an Xbox or a Wii? Well for any good gamer, the Wii serves as just a family console, or for a younger generation of gamers. The Xbox however has always been a key competitor with the PlayStation. For a time it was considered better, yet as of late, many have switched over to the PS3, stating it is better overall. Its all a matter of opinion and I have always been a Sony fan, so I just went with the PS3.

What does this say about me? I like games; I spend money on new games at times as current games get old. Everyone needs a distraction at times and games serve as my distraction. Through an economist lens, having a PS3 and buying games for it would be a waste of money. Playing video games is just a waste of time and with the economy the way it is, spending games on luxuries is just a waste. Games provide little benefit other than enjoyment and my time could be spent more productively, like find a job or doing community service instead. Yet until those times come, I will just have to spend some of my leisure time gaming away.

Pens, not Pencils

Back in middle school, pencils were the way too go as they were encouraged by teachers and mistakes could be erased, yet as one gets older you hear "you can use pens or pencils" more often. Slowly it went from just pencils on my pocket to a mix of the two. Arriving in high school though, the change to just pens occurred for me. They just seem more professional and teach the user more in my opinion. With a pen the user is aware that a mistake is permanent, you can scribble it out, but the remains are there. You could do what Ben Altman does and use white out, but 1.) the school believes white out to be a cause for students to get high so they do not allow it and 2.) it still leaves visible signs of what happened. So with pens, you have to be more confident with what you write, you have to be more aware of what you are writing. With pencils, the pencil tells the user that mistakes are allowed. Yet are they in life? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Your best bet is to avoid mistakes when you can. Yet often when one takes risks, they end up learning more.

Now not just any pen will satisfy me. Those paper mate pens? Think again. I like pens that have information on them, as it gives a brief insight into the companies, whether it be the form of font or the words written. The shinier the better; the more complicated to take apart the better. People have obsessions with clothing and other commodities, mine is with pens. I can't just pick up any old pen and use it as the pen's characteristics DO matter to me. Whether it be design or color, I will not settle for a second rate pen.

Through a logical point of view, my obsession with the style of pens is absurd. I should just use any pen as there is not much of a difference since all that really matters is the ink. Yet to me it holds value so I say forget logic. An economist might say that paper mate pens last just as long as the pens I use, have the same ink, and cost less, and with the economy as bad as it is, every cent counts. I'd just say, the pens I use are pens that I find or are given to by family so it costs me nothing. If I have it available for free, why not use it? An artist might say that the different styles of pens that I have could represent my mood or emotions. Bright red or darker colored pens might represent that I am angry or sad while yellow or light blue pens could be a cheerful mood. Just the fact that the pens I use are not just the regular bland pens shows that I am slightly outside the norm. Pens are pens, but my pens are better.

Captain Underpants!

Now I do not carry him around, that would be weird, but I still have this blow up doll that I got back in elementary school. It seemed nice at the time so I kept it as a memory. Now why do I write about this absurd, outdated superhero? Because a part of him represents a part of me. Everyone has their inner child, some deeper than others, yet we have that fun side, that goofy side, that side where we just do stupid things that we regret later. To people who really know me, they will know I say stupid things, that I do stupid stuff, and that's just how I am at times. Why go straight by the book all the time? Doing so puts us at a risk of losing ourselves. Schools are designed to shape students, often out of what they really are.

When I first started school, I was a trouble maker with what they called "anger" issues. This was just my manner of expressing myself. I would get sent to the principal and I even got suspended in second grade for hitting a girl. Stupid actions lead to consequences it seems. As the years have gone by, school just seems to get more boring as teachers expect more from you. The creativity, such as finger painting or even the nap time break, are no longer in use as most classes are "read this book, do those questions, test on Friday". If teachers can not put their best effort forward, then why should I? Now of course not all teachers are like that, but as the years have gone by, I have felt that the teachers care less for the individual and more for the class as a whole. One cannot expect this as a teacher as sometimes hundreds of students, but the lack of that bond can be the difference between enjoying a class and waiting for the bell to ring. Sure there are classes where one can be creative, but now the individual has to go seek them out, instead of it being everyone one looks. Whats this sound like? A person wishing to be hand fed everything? Whether you perceive it that way or not does not change the fact that creativity gets lost as one gets older.

When I go on facebook at times, I see statuses like "hating school atm" or "can't wait for the weekend". Whats this say about the opinion of the students? School should be a place where one wishes to go, a place where one can enjoy themselves. That is what the school system lacks: fun. Most teachers just wish to get through the topics and have the year over with. Some just don't care. I asked a teacher of mine for some help and he said "OK, but not today, I got a hockey game to go watch." What a joke. I ask him a question and he says "I'm not sure, I will get back to you on that". In other words he said, I will google it later and tell you tomorrow. Lack of enjoyment and lack of professional equal 45 minutes of "damn isn't it summer yet".

Now I just got robbed by Jackie Chan right? He just took all my belongings and is sorting out the stuff to see what he got and stumbles upon Captain Underpants. What does he think? "Guy is wack and a child". Something along those lines. What could he think? A figure such as Captain Underpants shows that I am more of a child, I look to goof off just by having it. I possibly like comics as the entire series is a comic. I like to run around in my underwear? Hell yeah that's where its at. Shows I like to have fun and that when things get boring, I put on my lucky cape and fly away to funland.