The Name of Oakwar

Oh, sad day! I signed up for a deviantART account a long time ago, but this and that came up and I don't think I ever actually used it. Recently, I wanted to reactivate the account and have a go at it again (I now have in mind a way to use the accout), but low! someone has already taken my beloved name, Oakwar! And their account is more recent than the one I created oh so long ago. Come to find out with further investigation, the original username I gave myself wasn't even Oakwar, but sodeeplytall. Not sure what I was thinking. *shakes head sadly* It is a mistake I hope not to repeat. So, there are some "Oakwar"s out there who are not me...

August 8th

A date is an arbitrary thing decided and agreed upon with no real significance outside the human collective mind. A plant does not care what day it is. Season, yes. Date, no.

Everything Happens for a Reason

So, I've known for a while now that my computer is very old. In fact, several months ago my financial intentions were to acquire a new computer when the new mac operating system had been released. Okay, so maybe it was more than several months ago as my money has since been spent on something very different... When the current "big choice" of my life came around and I did a (I regret to say) very rough opportunity cost analysis, the cost of not being able to buy a new computer was factored and I decided I was okay with putting it off until I had more money.

However, I am now being forced to re-evaluate that conclusion. Over several days last week, I had been noticing a surplus in damaged files on my computer, culminating in a disappearance of complete folders entirely, to where I was forced to admit that the amount of missing data was increasing. Something had infected my computer and was eating my data. For a while, my outlook had been that since most of the missing data had been downloaded from the internet in the first place, the only thing I was really losing was the hard earned time it had taken to actually find and download that material as I could go and redownload it... However, I eventually discovered that this predicament was just a bit more serious than I could easily shrug off. In very big and round letters, I was forced to utter a pronounced, "Explicative." In addition to the loss of several applications, all of my research on the AOL campaign (six months of intensive work) was lost...

So my inability to update my virus protection as my computer is so old (also one of the applications that has disappeared) and lack of hard drive back ups as my computer no longer has the ability to burn discs, have recently given me a new depth perception. Hmm... No, I still would have spent my money in that fashion for the most part, but my education is turning out to be a little more expensive than previously thought. More than just financial, my free time is now also required to make up for the missing pieces.

Actually, this probably doesn't come down to the age of my computer so much as it is a reflection of my intelligence. I chose not to buy a computer that would protect me from this sort of thing, but that doesn't mean there were not other preventative steps I could have taken... If only I could be just a little bit smarter or a little bit more willing to put in the effort needed.

From a different perspective, perhaps I was meant to develop more awareness of my situation. The event occurs now, when the most important data I could lose was only academic in nature rather than grounds for employment termination. I have gained a real appreciation of backing up my data rather than just an academic one. In trying to make up for the data loss, I have become reacquainted with the Windows operating system, a useful skill for the job market, as well as the campus library resource of laptop rentals. Online music streaming and online data storage, free and accessible on any computer, are now viewed as more valuable.

All things considered, I'm actually taking the situation pretty well. Everything happens for a reason, right?

By Your Words

"But perhaps he may be a little whimsical in his civilities," replied her uncle. "Your great men often are; and therefore I shall not take him at his word, as he might change his mind another day, and warn me off his grounds." ~Pride and Prejudice


A far more eloquent way of stating it. Your words will only be words until you can be prevailed upon to demonstrate a consistency of actions to prove their worth.

The Language of the Industry (Soon to be the Language of Everyone Else)

I love the business world. When we come across a concept for which there is no word, we make one up. My current favorite is "frenemy" - a short-term friend but a long-term enemy. The term is used to describe temporarily beneficial partnerships between indirect competitors, but it could easily be applied to everyday relationship categorizations. Just imagine the new color to your social network a word like this affords! Like the word "muggle," I can see this one taking on household and playground acceptance in short order.

Besides, it's just plain fun to say.

Discheveled Plant

I see that disheveled is the Word of the Day for today. "Disheveled Plant" was one of the top names I was considering for the name of my website (and, by extension, this blog.) What can I say? I have a lot of very disheveled plants... In the end, I choose "Oakwar" because it's one word, easy to spell and unique enough to be easily distinguished from other sites.

It Pays to Be Helpful, Apparently...

My campus has few options of food vendors for people with the smallest meal plan possible. (What can I say? I'm cheap, especially when I'm being taken advantage of...) The Country Store: a gas-station-like grocery selection with high-end deli prices. The Food Zoo: the campus cafeteria named by the students which lives up to its name, in every way. And that's it. Needless to say, I try to mix it up as the Food Zoo is cheaper, but I find myself frequenting the Country Store more often.

Today, being no exception, I bought my breakfast at the Country Store (incidentally, the cafeteria doesn't open for breakfast) with the intention of returning in the afternoon to restock my dorm fridge. After class however (around 2pm), I returned to find the store locked and barred. I was confused and currious, as this was out of the ordinary and the store had been open this morning. So, I proceeded to see if I could find some sort of note or sign indicating what had happened. I passed a couple of people on the way in who had obviously been heading for the same destination in the pursuit of food, including one girl who I would encounter later. A small, hastily printed sign, which I assume had once been taped to the door via a single piece of scotch-tape, had now been kicked into a corner of the floor with several wet foot prints on it and was the only acknowledgement that something was not quite right. Apparently a pipe had burst quite unexpectedly and the store was closed until further notice. I should have got my food stores this morning, silly me.

Walking back to the dorm, I passed the cafeteria. I decided, rather spur of the moment, that perhaps I would give them the benefit of the doubt. Not much was waiting for me back in the dorm and I was starting to feel a little hungry. At the door, I saw the girl from before. She was inquiring about the carry out option of the cafeteria and I indicated that I wanted that option too. I turned to her, smiled and said,

"Busted pipes, eh?" She smiled and nodded as the kid behind the desk tried to explain to us what we had already found out. She turned to him and said as she pulled out two five-dollar bills,

"So, I don't have a meal plan..." The kid looked up and said,

"Uh, well, without a meal plan it's about $8 and with a meal plan it's $3.25..." I shook my head and stepped forward,

"No, that's crazy. Here, put two meals on my card." I handed him my card and turned to her, "There's nothing much out right now, totally not worth $8." She looked surprised and grateful.

"Thank you. Um, here." And she handed me one of the fives she had been holding.

In the end, she was saved from paying $3 more and I received an extra $2 for my trouble. Of course, we're probably both being ripped off by the not-even-worth-$3.25-when-it's-not-regular-meal-time selection, but when you're hungry... Conclusion: It pays to be helpful, apparently...

Tibet at the Dawn of 2008

I have read arguments (also voiced by certain ethnic groups residing in America, I might add) against Americans decrying human rights violations in Tibet. They cite the previous and detrimental policy the United States once held toward Native Americans and the argument snidely concludes that "Time makes everything okay, right?" I respond by asking if I kill my brother, does that justify and give you the right to kill yours? Aren't both actions wrong, no matter who commits them or when?

We can all learn from our mistakes. And even though the United States is still struggling to find an amicable resolution to a situation created by an older generation from a different time, they are still making the attempt. That doesn't mean other travesties should go overlooked. It shouldn't be seen as because the country involved is a Buddhist people, who can be portrayed as a worthy cause; nor that the oppressor is China, gearing up for the massive publicity to be garnered by the summer Olympics of 2008. People question religious persecution and the debasement of innocents, no matter where it happens (even in America by other Americans.) History has taught that these are mistakes. You would begrudge others for wanting to share this discovery?

The Eyes of a Powerful Man and My Cringing Inner Self

What makes us different? A bold question that leads to so many more, on so many different levels. What is your drive to succeed? Few have power, while several are employed to clean the streets. There will always be someone more important or powerful than you.

Everyone has influence in varying degrees. Wield it wisely, right? And watch closely how it affects you. For you are alone in your decisions and responsibility, your situation is your own.

You have no time. That makes us all the same. No matter how much we achieve, time makes us all insignificant in the end. Nothing is permanent. Given enough time, the faces of those with power will always change. What is your purpose? In the end, it is not a question of willingness but a question of how far you will go to achieve that purpose, what you will sacrifice and the consequences you will face.

It is your burden. Please try to avoid hypocrisy.

This Day Has Already Happened

"The frog at the bottom of the well knows not the vastness of the ocean..." The air is still here, the mind is not. A person must be open and unafraid to step into the unknown. These last three days have taught me this...

The sun shines on the leaves outside my window. The clouds above are dark and the breeze is gentle. Standing still. Eyes closed. I can feel the light.

I am breathing a part of the sky.

Everyone else is running. Sirens. That's where I will live tomorrow.