I Was Right All Along

So, as everyone knows, I graduated. That's old news. So is the fact that I despised all 13 years of it... Except maybe Kindergarten and First grade. I was kinda stupid back then. Plus, our homework was reading these little paper pamphlets and making art with Barbasol shaving foam. I did enjoy some moments. I remember we had a reading group where two older kids would help you find a book and then help you read it. My first chapter book was Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

But I digress. The point I am making in today's blog is about how the system employed by schools worldwide is rather messed up. Except for college, and I'll explain why.

Let's start with Elementary school, say Kinder through 5th.

This is the most basic schooling. The normal human being cannot get along in this society without at least the elementary school level curriculum. Doesn't matter how you got it, homeschooling, public schools, reading books, whatever. I don't remember once protesting about learning in elementary school. I loved it. I absorbed what I learned like a sponge. I read everything I could get my hands on. I made friends and even when I had my brief interlude into homeschooling for two years, which may actually have helped more than anything, I loved school.

Move on up to Middle School, 6th through 8th.

Still, very basic schooling. This is more made to delve deeper into the basics. It helps ingrain them into our minds. It is merely a three year segway into High School. Sadly, as I visit my old schools, I notice that the push the curriculum back further and further, until now they are teaching the stuff I learned in High School to 6th graders. It is sickening... I understand that modern day jobs require more education, but why force it on someone who will never use it.

Which brings us to High School. 9th grade to the bliss of senior year.

This is where I have trouble with the system. The taught material in High School is just plain useless. You learn stuff that you will never use, unless you become a teacher, mathematician, nuclear physicist, or insane asylum inmate. I feel that High school should be a lead in for college. In college, you pick your classes based on what your end goal is. Why can't High School give you a similar option? Who in the baking industry has ever had to know how to multiply a matrix and then find the square root of negative 1? (It's e by the way. Yeah. Most of what I learn is stuck now...)

I always scoff at the people who say, "But it helps teach you how to learn."

Yeah. But why not do the same thing about a subject we give two cents about? Teach them properly by teaching them something they will listen to. It's merely a positive approach. And in my experience, positive always trumps negative.

Sadly, most schools take the negative route. They force the info on you and beat you (mostly metaphorically) for not making it. When in reality, you just didn't care. Not even your brain saw a reason to learn the garbage being forced on it.

So why not try the positive approach? Let students choose their classes based on aptitude tests and personal interests. That way, they want to know what they are learning and the stuff that is hard, they at least know they will use it on something they want to do. Why not? They have the curriculum up to High School to get along in the world even if they don't get their job of choice. I never met a restaurant manager sitting around calculating the mass of his food and the velocity required to flip a pancake.

And if they struggle, don't fail them. Give them a chance to fix it. Forget no student left behind. For their passions, a person would gladly spend a little extra time mastering the skills needed.

Just a thought.

This is Jake. Until next time.

Thoughts of a Tired, Now, Man

Almost one month ago I turned 18... and about a month or so before that, I graduated from High School. Ever since those two events happened, I have received a lot of flak from my folks for not having a job yet. However, I only recently became capable of applying anywhere. Lemme start from the top... as I have a tendency to do on these blog posts.

After my graduation, I was getting all those, "What are you gonna do with your life?" and "What are your plans/goals for the future?" Let's get one thing straight, I don't think that far ahead. If I can survive today, I am delighted. However, I realize that this may not be the smartest way to handle things, now that I am in the "real world", which sucks by the way. Thanks last generation for that. I am not blaming you directly, but it is kinda your generations failed efforts that led to this... and quite frankly, my generation is a bunch of idiots, so we aren't gonna be able to do much to fix that.

Sigh. Oh well, no point in whining now.

To continue our story, I figured that the smartest thing to do would be to get a job. However, I was missing some vital information in order to do so. This became obvious when I went to my bank to cash some checks from my graduation. (Thanks or the monetary gifts by the way. ^.^) But when I get there, I discover that the teen checking account I have, doesn't allow me to cash checks. I had been doing it for close to two years now. What changed? I had no idea, and I am still lost. So we went to talk to a banker, and when we told him that I was but weeks away from 18, he asked if I had Oregon ID. My school ID was all that I had, and that wasn't enough.

My parents never took me to get a permit of anything, which was fine with me, till I discovered that one was required for almost *everything.*  So we gave me an upgraded, but apparently, still limited account, cashed my checks, and I was on my way, now with the knowledge that an Oregon ID would be a smart idea. When I returned home, and a couple weeks later, my mother and I began looking for any info that I might need. We found a lot of stuff. Old pictures, school report cards, letters from my mother from before I could even read, etc. It was nice... until we discovered that my Social Security Card was nowhere to find.

So, without losing our will, we gathered other papers, and went to the social security office, ready to get me my card. After I was asked if I was carrying weapons by a short security guard who's most intimidating feature was the tazer on her belt, and about 30 minutes of waiting, we approached the man hiding behind his pane of bulletproof glass. No, I didn't test it, but it looked very thick. We presented him with our problem, and all the papers we had. Then he asked for ID. I mentioned that I had a school ID from that year, but I was graduated. He assured us that it would still work for a short time.

Then I discovered... I had forgot my wallet. Epic facepalm. I swear, there was an old lady that jumped when my hand cracked against my skull in an attempt to rectify my fail. Instead, I got a headache. We then received a little paper from the man, with my SSN on it, and he told us I could use that for most situations. He also added that the computer had my old name, Jake Taylor Socia, still, and it needed to be updated. This required another paper which we came to find out later, we did not possess. So we took what we had, home.

Within the week, we went to the courthouse, where I discovered that I *can* joke anywhere. But, we used 10,000 year old technology, retrieved our needed documents, navigated past shady characters in the waiting room, and made it back to the Social Security Office, this time sure that we had everything we needed. Their load was light, so we were helped within 10 minutes and again had a lovely discussion with a government employee. We gave her all the documents, and I presented her with my ID. Somehow, my School ID had become invalidated, within the week. However, with what we had, I was able to change my name in their computers, (quite frankly, I kinda like Socia better. It's shorter.) and we had plenty of time left in the day. So we headed off to the DMV.

My first experience at the DMV was a bit of a let down. I thought it would have been more depressing, with more fat ladies behind desks, and crying children. While bother were there, it didn't bother me all that much. We took a number and sat down. We passed the time by joking and making fun of random families around us. When we were called up, our associate was an older, skinny lady, and we began filling out papers. When we got to the matter of cost, we made an interesting discovery. It costs twice as much to buy an Oregon ID than it does for a Permit. Coming to a decision, we opted for a permit. (Why not? I was planning on driving sometime.) I sat down with the driver's manual for the first time and spent about 15 minuted reading/skimming it.

When I felt ready, I approached a very comedic woman, who I believe was like me and could joke about anything. I was right. After informing me that the test was in Japanese on Mondays, I took a vision, which I passed with flying colors. Then they assigned me a computer, and I started the test.

35 questions with 7 mistakes... not much room for error. I had to be slow and careful. Two things I really just suck at. Zipping through the first ten with only two mistakes, I felt pretty confident. Until within my next 20 questions, I had used up all my mistakes. Final five. No mistakes allowed. I was sweating. The bases were loaded. A hush fell over the crowd. The pitcher glared at me... Whoops, wrong story... Sorry, got carried away. See what happens when you blog at 2 in the morning? Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, the Final Five. Every tap on the screen was a tense moment... each breath came out shaky... I was sweating. One down, correct. Two? Doing okay. Third one... tentatively I press the yes button. Correct. I sigh in relief. Two more to go. Most tense test ever. The first one was easy, it was one of the last things I read in the manual. I answered it with confidence. And got it right. Whoo.

Last question. And it was one that I vaguely remembered... But not enough to come up with a definitive answer. So, I did what any intellectual would do in that situation. I eliminated the two blatantly wrong answers, and flipped a coin for the other two. I selected my answer, closed my eyes, and mashed the "yes" button. My finger, wet with perspiration slid slightly, as I continued to push down and opened my eyes. Test results... PASSED!!!

I had to control the urge to leap from my chair! A perfect 70%!! I had completed on my first try. Everyone else that I knew, had to at least return four times. If not to take the test, for other reasons. I straightened my hair, making myself look presentable. I hadn't really woken up that morning, expecting to get my permit. I got my confirmation from the lady at the desk, approached the camera, and gave the best smile I could muster. It was over. I had my interim permit, and the actual one was on the way.

Now I could silence the nagging. The incessant cry for me to get a job. And within the past four weeks, I have applied at a total of... zero places. Yeah, I know. I should have been more on top of things. But I was trying to enjoy my last Summer Break, which went relatively okay. I spent my whole life having to grow up faster than most kids. I looked out for myself a lot. Why couldn't I just slow sown this once and just be a kid for a couple months?

Come September, I hope to hear for sure if I am going to continue working for HomeSource, my old school,  as a Tech Team Lead, my job being that of training the new kids. After I get that sorted, I will start applying for a real job. A paying job.

But until then, party on!! Enjoy every second of Summer. School starts soon kids. Have fun, don't get stressed. Swim in a river, jump in a lake, have a barbecue, invite friends over, play games, do whatever you love doing.

Cause one day, you are going to wake up, and realize that you are 18 now. And life just goes down hill from there.

Till you hit 21. Then you have something new to help you cope. :P

This is Jake, too tired to continue, signing off. Good night.

3/5/2012: Family Support

Almost nonexistent.

Nah, it is mainly my uncle. He thinks it is hilarious that I became a vegan, so he uses every opportunity to make fun of it. My more immediate family is more supportive. I was over at my cousin's place from Thursday. The whole time I was starving, because normally, we eat so little, but now that I am vegan, it was even worse. But I managed, eating the occasional veggie burger, rice, corn, and my personal favorite, which I call, "The Procrastinator." It is two pieces of bread with cucumbers and mustard. Made in less than a minute, great for a last minute meal. Not very filling, but when you are hungry, anything is better than nothing.

Also I made he mistake of trying to eat a veggie burger like regular beef. I nuked two patties, put some mustard and ketchup on them and started nomming away. *gags* I will not make that mistake again. The patties taste great between some bread with some ketchup and mushrooms though, so I still have hope for them.

That Sunday, my uncle had to give the Public Talk in Albany, so I tagged along. After the meeting, we met up with some old friends of my Aunt's who had some interesting stories about her past. But that same family took us out to hospitality. My cousin and I were just standing around, talking, when she approached us and asked, "Would you like to go to Denny's or Sizzler's?" Big mistake there. My cousin and I are boats without rudders. We go where the wind takes us. When we are presented with a choice, we capsize. In the end, they took us to Sizzler's. That was a bittersweet moment. They have salads but I was surrounded by the amazing smell of meat lingering in the air. Ah it is to weep. I almost gave up then and there.

We walked into the front door, and my uncle leaned over and said to everyone, "I know what Jake's gonna get." What else was there? I got a salad bar, with a root beer. The minute I said Root Beer, my uncle leaned over and said, "You know they put meat in that right?" I merely shook my head and scoffed. For the rest of the meal he was silent. I enjoyed a couple salads and some onion rings. Some things can still be enjoyed. I then got up for my dessert, and my uncle leaned back and said, "They have meat pie."

As we left the restaurant, I grabbed one of the mints, and my uncle made his little crack. So while we were in the lot, I yelled, "I'll get back at you for this." My uncle is a quick thinker. He turned around and asked, "By what, feeding us a salad?" Everyone (including myself) were laughing so hard, that people thought something was wrong with us. The rest of the night went well, I ended with some french fries and oreos.

This morning I had oatmeal, which is delicious anyway, but when you long for warm foods that can fill you up it is like ambrosia. I spent about ten minutes looking for my lunch and decided on some rice cakes. I was fine till I got home. I passed out for about two hours, catching up on the lost sleep from my cousin's place. My mother made me some vegan burritos, using re-fried beans and tofu. They were delicious. Now, I am trying to research more options for food.

I will keep you nice people updated about twice a week. It is a nice distraction. In the meantime, I am looking for other distraction. The biggest is my writing and my Digital Move Making class. So if I get cravings I got enough to do to take my mind off of it. The day draws near a close, so I need to go to bed. G'nite all.

Replacing Meats

That's right. I have been spending lots of time looking for something to take my friend's place.

When I started looking, the first thing I thought of was tofu. Now most people would consider this a bad idea, but the reason that tofu seems so bland, is because you have to know how to properly prepare it. The number one rule is to make tofu along with something with a lot of flavor. It has a natural ability to take the flavor of what you cook it with, so the stronger the flavor, the better your tofu comes out. And also, tofu doesn't have to be prepared like everyday food. There are some nice, fancy recipes for tofu. One of the best examples I have found is this:



Classic Quiche Florentine




Unbelievably rich, this version of Quiche Florentine has absolutely no cholesterol and is low in fat! This quiche is a savory brunch favorite and contains heart-healthy soy protein. Succulent spinach, onions, and meat-free “bacon-style” bits add to the decadent flavor of this recipe. Relax... now you can enjoy Quiche Florentine free of guilt.



Ingredients:




1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 Tbs. olive oil

18 oz. firm silken style tofu (about 1 ½ packages)

1/2 Tbs. tomato paste

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tbs. nutritional yeast* (optional)

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained

1/8 cup meat-free “bacon-style” bits

1 pie crust shell, not baked




* Not to be confused with brewer's yeast, nutritional yeast can be found at your local natural foods store.
My thanks to Livevegan.org for the great ideas.

Another alternative is those veggie burgers. These are rich with protein, which is essential when you cut meats and eggs out of your diet. I have yet to find a good recipe to make these at home however, so any help is welcome.

And finally, I think the best way I will cope with the lack of meat in my system, is to turn to my second favorite food. Sweets.

However, as previously stated, I am doing this with the goal of losing weight. Therefore, any sweets I prepare will have to healthier than my usual Oreo's and chocolate milk. (I will load up on chocolate milk before I start this experiment of course.) I am still searching around, but I know there are some really good ones out there.

When I was younger, my father, home-diagnosed me as "allergic to milk" (not lactose intolerant.) so we spent a lot of time, (and money) looking for alternatives. Instead of cheese, we discovered this amazing stuff called Veggie Slices. We ate that till I was about 15 or so. I don't really remember. One thing I am really looking forward to going back to Soy Milk. Even after I convinced my parents that worldwide chaos would ensue from my ingesting milk products, I still would from time to time buy myself a half-gallon of soy milk.

Also, something I will try to do when cooking, is that instead of deep-frying, or microwaving food, I will either pan-fry, grill, or bake everything. Thankfully, I won't have to give up all bread. It might taste different, but I love bread. Unfortunately, I know that it is responsible for my declining shape, yet it is like crack. My parents can corner me with Dr. Phil's camera crew and start having an intervention, and I will sit there eating bread in front of them. That would teach them.

Alright, my fingers hurt, and all this food talk is making me hungry. I only have 8 days left, so I am gonna go get a prime rib, with some steak fries. (I wish.)

In the beginning...

Well, not really.

Let's start at the beginning. All the way back. See, I was born July 27, 1994, where my mother was heard to say, "He smells like raw meat." I was then imbued with my family's charm, humor, and unfortunately the risk for diabetes. I never thought about this for years, until one day in 8th grade.

A student and I were getting drinks from a fountain. When I leaned over to get my drink, he tapped me on the shoulder and whispered, "Dude, you might want to clean your neck."

Promptly, I ran to the nearest restroom to examine this new filth. A dark brown splotch had taken up residence on my neck. I shrugged and grabbed some paper towels, and began scrubbing. About five minutes later, my neck was red and rough. Yet, that brown blotch stayed. I instantly began to panic. What was that thing?

Two years later, (yeah it took that long) my parents took me to see a doctor about it. Some small side facts before I give you his diagnosis. I am not at a healthy weight, I never have been. I weigh close to 280 pounds right now, and I am only 6' 1". Anyway, the doctor took one look, and knew what it was. I forget the scientific name, but in simple terms, my body was grown insulin receptors on my skin to compensate for my increased sugar intake. Not candy and soda mind you, but rather bread. I was at high risk for diabetes.

My parents decided that maybe it was time for a change. We cut back on sugars, I drank less soda, more water. We replaced rolls and toast at dinner with a salad. Slowly, I was able to control my weight. Kinda. After about two months, we returned to our old eating habits.

My only real exercise came from walking every day to and from school. I eventually joined a tennis class, but even that ended. Now my racket sits unused. I tried running, but I have problems breathing at times, and my heart rate is more sporadic than the NYSE. However, even with the shoddy exercise schedule, and the terrible eating habits, I stayed at a constant weight. For almost five months now I have stayed at 275lbs. However one day, I got up in the morning and looked at myself in the mirror. A realization dawned on me.

I don't want to stay like this. I want to travel the world. I want to be able to hike the trails around the world. I want to enjoy strenuous activities without having to stop every five minutes to catch my breath.


So, that day I started taking measure to change. I ate smaller portions of food, I began exercising. I even started bugging my mom about getting our old treadmill fixed. But the biggest change came about no less than two weeks ago.

My homeroom class had to give speeches on health subject. I figured I would pick a topic I knew well. Food. So I borrowed one of the classes health books and started researching my topic. Suddenly I stopped. I had found the answer.

I know many vegans and vegetarians, so I wasn't to surprised by my epiphany. Fruits and vegetables, with their low fat and sugar contents, are much more healthy for the body. I know what you are thinking, "Well duh, everyone knows that. It's why your mother makes you eat your veggies."

You would be right, but that was only part one of the epiphany. The rest was, that humans were never made to eat meat. God did not put Adam and Eve in the garden and say, "Hey Adam, from all the creatures of the land you can eat." No. He specifically pointed out the trees abundant with fruit. So therefore, that means we only started eating meat as the human condition deteriorated, and it became a necessity to take in more proteins.

So I came to the conclusion that I might be able to obtain my goals for better health, if I cut out meats. So I am running an experiment. Starting March 1st, I will drop all animal products from my diet. Strictly vegan. Then 5 months later, on July 27th, I will determine whether or not it had any real affect and if I should continue. That's it.

My end goal is to be under 200 lbs. in June, and to reduce my risk of diabetes at anytime.

I will miss my good friend meat, but it is for the best.