Friday, February 20, 2009

allright...

Well I've had a little time to relax, my apologies for the rant...hopefully it made some sense. Sometimes I have a lot to say so it tends to get a bit disorganized....

Anyways, state of the planet aside, My show opens next week! So if you want to see it I encourage you to come on down! It's thursday, friday, and saturday of next week and the week after at 7:30. I think it's 8 dollars, but it could be 10.....anyways, if you want to come, please do, and bring your friends!!!


Oh, and one of the actors from the movie Twilight, is hitting on my girlfriend......yeah I'm not kidding.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

people are retards...fuck

So, as most of you don't know I've had a major shift in eating habits within the last 6 months. I've cut out red meat, I'm starting to buy organic, I don't eat chicken anymore, and I'm reducing my meat intake to entirely fish, but only that one's that are sustainably harvested if I can help it. I'm also trying to buy more locally grown foods. This isn't because of some ethical reason, like I'm trying to save the poor mentally retarded cows, or chickens. But rather because this planet, whether you believe it or not, is overly populated, too populated to sustain people eating a diet of mostly meat products...allow me to explain using cattle ranching as an example.

The amount of energy that is required to produce a pound of beef could sustain one hundred people for one meal. So, if a 365 lbs. cow could sustain one person for one year, then it could sustain one hundred people for one year. This is because energy transfer between food webs, is highly unproductive. That's because the life burns that energy through activity such as growth, reproduction, respiration, movement, etc. It needs to keep replenishing energy that is lost through those practices. So in a typical food web we see a much larger quantity of beings lower on the food web, that is, beings that get their energy through the sun, or through consumption of photosynthetic organisms. Still following?

what I'm saying is If you were to look at a typical foodweb, the amount of energy calories, which is measured in volume, is going to be much greater at the bottom because of the energy that gets lost through above activites. This is called the 10% efficiancy rule. Meaning, 10% of the energy that's available gets transferred to the next level in the food web. The grasshopper eats plants, which gets eaten by a frog, which gets eaten by a fish, which gets eaten by an osprey, which gets preyed on by a cougar.....etc etc.

So If you look at a cow, which gets fed primarily grass and corn, that grass and corn could be harvested for our consumption, and there would be a much larger amount of food available for other people. about ten times more, not counting the land that is used for cattle that could be used for agriculture.
So, using this approach, if everyone on the planet were to assume a lifestyle similar to mine in diet, the amount of land needed for agriculture to supply the world's population would be much less than we are currently using, which means more potential habitat for animals, less starving people in africa, a delay in global warming, the creation of new jobs and a stimulating economy due to new business ventures etc.

Did you know the world only gets 1% of its diet from marine ecosystems? Therefore, there's many things that we could eat in order to get our protein intake that we aren't even tapping into. Instead we're harvesting beef, and well..I just explained about that.

the problem stems from the fact that the Chinese (over 1 billion people) are beginning to have a "western" diet, high in meat products. This is going to put a huge strain on an already stretched food industry, and I think in the near future we're going to see a very bad situation arise from this.

Anyways, I was eating a vegetable sandwich (which is quite delicious mind you) outside of rehearsal today, and one of the actors begins to debate with me about why I've decided to do this. He didn't see my point of view, claimed that environmental science was based on emotion and not facts and dispelled what I said as pure emotion, and not truth.

Other people began to gather at this point and started talking about 2012........fuck

I've been trying to be optimistic about the survival of many the earths animal and plant species that are facing extinction, but the more I know, the more depressing it gets. Also, the more I realize how blind most people are on the subject of science, the worse it seems to be.

People put religion first, dispelling science as myth. I don't know how many times I've heard "the world's going to end soon anyways so why does it even matter" and every time I get closer to just decking that fucker in the face. It's exactly that kind of mindset that's further putting us into the shit hole. This 2012, end of the world, revelation phenonema bullshit.

In science class people were talking about how the general public has no idea about the issue facing our native salmon species. Did you know that over 100 species of salmon in the Pacific Northwest has been driven to extinction? Some of these salmon were over 130 pounds. But yet you can buy salmon at the supermarket for 5 dollars a pound. That's because those salmon are farm raised, extracted from a viable wild stock, or shipper from areas like russia, Chile, etc.

Anyways, sorry to be such a downer, but I don't get how people just don't want to educate themselves on these issues. It's no wonder we're fucked.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Drying Rack...FAIL!

Yeah I know I haven't posted in a while, I'm terrible.

Anyways, here are the going ons.

I, yours truly, have been accepted to Portland State University! Pretty soon I will be able to leave Salem and put my life into the next gear, which I believe is second..... I'm not sure if I will go there or not because I'm still waiting to hear back from Oregon State but I think living in Portland would be cool. I could see some of my old friends, go to concerts, live on my own, see the sights, live on my own. etc.etc.

If any of you don't know I'm going to be majoring in Environmental Science with a Japanese minor..or major...two majors would be awesome I just need to know the specifics of it. I will also minor in marine biology because the coolest creatures really do come from the sea!

Also, I'm applying for a job to go to Alaska this summer to work in cannery. It sounds rough, the hours sound shitty, but it'll be another adventure, I'll be in the wildest region of America, and I'll walk away with over $10,000 by the end of it. Enough money to live on my own and pay my ass through school so I won't have to work much will I go. The best part is that I know I'll be able to do it, and that alone is just awesome to me. I don't know many people that could say the same.

I'm still working out in preparation for the marathon I'll be running. Pretty soon I'll be getting ready to campaign for sponsors to well...sponsor me on my run in order to have wells built in Africa. Good cause no?

In more recent events, my attempts at being "green" took a disastrous downturn. Allow me to explain:
At work we sell drying racks for a fairly low price. I figured that if I bought that I could greatly cut down on my energy consumption from my bi-weekly laundry runs. So I bought one, set it up and threw my wet clothes on it. When I arrived to the bathroom in the morning it was destroyed....the weight of the wet clothes completly shattered the support bar...go figure. So not only do I still use the dryer, I supported more orders of the product, which means more will be made in China...etc. etc. and that ladies and gentlemen is what I call a FAIL.
ートマス

Monday, January 12, 2009

earthday.net

Soooo in environmental science class I was selected as the class guinea pig in order to figure out my ecological footprint. As some of you may be aware I'm what you'd like to call, ecologically conscious. meaning, I try to take some steps in order to cut down my impact on the globe (buying locally and used, recycling like a crack head, etc.). Well, as it turns out if everyone on the planet shared my lifestyle it would require a total of 4.3 planet earths to sustain the トマス invasion. Which, when compared to the typical American citizen, isn't all that bad.... depressing really. I think the main issue is that I live in by the world's standards a large house that consumes a lot of electricity, and drive a car that exhausts wayy too much fuel. Go consumption!
That being said, you should go find out what your ecological footprint is! The website is the title of my blog. Who knows, maybe you can find ways to cut back, and save not only money, but some space on the earth for other people as well.
As a side note, the other person in my class that also took this quiz thing had a total of 6.2 earths used, so I guess I wasn't as bad as some people.

Friday, January 9, 2009

Me? Casted?!

Yes, you read the title correctly! I, yours truly, have been casted in the winter production of Our Town by Thornton Wilder. I'm playing two characters...minor characters I'm sad to admit but I actually got casted! It's kind of a cool feeling, because this doesn't happen to me too often. Anyways, I can't wait to experience this and I'm going to do my best to observe the process and become a better overall actor. If anything this will be a fun time.
That being said, Japanese class is going well...if not extremely difficult, the new instructor is harsh to say the least....
Okay, I'm tired, I'll write more later
-トマス

Sunday, January 4, 2009

dealing with the public...

can be freakin' stressful! I'm sure anybody that's worked in a retail job has had their days where they just get a crapload of shitty customers. Well today was that kind of a day for me. I just have to keep telling myself that I'm going places and the only reason I get treated that way is because people get envious of my life, the fact that I'm happy, and that their stuck with no life whatsoever (to get mad about self inflicted late fees and expired coupons only proves that point).
To end the night on a happier note than I am, I have officially applied to Portland State University and Oregon State University. Of course I will get accepted to both because I managed to rock this term and bring my cumulative gpa to a 3.59! So all I have to do now is pick which university I want to go to.
I know today was awful but I just have to keep telling myself that I want to do this. I want to work, I want to be here. Japan is worth it Japan is worth it Japan is worth it. If I have my way (which I pray to God I do) I'll be studying abroad for a year in the land of the rising sun. I suppose we'll see what happens but I found a really cool program that if the Indian tribe pays for I will be able to afford and go do. I just have to keep studying the language and I'll be able to see this dream become reality.
I know this is long but I haven't updated in a while. The new term starts next Monday and so does some more acting! So if you want to see me in some productions I will be doing several, every other friday at the chemeketa mini-theatre. It'll be fun and you can watch me do my best on stage! I'll post more info as it becomes available to me.
Well just typing this made me feel a little better, and seeing as how I have to be up in 3.5 hours to go to Target I'm going to bed. Goodnight
ートマス

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Hamlet.......Does Godawful come to mind??

So we did our Hamlet scenes this week, and let me tell you, it was terrible. All but a few people did really bad (Rory, you sir are in the "few" category). Even I did shitty. I wasn't acting, I don't know what I was doing really, I suppose I was just trying to get it over with. Redemption, thy name is Tartuffe!!!
I'd like to have some grand excuse for this...erm....lapse, but I'm not sure what caused it. I suppose I just never made time for it, which is stupid of me because it's three needed credits so I can graduate. But I had two major projects, the play, moving, and Japanese homework to do, so I guess that's what slowed me in wanting to learn. Oh and I just started my second job again working at 4 am, so I'm "readjusting" my life so to speak (Hey! that's not as bad of an excuse as I thought!!!)
Anyways, Tartuffe is up and I'm determined not to fail. I will do this, I have to do this. I will be better, just as soon as I write Terry's journals and essay.......(fuck).