So there's this documentary out called Super Size Me. It sounds like Michael Moore's "Bowling For Columbine" except instead of bashing gun manufacturers it bashes fast food corporations.

The premise is that this guy eats nowhere except McDonalds for 30 days straight. He ends up gaining 25 pounds and 18% body fat.

Here--as in "Bowling For Columbine"--very convincing cases can be made. For instance, evidently this movie drives home how much fast food companies target children. And when you combine that with the supposedly "habit-forming" activity that is fast-food consumption, you can come to some pretty sinister conclusions.

But the problem is that to self-regulate based on non-illegal ethics is inherently counter-capitalist! Really, capitalism is based on the premise of selfishness, correct me if I'm wrong. There's a lot of good things about it, and I don't think economic systems should be particularly bounded by the same set of ethics that Christians are, but boy, it's like we're expecting or hoping that the people with the power, namely the leaders of culture-shaping corporations, will say, hey, I'm going to eschew making tons of money for my company and myself, and instead make sure that my product is socially-responsible in every way.

Most of these decision-makers aren't saved! JOY, Jesus, Others, Yourself. But what if you're living by YOJ? Or just YYY? Then what are you going to do? Be more concerned for the welfare of someone else? Or try to line your pockets with more dough?

Finals are over. It seems like I sort of limped home on the backstretch with this Database exam. I probably got a decent score on it, a few things make me nervous.

Ok, I just talked to Wilson, a grad student, taking the Database class, and we're on the same page. I think it's highly unlikely that I got less than a 90 on it.

Remember I said anything over a B in Advanced Production Planning & Control would be cake? I got an A-, so that's good.

What did I learn from this term?

It bites to be as busy as I was, because with the priority that school takes in my life, time with God wanes. And that really bites.

I like Probability better than APP&C, though you apply some Probability concepts in APP&C.

I may be taking too much on come next fall, when I try to take 14 credits AND work 12-16 hours a week. I'm a little worried about that.

Yay for the Spokane Trip with the IAC that's coming up next week. I'll take my laptop along and see if I can test the blogger "e-mail-your-blog-posts" feature.

Yippee, the term is over. But boy, for all the stress and busyness of finals week, I really felt like I learned stuff, and that's what makes school so attractive and stimulating: conquering hard material. Very satisfying.

Try this: go to google and type "waffles". John Kerry for President is the first thing that comes up.

Without you, Lord, I don't live, let alone thrive.

Let this fact temper my earthly successes with the realization of this reality: it's You working through me.

That being said, I rocked the IE563 final! At least that's what it felt like.

That being said, it was so much easier than the midterm. Makes sense, since the average was so low, that the teacher would react and lighten it up a bit.

One more to go.

Well, I'm over half of the way done with finals. I'd say they've been a success so far. I didn't do well in AI, but evidently I didn't need to. Math just felt good, it may not be as good as it felt. History was ok, I'm guessing I'll get in the B+, A- range when all I needed was a C. Slacker.

Got one tomorrow morning, one Friday morning, and I'm done. They should be doozies though.

So there's this girl, an IME major, who got a call from her boyfriend who she was mad at because he hadn't called for a long time. But when she came back she was happy, that little conversation made her all happy with him. Her words: "I'm such a girl."

No offense to vegans, by the way. If you're doing it for health reasons, way to go. If you're doing it because you don't believe we should kill other living things, I respect you, though I don't agree with you.

This is why I love school.

A test is approaching. Lots of material to study, to understand. Problem is, there's a bunch that you don't. You're studying off by yourself, and you are frustrated, because it doesn't make sense.

Then you get help. You ask some classmates that you find, you ask the teacher. Gradually, problems are becoming a little clearer, they're beginning to look less "big." See, when you don't understand something, it seems hugely difficult, almost impossible. But when you understand, things simplify.

And so, things indeed simplify. And then it's time for the test, and you feel pretty good. You go into the test, and hey, most of the questions are doable. Sure, some are complicated, but complicated doesn't have to mean hard, if you know what you're doing. And you do, at least mostly.

It's a wonderful feeling. To look at material that looked so mysterious just a few days ago, that is understood now.

It's 8:18 and I'm at OSU. Boy, I think things are going to be left unstudied. Last time I did really poorly on a test, the first exam in Thermodynamics, it made me resolve to study like crazy and do better. And I did. But this time, I'm not sure if it's less time or what, but I'm sort of in the same position with Advanced Production Planning & Control as I was before the midterm, except maybe I'll have studied less.

There have been very few time that I have put down something other than "A" when they asked you on teacher evals what you expect to get in the course, but I sure did on APP&C. Anything above a B will be cake. I'll pull an A in Artificial Intelligence, a Pass in History of the Holocaust, probably an A in Databases, maybe an A in Probability, depends on the final that I should be studying for right now.

She was only a whisky-maker, but he loved
her still.

Can I run through the wall if I believe in my heart?
Can I finish the race before I even start?
Can I walk on the water if I just do my part?
Can I do great things like you said?

Something, I'm not even sure what, prompted me to start writing this in church this morning.

Even this tiny little ditty, to show how much things can morph in a small amount of time, I'll write exactly what I originally wrote on the back of the bulletin.

Can I run through the wall if I believe in my heart?
Can I walk on the water if I trust hard enough?
Can I finish the race before I even start?
Can I do the great things, perform well enough?

I've got a lot, a lot of songs that are started, good ideas, but unfinished. I've been out of songwriting mode for awhile, ever since Tom moved away and took with him his demo-recording expertise.

Anyway, here's another unfinished one that would be cool to finish, except I'm sort of stuck. I need a good ending to it, but none has really presented itself. It's called, "Bread for a Vegan."

I’m walking, I’m thinking I’m hungry
I want something to eat.
I see the grocer on the corner
He’s advertising meat.

Looks great but I am a vegan
Protein’s evil to me
But instead of patties making me fatty
It’s bread I want to see.

Inside it’s really depressing.
Killing’s everywhere.
Fish is that way, special mutton on Friday,
All I could do is stare.

Finally, way back in the corner
A tiny section for bread.
I rush on over, thinking 4 leaf clover
I’m nearly out of my head

They’ve got one kind only
It’s looking very good
But when I look closer, I discover
The bread is soaked in blood

He’s crazy you may be thinking
The veggies got to him...

I need a way to link bread with meat. Like he buys his bread and is enraptured, until he takes a bite and finds out that there is some animal oil or...or, something that freaks him out.