About those Vlogs....

Here's that first one: Enjoy

Needles

I have an irrational fear of needles. I try to control it, but the thought and sight of needles makes my body completely woozy. I get lightheaded, blood drains from my face, body trembles and sometimes my vision fades to white. I've once woken up in a hospital next to my dad because I passed out while visiting him.
I'm not quite sure where this fear originated from. I'm just deathly afraid of needles. Even getting my ears pierced made me lightheaded (though piecing the holes myself did not bother me). My first experience with an IV in my arm completely freaked me out; I was on laughing gas getting my wisdom teeth removed when I noticed an IV in my arm. I was not aware that I would be getting an IV and the thought of a needle stuck in my arm scared me. I started hallucinating and envisioning the doctor wanting to kill me. On top of that, I avoid doctor's visits out of fear that I'll need s hot of some sort. Usually my mom and a nurse have to hold me down to get a shot done. It's childish, I know, and I'm ashamed of it. I hate the fact I'm terrified by something, and cannot control or overcome.
I booked a tattoo appointment for myself in hopes that extended needle work will help me overcome needles. The tattoo will be going down my left side-rib, right on bone so I know it will hurt. I'm afraid of flinching and messing up the tattoo. I'm afraid of passing out and fainting at the shop. I've been watching youtube videos of people getting rib tattoos just to prepare myself. I do have a previous tattoo, but that was a quick outline of a heart that took a total of 8 seconds, it wasn't enough to gauge the pain.

Future of Music

Today's release of iPad2 made me think about the future of music. I play the guitar. I've playing for seven years. Even though lots of virtual instruments are coming out and threatening real instruments, I wasn't worried about it because I thought those virtual instruments would never have the quality that real instruments have. However, this new Garage Band App for iPad2 changed my mind. We may be playing instruments with our tablet computer in 5 years. Who knows?

Dan Gulino #11 Experiment

During the last week of school last semester, I participated in a mandatory experiment for PSY 103 that involved me working with a teammate in order to “accomplish a goal”. Saliva samples were taken before and after the experiment in order to record my initial and post hormonal levels. After the experiment was over, the examiner revealed to me that my “partner” was testing me the entire time. My “partner” was a researcher who was African American, testing if my hormonal levels changed around a man of different race. I was completely fooled and boggled after this news was dropped on me. However, the underlying point is that these researchers at Stony Brook University take enough initiative, time, and effort to make their experiments so diverse, convincing, and worthwhile.
For the first time in my life, I know what it feels like to be an experiment. Graduate students take my actions and thoughts serious enough to record them, analyze them and present them in order to better a case study on a given topic. Some experiments were more interesting than others, but all accomplished the overall goal of adding data to a case study in order to validate an experiment. However, I still feel dooped and deceived.

Nostalgia

Why is it that everything from the past seems so much better than how things are now. Whether it comes to TV shows, to music, to just fun times with friends, it's always better when it's in the past, even when it wasn't that good when it was in the present.

For example the first semester of my freshman year I had a blast. I already knew a few people that were older than me that went here and had no problems making friends right away. The next semester however, everything just didn't seem as good. The parties were worse, my classes were worse, even just hanging out didn't feel as fun as it used to. However, me and my friend were reminiscing one night of our time at Stony Brook, and more than half of the things we thought of were from that second semester that I thought sucked. It wasn't until a year later that I realized how much more fun that semester really was.

So in reality, I think it really just comes down to it as people just cherishing their first love of something, or their first experience, and subconsciously not allowing ourselves to let new experiences live up to the original ones.

So basically, the moral of this blog is to not let the good times you had in the past cloud your happiness of the present

Popularity of Cooking Channels These Days...

I admit that on certain occasions when's there's nothing to do I would switch on the television and watch food network. Whenever shows like Best Thing I Ever Ate, Unwrapped, and Diners, Drive Ins and, Dives come on I stare at the screen as my stomach yearns for the different food shown on television. It's a great way to gather information on where to travel yet an even better way to torture one's self.

However what surprises me is the popularity of the cooking channel out of the blue now. Sometimes I see people linking to some of these shows and talking about them. Celebrity chefs like Bobby Flay, Rachel Ray, etc. I starting to get mentioned a lot. South Park also did an episode on the food channel craze.

One thing I am curious about is how effective this channel brings about business to restaurants shown on the channel. I would also like to know how chefs feel about how their profession is being exposed to the media as a competition or to turn one into a cooking idol. Certainly there would be some chefs that feel that some of these people don't deserve such titles. All is for certain though I don't think there will be a time when I watch this channel and not feel tortured.

Overpriced food!!!

Have you ever been to the SAC or anywhere else on campus to buy food? A lot of people usually pay with their ID cards so the price doesn't really bother them that much but I was reading an article that gave some of the prices for foods at the SAC compared to Target and the results were kind of ridiculous. I realize the school has to make some money but jacking up the prices of food to where its like buying food at a movie theater is really dumb. I'm not saying all the prices for everything is ridiculous but when you compare buying a bottle of gatorade at the SAC compared to Target you can see why some people, if not most, think the SAC is sells overpriced foods.
As students shouldn't the last thing we worry about is how much the food is? We come here for an education and see our wallets take a hit from the tuition and then when we think the worst is over they take another hit from buying food? I know that when students pay with their ID cards they don't add tax but the fact that the price is already that high doesn't really make a difference. Its not hard to find some students with all their meal points gone a good month before the semester is over and that just from eating 3 meals a day which probably would cost $10 meal. All I'm saying is that we shouldn't have to pay that much for food since we are here for an education and not eating at an Applebees. All this typing is making me hungry so I think I'll swing by the SAC and take out a loan so I can eat.

That one day

Every year, there seems to be that one day thats really nice in the dead middle of winter. Today, and sort of yesterday, but mostly today seemed to be that day. Every year, we have this one amazingly nice day and I seem to always be cooped up inside all day with class, or working, or doing something that doesnt involve enjoying the nice day out. Well for this year, I thought it would be more of the same. Yesterday, I was pretty much inside all day. I had class from 950 all the way through 510, by which time it was starting to get back cool out. Either way, yesterday wasnt that one nice day because it didnt have that aura(plus there was still snow on the ground.)

But today, I decided to take advantage of the awesome weather. I went into work this morning for a few hours, and got out early which was good. Then I left Stony Brook and came back home where I was able to finally enjoy 60+ weather. I went to the park around 2 earlier today. I was fortunate enough to be able t o stay until 6, which was a really long time. I showed the youngings that I still had some game. Overall, it was a great day. I met up with a lot of students that I went to high school with, and students that are currently going to my high school. IT was a pretty cool experience.