A Bit on Guns

People are being so weird about this whole gun thing. I really don't get it. I see all these people just so upset about guns and gun laws and it makes people hate other people and I'm not entirely sure what my view on gun control is, it'll be clear that I lean to one side, but I do have some things to say about them.

So here's a preface:
Why I like guns: They're cool as shit looking. They're fun to hold, and for some reason, I really like aiming something that can shoot a projectile. It's the closest to telekinesis that I'll ever be able to get. And I also really enjoy shooter video games, the whole outfit and red dot sights and everything - so boss. Also, I own airsoft guns, it's fun pretending I'm actually eliminating threats, it makes me feel badass.
Why I hate guns:
They give someone the ability to remove someone else's right to life.
That's a big deal to me, especially when people use the excuse "It's our RIGHT to own guns. It's in the constitution!" To me, this translates into:
"It's our RIGHT to [have the power to kill another human being]. It says so!"
This scares the hell out of me, it's a RIGHT and not a PRIVILEGE to have the ability to kill? So with that in mind, here's my article.

First off, there is a SHIT TON of psychological warfare when it comes to guns. Think about the implications - if you know someone has a gun on them, naturally you wont piss them off, right? Guns are almost like a human's way of being superior to another human being. Think of any kind of secret service or even police officers, they have power because THEY HAVE GUNS. That's the first layer of keeping people under control and safe. What stops you from robbing a bank? POWER. What stops you from running up to a store owner and smacking him upside the head? He's got a damn gun behind the counter. And a camera. So basically a gun is part of the tool to have more power over other beings, because with the threat of getting killed from doing something wrong, it then stops you from doing that wrong thing!

Second, why do we NEED guns? Why should EVERYONE own a gun? Or why should everyone have the right to own a gun? I hate the old bullshit "It's in the constitution!!!" well the constitution is fucking old and we're now smarter and more developed than the people that founded our country. Ever think of that? Ever think of how much more developed we are in comparison to people who lived 200+ years ago? Back then they didn't have as much of a safe environment, since there was war going on in the country, lots more wild animals around, and in general no governing force. That's why it was in the constitution - people had an actual use for guns as self defense, and even to get food. So just... keep that in mind when defending your right to guns. Times are different now, I can't think of one time in my entire lifetime that I would have NEEDED a gun. I guess it's kind of like insurance, but I'd only need a gun if someone else had a gun. But if neither of us had guns... then neither of us would need guns. It's almost like economics, the whole prisoner's dilemma.  I'll try and make a little shitty box below to show what I mean:

			Person A
			Has a gun		Doesn't have a gun
	Person B	Has a gun	Person A: Has a gun and needs it.		Person A: Doesn't have a gun and NEEDS it.
			Person B: Has a gun and needs it.		Person B: Has a gun and DOESN'T need it.
		Doesn't have a gun	Person A: Has a gun and DOESN'T need it.		Person A: Doesn't have a gun and doesn't need it.
			Person B: Doesn't have a gun and NEEDS it.		Person B: Doesn't have a gun and doesn't need it.

So that took so much longer than expected, but basically this gets the point across that I was going for. Obviously, having a gun in any given situation is more advantageous than not having a gun, and we all know that we can't trust people. So we all assume we need to get a gun, and that is a very safe assumption, because of this oversimplification of having a gun or not having a gun:

			Person A
			Has a gun		Doesn't have a gun
	Person B	Has a gun	Person A: Live		Person A: Die
			Person B: Live		Person B: Live
		Doesn't have a gun	Person A: Live		Person A: Live
			Person B: Die		Person B: Live

So that's why Japan is so successful, they just have the bare minimum number of guns in the country and this number is so few such that they can keep track of EACH AND EVERY WEAPON. Imagine that, imagine if we could actually keep track of every single weapon on the planet, so we know when one goes missing or if it was just abused or whatever.

Third, my biggest thing isn't guns, it's guns that have a potential to do COLLATERAL DAMAGE. For example, if someone has a semiautomatic pistol and goes on a rampage shooting, they can cause a lot of casualties before an officer takes them down. HOWEVER, if the same person just had a hunting rifle (that's single shot, not semi) and went in public, they would cause little to no damage. If they have to reload after each shot, they could get disabled after shooting once if people were willing to actually defend themselves. What DOESN'T HELP:
Putting MORE people with MORE dangerous guns in public to try and stop the people about to go on a shooting rampage. It makes no logical sense. Since guns are a double edged sword... why make more double edged swords?

What I would like to see:
I want to see a balance between being able to own weapons and when you are able to use them. Maybe just keep them with the police and then log that you were taking your gun out whenever you go to use it. Guns aren't used that often for fun anyways, or for leaving the house. And what we could do is get guns installed with tracking devices and then set up in our homes sensors that make sure the gun doesn't leave the house. I just want to know where there are guns and where I'm in danger of a gun becoming an issue. I'm cool with people owning them, but I feel like it should be more widely known who owns a gun and who doesn't, just because the pure nature of a weapon is the ability to kill at a moment's notice.

Anyways, thanks for reading this little rant. If someone can give me a really solid argument for letting everyone own guns, please post it or message me on facebook or google plus or something. I'd love to hear a good argument favoring the other side more than I am. Peace out everyone.
                                                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                                 

Best Weekend Ever

Back to New - 3lau Reboot
I'm way overdue with this post, but better late than never...
So it started off with me realizing that I had no classes Friday, so I thought I might just start early. Thursday night came along, and I just decided to hang out, do whatever, stay up too late to function well - I guess a normal college night for some. From what I remember, Thursday wasn't the most exciting night, but it was still enjoyable. Then Friday night comes along, and I had promised two of my buddies on my floor I'd go out with them that night. We didn't really have a plan, so I wasn't really expecting too much out of the night, but I went with it. And really, It's just funny how things work out with timing and whatnot. So we were walking down frat row, checking out if anything was going on. It was pretty quiet because it was the weekend before finals. So we're walking down the street, and I notice a frat building that I recognized from earlier that day - vroom quick flashback:
Earlier in the day I went on facebook and saw an old buddy of mine who used to play some good old DotA with me (for those who don't know what DotA is, either look up the song by Basshunter, OR think of a game similar to LoL. If you do the latter, immediately afterwards kill yourself because LoL is so bad in comparison to Wc3 DotA and you're missing out). So I actually found out he's in a frat on campus, and took a mental note of what the house looked like.
shheeoowww back to present.
I see the house, and I yell "Hey do you guys know *Insert the most generic name for a male here*?" and they say, "Do you actually know *generic name*?" And I yell back "Yeah I do!" and they yell back "What's your name?" and I yell back "It's Nate Landslot! Me and *generic name* went to high school together!" then they say "Yo he's right here." And then *generic name* steps off the damn porch and comes down and says hi, and invites me up. Of course at this point my friends were far ahead trying to find something going on. So we stay for a minute, and I try to learn some names of the frat dudes. I think one was Matt, Cam, and I KNOW one was Darkness. These guys were just chillin, so me and my friends just moved on. So this is where timing gets crazy - we were starting to walk back to our dorms when we were outside a different frat, and then some extremely sober chick opens the back door of said frat and starts talking on the phone. My buddy ran over and snagged the door before it shut, and boom, just like that, in those few passing seconds, we snuck into a frat. Word. Good shit, amirite?
So it gets weirder, but here's the setup.
I went in there, first timer to frats and all, thought it was pretty neat. Pretty much its a really sober dance party with very appropriate clothing for say, middle school dances. I mean, that's what frats are known for, right? No getting within a solo cups distance to another person when dancing - I vividly remember that rule. So what was weird though was the lights turned on. But whatever, I guess it helped, because some brown haired chick who looked vaguely familiar came up to me and asked for my number. She was saying she recognized me from track and field, and once she told me she was from Portsmouth I instantly thought - shit, I definitely met you the first week of school. I mean, we could have met at track and field, but we definitely met the first week of school then never saw each other ever again. Sadly though, even with a picture of us on her phone, my number in her contacts, and a friend request pending on facebook, I haven't heard from her since. Whatever though, maybe after next semester she'll realize she's missing out on a cool friend. Her loss. So that's basically when my night ended. Except for when I almost fell asleep on the ground when I got back to the dorm. Ask me about that in person if you want to know about it.

Now Saturday was pretty cool too.
Except for the ugly chick.
So instead of saying ugly chick, from the rest of this post down, wherever you see babe, just know that it really means ugly chick.
My buddies knew of a gathering going on that was meant for people who work at one of our dining halls. Somehow they knew the DJ or something weird, and they got an invite and extended one to me. That's a bro ass move right there. So we headed over, we were one of the first few people there, and we just hung out, got some games of ping pong in, and as we were talking while the music was blaring, some babe just tossed herself at one of my buddies. Of course, he was here with another girl, so his natural move is to be SUCH a bro, and push this babe right on to me. So this babe rubs my chest and says "Wana dance? *stumble*" and before I really could respond this girl was so close to me that no solo cup ever could fit in between us. I mean, she's a babe, so it's cool right? Meh, I felt like I got molested, but since I'm a dude that just means that a girl kissed you and you aren't too much of a bitch to deal with it. Because at one point this babe was trying to steal my love sausage, which I was saving for LATER! That's when I realized she was too 'beautiful' for me. I had to get out of this contract, so at one point I said to this babe something along the lines of "You're a little too 'beautiful' right now, aren't you?" and she says "Yeah but it's fine, you're a nice guy!"** And I says right back, "Yeah, I can't do this." And I walked away. To the bathroom. To pee.

** We didn't even say hello, how could she know a thing about who I am? I didn't even have time to say something funny... ***
*** Maybe she meant "It's fine, you're a 'nice guy' right now!" and I just didn't catch the drift... Oops!****
**** Naw, she was literally just fucking hammered.

Then after that we were looking for a different place to go, we wanted a frat. What ended up happening was my friends all got in a frat, and I went on the phone with my friend, you know, being the 'nice guy' that I am, I thought it would be nice to talk to my friend and keep her up to date with the night's happenings. I told her all about the 'nice guy' things that happened this weekend, and how 'beautiful' all the people were. Actually, I think I said a lot of 'beautiful' things to her, but in the end I remember the conversation being better than dancing more at a frat with tons of 'nice guys' and 'beautiful' girls.

In the end, what I really got from that was two tight friends. That's what really matters, making memories with people you don't know well to make them less like strangers and more like family. That's wutsup.

Early Bed Time

Teardrop - Massive Attack
As I lie in my bed trying to get the urge to fall asleep, I just keep thinking about what would make me really happy right this second. Right in this moment. And right now, that thing is a cure. I want to be free from this cage that I've been trapped in, I want to feel my confidence bustling and my energy rushing again. After being sick for 3+ months, it's really hard to remember what it's like going up stairs without getting slightly winded. It's hard to remember how I used to act when I did have energy. It's hard to even remember if I ever actually had energy in the first place...
I don't mean to seem down again. I just want to put things in perspective for myself - my first semester of college I've been ridden with health issues which has stopped me from socializing to the extent that I'd like to. I mean, in the long run it's not too big of a deal, I'll have more time to do it. But it's just rough with all the excitement from the summer leading up for college then getting here and starting off with pinkeye, which led directly to my lyme/hypoglycemia/whateverthefuckthisbullshitis issue. Basically right when I got here my confidence took a big ass whopping (Nobody wants to get pinkeye from someone they don't know). The main things that have been on my mind have been the downers in my life, so of course I'd take that luggage into most of the conversations I entered.
So, I just want an answer. I just want to find out why my body hasn't been functioning at it's top level. It affects my mood. It affects what I do and what I don't do. For fucks sake it cost me being on the Frisbee team. I'd tell everybody about how chill the guys were and how excited I was for the spring break trip to Georgia. So now, I have to find new plans for spring break AND a new activity to do. Fun fun. Maybe this will teach me a lesson, don't plan too far ahead in the future, you never know where it might take you, and just go with whatever happens.
So as bad as it feels now, I do know that I'm going to be a better person from this... Somehow. Every significant thing in my life has taught me something. For example:
Alex: This guy really started to mold me into a more thoughtful philosophical person. We'd go driving around and just talk about life and things and have fun. Splitting a little Caesars pizza with him was always so fun. Somehow it'd spark good conversation. I remember, though, he'd drive me home from theatre practice all the time, and a few times we'd talk about the energies of people, and how certain energies communicate. This still sticks with me today, and fits in with my whole binary theory, and the energies he described are only on one plane of existence.
Kenz: Brings out the best in me, always finds a way to bring out who I feel I really am. When we dated, whether she knew it or not, she actually brought out a new side of me that made me realize I'm a like able person. Before her I never thought anyone would want to date me, but our vibes changed that. Also, this chick makes me laugh more than anyone, I have no idea how she does it. Maybe it's how our energies communicate, or just that we became friends in a really unique way and we're comfortable around each other. Either one can explain it.
Mel: Showed me the power of being in love. Against all odds hold true to what YOU believe in, make sure you know where you want to go in life and what you love. She also taught me how to fight authority in a way, to be strong right in the face of danger. Girl, you are the strongest human being I know, I honestly don't know how you survived everything we went through. I miss your personality, by the way...
Ryan: Best friend a guy could ask for. Always there for me, any time, always ready to talk about my girl issues, or the good things about girls. And also, he's been friends with both of the girls I've dated, which just creates a really comfortable environment for everyone. By the way, whoever marries this man will be the luckiest damn female in the world. Hessie is a gentleman down to his soul, and always (Unbeknownst to him) drives me to become a better person.
Bryan: My brother. I care about him a lot. I feel like I influence him to become a better person, I almost feel like at times I'm the only person that can get through his hard outer shell into his softer, more relaxed, creative side. Once I get through, I can see he is exactly like me. He thinks like me, analyzes situations like me, gets anxiety attacks like me. He's also smart as hell, honestly he's smarter than me, he just needs to learn how to use it in order for him to reach his full potential. That's where I come in. I really enjoy talking to him, especially about deeper things, deep talks about the future and where he'll be and what he'll be doing. I really want him to do computer science, he was made to do it. He's got so much potential.
Mom: She's always been there for me, the highs and lows. Always in control, always knowledgeable. Whenever I need help I can just talk to her and she knows what to do. She helped me through some of the hardest times in my life. Where I couldn't stand she took my place and helped me out, teaching me the way. She's also just the right amount hands off since she TRUSTS me. As a parent, trust is the strongest thing you can give, second only to love. Thank you...
There's more people to write about. I just can't do it right now. Thanks for reading this post, mystery people.

Last Week on a Friday...

Last week I went to the doctor for a checkup on my current ailment (fatigue, sleep issues, etc.) and for the most part I was pretty frustrated. I was under the assumption that I was going to get blood taken, and then a few days later find out what was wrong. Well, that day was actually pushed to yesterday but that's besides the point. I went there getting nothing from the appointment, but something so wonderful happened. Something I didn't expect from the day, nor did I expect this to really influence any of my life, but here's the story:
I signed in for my appointment with Dr. S. for now let's call him Dr. Numan because he's kinda like Numan from Seinfeld. Slightly awkward, big guy, glasses, curly brown hair, and his full last name rhymes with Numan. So why doesn't he switch his last name already? Beats me. So as I was waiting to see Dr. Numan, since Dr. Pumpkin (His name rhymes with pumpkin. We call him Dr. F the Pumpkin anyways.) was taking a sick day, we had to switch doctors and tell him all about it all over again.
So, back to the waiting room - I get sidetracked too often. I walk over to a seat that has a smaller chair in front of it, supposedly meant for children. "F**k that," I (might have) thought, "my legs are going on that." So I moved it over to kick back and take it easy. Then there was this cute little girl, no older than four years old who started shyly walking towards me and my father, who sat beside me (No I didn't share my footrest). She was around two and a half feet tall, with blue - green eyes, blond hair and big cheeks. She was shyly inching towards the chair - or me. I couldn't really tell. I assumed the chair, so I offered her the seat (what else could I assume a wandering child could want?). She then ran back to her parents. I shrugged it off but didn't put my feet back up yet. She then came back with a sticker on her pointer finger, slightly curled because it clearly was once stuck on some article of clothing. She then started looking at me and tried her best to show me the sticker by pointing her finger to the ceiling and twisting her arm awkwardly to show me the picture. I caught a glance and it was some kind of super hero, so I asked her about it. But just then her family was about to leave, so I said goodbye. My Dad then commented "She likes you, Nate. I bet she's going to wave as she leaves." And sure enough, she did. She started off trailing behind just to wave back. Then she caught up a little and waved a second time. The third time she waved she was nearing the corner and she clung to her mothers arm and waved one last time.

This whole ordeal struck me as the cutest thing that has EVER happened to me. For some reason kids just feel safe and comfortable around me, or they just like to look at me. I remember I was working at Panera one day and I walked down the isle with all the booths and there were three babies in three different booths. They ALL turned their heads to look at me. And these babies were the ones that don't have very strong necks, so they looked like they just threw their head to the side and they couldn't pick it back up. It was funny and also really interesting/strange at the same time.

Also, this made me want to have a little baby girl of my own. One day I'll be a father, and I'll be the best damn father ever.