This is why I'm pale!

According to this article by Cosmopolitan, via Yahoo news, a girl from Rhode Island died at the age of 26, due to melanoma, the worst skin cancer, she got from tanning all the time.

As tragic as it is for anyone to die so young, I wasn't one bit surprised when I saw my friend link this story.

Apparently she had worked as a lifeguard for a few summers, and while working under the beach sun for 40+ hours a week, she was only using SPF 4 lotion. She was also using tanning beds nearly weekly to keep her tan in the offseason. She battled the disease for 4 years, and despite the ups and downs, and a few chances of hope, like when her doctors said her tumors were shrinking, she finally succumbed to it and related causes in December of 2008.

It's a shame, but even something as small as keeping your skin shiny can end up taking you out. Most people that get skin cancer think they're invincible, that they're not in danger because it's not lung cancer, or breast cancer. But even skin cancer can kill you, and shouldn't ever be taken lightly.

Now I see why...

In this story from the LA Times, many celebrities have started wearing tinted sunglasses at press events and movie openings, apparently to look stylish while also protecting their vision.

This definitely explains a lot, as I'd noticed this trend a few months back, and it's just been getting bigger.

The first time I noticed, it was Robert Downey, Jr. wearing some purple glasses at a premiere sometime last year. I didn't really pay much attention, as I just thought they looked pretty neat myself, especially since my favorite color is purple. Then I kept seeing more celebs doing it, like as the article states, Chris Evans wearing some brown glasses at Captain America. I even saw a picture of Johnny Depp and RDJ together, BOTH wearing purple lenses. It was at that point that I started to get a little confused by this new, explosive trend. I couldn't figure out why so many famous people were doing this, I mean I know fads explode in Hollywood, but I don't remember anything extensive as this. But this article here definitely helped fill the gaps. I actually thought it might have something to do with the flashes on cameras, so once I read this it all made complete sense. They like to be seen, their emotions are pretty important at premieres, to express their excitement for the big, new picture. But I couldn't even begin to imagine how annoying it must be, to have those big bulbs flashing off cameras in their faces all the time.

Truthfully, I like the new look. It's nothing too over the top, and it seems like something even normal people could pick up on without having to spend an arm and a leg.

I think this may be the last cold snap before the big heat moves in.

As anyone around here might know of, weather in this area's crazy anyway. But for the most part we kinda warm up through the spring a little, then have a dip in temperatures, then it starts to shoot up into the 80s, 90s, and even higher, especially last summer.


This weekend, in my opinion, may be that one final cold snap. Temps got down into the 30s and 40s overnight, which is just plain silly for April. Come mid-week, they're predicting we jump back into the 80s again.

I'm not even sure why I'm assuming anything. Our weather's just ridiculous! I will say that with each passing day, leading back into May and the 1 year anniversary of the big one, I get a little anxious. And the last few weeks, we've been getting back and forth weather, with phases of strong and severe storms.


I really hope we don't get a sequel to last year's insanity...

Volcano starts rumbling in Mexico

In this piece by the Houston Chronicle, a volcanic mountain in Mexico, dubbed "Popo" for short, is apparently starting to churn under the ground, and is alerting many scientists and government officials.

While I hope this won't be a big problem, it definitely is a big nerve-racking.


Apparently there are around 25 million people that live close enough to the volcano to be affected should it erupt, so government officials have started taking action by issuing some early evacuations to about 60,000 people in the path of possible lava flows. Many of the locals are "shrugging it off", as the article says, as most of the people that live close by are actually primarily indigenous, so they believe that the volcano is the spirit of a heart-broken man from ancient times, and that if he chooses to release his anger on them, then it is their time to go. While the locals might not be too worried, U.S. geologists and Mexican officials and police are noting that volcanoes are just far too unpredictable not to prepare for the worst.


I, personally, don't know anyone that lives in Mexico, but my girlfriend's step-father is down there visiting family. I'm not sure how close they might be to the volcano, but I sure hope nothing bad happens, to them, or anyone down there for that matter.

I'll cross my fingers for you, Mexico...

This is definitely going to be a love/hate football season...

According to this article by the Associated Press, Peyton Manning has more or less been put in charge of practices up in Denver, which means they're starting to run his signature no-huddle format.

I can't tell you how excited I am to see him keep playing the same way I've watched him for the last decade or so.

As the article states, while the change to the offense isn't exactly official yet, they're already practicing the hurry-up, no-huddle style that made Peyton and his Colts famous over the last several years. I definitely see the Broncos going far this year. It's nice to see that all of the players have welcomed him into the team, and are ready and willing to be molded by the master. It's also going to be interesting to see how the altitude change will affect Manning, as well as all the other new players to the high-up environment. It sounds like it might actually be an advantage to them, as going into lower altitudes will lower the pressure on their bodies, and extend their performance, while when other teams come into Denver, they'll have to adjust big time.


While I'm still not completely comfortable with being a "Broncos fan", I'm definitely excited to see what happens this coming season, not only with Manning's new team, but also with the reconstructed Colts. This is definitely a love/hate relationship I have with all the changes...

I think my Arab World class is really fortunate.

So I have Arab World with Dr. Gubera on campus. It's really an interesting and fun class. He's got quite the unique sense of humor, and a looooot of knowledge. We talk about a wide range of things relating to that part of the planet, but yesterday something really interesting happened.

Someone brought up the recently released picture of a couple American soldiers, with a couple Afghani soldiers, in which they're holding a couple body parts from an apparent suicide bomber or something. They've been rather controversial online, as the soldiers have slight smiles, so many people are claiming it's a display of "war trophies".

What made this interesting was a man in class named Brandon. I really think he's the best thing to happen to our class. Dr. Gubera calls him Captain America, but he was actually a Sergeant in the Army not long ago. When this picture was mentioned, he instantly chimed in to explain it, and I'm really glad he did.



Apparently, our government, while not really explaining WHY they want it, has expressed to our troops that they want literally everything documented, via pictures, reports, etc.. A lot of these pictures will be of troops simply displaying limbs from an attempted suicide bombing, really just to show the approximate size of such, probably just so the "boys upstairs" can keep records of things like that. The reason people are misrepresenting it as a trophy picture is the smiles.


The thing that, unfortunately, too many people fail to realize is how smiles work. These men are in a foreign place, without their loved ones, risking their lives, all day, every day, constantly worried that the next man walking up to shake their hand might be strapped with explosives. Are they expected to just sit and dwell on the horrors they see daily? They're taught to use humor to make it through the day. Who's to say there wasn't a man off camera that cracked a quick, unrelated joke, and these soldiers heard it, and just as a reflex ended up smirking?

Brandon informed us that they'll often times laugh while cleaning up a bombing attempt. "What an idiot. This guy just wasted his own ass to try and take us out, and didn't even do anything. Talk about dumb! Haha!" It's almost a sigh of relief. He told us even the Arab soldiers they fight alongside laugh at the extreme fundamentalists that carry out such actions.

I can tell you, after last year's tornado, even I had to deal with things like this for awhile. I was switching between bawling like a baby, and laughing hysterically every five minutes. I'd see that so many things were gone and destroyed, I'd worry about those that got hurt, and I'd cry. Then I'd see a random, bright yellow MSSU shirt of mine, stuck at the top of a tree. And instantly, I'd say "Well, how in the hell am I gonna get that down? Man, I really liked that shirt, but at least the tree looks good in yellow!"

We're taught to use humor to get through the tough times in life. That's how we as humans survive. So many people take things out of context, it's just not fair to the men and women fighting and dying overseas. You see a picture, that isn't even supposed to be on public record by the way, and instantly assume it's displaying a trophy? Why must things constantly be twisted?

Nobody can keep their hands to themselves anymore...

According to this article from The Guardian, some secret service agents were relieved of duty in Colombia after allegedly involving themselves with some prostitutes.

As disgusting as stuff like this is, I'm honestly not surprised.


The 12 agents were removed and replaced with more secret servicemen to watch over our President at the summit in Colombia, after reports arose that they'd been caught in the company of some rather promiscuous women. It's rather frustrating to see anyone in general doing such things, but even more so when it's someone that we Americans pay (via taxes of course) and trust to protect our Commander In Chief. There's so much issue in the news with the "sanctity" and "institution" of marriage being violated, mostly by non-heterosexual people, when things like this go on daily and hardly anyone pays attention.


I really hope more people get their heads on straight, stop acting like stupid, horny animals everywhere they go, and start worrying more about the people that do such nasty things rather than those that just want equal rights. Not intending this to be a rant about gay rights or anything like that, but really, why can't we throw our eyes in the direction that might make more sense?

No more storms!

In this BBC News piece, in something that they usually don't do, forecasters are telling all of the Midwest from Texas to Minnesota to prepare for a horrible, storm-filled weekend.

There's only one word that can describe how I feel about this news and the similar articles covering the net right now: terrified.

It's been less than a year since the horrible storm came through and swept away our hometown. While the article states that the main area of concern is central Kansas and Oklahoma, that's only a skip away from us. Just this morning I heard a couple of rolls of thunder that could easily be the worst I've heard in my life. Just 2 rolls of thunder, that's it. Not even a full storm. It brought back so many feelings and concerns, I can only imagine what this horror weekend might bring about for me and all of my fellow storm survivors, as well as those that were lucky enough to dodge it last year.



I was scared, I still am, and still will be until I know this system's gone. Crossing my fingers that the experts are wrong this time...

Cabin In The Woods is beyond impressive.

Cabin In The Woods is the new film out today, produced and co-written by Joss Whedon, known mainly for his work on Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly.

He's basically the ultimate nerd director/writer/producer. He's even the director and writer of The Avengers, the big superhero movie of the year, coming out next month.


Anyway, the movie starts out like your typical teen slasher horror flick, as most horror movies over the last couple decades have seemed to be. But almost minute by minute, this film just twists and turns and blows the genre away. I kind of envision him saying "Hi guys, I'm going to take your silly, overdone movies, make fun of them, then do it all a thousand times better."


I don't want to spoil anything for anyone that may be interested in seeing it, but I highly recommend the film to anyone that loves a good scare, a movie that will keep you thinking and screaming all at once, and even those that like a good laugh or two. It really is a nearly flawless movie that will keep you guessing and plotting from beginning to end!

The Hunger Games has the odds in its favor.

Even in its second week out, as this article states, The Hunger Games is still the top grossing film for the weekend, over the new movies Mirror Mirror and Wrath of the Titans.


This, just isn't surprising whatsoever. I've seen Hunger Games and Wrath, and while they're both great, HG is quite the flick.


Now, I never read the books, but my girlfriend has, and she was dying to see The Hunger Games. As time has gone on, I saw more and more of the trailers for it, and honestly became a bit excited myself. We didn't get to see it opening day, but we saw it the next day. As most fans of the books have stated, it's apparently right in line with the books, save for one or two minor details, but that's always to be expected when translating something that takes a few days to get through into something that's only a couple hours long. The film didn't slow down from start to finish, and kept my attention every second through. We ran out to see Wrath of the Titans today, as well. A lot of critics have been bashing it, mostly for not having a "big, driving story", but truthfully, when you go to see a movie like that, you're really going to be entertained and watch some big battles! The CGI and 3D were much better than its predecessor, and we were both thoroughly entertained. However, it was no Hunger Games. Wrath was all about the big monsters, shiny Gods, and crazy fights. Games was about a dystopian world, where children are forced to fight to the death, and the struggles they face both in and out of the arena. Our teenage years are already the most trouble times of our lives, so to be shoved into such a dangerous situation only makes it tougher.



I suggest you go see both, if you're into the particular types of movies. Either one will surely entertain you.

Peyton's a Bronco?

As this article by the Washington Post states, Peyton Manning was recently picked up by the Denver Broncos, which in turn shortly made Tim Tebow a new Jet up in New York. As the news post states, the football world is ever-evolving, and no player seems truly safe at "home".


After going through the shock and upset of Manning being cut from the Colts, the last thing (or damn near it) I wanted to hear was that he'd be a Bronco. I've never really been a fan of the team, and now I have to root for the win, because they're being helmed by my hero.


There were rumors and speculations going around that he might be picked up by the Titans down in Tennessee. I would've been more than okay with that. Most sports fans have three groups of teams: the teams they like, the teams they "hate", and the teams that are basically neutral. Tennessee was a neutral team for me. I've enjoyed watching them from time to time in the past, and seeing Peyton go back home (he went to college in Tennessee) would've been fun. I had heard he might go with the Chiefs as well, and as much hate as I generally get for it, what with living in their turf, I haven't been a Chiefs fan since I was little (and only then because my family picked my clothes!).


I suppose he has to decide what's best for himself, and at this point I just want to see him finish his career in a strong manner, hopefully with another ring or two. He deserves to end with a bang, not with an injury-created wimper. Go Peyton! ...and go Broncos I guess.... lol

Spring Break's gone...

Well obviously, as my title says, spring break has come and gone. I was hoping to catch up on some makeup work over the week, but I ended up with some horrible throat issues.

I'm not exactly sure if it's actual strep throat, tonsillitis, or something different entirely, but I haven't been able to legitimately talk for a solid week now, and have had horrible pains for a few days more.


I've tried taking it easy, but nothing's been helping at all. We went to Olive Garden yesterday for some soup and salad, and even though my other (better) half had to order for me, as her voice is lucky and still present, the soup seemed to calm the pain a bit. Hopefully if I keep trying to rest this weekend, I can actually hit the campus next week.



It seems this semester/year/decade(?) is the "horribly-plagued-with-illness-almost-weekly" stage of my life? Who knows!

A rough week over here

The title here is pretty self explanatory. I have had a rough and busy week.

To tack on to my already frustrating health issues, I've been battling a good ol' case of the flu bug. I just can't seem to shake it either! I managed to get caught up on some work I'd fallen behind on in my classes though, so it wasn't a total loss. My Social Problems project group also got to meet with a community partner to discuss a bit of our project and get a big step forward, one we've been waiting to take for a couple weeks now. I must say I can't WAIT for spring break to get here. I'm calling this year's edition "Sleep Break".

I'll be heading down into Arkansas next Saturday for my girlfriend's uncle's wedding, then we're going to come back up here and spend the weekend hopefully relaxing and airing out our busy minds. I'm really hoping we have nice weather so I can sleep with my windows open all week.


Thinking about spring break just makes me realize the semester's half way over, and we're that much closer to summer break. I've got a nice playlist of summer-oriented songs I pop out sometimes when I start missing the longer days, nice and fresh nights, and most importantly the extra rest! Hopefully this spring and summer will be better than last year...

Cancer-Cola? I don't think so...

In this link from BBC News, there's apparent change occurring in the soda market. Coke and Pepsi are having a chemical compound removed from their caramel coloring syrup that is found to cause cancer in rats and mice, though not necessarily in humans.

I was a little puzzled at first, but not entirely surprised, as just about everything is harmful to us these days. Though as I read through, I will admit I let a small sigh of relief slip out.

As the article states, the FDA reported you'd have to drink over a thousand cans of Coke (not mentioning Pepsi, I'm a Coke man!) in a SINGLE DAY to receive the same effects that the lab rats and mice did. I just don't see that as a significant possibility for anyone, especially myself. I've lost loved ones to cancer before, so it's always nice to see a little less carcinogenic material in my life, but I was also glad to see that it probably wouldn't have been an issue anyway. With the headaches, I've been having lately, I've been drinking a little more than usual, so I really didn't need another worry on my shoulders!

The world's a crazy place these days. Give it time, and someone will accuse anything of containing carcinogens. It really makes you think though, how much of it is just a story and some fake "crusade" against the businesses that run our country, and how much of it could actually be saving our lives?

Is it time to pick a new favorite team?

For any sports/football fans out there, it's recent news that Peyton Manning was cut from the Indianapolis Colts. What this article from Rant Sports reveals, however, is that he's not the last to go. Joseph Addai, Melvin Bullitt, Curtis Painter, Dallas Clark, and Gary Brackett have all been cut as well, so far. The list could easily continue daily.

My initial reaction is still here, still stinging. I'm not happy. The team I grew up loving and watching for the last decade is no more.

It was bad enough that my hero, the "captain of the ship", as you might call him, was forced off the team. But now all of the other guys that made the big plays happen? Granted, I'm more than elated that Curtis Painter's getting cut, he was a back-up quarterback, that's barely worth a dime. But the rest of them? This is heartbreaking. I know it's just gonna get worse, because many of the other senior, key players on the team are off contract now, and really just don't have a reason to stay. As the article says, they're even offering to trade Dwight Freeney, one of basically two or three strong defensive players that made up for the lack of a full defense.


All of this change makes me think about a lot of things. A big issue in the sports fan world is being true and loyal to your team. But with all of my heroes leaving, with all of the core members of THAT Colts team I fell into fan-love with, is it disloyal to move on with them? I'm beginning to wonder, I really am...

Windows 8 makes 10?

In this PC Mag article, Microsoft is apparently planning to release 10 different versions of their new operating system, Windows 8. The versions are currently listed as: Enterprise Edition, Enterprise Evaluation Edition, Home Basic Edition, Home Premium Edition, Prerelease ARM Edition, Prerelease Edition, Professional Edition, Professional Plus Edition, Starter Edition, and finally Ultimate Edition.

Technology is quite the interesting beast. I was a bit surprised by this, but after thinking a bit, it didn't really shock me anymore. People want choices, so the market tries to give them choices.


At first glance, it seems kind of silly to have TEN different versions of ONE operating system. Why would you need so many different versions? Will one edition of it really leave out JUST enough that someone will require a different "sub-edition" of that same type? What makes the Enterprise Evaluation Edition so different from Enterprise Edition that they need to be separated? Then when you get to thinking, this world, especially our home country, is built around options. There's always that thought in your head, when you buy something like this: "Man, this is great, it's so much better than the last version. But if only it had....[insert some random function you personally wish was included]." It's all about capitalism here. Sometimes companies almost compete with themselves.


Some day I hope to try out this new OS, but it won't be any time soon. I only recently upgraded my desktop PC to run Windows 7! It's just way to expensive for the average person to truly keep up with the advances of technology. You could literally be buying a new component or program every single day of the week, if that were the case. And not all of us are a Trump or Hilton...

Tornadoes... again.

As I'm sure you all know, we've already had a rough year for weather, especially over the last 2 days. I chose this article from the New York Times, but truthfully it's big news all over the country. While not near as powerful and dangerous as what our town went through last year, this storm system took a few lives as well. It has destroyed homes and business, and taken things people worked hard to get.

I'd say my response is to be expected. Part of the storm hit here, and I was huddled downstairs with my puppy for about an hour, while we waited for the machine gun-esque hail to stop falling, and for the lights to come back on. 

Last year's storm changed me for life. I may be able to handle storms better some day, but as it stands right now, they're terrible. Anything more than rain gives me chills, makes me hyperventilate. Hearing that we had a tornado watch, seeing the lights flash out, it brought on major flashbacks. So did the news afterwards of buildings and people being blown away. My heart goes out to my new-found brethren in the survivor category. 

I wish I didn't have to say that, I wish nobody else had to go through what we here in Joplin went through. I don't think anything of that extent will happen again, or I sure as hell hope not anyway. But no matter the size of the storm, there was still loss, and there is still new pain.

This article was a pretty obvious choice for my blog. It really, truly hit home with me. Mother Nature is a mean, mean lady.

Sick and tired of being sick and tired!

So, I'll come out and say it now. The source of my lack of activity in ALL things, not just this online class, is recent sickness I've been dealing with.

Over the last few weeks, I've been battling my body on a daily basis for a little bit of rest and recovery. Obviously, I'm not exactly winning. I'm not entirely sure what the cause of it is, as I don't have a doctor, or insurance to afford such care. I have however had a recent visit to Express Care out on Range Line, and they suggested I take a trip to Access, as they can provide more consistent and long-term care for me.

The best part is that they work on a pay scale, meaning I could potentially afford some real health care for the first time in probably a decade. I'll be able to have my blood tested again, and hopefully get to the source of the issues I've been having for years.

As the title says, I'm sick and tired, of being sick and tired. I want to feel healthy, happy, and rested. It's been a long time since I've felt any of this to a great extent, and I need this change. This year's been rough. Ever since the tornado last spring, I haven't really had a chance to slow down and take a breath even.


As soon as this semester's over, I'm sleeping for three months! ;)

Getting a late start, but hopefully with an interesting beginning!

So, unfortunately I've been super busy and sick over the first few weeks of this semester, so I've done what I didn't want to, and shirked my responsibilities a bit. But I'm moving forward, and sticking to it!

Now to the actual point of my post.

This story is from Yahoo! Sports, and it's a pretty big issue for me, "personally".

As any football fan can tell you, Peyton Manning is a big name. This recent season has raised a lot of eyebrows about his future. He had 2 major neck surgeries, and was out for the season. Generally speaking, he has 5 options should he decide NOT to play anymore: coaching, continue endorsements, become a sports analyst, do "nothing", and build an empire of sorts. Nobody's even sure if he will retire or continue playing, so it's anyone's guess at the moment.


This is where it's personal for me. I'm a huge Indianapolis Colts fan, and probably an even bigger Peyton Manning fan. I already had a bit of a bad taste in my mouth from the second I started reading, because I really REALLY don't want him to retire. I love watching him play too much, and I feel like he's got a few more years left in him. I certainly don't want him to pull a Brett Favre of course, and I absolutely would hate to see him get injured permanently. But, hypothetically, if he were to retire, I think his best option would be to coach. He's one of the best quarterbacks of all time (statistically, not JUST my opinion!), and he truly knows the ins and outs of the game. He would be a huge asset to any team he'd coach for, hopefully the Colts!


Being a Peyton fan, it's pretty obvious to see why I reacted in this manner. Nobody wants their hero to retire and disappear. The article on the whole is purely about him not playing anymore, and I just don't want that, as do most Colts fans.


There are a lot of people out there in the football fan world that are crossing their fingers for his retirement, and I just think they're worried he'll crush their favorites if he comes back. But as I've always said: Don't be hatin' on Peyton. ;)

Hello, fellow Lions.

So, introductory posts are always a little sketchy, because you're never really sure what to include, what to leave out, and just when to stop rambling. I'll do my best to make this an easy post for anyone interested to read.

 Obviously, my name is Austin Barnes. I'm 22 as of this month, and a Psychology major at Missouri Southern (I'm sure you've heard of this place...). I'm usually a pretty laid back individual, and can also be shy fairly often.

I'm your typical guy in this age range these days. I listen to music of all types, all the time. I love movies, also from A to Z. I happen to be a pretty big nerd and avid gamer as well. I'm guilty of playing World of Warcraft for a few years now, though I also own an Xbox 360 (currently frequenting Skyrim and Call of Duty) and a Wii, and have been lucky enough to find a female counterpart (also known as a better half) that is just as geeky as I am.

I have the best dog ever. He's a corgi by the name of Korben. Six months old, so he's quite the little rascal.

Like many of you may have been, I was directly affected by the May 22nd tornado last year. My grandmother and I lost our home, many of our possessions, and we nearly lost our two other dogs. Our home has been rebuilt and we're finally moved back in. While it's a relief to have our own roof and walls again, it's still proving to be a difficult situation to look past. I believe it's changed me for the rest of my life. Some things I'll work through and get over, other things will eat at me for years.

I do believe I'm rambling now, so this "lion" shall have his final roar for the day!