Showing posts with label spirituality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spirituality. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

97% Adult


Just completed the Epstein-Dumas Test of Adultness (EDTA). My result is that I am 97% adult! :P

I recommend people of all ages take this test and see what their outcome is! More info below:


Your Total "Adultness" Competency Score is 97%


The closer you are to 100 percent, the better. You needn't have mastered all of the separate skill areas in order to be considered an adult, but if your scores are low in one or more areas, people might question your adultness or consider you immature. Your scores in each of the 14 different skill areas are as follows:

Love: 89%
Adults are supposed to know the difference between sex and love. They're supposed to have experienced love, or at least to have some idea about what it means to experience love. They're supposed to know the difference between parental and romantic love, and to know that there are many different ways of expressing love.

Sex: 100%
In theory, adults know a great deal about contraception, homosexuality, how to please a partner, and how to make babies. They're supposed to know that condoms often fail, for example, and that masturbation is common among both males and females (somewhat less so among females).

Leadership: 100%
Adults are supposed to know about leaders and, to some extent, to be able to act as leaders—as leaders of other adults, of children, or at least of pets. They're supposed to know that leaders must sometimes make tough decisions, that leaders are in some sense servants of their followers, and that leaders almost always must report to other leaders higher up a chain of command. Adults are also supposed to be somewhat brave—at least in defending their loved ones or in killing harmless insects—and they're supposed to be able to defend their rights.

Problem Solving: 89%
Adults are supposed to be able to solve a wide variety of problems—financial, work-related, plumbing-related, and personal—and they're supposed to know where to go for help when they need it. They're also supposed to know the difference between right and wrong and to be cognizant of the consequences of their actions. They're supposed to be able to think independently and even to be aware of their own faulty beliefs.

Physical Abilities: 100%
Adults, or at least healthy adults, are supposed to be physically self-sufficient. We make allowances when people are sick or injured. The infirmities of old age are handled variously: when elderly people become weak, incontinent, or otherwise impaired, we often revert to treating them like children, even though, in some sense, we still recognize the elderly as “adults.” In general, adults are supposed to be physically strong, to have intact senses, to be able to climb stairs without assistance, and so on. We expect far less of children.

Verbal and Math Skills: 100%
Adults in our society are supposed to have mastered the proverbial Three R's (reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic), and they're supposed to know basic things like the days of the week, the number of days of the year, the number of days in February (even in leap years), the number of hours in a day, and so on.

Interpersonal Skills: 100%
Adults are supposed to know how to converse with, show respect for, forgive, apologize to, get along with, and assist other people. With children, we give basic reminders like “Remember to share,” but adults are supposed to have mastered such lessons in basic civility. Adults are also supposed to be honest in their dealings with other people, and they're supposed to have the good sense to follow the instructions of police officers—in other words to recognize that people play different roles in society.

Handling Responsibility: 100%
Adults are supposed to be able to accept blame for their wrongdoing. They're supposed to be able to make commitments and then honor them. When they begin tasks worthy of completion, they're supposed to persist in completing them.

Managing High-Risk Behaviors: 100%
We try to keep children away from cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, guns, and cars, because, presumably, they'll damage themselves or others if they have access to such things. Adults, on the other hand, are supposed to be ready to handle risky items and activities responsibly. Among other things, they're supposed to know that driving under the influence of alcohol is extremely dangerous, that the heavier one is the more alcohol one can tolerate without ill effect, that mixing alcohol with certain drugs can be fatal, that smoking can ruin one's health, that the safe use of guns involves considerable skill, that improper use of prescription medication is dangerous, and so on.

Managing Work and Money: 100%
Adults are supposed to be able to get and keep jobs. They're supposed to know that it's important to be on time, that “a job worth doing is worth doing well,” that we're supposed to persevere when the going gets tough, and that it's important to prioritize and complete the most important tasks first. Adults are supposed to know how to spend money wisely, how to save, how to invest for the future, how to plan for emergencies, how to manage debts, how to write checks, and how to balance a checkbook.

Education: 89%
Adults are supposed to have obtained at least a basic education, and they're supposed to appreciate the value of education. They're also supposed to know basic education laws—for example, that young people are required to attend school until at least age sixteen or so (depending on one's state of residency).

Personal Care: 89%
Adults, unlike children, are supposed to practice basic hygiene, to comb their hair, to wear clean clothes, and so on. They're also supposed to eat three nutritionally-balanced meals a day, to avoid between-meal snacks, to brush and floss their teeth, to get a good night's sleep, to maintain a healthful weight, and to avoid too much salt or sugar or fat in their diets. They're also supposed to be able to recognize a variety of medical and psychological problems—signs of cancer, asthma, sleep apnea, depression, bipolar disorder, and so on—and to know when and where to get help if they or their loved ones need it.

Self Management: 100%
Adults are supposed to be able to manage their own behavior—to use an alarm clock to make sure they awaken on time, to keep an appointment book to make sure they know why they set their alarm clock, to keep a list of things to do so they know what they're supposed to pick up on the way back from the appointment, and so on. They're also supposed to know basic techniques of “self-control”—counting to ten, for example, as a way of preventing their anger from getting out of hand.

Citizenship: 100%
Finally, adults are supposed to know some basic things about government and about how to be good citizens. They're supposed to register to vote and to participate in elections, to pay taxes, to serve on juries, and so on, and they're supposed to know most basic laws and to obey them.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Dealin in downtown

No, I don't deal. But I am speaking about this guy named Dealin I mentioned in my blog a while back. He was negotiating something or other when I walked up in my three-piece suit. "Kevin! How have you been!"

He never forgets a face!

We shook hands, he told me an awfully racist Native joke, and then chatting about the Holidazzle reminded him that buses were free this Saturday and next.

Of course, he claims that the college age guy he was chatting with just wanted to buy some peyote from him. For spiritual reasons of course ( I never quite understood those books by Carlos Castenada )..but remember...he's not dealin'! :P

He had to catch a bus ( #14 - same as me ) and I had to finish my patrol around the block. Still, nice to run into familiar faces in downtown.

Sunday, May 04, 2008

May Day 2008








Josiah and I were both in this year's May Day parade. We marched with Farheen Hakeem's campaign right ahead of the Green Party.

This year's May Day theme was "Building Bridges." And might I say that the message was one sorely needed society-wide. We are heading for an impending collapse - just as the 35W bridge - because our society is based on hydrocarbons. We were lured by its cheap price for such massive amounts of energy. But now, that energy is costing a fortune and destroying the planet.

None of us is independent of this but we all can be a lot more free of being fossil fools. And with Dubya being the first prominent Republican to admit addiction, I think we as a nation have begun the 12-step process to overcoming it.

Anyways, the parade lasted almost 3 hours! We got Powderhorn and it was crowded as always. Yet, we managed to find the spot where the Greens were. We also got some food from Hard Times Cafe. Josiah joined in the Hare Krishnas by playing the cymbals. I let him for 20 minutes - but he'd have been there for hours if I let him. I would, except I couldn't stay there past 5:30PM. I had a conference call in addition to dinner to make, and getting out of the sun also had importance! (That and Hare Krishna is probably the true "Song that doesn't end" )

When I was in Iraq, our mess hall Sergeant was Hindu. We hung out to study the Bagavad Gita and eat actual vegetarian foods prepared by the Indian cooks. We sang Hare Krishna. But I told him that I doubted he could convert me, but would enjoy what he had to share. His energy and passion for his faith was tremendous and something quite powerful. It is hard to not want to see what he has to share. But I had to laugh when he said that Buddha was just another reincarnation of Krishna. ( or Vishnu, their God ) Okay, sure.

I had a wonderful conversation with a woman from Parents for Ethical Marketing. Their booth was across from the Greens and Josiah was playing with some kids there. I found someone who agrees with me that advertising has just gone insane - and that kids are being programmed to identify with specific brands! She felt the same outrage I did when kids see a logo without being able to read and say things like "There's Eat Fresh!" (Siah did ) Even PBS has excessive advertising for the likes of McDonald's and Chuck-E-Cheese.

I was at one point a subscriber of Adbusters - a magazine dedicated to fighting the corrupt nature of the advertisers. The more you realize you are being manipulated against your own will, the more likely you are to regain control. And for those who don't think advertising works, why would they spend so much on it if it weren't?

I barely watch TV, prefer DVDs without ads. But even short MPR ads stick with me. Not sure how YouTube is going to change this for me, though. Siah and I watch YouTube videos of my old fave shows like Danger Mouse. On DVD I have He-Man, but it's not likely he is going to find and beg for a He-Man toy at Target anytime soon. :D

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Easter Eve

I)Shopping

Today was QUITE interesting. It is the first Saturday I have had without Josiah so far in 2008 and I am not sure what to do with myself apart from keep busy. SO...I did.

I went shopping! I exchanged a couple videos and Blockbuster, then got my Yuban coffee on sale at Rainbow. Then I hopped over to Target to get a Radio/MP3/CD Player boombox for my living room.

Upon getting home, I checked out the player, and it worked okay. But on my older MP3 cds,it tended to skip 1/2 seconds every so often. It played a newer one fine. I am going to test an audio drama I am recording right now from my iMac. Can't wait to listen to the new Doctor Who I just downloaded! Though I almost wish they made a Torchwood one now! Man that show is hot!

Then I cleaned the living room while listening to some older faves of mine.

II) America's Financial system and Peak oil discussion

Lynne Mayo invited me to attend a discussion at her place about issues that concern both of us more than the average citizen. I will go into this topic more on the Multipartisan blog.

It is interesting to note that Dureti mentioned the night before (on break ) that she was interested in these money-making schemes known as derivatives. She knows people that make money on it, and she feels just as deserving. Of course, I told her this was gambling, which...it is. But day-trading can be thrilling for some. I prefer real work with real benefits. But some wish to work "smarter not harder." Though I prefer to serve regardless.

III) Easter celebration with Jehovah's Witnesses

Tim and Myrtle Williams invited me to attend this celebration at Sabathani Community Center. I accepted. It is amazing, because this was held in the same room where I attended my first Green Party function!

Anyways, one might find it odd that I am a Buddhist who hangs out with Jehovah's Witnesses. But they are exceedingly nice, and even though I don't agree with resisting blood transfusions(or their view on sin or everlasting life), I like a lot of their perspective on the Bible. And Buddhism doesn't prohibit me from celebrating other beliefs, which is ironic as I am celebrating with people who have this as their only holiday which is Nisan 14 and not Easter! I really enjoyed my time there. As wonderful as it was, I didn't hang out with them at Christo's afterwards.

IV) Shopping again

I did what I had already planned. I went to Rainbow for another can of Yuban. You see, there was a limit on how many one could buy - one. And they were $6.50 off! I love them, and I also wanted the organic canned green beans on sale for a dollar each. Paper bags were important too.

V) Following my instincts

I already knew before I went to Sabathani my plan for the night. I would go there, then to Rainbow, then take the #21 to Bloomington and take the #14 home. I usually take the train home, but somehow I KNEW that I needed to do that. And there seems to be a reason I listened to these strong instinctual-like feelings.

While waiting for the #21 just outside Blockbuster, a #7 dropped people off. Just as it was leaving, a man shouted to have someone stop the bus. I did. Had I not been there, the bus would have left him. The couple other people at the stop didn't seem as enthusiastic about doing anything.

The odd feeling about taking the #14 at Bloomington didn't seem to make sense. But I followed it. I waited there with this beautiful young woman. But she didn't know her buses, and needed to get to Robbinsdale. I assumed every 14 went there - they don't. So when the bus got there, the driver told her to wait for the next bus.

As we were about to drive off and leave her there, she shouted to stop and I let the bus driver know. Had I not been there, he would have never done so. She got on because she would have to wait 30 minutes out in the cold ( silly as it is, she didn't have a hat with her)! The bus would stop at a transit station that was warmer and would allow her to transfer to the correct bus. I wished her a good night as I got off on 24th Street.

VI) Audio Dramas and then.....

Okay, I made myself some tea and will have some chips and salsa. Have these while listening to the audio drama on the MP3 CD I just made while typing this. Perhaps I should write my first review of these. Or just go to sleep afterwards....zzzzz