If I Were 18 Again by Peter Midnight

     Recently I was asked by a family member some advice for going to school. I gave him some general advice, but I thought that I would share some of what I had to say with you my readers. I am no longer 18, but man if I could do it all over again, I would definitely do the following:

MOVE OUT OF MY HOUSE AND LIVE ALONE

     The first thing I would do is move out of my house. I did have a mother who was willing to let me stay for nothing and she was a very cool person about it, but most of you do not have such parents. So in your case I would move out, I would even move out of my mom’s house if she could survive without me.

You CAN afford to live on your own. One way is by not letting a single person touch your credit. Build it slowly and maintain it as soon as you can. This will enable you to get student loans to pay for your necessities. I would do this. If you pick the right major you can tutor part time to obtain play money and use student loans, grants and scholarships to pay for tuition and household expenses. It will leave you in debt when you graduate from college, but if you have a good job and remain single you will pay off this debt in no time. This method is affordable because the value of the money borrowed will most likely be less than the money that you pay loan with, yet the amount will remain the same. You can afford to go to school, it will just take some creative thinking and a nice credit report to pay for it without working full time.

The next thing that I would do is to make sure that I lived by myself. Most people try to get roommates to share expenses. I don’t like this method for several reasons. Roommates can be flakes with money, they take up space, are hard to deal with, disrupt valuable study time, have problems that you do not need to be dealing with and more. If you are going to get a roommate make sure he is also in college too. These people are most likely not to hook up with single mothers (or fathers) with kids that will disrupt your study time. They also will be avoiding family conflicts because they have to get good grades. Most college kids that I have met these days are pretty quiet when they know that you are preparing for a big test. These are the people I would associate myself with if I were eighteen again. I would definitely avoid anyone with kids. The biggest problem with roommates is the alone factor. Let’s face it, you need to be alone to study and to bring girls (or guys) over. It is hard to do that living with somebody else. They don’t do things according to your schedule, they do it according to their schedule. This creates conflicts over using the house. And if you are friends, watch out, because the arguments are worse. Avoid close friends for roommates at all costs, unless you are in some kind of organization that does this kind of thing. Some sort of church or club perhaps.  It’s not that I am beneath these types of people or anything of that sort. It is just that school is very important to one’s career and nothing should stop you from getting it out of the way as fast as possible. If I were eighteen again, I would do whatever it took to accomplish this.

Another benefit of living alone is that you will not be surprised when you graduate and start living on your own how expensive things can be. Most people do not realize this, because they have lived with someone their whole life. It is a good thing to know. It helps us learn how to budget and live within our means.

We also need to know who we are and living alone provides us with the opportunity. There is no one influencing what you say, what you watch, what you do, or listen to. You can do whatever you want and no one will criticize you for it. This lesson alone is worth the price, because you can learn who you really are and what you really want to become.

STAY SINGLE WHILE IN COLLEGE AND BEYOND

I would not get involved with anyone while in school. Dating is fine, but relationships would be out of the question. You have no idea who you are nor who you are looking for. You do not know what you really like and what you do not. Use this time to experiment and try everything that you can. Maybe you like someone who is the opposite of you. Maybe you like skinny girls, I know I do. I use to think that I liked thicker girls, but when I dated them I found that they are nice to look at, but do not feel good holding. You would not know this, unless you dated both. You cannot date both, unless you are a single person. The point is to stay single and wait until you pay off your student loans at the VERY least to have a girlfriend (or boyfriend). Ideally, it would be nice to wait until you have a house (so she can’t take it in divorce court), but that’s just me. There are many more reasons to avoid relationships, but if you just avoid it altogether you will not have to know them.

CONCLUSION

I screwed up big time. No one told me how the world works and I paid dearly for it. Do not make the same mistakes and play catch up. Get your education and major in business, math or science (I’ll write more about this later). DO NOT PUT SCHOOL OFF FOR ANY REASON WHATSOEVER! NONE! Everything will come to you if you wait and work hard. Don’t try so hard to have it all at once. If I were eighteen, the world would be my oyster and I would have a ball. Make sure you do.

The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding Review by Peter Midnight

    It has been a while since my last book review. I believe the last time I actually wrote one out was in High School. Maybe I wrote one on this site, but to be honest I just don’t remember. I apologize for not writing lately. One problem is that I had a FREAKIN’ car accident on Tuesday. Since it is in litigation, I cannot express the details, but I will say that it involved me taking an ambulance ride on the stretcher to the emergency room. All I have to say is one thing, I highly recommend the Volvos made out of steel for safety. Had that been my corolla, I would not be here today.

     Anyway, on to today’s topic. Once upon a time, I read a book written by the man of bodybuilding himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The title much like the name of this blog is “The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding.” I have not picked it up lately, due to injury. However, I will say that I have fond memories of this book. Despite being over 900 pages, I read it over one weekend in high school and at least 2 more times all the way through since. Every now and then, I like to peruse the book for help with exercises and for motivation techniques. Great for beginners, but a little lacking for advanced weightlifters. Anyway, before I get ahead of myself let me just start the review.

GREAT FOR BEGINNERS

     This book is great for the average joe looking for tips on how to lift weights, but not much else. Probably the most useful pages are the exercise pages themselves. Most people have no idea how to exercise, let alone which exercises do what. This information alone is worth the price of the book. It certainly would have saved me at least two years of trying to find out the best technique for a bench press and so forth.

     The other useful info for beginners includes: protein nutrition, motivational techniques and inspiring photographs throughout the book. I absolutely loved going through the introduction the first time reading this book. It gives the aspiring athlete the hope he is searching for. The techniques for beginning and advanced bodybuilding are great for introducing concepts that can be explored later by the reader, but as you will find later are not my favorite feature in the book by a long shot.

Advanced Weightlifters Beware

    Here come my gripes with this book, which I did not have the first time around. However, being a little more advanced in my knowledge and experience I have to say that I am by far disappointed by this and EVERY OTHER BODYBUILDING BOOK THAT I HAVE EVER READ. Let me begin so you can understand what I am writing. First and foremost this is a bodybuilding book. However, most people who will buy it will NEVER enter the ranks of professional bodybuilding. That being said it is marketed towards everyday people, yet the “programs” are written for those who want to become a professional bodybuilder. I do not understand this at all. Why give us programs that take us 3 hours to complete? I say this having done the beginner workout for 3 months before getting hurt. Then again, am I supposed to be taking 3 hours? I don’t know and the reason is because the recommendations are VERY BROAD. There is a specific workout given to you, but then there is no listing of rest time in between sets, how much weight one should lift for each set and in some cases how many sets to do. Yet over and over again, Arnold tells us how he has specific recommendations for us that we can tweak at our own convenience. Give me a break.

     When you get to the more advanced workouts it even gets more ridiculous. While Arnold does give us more specific recommendations here, he tells us it may take as long as 5 years to get to this point. This is simply not true and it has been proven with other workouts. What I really like is how some exercises are never included in the workouts, yet are in the exercise section. Once again we get more principles of bodybuilding which are good, but in the “specific recommendations” we never get told when to incorporate them. So why include a specific workout that almost no one will be willing to do except for a teenager with a strong heart and no life (sounds familiar)? Because that way you can never be like Arnold and awe in his glory. Just kidding, I have no idea why, but this is by far my biggest complaint about the book.

     The nutrition section is a joke as there is not that much useful information. The diet plans are just simply outdated, but that being said there is some stuff that any gym rat should know ( protein nutrition, dangers of steroids, why vegetables are important, etc). Other than that, there are better books written on the subject.

FINAL GRADE

   A  

     I would still buy it again. Like I said, hands down the best book to explain and show you the exercises included. Not to mention, there is some good stuff written by Arnold in the book. His reminiscing about the old days of bodybuilding is fun to read and I feel him talking to me through the pages. That being said, someone should update the book with more pictures of people who don’t look like they are on steroids or have no real job. Even someone like the dude from the Bowflex commercial would be fine, just someone who has used the book and inspires us that we can do the same would be a great edition.

     This book is a great introduction to the world of bodybuilding and fitness, despite it’s flaws. I cannot not recommend it, so by all means check it out and have fun. Beware though, that the exercise pages on all of these are prone to coming out of the book (I have owned 3 copies). Pick it up and if nothing else enjoy the Governor at what he knows best, bodybuilding.

 

Mr. Controversy posts on wordpress.com once a week. To get a daily dose of his shananagans, go to www.therealpetermidnight.com.

No Arms, Means No Free Speech by Peter Midnight

My English teacher told us to write an essay answering the following question:

 

How real is the possibility that democratic governments that have honored free-speech traditions might employ similar techniques (similar to China and parts of Africa) when they determine to warrant such actions

 

The possibility of democratic governments imposing restrictions on the Internet regarding free speech is very real. The people have already lost the ability to revolt by way of losing the right to bear arms. Certain governments can legally keep themselves in power for as long as they want. In the name of protecting the people the government will take the right of free speech away. Democratic governments placing similar restrictions on the Internet such as the ones they have in China is an idea that is a true possibility.

Through strict weapons laws, the government has taken away the ability of the people to rebel against unfair or unjust laws such free speech restrictions. In the United States we have written in the Second Amendment to the Constitution, that the citizens have the right to bear and keep arms. The intention of this right is to protect the citizens from the presiding government.  If the government was to become corrupt or unjust, the people through weapons could start a revolution to stop them. Just like the American Revolution. This is no longer possible. The people have lost this right. The government has created laws which keep people from having the same types of weapons as the military does. This was not the case when the Constitution was written. People can have weapons, but they no longer can buy or keep the level of weaponry that the military has. You cannot have a Machine Gun in your house legally. In other democratic nations people do not have the right to bear arms at all. Therefore, if a group of people tried to revolt, they would be outmatched by the superior weapons arsenal of the Government. Any rebellion would be wiped out with ease. There would be nothing to stop the government from creating any law against free speech.

 

In the name of protecting the people the government will try to justify creating laws banning free speech of the press on the Internet. If a someone were to incite a riot using a website, citizens of a nation would want the government to protect them from a riot happening again. Then, congress (assuming this occurred in the U.S.) would create a law with penalties for inciting a riot via the Internet. In the fine print of the law they could say that all content released by the press or other entity must get approved by the National Internet Committee created by the law before it can be published on the Internet. No one would approve of a law like this. However, if you give the bill a nice sounding name such as “The Riot Protection Act” it would get passed immediately. No politician would want to be known for voting against a bill that protects against riots, so it would pass. This has already been done with the U.S.A. Patriot Act. The government could easily pass a law banning free speech by using the same excuse of protecting it’s citizens.

As shown the government could easily pass similar laws to China that would impose restrictions on the Internet against free speech. It could be done under the banner of protecting the people from themselves. No one would be able to rebel against this law, because the government has all the weapons that matter. In some cases all the weapons. They could maintain the status quo and suppress rebellion should such laws be met with opposition. The idea that democratic governments is not realistic should answer these arguments, should be far fetched in no one’s mind.

 

Peter writes weekly here on wordpress.com. To see his daily blog go to http://therealpetermidnight.com

Some Changes by Peter Midnight

As fall is now officially upon us (as of September 20) I have been reflecting on the past few months and what I want to accomplish in the future. I sat down and wrote out my goals for the next 3 months. After doing this I started to think about this blog. I enjoy the readers that I have and I think it is time to really crank out some good stuff for you guys to enjoy.

     As you know I was involved in a car accident last year. This accident left me in bad shape, but in the long run may have saved my life. You see I had the chance to reflect for about 1 month ALL DAY EVERYDAY. All I did was lay down, listen to the radio and ponder the deep mysteries of life. Occassionally I had to sit up to eat. While I did this I went on the internet to watch videos while eating. That is when it happened.

     I came across a video that contained the Republican primary debates. While viewing these videos, one guy kept coming across as the only rational human being on stage. His name was Ron Paul. I learned quite a bit from listening to Ron. I learned that our money is doomed to fail, because it is created out of thin air and that Gold and Silver at one time was currency in America. Also, I learned that most of what the founders of the United States of America intended for the country had been overturned by Majority Vote. I found out that the Income Tax is illegal or was passed secretly and in a vote that should have been a capital offense. I have to thank Ron for pointing me in the right direction.

     The concept that kept hitting me was this idea of gold and silver being money. I decided that I needed to investigate this further. While I investigated this, I found a guy named Jason Hommel. He runs the Silver Stock Report webpage. He pointed out some stuff about gold and silver in the Bible. While on his page there was a link to lewrockwell.com. I clicked it.

     This took me to a guest blog of a man named Gary North. I do not remember what was written, but I remember it had something to do with silver. I then entered his name in Google and found an article on lewrockwell.com about gold and silver. He said that silver was not as good an investment as gold, but should be kept for emergencies in case the our whole system collapses. While this seemed extreme, I liked the way he wrote so I would go back to his page often.

     It was around this time that I got a job as funds were running low. I was not healed up completely so I got a job doing something light because of my injury. One day while reading one of his blogs, I found that he wrote an e-book on how to get through college faster using non-conventional techniques. I read the book right away. I read the entire thing in about 90 minutes (yes I can read pretty fast). The message in the book was that you can graduate from college and hold a full time job, if you look for ways around the system. Nothing illegal, just a different road. For example, taking online courses or testing out of a few classes.

     This is what I am doing right now. So without further ado I would like to announce to the readership here (how small or large it might be,) that I will be blogging about my experience using this method. I am going to let you know what it is like for me to go through college (hopefully day by day) as I hold a full time job.

     Of course I will not blog only about this. Mr. Controversy has many things that he wants to blog about, but I think it would be entertaining to let you in on how it is for me to go through college at this time. So sit back relax and enjoy the ride.

     In my next post I will go over my college history.   

Peter Midnight posts weekly for wordpress.com, to visit his daily blog go to www.therealpetermidnight.com

To Act and Not To Be Acted Upon by Peter Midnight

We need to take control of our lives and not be controlled.

I was speaking with someone today and they were telling me how hard a time they were having at school. They attend a University and English is not their first language. This person told me that since they started school they have had an unstoppable appetite for food. They want to eat everything in site. They told me that it had to do with stress. I told them that they have to learn how to control stress. 

 

As people we deal with stressful situations all the time. Essentially there are only two reactions to them. Either we let them control us, or we control them. More often than not they control us.

 

IT HAPPENS TO US ALL

 

This happens all the time. We let demands rule our life. They control every aspect of our schedule. Deadlines for projects at work are coming up, homework assignments are due, tests are tomorrow and everything else in between. How do we react to these assignments when they are given to us? Probably not too well. Procrastination kills our time until we have less than 12 hours to go. Then what? We panic and rush ourselves to get things done at the last minute. We lose sleep trying to cram that last test question in. When the test is over, we rest for a minute, but fear sets back in as we prepare for the next deadline. THIS IS NO WAY TO LIVE OUR LIVES.

 

What we need to do is learn how to control our lives. I told this person that they needed to act and not be acted upon. This is a lesson I learned a few years ago in Japan. It is contained in the Book Of Mormon. Some things are created to  act and to be acted upon. This is not a religious blog, but I think this lesson applies well in this case. I will have power over my life. I will act. Things will not “just” happen to me. I will make things happen. This is the lesson that I took home the day I read this. It has proved to make all the difference.

 

WE ARE ABLE TO ACT AND NOT BE ACTED UPON

 

Since reading this passage I have been able to free myself from becoming paralyzed during decision time. I am no longer any man’s servant. You should not be either. Free yourself from this thinking. Become the master of your domain. Do not be afraid to act for yourself. Make decisions for yourself. Not for your parents, your brothers, sisters, or even your children. ONLY YOU. 

 

When it is all said and done we will all have to deal with the consequences from the choices that we make. While I have made some bad choices, I am more than glad to tell you that I made the decision. At least I had the guts to do it. The only thing that will matter is whether we can look at ourselves in the mirror.  I know that I can, CAN YOU?

Mr. Controversy contributes weekly to wordpress.com. To visit his daily blog go to http://www.therealpetermidnight.com .