Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Dominic Mandingo Jackson's LiveJournal:

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Wednesday, February 27th, 2008
2:42 pm	Roda da Liberdade: Primeira Parte I have been meaning to post this for a while, but I think it'll will be better because I waited. For a while I thought it would go into my blog that I am, by some measure, getting closer to starting, but then I realized that thats the opposite of the purpose for which I intend to start blogging. This is about my life: Two nights ago I was in a (reasonably) good mood. I'd just had a rather frustrating capoeira training session. These have become more frequent as I grow into the point in my training where I'm beyond "beginner" and but not very close to "good". So I, being who I am, am starting to take more initiative when it comes to teaching and sharing knowledge, but some jerks/idiots don't recognize when I am actually right/knowledgeable. Very quickly, we were playing music and, because we had been musically embarrassed at the recent event in Philly, Justin (aka Siriguejo) was in overdrive and was "teaching" people to play berimbau by making them do everything exactly right from the get go. Now, I recognize that there are definitely things (like learning capoeira movements) where you need to make sure not to start bad habits. However, there are also ways to ease into a correct, but complicated, way of doing things without gaining a bad habit. Anyway, you can see how I would be frustrated because Siriguejo just steamrolled both me and the people who were learning. So, skip ahead to that night... I'm online talking to a friend with whom I often share these frustrations. I didn't share this time, because it was a minor event and I was already feeling a lot better. Another important note is that after the performance I saw on Sunday, I was really into the strategy/beauty/culture/music of capoeira angola. So I was listening to some songs which I got off of a website which have nothing more than a cantador (singer) and a pandeiro (tambourine-like thing) so you can easily hear/train the lyrics of the song. I downloaded these songs around the time that I started to train capoeira in Annapolis back in April 2007. Some memories/associations are so strong that you actually feel like you're living it again. I was immediately transported... ...back to last summer. Things weren't great due, in part, to me having been extremely ill very recently (late April/early May), but they were changing and thats always a fun and exciting time. Listening to these songs (especially the ones I don't listen to as often now) I could distinctly remember driving through Riverdale, down Route 50 and into Annapolis with the windows down and the music blasting. Singing at the top of my lungs these songs in a language I didn't know at all. (Bold is what you sing, everything else is what I do) O riacho que corre p'ro rio e o rio que corre p'ro mar O mar é morada de peixe quero ver quem vai pegar o cordão de ouro Beira mar auê Beira mar Ô Beira mar auê Beira mar O no tempo que tinha dinheiro eu dormia com Iaiá Hoje dinheiro se acabou Capoeira chega prá lá Beira mar auê Beira mar Ô Beira mar auê Beira mar ( Translation behind the cut. ) It was one of those times that didn't feel particularly great then, but in retrospect it might have been one of the happiest times of my life. The other moment these songs bring to mind is getting my first berimbau and learning to play and sing at the same time. This is a difficult thing to do, even for someone who is trained in music, especially if that is mostly "western" music. I remember sitting on the stairs in front of my parents' door on warm, humid, buggy, DC-area nights in July playing slowly and singing. Manoel dos Reis Machado (bis) Foi embora e nos deixou Deus lhe ponha em bom lugar Pois é merecedor Foi o rei da capoeira Foi ele que me ensinou Ele foi mestre dos mestres Meu mestre que Deus levou Se não joga mais na terra Pode lá no céu jogar Com Traíra e Besouro Aberrê e Valdemar Ele foi rei aqui na terra E hoje é rei em outro lugar Camará Iê Viva meu Mestre Iê Viva meu Mestre Camará Iê que me ensinou Iê que me ensinou Camará Iê a Capoeira Iê a Capoeira Camará Iê viva a Bahia Iê viva a bahia Camará ( Another translation, another cut. ) This is probably the precursor to my Big Capoeira Post, where I'll probably explain a little about what capoeira is and a lot more about what it means to me. Current Mood: nostalgic Current Music: Binary Seach Trees (Comment on this)
Monday, February 11th, 2008
3:39 pm	If I had a blog, I would probably import this as the first post. We'll see. I had some time to kill today, and due to a discussion I had with my mom, umprof, I was thinking about free education, and sat in on a big lecture that turned out to be sociology. Just to fill you in, my mom and I talked about free education (that's free as in speech, not free as in beer although it is that too) after she found MIT OpenCourseWare. For those of you not adventurous enough to follow the link, its essentially a (very large) list of free (as in beer) college level courses ranging from Aeronautics to Gender Studies. So, I was into free (as in speech) software/operating systems and now I'm getting into the idea of free (as in speech, and maybe beer) education. That's going to be the topic of an upcoming post, I hope, but for now... So I hear the lecturer from the hall outside of the classroom and its a familiar voice. Its Dr. Tufeki (thats Tufekcioglu in her native Turkish), and some quick research tells me that it was SOCY 101, Basic Concepts in Sociology. Now, I didn't like her very much when I had her because I felt she made a lot of generalizations about American culture that I felt were misguided, or totally wrong. She wasn't much better this time around, but its interesting how knowing that you aren't getting graded or preparing for a test makes it easier to "be an independent thinker". After some very factually wrong comments about PETA (no, they aren't just vegetarians) she moved on to a table entitled Values in US Society (This is all on her Power Point Slides, of course). One of the items was Education. Needless to say it sparked a small debate. I think that it is interesting that, as she pointed out, we value education, yet have many of the best and worst schools in the world (e.g. Johns Hopkins vs. any public school in Baltimore). However, one student brought up the point that the US consistently ranks on the bottom of a list of 32 "industrialized" nations (if this were a blog, I'd find the real research) on some test for high school aged children. Now, not being afraid of getting kicked out, I raised my hand and offered my two cents. "I feel like this conversation we're having is very representative of the way americans value education. The way we determine who is best, even if they're outside our system is by means of a standardized test. I'm sure that Germany probably scored much higher on the test the other student mentioned, but in Germany you're tracked from middle school into vocational schools, college prep schools, and others. Sure, other nations may be more rigorous with facts (and that is very important) but sometimes at the expense of the individualism of the student. Which system is better? I don't know. Probably neither." Then, of course, she summarized everything I said with one of my most obscure, least important points. She's an expert at this, and its infuriating, but much less so when your not actually in the class. Also, another side-note on attending a class you're not enrolled in: you look at the clock a lot less frequently and pay attention a lot more. Everyone should try it, if only for this experience because the same is true, I'm sure with meetings and other work related obligations. Anyway, this is really interesting to me because it probes (however unintentionally on Tufeki's part) what "education" really is. Firstly, its just a word and it can mean whatever we want. That being said, is education simply for the purpose of putting the tools (i.e. facts, information, problem-solving skills, other skills, etc.) in your hands and then turning you loose, or should it help a person to be a better human being? find their passion and help them make a living in that area? "get a good job with a great starting salary"? I'd like to believe that the first and last things in that list are leftover from a time when people were really preparing to slave over back-breaking labor for the rest of their life for some other greater purpose (i.e. food, shelter, family, etc.). Now that we value individualism and "finding your own way" so much (so Dr. Tufeki says) shouldn't our education system change with it? More importantly, shouldn't the way that we rank educational systems/institutions also change? Most importantly, our entire way of thinking about success and achievement would have to change as well. Moral of the story (if there is one): Don't be afraid to sit in on a class that you do (or, even better, don't) find interesting just to sit around and think about it. Worst-case scenario, they kick you out and you've just cheated the institution out of a few bucks out of the price that they arbitrarily (not entirely) put on education. To me thats a pretty good reason. If I'm paying $1,112 dollars in fees per semester, most of which goes towards things I'm not using, I think I'm entitled to be educated a little, even if its on my own time. Current Mood: subversive Current Music: Morcheeba to help me think (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, October 17th, 2007
1:31 pm	Preparando para voar. Oh, its been a while as usual. New things: -Went to UUMAC, had a fun time -Was a counselor at a summer camp (LEADD); more fun, more friends -Moved to on-campus housing (Walker Ave. Apts) -Started playing with the Ultimate team at UMBC -Capoeira school in Annapolis closed -Started Capoeira club at UMBC -Went to Catoctin, as usual (my 22nd) The Future: -More Capoeira and Ultimate all the time -hopefully, doing LEADD again next summer -stop flaking out on Activities Committee -*post on LJ more often -get more work done -go to counseling more regularly -turn 21 in a month *I probably will because, truth be told, I'm posting now so that when I post some sort of wishlist for my birthday/christmas, I won't seem like a jerk who only uses LJ to ask for things. I'm going to go ahead and lie and say that I will elaborate on all of these things in a later post; so look for that. P.S. - The new thing seems to be blogs that serve as a something very similar to LJ, so I was thinking of doing that. A while back I had some ideas for some general topics, almost all of which escape me at the time. But I thought of having a blog that focused on my feelings certain political/sociological items such as: Higher Education in America, Education in America, How Success is Measured (probably also in America), A Male Perspective on Gender Relations and Inequalities (from the point-of-view of an atypical man), and other general arguments for things that aren't going to change. Would you read this? Keep in mind that it will not be particularly well written, and occasionally somewhat arrogant or, at least, self-centered. Hit me back. P.P.S. - I need a user pic that shows my face and that wasn't taken 7 years ago. Current Mood: busy Current Music: Integration in various forms (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, May 24th, 2007
7:16 pm	Remembering DNA Alright, so I haven't been able to update as often as I wanted to in the past couple of weeks, but I promise that a real post is forthcoming. I'm thinking of some stuff that I want to put out there on livejournal. Just stuff I've been thinking about. For now, however, it's that time of year again. That's right, boys and girls, tomorrow is Towel Day. To celebrate the life and works of Douglas Adams, fans will be carrying a towel with them wherever they go tomorrow. Even if you aren't familiar with Douglas Adams life and work, you should do this because it's fun to carry a towel everywhere, and you might find out how massively useful these items are. For more information, go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towel_Day Share & Enjoy! Current Music: The Eagles - Journey of the Sorcerer (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, April 16th, 2007
3:54 pm	A post that doesn't suck (a lot) First off, let me apologize for me previous post. It sucked. I just had to do it because, as bad as I feel about having posted it, I would feel worse if I didn't. You understand. I am not doing so well in a couple of my classes and I have to decided today whether to drop one, both, or neither of them. I have started doing capoeira. Before my next lesson, I need to take shower, cut my fingernails, and do laundry. I got some new clothes. I might be taking summer classes to make up for the ones I am not doing so well in. I think I can do better the next time around, but I always say that. Zum Zum. Please forgive this poat as well. It also sucks, just not as much. Current Mood: embarrassed (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, March 4th, 2007
2:22 pm	Retractions and clarifications (maybe). I'm not going to retract my previous post (let alone take it down), but I will stop by to say that I'm feeling a little better about the whole situation. I also wanted to let anyone and everyone close to me know that I didn't mean to disrespect whatever relationship we have. I'm grateful for all the love and support I get, regardless of its source. Current Mood: better (2 Comments |Comment on this)
9:27 am	I don't understand. I've held off as long as I can, but now I have to have an emo post. I'm sorry. I'm suffering from some sort of funk. I say that, but I'm not even sure it's a funk, because that implies that it's something non-permanent. I don't know how to have friends. I don't know if it's something I lack or something I lost, but I don't have it. I guess I just can't stop thinking or something. I don't know what's different about me, but I'd like to change it without changing who I am. I just don't know if it can be changed, or if it's a change I can make. Mostly, I can't describe it, and that really bothers me. It only serves to prove my differentness. If only I could explain it to someone without feeling like I'm trying to describe the color blue to a blind person. Which isn't to say that I think I'm superior, or that people don't understand because they're stupid. I just can't explain it. I'm sorry. This post already seems like a poor idea. In more immediate news, I'm trying to work on my second Computer Science project, but I'm having trouble getting started. Also, I'm going to appointments at University Counseling Services every week. It makes me feel better for a few days, but after a while I forget why everything seemed so much more clear and right then. Anyway, its still worth it, and besides, it's a work in progress. Just like me. Again, sorry for the unreadability of this post. I just needed to feel like anyone out there had heard this. And now they have. I'll have to keep working on this. Current Mood: depressed (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, February 13th, 2007
5:28 pm	My burning nostril. ( My day. ) Last night I downloaded Walking on the Sun by Smash Mouth and have been listening to it relatively frequently ever since. That song is so much better than I ever gave it credit for. This continues a trend I am seeing that redeems the music of the 90s from some undeserved slighting on my (and other's) part. Also, I've found it helpful, in these somewhat difficult times, to realize that the songs that I'm identifying with are songs that I had usually thought were silly or, in some cases plain ridiculous. It really knocks me down a peg to be listening to these songs, then realizing how utterly mediocre and silly they are. So I give you two choices for discussion: (1) Is 90s music really that bad and (supplemental question) are there any artists/songs/albums from the 90s which you felt got a bad rap (i.e. Cake)? (2) Have you ever felt the way I have described feeling about music that you listen to and when? Current Mood: mouth-breathy Current Music: Smash Mouth - Walking on the Sun (6 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, February 11th, 2007
8:55 am	Ugh So, what appeared to be just a cough last night was in fact me getting sick. I woke up feeling really hot and feverish last night and, although my fever has gone done since then to something like 99.2 it's still enough to give that fevery feeling and make me feel kind of shitty in general. If I had known this was going to happen I would've done some homework yesterday. I should be able to get it done though. Besides, the Calc quiz I have to study for might end up being postponed due to weather. To Do today: -Physics online homework -Calculus homework/study (depending on how easily the homework comes) -Clean up my room a little if I still feel up to it For now though, I'm going to try to go back sleep. As I do so, I will be watching HHGTTG. Hooray. Current Mood: sick Current Music: The Eagles - Journey of the Sorcerer (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, February 8th, 2007
8:23 am	End and beginning... I figure I should really get on the whole posting thing now. I can't believe it's been almost 9 months since my last update. A lot has happened. I live with my parents again. I'm commuting every day. I didn't do so well in a couple of classes last semester, so I'm retaking them. However, I'm also looking into a Interdisciplinary Studies major which would have a sort of Cosmology theme (minor in Comp. Sci., minor in Astronomy, and a minor in Philosophy). I have a lot of dead time in between classes on Tuesdays and Thursday, which I'm now trying to fill with working out. I'm also trying to do something about my ulcerative colitis, because right now I'm leading a somewhat debilitated lifestyle right now. If anyone out there sees a good Gastroenterologist, I would like to know, because I'm currently looking for a new one. Hopefully, getting better by the spring/summer will allow me to start doing Capoeira in some capacity. Additionally, if anyone knows a good Capoeira group in the area, I'd like to hear about that as well. I know of a few, but the two best prospects are a place in Annapolis which looks kind of expensive and a place that meets at Joe's Movement Emporium and they currently don't have an instructor. Anyway, a lot of other stuff has happened that I'd rather not have to explain again, but if you asked me in person or even on AIM, I might get into. You understand. More updates to come. Current Mood: calm Current Music: Chris Thomas King - Flooded in the Delta (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 24th, 2006
5:30 pm	Remebering DNA I haven't updated in a while...blah blah blah. Tomorrow is Towel Day. It is meant as a day to remember/celebrate the life and genius of Douglas Noel Adams who died May 11, 2001. Bring a towel with you wherever you go tomorrow. Wrap it aroung yourself for warmth, lie on it, sleep under it beneath the stars, use it to sail a miniraft, wet it for use in hand-to-hand combat (only when necessary), wrap it around your head to ward off noxious fumes or to hide yourself from someone or something's gaze, if an emergency arises wave it as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems clean enough. For more information visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towel_Day Anyhoo. I'm doing good. I'm looking for a job (possibly at the local Mars SuperMarket or the local public library). More to come...maybe tomorrow. Share & Enjoy -Danny (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, October 26th, 2005
10:43 am	I love carpet. I love desk. It's been too long, but I decided that if Isaac was going to start posting, then it would be really lame if I still didn't. Since I last posted I finished working at McKeldin, moved to Catonsville with Annie, started school at UMBC, started and finished a three-week UNIX course, and finally got job. In more recent news, Annie contracted some version of the flu from the kid she works with and then I caught it and recovered yesterday just before we went to see Lewis Black perform at UMBC this past Saturday. He was, in some ways, better than usual. I'm kind of glad he's being more even handed with his criticism these days. Although I could most accurately identified as a democrat (in America's bichromatic rainbow of political thought) I still don't believe that the Democratic Party has all. These days I'm spending a lot of time either at at school or at work. Its nice to have a semi-reliable income again, but it means that I am never home before 8:45 everynight except Saturday. Perhaps I can work out a better schedule next semester, but for now it'll have to do. When I'm not at school or work, I'm usually watching DVDs with Annie and/or reading Wikipedia pages. I feel like, at this rate, I'll know everything there is to know about almost anything by the time I die. Its like the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Annie and I both have the distinct feeling that we're only doing so-so in a few of our classes. Unfortunately, this may be a side-effect of moving into a new place. I'm sure it will pass by next semester at the latest. Current Mood: full (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, June 30th, 2005
4:15 pm	Live from WS#1172 Well, here I am at my second day on the job, having now made almost $120 for roughly 4 hours of real work. Today I reread Anthem by Ayn Rand in its entirety and listened to my Cannonball Adderly CD, my Chris Thomas King CD, and my Requiem (Mozart's) CD (also in their entireties, if thats even a word). I'm probably going to squander some portion of this weeks earnings on stuff from thinkgeek.com and more comfortable set of headphones. One of my supervisor's/bosses (Uche) just came in and asked this guy (Rauf) if he had taught me how to fill out my timesheet online. When Rauf told him he had, Uche told me that the proper procedure is to bring my paycheck in, because he gets 2/3 of it. Then he started to say something that I couldn't understand. I feel like I've met many of the people who work here a while ago, but I can't think of why that would be true. Tomorrow I will bring in some more interesting CDs and maybe some better books, although I probably won't read them I did several word searches today (like the ones you would do in school just before the holidays, where the words would pertain to that holiday) Current Music: The clicking of mice and the tapping of keyboards (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, June 28th, 2005
8:00 am	Job Market Woes... ...are no longer a problem for me, because I am finally employed, although not particularly gainfully. I was considering working at MOMs in College Park, because word on the street is that they pay pretty well. However, I've decided to take the less lucrative job at McKeldin in their IT department, because it offers experience in something that I may end up doing and a way to more easily get a job at the UMBC library, when the time comes. It's been all too long since I last updated. It was back in March, and was largely for the purpose of celebrating Pi Day. Since then, I've spent my last week in Frostburg with Annie, recieved As in all of my classes, come home, looked for work for more than a month, and been to the beach once (this past Sunday). I've also done the requisite IKEA run in anticipation of moving into an apartment on or around the 15th of August with Annie. Why so early? Because the IKEA summer sale is going on, and that along with my dad's employee discount ensured that no single item we bought cost more than $20. For now, times are chill. Even though I've been stressing a little about getting a job, my days were fairly relaxed. A lot of sitting around long enough in the morning to watch The Price is Right. All I've got to do now is get a job in Baltimore (preferably at the UMBC library), put together a garage sale to get rid of all of my family's old crap (my mom said that I get to keep the profits, which I'm splitting with my sister), move in to the aforementioned apartment, and not get awful classes despite registering later than most anybody at UMBC. Current Mood: indifferent Current Music: Carl Orff - Carmina Burana (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, April 29th, 2005
5:30 pm	Its been a while. Clearly an understatement. My last update celebrated Einstein's birthday/Pi day (March 14th). Just two updates ago I was waiting to go home for winter break. Much has happened since my last update. Clearly, I won't get to it all. I have two papers to write this weekend, then I'm pretty much done for the semester. I've been accepted to UMBC and will be moving to Baltimore in July. 4th of July party is in the works. It'll be awesome. Currently I'm seeking employment for the time between when I get home from school and when I move to Baltimore. Probably Radio Shack or some similar bullshit job to accrue money until I move. Isaac is back in the area (not this area, the one where my house is) and for this I am glad. I unexpectedly got to hang out with him this past weekend and had a good time talking about times to come. I feel like a new era has been entered into by me and my aquaintences/friends. The transition period has lasted rather long (arguably since early summer) so it should be fun. I'm probably just kidding myself though. I hate how ticketmaster e-mails me about shows that (a) I cannot afford and (b) that occur in less than 48 hours. This second issue really is the problem, because I could definitely be persuaded to see Lewis Black again. The show, however, is tomorrow and in D.C. and Baltimore. I need to clean my room, finish these papers, get some dinner, get more sleep, and probably several other things, although definitely not in that order. Dinner first Current Mood: hungry Current Music: I Love the '80s (1984) (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, March 14th, 2005
11:14 am	Happy birthday Einstein. Way to have a theory which even the smartest people didn't understand for a while. Giving hope to college dropouts everywhere. -Danny P.S. - ( Today is also international pi day. Read more. ) Current Mood: peaceful (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, March 8th, 2005
1:30 pm	Who told you to stop cutting? Well, its been sufficiently long, such that all the news in here is old to me but, possibly, new to you, the devoted reader of this, my livejournal. Biggest and most memorable news is that next semester, pending acceptance, I intend to transfer to UMBC and live in an apartment on or near campus with my girlfriend, Annie. Any extra money would be much appreciated. Still no news regarding my major/future although all signs point to as much money as I can get my hands on. More on that later. Classes are going well. My classes are: POSC 112 - Honors Intro to American Politics: This class is alright, but the instructor tends to say fairly inflammatory and generalized statements that I wish he wouldn't PHIL 111 - Intro to Philosophy: This class is easy, especially when it doesn't make me zone out, which is rarely. PHSC(Physical Science) 100 - Cosmic Concepts: This is a very general science course that always seems to be easier than both I expect and my teacher lets on. IDIS (Interdisciplinary Studies) 491 - The Mythology of the Planets: This is taught by the same prof. as my PHSC 100 class and is very confused, but not confusing. The book is overly detail oriented, making it a difficult read. PHSC 101 - Measurement Lab: This is a very general and easy intro to all kinds of measurement, from yard sticks to geiger meters. So, no problem there. That should add some much needed bulk to this post. Things I have wanted to do recently: -Try unicycling -Keep my mind on one thing for an extended period of time -Post (check) -Have a computer that runs Linux -Have more money (or an income) without having to lose homework time by getting a job -Be able to read faster More to come (but really, not really) Current Mood: okay Current Music: Ghostbusters II (stupid Comedy Central) (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, December 14th, 2004
5:15 pm	Finally Well. Its roughly 5:15 pm and I'm waiting to go to my last final. Semester one: complete. We'll have to see how well I do in all of my classes. Personally, I'm kind of worried, but that could mean almost anything. Hopefully I'll make it back home in enough time to go to the Greentop Ramblers' christmas party, which should be fun. I'm pretty hungry though and food may have to happen on the was home. Maybe just popcorn chicken. Oh well. This winter break should be pretty nice despite taking an online math course. I look forward to various travels around New Year. Current Mood: anxious Current Music: "Predatory Lenders" commercial (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, November 30th, 2004
2:12 pm	I'll probrably be surprised. Well, is a quarter past two and I'm sitting in a computer lab because my laptop is fried and my desktop is bogged down with spyware, adware, and the like because of massive network problems on campus combined with lack of responsibility on my part. This means that most of you will not hear from me until Friday, give or take. This, of course, changes very little for most of you, especially if you onlyinteract with me through livejournal. The next two weeks stretch out as far as the eye can see with a very bright light at the end that includes movies, Annie, and shoo-fly pie, just to name a few. I'm about to go pick up my busted laptop and some decongestants. Hopefully this other computer place in Cumberland will be able to do the work necessary to fix my laptop. (really) Hopefully, I'll make enough money gambling that it won't matter what happens. Oh well, errands, then Visual Basic time. Current Mood: sad Current Music: I don't have music. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Saturday, November 20th, 2004
9:00 am	Me: Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday dear me-e, Happy Birthday to me. [Blows out flames rising from Political Science paper and laptop which, clearly, in base terrible = 18 in number] Current Mood: anxious Current Music: My two fans (5 Comments |Comment on this)