Laboratory of Mathematics and Writing

Early Y2K Subdivisions I will reiterate that I defined the Y2K era to be the years 1995 to 2005. I've written an article as to why I believe that is. We can decide on different years, but I feel this is appropriate. We can further subdivide this era into smaller subdivisions. I feel like declaring that 1995-1997 are the early Y2K, 1998-2001 is peak Y2K, and 2002-2005 the decline and subsequent descent into irrelevence due to the internet and Iphones. From 1995 to 1997, we started seeing an increased interest in the internet, 3D graphics, and technology in general. I distinctly recall starting in 4th grade discussing the Y2K bug. I started 4th grade in 1998. In 1999 it really ramped up along with the culture surrounding it, which crept in to the new millenium. In 2001, the 9/11 tragedy struck and changed the world forever. It was a steady decline from then on. This is obviously completely from my perspective. I still managed make some historica...

New Millennium: Y2K Era Those of you that are ready to hit middle age, or even already there and even past it, will instantly associate "Y2K" with the global bug of doom that was supposed to occur the moment we entered the year 2000. Hence, Y2K for the year 2000. Nothing happened. We even tested this theory as kids by typing "2000" into every date field just to see if anything will crash. Not exactly the most scientific expirement, but it did assuage our fears a bit. The year 2000 arrived and no major global catastrophe happened. There where a few important incidents that caused financial problems[1], but no planes fell out of the sky because of it. Aside from that scare, growing up during the Y2K era was a whole lot of fun. Credit is Due First, let me give credit to a Youtuber that goes by the name of "Life of Slice". He developed a brilliant v...

It's Always the Good Old Days A lot of people get nostalgic about the past. They all like to talk about the good old days. They reminiscent about times when life was more carefree and simple. There was no stress and times where easy. They'll vividly recall certain memories that bring them great joy. Heck, even when times where tough, people still talk about those days with a certain fondness. I've met a few veterans that speak proudly of the camaradarie they shared with their fellow soldiers in a high stress and extreme conflict environment. Not that I encourage anyone to throw themselves into such environments (they wouldn't either). I'm just making a point about how everyone likes to drive down nostalgia lane. Someone once even wished that they could know that they where in the good old days as they are living them. That may not be possible since nostalgia trips depend on you being able to look back at events that already occu...

I just talked to a very close friend of mine over the phone. Without me even mentioning it, he revealed that he was going through a midlife crisis as well. He touched on the most important point I iterated: we now have adult money; it's time to buy some toys! He even brought up how, as a kid, you're not able to obtain the things you really want. Now as an adult with adult money, you can! We are both looking forward to our next years. Although, our knees and our backs aren't what they used to be.... Another important point of discussion he brought is how money can buy you happiness. Well, maybe not quite, but it does help. I remember when I would see a cool shirt, or maybe a cool game, and not buying it because I had to hang on to every penny. Not exactly a happy feeling. Now, I can walk into a local store that sells used shirts and buy an awesome Escape to the Void Sepultura shirt. Not even purchase it for myself, but for a friend of mine. I ev...

Nostalgia Baited I've been on a nostalgia trip this year. It all started with a "90s cool movies" Youtube video, followed by "90s cool video games", followed by "Y2K attitude era". I grew up watching "The Matrix", playing "Contra 3: The Alien Wars", and thinking that Stone Cold Steve Austin was a role model. It didn't help that this year I saw Korn, Slipknot, Mastodon, and Lamb of God in concert. I listened to those bands growing up. I still remember watching "Wait and Bleed" and "Freak on a Leash" on The Box channel (that was the poor person's MTV back in the day). I was proud of myself when I learned "Laid to Rest" on guitar back in high school. Nostalgia is important, but don't let it absorb you. It's tempting to look back at the good old days come to the conclusion that things won't get better. They can, and they will get better as long as you...

I'm Going Through a Mid-life Crisis I just realized I'm through a mid-life crisis (albeit, prematurely). Now, normally it manifests itself through purchases of fancy (land or water) vehicles. I was never into such things. So, I'm not going to dump $60k on a Corvette (I don't know what they're actually worth). No, my mid-life crisis is manifestly differently, but also typical. First, I am a musician. I play guitar. So I went out and bought more guitars than I will ever need. I've always been into Jacksons, especially dinkies, so I have quite a few of those. I also have a few Charvels, Schecters, and some old 80s Yamahas. I think my guitar niche is finding inexpensive guitars that are still rare. For instance, I have a very rare Fernandes Revolver that was made back in the 2000s. Fernandes is no longer in business. I am also into retro-game collecting; specifically Super Nintendo, Sega Dreamcast, and, as of last week, ...

My Master's Degree Is Now Useless It's been a little over a decade since I acquired my master's degree in mathematics. The industry I am employed in now requires no such qualification. In fact, all you really need is a few certifications and some hands-on experience that can be showed off in a portfolio. Which makes me wonder if all those years of hard work to get that degree where a waste. The logical side of me says "Yes!", but the sentimental side of me is speaking a bigger "No!". I was a adjunct instructor at a community college and a part-time tutor for six years after I graduated. I definitely touched the hearts and minds of hundreds of students and even converted a few math-haters out there. I still have Hallmark cards that some of my students gave me. I should have saved a screen shot of the many emails telling me thank you. Hell, I should have saved those the end-of-semester reviews where my students often ...

Corruption City Darkness consumes No sun will rise Welcome to our city; the city of the future. Convenience and pleasure all at your beck and call Recieve your reward a few pieces of paper to spend at your leisure Selling your soul to the city The daily routine of toiling for trinkets has you strung out and feeling depressed All human connection seems so distant drink away the pain a few shows to distract In the neon lights in the downtown rain you begin to wonder why everything's the same You won't continue this mindless game of breaking your soul for someone else's gain Reach out to who's out...

World's End In a clash of melancholy, The world will end. All the flowers of the Earth shall burn into a crisp. The fish of the sea, the birds, and the trees all die as one with humanity. Tossed into oblivion eternity of nothing thrown into emptiness. Will we be born again? The world set ablaze a fire in the sky. Inferno consumes the land All perish; die. Weep not for the critters or your loved ones. Today is the day we all meet the same fate Tossed into oblivion, eternity of nothing, thrown into emptiness, Will we be born again? In a clash of melancholy, The world will end. All the flowers of the Earth shall burn into a crisp. The fish of the sea, the birds, and the trees All die as one with humanity.

Tears of the Stars A crying star that's not ready to fall. The light is dim, but refuses to fade away. So it will continue weeping. Its tears flowing way down to the ocean. But the ocean is just a mirror; A reflection of all the stars glittering in the dark. All these stars have dreamed a thousand dreams. And just like the stars themselves, some dreams have had their lights dimmed and fade away into darkness. Others remain weeping. Is there no respite; no quenching of their immortal desire? But still others continue to shine brightly. The light of a thousand suns to warm all the hearts of innumerable planets beyond. Brighter still are the drops that crash into the ocean generateripples transform into waves that depart from the ocean surface to form new stars that shine the brightest.

Flowers of My Youth Throughout the soft days of October, During a burgeoning harvest moon, And the brightness of the sun has already waned. I give you this: The Flowers of My Youth. They only come in a narrow array of colors. Vibrant reds, watery blues, creamy whites, and shadowy grays. For each color gets us closer to the sunset at the edge of the ocean. Sailing alongside the albatross across the open waves. Delivery us, oh gods of the sea, in a lovely small boat decorated with my flowers to where the fields are overgrown with them as far as the eye can see.

The Crying Ogre Only in the deep blue lake will you find the seven colored fish that will feed the hungry ogre that is starving for just one ounce of meat. Yes, ogres have feelings, too. Its rotted heart cries out for deliverence. But it can't cry out to the stars, or the moon, or the sun, or the clouds in the sky. The same way you learned to despise the ogre for it's strange appearance and cannibalistic ways is the same way the ogre curses every thing you believe to be beautiful. So, it cries out to every terrible omen; to the eclipse, to the will-o-the-wisp, to the serpent of Eden, and to the volcanic eruptions that spew lava onto the Earth and into the sky. Sulfuric black clouds cover the sky and the ogre is pleased. Molten rock covers the ground and heats up the water. The seven colored fish gets cooked alive. So the ogre sits down for a delicious meal of boiled fish.

The Great Reset Under a pale grey sky dimmed by the perpetual fog of the electric factories. Mechanical animals prowling the streets. You're plugged into the future where we stare at ourselves; admire our avatars, And feel good for owning nothing. It's okay. The masters will take care of us. Go back to your pod. And drink some bug juice that you purchased with universal basic income. Log in a few more hours in the virtual world. This is the future we wanted. Everything they have given us; they can easily take it away. If we don't comply, they'll take everything away. And you don't want to live in flyover country. Not with those people! We will comply. Our livelihood depends on it. We have no autonomy. We can't produce anything on our own. That's okay. We enjoy the comfort of the modern world. After all, nothing is truly ours.      Nothing is truly ours.

The flowers will not bloom. They are sprouting feet to run off into the wilderness. The moon won't shine. It's turning its face towards the outskirts of the Milky Way. The owls; they neglect the stars As they bury their beaks into their bosom. Now the clouds obscure the sunrise. They refuse to reveal the Sun's golden face.      Oh, dreamer. One morningrise, When the owls spread their wings and fly to the horizon in search of rest, and the moon and stars fade away into the dawn, The sun's rays will penetrate the clouds, Allowing the daylight to flow into the valley. The flowers will return from their woodland rest. No longer will you hear the mournful song of the owl. Listen to the blithe melody of the robin as it returns from daybreak. Join all of God's creatures in joyous song and dance.

These flowers won't open their corollas in the sun. The heat is too strong and may damage      their delicate petals;      their delicate pistils;      their delicate stamen. So, they hide them from the sun's rays away from the harsh light. They remain tucked in their sepals      where no one may see them.      Where no one may smell them.      Where no one may desire to pick them and gift them to their beloved. Only under the light of the moon will they open their corollas and release their fragrance to the wind. So that the insects may breathe. So that the birds may sing. So that the squirrels may dream.      But above all, so that the moon may smile at all the vibrant colors and breathe, sing, and dream alongside the creatures of the Earth Amongst a tapestry of flowers that cover the field      with all the...

En un desierto donde jamas nascen las flores y las arenas queman las criaturas debajo el sol ardiente. Alli es donde enterre los huesos de mis pajaros. Donde logre dejar todas sus plumas debajo las piedras, los montes, y la tierra seca. Aqui no corre el agua y la vida es escasa. Por eso estoy seguro que las alas jamas veran la luz del dia. Pero cuando visita la luna desde su reino en las estrellas, El viento trae las nubes desde lejos Un rayo parte el cielo. La lluvia cae mientras un suspiro surge de las arenas. Y con alas blancas, la paloma se levanta hacia el cielo para so&ntildear al lado de la luna.

You know what? I don't understand all this ethnic pride business. Like me, I'm Mexican, but I'm not really proud of it. I was born this way. I didn't have any control over it. I didn't accomplish being a Mexican. My parents were both Mexican, they fucked, and then spawned me, another hairy brown motherfucker. It just happened. I'll tell you what I am proud of. I am proud of being so damned good at guitar. I practiced every day. I'm proud of being able to play Chopin on the piano. I sat in front of the keyboard hammering away until I got it down. I'm proud of being able do all kinds of complicated math shit. It required effort and patience to obtain those fancy degrees. I'm proud of being able to write coherent and vivid poetry. It's gay, but it nevertheless requires some practice. I'm proud of being able code shit up in MATLAB and Python. I had to sit in front of a console typing commands and syntax until I figured out how to solve differenti...

I took another bike ride into the mountains.  I don't have a car, so I couldn't drive to the canyon and then get on my bike to hit trail (like a pussy). So instead I took off on my bike from my apartment, rode uphill for a while to get to the canyon,  and then I started riding uphill into the canyon itself.  I literally rode uphill for three hours.  Then I tumbled back downhill all the way home at speeds fast enough to water my eyes. I even heard wind wooshing through my ears.  So I kept pedaling.  I got home and ate a gigantic bowl of chicken and rice  that I cooked. I'm awesome.

Never have I seen the moon so dim Her face so pale and noble Shining for all the oceans to admire But no more. The mighty hand of space opens up like the wings of a raven casting shadows across the sea,mountain, and valleys But as the cold blanket of darkspace descends upon my moon and paints her worshipers a darker shade of color one by one, the stars emerge As if to arrive from distant shores Galactic travelers equipped with torches set to light our way. Now they sit still Awaiting our departure. Worshipers, Arise! The light of the moon is fleeting. Like birds you must fly Towards the tides of space. So that all the oceans we contain, may come to life.

Cuando escuho esa cancion, Mi corazon se llena de pasion. Siento mi alma brotar con deseo Extendiendose a las estrellas. Via galactica! Guiame a los campos de flores Que yo tanto anhelo! Entregame a los brazos De la luna que yo Tanto amaba! Que me acaricie con la luz de sus ojos. Y con un suspiro apasionado, Me establece en una flotilla En las orillas del mar. Dejame so˜nar entre las olas mas suaves. Quiero despertar En un bosqe verduroso Llenos de pajaros cantores. ...Campos de flores... Mi querida en mis brazos Decorada con petalos de rosa. Jamas te deseare. Jamas te extranare.