Scratch your head at these!

Current mood: weird

Weird Beird brings it to you live if you send it to him dead... and in neither case do the sentiments fold across the lines of sense or reason. It's just funner that way.

Free piece of happiness right here!

Eggs for laughing loudly.

Wise men can see it too.

All of it is inside the turban.

Wiggle it away with great caution.

Normal people live constantly.

Mires of gluttony are all around us.

Lamplight is only as good as the street you are on.

Whispers of a tortoise catching up.

Eleven dwarves may not be better than seven.

Who is the dog's therapist?

My brother sees your sandwich.

Apples and bananas, my friend.

Inquiries of a standard type fit the bill.

Lances and arms can both do damage.

Wild is often the least expected of the grapes.

Third place has nothing to do with it.

Can you feel the Tuesday before last?

Winding is not the right power to use.

Beg for the cookie loudly.

Running for a candle-lit presidency.

Throw it vaguely... it will never miss.

Every dead square only has only one coroner.

Counting to 30 only happens 11 times a year.

Eat the taco. Right before you want to.

In demand is the windy candy.

Lift it right to knee level for best results.

Shake those shells to be sure they go to heck.

A pot of coffee never wanders far.

Lingering in the lingerie is risky… or risqué?

A lemon a day just doesn't taste as nice.

Batting in the third place for freedom.

Level-headed thinking is over-priced.

Hyphenate often. You know you want to.

Listen to the end of the Nile.

Precariously overconfident he meanders.

Track them to their doom.

Grab it by the elbow and run!

Soil sits silently solving soliloquy.

To the hospitals best friends sister. She knows.

Ripened for three years strong.

Cowardly times filled with horseplay.

Writing on the wall in the west.

Laughter to the left of her.

Trance to chance is a change.

Wimps for hire. They owe us money!

Bob is a Robert in disguise.

Meetings don't taste good to vegetarians.

I heard that! That can be loud sometimes.

Funny thing… the wranglebobs whimpersnickle.

Ludicrous is Lenny's launchpad.

Winners never prosper in second place.

Cash it in… I bet it's worth a second look.

Who has a bay of electricity, anyway?

Long live the Dairy Queen!

Better men have tried the ties I wear with pride.

Seasonal sincerity suites the solemn sugarcube.

A zillion zebras! No way!

Those inside have many dimensions all around.

Poor is the new non-affluent.

The rigors of stapledom can be taxing.

Rock, paper, scissors… Superman still wins!

Lift the leg of justice lightly.

I'll see the aisles of isles.

Rip it left and lift it… 5 times fast.

Letter of the lawman Larry.

Candles for hire.

Torrid talent of twenty tiger tails.

Jump for the jingle in waiting.

Winter is only in your mind.

The center of a carrot? Anyone?

I hear you... often making sound.

Battle for the brawny. It's definitely worth it.

Ring the phone for me... dinner's ready.

Tasting that made me wince only once.

Gramma ran over a reindeer in her rubber-sole shoes.

Plastic is sometimes better than sliced bread.

Boil the burger for Brad.

Grumpy Grumperson gives great gifts gleefully.

Land a roll on my plate, will ya?

Thrice the mice with spice were nice.

The county lines are full of electricity.

My gob was stopped once. It never restarted either.

Trance in techno is totally the tastiest.

A is for the alphabet... so leave the alphabet alone.

I would love a piece... just don't light it on fire first.

Send the last one to her... she won't expect it.

Literacy in democracy is lunacy when fancy.

Random parts fly off in ringworm tarts.

The choice of the children is the charriot.

Mincing ribbons for Mother Riley's favorite cake.

Ten tons of toothpaste is too tempting!

Laugh at the lizard... he lingers in the light!

Wink if you smell ink.

But her better butter batter isn't bitter Lance.

Life in the city leaves the country clapping.

I will join for free. But only four times.

Gobble it green and gold.

Kansas is the place... Tuesday is the time.

Who really wants to "bring it" at the flag pole?

How many plates for puppies can you think of?

Ring the rung with the bell of brass below it.

Cows and moons just don't mix... they both refuse.

King Conan crushes cowards constantly!

Ordinary orders are ordinarily ours for hours.

Whip it up and spray it on that sandwhich there!

A gallon a day keeps the bathroom close.

Many have tried... few have sung while doing it.

Bigger companies with bigger budgets just blew up!

Announce an ounce and dance on Aunt's dents.

Fly far away and freeze the frail frost to play.

Chocolate in the canteen doesn't last long.

Wisdom and warriors can wait for years, I've heard.

Cut back on your length and candy time... You'll thank me.

Boys will be boys and never crickets... please.

Jump through a hoop. The hole part usually helps.

Grace is so sly sometimes. Who saw it coming?!

Fender class was a blast!

Forget the time when we shared that cheese?

Knuckle-bump for tall people! They make us feel shorter.

Ammunition is certainly friendlier than amputation.

Cannibals can. I saw it once... don't ask how.

Mickey Moose was so mad about that little rodent!

Passage to paradise is proud of it's presence.

Give the gopher a golf ball for gameday.

Tiresome Twosome tried the twinkies twice.

Bounce it off the garden gnome. He can't see you yet.

Five legs is not better than two... except for chicken.

Enter the contest of contrast... then immediately give up.

A log full of cheese suites you well.

Make it anything you want... you might need to.

Dribble a dozen down the drain with delight.

Burke's bandits bring bouncy balls before breaking Barry's back.

Limit the turkey intake and you're only limiting yourself.

Cats can do that too... I saw it before the accident.

When does the blimp arrive?

How crispy are those ones?

Terminals are only points. Some A and some B.

Plaid jello sure beats a kick to the head.

Simple solace of the service in solitude.

Free the inner pumpkin pie. It wants out now.

Fun practice in freeform thinking. Mostly uncut and unedited in order of appearance.

Enjoy!

~ Happy Halloween! ~

10 Years of Anticipation in Awkwardness A'plenty

Current mood: cheerful

So I recently took the rather splendid opportunity to return to my hometown in Washington with a couple things on my agenda. One of those things will be the main topic of my reflections here today. My 10 year high school reunion of the graduating class of Rogers High School of 1996.

My first suggestion when contemplating whether or not to attend would be to just go! I would not be concerned with many of the things I might bring to your attention here that might be construed as undesirable and dissuade you from attending your own reunion. Yours will definitely be a different experience than mine. I say "just go" because I doubt there are many social experiences in life to compare to it. It is sort of a unique situation with lots to learn from if you are open to the possibilities.

A few observations:

1. People have ten years of changing to do individually but generally tend to stick to the same old social trends and cliques that they were once familiar with when they were still going to high school. I don't think this is a necessarily negative thing... just a bit of an entertaining spectacle since people generally have changed individually and those old tendencies create a sort of awkward scene to behold. People don't always recognize each other, nervously glancing at name tags to find those formerly easily recognizable distinctions. I wonder what it feels like to search for that comfortable clique only to be mislead by your own eyes. I was sort of a nomadic figure in high school so, while I recognized many of those social conformities, I was always more content to watch them as a casual, interested observer, from within or without. Which put me in a relatively comfortable position in this entirely new, unique setting anyway.

2. People genuinely do want to find their good ol' buddies and reconnect again. This is perhaps the original intent of the reunion in the first place so it does stand to reason that this would be the goal of many of those attending. I myself quite looked forward to seeing many of the people there. Even though many of them were somewhat casual friends in high school I still feel very connected to many of them for whatever reason. A familiar face and a friendly smile is always a bonus to life.

3. Some people really take to the alcohol in a serious way. The alcohol is likely there for the purely financial benefit of the venue putting the whole event on... but I am sure they intend for a secondary benefit to those actually in the event... namely, that those in attendance can loosen up enough to put whatever nervous tensions brought about by the situation behind them and be able to socialize... sort of. It is sad to me because I know it to be a slippery slope that many don't understand how to control very well with that level of tension driving them, and it really drags me down to see somebody in such a position

of dependency. Maybe I shouldn't talk since I am not one who has any personal experience with alcohol. I only know what I have seen it do to those around me... which I have little tolerance for. Alcohol addiction is EVIL and I would never wish it upon anybody! Climbing off my soapbox now...

4. Everybody gets their preprogrammed replies going fairly smoothly pretty early into the night. This isn't necessarily a bad thing either. It allows for a quicker escape from the accidental connection to somebody in the wrong social caste... which is generally nice for both parties involved. It is kind of annoying for the people actually there for a real conversation or who are genuinely interested. A certain level of adaptation takes place, though, and they learn the game as well. It only takes a brief while to figure it out. --- Everyone is generally doing well... they want to know(audibly) what you are up to and if you are doing well... general small-talk about the oddity of the whole situation ensues... and wandering eyes keep the conversations short as each new target is acquired by one or both parties involved in order to keep the ebb and flow of the evening in motion... and onto the next participant. --- Positivity is the key. And while I did hear mention that there were a few people there actually keeping it real enough to mention the negativity of their own lives, I did not experience it first hand even once. Negativity is definitely an extremely awkward enhancement in such an already awkward environment. Tough stuff.

5. Some people look exactly like they did 10 years prior, but mostly everyone looks fairly different with some people looking like totally foreign comparisons to their former selves. This is the nature of the physical body... change happens. Sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. It is not something to be worried about in either case. The friends most people are really there to see are happy to see each other in either case. Everybody else's opinion likely holds whatever weight is given it but realistically does not

matter, especially since it is likely the only night most of those people will cross paths for the next ten years... and in some cases ever again.

Anyway... I had almost five hours of observation and interaction to inspire this ridiculously long installment. It was a totally entertaining time for me. I really wish it could have been longer and more people would have gone. But maybe that is just me.

To all who attended within the eyeshot of my blog: Thank you for coming! You are all awesome people! You really made an already good vacation even better! Please stay in touch as you feel comfortably inclined. For everybody else who did not, or could not, make it I hope to see y'all at the next one or sooner.

Here are some pictures from the event:

http://picasaweb.google.com/rampics96

I did not shoot these.

I snuck my way into several... think of it like "Where's Cas?" if you wanna make a game out of it.

Take care all,

Aaron

Learning to communicate - Part 2

Current mood: thankful

Nearly a year ago I started my perceivable exploration of the topic of communication. I directed those specific ideas toward the topic of my seemingly disparate communication styles of the written method versus the spoken method. In relation to that topic I can not claim the gap between the two is any closer than it was at that time. It isn't that I have not tried. I have just not tried hard enough... or the progress I may have made is just not recognizable by my own personal perception... or something.

This particular message, however, is intended to address an entirely different aspect of communication that I have been pondering more recently. I will initiate this concept with a simple statement intended to encapsulate those ponderings. Stated as such:

- Communication is inextricably connected to responsibility. -

A quick review of this idea will reveal many different ways this is true in many different aspects of both communication and responsibility respectively. I am sure many unique and relevant ideas that I have not even considered will come to the minds of any taking this statement into consideration. It really is a rich concept.

Communication represents the intentions, proficiency, and courage of those communicating. The messages conveyed become the converging point of these aspects, as all of those involved seek greater understanding or to be better understood. The imperfect, sometimes fragile nature of these aspects easily complicate the process and almost always result in misunderstanding to some degree. In short, communication is a complex and challenging thing which requires great effort to do well... it takes very

little disregard to disrupt.

The interpersonal nature of communication further emphasizes the responsibility associated to it. I am responsible to any reading this to be accountable for the things I present in it. These concepts reflect a particular belief I hold regarding the nature of communication and merely the expression of these particular beliefs establishes in any reading this a perspective of understanding into my character, and the expectation of commitment and consistency in said beliefs. Such is the case of all forms of communication. Any form of deceit, intentional misdirection, or lying is always a waste of time and a potential hazard in communication.

I actually struck out in the endeavor of this particular entry to contemplate the concepts of the responsibility tied to blogging. My mind is, as many who know me well, a bit of a scattered plate. There is so much more to say... so much more to understand. Perhaps another time.

This has been a relaxing deviation. My mind is at ease. I look forward to the days to come. I appreciate the many opportunities, the innumerable blessings with which I have been blessed. I look forward to my return to Washington this weekend.

Thanks for listening...

Keep up the good work.

I am but a man.

Current mood: mellow

I am... that I am.

Never perfect, never less.

I am what I am.

A trial in the days of tribulation.

I am what I feel.

Simple, selfish, sometimes satisfied.

I am the inside motions.

Leave them for the taking.

I am a quiter.

Only by result, never intent.

I am lonely.

The choices of the solitary.

I am a rampant, raging flash.

The pieces scattered about.

I am quite unseen.

Where do I linger?

I am boisterous and bold.

Taken as is needed.

I am a runner.

Heavy footsteps and heartache to match.

I am watching.

Not always aware of my surroundings.

I am into it.

Peace, happiness, tangible emotions.

I am a source.

Built with a desire to give.

I am right handed.

And always seeking balance, symmetry.

I am the sovereign of my will.

Fighting to defend borders of my serenity.

I am strong.

As only I am allowed.

I am of a cherished family.

Worldly wealth and riches lacking.

I am a purveyor.

Make it known from there to here.

I am a rambler.

As it may be perceived around.

I am patient.

Precious commodity to the world.

I am whispering.

When I have something important to say.

I am with my friends.

Souls to bring life and laughter.

I am of an artists touch.

Sharing the pieces in to out.

I am far away.

Unsatisfied and hard to see.

I am intelligence.

Seeking wisdom to guide me.

I am baffled and muted.

Leasing the tools of clarity and presence.

I am a craftsman.

Locking the powerful parts together.

I am aware of my time.

After it has echoed in my mind.

I am misunderstood.

Induced of imperfect communication.

I am without warning.

Unpracticed, fearless, unrelenting.

I am predictable.

Little change to confuse results.

I am loud.

In subdued white laughter.

I am what is around me.

Subjective, conformist, fallible mediums.

I am wrong.

Underprepared and without pressure.

I am of a great responsibility.

The future of infinite possibility.

I am a brother and son.

Ties that bind eternally.

I am alive in freedom.

Choices between right and consequence.

I am callous.

Whimpering untollerated.

I am unattractive.

To the ignorant and apathetic.

I am victorious.

Each step in the right direction.

I am still.

Dedication to revelation and understanding.

I am not you.

Unique, purposeful, full of potential, similar.

I am shaped by experience.

Past, present, and future.

I am happy.

Loving, together, and struggling.

I am optimistic.

Lacking fear not reality.

I am here.

I am but a man.

I am Aaron Michael Castillo forever.

I giggle with glee.

Current mood: amused

I am a deceptively large person I think. I am also a deceptively small person. "How can this be?" you might be asking yourself. Well I have a lot of evidence to support this, some of it even validated by technically respected sources, and it makes me smile pretty big inside my head... slightly below the surface of my skin. Sort of in the back of my throat in the top of my mouth. Ya... and also in the dizzy spot right in the very center of my head.

Exhibit A: I am only 5'8 and 3/4" tall. Did you think I was taller? Many people tell me that is what they thought almost every time height questions enter a conversation. I don't wear particularly large-sole shoes either. I am not sure what causes this particular misconception... maybe it is my tall forehead... which leads me to Exhibit B.

Exhibit B: I have a deceptively large head. I don't recall my exact hat size but most of the time anyone puts one of my hats on they are surprised to find it swallowing their entire head top and some of their ears. I usually get to laugh at them for their smaller head size with a hearty "Ha! Look at that tiny noggin!" And it sometimes makes me giggle even... I make myself laugh far too often for typically sane people to understand. Although it usually is not outwardly observable because of this fact. Plus I dig the feeling of laughing inside my head. It is a different kind of good feeling.

Exhibit C: I weigh just under 180lbs on most days of the week. My guess is that this seems a bit surprising to you as well. I am pretty dense compared to the standard person who appears my size. I am pretty sure the extra weight is mostly in my massive stomach which holds several large-sized meals at any given time. Most people eat small meals I guess. It is just a matter of perspective anyway. So here is a technically verifiable fact you could even check out yourself if you know where to look: My current BMI is right around 26.1, which classifies me as one who is considered overweight! HA! I am overweight! HA HA! That is soooo funny to me... oh... ha... What a good inner-smile I get out of that one. Just thinking about it... ah... whew!

Exhibit D: My arm span is roughly 6'1" in length. Yep. That makes me sort of like a monkey/ape type of person. Plus I jump high, enjoy climbing in trees, and laughing loudly in public(usually not simultaneously) but don't let that scare you away. I try not to be overbearing and I won't usually pick bugs out of your hair. I super avoid killing bugs on purpose... especially to eat them.

I am sure there are more examples of how my size is often miscalculated by most people, but I will leave the rest for you to realize on your own. I am sure non of this really matters to you anyway. I just like a good inner-laugh and I thought I would share one of my inner-laugh triggers. Good luck finding your own!

Farewell all. Even in Fairfield or not.

Santa Cruz is splendiforous... so sayeth I.

Current mood: refreshed

I must apologize for not telling anybody that I would be in Santa Cruz for a week. Oops. Really. I don't get my messages in almost any form very reliably due to various reasons but I have about five minutes to write a blog... or rather... a minor update.

So I realized the other day that I have a lot of fun teaching kids. I have always know that I enjoy being around them... but I never really realized I was not one of them until this week I guess. It is certainly a different feeling when you get the concept of the responsibility that comes in teaching the younger generation. It really means something different when you realize that they look up to you and are actually trying to glean something from you. Wow! Wow.

So take a few moments to soak that in. Really. Maybe it will even suit you as it has me.

Be back to the 'field soon y'all.

I have a personal assignment... wanna help me with it?

Current mood: relaxed

I semi-recently decided I would attempt to construct a sentence where each successive word in the sentence began with each successive letter of the English alphabet. I am only somewhat handy with the English language and set some rules for myself for this little exercise, in attempt to stretch my thinking and have a greater challenge, hopefully improving myself in the process.

Rule #1: Avoid consulting any form of word reference for ideas or help. - This rule was eclipsed when I wanted to avoid stepping on Rule #2 and could not think of any X words which filled that particular function of the sentence structure properly.

Rule #2: Don't use the easy X words like xylophone or x-ray(not really a word anyway) even if it can fit easily into the sentence.

Rule #3: Try to make it grammatically reasonable. - I am decent enough at grammar to be dissatisfied with something that sounds clunky and annoying. English majors would eat my sentence up with red-ink soaked teeth but I am shooting for the spirit of the exercise, not the letter(pun intended). (I love puns by the way... even bad ones... which, contrary to the disdain of popular culture, is not the case of every pun... be realistic, if you laugh it's funny)(Sorry about the excessive use of parenthesis)(Should I have used a footnote in this case? Someone please tell me if they know)

Rule #4: It does not necessarily have to make logical sense but if it can be poetic or meaningful that would be a plus.

So enough of the rules. Here is my third or fourth draft... a work in progress.

Any

Boy

Can

Do

Everything

For

Girls

Hearts,

If

Just

Knowing

Love

Means

Never

Overanalyzing

Past

Quarels,

Realizing

Silently

The

Underlying

View

Within

Xanthone

Yellow

Zealousness

I am not even sure if I put the commas in the right place, I did not previously know what xanthone meant, but altogether I think it turned out alright. It can always improve, though, so any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

*BLOG BONUS SECTION*

Some of you are aware I do this kind of thing for fun once in a while and I will award "Coolness Points" to whomever is able to construct correctly the most words consecutively in the last personal assignment I made for myself. It was the one where I constructed the longest two-letter word sentence I could come up with. I never did finish that exercise since I was not able to properly end the sentence once I got past the 12 word mark. My computer that had the file with my progress crashed, taking with it many precious files, but I can still remember the first 12 words. That particular exercise also had several specific rules which I can send to anybody interested in giving it a whirl. Fun stuff to do if you have a boring job or happen to be easily distracted by your own thoughts regularly. Focus is like a precious commodity sometimes.

So have fun all. A weekend you have not yet experienced is approaching quickly and I bet it will be chock-full of splendidness and mirth. Who says mirth is a holiday-only experience?!