October 2015 – Aarav's Blog

MesoAmerican Ballgame

October 27, 2015October 27, 2015 aaravg417 Leave a comment

The Mayan Ballgame had many interesting aspects. The outcome of each game affected the lives of everyone playing and watching. The winning team was showered with praise, gratitude, and riches from the crowd. The ballgame was rigged because home team was trained well and would mostly win. The “away” team was made up of captured warriors that would lose because of the way the game was set up. The players attempted to hit the ball through a stone ring to score points. The ballgame was like an earlier, riskier version of volleyball because the ball was bounced off between the teams. The team who lost the game would get tortured. The ball could be banked or hit against walls to keep it in play. The Manopla (handstone) was worn on the hand, of course, and was used to help hit the ball. The Yuguito was meant to be a knee protector but some players wore it on their shins or wrists. A helmet was always worn to protect the head from the ball which weighs about 8 pounds. The uniform had to be light so players could move easily in it. The playing alley area of the court had a floor of stone or plaster. The end zone is at the ends of the playing alley to make the “I” shape of the court.

The Ballgame was not only for entertainment but also had some religious aspects to it. The competition was based on religious beliefs. The losing team’s captain was painted with red stripes to be sacrificed. Parts of the uniform were only used for special ceremonies. The losing team (other than the captain) were kept as war captives. The balls were made from rubber strips that were wrapped around skulls. Some of the balls were sacrificed to gods. The skulls might have been skulls of defeated captains. The yoke, shoes, headdress, and other parts of the uniform were only worn for ceremonies. The Palma is a symbol of the wearer’s athletic ability. The Yoke was worn around the waist and made of stone. The Hacha was a symbol of power. In the city plan, the court was built closer to the less important buildings. The rings used for point-scoring were decorated with pictures of gods. The bench (flat area at the base of the court walls) was decorated with pictures of human sacrifice. Those were some of the interesting aspects of the Mayan Ballgame.

TCP V- Retirement Writing

October 26, 2015November 9, 2015 aaravg417 Leave a comment

My salary and my retirement savings grew at different rates. My retirement savings grew from $0 in the first year to $384,000 in the 30th year. My salary grew from $57,636 to $118,000 at a 2.5% rate in 30 years. As my salary increased, my savings grew because I had some money that I could put aside into my retirement savings account. Once I saved enough money, I decided to put a bit more money yearly into my retirement savings. In the first year, the amount I put in was $2881. Over a period of 30 years, the amount I put in nearly doubled to $5897. Part of the magic of compound interest is that in this case, after 12 years, the amount of money I get back is more than the amount of money that I put in.

My TCP Part 4 Budget

October 18, 2015October 18, 2015 aaravg417 Leave a comment

Car and Collapsed Categories

Working with the budget for the first time was very difficult. I started by looking at cars because I like cool cars. I chose a BMW 328i as my car and ended up spending $438.85 as the monthly payment which might have been a little too much. After I picked a car, I realized I couldn’t get a nice place to live and save money. So, I decided to get a roommate. The total expenses for my car were $688.85. The cost of my clothes, personal care/hygiene, pets, data services, and groceries are $364 total. The groceries are $50 instead of $75. I am keeping $1113.80 for my retirement and savings. I have no money owed to anyone for student loans or credit cards and $385 for other things or categories. Some of those categories are giving or donations, miscellaneous, and fun or entertainment. Lastly, the taxes are made up of federal and state taxes, Medicare, and social security.

Once I realized I was spending too much, I decided to get a roommate not only for company but also for lower costs. The mortgage price is divided by two and the utilities’ price is also dropped. Instead of paying $75 for groceries, me and my roommate can pool money or split the cost to get groceries for $50.

I had to compromise on my list of “wants” because my monthly car payment was a lot and I wanted to save money. For instance, instead of getting cable TV, I can just get Netflix and share the family plan with my parents for a gym. Instead of starting a new cell phone, I can share my parents’ data plan and pay them. I want a pet but it might have to wait. I can go to restaurants and movies but I can’t go every day or week… I have to reduce my spending. In my savings, I kept more than enough money and it is kept in the bank so I get interest. The interest will increase my savings over time and that will be good for my future.

Home and 50/30/20 Budget

The first time I tried the 50/30/20 budget strategy, I exceeded 50% on needs because I spent too much on my car and my house. To even my spending out, I decided to get a roommate for company and also, the prices for the house and utilities lower. The price for the house cuts in half because there are 2 people paying for it instead of one and the utilities are 10.5% of the house cost. If I got a roommate, some of my needs would be reduced like my grocery costs dropping from $75 to $50 because two people are pooling/sharing money to buy groceries. The house I chose is at 1021 Brighthurst Drive and my share of the mortgage cost is $547.56.

After I figured that out, I ended up spending too much on my wants which made me need to reduce my spending on pets, TV, and entertainment. Everyone wants a pet but for me, it will have to wait. Cable TV might cost too much so I’ll get Netflix because it is just as good and costs less. Movies are amazing so I can watch some in theatres and some when (or if) they get on Netflix. And nice restaurants and vacations have to wait until I am more settled. I can do restaurants every few weeks but vacations start at once or twice a year for me.

1021 Brighthurst Drive... Mortgage price is $547.56 — 1021 Brighthurst Drive… Mortgage price is $547.56

Scientific Notation

October 12, 2015October 12, 2015 aaravg417 1 Comment

At the bottom right of the box, the number is 10 to the power of 0.0. It means 10 to the power of 0 which equals 1.

One thing I learned about was the quantum or spacetime foam. I would tell you the size but I can’t because it is so small that the foam cannot be measured or seen. It is at 10 to the negative 35th power or 0.00000000001 yoctometers. The foam is also the very foundation of the fabric of the universe.

We use negative exponents in scientific notation because they are an easier way of saying that a number needs to be smaller. As for positive exponents, they are an easier way of saying that a number needs to be bigger-> 543,321,678=5.43321678 multiplied by 10 to the power of 8. If you are multiplying multiple numbers, you can just simplify the numbers and add the powers of 10 to get one big final problem instead of another process. Scientific notation is just an easier way of saying numbers that are too big or small.

Mesoamerican Cultural Analysis

October 11, 2015October 11, 2015 aaravg417 Leave a comment

The Maya could have had cultural diffusion with several other cultures like the Mochica, Toltec, Aztec, Mixtec, Chimu, and Teotihuacan because they lived in the same area around the same time. The Maya, the Mixtec, Mochica, and the Toltec could have had cultural diffusion because the Maya and Mochica made ceramic pottery sculptures and made paintings, the Mixtec made mosaics on their palace walls out of cut stone, and the Toltec carved faces into palace columns. The Mayans, Aztecs, Teotihuacan, and maybe the Chimu (who lived around the same time as the Mayans and Aztecs but in the Andes Mountains) believed in gods but maybe not the same ones. The Aztec and Chimu believed in Sky gods like a Sun God or a Moon God while the Mayans believed in Maize and Death gods and the Teotihuacan believed in Quetzalcoatl, a feathered serpent who created the world. The six cultures I think the Maya collided with through culture are the Mochica, Toltec, Aztec, Mixtec, Chimu, and the Teotihuacan.