Dream job attained

Ahh...the wonderful feeling of success! Found out today that I did indeed get a job at the Writing Center; people bring me their papers and I dispense wisdom like a sage of old. Only, I get paid.

Sadly though, it will cut into my fencing time; I'm required to take a course that takes place right when practice is going on. But, I shall manage.

My chance to get a 4.0 GPA this semester teeters on a knife edge! I just took the last test in Humanities, and while there's no doubt I at least got a B, there's that chance I could end up with an A- in the course. Also, I'm not sure how I did on my Ancient Israel midterm, and then there's the fact that I gotta do my American Lit paper which is worth a whopping 50% of my final grade. Nothing like academic Russian roulette!

On that note (papers), after getting back from Unction tonight, I must type out another paper due tomorrow.

But all the same, Pascha is this weekend and the everything is looking up!

Oh, one last thing. Today at work, I danced for like a whole half hour while singing the "Peanut Butter Jelly" song in my head. It rocked. Here's a link to see it's greatness:
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/flash/peanutbutter.html

an arm and leg to Verizon

$81.52

Know what that is? That is my phone bill for this month. Pretty steep isn't it? How'd it get to be that high? Remember back not too long ago when I headed to Michigan State for a fencing trip (http://puddnhead.blogspot.com/2005/04/life-and-fencing-experience-from.html)? And how the U kind of messed up and didn't pay the hotel? Well, as you all know by now, I paid for it. However, what I omitted (for it was not important at the time) were all the phone calls that I was making trying to rectify the situation. All told, I spent about 47 minutes on the phone. In Indiana/Michigan. While roaming. And let me tell ya friends, roaming adds up.

And that's my angst for the night.

First Political [Serious] Blog

Real quick post, and then it's back to homework!

Anyways, just read an article about a tax cut for the wealthy; the gradual elimination of the estate tax. Some quick info: the estate tax is only exacted on assets of more than $1.5 million, and just under 20,000 people here in the U.S. are thus affected by it. I won't go into a lot of details about the article (it was an op-ed; I took it with a grain of salt), nor will I claim to be an expert on this issue (which I am not). However, it did get me thinking.

Nowadays, a lot of people compare the U.S. to the Roman Empire, and how the latter's collapse is being mirrored by our country today. On that note, another kingdom popped into my head; France, late 1700's. Here's an interesting little fact; not too long before the French Revolution (say 10, 20, no more than 30 years) occurred, the aristocracy were made exempt from paying taxes. Also, this was right around the time of one of many wars (I apologize for my fuzzy knowledge), so France, which was in debt, started to go deeper into it. Thus, the middle/lower classes were forced to pay higher taxes, and so this was just one of the many causes behind the Revolution. Now yes, this is not 18th-C-monarchy-ruled-France, but still, there's an important message that I think can be applied to today. Anytime a country favors the extreme wealthy during trying economic times, it can't end well.

My duty to the Byzantines...at a cost of BBQ time

I happen to be in the throes of another albeit not uncommon dilemma. My quandary is as follows:

Bright Monday is coming up (the day after Pashca). Now, I usually try and take this day off from school; I'm usually exhausted from Pascha itself AND my family has a BBQ. Problems though. For one, that's the last day of my Amer Lit Discussion. I kind of like the class and there's paper stuff to be done, so I might or might not go. However, even if I did, despite the fact that I'd have to get up early, I'd still be back home in time for the feast. I also have work. That's a null issue; I'm taking it off. Now the BIG issue, the fulcrum of all my agonies, is my Humanities class. I would've had only minor qualms about emailing in "sick," and in a lawyer like way, I could probably that I was sick in some sense of the world. But you know what we happen to be discussing in class that day? The Byzantines! No doubt there will be talk of Eastern Orthodoxy, given that one of the terms on the outline for that class is the "Haiga Sophia." Then of course there's Constantine, Justinian, Constantinople, etc. A part of me immediately said, "oh boy! I know all these terms! I'm not missing a dang thing!" But the other, more cynical and perhaps wiser part of me replied, "hold on a sec bud. You know the people in your class; some are not the brightest of bulbs in the Amish man's house. Remember the one dude who asked of Greek Orthodoxy was the modern day offshoot of Ancient Greek Paganism? Can you trust that the professor will adequately explain things about the Byzantines and Orthodox?" *sob*

So dear friends, I am torn. I NEED to be there, cause I know things have the potential to be misinterpreted. But then again...I might just stay home period.

Oh yes, by going, I don't miss out on the BBQ. I merely am late to it, and so some of the joyous time is lost. Plus the fact that I REALLY don't want to be at school that day.

unforseen feelings in writing

I seem to have a bit of an ethical writer's block. Let me explain:

I'm trying to write a Film-noir like story set at the U, and in one scene our hero (or rather, anti-hero given that it's film-noir) heads to Wilson library to get info. from bums. Well, as I'm writing this scene, I can't help but actually feel sad. I mean, I do genuinley feel bad for homeless people. So yeah, it's just a tough scene for me to write. Gets me thinking on how some authors wrote stuff that was even worse...how did Doestoevsky feel when wrote the murder of Lizaveeta in "Crime and Punishment?" How did Hemingway feel when he described a massacre in a Spanish village in "For Whom the Bell Tolls?" And so on.

That's all for now. Hopefully when I work on the "Iowa Lyon Series" I won't run into these same spiritual barbs.

Thug-like vending machines

Some days, unfortunately, machine triumphs over man. Today was one of those days. Let's start at the begining.

I worked today, as usual. When I went on my break, I went to the vending machine, also as usual. At the point, I had a little bit of a dilema; what to snack on? There no more "Grandma's Oatmeal Cookies," so I decided on getting the "Salted Nut Roll;" of all the other snacks, this has the highest net weight. So, I put the quarters in, as usual. I pressed "D6," as usual. The lil' metal thing turned, yet my salty and creamy snack did not fall...VERY NOT USUAL. I tried a little bit of shaking, but to no avail. Nor did I have any more $1 bills or change, so I couldn't try again. There was a number listed for such problems, but after a silent sigh of despair, I decided to move on with my life.

Fast forward two hours. I'm in Walter Library, still hungry cause I hadn't eaten lunch (or rather, not eaten much). So, I head to their vending machines. At this point, I did have money cause I stopped at Laurie's for a caramel French soda and croissaint. So, I get a Mellow Yellow, and then move on to its sister machine; the one that dispenses food instead of beverage. There's a girl there too (attractive as well, but I do nothing; my mind was occupied with other matters). She lets me go first, since she hadn't decided. I put in my change and, still angry at Salted Nut Rolls, I choose Peanut M & M's. Can you guess what happened folks? Apparantly, this vending machine was/is part of the same crime racket that refuses to pony up the goods on payment. I couldn't believe, screwed out of money and tasty snacks twice in one day! Fortunately, all was not lost. The girl behind me, seeing my plight, decides to get Peanut M & M's; she helped me get my pack, and she thanked me for helping her "make up her mind." I expressed my gratitude and we went our seperate ways.

My last tragedy (oh man I hope it's my last; the night is young) that occured today is that I somehow lost my watch. Shortly after finishing my M & M's and Mellow Yellow, I glanced at my wrist (where the watch SHOULD have been) to see the time and was horrified to see that my watch had disappeared. I retraced my steps to no avail; the watch was/is gone. I'll try and check some lost-and-founds, but I have little hope. *sigh* AND NOW SOME SLEEZEBAG IS GONNA FIND IT AND PAWN IT FOR BOOZE!!!!

And now the hammer falls...

Greetings all.

This is more of an announcement than an actual post (but I know that's not really the case cause this "announcement" is going to be kind of long and not entirely without emotion). Basically, I'm not sure how often I'll be posting in these next, oh, 4 weeks. The "hammer" is all the writing and reading that is now crashing down upon your dear Adam. Do not pity me, pity my eyes; 5 novels and 4 papers will probably NOT help my vision.

Also, you know what bites about being an English major (or rather being in any other humanities like field)? The fact that pretty much all the upper-division courses that I HAVE to take are a measley 3 credits; nevermind that each class still requires about 100 pages of reading a week. So, in order to be a full time student and still get the most out of the state's grant money, I'm taking 5 classes; yet still only racking in 16 credits. Throw in a job (I actually might have 2; I have an interview at the Writing Center this Wednesday) and fencing (keep in mind I'll be vice-president again), Fall Semester 2005 is looking to be pretty rough.

As close to feeling like a modernist writer as I can get...

Today, after getting done with my job, I decided to do something new. Namely, I went and had lunch at Laurie's Cafe. And boy, am I glad I did!

For one, the food is excellent, and not too pricey. I passed on the pastries (they had croissants, rolls, etc.) merely because I wanted something more filling; and I found that in the tomatoe bisque soup (side note, it appears that they only serve 2 types of soup a day, so I'm not sure if the bisque will be back anytime soon). To satisfy my thirst, I went with a pineapple flaovred French soda (some pineapple flavoring in milk with ice cubes and topped with whipped cream; there were about 20 odd flavorings so I figure I'll try a different one next time). The food was delicious, and the only thing that prevented me from buying say a muffin was the fact that I had verry little money. Anyways, as I ate, I noticed the rather abstract yet cool looking art, the alternative-style music playing in the background, and the leftist-propaganda literature spread about (read an interesting little article on how we're actually commiting genocide in Iraq). To top of the experience, I took note of my [rather recently grown] goatee and status as a student...I felt so Bohemian! Or, as a close second, one of those ex-patriate writers.

But yes, I realized there are some perks to eating at a place that gives off that "leftist" vibe. For one, though I make a jab at the reading materials, I lean towards the left on certain issues; thus, I'm not turned off/offended upon entering. Also, I imagine that this could be a great place to eat during Lent; at least one soup everyday will probably be vegetarian of some sort! The staff is easy going, and as it turns out, you can eat/drink outside. Oh, how I look forward to sipping my French soda as the sun shines, a warm breeze blows, and the fragrant smell of flowers is in the air...

I'm comfortable with my "fair-weather fan" mindset

I'm not ashamed to admit it folks, I am indeed a fair-weather fan. Basically, when it comes time for the championships of any sport, coversations go kind of like this:

"Hey Adam, the [insert sport team here] are heading to the play offs, isn't that cool?"
"You bet!"
(while not have actually paid attention at all to said sports team during the normal season)

Don't get me wrong, there are teams that I like and cheer for no matter what. The Twins for example. The Phildadelphia Eagles are another. And various other teams too, but keep in mind that I don't know who any of the players are or any kind of statistics. But yes, for the most part, I only care at the end. In fact, unless I'm at an actual game, I find that I'll only watch the last 3 minutes of a basketball game. Doesn't matter who's playing, it's those final few moments that are worth it.

On a side note, I've come up with a whole new plot to take over the world. What is it you ask? Sports fans. Preferrably college ones. Why them? Cause they're the craziest (aka stupidest). Them, or soccer fans, but I plan on making my base of operations here in the U.S.

See, we're an interesting society. We get all high and mighty because people fight "only about religion" (anyone who blames religion for all wars needs to do a bit more reading and thinking). Yet, we riot because our hockey team wins a championship?? Destroying someone else's property is somehow demanded by the Sports gods? Sickening folks, sickening. Plus, after seeing a hockey game in person (which I enjoyed very much), I realized that a sports fanatic is much more terrifying than a religious fanatic. At least with the latter, they're dying for an ideal. Goodness, I could not contemplate myself being a martyr for Goldy the Gopher, or for any one of U's teams. And yet, I would take some sort pleasure in making others do it...

No, I take it all back. I don't want to make nations and people submit to my ESPN-drugged armies (obviously, I'd have to revert to some kind of mind control tactic). When I conquer the world, I think I'll just have sports fans shot. Much simpler.

Euthanized by Dr. Love

Ahh...Spring's here! The air is fresh, flowers are blooming, and everywhere is the gentle feeling of L-O-V-E. Perhaps it was the springtime feel that made me almost do something entirely out of the ordinary.

Our (or rather "my") story begins Wednesday morning at the Forestry Library (in Green Hall on the St. Paul Campus). I was taking my break, drinking Mellow Yellow and eating some peanut M&M's when this girl walks in. Now, I've seen this girl before, and talked to her once (she woke up from a nap and asked me what time it is). Thing is, she is attractive; in a plain sort of way (which is something I like). Well, she walks by and I think nothing of it; I go on enjoying my break. And then, just like all good things, my break comes to an end.

Thus, I return to the library. BUT! As I walk towards the door, my eyes spy this same girl sitting at a table studying. For some unknown reason, I'm filled with this desire, nay, URGE to just go up to her and ask her out. Let me make it clear, I do not know what came over me. As this thought enters me head, I stop for a minute, not sure what to do. One part of me says "go back to work," while the other of course says "go and talk to her." So naturally, I compromise; I walk over near her to throw away my pop bottle. Well, actually, I walked over to the bin, finished my pop, THEN threw it away. Regardless, I did it to try and catch her eye (which I didn't do that good of a job of), and at the same time try to get a closer look of her. So, the pop is thrown and I walk inside the library, back to the copy room. Back inside, I work frantically! I just have one journal to copy, and then I have to head to Ent (the Entomology, Fish, and Wildlife Library) to get more journals to copy (this is indeed my job when I'm working for North Central). Why the rush you ask? Because I hope that when I'm done and I walk out the girl will still be there! And you know what? She WAS!

I will not lie friends; the "urge" was strong. I thought to myself, "it would be so easy." The fact that she probably didn't even know me never really even entered my head; if it had, I had ignored it. As I walked by, all I knew was that if eye contact was made, I'd nod a "hello" and then go in. Alas! It was not be! No eye contact was established, and once I passed her, I couldn't turn around. Well, I went to Ent, got the journals, and when I returned...she was gone.

So ends another anti-climatic yet strangely interesting episode in the love life of Puddn'head Adam.

p.s. I didn't mope, nor am I moping, but merely relating a tale. Perhaps there'll be another chance; or most likely some other girl in a different situation.
p.p.s. I know I've talked about another potential; I have not forgotten about her. However, I am of course keeping my eyes open just in case.
p.p.p.s. Shirts that say "Blondes do it harder" should NOT be made in the XXXL size; thus preventing those sized people from being able to buy and wear such shirts.

life and fencing experience from Michigan State

Well, I have returned safe and sound from my fencing tournament at Michigan State. Twas a grand ole time, and I learned quite a bit. Sadly, I don't have many stories of success...only won 6 out of 23 bouts. I know...it's so embarrassing! But, I was in the A slot, meaning that I was the "best" fencer on my epee team; which meant that I had to fence every other college's A fencer. Needless to say, I got beat. A LOT. Fortunately, the upside to fencing guys who are way above you in skill level is that you learn; and learn I did. Next time's gonna be different ("next time" will actually be in North Carolina or Virginia)...

Other than that, I don't have too much to tell. It was a lot of fun, the drive was long but interesting, and I got to miss two days of school (for which I am paying the price, but that just makes life interesting).

Gah! So tired...and I'm still adapting to the whole "blogging" thing! I came up with some ideas about literature/how I want to teach during Amer Lit lecture...perhaps I'll share those in another post.

Until then, I'm open to requests! If you want to learn more about the trip, ask and I shall post. If you want my take on various aspects of life, I will oblige. And so on...

p.s. the "life experience" was "sometimes the U's bureaucracy sucks because they didn't pay for the hotels like they should have so I had to...I'm being reimbursed but there's nothing like finding out an hour before you get to the hotel that you have to drop a grand"