Puddn'head Adam

blog blog blog....nadda

2007-05-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

I am still alive and trying to come up with posts--it would seem I've failed in that respect. I'll do what I can.

2 weeks of intense paper writing

2007-04-22T17:22:00.000-07:00

Gah, these last 2 weeks are gonna be tough. I have two papers to finish up this week (1 due Wed, 1 due Fri), and not a whole lot of time to do 'em.

Then there's a bigger paper/presentation due next Wed, which I'm cool with, but that's worth about 50% of my grade, sooooooo..........there's some pressure.

On a more positive note, I found--or rather, my dad helped me find--a source for my senior paper. Yup, Sir Frederic Kenyon's "War Graves: How Cemeteries Abroad Will Be Designed," which is basically a report to the British Govt. in 1918 . Fun stuff. Thought I was going to have to go New York or England for it (inter-library-loan was a more realistic albeit less awesome alternative), but then dear old dad found it online. Soon it will be in my hands, and I will be happy.

I'll try and get a better post in sometime, but that'll depend on how much work I get done in these coming days.

The new stadium is already dicking me over

2007-04-17T16:34:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, the U decided to build an on campus stadium. Admittedly, I can see the reasons for it, but I personally think it's a waste of money, and believe that the stadium's construction will be a horrible incoveinence for many people.

Already that last part has become true. Around the commuter lots and such, it's a total cluster...verb. They closed a lane on University, so it's a crapshoot for people trying to get out of the ramp during rush hour. Huge sections of sidewalk are closed, which I guess I can deal with, but it still sucks. And the biggest kick to the crotch is having to drive through the newly made labyrinth while trying to get to or leave the commuter lots. Getting to is not horribly bad, but leaving is atrocious. Argh, I have to deal with an extra 5-10 minutes of driving just to get home: I have to backtrack I don't know how many blocks, only to get back onto University and drive the same distance back.

It blows, and I don't look forward to a whole other year of it. So basically, the stadium means several things for Adam:

1. Higher tuition (they say the won't make students pay, but I doubt that)
2. More driving time
2a. While construction goes on, I have to go through desrcibed experience
2b. When stadium is finished, the new lots are gonna be farther away from campus
3. No real benefit. Not a huge Gopher football fan, and I don't see myself being too involved when I'm an alum.

That does it for now.

So I might be back

2007-04-11T21:02:00.000-07:00

Read title.

I may be blogging again.

New gut

2006-09-16T16:43:00.000-07:00

I think I'm expanding a bit around the belly...my 32" waist pants are feeling a little more snug than usual. Not only are they tad tough to button, but I find myself not needing to wear a belt at all. 34" might be a bit too big still, but I forsee my 33" boot cut jeans (ooh, and my grey ones too...or "gray" if you spell it that way...weirdo) are going to be worn a bit more, and will probably want a new brother or sister sometime to ease the usage.

This isn't exactly fitting into my planned wardrobe uprgrade, as I thought I was pretty well set for pants (heck, even bought a few new dress pants in Spring...2 for 1 at JC Penny's or some place like that), and was going to focus on shirts.

And more socks, boxers, and new shoes will be in order.

Crap! I forgot about coats...

I'm trying to get back on the horse

2006-09-01T16:43:00.000-07:00

Ok y'all, following Becky's example, I'm trying to get back into blogging. Since school is starting, that'll probably help.

I'll leave you with one tidbit: I just got back from CA (I may or may not blog about that). What I did learn is that next time I head there I need to buy and bring a digital camera; I went with disposable and lost many shots :-(

On another note, damn the terrorists for making me unable to bring snowglobes on a plane, thus costing me a wine glass (had to check a bag, wine glass in bag, glass broke).

p.s. lest I get smack thrown at me for the "unsensitive and selfish" final remark, please remember that I am not that shallow
p.p.s. damn the terrorists for making me throw in a disclaimer like that

Geez...could I get a more masculine bag please?

2006-07-16T12:08:00.000-07:00

I went shopping at American Eagle the other day. They were offering free movie tickets if you tried on a pair of jeans, so as I had nothing else to do, me, my bro, and a friend hit an AE outlet. Surprisingly, I found a pair of reasonably prices, boot cut (looks like I've started the transition) jeans, and so I bought them.

However, the only snag was that AE bags aren't the best for promoting the image of a smart-yet-strong heterosexual [in my opinion]. A simple brown (or whatever solid colored background AE was "feelin") with the logo would do the trick. A bright blue bag, with pictures of ridiculously good looking teens does nothing but attract the eye. And judgement.

But after eating a steak dinner and playing tennis, I felt like a man again. Or rather, I didn't feel dirty.

....

Gah! Who am I kidding...I'll probably go back sometime for more pants...

Soccer bandwagon, tennis, sports misc.

2006-07-04T18:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks to MSN sports, I read that Italy beat Germany, and will advance to Finals for the World Cup. In keeping with my usual pattern of becoming interested in THE championship for whichever particular [televised] sport (well, there are some exceptions), I now hope that France beats Portugal and then beats Italy for the win.

......

Or do I?

Italy is a place that's always interested me, and I'm more familiar with [tastey] Italian cuisine than French. Oh well, I guess that if it comes down to the "Battle of the Blues" (both teams are called that), I'll be happy for whoever wins.

More pleasing to me is that Wimbledon is in full swing (pardon the pun)! I'm going to have to do some taping; work prevents me from watching.

Finally, I think I'm going to invest in some fencing equipment and have my own jacket, pants, etc. A part of me is excited about it [fencing] again, and if I join USFA, I'll be more involved. Ah, good stuff.

Oh! Not finally! Speaking about buying stuff, I've been debating whether or not to buy a basketball hoop. It'd be fun to have something to do outside, and shooting hoops is really the only solitary activity I could do.

And I plan on playing on ultimate frisbee sometime soon.

Some sites for fencing video clips

2006-06-23T15:59:00.000-07:00

http://www.fencing.net/content/view/279/35

http://www.leonpaul.com/download/videos.htm

http://www.fencingchannel.tv/clip/index.htm

Truthfully, I'm not super happy with those...but they'll do for now. If you go to the third one, watch the women's epee final; it sort of lags at first, but then catches up (some of the other clips never do, so be careful). AND, after you watch the women, click on the "epee" link on the side and watch the men...you can view it with english commentary even.

Concerns

2006-06-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

I noticed a spider on my wall earlier today...right above where I lay my head to sleep to be precise. So, as spiders are prone to plummet for no reason, I went to get toilet paper to end his little life. Except when I tried to squish him, he moved too quickly and, taking his chances, leapt from the wall. His fall carried him all the way to the floor, in between my bed and the wall, and so I couldn't finish him off.

Mutha fucka's probably gonna shank me while I sleep now.

That's concern numero uno. Number 2 is that for some reason, my cheeks are red. Not horribly so, but for the longest time, I've had problems with dry, reddish cheeks, and nothing I do seems to completely remedy it. I've gotten mostly under control now, and maybe I just sunburned them a tad and I'll have to deal with it for awhile longer, but if anyone has any grooming tips on how to get rid of red skin, I'd be most obliged. And actually, I guess I'd prefer specific product info, or specific tips; I've tried different soaps, conditioners, moisturizers, etc., so if you've found something that works, give me a holla.

I could go on with other concerns--some petty, some serious--but that's enough for now.

Free shirt!

2006-06-19T20:41:00.000-07:00

I got a freaking free shirt today, thanks to Sports Clubs! Man, nothing like free clothing...it's a shame pants are never given away. After all, I have plenty of shirts, and it's not a huge hassle to buy more. But pants, I could always use another pair of jeans, and this article of clothing is usually more on the expensive side.

Free boxers would also rock.

And taking a cue from Jordan, here are some musical suggestions. Namely, y'all should be listening to Cake and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. "Stadium Arcadium" by the latter is righteous on so many levels, and I've been grooving to "Comfort Eagle" by the former (admittedly, "Fashion Nugget" is kind of disappointing) Both are satisfying on a level I haven't felt in some time, and they are perfect for both the driving and private scene. If ska is your thing (or stuff that's ska-like), you should listen to Chicken Poodle Soup (I have their CD). They're a local band--they just have that one CD with 8 songs--but I know half the group and they're refreshing to listen to.

Oh! While perusing my old emails, I came across one involing palace eunuchs and court scholars (it was from World History). Interestingly, I ran in across my TA from that class (he had answered the question) later today. Anyway, one intriguing aspect of Chinese history is the conflict between the eunuchs and the scholars.

"Why the conflict Adam, why?"

Well, you see readers:

Emperors often have large numbers of women. These women need guards, but male guards cannot be trusted to not have affairs with the women. As a result, they are castrated as boys; this way, they cannot actually have affairs with the imperial women. In China, this is especially the case (although the Byzantines and Muslims certainly did it as well). Keep in mind the effect that this has in China: The future emperor, as a child, is raised up in the harem, which means that he is surrounded by eunuchs. In turn, when he grows up and becomes emperor, the people who will be physically closest to him will be his women and the eunuchs. The court scholars are somewhat distant from him, because uncastrated men are not allowed into the emperor's private quarters. But because eunuchs do have entrance, they have access to the emperor, so they can talk to him and persuade him to follow their ideas. So eunuchs tend to have greater access to the emperor, which makes them powerful. --(Farmer 2003)I tried putting it into my own words, but got lazy, so I just copied my TA's helpful response and cited accordingly.

But the moral of the story is that I'm thinking about perhaps trying to use this as my suma thesis topic. However, my concentration is Europe, so I don't know if that'll fly or not. Perhaps something about castration in the Byzantine Empire, but that might be considered more Middle East than Europe.In sum though, I've now devoted my energies into finding a more creative topic. Not that there's anything wrong with my previous ones, but I want to do something really juicey.

what I've been reading

2006-06-18T15:29:00.000-07:00

Sort of a bit lately, namely sci-fi and history. There's a new book out by Orson Scott Card which continues the "Ender's Game" series/spinoff (as this book is about Bean); I just bought it and will now devour it. Then I found a book from the "Dune" series (actually published by Herbert's son, and it's a prequel) which I bought long ago but never read; rectifying that right now.

And for whatever reason, I'm rereading my books on France. Perhaps I'll post on the horrors of the French Revolution and other French issues. Meh.

This is sort of what I do...HUGE emphasis on "sort of"

2006-06-13T18:07:00.000-07:00

Funny little clip from the Daily show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHuccnnzR54

Although unlike the judge, I read for higher order problems first, and then grammar.

And because my posting is basically limited to posting links now, here are two side-splitting sites:

Go Fug Yourself and Pajiba. Oh, you'll laugh and laugh.

Unless you're a .....well, I'll let you fill in whatever insult you want. If I get too much sass from that, I'll re-edit with an appropriate response.

RIP ER

2006-06-06T15:41:00.000-07:00

You know what was one of my simple joys in life? Watching the original ER in the afternoon. But now, evil forces at the WB have put an end to it, and I can do nothing but roll around in agony.

However, I did realize today that the Beach Boys are the best band to listen to while driving around.

1st quasi-offical post: serious

2006-06-05T19:49:00.000-07:00

If you want to be a little bit smarter, read the following:

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13124097/site/newsweek/

Basically, it's about the education system in Europe, and how it's doing quite badly. I thought it was interesting, not only because it concerns education, but because I'm on a European bender. As in, studying/reading about Europe (national identities, Jacobean drama, French politics, German history, etc.).

So yeah, no discussion really, just felt like trying to expand your knowledge base.

Poor Europe...

The King is back?

2006-05-29T09:31:00.000-07:00

Yes, after much chiding from Iowans, it looks like I'll be blogging again.

Stay tuned for a real post by the end of the week.

Last post?

2006-01-30T21:23:00.000-08:00

Perhaps.

Not that uninteresting stuff hasn't been going on, but my energy seems to drop whenever I try to post. So, following Matt's and now Erich's (and Dawn's) path, I may retire from the blogging world.

Perhaps.

At least for now, don't expect anything cool for awhile.

snarkiness, and an apology for

2006-01-26T19:04:00.000-08:00

Sorry if I've seemed snarky i.e. short-tempered and bitter lately. Things have been stressful, and after some self-reflection, realized I could do better.

So, my apologies for any jerk-like comments.

exercise due to stupidity (told in Heminway-esque form)

2006-01-24T20:42:00.000-08:00

I drove to the U today. I had forgotten that I had driven by the time I was done with everything. I walked 10 blocks in one direction before I remembered that I had driven, so I turned around and walked 12 blocks back. I could've been home half an hour earlier.

Hair and styling

2006-01-13T15:18:00.000-08:00

I was looking at myself in the mirror today and thought, "wow Adam, your hair looks good...almost at its perfect length." After agreeing with myself, I once again pondered the possibility of trying a new style.

See readers, I have no real style for my hair. I get it cut, and deal with it from there. No gel or spray ever finds its way onto my golden locks. Yet, I sometimes think of trying something new, like wearing my hair up or quasi-spiked (I say "quasi" because I'm not a fan of nor will I ever get the super short and spiked hair look). Tossled, yes, another posssibility.

Since it's winter, anything involving some chemical substance is most likely out; I wear a hat and value my ears and core temperature over my hair looking good. But then in summer, I'm pretty active; I have no desire to have my get that stuff in my eyes while playing a bout of tennis.

You've probably all heard this before, so if it bored you to tears, I'm sorry. BUT, if you want to play a part in shaping how I look, now's the time for suggestions! I'd post pictures, but I don't have many of me with various lengths of hair; trust the memories and photographs in your mind.

Next [possible] post: what clothes should I wear i.e. style, color, etc?

p.s. I don't suppose any of you know at what blood-alcohol level causes the room to spin? And what level kills you? 0.6? Oh, and VERY technical question: any rates on how thin your blood gets or how clotting is affected?

Nothing new

2006-01-04T22:31:00.000-08:00

Really...there's nothing new to add...other than babble.

Inter-species marrying

2006-01-03T15:09:00.000-08:00

So, a woman has married a dolphin...read about it here

Words escape me when I reflect upon this. Seriously. I'm spreading the word, but have no comment as of late.

Huh.

Facts about Chuck Norris

2006-01-02T20:20:00.000-08:00

I stole these from somewhere long ago, but I haven't posted them yet. Enjoy.

30 Facts About Chuck Norris

1. Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried.

2. Rather than being birthed like a normal child, Chuck Norris instead
decided to punch his way out of his mother's womb. Shortly thereafter he
grew a beard.

3. When Chuck Norris plays Oregon Trail his family does not die from cholera
or dysentery, but rather roundhouse kicks to the face. He also requires no
wagon, since he carries the oxen, axels, and buffalo meat on his back. He
always makes it to Oregon before you.

4. Chuck Norris recently had the idea to sell his urine as a canned
beverage. We know this beverage as Red Bull.

5. Chuck Norris built a time machine and went back in time to stop the JFK
assassination. As Oswald shot, Chuck met all three bullets with his beard,
deflecting them. JFK's head exploded out of sheer amazement.

6. Chuck Norris's girlfriend once asked him how much wood a woodchuck could
chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood. He then shouted, "HOW DARE YOU RHYME
IN THE PRESENCE OF CHUCK NORRIS!" and ripped out her throat. Holding his
girlfriend's bloody throat in his hand he bellowed, "Don't fuck with Chuck!"
Two years and five months later he realized the irony of this statement and
laughed so hard that anyone within a hundred mile radius of the blast went
deaf.

7. Chuck Norris sold his soul to the devil for his rugged good looks and
unparalleled martial arts ability. Shortly after the transaction was
finalized, Chuck roundhouse kicked the devil in the face and took his soul
back. The devil, who appreciates irony, couldn't stay mad and admitted he
should have seen it coming. They now play poker every second Wednesday of
the month.

8. Chuck Norris was the fourth Wiseman. He brought baby Jesus the gift of
"beard". Jesus wore it proudly to his dying day. The other Wisemen, jealous
of Jesus' obvious gift favoritism, used their combined influence to have
Chuck omitted from the Bible. Shortly after all three died of roundhouse
kick related deaths.

9. The original theme song to the Transformers was actually "Chuck
Norris--more than meets the eye, Chuck Norris--robot in disguise," and
starred Chuck Norris as a Texas Ranger who defended the earth from
drug-dealing Decepticons and could turn into a pick-up. This was far too
much awesome for a single show, however, so it was divided.

10. To prove it isn't that big of a deal to beat cancer. Chuck Norris smoked
15 cartons of cigarettes a day for 2 years and aquired 7 different kinds of
cancer only to rid them from his body by flexing for 30 minutes. Beat that,
Lance Armstrong.

11. Chuck Norris lives by only one rule: No Asian Chicks.

12. Chuck Norris once shot a German plane down with his finger, by yelling,
"Bang!"

13. A man once asked Chuck Norris if his real name is "Charles". Chuck
Norris did not respond, he simply stared at him until he exploded.

14. Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.

15. Chuck Norris can make a woman climax by simply pointing at her and
saying "booya".

16. Before each filming of Walker: Texas Ranger, Chuck Norris is injected
with five times the lethal dose of elephant tranquilzer. This is, of course,
to limit his strength and mobility, in an attempt to lower the fatality rate
of the actors he fights.

17. Chuck Norris once went to a frat(ernity)party, and proceeded to
roundhouse every popped collar in sight. He then drank three kegs and shit
on their floor, just because he's Chuck Norris.

18. Chuck Norris took my virginity, and he will sure as hell take yours. If
you're thinking to yourself, "That's impossible, I already lost my
virginity.", then you are dead wrong.

19. Chuck Norris found out about Conan O'Brien's lever that shows clips from
"Walker: Texas Ranger" and is working on a way to make it show clips of
Norris having sex with Conan's wife.

20. The chief export of Chuck Norris is pain.

21. One of the greatest cover-ups of the last century was the fact that
Hitler did not commit suicide in his bunker, but was in fact tea-bagged to
death by Chuck Norris.

22. Chuck Norris punched a woman in the vagina when she didn't give him
exact change.

23. After much debate, President Truman decided to drop the atomic bomb on
Hiroshima rather than the alternative of sending Chuck Norris. His
reasoning? It was more "humane".

24. Chuck Norris doesn't have normal white blood cells like you and I. His
have a small black ring around them. This signifies that they are black
belts in every form of martial arts and they roundhouse kick the shit out of
viruses. That's why Chuck Norris never gets ill.

25. Chuck Norris frequently signs up for beginner karate classes, just so he
can "accidentally" beat the shit out of little kids.

26. Chuck Norris once tried to sue Burger King after they refused to put
razor wire in his Whopper Jr., insisting that that actually is "his" way.

27. Chuck Norris is currently suing NBC, claiming Law and Order are
trademarked names for his left and right legs.

28. If you can see Chuck Norris, he can see you. If you can't see Chuck
Norris you may be only seconds away from death.

29. Chuck Norris ruins the endings of Harry Potter books for children who
just bought one for the hell of it. When they start crying Chuck Norris
calmly says, "I'll give you something to cry about," and roundhouse kicks
them in the face.

30. Hellen Keller's favorite color is Chuck Norris.

Woe of woes, the Darkness has triumphed

2005-12-29T22:19:00.000-08:00

Term GPA: 3.647

Oh curses! Vile grades! Swear words at the tip of my tongue about to pour forth like the rivers of Babylon! I writhe in the shredded garb of disgrace that I made for myself!

The B in Chaucer--which I had to wait for 2-and-a-half weeks for mind you--vanquished my chances of achieving Dean's List. To miss it by .020 is very disenheartening. *Sigh* Instead of being 3-2 for Dean's List (the numbers are semesters), I fall to an unsavory 2-3.

Hats off to Jordan for making Dean's List. Stength and Victory are his.

Just now my sister has said not to be stressed about this kind of stuff, and worry less about what others think...I already know this, but I guess I'll try and follow those bits of advice better.

Next semester looks to be interesting...the future, which glitters like gold, holds much promise for our young hero. Who knows what treasures he will find? What lessons to be learned? A come from behind victory in grades, and perhaps some domination at fencing are in store. You dear readers, will read of these exploits, unless the blogging world becomes a cold, sterile place, and our hero leaves for greener pastures.

A change in careers?

2005-12-27T14:05:00.000-08:00

A part of me wants to be a doctor...to do so would basically require me starting over college. But, if it's what I want to do, it should be done. Doing surgery is out (and thus a lot of options), but I was thinking about perhaps being an ear, nose, and throat doctor.

Still, the thought of a being a teacher is still strong, as is the thought of being a professor.

And once again, the thoughts of being involved in law enforcement a la FBI profiler have been rekindled.

Hmm...

Merry Christmas

2005-12-26T10:46:00.000-08:00

Late I know, but I was busy.

Hope you all had a very merry Christmas.

Every final it's the same...

2005-12-17T19:21:00.000-08:00

...I tell myself I'm going to study harder, or rather, study earlier, but it just doesn't seem to happen. Just have one more test to go: History of Modern France, 8 AM, Monday.

A part of me says, "Bah! It'll be a cold day in Hell before France takes me down!" But the other part says, "Dude, why bother...France isn't worth it."

What will happen is this: I'll read over everything tomorrow, and probably pull out a B- on the Final. And I'm cool with that. I'm pretty sure that I could fail it too, and still pass. Obviously, I don't want it to come down to that, but I could live with it if it happened.

Of course, there is the dream of getting Dean's List. I already know 2 of my 5 grades: B+ and A.

It is achievable! And then I get a nice, neutral letter from the Dean that reads like a flow chart:
"If you're an undergrad, keep up the good work."
or
"If this was your last semester, good luck in the future and I hope you stay connected to the U."
or
"If you're a grad [honestly, I don't remember what it says for grad, but it's something more official sounding than what I as an undergrad would be told] ... "

One more year of fencing...

2005-12-16T18:19:00.000-08:00

Once I'm done with college, I'm done with fencing. It seems that if you stay with fencing past that stage, it is highly likely you turn into a douchebag. There are three variations:

1. the "I'm so full of shit" douchebag. arrogant and brash, likes to throw their weight around when in power.

2. the extremely controlling douchebag. this variation usually dwells in a club it formerly coached and still expects to run things.

3. the extremely controlling "I'm full of shit" douchebag. true, there are a lot of similarities between the two anyways, but it's rare that the two species merge so perfectly to create this hybrid.

Another possibility is the obsessive and arrogant freak. this type looks like they'll pop if they lose a bout. Like its cousins, usually finds a way to critique any and everything.

That said, there are good older fencers. I'm just saying I haven't seen a lot of them.

Laughter is good

2005-12-10T19:26:00.000-08:00

I laughed uncontrollably when I read this...felt like sharing the joy.

Click here

Fear the Motivator (should be kicking in soon)

2005-12-10T19:20:00.000-08:00

Coming up on the last few days of classes and finals, I have a lot to do and yet...I'm not feeling it at the moment.

This calm feeling will no doubt disappear and be replaced by desperation, but until then, I'm feeling remarkably calm.

Crown me with laurels

2005-12-05T20:51:00.000-08:00

Ahh...nothing like a glorious victory in fencing!

Hail Ceasar!

Oh, you're all to kind. Really.

But yes, I fenced a friend who is QUITE good, and won. Not only that, but it was a come-from-behind win too. He was smoking me 6-2 (we play to 15), but then, I got in "the zone," and turned the tables. Seriously, I had some amazing hits: off the hand, off the foot, many quick ones that he didn't see coming; I chalk the first two up to a copious amount of luck, but they were still fantastic to get. It took everything out of me...my legs were like jelly when I finished, my heart was beating very rapidly, and I thought if I didn't get any water I'd pass out. But, there was nothing like the sweet taste of victory in my mouth.

Apologies to those who found that boring, but it's been the highlight of my week (and will probably stay that way unless I manage to pull of a date with a gorgeous girl).

Hand care and linguistics

2005-11-25T16:12:00.000-08:00

My hands have been exceptionally dry lately, especially my knuckles and pinky fingers. The solution? Lotion, my soft-skinned readers [note: please pronounce "skinned" as skin-ed]. As much of my time is spent back-handing wenches and punks*, I figure the least I can do is to have gentle skin.

*anyone know the male equivalent of a wench? For example, man-whore is the obvious masculine form of slut, but is wench purely gender specific?

Just when I thought the MN Daily A&E section couldn't get any worse...

2005-11-23T21:14:00.000-08:00

...they run this article:

http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2005/11/23/66286

What a moron.

I'm seriously tempted to write him a letter, but probably won't. I had the same urge when "Lawrence of Arabia" was reviewd; I got the distinct impression that the writer had no clue that (T.E.) Lawrence was an actual person.

states of mind

2005-11-20T20:19:00.000-08:00

Finished watching I Heart Huckabees.

I thought it was funnier while...ahem...under the influence of...certain liquids.

The Crusades

2005-11-20T16:10:00.000-08:00

For some reason, I have a hankering for studying the Crusades. Maybe it's because I'm taking "History of the Crusades" next semester, or because I just spent 20 minutes looking at the imdb forums for Kingdom of Heaven. Regardless, it's time to find some books to read.

Now, I've read a bit about the Crusades, and the one set that I own and also happen to like is Runciman's trilogy. Apparantly however, Runciman's work isn't respected by some, and so I'm curious about that too. Ah...literary criticism in history...so interesting.

This got me thinking about the notion of "unbiased" writings, but I can't articulate those thoughts at present.

*Disclaimer: I don't like the Crusades...any post on them is going to reflect that. But, I like to think I have a deeper understanding of them, so it's not the simplisitc, "it was Christians ["Catholics" if whoever is speaking is slightly more learned] attacking Muslims," reason for disliking them.

wolf in fleece-lined clothing

2005-11-12T20:22:00.000-08:00

I bought a pullover with the zipper on the left side...what the hell? It was in the Men's section, and says "men's" on the tag, but somehow, zipper not on the right.

Sad thing is, I bought in on impulse. I had to find soccer socks, realized I needed boxers, and found myself next to a display chock full of pullover goodness. Important fact: the pullovers were zipped up. I selected a nice dark blue one, and was on my way. Got home, unzipped it, and to my horror found the zipper to be on the wrong side.

Back to the store I go to return it...

Why yes officer, that bottle of wine's open...oh yeah! That IS illegal isn't it?

2005-11-06T17:03:00.000-08:00

Rest assured readers, I did not have a run in with the law, but I was reminded by my father that is quite unwise to transport open bottles of alcohol in the car. In case of accidents or pulled over, I'd be forced to endure a certain level of unpleasantness i.e. a potential night in jail. In the future, as per his suggestion and my own common sense, into the trunk it goes.

I can't stay on too long...I've been putting off a LOT of homework for a long time. I want t--scatch that, I know I need to do it, but I can't seem to motivate myself. There's a little voice saying, "yeah man, you can put it off...you're too cool for school anyways," and I can't get him to shutup.

Oh! And facebook now allows you to have multiple pictures! Oh boy! Jordan...it's time for another photo shoot.

Part of something cool (I'd say "special," but that just sounded to cheesy)

2005-10-25T19:55:00.000-07:00

Old news for some, new news for others, but I am now one of Dusty's groomsmen (the ever enigmatic and mysterious Fourth Man). Tis a great honor, and I look forward to it. First time in a tux too...

In local news, there's been a heavy downpour of doom lately, which coincides with an approaching Midterm. Despite continued preparations, one local official was quoted as saying, "the crap is gonna hit the fan on this one."

Someone needs to buy a bottle of Arbor Mist for next Friday. Let me rephrase, I shall give them money to buy said beverage.

And Matthew just made brownies, and they're delicious.

Ah...books

2005-10-20T19:08:00.000-07:00

Went to a used bookstore with Daniel today. Picked up two interesting books for under $10. There was this really nice copy of Crime and Punishment, and I would've spent the $50 on it, but...it had illustrations. And, being the purist that I am (am I purist? in this case yes), I just couldn't buy it. What adds insult to the injury is that it was a challenge to find it...on the bottom shelf, right on the end, with a heavy box in front of it...how sad it was to finally pick it up only to be greeted with full page images scattered throughout the book. For those not so discriminating, this bookstore is on Nicollet Mall, between 9th and 10th Ave. The only other disapointing aspect was that there were not works of Twain. There was a set of plays by Marlowe, but no Jew of Malta, which is what I want to read. Nor was there Kyd's Spanish Tragedy. Don't want to sound like a whiner, but that's what I've been searching for, and I don't want to forget (writing helps to remember).

In sum, I must say, used bookstores are the neatest places on earth. Words can't describe it.

Oh, and I got a few pens and handbag (all for free), at the Writing Center Conference that I attended. Score for Adam!

Change comes in all forms (in this case, very small)

2005-10-14T19:15:00.000-07:00

I bought a hat today...a Philadelphia Eagles hat to be precise.

My hair is long...but it's gotten to the point where there's volume to it.

I'm both cleansing and exfoliating the morning...quite refreshing. Next, gotta get my hands on toner and moisturizer. Actually, I have the latter, but I want to see what else is out there.

School is beating me with a rubber hose. If I wasn't such an intellect, I'd go get drunk. If I wasn't religious, I'd go get laid.

While I'm still thinking about Ireland, I'm thinking about maybe traveling instead...villa in southern France sounds particularily appealing.

Too tired to make a really compelling entry.

Resarch Idea revised

2005-10-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

I'm focusing on AP/CIS classes in high school, and whether or not they are making students write at a college level, as well as the student's perceptions of what they think to be a "college paper." It will be focused on courses in the Social Sciences, as it seems that many people in the history department are increasingly frustrated because undergrads don’t know how to write history papers e.g. having a broad thesis, don’t realize that these are empirical papers, etc.

Pre-lim testing options:
-interviews
-surveys

The tentative title is:
"But I get A's in English!: Writing in the Social Sciences"

If I come up with anything else, I'll post.

The end is near (academically)

2005-10-04T19:55:00.000-07:00

Place your bets ladies and gents!

Can Adam finish an 8 page paper on the French Revolution by Thursday?? What twists could there be? No less than having to use footnotes instead of the much more sensible in-text citations!*

Stay tuned!

*I do realize that yes, footnotes are important and that they have their place. However, this assignment entails using just 2 short articles she handed out in class...hardly worth the time.

Other academic updates:
I'm begining to hate History of Modern France. I have a bad feeling that this class is going to bite me in the ass come the end of the semester (forgive me for swearing, but it rhymed so well).

Ireland it is for the summer session. Now I have to raise $8000.

Research is so cool....I might make a career of it. We have to do a research project for the Writing Center, and while I'm at the idea stage, this prospect thrills me. Oh, I'm toying with the idea of college writing in high school e.g. AP or CIS classes, and how students in said courses feel about "college writing." I put that in quotes because I'm interested in finding out what they consdier college writing to be. Also, what influences that, how they rate their own work, etc. Plus, I'd be focusing on writing outside of the English discipline. So, any suggestions on how to narrow this topic would be appreciated.

2 points (one good, one bad)

2005-09-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

Bad:
I'm sick...with a cold I hope, and nothing more serious. I even cut class today in order to get more sleep and recover.

Good:
I'm going to try and study in Ireland this summer. Thus, every penny I earn is going to be set aside for that. Or at least, the majority of my money.

A valid excuse for absence

2005-09-26T20:31:00.000-07:00

Hey all, quick updates (cause I have a paper due tomorrow):

1. Power was out at my house for about 5 days (Wednesday night till 7:00 pm Sunday). Hence, no posting ability.

2. School is tough.

3. Work is long.

4. Fencing is demanding.

5. Fiction writing is going well.

That's about it....hopefully I'll be able to talk about something soon.

Business and Finance

2005-09-16T19:41:00.000-07:00

Work is a funny thing. Inspiring both hatred and love, it is something we all must do. At this point in my life, I happen to hold three jobs...all fun and stress inducing at the at the same time.

But this is not a post on job satisfaction, this is a post on money. Earning green. Cold-hard cash. Deniro (or however you say in Spanish). While I don't see it hurting my academic life (yet), I do have the ability to rack in lots of money.

For example, the library needs me to work the occasional night. At first, it kind of bugged because 1. it was a day that I had nothing going on, and 2. I frequently use that day to work at St. Mary's. The latter reason especially because I make more care-taking than I do shelving books. Or so I thought. As I found out today, I get paid $10 an hour to work at night! That's a more than $2 raise over my normal day pay. Thus, I have greater incentive to be there. Now, here's a question for everyone (but particularily those who worked/are working in college):
Is it wise to work more than 15 hours a week? I know statistically, your grades tend to drop, and I don't want to burn out, but I'd like to know others' opinions on this.

With the increase of fundage, some other issues have come up. Firstly, I thought of moving to Dinnaken, given that I'll be making more money than previously anticipated. But, I realized I'll just increase the wealth of the Bank of Adam, and hopefully do it next year (or rather, someplace else since I'm not hearing much praise about Dinnaken). Secondly, the purchasing of more expensive objects. Like, I can justify spending more money on stuff. At present, I'm thinking of getting an MP3 player. Which brings me to my next question:
Any suggestions on which MP3 player to buy?

I realize this a pretty drab post, so I'll leave you with this update on.............my hair. That's right, I think I'm going to let it grow until Halloween (going to dye it blue). Any particular reason you think? Yes. Conditioner. I've tried it in the past, but now, when I use it, I'm so pleased with the results. Girly I know. But hey, nothing beats the golden shimmer of my locks.

Insulted by someone I don't even know (alternatively titled: there's a lot of hate on Frat Row)

2005-09-10T15:38:00.000-07:00

Last night, me, Jordan, his brother, and another friend hung out (grammar police, you are not welcome; any posts published will be deleted. Consider this warning eternal). At one point during the night, around midnight, we decide to go on a walk around Dinkytown. This meant walking up Frat Row. In the future, better ways will be taken.

I'm not anti-social by any means, but I hate navigating through loud crowds of slutty girls, punks, drunks, and general idiots for half a dozen blocks. Not worth it. Plus, so many people are angry drunks (well, girls are just plain annoying when trashed, so this refers to guys) that it's most unpleasant to be around them. It doesn't help that practically all these people are freshman too.

Anyways, our quartet was doing our best to get through the masses when one fellow (not a freshman and not drunk but a prick nonetheless) says, "hey, are you guys from Middlebrook?" and then smiles that "I'm-so-cool-and-witty" smile. Now, what exactly was he insinuating? Firstly, he mistook us for freshman. Well truthfully, one of us was, but the rest of use are third or fourth year students. Mildly insulting, but not scathingly. It's more of the Middlebrook thing. Our quartet all has longer/shaggier hair, thus we look like the stereotypical artsy student from that particular dorm. Plus, he was implying that we were gay; another charactersitic associated with Middlebrook. Oh, and it wasn't an innocent case of mistaken identity either (quite sure of that).

We didn't actually start discussing this until after we had passed this guy; we laughed off the comment and kept walking. It had to be discussed because half of our group isn't familiar with the U. Reflecting on it, me and Jordan jokingly thought it would have been a good idea (or at least funny) to pound the snot out of the guy. He had that punkish vibe, and we had had a discussion on how we have to "bring the war to the punks" that very night. See, we're sick of the skinny little arrogant brats who get away with things; we've ran afoul of them one too many times and now it's payback.

So remember readers, next time a punk is giving you crap (perhaps a post on how to identify a punk is forthcoming), just stand your ground, let him take the first swing (thereby making it self-defense), and then mop the floor with 'em. You'll have done a good thing I assure.

Beaten' down by all sides

2005-09-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

Going into this school year, I realized it was going to be tougher than most. Five classes, two jobs (one of them new), and fencing club officer duties would certainly keep me busy. Plus, having to deal with the craziness at the U would not help things. However, I'm quite surprised at just what I have had to deal with in just two days of the new semester:

1. The workload. Oy vay, the workload. Guess who has 150 pages of reading and two 1-page papers due tomorrow? Me baby, me. Well, not entirely true; one of those papers is due Friday.

On that note, I did something rather stupid and embarassing; I bought a wrong book. Yes readers, I made a huge mistake, and it cost me much both personally and financially. Such is the way of life.

2. The LADIES yeah! Despite the first day of class being miserably muggy, it warmed my heart to see so many attractive girls wearing precious little clothing. But only at first. See, don't get me wrong, I'm all for the objectification of women; in fact, I don't think we objectify them enough. Just kidding (seriously I am; the comments have shown that this line has been met with confusion rather than laughter). However, I realized I want something more than a pretty face, and being in upper-division classes, I get to deal with more mature, developed (personality wise you dirty minded people), and intelligent young women. So that said, let the games begin...

3. The new school email format...I HATE IT. For any of you involved in that, I'm awaiting for your apologies.

4. The Daily. I've ranted before about certain issues I've had with it (one day Daily, you're gonna go to far and then BAM! To the moon!), but a little piece in the opinion section caught my eye and earned my wrath. The first was that the auther (the editorial editor himself) believes that since students spend time doing the crossword during lectures, they [the students] are "not being challenged." I think it's because these certain students are dumbasses who don't have the drive to actually apply themselves in class and will soon flunk out of college. Ok, truthfully, this isn't always the case. I've been bored in lecture too and zoned out. But, I realize that if I do poorly on a test, it's my own damn fault and not the professor's (again, exceptions exist, but rarely). Everyone talks about when you're at college to go out, challenge yourself, try new things, etc., but maybe that means working on having a longer attention span.

The second thing that blew my mind in the article is the author's apparent dismissal of academics in general. He says, "What idiots we are to worry about the petty details of syllabus when the world around us...bustles with the fervent heart of progess...This college campus however, is too tied down to paper deadlines and disconnected lectures." Ok buddy, I'm sure your professor will love to hear that you didn't write your paper because you were too busy attending political rallies. If you don't want to deal with college work, drop out. I'm attending [and paying] for college to learn, and to learn, one must work; no matter how boring or tedious the class is.

Speaking of, time for me to get cracking on my homework.

Oh, and the Network sucks. Almost as bad as last year. Well, it probably is, but it's the begining of the school year so there's hope.

Ooh, not done yet; I want to leave on a happy note. Perhaps, my new shoes rock and I get treats (edible ones) in one of my classes.

Goodbye summer, hello school

2005-09-05T11:58:00.000-07:00

Well, Fall Semester begins tomorrow; I'm both happy and sad about that.

My apologies for the sub-par blogging over summer, but hopefully that'll change in these coming weeks. For the oddest of reasons (actually, desire to avoid actual real work), I blog more when I'm busier. Keep your fingers crossed readers.

In closing, stick to your stengths in life. Now go to this site:

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/flash/peanutbutter.html

The poison that is post-modern architecture

2005-08-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

For those unawares, the Guthrie Theater is moving to a new location, with a new facility to boot. My beef is not with the move (it's actually moving closer to where I live), rather with the new building. There are so many words that can be used to describe the noveau structure..."crap," "eye-sore," "monstrosity," "piece of garbage ," etc.

Why do I hate it so? Because it is yet another hideous post-modern style building. You all know how I feel about pomo architecture; as soon as I get the power, there will be a righteous crusade to wipe out most of it. That's right, see in you hell Walker Art Center, Weisman Art Musuem, new Guthrie, and ugly piece of metal near the Alumni Center. Seriously, post-modern architecture has to be modeled on vomit...here's how a conversation between two architects must go:

"Hey Bob"
"Hi Dave, how was your weekend?"
"Oh man, I had the worst hangover EVER. I was puking my guts out every 10 minutes"
"Bummer."
"Yeah, but at least it inspired me. I just imagined my puke in metal form and BOOM! A new design!"
"Radical! Did you make any sketches??"
"You bet I did!"

Or something to that effect. And if not, then all they do is steal hand-drawn pictures done by kindergartners.

A distinct lack of funny

2005-08-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

Oh dear readers, I have failed you! There have been far too few updates (many of them humorless), and for this I apologize. In desperation, since I couldn't tickle your funny bones, I was tempted to trigger your gag reflexes, but decided against it. You don't even want to know what I was going to post...

So back to the norm; posting on girls and whatnot. A part of me wants to go to the Rennaisance Festival, find me a nice wench, and have a grande ole tyme [note the use of old word usage and spelling]. But, I don't think I'll get around to it.

Let's see, what else, what else...Oh! Found out about facial toner, saw the Twins lose, and realized that I need to get books, supplies, and clothes for this coming semester.

Speaking of realizations, why is it that they always seem to come at night (for me at least)? Or more specifically, when I'm right about to fall asleep. Take last night for instance; I was hit with this brilliant revelation about self-induced pain and wallowing in pride/self-pity in Dostoevsky novels (side note; Jordan, I found Crime and Punishment and Brothers K, you can borrow them now), and alas, I've forgotten it. Or rather, the eloquence of it. But here goes (the writing in italics denotes sections of my ideas that I've forgotten):

Oh my word...it seems that I've forgotten already. How embarassing. Well, the point was that these characters e.g. Raskolnikov, the Underground Man, etc. can only overcome these problems is by rejecting these un-Christian things. Or rather, that they must exemplify the Christian ideals of humility, meekness, etc. I know all that's rather weak and elementary, but believe you me, what came to me last night was sheer BRILLIANCE. I regret not getting up at 1 AM and cranking out a paper on it.

TTFN all.

[for those of you who didn't watch "Winnie the Pooh," that means "ta-ta for now"]

Frustration to the 10000000th power

2005-08-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

Do you know what it feels like when all you want to do is read and study about Calvinism and Rapture theology, yet your encyclopedias are unaccessible? Bloody frustrating.

Plus, it doesn't help that there's nothing good on TV, and there's no other books that have caught your eye. Could it get worse? You betcha. The icing to this oh so bitter cake is that you can't find your remote for the DVD player, thus being unable to switch from full-screen format to wide-screen, which in turn ruins your movie viewing experience. Truely, life is almost unbearable under these circumstances.

*deep breath*

Oh, and to all the TV networks that cut off the last 5 minutes of a show just to say that "in a few mintues, we'll have the actual news regarding [insert event]...," I have this to say:

YOU BASTARDS! JUST WAIT TILL THE SHOW IS OVER AND THEN CUT TO THE NEWSROOM WHEN YOU, OH, I DON'T KNOW, ACTUALLY HAVE THE FREAKING NEWS!"

Ah...very cathartic.

But another note, I've been trying to nail down my scent. That's right, I'm trying to find the right adjectives to describe how I smell. And I think I have. Pepperoni on freshly baked subway bread. Or in layman's terms, meaty and doughy at the same time. Tell me readers, how do you smell [to yourself]?

"The Balance" (notice: quasi-serious post)

2005-08-15T20:55:00.000-07:00

Whilst (that's right, "whilst") thinking about movies, I've noticed that a lot of films have been using the "there's a balance between good and evil" motif. It's a nice little tool; evil sets out to tip the balance, and a hero (perhaps jaded if the filmmakers are looking for a rebel [anti-] hero) arrives to save the day. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the concept of "the balance" really doesn't make sense. Here's my reasoning:

First of all, how do you define "balance?" Is it strictly a one-for-one basis? As in, your father dies, but a child is born to you. If not, how then would you weigh good and bad things? Does a refreshing glass of lemonade erase the anguish of failing a test? And if it more than counter-balanced that negativity, would you then have to spill your drink? Now if you think I'm being too nit-picky, you just found out another flaw; that being how strict is the balance? Does the balance only apply to the greater good of all or is each individual taken into account?

Next, can anyone honestly say that there's "too much good in the world?" You'd have to be insane to say, "You know, things are too good. I want something REALLY nasty to happen to me to keep things even." Anybody who did complain about there being too much good must be evil anyways.

Moving to the last point, a balance would not make sense for good or evil (I've personified the two in the following lines fyi). Why would a balance be appealing to evil? It is not in the nature of evil to have any kind of equality with good, and promising to not overstep "their" bounds is contradictory to evil's nature. Conversely, being good calls for the prevention/eradication of evil, so good would by nature have to act if "it" saw something unjust occurring.

I realize that might be pretty boring to a lot of people (heck, I might even agree), but it was one my philosophical moments, and I felt like sharing.

Oh! One last thing! I recently saw "Bram Stoker's Dracula;" the one made by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Gary Oldman, Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, and Anthony Hopkins. It was decent, but a lot of stuff bugged me, so if I were to rate it, I’d give it a B-. But I digress. The one main thing that bugged me is that a lot of people (and I don't know if this was Coppola intended this or not) have interpreted the ending as love redeeming Dracula (and Mina), as opposed to faith/God/religion, etc. This bugs me for at least two reasons. One, it's stating that God can be supplanted, and two, it implies that God and/or religion are without love, mercy, etc. Obviously this is not true, but Hollywood has been quite busy secularizing any kind of myth (ever notice that in these new films, vampires are still weak to sunlight, silver, and garlic, but not crucifixes or holy water?). Perhaps more on that later.

The only thing that took my mind off of that was how horribly innacurate the new "King Arthur" (starring Clive Owen and Keira Knightley) was. I wrent my garments on the inside.

Two Glorious Decades for Planet Earth

2005-08-11T11:53:00.000-07:00

Nigh on 20 years ago, on August 3rd, 1985, I and my brother were born. Thus, despite Evil's plans for destroying the world, things have been pretty well; I am a beacon of light to those who are searching for hope.

....

Ok, I admit, that's laying it on a bit thick. But yes, I did turn 20 last Wednesday. This birthday was a bit different than ones past. Why? Because I (and my brother again) went out of town that very day, heading for Grand Marais. The reason? The Fisherman's Picnic! But that is another tale...

The point of this tale is to write of my gifts. Sort of. Aside from a most generous monetary gift from my aunt and uncle, I got received not one, not two, but THREE leather-bound (not just hardcover too cultured readers!) Charles Dicken's books! Oh, most glorious! My library grows, and I am most pleased. See, not that I have anything against soft-cover, but one of my goals in life is to have a nice quasi-classy library. As it stands, I now have some Dickens, some Hemingway, and some Faulkner in leather/hard cover. That's right, I'm trying to ooze classiness.

Anyone who feels bad about not getting me a present, feel free to buy me one anyways; I won't mind.

Preface to blogness (and other "sort of" ryhmes)

2005-08-09T17:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have returned. I am getting my thoughts in order, in order to blog. All I ask is patience.

And ideas too.

Until then, adieu.

Rubbing elbows with a movie star

2005-07-27T17:52:00.000-07:00

A fine hello to all of you, dear readers! Well, one my goals in life (or at least something I thought about on occasion)--to get a movie star's autograph--happened today. That's right, Bruce Campbell signed a book of mine!

As a bit of backround, Bruce has written two books, If Chins Could Kill; Confessions of a B Movie Star and How to Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way. The bookstore in Coffman was selling both of them for on July 27th (today), Bruce was going to be signing books. Now I've been a fan of his for quite some time. He was in a great yet short lived TV show "The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.," and was in a few episodes of "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" and "Xena: Warrior Princess" (I watched Hercules, but not really Xena; just stating his resume). He's mainly known for his role as Ash, hero of "Evil Dead" and "Army of Darkness" (I've not seen either). Most recently, he was in "Bubba Hotep," which is a terrific film. This, combined with the fact that his books are hilarious (I perused them quickly), I bought Chins and patiently awaited this day.

Now I won't go into detail about the waiting in line. It was boring; not much more can be said. I caught the occasional wiff of marijuana, but that was it. I waited in line for about an hour (I could've been out of there faster, but that would entail a boring stroy), and then I approached the signing table. Hello's were exchanged between Bruce and I, and then I noticed he was left-handed, so I said "oh cool, a lefty." He replies, "you a lefty too? You know something, only leftys have mentioned that...the righties don't give a shit."

THAT IS SO COOL!

So yes happy readers, I too am happy...and will stay that way for quite some time. Until then, back to reading my autographed book!

A slip up in the graduating plan...

2005-07-17T20:15:00.000-07:00

Quick little thing.

As many of you know, I'm now going to double major in History (I'm already working on an English major). However, this means that I may not graduate in 4 years. Thus, I'm lamenting that I didn't grab a "Class of 2008" t-shirt at convocation this past Fall. I can't after all, wear my 2007 shirt in public if I'm not walking down the aisles of Northrop come Spring 2007.
.....

Spring boarding off of that, some things about the U have frightened me.

1. Our new MSA President (or whatever organization she's with; I didn't vote, I haven't voted, and I probably never will vote in MSA elections cause it does nothing), has said, "I want to change the complicated notion of gender." RIGHT....
Thank goodness MSA has no actual power, otherwise I would seriously regret not voting.

2. The Daily in general. It really is a terrible newspaper for the most part. Bad journalism. Bad editorials (I almost sent in a letter to deal with a writer who clearly didn't understand the partial state shutdown; but the shutdown's over so it's a moot point).

3. Vending machine prices have gone up. Seriously, what the F#@&! Now M&M's, skittles, and the like are 80 cents, instead of the normal 75. No longer can you just pop in 3 quarters (which was oh so convenient), but you have to pop an extra nickel. Who the f#@& bothers to carry around a nickel?!

There was more, but I forgot while making those three above points into coherent lamentations. In a perfect world, the ideas will return to me.

Certain joys of driving

2005-07-13T20:14:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've hated driving. With a certain degree of passion, one might say. Basically, I'm fed up with drivers being jerks.

Fortunately, there are certain things that make driving enjoyable. Like driving barefoot. It is one of the coolest things ever, and you truely become one with your vehicle. Perfection at the zen level even.
....
Or something like that (I'm not that familiar with Eastern religious ideas).

Now being summer, there's the eternal debate of AC vs window. What is one to do? On the one hand, AC can be quite cool, but you lose the summer experience of the wind blowing through your hair. Plus, you don't accelerate as fast (which is a necessity when you're on the freeway). However, you really can't listen to music too well when the windows are rolled down; too noisy. And lets be honest folks, listening to tunes is definitely part of those lazy day summers. Yet, those aesthetic pleasures play second fiddle to staying cool. If it's 90 degrees with no wind, then it's windows up. So basically, when I'm traveling fast I go with the AC (after I've merged of course); if I'm on side roads just chilling, it's windows down. The only exception is when a Kelly Clarkson song or Gwen Stefani's "I ain't no hollaback girl" comes on, then it's windows up and AC on.

On that note, it's cool when there's nobody else on the road (or if there are other cars, they're way far away from you) to start driving to the song that's on the radio. You know what I'm talking about, jerking the car to the right [or the left] at a particularily rocking part. Yeah, nothing like listening to KQ92 and making my Malibu groove to classic rock.

But drive easy readers, I am a safe driver (no accidents), so despite these oddities, I'm perfectly fine to ride with. Plus, I don't even talk on the cell phone. A pox upon those of you who do!

New movie viewing experience

2005-07-04T11:01:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I went and saw "Land of the Dead." For those unfamiliar with the world of cinema, the basic idea of it is that there's been a zombie apocalypse, and now humanity is holed up in cities. There are the occasional raids into zombie-infested lands for supplies. Then of course, the zombies get it in their head to go and attack the city. Havoc [and gore] ensue. Why? Why would I see such a flick you ask? I honestly can't say. I'm not much of a horror/gore kind of a guy, so this isn't my type of movie. Yet, for some odd and pecuilar reason, I wanted to go see it. So, when my friends and brother bailed on me (we were going to see "War of the Worlds," which we did later but I digress), I thought, "Adam my boy, you wanted to see a movie today, so by golly, you're GOING to see a movie today." Hopping into my car, I headed off to the movie theater.

Now when I got there, the was a strong pull towards Land of the Dead (Land). An evil part of me wanted to just go see War of the Worlds, but my good part prevailed. "Cinderalla Man" looked good, but the next showing was two hours later, so that was out. "Rebound?" Mmm...nah. So, I strode up to the ticket-teller (or whatever you call the people who see the tickets), and in a cheerful yet firm voice said, "One for Land of the Dead at 5:20 please." Then I had to say it again because the little microphone that you're supposed to speak into was broken, so the teller didn't hear what I said. Thus, 20 seconds later and four dollars poorer, I was clutching my neon-orange ticked for that Zombie picture.

The movie was...interesting. There was good and bad. Kudos to killing a midget. Well, elaborating on that point, there's this evil midget who tries to kill the hero, so the hero's friend (who's a bit mentally handicapped) plugs him in the head when the midget is trying to run away (it was a really good shot). Good times.

Now there was gore and blood. Scatch that; there was an EXTREME amount of such stuff. I don't feel like going into detail; it makes me feel quesy. And actually, the movie has affected my eating habits. Even up to this day.

Another thing that I got out of this movie is that you have to be really stupid get eaten. I mean seriously, the IQ of a lot of these survivors must be pretty close to nothing. That, or their 5 senses are non-existent.

On a final note, apparantly, this movie is an allegory for the war in Iraq. That said, it's a very crappy analogy. Also, the movie ends with our "hero," when faced with the choice of blowing up some zombies who are walking away, he says [sic], "they're looking for a place, just like us." Yeah, except the zombies are undoubtedly looking for a place where they can eat more people.
p.s. if anybody knows, did I use that "sic" thing right?

In conclusion, I'm glad (and I use that term loosely) that I saw it. The movie had its moments, and there were actually some good elements in the story. I give it 6.5 out of 10.

Oh, should a zombie apocalypse ever occur, I'm sure I'd survive it. Any of you readers are more than welcome to come with me and start a new civilization.

Relax, I'm not dead...although we all gotta go sometime

2005-07-04T10:19:00.000-07:00

I realize I haven't updated for awhile, and I apologize. See, here's my basic routine for summer:

Wake up between 10-11
Eat, shower
Go to work until 4:30; get home at 5
Do stuff with friends or just vegetate in front of the TV or Computer
Stay up till about midnight; go to bed

And the cycle repeats itself. Thus, blogging has become more like an interruption rather than the adventure into writing that it normally is. Quelle dommage.

BUT...good news is on the way (so on the flip side, that's bad news for excessively pessimistic and negative people). Some ideas are percolating in my mind, so you should be getting your fix of new Adam blogs soon.

Until then, here's an update on life. Last week, went to a Twins game with Daniel. It was pretty cool, and they [the Twins] won! This broke my 19 year record of going to Twins' games and seeing them lose.

Now there were only two bad things about going to the game. One, the overwhelming amount of underage girls. Consequently, slim chances of finding a lady. Two, sports fans. Or rather, loud-mouthed ones.

See excitable readers, there's nothing that bugs me more than heckling. It irritates me to no end. I just feel like to turning around and saying "fine then, get off your a$$ and do what he does. What? Oh that's right, you can't. You're an untalented scum-bag." Maybe not that extreme, but still. Plus, the hecklers are loud and annoying. Nothing like some idiot screaming a player's name as loud as he can, just two rows behind you.

On a final, happy sports related note, I'm actually considering getting a Twins cap. Why is this even something to consider? Several reasons. One, I look bad in hats. Really I do. Something about the shape of my head and the way my face looks just seems to clash with hat wearing. That said, I mean, there's a chance that I might not get one. Meh. Secondly, it's symbolic of me rekindling my love of the Twins (it's basically been dead since the baseball strike; a traumatic experience for a little kid). Thirdly, I do need something to keep the sun out of my eyes; I can't wear sunglasses really because my normal glasses get in the way (and neither the clip on sunglasses nor transitional lenses work for me). Fourthly (is that even a word?), I'm torn about whether to get the "TC" or the "M" style. While the TC is the original, I grew up with the M, so it is a debate.

Until next time, Happy 4th of July!

I miss....TV

2005-06-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

Yeah, as I sit here, I've just been lamenting the fact "Boston Legal" hasn't been on for awhile. Twas a great. It hasn't been cancelled, but it won't be on again until the new TV season starts.

Pity.

too stunned to talk (but not to blog!)

2005-06-23T14:33:00.000-07:00

Just heard something interesting on the radio. And now here's the link to the story:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8331097/

Apparently, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that it's alright for local government to seize and bulldoze houses in order to put up private establishments e.g. malls. Why? Because through private establishments, the city can of course get more money by taxes.

So, it's explicitly outlined in the Constitution that the Government can't make you quarter soldiers in your home, but now your house can just obliterated in order to make way for the new shopping mall. Sick.

And people wonder why no one respects the legal system?

Frying myself

2005-06-23T14:02:00.000-07:00

Ye gods it's hot today! I first knew this when, after arising from sleep, I went to take my morning shower (in this case, my late-morning-almost-noon shower). Now I opened up the little window tht we have in the shower to catch a breeze, and instead of feeling a cool refreshing wind, I was blasted in the face with a scorching gust of air. This filled me with a sense of foreboding.

After the shower, I went and checked the temperature. 80 degrees. And rising (currently it's 91). These temps are in Faranheit too, fyi for my foreign readers.

Needless to say, this high temp has put a crimp on my plans. I WAS supposed to play tennis with my bro and a friend, but none of us feel like putting ourselves through such agony. We MIGHT play catch later tonight, but that's a big "might" (and it literally is bigger; get it??!!).

So what have I done. Aside from staying in my pleasantly air-conditioned house, I actually went outside to tan. That's right ivory-skinned readers, I went tanning. Now as a side note, I have some issues with tanning. Firstly, I don't do it that much. If I get tan, it's because I'm outside doing some kind of activity i.e. mowing, playing tennis, swimming etc., so the idea of just laying out there is not the most familiar for me. But as you can see [and read], I break this on occasion. Second, I'm aware of the dangers of tanning. That said, I'm not all that impressed with the uber tan girls that many of us see (and oggle; but that's mainly me and fellow-aged young men); not to be shallow, but I'm not interested in someone who's going to look like shoe leather in 15 years. Which ties in my other point about hating tanning salons. If a girl is really tan, and achieved it naturellement, then I'm cool with that. But if it's artificial...well...I won't NOT date them, but I might bring it up.

Ok, back to me. So yes, I did something slightly out of the ordinary and laid outside in the sun. It was both nice and disturbing at the same time. Nice cause, well, I was outside and I liked it. I'll probably do it again. Disturbing because I sweated A LOT. Maybe "disturbing" is a bad word, but seriously folks, I was coated in sweat. It tickled, but was also nasty. But then I doused myself off with a hose and it was one of the best feelings of my life.

Then I went inside and worked out. If I'm gonna be tan, I might as well be toned as well. Plus, this experience made me two things:

1. Boy am I glad I'm clean shaven now
2. I like the quasi-shaggy hair that I have now, but a haircut is on the way

So enjoy a cold one readers! And by that I mean pop or juice; no booze.

One last thing, I really should work on reading over summer, but I just haven't been able to do it. Hopefully I can overcome!

Dawn of a new superhero

2005-06-22T15:16:00.000-07:00

Saw "Batman Begins" yesterday.

Oh. My. Goodness.

IT ROCKED!

That said, I think I'm going to try and be a superhero.

Step 1: Get incredibley buff
That's right; time for lots of push-ups and sit-ups (which I've kind of already been doing). Hit a snag last night though; I was doing pushups and after 0nly about 4-5, my wrist started hurting like crazy. Bummer. I think I might have twisted it somehow either playing tennis or shelving a un-godly amount of books lately, because I was doing 20-30 push-ups a day last week. Guess it's my abs that'll get all the treatment!

Speaking of push-ups, I have an off-beat story to tell. Last week, when I was about to begin my regime, I noticed that there was a saw on the floor (I was downstairs mind you, and we've been finishing up a new room down there). Taking the saw, I set it up so the razor sharp teeth were pointing up, and positioned myself above it. Thus, I was ready to go into EXTREME work-out mode! But then I decided I was being rather foolish and moved the saw.

Step 2: Come up with name
Every superhero has a radical and cool name; I must be no exception. So, what's it to be? Now in "Batman Begins," Bruce Wayne chooses the bat because that's what scared him as a kid, and he wants to transfer that fear to criminals. Problem with that approach; for me at least. I'm not really scared of things, but rather ideas and relationships and what not. Somehow I figure "Obsessive Man" or "Exisstential Worry Boy," or just "The Rejection" will not strike terror in the hearts of evil men (and women; children too in some cases). Admittedly, I thought of a cool line to say if I go with the last of those names. I'd be fighting a bad guy on a roof, and then when one of my punches (or kicks) almost sends him off the roof, I grab him and say, "Rejection sucks, but at least you can always count on gravity." And then I drop him.

...

Ok, that needs tweaking I know. But the lines and theatrics can come after I actually pick a name.

Step 3: Find a suitable job/lifestyle that can accomodate my crime fighting second life
This is tricky. Obviously, rent must be paid and food must be bought. So what's a protector of all that's good in the world to do? My dream of teaching is probably no good; too time consuming. Hmm...what else? Well, I could always, oh, use the money I capture from criminals to support me. Yes, this is a doozy.

There's probably a lot more I'm not taking into consideration, but when I do...just know you can sleep safer at night innocent readers!

the love monster! it's behind you!

2005-06-15T15:10:00.000-07:00

After reading many posts by Dusty and Nicki about the unexpectedness of love, a new mental image of that feeling has formed in my mind. Love is a scary, vicious creature that hides in darkened nooks and cranies, waits for you to turn your back, and then slices, dices, and eats you alive.

This beast must stopped.

random girl stuff

2005-06-14T18:17:00.000-07:00

The other day, when I was heading to another library for work to photocopy a journal, I saw a girl outside the building which I was supposed to enter. For some reason, I felt like approaching her and asking if she wanted to make out. But I didn't. Besides, she was smoking (kind of a turnoff), and wasn't attractive as close up as I thought she was.

Just as a side note, the woman in "Oprah's weight loss secret" ad is HOT.

Stereotypical male sexism aside, here some things I'm interested in the female gender:

1. Brunette. Truthfully, I'm not picky (the woman in Oprah's ad is blonde), but I do prefer dark haired gals.

2. Must hate "The Simple Life" TV show starring Paris Hilton and Nichole Richie. This is a relationship breaker right here. If she likes it, it's over.

3. Will play tennis. Ok, I might be flexible on this; a lot of girls may not want to play and I can handle that. Really I can. But it's summer, and it'd be GREAT if she was willing to play.

4. Smart, funny, nice. The usual. People say opposites attract, but I disagree;no one's ever said "I want to go out with a mean, selfish jerk" (because I'm an idealist and believe most people out there are good-hearted)

5. I want a girl who will laugh for no one else. When I'm away, she puts the makeup on the shelf. When I'm away she never leaves the house. I want a girl who will laugh for no one else.
...
Ok, I don't actually believe in #5, but if you can guess where I got those lines from, I'll...err..well...you can just feel good about yourself!

6. Her last name starts with "R." Preferrabley. I mean, should the relationship end in marriage, she'll have less of a shock when her name changes.

Find me a woman people!

blah blah blah work

2005-06-14T18:00:00.000-07:00

Work today, as usual. Now don't get me wrong, I like working at the Forestry Library and I like the people, but lately, I've just not been caring as much. For example, I've REALLY been taking my time shelving. Like, my record is 3 minutes to shelve one book. If you knew how small the library is, you'd be impressed. Or sickened. Don't get me wrong, I always keep myself busy and ask for more work, but sometimes, at the end of the day when I have 15 minutes left and nothing to do but shelve, a man's just got to take it at his own pace. Incredibely slow that is.

While I do prefer working for North Central (the Forest Service people), even that can be a drag.
Know what makes working for them worse? The fact that it's Tuesday. Normally, I just work in the afternoons (others work in the morning), but Wednesday I'm there all day. So that means I can't shunt aside work and let someone else do it, cause I know I'm just going to be there the very next day and will have to do it! Depressing...

But today, I did something I've never done before! Know what it is inquisitive readers? Made photocopies...OF MYSELF! That's right, I put my face on the photocopier and pressed "copy." I got some pretty cool looking ones too; I look like a powerful wizard or something in one. The detail is incredible, although you really do look ugly in photocopies. The only downside is that I gave my self a headache; that copying light sure is bright when your face is right up to it.

So in sum, I think if I'm ever bored, I'll just make photocopies of my face. Besides, I get all my work done. Mostly most of the time. Nothing the next person can't handle if I don't.

how dare religion be a part of a wedding

2005-06-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

This exerpt is from http://women.msn.com/1193769.armx?GT1=6657, dealing with peoples' gripes about weddings (this happens to be gripe #2):

"I don't like the full-on mass where you have to stand, sit, kneel, and sing for an hour. By the end of my sister's ceremony, I wanted to gouge out my eyes with a hot poker -- we're here to celebrate, not get converted. Unless they're really religious, it's overkill. It's as if they're saying 'Look how married we are.'" -- Anna, 33

rage...BUILDING

Well, maybe not rage, but disgust. Poor wittle baby, can't stand being reverent for an hour. The wedding service is for those about to getting married, not the FREAKING guests. Sorry, don't mean to be so bitter. But just as a heads up, if any of you who share this woman's mindset, you are not going to have a pleasant experience at my wedding (should someday I get married). Or maybe not, we Orthodox just stand for the full hour.

But seriously, this issue of having to spend *gasp* an hour in church is starting to get to me. People will stand for hours, nay days in line to get tickets for games, books, movies, concerts, etc. Or they'll spend hours at said events. But ask them to stand for one hour while you and the person you love are joined in marriage and it's "WHOOOOAAA man, you're asking way too much! Since when did religion have anything to do with marriage?? The only point of a marriage ceremony is the reception afterwards so you can get wasted!"

Argh! Anger! Incredible Hulk time!

I am sorry benevolent readers, it is just that this article is causing me to reflect on a ton of similar issues; it has ignited the proverbial powder keg. So, tis time to take a break and perhaps add more later.

last request from obsessiveness

2005-06-12T20:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, I realize that I wrote/said that I'm turning over a new leaf this summer, so here's one last hurrah from my obsessive side. Try and answer the following honestly:

1. What Shakespeare character am I most like (leave out the females)?

2. What Harry Potter character am I most like (same request)? While you're at it, which of the 4 houses would I belong to?

3. What Lord of the Rings character am I most like (follow the pattern)?

4. What crucial battle (or war if you want go broad) could you see me fighting in? As in, manning the walls of Constantinople in 1453, a crafty bowman at Agnicourt, a daring fighter pilot with the Flying Tigers, commanding a frigate at Trafalgar, etc. Include whether or not I'd live.

5.If I were an animal, what would I be? If you so desire, you can break it down into various species e.g. if I were a bird I'd be an owl, if I were a dog I'd be a beagle, etc.

6. If I were a drink/food, what would I be?

7. If I were a color, which one?

8. which Greek god? Or heck, any mythological figure.

I realized I've asked a lot of these questions before, so if you have a favorite "obsessive Adam" question in mind, go ahead and put that down. Or any that you just want to beat me to.

I also realize I've given you dear understanding readers quite a plate full already, so you can be selective in your answering.

Also take into account that there's more to me than just crazy questioning.

Please...I just gotta get it out of my system! Then the healing can begin.

Slayer of creatures of the night

2005-06-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

Watched "Blade: Trinity" last night with my bro and a friend. Decent flick, but it got me thinking; which undead hellspawn would I like to fight most?

For starters, there's the vampires. Scary muthas. But at the same time, I know their weaknesses; crosses, garlic, silver (not just limited to werewolves, oh no sir), wooden stakes, fire, decapitation, etc. Yes, I'm aware everyone has their own take on vampires; some movies have them immune to crosses and all that (which brings up a possible post in the secularization of mythic tales), but I figure it'd work. Or at least I'd try it. Another pro is the job satisfaction. I'm sure there's nothing quite like taking a blood sucker down, while there's always the chance I might die, I'd at least know it's for a good cause.

Then there's zombies. Again, quite a few variations on them. We're all used to the lumbering yet oh so strong walking corpses, but some movies portray zombies as Olympic track and field athletes. The former I'd feel very confident in dispatching; aim for the head and it's "bye bye brain eater." Same technicque for the latter, although if they're speedy quick, the risk of mortality goes up.

Werewolves you ask? Yeah, I could take 'em. But at the same time, I don't give much thought to werewolves. I'd actually rather find a cure for them then kill them.

Hmm...missing anything? Ghosts! Oooh, not my field of expertise. So yeah, lets leave those guys out shall we?

Minor creatures like gremlins, goblins, etc. can probably be dealt with as I go along.

Now all I gots to do is find these vile things and rock the kazbah!

Oddest luck

2005-06-11T10:07:00.000-07:00

Go figure. Just when I take off my pants to start dancing, the phone rings and my sister runs out of her room.

...

What?

It's hot by the computer...no pants = cooler. I already had my shirt off too.

Just cause I can't get enough of a good thing!

2005-06-08T20:09:00.000-07:00

Directions:

1. Turn on your speakers (if they're not on)

2. Turn up your speakers to a comfortable listening level; more if desired.

3. click on this link:
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/flash/peanutbutter.html

4. dance (optional)

5. thank me

Abandon the "profiler" bandwagon

2005-06-08T19:37:00.000-07:00

Just watched Fox's newest show "The Inside." It's main characters are FBI profilers, and each is your typical stereotypical law enforcement agent. And you know what folks? I'm sick to death of all these TV shows and movies that have profilers in them!

Why you ask? If you haven't noticed, there's been quite a rash of movies e.g. "Mindhunters" and now shows featuring the psychological aspect of crime. Sadly, they're all horribly inaccurate when portraying profilers. This annoys me to no end.

See gentle readers, while mainstream culture/Hollywood seems to go "oooh, behavioral scientists are so hip! Gosh, they crept out of no where. I know, let's get a bunch of hot looking actors and actresses to portray what we think profiling SHOULD be like," I tire of the regurgitated plot lines. Now, not to mix my own pudding of course, but I found out about the Behavioral Science department of the FBI when I was in 6th grade (ah...the joys of age 11...nigh on 8 years ago). By the time I was in 8th grade, I was familiar with killers like Ed Kempen, Wayne Williams aka The Atlanta Child Killer, etc. Dark I know; I'm not necessarily proud of this knowledge, just stating a fact. When I was in 9th, I knew what the requirements of getting into the FBI and becoming a profiler. Why? Because I honestly wanted to be a profiler (still kind of do, but I've learned more about myself and don't think I could handle it). Thus, whenever I see a preview or trailer for the newest bit on profilers, I get a bit disgusted. For example, in "The Inside," after just watching the little snippet before the opening credits, I already had problems with it.

I'm not going to go into details (or maybe I will later), but basically, real profiling is not a glam job performed by gorgeous psychics.

Actually, here are some example so I don't look like a nut and you readers come away with something. First off, profilers do NOT arrest bad guys. Their role is a clinical one; they assess the evidence and assist the local or federal authorities in identifying/laying a trap for the killer. In addition, their role is often educational; they'll give the local police tips on what they're doing. Building on that, not every murder case involves a profiler. Local authorities either ask for help from the FBI, or on certain high profile cases, the Bureau assigns a profiler to help. So basically, the image of a profiler suiting up and chasing down bad guys all by themselves is utter trash.

In short, I'm sure everyone has their own qualms with certain shows. People in the Medical field probably have a laugh over show the "inside workings of a hospital" and the like.

For me, my problem is with profilers on celluloid.

And it's personal...

Staying sharp in the blogging world

2005-06-08T15:41:00.000-07:00

Well, it is indeed in time for an update. The downside? Ain't that good folks.

I'm sorry! I really am! I'm kind of low on material. While normally, I'd launch an onslaught of funny and amusing anecdotes, all you'll get dear reader, are some serious thoughts.

Now one reason for the lack of funny is because parts of me are a bit depressed. Normally, when summer starts, I'm usually a bit restless; I have all this energy but no way to vent it e.g. I want to play tennis but no one else will. But at the moment, I'm bummed because my time at St. Anthony is done. It was fun going there, talking to people and all that, and I'll miss it. Plus, I wasn't able to say "good job" to some kids on their presentations, and that bugs me a little.

*disclaimer: this isn't the normal internal conflict that you're all so used to; this is more serious. Remember ladies and gents, it's a new Adam you're talking to!

Oh yes, another reason for the lack of updates come from YOU fellow bloggers. Don't get me wrong, I like all your blogs, but lately all of us have been going through a dry spell. Jaime's stopped, Dusty writes about Nicki, Nicki writes about Dusty, Nicki and Dusty write about each other, Jordan's stuff is good yet short and also updated unfrequently (and while congrats on your new job buddy, that's gonna cut into your free time), Erich's are thought-provoking but above my intelligence, and Dawn is busy with other things like oh, her pregnancy (HER'S is the only legit excuse suckas!). Now I'm not trying to put myself in a position "above" you all, but I want to keep whatever edge I think I have in my writing as sharp as possible. Also, with Daniel up north, I can't exactly do an anti-liberal post to annoy him (only done in retaliation mind you if he annoys me), so most political blogs are out.

Actually, I'm going to ignore what I just said and make one political comment. Or two. Or three. Guess we'll see what happens. Hillary Clinton = bad choice for president (must find out more so I can back up arguments better). John McCain = someone who I'm thinking is a decent politician and I must learn more about. MN Legislature = stupid for not deciding on a budget yet. I mean holy constituents batman! You [legislators] were SUPPOSED to get it done by what, May 21. Know what happens if the budget isn't decided by July? The state shuts down. Which means thousands of people don't work/get paid until it's taken care of. All because both Democrats and Republicans are being morons and sticking to party lines.

And lately, I've been thinking about my lady situation. Again, keep in mind that this is a more sensitive and mature approach. Yeah, I can't articulate what I want to say...perhaps in another post. BUT! Imagine a more mature version of what I've expressed in the past.
...
If that's possible.

I'll try and cram out a better post or two tonight. My juices are a flowin' and something's bound to inspire me!

Summer wants to RUMBLE

2005-06-02T19:51:00.000-07:00

Man it's been hot here lately. And humid. Which means life is rough at the moment. Sweating all the time, too hot to do physical activity, and the feelings of oppression caused by Masta' Sun do not make me a happy camper.

For example, it ruins one of my true loves; tennis. It's too sticky out to enjoy. Plus, even if I find the weather alright, there's the problem of finding a partner who also feels that way. New trait that I desire in a girl: ability to handle extrememe temperatures; not sure if I want to tack on "better than me."

And we can't forget sleeping! Goodness I'm miserable at the moment; even with the windows open. The only upside is it does motivate me to get up in the morning; no sense in sticking around in a hot bed.

Needless to say, this weather turns shaving into an act of masochism. How's a man to shave? Cold water? What, are we barbarians? Hot water it is. But when you're sweating already, the thought of lathering your face up as you stand over a sink of hot water isn't all that appealing. Yet, from pain comes pleasure; there's few things more refreshing than a shaven face.

In addition, my clothes selection is tragically quite limited. I need more shorts. More t-shirts too. Presently, it doesn't matter because all I do when I get home is strip naked and put on my swim trunks. But I can't do that every day...or can I?

...

Actually I can't. But if we had a pool I could! Oh, what I wouldn't do for my own personal pool...that or a slurpy machine.

Stay cool folks.

summer goals

2005-05-31T19:35:00.000-07:00

Oooh! Two posts! Sadly folks, your funny bones ain't gonna be tickled by this one. But meh.

So, what are said goals? Here they are:

1. Play tennis. LOTS of tennis. Tennis rocks, and this goal is easily attainable as me, my bro, and a friend all play together, so it's gonna be awesome. Actually, this is what I want a girlfriend for; to play tennis. Forget movies and dinners; the court is where it's at.

2. Play baseball. See above, minus the girlfriend (just don't fit for some reason).

3. Get more in shape. I know what you're all thinking, but let me make it clear; I was not born with this magnificent body. AND I want to make it more magnificent. So, more push ups, sit ups, and the like. Plus, there's an Open House coming up at the end of June that I've been invited to. There's gonna be a pool there. Must...look...GOOD!

4. Increase my intelligence. Yeah, I got a lot of reading to do.

5. Chill. As in, control myself. Decrease the amount of inner turmoil and constant moving while talking, and hey, I'll be good. I'll try and cut out most of those weird "personality"questions e.g. "What Shakespeare character do you think I'm most like," but there'll probably be the occasional one.

6. Learn more life skills around the house. Odd I know. But I really should be learning to cook more, fix more things, help out my parents (especially my dear mum) more.

7. be nicer/more Christ like.

8. come up with more goals. There's a lot of stuff that I want to figure out; what I want to do with my life, finances, traveling, etc. And yeah, I should think things out.

Wish me luck!

Quality time with the sense of smell

2005-05-31T19:03:00.000-07:00

Today was your typical day, but with a twist. After arising from slumber, showering, and eating, I started to get dressed. Now before donning a t-shirt, I of course applied deodorant. What a surprising sensation I felt! Pain! That's right ladies and gents, my deodorant stick was down to its last few swipes. The normal smooth sensation of the blue-green bar was replaced by the scraping pain caused by the cold white plastic beneath. Fortunatley, there was enough to get me through the day. But you know what this meant? Deodorant shopping!

Thing is folks, deodorant shopping is something that I enjoy. Doesn't happen all that often because deodorant sticks do last awhile. But then when it's time to buy a new one, there's something magical about it! All the different brands with different names and looks; how is one to chose? Does one keep with a tried and true scent, or go for something exotic and new? Should one perhaps go with a spray instead of the normal stick? Decisions, decisions.

So, off I went (well, much later in the day, but hey). I hit up Target; they do the trick. While I was able to find some (I'll go into details shortly), I am saddened by the fact that the variety of deodorants has sharply decreased at Target. I remember a ton of choices of flavo--I mean scents, but was greeted by a reduced number of said products. Nevertheless, a sniffing I went.

First off, I ruled out anti-persperants. Always have, always will. Why? Sweating is a healthy and normal function, and I don't want to mess with it; I just want to control the stink. Plus, I've known people who've had bad reactions with anti-persperants, and don't want to experience them myself. This tragically ruled out the Axe-effect products. Now yes, I've seen the commercials where hot women swarm guys wearing Axe, but I do kind of like the smells. Plus the drawings they have on their sticks; they look so cool! But, it was not to be.

Oh, sprays are also out. They just don't do it for me.

Gels? Hmm. I've tried those before, and they're kind of neat. But nah, really not my style.

Then came the big choices. Do I go with Speed Stick or Old Spice? My preferred scent is "Ocean Surf" by Speed Stick; I see it as the Blue Raspberry of deodorants. But...perhaps something new? Side note, I never just go with the plain, old boring smells; no "regular," "fresh," "active," etc. labelings. It has to catch my eye with a snazzy name [and smell]! That said, Old Spice has lately been by deodorant of choice; they have the coolest names/smells (with the possible exception of Axe, but again, anti-persperants are a no no). So, looks like it was going to be some form of Old Spice!

Lately, I've been using "metallic ice." Rather mild, its smell almost reminds me of bee's-wax. But, with the exception of "Ocean surf," I never buy the same deodorant twice in a row, so that's out. "Mountain rush," slightly stronger than "ice" but with a hint of mint in it was an option; but that's what my brother has at the moment so I ruled that one out. "Aqua reef?" Not too bad, but it didn't really grab my nose in the way that I thought it would.

In the end, I went with "Pacific surge." I liked the name, and its fruity scent sealed the deal. I at first had my misgivings; it was labeled a "new scent," and since I wish to be counter-culture in my deodorant use, almost didn't buy it. But I figured heck, I was just being silly, and no one comments on deodorant anways, so I might as well buy it.

Tomorrow, when I rise and meet the world, I'm going to smell good doing it!

Delusional Advertising

2005-05-25T19:33:00.000-07:00

You know what makes me laugh, cry, and bitter all at the same time?

Ads for selling your books back.

In said ads, there's usually a hand there clutching [in a manly and cool way] a dozen or so $100 bills. Accompanying that image is some slogan along the lines of "be awesome like this guy and sell your books back! You'll get so much money, you can use it for toilet paper! Righteous!"

The harsh reality is that in order to get that amount of money back, you'd have to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars on text books in the first place. Or resort to a life of crime and jack as many Bio or Psych 1001 text books as you can. See a guy sleeping in your lecture? Take a seat next to him sometime, maybe even talk to him to establish a bond of trust, and when he starts snoozin', take his book! Repeat.

Option B is hit as many parties as you can, escort drunk people back to their dwellings, and then rifle through their stuff until you hit the jackpot.

Remember my little social deviants, it's the quality of the book, not the quantity that counts. Take me for example. If some hot babe gets me trashed (actually, she'd have to have a killer personality more so than looks; I think I'd be too paranoid if a major cutie was trying to get me drunk**), and then brings me home (kudos to her for bringing me up from the U), she'll be sadly disapointed in her haul if she thinks the number of books count. Why? True, as an English major, I have tons of book; usually have to get around 15 per class. What's the catch? They cost about $7 to begin with, and given that the reading list practically always changes for those English courses, she'd get even less money.

In sum, I'd like to see a more truthful ad. For example, it could show a "Before & After" picture. A happy young student runs in his old text books, perhaps with a little thought bubble saying, "wow, Calculus was fun, but now I can't wait to get my $80 for this book!" Actually, if I'm going for the more realistic style, the thought bubble would be more like "Calc sucked! But hey, C's get degrees. At least I'll get my money back." Then the after image would have the student with a dumbfounded [or angry or disgruntled] look, holding a $10 bill, with slogan along the lines of "Oh! It's a screw isn't it, chump?" or "Didn't see that one coming now did ya?" or "If you think you'll get a fair price, you're living in a fantasy world."

Now, that may or may not help return sales. But then again, does the bookstore really want people to return their books? They'd most likely be content to turn to crime as well; hire some goons to blackjack people coming out of Finals and taking the books back by force. Oh man, it could be like 1920's Chicago! The corrupt officials [the bookstore] versus the mob [some powerful students who are using the technicques I described], with the poor students caught in between. Note to self, develop this idea...

So how to avoid the agony and sense of betrayl when trying to earn a few extra bucks? Sell only the crap books back. Tragically, only students of the liberal art nature can do this; you sciences are basically stuck with your stuff. Again using my self as a case study, I had to buy around oh, 20 books for Amer Lit 1001 (horrible class, with the exception of the questions which I've kept and will probably use once I'm a teacher). About half were the typical late 2oth Century post-modernist, politically correct, leftist, yadda yadda yadda worthless books that I was never going to read. Back to the bookstore I went. $80 worth of books; $17 back. Ouch. But still, since I had formed no attachment [yet alone read] those texts, I was fine in a minute or so, when I used my newly acquired funds to buy a slushy.

And in the end, that's all that counts; happiness comes in the form of frozen beverages.

**my reasoning for my paranoia is as follows:
I've seen enough movies to know that the only reason why a super babe would interested in me would be because she was either a). a con-woman trying to get all my money, b.) a space alien who wants to devour me, or both in rare instances.

Existential dilemma #142: Success

2005-05-25T15:18:00.000-07:00

Breaking from the norm, this is a quasi-serious post. You've been notified. For those that know me, this isn't that big of a shock; I get slammed with bouts of inner-reflection/ponderance/doubt/sadness, etc. quite periodically (the problem number is purely arbitrary fyi).

Anywho, my sister came home yesterday with her new yearbook in tow (those non-collegiate students are still sadly in school). I glanced it over, and I got to thinking (as I usually do). What about? My own personal success and impact on this world.

See, I started to ponder if I'm on the right track, or that I'm not squandering my gifts and talents. Looking back at high school (and life in general), or rather the point where I entered college, I [in the present] thought about all my options. Not to sound arrogant or cocky, but I was an exceptional student, and it's not just that I knew what to do to get an "A," I KNEW my stuff. I was tempted to go into any field; teaching, science (aerospace engineering, scientist, etc), law system (FBI, lawyer, judge, etc.), medicine, politics even (well, not really...but it was a thought). Heck, I even saw a route in the military.

To compound things, I also got to thinking about whether I could have "done more" or "been more involved." Or even just tried harder. I know people who have been exposed to great opportunities due to their interest and passion in a particular cause/interest, and I wonder if I somehow could achieve (or could have achieved) something like that too.

Now of course, I already thought of other factors/points related this. For example, I still have my whole life ahead of me. I don't want to "peak"too early and then live a life of obscurity. While everyone says that the college days are the best years of your life (which I agree with in someways), there has to be more to life than just a small 4 or 5 year slot.

That said, other things also came up. On the one hand, I took into account my financial situation. It's obvious that I miss out on some stuff because neither me nor my family has the money to do it. I don't begrudge rich people at all, and I do realize that there's more to life than cash. But still, the thought of financial security gnaws at me.

And one can't discount the people factor. Do I want fame? Maybe. I do care about what people think, and use/ask for others' opinions. Why? Well, I think they see something I can't. Or rather, I need to see myself through someone else's lense to learn something about myself. Yet at the same time, I also realize that most of the time, it doesn't matter what other people think. I've told that to numerous people who struggle with their own questions, and I do truely believe it. It's my own weakness [vanity] that causes me to slip.

Building on that, and begining to answer my own question I guess, people seem to generally think I'm doing alright. Going back to high school days, when discussing the future with classmates, they said they could see me as a teacher, or successful in whatever I did. AND nobody hated me; lots of compliments on the personality (again, not going on an ego-trip).

So the big, overarching topic is "will the path I'm forging now lead to fame and fortune? Will I be remembered in history books or the hearts of men? Does it matter which one?" Not surprisingly, the answer lies in theology; striving to be like Christ is all that matters and only in Christ can salvation be gained. The tough part, and my own problem, is keeping that in mind.

Wow, deep stuff. I think. To me at least. I didn't really plan this post out; there may or may not be edits. I may even delete it (too personal perhaps, poorly written most likely, etc). Yeah, that's all.

Night in the Land of Elysium (part 1?)

2005-05-21T15:54:00.000-07:00

Nothing quite like an end of the year party with close friends, is there? Last night happened to be just that, and there was much revelry and fun to be had for all. So, where to begin...?

*Note: I have withheld names and identities due to soon-to-be-obvious reasons. However, most of you read this will know who I'm talking about anyway*

To begin with, the ride over to Monsieur D***'s house (our host for the evening) was pleasant; me and my bro cruising while listening to Weezer. I think my trendy Hawaiin shirt (black and dark brown with pineapples as decoration) added to the atmoshpere too.

We arrived, and there was a little bit of downtime before the grand festivites began i.e. chatting, pool, snacking, etc. When we all had gathered into the kitchen when two friends began a tale; a tale of treachery and deceit. Before I go into details, I just want to make the comment that the presentation of said story was sub-par; I could have so told it better. Now, on to the details. These two friends, a boy and a girl, who are going out, apparantly did not start off that way. As it turned out, their "dating" was just a hoax! A trick! Tom-foolery! That's right gentle readers; two of my (and yours) closest friends were deceiving me (and you)! But, it is all good; they are officially going out. I am debating whether or not to plan some sort of revenge....but probably not. After all, what started as trick ended up as I (and a few others) had forseen.

After this, or rather while it was going on, the wine started to be uncorked. Sweet innocent readers, I shall be blunt; there were alcoholic beverages present. Aside from various kinds of wine, there was a plentiful variety of beers, vodka, and miscellaneous liquids. However, no evil arose from it, so all is well. In addition, there was plent of non-alcoholic drinks, as well as water and snacks. Now, here's Adam's opinion on what I tried (in mostly chronological order), so YOU can learn too:

1. Leinschwghlkhlazk (some beer; it was a lager and a "light" one too): bad, I didn't even finish the bottle.

2. a shot of whiskey ("quality" no less): extremely unpleasant. It didn't burn, but it obliterated any molecule of sweet/pleasant taste in my mouth.

3. Arbor Mist wine: ah, nectar of the gods I am sure! Third on the list, but first in my heart! I had a good number of glasses of this fine tasting wine throughout the night. It did start to not taste so pleasant towards the end, but hey.

4. various wines e.g. Fat Bastard, and some other stuff with French or Spanish names: the Fat Bastard was bad, not a fan. Some of the other stuff was pretty good, but again, nothing could touch the Arbor Mist.

5. a mohito (bacardi, water, lime, or something along those lines): not too bad. While I did like the lemon-limeyness, the bacardi really didn't do it for me.

6. Guiness: oy, not good. I was told by one of my friends that drinking Guiness is like drinking bread. Well to me, that "bread" must be moldy and have gone stale. My apologies to the one friend who I promised I'd drink a bottle in honor of him (I had help finishing mine).

7. a shot of vodka: ach! vile! VILE! V-I-L-E! I did make it worse on myself; I couldn't down my shot (felt like gaggging) so I held it in my mouth. Compounded with the fact that one of my friends made sure I had a bigger-than-normal dose, I was pretty miserable for quite some time. I managed to get it down (I contemplated spewing it, but got it down), but yeah, a terrible and scarring experience. After swallowing, I drank a bunch of water and munched on pretzels/chips for a long time.

*Adam is at his most "tipsy-ness" at this point. I felt happy, dizzy, extremely tired, and this was also evidenced by the fact that I dropped my can of pop, my Guiness, hit the railing while going up stairs, and having a sort of difficult time reading stuff. Really wasn't drunk, but slightly buzzed.

8. a pleasant conglomerate of root-beer, milk, lots of ice, and a tiny bit of cognac: good, although the cognac kind of ruined the taste for me

9. a bit of apple vodka: not as horrid as the vodka before, but still horrid

10. a glass of Sangria: quite good...perhaps better than the Arbor Mist but to be honest, I can't quite remember.

In sum, all beers equal bad. Hard liquor equals bad. About half of wines equal bad. Sweeter wines like Arbor Mist and stuff along the lines of Sangria equal good.

Side note, I was told to "chug things" or "drink it all, you'll get used to it" but I disregarded that. Drinking a lot of something that makes me want to spit it out anyways will not make me appreciate it more.

Conversations with all party-goers was undeniably excellent.

Now, SOME friends had a wee bit too much to drink. Which is alright; it wasn't extreme. One friend bowed down and worshiped the porcelain god today, and that was humorous. VERY humorous. Mad props to myself for no hangover (given that I wasn't drunk, not surprising).

And that's all I can think of right now. It was seriously a great time, and it's nice to just kick back and relax with good company.

yawn BORED

2005-05-18T16:20:00.000-07:00

Gah, not much going on. I had SOME funny ideas, but they died. I couldn't do nuthin' to save 'em. Nothing!

Basically, I'm bored. Maybe it's the whole readjusting to not having school, but it's a rough transition. True, I am helping out at another high school (which I do enjoy) and I am working (which I quasi-enjoy), yet I feel like so "bleh."

asjdlkgjasdklgjawkl;gwaoitghaowigvnknmalkfbnakdlbnaklrhnaoieriohweoihgavbmn

Until some burst of inspiration happens, you, dear readers, are going to be stuck reading crap. For this I apologize.

3 Aces baby yeah!

2005-05-15T14:26:00.000-07:00

Today is a good day. Why? Well, just found out my grades for three out of my four classes. Can you guess what they were? All "A's."

That's right mortals! Embrace my feet!

Now, I realize a few of my readers are IT students, whom I also realize will probably give me some lip cause I'm in CLA. To them (and anyone else who thinks themselves vastly superior to me because I am an English major) I say:

"Cry me a river."

In all seriousness, I know grades do not make the man, and I hope for the best for all of you [students] who read this.

Excuse me while I go and do the "peanut-butter jelly dance."
(http://www.ebaumsworld.com/flash/peanutbutter.html)

New teaching experience

2005-05-14T10:41:00.000-07:00

Quick little update, I am going to be getting some more hours done for my teaching experience. I'll be helping out at St. Anthony High School, and I'm a TA for some World History courses. I sadly won't be getting a chance to actually teach, but I'll be correcting work and helping out when I can, so it is not a total loss. Plus, I can always (hopefully) interject little, unknown facts about certain subjects.

Oh, my goals from the previous post, viewing Sin City and Kingdom of Heaven were accomplished! Two days ago, my brother and I went to view the former, with a little bit of excitement on the highway (I cut over like 3 lanes...twice). But, we arrived safe and sound. The movie was very cool, although a bit violent. Who am I kidding; it wasn't "a bit," it was A LOT. But still, interesting story, cool cinematography, good characters, etc. Last night, it was Kingdom's time. Same duo, except add on another friend, so it was a trio. Not a bad movie; I think Gladiator was better though. Some of the messages irked me; the whole "oh, we're really all just the same and religion is bad blah blah blah." I mean, you can make those points, but I'm sick of seing these epic movies where the main characters are clearly thinking/speaking with a 21st Century mindset. I wish I could elaborate on that more; I guess it's something that I feel and can tell rather than explain.

Biggest news! School is done! Had my one and only final on Friday in Dostoevsky; good vibes from it. For the last essay, one of the options was to outline a Dostoevskian like story; I started too but couldn't bring it together so I wrote on "doubling." For those interested in knowing (even if you're NOT, you're gonna have to read it anyways), the plot was going to revolve around some college students. Well, one student, whom I named Kevin, was interested in becoming the "student-teacher;" being sick of the "Teacher-student." How does one achieve this position? Fail a Final.

p.s. If you haven't read "The Possessed" aka "Demons" aka "Devils," the humor of that is going to be lost on you.

p.p.s. I was going to call the story "Tests and Grades." Can you guess the connection??!!

Finally, I did something today that I have not done in a long time; slept until noon.

Regretably, I have nothing funny to add. Pity.

I call for a jihad against Spyware!

2005-05-11T17:45:00.000-07:00

Brothers and sisters!

Our world has been tainted with the demon filth that is spyware! It corrupts your computers and causes your blessed internet to run slow! Pop-ups come out of nowhere! The spyware itself, cunning hell-spawn that it is, knows of ways to survive and reinstall itself into your system!
IT MUST BE DESTROYED!!!!

His imperial majesty,
Adam I

Seriously, who had the bright idea to invent spyware? Has that person ever experienced the frustration of having to remove all those annoying programs and wept bitter tears?

As you might have guessed, I waged a holy war yesterday against some spyware which had invaded my computer. Oh, it was a vicious fight indeed brethren! Ad-aware scan after ad-aware scan gradually got rid of things, as did removing the suckers by hand with add/remove programs. What finished the fight was the arrival of my brother, with his powerful force of computer knowledge. Plunging into the registry itself, the scum that is spyware was finally vanquished...or was it? The cost of the fight was steep; though I have recently acquired Mozilla Firefox, the tiny hamlet of Internet Explorer has not fully recovered and will not return to its normal size. And admittedly, I do not know if my computer is completley purged of the evil programs, as there will be the occasional oddity i.e. pop-up; but I have hope. The vast bulk of the spyware army perished, and it will be many ages before there is ever an invasion of that magnitude again. Moreover, my subjects are perfectly willing to undergo a format reinstall in order to attain complete and undeniable victory.

That's right spyware, I'll see you in hell.

Blogger's block

2005-05-09T21:15:00.000-07:00

Since it's almost been a week since my last posting, and since I'm scathingly critical of anyone who doesn't update a lot (voyerism is not something I'm proud of, but at least it is limited to blogs), I'm throwing one in. Good news? People like me will be happy with something new to read. Bad news? Nothing really oustanding/funny/exciting to tell.

So, at the moment, I've just finished my American Lit paper...I expect it'll be published in some literary magazine. Seriously.

....

I'm kidding, it won't be published unless it is somehow mind-blowingly better than what I take it to be.

On a completely random side note, there's something about mallard ducks and female ducks (don't know if they have some cool name) and ducklings that makes me happy. It's like the ideal family unit. The way the mallard leads and will fly away to distract predators so the female (who will also fly away if necessary too) and ducklings can hide is really noble. I actually saw a dead mallard a few days ago on the highway, and a part of me was really sad.

Second random point but connected to the one above:
when it comes to romance/relationships, girls have a terrible ability to see things that guys can't. It's freaky. So, what's a guy to do? Be ludicrously cautious whenever discussing anything remotely romantic. Everything matters; voice tone, body language, word choice, pheremones, subconscious thoughts, etc. A girl can detect it all. Now I've always thought that I can outwit and outsmart any girl, but this is one dance that I can be out-tangoed in.

Finally, I'd just like to add that I hate spiders in my shower. Truely, I do. I smash them good when I find them. Actually, not that I fear spiders, but after dispatching them with a kleenex, I always toss their tissue-covered corpses in the toilet and flush. Why? I have this odd fear that I really didn't crush them good enough and that they'll come back to life and kill me. Hence, the watery burial ensures that that doesn't happen. An odd fear I know.

But no less weird than my fear of finding a booger in my milk.

There's no story behind that story, just a fear I've always had for a long long time.

Movies to see:
Sin City (which is hardly playing ANYWHERE)
Kingdom of Heaven

"When angry, count four; when very angry, swear."
~Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar

Return of the Prodigal Beef-eater

2005-05-04T15:07:00.000-07:00

For lunch today, I decided to return to a place that I have not eaten for quite some time. The place was Arby's, the food was a LARGE roast beef sandwich. Oh man, what a meal!

To begin with, I got done with work at noon, and feeling a bit peckish and of course not wanting to go until 5 without eating anything (due to class), I desired something meaty yet quick. "So where to go?" I asked myself. The Bona? Ate there yesterday. Manhattan Loft? Too cheap and really not in the mood. Burger King? Ate there yesterday and sick of that style of food. Big 10? Not feeling adventerous. Arby's? Ooooh, that's the ticket. So with the giant fluorescent cowboy hat as a marker, I trucked over to Arby's.

I approached the counter after a minute's perusal of the menu and just went with a large roast beef. When asked if I "wanted the combo" I politely declined; I'm so sick of fries and Coke products. Plus, I wanted to save cash. Well, my sandwich was ready in a matter of moments, and I journeyed over to the condiments to get Arby's sauce; the nectar of the gods. I grabbed those little containers and filled not one, not two, but three of those little cups with the oh so delicious sauce and found myself a table. Let me tell ya friends, that sandwich WAS big; and I slathered that sucker with the tastey. When I picked up the sandwich and took that first bite, wow, I was in heaven. It tasted so good! The sandwich was so packed with beef that a bit of it shot out the sides of the bread (where the was no pressure from either my hands or my mouth) but it didn't fall. Fortunately, it [the beef] remained attached the mother-sandwich, and so I gobbled up the extra beef. The sauce, oh the sauce. It went everywhere! Over my sandwich, my fingers, hands, mouth, chin, and subsequently, my beard. But that's alright, a part of me was glad; I hoped that my pores would absorb it and thus even more Arby's sauce would enter my system. I didn't mind that I was making a mess of things, I was just too happy.

After the sandwich was safely in my belly, I wiped off my hands and face, and went in search of a quiet place to read "Titus Andronichus" by Shakespeare. I did actually stop in a bathroom to thoroughly wash my hands and make sure there was no food/sauce residue on my visage (there wasn't). But yes, nothing like gorging yourself on delicious meat products after 7-8 weeks of fasting (I do prefer of course the Paschal meats that we have at home, but still, you get the point).

In other news, I got an "A" in Humanities 1001! Huzzah! 1 class down, 3 to go.

On that note, I'm actually thinking about maybe teaching history now instead of English...such a dilemma. Both are cool subjects, but I'm a little undecided now. I can always double major and get teaching certified in both, but that'll take a lot of time, and I'm not sure I want to do that. So yeah, my future hangs in the balance...

Amazed and blown away (in multiple areas of life)

2005-05-03T20:41:00.000-07:00

Wow....what can I say?

To start things off, Christ is Risen! Pascha is truely one of the best times of the year; all the services during Holy Week topped off by the incredible midnight service Holy Saturday night and joyous vesper service on Pascha itself, followed of course by the feasting with friends and family...words can't describe it. One quick note on Pascha; me and Dusty got to carry banners for the procession...it was really cool actually.

And today, the much awaited and mind-blowingly good concert performed by Weezer really made me feel good. Every single song rocked!. Even the warm up band was quite good. But I honestly can't remember their songs cause Weezer's awesomeness just dominated.

But now friends, I am starting to feel slightly stressed. My homework load is staggering, so things have the potential to go downhill EXTREMELY fast. However, I remain optomistic and oddly serene about it all.

There was something else I was going to write, but I forgot. Meh.

Stay tuned readers!

Dream job attained

2005-04-27T15:53:00.000-07:00

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

2005-04-26T20:36:00.000-07:00

$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

2005-04-25T17:09:00.000-07:00

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

2005-04-25T16:24:00.000-07:00

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

2005-04-23T19:14:00.000-07:00

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

2005-04-22T13:40:00.000-07:00

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...

2005-04-18T15:46:00.000-07:00

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...

2005-04-13T20:49:00.000-07:00

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

2005-04-11T23:04:00.000-07:00

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

2005-04-08T15:43:00.000-07:00

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

2005-04-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

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"

Weezer your last breath

2005-03-29T20:10:00.000-08:00

Know what happens in just over 1 month ladies and gents? If you guessed "Weezer is coming to Minneapolis (First Avenue to be more precise," you would be correct! For those who are still lost, Weezer is a band---a rocking good band. I shant delve into the quest of how the tickets were acquired; I was not present, so it is not my place (check out Music Apologist's blog for the details). I shall only say that I was filled with excitement when I was informed Weezer was touring, suffered feelings of nervousness while I waited to hear if tickets were bought, and then danced with joy when I heard of the buying.

Now this is going to be my first actual concert that I've gone to, and I look forward to it. Some goodness and some badness about it though; Weezer is playing on May 3rd. The Goodness? Pashcha is May 1st, so the happiness of that weekend will be even more enhanced. The Badness? I have a final paper due May 5th, and basically at around that time, finals start---so it could be a rough week.

On the subject of concerts, I have another dilemma of sorts. See, I'm a big fan of The Offspring. As it turns out, they're actually performing with the Vans' Warped Tour. Thus, The Offspring will be playing here in Minneapolis (at the Metrodome). Is there a problem? Of course! The day they perform happens to be July 24, my sister's birthday. Now in my family, your actual birthday is kind of spent with the family; then some other day you go out with friends. So yeah, even if that wasn't the case, I'd still feel bad about leaving to do something on her birthday. Obviously, I must discuss this with her...

One my last note, I suffered my first blog-related accident. My chips and cheese were finished being microwaved whilst I was typing this entry. I wanted to finish my thoughts, so I let them [the chips & cheese] sit there a minute or two; by the time I got to it, the grease had gotten hard, and sort of ruined my meal. The food was still tasty, and I ate heartily, but I lamented to myself that I put typing above sustenance.

But that's all for now...fencing tournament at Michigan State this weekend. I look forward to it, but I'll be glad when it's done (so much work!). That said, I'll still and try post this week, but there's just the tinies of chances I won't. Expect one detailing my [hopefully] stunning victories though.

What's in a name? (what's with the color too?)

2005-03-27T19:44:00.000-08:00

I figured I should explain the name of my blog, as well as why it's green (why the latter may seem trivial, I was asked "what's with the green" so I'll address it).

First, the name: "Puddn'head Adam". I got this title from a book by Mark Twain, Puddn'head Wilson. It's an interesting read; go fig since it's Twain. The main plot of the story is that a slave woman gives birth to a son at the same time as her master's wife does; the slave is also a mulatto (and the father of her son is white tooo), so her child and the master's look exactly alike as babies. Anyways, at one point, the slave woman, fearing that she is going to be sold, switches the two babies. The novel progresses, there's a murder, duels, visiting royal twins, etc., all while commenting/critiquing the setup of Southern society. I don't want to put anybody off by that last comment; I realize sounds kind of stuffy and makes it seem like it's a difficult novel. It is a really good book and not something that I picked up and thought,"hmm, I wonder how I can analyze the crap out of this and make people hate literature."

Now the "hero" if you will of the story is a lawyer from the North, David Wilson, who's moved down South to practice law (the novel starts off very early in Wilson's and the babies' lives; then jumps forward about 20 years). Well, he's an interesting guy. Pretty intelligent, a little eccentric, and called "Puddn'head" by the townspeople for a comment made when he first arrives; the exchange goes something like this:

*a dog is barking loudly*
Wilson: "I wish I owned half that dog."
Townspeople: "Why?"
Wilson: "So I could kill my half."

A bit odd yes, and my rewrite removes some of the humor, but the point is that the townspeople take that comment a bit too seriously and declare him a "puddn'head." Oh, I forgot to add something! Wilson also collects fingerprints, and let's just say that that will play a huge role in the finale of the story.

So, why Puddn'head Adam? Well, I've been a fan of Twain in general, and I wanted the title of my blog to mean something. I toyed with the idea of using something from Dostoevsky e.g. titling it like "Raskolnikov's Journal", but that's deep stuff, and I wanted to keep the "feel" of this blog kind of light/refreshing. There'll be deep stuff too (after all, Twain has important themes in his novels too), but I didn't want to feel the need to be complex with my posts if I would've based it on Dostoevsky's work; believe me, a name can set the tone of my writing. Finally, I do identify with Puddn'head Wilson in some respects, so I figured I'd use it.

Now on to the color of my blog, green. Well, green has always been my favorite color, so when looking at templates, I was attracted to this one. Green also carries a lot of positive connotations like rebirth, refreshment, "earthy-ness", luck, etc. So ideally, people will get at least one of those feelings when the visit. And just thinking about it now, I've been told I look good in green (brings out my eyes and such), so hopefully, my writing will look good in green as well. Plus, I wanted to make sure my blog looked different than my friends', and this green template definitely did the trick.

And now you have it folks; the meaning behind the appearance and titlement of my blog. Oh! I chose the Faulkner quote because I'm starting to get into his books, and one of his major themes is triumph over adversity. I am pretty optimistic about things, and believe in the triumph of good over evil, so I feel it's a fitting quote.

...but where does it go?

2005-03-27T13:30:00.000-08:00

Ah, the second post; slightly less delicious than the first, but that is life.

Now that I've started a blog, I'm not entirely sure what to write. I could just relate my every day experiences; embellished of course. Or do I ponder deep moral questions or ideas? Obviously, I'll probably do both; sometimes mashing the two together. But still, I've pondering what I want to do with the blog.

See, those who know me, should/will not be surprised by this. As even mentioned in my very first post, I overanalyze things. Now, is this a bad thing? I have often pondered this; I always want to better myself, so I try to correct any bad habits. So, what are the pros and cons of overanalyzying (although it'll be done in a non list format)?

Firstly of course, the name implies that it's bad, "OVERanalyzing." I can become obsessed with things that actually don't matter, and I can also waste a lot of time on energy trying to prepare for something that will never happen. On a side note, while I do stress out about things, I like to think that I do it for comedic affect; I have no intention of giving myself a heart-attack, and while I am an energetic guy, I have my moments of serenity. Occasionally too, I don't respond/act due to my thinking, and that's not always good. ALTHOUGH, sometimes me not acting has saved me from embarassment.

Building on that, overanalzying does allow one to see things from EVERY possible angle. Regardless of the consequences of that, there's a certain amount of pride in knowing that "hey, I KNOW what the very worst case scenario is."

And sadly, I have no nice way of tying all this up. I still have a lot of thoughts about this issue, but the post is getting quite long and I think now's a good time to end it (I will most likely post again on a same or related topic). Basically, all I can say is that overanalyzing is a charactersitic of me; sometimes for good, sometimes for bad.

p.s. I'm disapointed in myself as a writer for concluding this post so badly. I doubt you the reader got any laughs or insights from it. I am sorry. But good writing takes practice, and so I shall try and make up for it in future posts.

p.p.s. I don't want to sound stuck up, so I'd just like to add (addressing myself), "it's only a blog, people aren't going to die because you wrote a sub-par post. Go do homework."