Friday, September 30, 2005

mountain song

Mountain Song - Jane's Addiction (pops)

I hate Mariah Carey.

Well, not her specifically, but her new single.

You see, I spend an hour on the road each day. As such, I wish to be entertained during my commute. Normally, I listen to Dave 92.9 (a Jack format station) in the morning and afternoon, but for some reason I can't get good reception this week, at least on 316 (the highway that runs from my house to my school, for those unfamiliar with Northeast Georgia roadways). So, instead, I listen to the station that gets the clearest reception, since they have the largest broadcasting station, 95.5 The Beat.

95.5 is Atlanta's main hip-hop station. Ludacris (no, not Kipper, the other one) used to DJ for them as Chris Luva-Luva before he broke out. They play Top 40 Hip-Hop with an Atlanta focus, plus a sprinkling of local talent that hasn't really hit nationwide, like Gucci Mane and Young Jeezy. Normally, it's brainless but largely inoffensive programming.

But this time they have gone too far.

They have played the new Mariah Carey song every single hour, without fail, sometimes twice.

I hate this song.

It's not that it's poorly produced, which is my usual complaint. It's not that it's a no-talent singing it, because Mariah Carey has loads of talent (although she apparently stopped studying music after learning "melisma").

It's that the damn hook won't escape my head. I could just about sing you the entire song from memory at this point.

You may ask, "Well, you ungodly sexy beast, who I can tell is obviously well-endowed simply by his writing style, why don't you change the station?"

Okay, you probably won't put the question in so many words, but the main thrust is the same.

Simple. I would rather lsiten to infectious, hook-laden, mind-numbing dreck than listen to static.

Also, the way I drive, I need to devote both hands to the steering wheel rather than adjusting the radio.

Especially when the red Mustang in front of me (which has the same engine package I do, since we're both Fords from the same frame and body style, so I know it's capable of steady acceleration and maintenance of speed) decides to go seventy, then slow down to fifty-five, I get in the left lane to pass him, he speeds up to seventy five, I get back behind him, and he slows down to fifty-five, repeat ad infinitum.

I hate 316.

But I hate Mariah Carey more.

Thursday, September 29, 2005

children's story

Children's Story - Slick Rick (pops)

Uncle Ricky, will you read us a bedtime story?
Please, huh, please?
Alright, you kids get to bed, I'll get the storybook.
Ya'll tucked in?
(yeah)
Here we go...
Once upon a time,
Not long ago,
Where people wore pajamas and lived life slow,
Where laws where stern and justice stood,
And people were behavin' like they ought to - good,
There lived a little boy who was misled
By another little boy,
And this is what he said:
"Me and you tike, we're gonna make some cash",
"Robbin' old folks and makin' the dash",
They did the job,
Money came with ease,
But one couldn't stop!
It's like he had a disease,
He robbed another and another,
And a sister and a brother,
Tried to rob a man who was a D.T. undercover,
The cop grabed his arm,
He started actin' erratic,
He said:
"Keep still boy, no need for static",
Punched him in his belly and gave him a slap,
But little did he know,
The little boy was strapped,
The kid pulled outta gun,
He said:
"Why'd you hit me?"
The barrel was set straight for the cop's kidney,
The cop got scared,
The kid, he starts to figure:
"I'll do years if I pull this trigger",
So he cold dashed,
And ran around the block,
Cop radios in to another lady cop,
He ran by a tree,
There he saw the sister,
Shot for the head,
He shot back but he missed her,
Looked 'round good,
And from expectations,
He decided he'd head for the subway stations,
But,
(what)
She was comming and he made a left,
He was running top speed,
Till he was out of breath,
Knocked and old man down,
And swore he killed him,
(sorry)
Then he made his move to an abandonded building,
Ran up the stairs up to the top floor,
Opened up a door,
There guess who he saw?
(who)
Dave! The dope fiend shootin' dope,
Who don't know the meaning of water nor soap,
He said:
"I need bullets, hurry up, run!"
The dope fiend rolled back a spankin' shot gun!
He went outside but there were cops all over,
Then he dipped into a car;
A stolen Nova,
Raced up the block doin' 83,
Crashed into a tree,
Near University,
Escaped alive,
Though the car was battered,
Rat-a-tat-tattered,
And all the cops scattered,
Ran out of bullets,
And he still had static,
Grabbed the pregnant lady,
And pulled out the automatic,
Point it at her head,
He said the gun was full of lead,
He told the cops:
"Back off, or honey here's dead".
Deep in his heart,
He knew he was wrong,
So he lets the lady go,
And he starts to run on,
Sirens sounded,
He seemed astounded,
And, before long the boy got surrounded,
He dropped his gun,
So went the glory,
And this is the way I have to end this story,
He was only one teen in a madman's dream,
The cops shot the kid,
I still hear him scream,
This ain't funny,
So don't ya' dare laugh,
Just another case about the wrong path,
Straight and narrow,
Or your soul gets cast,
Goodnight.

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

california love

California Love - Tupac Shakur w/Dr. Dre (pops)

What can I say? I love vocoders. From Tupac to Peter Frampton to Aerosmith...

Wait. Scratch that. Too repetitive.

Nothing new to report from the southern front. Same old same old.

Test tomorrow in AmGov. I'm not too worried, since I knew all of the pertinent details in the review on Tuesday. Anything I don't know I can fabricate from whole cloth to a quality indistinguishable from actual fact.

Or, in simpler terms, I can bullshit something real purty.

The great thing about mixed media tests is the multiple choice section jogs your memory for the essay section, as long as the two question groups cover basically the same ground. This is one of the cases where the entire test is taken from the same material (no media-specific topics), so no problems there.

Also, I should do well on the Bobby Hill principle: "How can you fail English? You speak English". I live in America, how can I fail a test about America?

As far as Music goes, I haven't fallen asleep in there yet (despite the overwhelming urge to do so), so I feel like a success.

I periodically need someone to slap me into writing something productive. Can I trust one of you intrepid readers to do that? Just a reminder every couple of weeks to produce a written piece that isn't homework or a blog post. I've been slacking in that department, and it's kind of embarrassing to have my only writing output be inane ramblings about "Traditional Law-making as Enacted by the U.S. Legislature" or "Hey, did you watch TV last night?".

I can do better than that. Not by much, but a little bit.

If I could get one short story completely finished, I could probably snowball that into writing five or six, and then I'd be happy. Or something close to it. I just have to force myself to physically put the ideas on the screen.

I would write in longhand during class, but I can barely read my own handwriting on normal stuff, much less when I get on a creative roll. Yes, it's that messy. I freely admit it. There's a reason my old drama teacher put notes on my hand-written essays asking "Is this written in Aramaic? Because it sure ain't written in English."

My "creative" handwriting actually does take me a minute to decipher. My mind moves so much faster than my hand, and my poor carpal-tunnel pre-arthritic hands don't have a chance of keeping up.

Oh well, that's all for now. Stay in drugs and don't do school.

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

out of my head

Out of My Head - Fastball (pops)

What can I say? I love organ-based rock. From Fastball to ELO to the Allman Brothers, I'm obsessed (to a certain extent) with the use of the funny little keyboard that time forgot. Also, farfisas and clavichords.

I guess it ties into my appreciation for jangle-rock, which is loosely defined as "hey, you got a twelve-string, I've got a tambourine, let's jam!". Examples are the Byrds, Tom Petty, the Gin Blossoms, certain R.E.M. tracks, and most Fountains of Wayne songs. To some extent, I like jangle-rock because it leaves instrumentation aside and focuses on song-writing and arrangement, or doing more with less. It's sort of like the classical tradition of chamber music or string quartets (more on that later).

Speaking of music, I've got two weird requests for my intrepid (and knowledgable) readers. One, get me a copy (I don't care how, if you know what I mean) of All the Pain Money Can Buy, Fastball's breakthrough album. Shouldn't be too hard to find, but I'm hitting a brick wall. Two, get me a copy of the new East Village Opera Company album that came out today.

No, I haven't sold out to the classical music mafia. The East Village Opera Company does classical opera arias and cantatas with modern arrangements, so the whole thing comes out sounding a lot like late-70's Queen. The basic band set-up is two guitars, two vocalists, a bassist, a drummer, and a string quartet. I've heard bits and pieces of their stuff, but I want to hear more before commiting to a purchase.

Anyway, I've probably bored the non-music geeks in the audience, so let's move onto something the whole family can enjoy: no-holds-barred mixed martial arts. Did you see the Ultimate Fighter last night? What a fight. I honestly couldn't believe how strong Jason looked in comparison to Jorge. He was passing and escaping like no tomorrow. I guess it shows that Matt Hughes does know a thing or two about how to corner, because Matt's advice was one of the keys to Jason's victory. Although I believe overall, having Chuck Liddell as your regular trainer is more helpful than a few weeks at the UFC's Las Vegas training center.

Also, I'd be lucky to do one revolution on a scarecrow drill, much less do 204 like Joe did. The dude is obviously a machine sent from the future to take names, kick ass, and chew bubblegum.

Since they don't have any bubblegum in the future, after all.

That's enough for me for one night. I still might do a weekly podcast (no narration from me whatsoever, just songs) as a supplement to my daily ramblings, not a replacement.

Monday, September 26, 2005

in the air tonight

In The Air Tonight - Phil Collins (pops)

I guess things are okay. I haven't really done anything today, save go to class and eat dinner.

I watched the new Strongbad E-mail. I want a "This is not a The Geddup Noise t-shirt" t-shirt, purely for ironic value. Also, someone buy me a "Kick the Cheat" doll, since they're selling them again at the HSR store.

The one thing I miss about high school is the frequency and length of the vacations. They're out two days this week, then go to class three days, then they're out all of next week. Meanwhile, we get two days off week after next.

But I guess that's more than made up for in the fact I only go to class an average of two and a half hours a day.

One of the things I always complained about in high school was that it seemed like you did absolutely nothing about 70% of the time, and I hoped that would change in college. No such luck, as it seems we do nothing for about 70% of class, and the other 30% is still mindless busy work.

I thought when we got to college the classes would be more engaging, more interactive. Nope, the videos are just more boring and obtruse.

Then again, I don't think I could exist without complaining about something, so there you go.

I think I'm done for now. Unless there's a huge public outcry (doubtful, to say the least), I'll space the updates further out for a little while.

p.s., should I start podcasting? I've got a killer MP3 collection, and listening to a thirty-or-forty-minute setlist programmed by me could be a completely mind-expanding experience. Then again, Joey has even more material to pull from, so he could probably do a better podcast. Just a thought.

Sunday, September 25, 2005

when it's love

When It's Love - Van Halen (pops)

I know, I know. It's Van Hagar.

Screw you, I kind of like Sammy Hagar. He's semi-coherent more often than Diamond Dave, plus he makes his own tequila. That's got to count for something.

I did nothing of note over the weekend. Don't act all surprised.

I watched some Britcoms on BBC America, specifically Blackadder. Tony Robinson is the great lost comedy god. Hugh Laurie is perhaps the most versatile actor in modern television, going from the incredibly thick-headed characters he played on Blackadder, to the curmudgeonly Holmes-lite of Dr. House on "House".

And Rowan Atkinson is briliant as always, American "Bean" movie excepted. Hey, he's got to earn a living. It's like Michael Caine always said about Jaws 4: "I haven't seen the movie, but the house it bought me is terrific."

Checking once more, I still have to go to school tomorrow. I predict short classes, or non-existant ones. No one wants to be there on a normal day, much less one where all the other schools are out. I hope the professors either email me the morning of classes and say "Nevermind", or I get to the campus, go the class, sit down in my chair, and they poke their head in the door saying "Nevermind".

Eh, I've done my homework either way, and I've got an AmGov test on Thursday, so I most likely won't get out of that class on Tuesday anyways.

I'm going to go listen to either my "Nuggets" compilation or see if I can get a comprehensive late-80's rap comp. I'm at least "well-listened", if not "well-read".

Friday, September 23, 2005

the distance

The Distance - Cake (pops)

Dammit.

All of the public schools in Georgia are out on Monday and Tuesday, since Governor Perdue decided to take an "early snow-day" to save gas and electricity in the specter of Hurricane Rita.

All of the public schools, that is, but the public universities.

That includes all of the University System of Georgia, which include Abraham Baldwin, the University of Georgia, and (oh yeah,) Gainesville College.

Stupid Board of Regents.

At least no one will show up on those days, including the teachers.

One of my teachers has three school-age kids in a two-working-parent household, and both parents are employed by the USG. My professor works at GC, while his wife works at UGA. Odds are that one of them will have to stay at home. Did I mention that the wife is department chair? So there's a good chance I won't have to get up as early Monday.

I took a nerd/geek/dork test, and the results came back "yes". So I'm all three.

I took a "which general are you" test, and it said I was ruthless yet tactical, so I'm Scipio. Go me.

I offer this challenge to my readers: I will take any online quiz (that doesn't require payment) that you present to me, so long as you're willing to take it along with me and compare results. I will take absolutely any quiz.

So I'm going to either stay up and listen to the Ramones' Anthology I've got sitting here, or I'm going to go to sleep.

The smart money's on "sleep", at +200.

Thursday, September 22, 2005

barely breathing

Duncan Sheik - Barely Breathing (pops)

I took a Jungian personality archetype test. Turns out I'm an INTJ, which seems to translate directly into "sarcastic asshole who is too smart for his own good."

Like I need a test to find that out.

My type is named either "The Mastermind" or "The Scientist". We usually become either engineers, scientists or professors. Also: computer specialists, lawyers, and military leaders.

Well, I can safely say I considered half of those options seriously: computers, law, and teaching, which is the one I seem to have settled on.

I took a long look at all three of those and said to myself, "Self, which career will allow me to work only 9 to 10 months of the year, with frequent breaks in between for Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and something called 'Autumn Holiday'?" I'll give you a hint, it wasn't law or computers.

Eh, I'll probably end up an assembly-line worker at a plastics plant. Or maybe an alcoholic romance novelist.

So anyways, I ask you, the reader: What type are you?

To find out, go to this site (pops), and take the quick 72 question test.

I could probably predict what each of my regular readers will get, but the fun is in finding out for real.

If you go to a real school (like Berry College), you might take this test when you enroll, so they can better plan out your schedule and gauge your temperament. Except your test will be much longer and far more accurate.

Go, have fun, see if we're compatible. Probably not.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

feel good hit of the summer

Queens of the Stone Age - Feel Good Hit of the Summer (pops)

I would have updated last night, but my site was down. This is the third time in as many days. I'm halfway thinking of transferring this to a dedicated server, but I don't have the money for that. I would send it to a free host, but it would then be down more often than it already is.

Maybe Cubsfan would spot me server space? Nah. He's already got a heavy load with his site, plus CMLLblog, the Lucha database, and LuchaWiki. Plus, you don't just hand out server space.

I'll keep the site here for the foreseeable future, unless something drastic happens. Like Blogger switches over to a completely-for-pay model. Then again, if that happens, they've got more to worry about than my site leaving.

I'm lethargic, I've got a sore throat, and my stomach's killing me. If I didn't know better, I'd say I had the flu. But I can't have the flu, because I've got to go to school, despite learning absolutely nothing in any of my classes. Stupid attendance policies. If I could just show up for quizzes and exams, my life would be much simpler.

I played Connect Four on my calculator throughout the entire Algebra class. Did I mention I haven't taken a note in there since the first week? I do the quizzes, do the homework, and do the exams. That's it. I have at least a 98, probably a 99. I made a 97 on the exam, and haven't made anything less than 100 on any of the quizzes. Do I really need to be in there every day? If it wasn't for the near-daily quizzes, I wouldn't be.

I didn't fail the quiz in Psych. Too bad pretty much everyone else did. The class average was an 11 out of 100. Lucky me, I made a 75. See, writing down complete bullshit for answers works sometimes. My claims for the quiz being unfair (or at least inconsistent with the study material) have some validity.

I'll go now. Email me, comment me, or even call me.

Monday, September 19, 2005

when you sleep

I can't sleep, even though I really, really, really want to. So, here you go. Informative post ahead, blackmail bounty abounds.

FIRSTS

First best friend: Joey Morgan in kindergarten
First Car: black 1988 Dodge Ram 50
First kiss: That really is a funny story. Remind me and I'll tell you some time.
First piercing/tattoo: none
First big trip: to Chattanooga (I don't get out much)
First flight: none
First time skiing/Snowboarding: none
First concert: SPLIT 50!
First Alcoholic Drink: none
First ticket violation: none
First job: clearing out old blueprints at dad's old job
First date: funny story...

LASTS

Last car ride: From Watkinsville to home
Last kiss: *ahem* *clears throat* No Comment
Last time you cried: can't remember
Last movie watched: sadly, "Busty Cops"
Last food you ate: Alka-Seltzer. Alternately, grilled cheese sandwich
Last love: Are we talking reciprocated? Because that narrows my choices severely
Last temptation: perpetrating internet vandalism (no, I didn't give in)
Last item bought: gas
Last annoyance: spelling errors and misprints in my Psych book
Last time wanting to die: when I ate those shiitake mushrooms in February. Not fun.
Last alcoholic drink: none
Last concert: can't remember
Last phone call: called home when I came home from GC
Last time at the mall: Two months ago maybe; probably longer
Last friend you added on MYSPACE: The Hurricane Shane Helms

CURRENT:

Current Best Friend: Joey Segars, King of All Media
Current Car: champagne 1995 Thunderbird
Current love: Pepto-Bismol
Current drink: cheap bottled water
Current activity: trying to sleep
Current annoyance: cuticle on my left thumb
Current mood: headachey. Is that a mood?

10 YEARS AGO I…
1. I was 8 years old
2. I was in 3rd grade at Statham Elementary
3. I was fairly well-liked
4. Was pretty sure girls were icky.
5. Had a non-crushed spirit

TWO YEARS AGO I…
1. Was a junior at WBHS
2. Successfully alienated most people through sheer persistence of will
3. Did my wrestling paper in E. Perry's Lit class
4. recorded about thirty songs in Card's studio
5. hated life to a mild degree

ONE YEAR AGO I…
1. Was a senior at WBHS
2. got my STAR student confirmation
3. fell HARD for a girl, then had one of my friends scoop her up instead, knowing full well I had a thing for her (not bitter, not bitter, not bitter...)
4. had no idea what to major in
5. knew to avoid UGA like the plague

YESTERDAY I…
1. Did algebra homework
2. watched the Nascar race
3. slept till 9:30
4. sprayed my room for ants
5. didn't get to sleep until 1:30 (stupid insomnia)

TODAY I…
1. Woke up (hey, it's still an accomplishment)
2. Flunked a Psych quiz
3. got home and slept for two hours
4. took an aspirin, an alka-seltzer, and ate chicken noodle soup
5. saw Russell and Marshall at GC

TOMORROW I WILL…
1. hopefully wake up (hey, start small)
2. hopefully feel better
3. do Algebra homework
4. watch Ultimate Fighter on TiVo
5. Clear out TiVo by watching four hours of lucha

FIVE ITEMS I HAVE BRAND LOYALTY TO...
1. Sony VHS tapes
2. Walmart-Brand claritin
3. Monterrey microwave burritos
4. Raid bug spray
5. Ernie Ball Pink guitar strings

5 SNACKS I ENJOY
1. Doritos
2. Little Debbie fudge brownies
3. granola bars
4. rocky road ice cream
5. twinkies

FIVE THINGS I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT
1. Extended family
2. internet connection
3. computer
4. food
5. oxygen

I WOULD BUY WITH $2,000
1. laptop
2. used Honda
3. full mask, cape, and tights from Deportes Martinez
4. a cat
5. 1000 bottles of Boone's Farm

FIVE BAD HABITS I HAVE
1. Criticism
2. Perfectionism
3. laziness
4. daydreaming
5. not paying attention

FIVE THINGS I WOULD NEVER WEAR
1. cowboy boots
2. high heels
3. pink shirt
4. Lacoste Polo shirt
5. Thong

FIVE SHOWS I LIKE
1. CMLL Lucha Libre
2. Lucha de Vuelta
3. Ultimate Fighter
4. Good Eats
5. Mythbusters

FIVE PLACES I'VE LIVED
1. Statham, GA
2. n/a
3. n/a
4. n/a
5. n/a

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:
1. Stephen
2. Big Guy
3. SF

THREE THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. Svelte, sexy physique
2. Bullshit detector
3. Sense of humor

THREE THINGS YOU DISLIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. Inability to grow a full beard
2. carpal tunnel
3. eyesight

THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:
1. Anglo
2. German
3. Cherokee

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:
1. Bears
2. Really, bears
3. Specifically, the North American Grizzly

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:
1. internet
2. oxygen
3. water

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:
1. ratty gym shorts
2. Clerks shirt
3. glasses

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE BANDS/MUSICAL ARTISTS:
1. Pixies
2. The Cars
3. Fountains of Wayne

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE SONGS AT PRESENT:
1. Dolly Parton - Jolene
2. Gram Parsons - Wild Horses
3. Elvis Costello - Alison

THREE NEW THINGS YOU WANT TO TRY IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS
1. Autoharp
2. passing colege classes
3. I hear that whole "sex" thing is pretty great...

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP:
1. Intelligence
2. Humor
3. Wait, scratch those other two. Breast size

keep me in your heart

Keep Me in Your Heart - Warren Zevon (pops)

I feel really sick, so I'll keep this one short. I've got a headache, stomachache, sore throat, and all my classes have attendance policies, so I've got to make it to school tomorrow. Cold or flu, I'd imagine. Possibly food poisoning.

I'm pretty sure I failed my first quiz in Psych. I didn't really study, but the study questions were extremely general, and the quiz question was ungodly specific. The study question: "What is the nature of light?". The quiz question: "Describe tricolor theory and opponent process theory." I could have answered the study question. The actual quiz, I knew the first half, but blanked on the second.

Eh, I made a 90 out of 75 on the exam, so I've got fifteen extra points to put towards the quiz. Plus, I've got like a 95 in there, so I'm not too worried. Pisses me off, though.

Algebra: absolute value. I'm too tired to deal with that shit. That homework goes in the "if I get bored, and don't have a paper to write" pile.

I'm going to bed now. I love each and every one of you. Bye.

Sunday, September 18, 2005

this shit is bananas

Gwen Stefani - Hollaback Girl (pops)

(b-a-n-a-n-a-s)

I spent the weekend avoiding math homework and reading through Vampire: The Masquerade's sourcebooks. If I had done my homework straight away, I would be a geek. But seeing as I still haven't done my homework (and may not, depending on my mood), I'm a dork. Subtle differentiations, people.

The V:TM actual rules suck, but the concepts are kickass. The authors put entirely too much effort into the backstory, but I like that. I can also see where people get too obsessed with it, and start LARPing to an extreme, to the point where they lose their sense of self. LARPing, by the way, is nerd-short-hand for Live Action Role Playing.

Even the most socially awkward of my brtheren (the geeks, spazzes, dorks, and nerds) have a mixture of contempt and pity for LARPers. Sure, we're weird, but we don't have to invest in costumes to be weird.

Tabletoppers and LARPers, in my experience, have the same relationship as average Muslims and suicide bombers. Basically, some people will carry any damn thing too far.

Getting back to the subject, and avoiding talk of further schisms in the RPG world, the Clan idea is brilliant. Other RPG's have a similar element, but none take it as far as V:TM.

I'm half thinking of rolling some characters in all of these RPG's (Rifts, Marvel Universe, V:TM, D&D) just to see what happens. Granted, far less actual rolling occurs in V:TM (there's only one roll in the entire creation process; the rest is user-defined).

I have the distinct feeling I'm losing my (admittedly flagging) readership with this topic, so I'll move away now.

Dinner for tonight: baked chicken thighs with a parmesan-and-cornflake coating. Food Network is the best website ever for someone with limited food resources, but the willingness to try anything once.

For whatever reason, I can barely type anymore. It's not my carpal tunnel (thank God), but my fingers simply won't respond as well to my commands. Before, I could type 45-60 words a minute, but now, since I have to go back and correct errors so much (and believe me, if I didn't, this entire post would be incoherent by now), I'm down to about fifteen or twenty. As an example:

Thyis is wha it looks like when I don't really go bakc and fi all of my mistakes as I tyoe.

Scary isn't it?

It really is a bit frightening when you think of the implications of it. Knowing Barrow County, it's some form of cancer. It's been going on since roughly mid July, but it's getting slightly worse.

I can only think of a Carlin routine: "You ever walk into a room, then forget why you came in? There's only one thing that goes through your head: 'Alzheimer's.'"

Nice happy note to leave on, there. See you tomorrow.

Friday, September 16, 2005

my favorite game

The Cardigans - My Favoirte Game (pops)

It's a funny video, especially at the end. Also, this video tries to break the Blues Brothers record, if you know what that means.

Complete lack of Psych homework, but a dozen problems in Algebra. I ran out of paper in my Algebra notebook (70 page composition book), so I guess I'll have to get a new notebook.

See what daily updates drive me to? Telling you about having to buy a new Algebra notebook.

I realize I could stop any time, but as soon as I did, people would tell me to update more. I can't win. Such is life.

Y'know, I still haven't watched Dawn of the Dead. I guess I just haven't been in the mood. You can't watch zombie movies just any old time. You have to be in the right mindset, or you'll get bored with them really quickly. One can only take so much slow-building suspense.

Yeah. Bored.

I've been making my way (slowly, there's over 100 books) trhough the Rifts collection I acquired. The backstory is wonderful. The roleplaying system? Well, that's a bit complicated. Which is the problem. There are entirely too many dice and calculations. I understand now why it took the original playtesters two years to level up.

Everytime you move an inch, it seems, you have to roll three dice. God forbid you should actually enter combat, because you need a Pentagon-garage-sale Supercomputer to figure out which dice to roll, much less the ranges for them.

Eh, it's still a good story. I really should get a complete set of Atlantean tattoos (from the Atlantis World Book), though. The two main ones are the Marks of Heritage: a flaming sword on the left wrist and a heart with a stake through it on the right wrist. The one on the left allows for the creation of a magical weapon and the one on the right protects from vampires. Both useful in this modern technological world of ours.

I'm out. I may not update through the weekend. No, I won't be busy, but I just might not feel like it.

Thursday, September 15, 2005

istanbul (not constantinople)

Istanbul (not Constantinople) - They Might Be Giants (pops)

Boredom.

Complete and utter boredom.

I almost wish I had homework, I'm so bored.

Almost.

My weekend (barring any surprises in Psych) should be the same way: Homework free and utterly boring.

I did nothing in either class today. AmGov is reminiscent of Stovall's class: if you listen to the lecture, and actually participate in the discussions, you'll be fine. The teacher (like Stovall) doesn't mind arguing a point that she thinks is right, and will tolerate any dissenting opinions, provided you can back it up with factual information. Too bad it seems like me and two other people are the only ones who actually talk in there.

We watched Schoolhouse Rock today. Yeah.

I thought about ordering one of those "write a novel in thirty days" books. I know I could do it, at least the creative part, but I don't know if I'd have the willpower to stick with it. It would give me something to do in my spare time, and I could just maybe make some money with it, or at least get looked at by a publishing company or two.

Of course, my loyal readership here would get first crack at telling me how bad it is, day by day.

So leave me encouragements or scathing criticisms. Because the fate of the literary world rests in your hands.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

jerk

Buzzcocks - Jerk (pops)

I'm in a really shitty headspace right now. (Family drama, no I don't really want to go into it on a public forum like this. Email me if you truly want to know, but I still may not tell you. Let's just say living with a manic depressive is not fun on the best days, and these are days are far from the best.)

At least the soothing pop-punk sounds of the Buzzcocks are always there, right?

Wait, did I say "soothing"? Well, in a late-1970's British DIY melodic thrash kind of way, yes they're soothing. Suffice to say, you NEED to get your hands on a copy of Singles Going Steady, their American greatest-hits compilation.

Speaking of music, I still haven't gotten around to listening to My Bloody Valentine's Loveless. It's sitting there, but I don't have the energy to hit play after writing too many papers this week.

I read through the guides to the Marvel Universe RPG from 2003. The rules seem super-easy to follow, but you have to know an immense amount of backstory to get any real enjoyment out of it. No one around here is the right combination of RPG geek and comics nerd to appreciate it, save me. And I'd have to be the GameMaster (the Marvel version of DungeonMaster), and I don't want to be GM. Being GM is too much like work.

Guess who I found on Facebook?

Whit Lanning.

He had the saving grace of getting out of Winder a few years ago, but now he's in college and we all have fairly reliable modes of transportation. I demand we organize a road trip to Buies Creek, North Carolina and rescue him from the oppressive Cackalackians. BYOB.

Well, I'm done for the day. I'm going to go study (read: look at porn), then go to bed.

Excelsior!

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

radio gaga

Queen - Radio Gaga (live) (pops)

This video is perhaps the most awe-inspiring performance by one person in the history of rock music. Freddie Mercury is, bar-none, the best live performer to ever grace this planet. He is pure charisma prancing on a stage. It's the coolest thing in the world to see that many people in the audience all moving in unison, under the spell of this one flamboyant man. Watch it and be amazed.

Today was a short day. (I know what you're thinking, every day is a short day when you've only got two classes.) AmGov was normal, but I've got a paper to write by Thursday on the function of committees in Congress, or some such mess like that.

Music Appreciation lasted ten minutes. For me, anyway. Fifty question multiple choice test, easy as anything. He said we could leave after we got done, so I did.

I acquired a full set of the Rifts RPG sourcebooks. Too bad all the hardcore RPG'ers I know are either in Rome or Carrollton. The back story is really interesting. You could write several novels in the space of just one sourcebook, and there's almost a hundred sourcebooks. I need to invest in some quality dice (D4, D8, D12, D20) to get anywhere with actual roleplaying, though. Also, it will cement me as Alpha Geek in these parts.

Tonight I'm either going to go to bed early or stay up for an extra hour or two and write that paper. I got the Psych paper done yesterday in about an hour, so this shouldn't take me but about that long.

Have I mentioned I've been steadily losing weight for about two and a half months now? It's not a huge amount, but I've lost a couple pant sizes and I can fit into some of my older t-shirts better. I'm not svelte by any means, but the slow rate of dropping means I can probably keep it off easier. I just eat smaller portions and park farther away than I used to, nothing more. I don't eat as much fast food, and I cook more often.

I'll end on a good note. Anybody up for a debate on Congressional law? Parcheesi, maybe?

Monday, September 12, 2005

reasons why

Nickel Creek - Reasons Why (pops)

I now know the true meaning of college. I am currently procrastinating on a one-page paper assigned today in Psych. We watched what I believe to be the stupidest video in the history of recorded media, "Mind Talk: The Brain's New Story", then were told we had a reaction paper to write by Wednesday.

It's not the assignment, it's the spirit of the assignment. We're not really learning anything by giving our reactions, and as long as we put something down, it can't be wrong, because it's our reaction, also known as our opinion. If this were a writing class, I'd say okay, but this is psychology and psychology does not exist on the foundations of creative literature.

So the true meaning of college is procrastinating on an assignment you think is stupid but have to do to keep your GPA up.

That and binge drinking, if you go to the right school. University of Georgia, I'm looking at you.

DVDVR got restarted completely (the hack caused a failed upgrade, and the failed upgrade wiped all of the information from the database.) There are backups still in existence, but they can't be (easily) ported over. Bummer for Sweetser and Skyfire Hosting.

I think I'm going to skip watching wrestling entirely tonight. I don't know what it is, but WWE doesn't hold my interest for very long anymore. Too much Lucha and UFC, I guess. I'm just not as entertained by WWE as much as I used to be. Now I devour any knowledge about lucha or MMA, but I could care less about mainstream wrestling.

My copy of Playboy arrived in the mail today. "Girls of the Pac 10".

What's sad is I DO read it for the articles. The girls are nice, but they're not real. They've been run over by the Adobe truck so many times they don't have any uniqueness to them that real women have. Plus, they're by and large entirely too skinny. I hate to drag a FARK cliche in, but some of these girls need a sammich because they have sharp knees.

Carlin's interview is great, because he doesn't bullshit about being an addict. He realizes that it's a struggle every single day, but he doesn't make himself out to be the Prodigal Son or anything. He's not a hero because he quit drinking, and he knows it.

I should really apply to be an airbrush artist for nudie mags. I could do a great job. Shit, I even airbrushed my own senior picture proofs, and they actually made me look semi-attractive. If I can do that, working for a skin mag should be no sweat.

By the way, who writes the profiles for the Playmates? No one believes for a second the girl actually likes moonlit walk on the beach.

I'm done. Email me or leave a comment. Complaints will be dealt with swiftly, although probably not in a manner you'd like. Specifically, I see a "BALEETED!" sign in your future.

Sunday, September 11, 2005

humpty dance

Digital Underground - The Humpty Dance (pops)

Today, on this day of national mourning, we all need to remember the words of the great prophet Humpty (Shock G).

I did nothing of note today. I played Scrabble a lot, as I found a nice freeware version of it. I read a guide on Ninjitsu. I listened to a lot of Digital Underground.

My main message board, DVDVR, got hacked twice in one weekend, so that put a damper on things. Luckily the admin team is awesome, so the board was back in action in less than half a day each time. That makes the third time in the past month that the board's been hacked. Maybe it's getting too popular for it's own good?

On my TiVo, I've got six hours of lucha to watch, plus the MTV ReAct concert and the Dawn of the Dead remake. Anyone for popcorn and a night of crazy Mexican wrestling, propagandized music, and semi-cheesy horror?

Anyone know where to get an MP3 of the Foos doing "Born on the Bayou" from Friday? None of my usual haunts have it, and I'd prefer to not spend any time searching.

You know, my life isn't nearly exciting enough for daily updates. The music videos are nice, though.

I've had the very beginnings of a headache since I woke up yesterday. Not a full-blown headache, but just that slight pull around the back of your head and above your eyes. I have a feeling a migraine is coming my way. Both my parents get migraines, and most of my extended family does too. When you hit 18 or 19, you suddenly start getting massive migraines, but not frequent enough to really go on any medication. I haven't had one yet, so I'm overdue.

I think I'm going to go clear some space on the TiVo, then go put gas in my car for the upcoming week. Such a fun existence.

Peace, and chicken grease.

Saturday, September 10, 2005

the new pollution

Beck - The New Pollution (pops)

I updated the links. Like I said I was going to. Wow, I actually followed through on a promise I made on here!

If you look to your right, you see various new sites, among them Kipper's Xanga, Coverville, and Intellectual Whores, which is NOT a porn site, despite its name and my reputation. It's a valuable relationship guide which goes hand in hand with Zubaz's Relationship Guide, which has been linked for quite a while.

I got around to installing Ares Galaxy. I was a member of the first KaZaA generation before it became a spyware-ridden hellhole. So I'm spoiled when it comes to peer-to-peer programs. I like Ares alright, but it's no KaZaA.

By the way, I'm only participating in the distribution of freeware software programs and free-to-air documentaries. Just a notice.

I don't like the hashing thing. It just gets on my nerves for some reason, which I can't quite put my finger on. The interface needs to be smaller, as it seems optimized for a 1280 or 1600 screen resolution (I run a 1024). Most people still run 1024 or smaller, although that's changing with the lowered prices of non-CRT monitors.

I think I'm going to go pick up a copy of My Bloody Valentine's Loveless. No reason, but it's one of those things I should have listened to by now. I am an incomplete music geek without it. I've listened to its precursors (The Cure, New Order) and its progeny (Blur, Pulp) enough times to know what to expect, but it's still an area I'm lacking in.

Yes, I am that much of a geek.

I got back in touch with everyone's favorite 16 year old Yalie, Thalyn, on Facebook. He's still the same. Not matured one extra bit. I say this with no malice, but he really should have waited a year to go. Even at seventeen he would have been more prepared than at sixteen. It's not like he's going to Gainesville; he's got to compete with the best and brightest of the country. I'm almost nineteen and I was barely prepared to go to college, just down the road from my house. I can scarcely imagine what he's going through, being sixteen, inexperienced in the ways of the world, and halfway across the country from almost everyone he knows.

In closing, I leave you with a quote from the 13th disciple himself, Chris Rock: "If only smart people like your shit, it ain't that smart."

(Watch lucha libre and UGA football.)

Friday, September 09, 2005

found out about you

Gin Blossoms - Found Out About You (pops)
Gin Blossoms - Follow You Down (pops)

Tests weren't as hard as they could have been, or as I was making them out to be. But by freaking out ever so slightly, I was prepared for whatever the professor put in front of me. Algebra had a lot of weird problems, but I at least went through the process, so I get points for showing my work.

A lesson to the kiddies: if the teacher wants you to show your work, DO IT. That way, if you get a completely wild-ass answer, at least you did the process, so you get credit up until the point you screwed up.

I've been listening to more music lately. Recent grabs: "American Idiot" from Green Day, "In Your Honor" from the Foo Fighters, and I've got the newest Hanson ("Underneath") on my stack.

"American Idiot" is the B-minus from the stupid kid at school. If it was any other band, no one would really notice. But since it came from Green Day, who have set our expectations much lower, we're all pleasantly surprised. Not to say it's bad, but just saying it's not the second coming or anything.

I've only gotten through the first disc of "In Your Honor", so I'll reserve judgement. So far, it's decent, but I'm not blown away. I'm hoping the second disc will blow me away, because Dave Grohl is one of those people you just want to like. The Foos' first album was blow-away good, the second a little less so, "Nothing Left to Lose" was a sleeper, and "One By One" was kind of weak, so this will either be perfectly average or another sleeper.

I think this weekend I'm going to dig up some old video games and see if I can amuse myself. A few months of EWR sounds nice about right now. Though with my current wrestling mindset, I'd take WWE and make it Lucha central.

Actually, that's not a bad idea...

Anyway, I'll add a few new links to the sidebar, and maybe change a few others around. The design of the site is about where I want it, but I wish it could meet some compliance standards. I'm pretty sure that any Blogger template is by definition not going to meet any W3 standards, though, so I could be fighting a losing battle. I just don't want to have to overhaul my code completely. I should probably just slap a "W3 Compliant" button on the side and not worry about actually being compliant.

Everybody understand that last paragraph? No? Good.

Watch the videos, drink your ass off, and root for UGA. Only because the Gainesville College Fightin' Geese don't have a football team, though.

Thursday, September 08, 2005

el scorcho

Weezer - El Scorcho (pops)
Foo Fighters - Times Like These (Acoustic) (pops)

If I can't make it to the show, at least I can be there in spirit, right?

Stupid Psychology. At least my AmGov test got pushed back two weeks.

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

friday I'm in love

The Cure - Friday I'm in Love(pops)

Two days early, and I'm not in love. But it's a start, right?

Music video content. Right here at suplexmasta.blogspot.com.

I figured I'd try this, as the direct download went over so well. Did anyone actually download the song?

P.S., don't expect me to update this often. This is a rare week where I have nothing much to do. Well, until tomorrow, when I get to worry about and study for the two tests I've got on Friday. Psychology and Algebra.

Algebra is a piece of cake. My cousin is a freshman in high school and she would look at these problems and laugh.

Psychology is a tougher nut to crack. It could be easy and he's just psyching us out, pardon the pun, or it's going to be absolutely killer. I'm banking on number two. Forty multiple choice plus three or four essays, weighted for a quarter of the overall grade. BS will get me through at least half of the questions. The multiple choices are easy for me, because I've always done well on multiple choice tests. I'm probably just stressing myself out over nothing, but rather safe than sorry, innit?

Next week is an American Government test on Tuesday and a Music Appreciation test on either Tuesday or Thursday. Music is a joke, all multiple choice, no essays, possibly a matching section. Middle school stuff. AmGov is going to be a little harder, depending on whether she's graded the three essays we had to turn in on Tuesday. Same format as Psychology, which worries me.

Eh, enough of my bitching. Watch the video, then wear lots of bright red lipstick, dark mascara, and chalky foundation.

drunken angel

My contempt for mankind as a whole has lessened considerably, after my visit to the Financial Aid office. Let's just say that gas can go up all it wants, and I'll still have enough left over for just about anything I'd want (except a new car).

I have officially reached the point where someone in your peer group gets married, and you realize that you're actually an adult now. Somebody I graduated with, somebody I went to kindergarten with, even, is getting married this weekend. I feel all old and dessicated.

I suppose the next step is when someone my age has a kid, but that's already happened several times.

Divorce, maybe? That's probably the real next step. When someone from my peer group gets divorced, then I'll definitely know it's time to hang it up, as far as youth goes.

I've been lax in my guitar regiment lately, but I made up for it with a Tom Petty power hour. "Breakdown", "Into the Great Wide Open", "American Girl", "Walls", and "Even the Losers" are all in my repertoire. Plus Black Sabbath's "N.I.B.", but only on bass.

Here's a question for all three of my readers: when you drive to school/work, what do you listen to? I find myself listening to what used to be Z93, but is now Dave FM. God help me, but the Jack format is growing on me. Granted, I can only hear Sting so many times before I turn to 95.5 The Beat, but still, for the drive home, nothing is better (or gets better reception, more to the point) than Mara Davis's noon show, Radio Free Lunch. I like the theme of the day concept, because it doesn't seem as forced as other formatted shows. If they played more rap (or any rap), they'd be my number one station ever.

But really, lay off Sting and the Police. No one needs to hear "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" more than once a lifetime, much less once a day.

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

letterbomb

All you need to know about Gainesville Colege: in my College Algebra class on Friday, the teacher handed out a take-home test. It consisted of three pages. The first page had ten problems. The second and third pages had the complete solutions for each of these problems.

Music Appreciation continues to be a joke. He's knowledgable, sure, but that doens't mean the class is very interesting. I love how he'll go on an hour-long tangent about some obscure fact, then sum it all up with "But you don't need to know that for your test". On the other hand, hey, no homework. He's already said he refuses to assign papers to write on the grounds that "at this level, they wouldn't be of any substance and would be more busywork than anything". Lazy and fairly unmotivated. My kind of teacher.

So in the downtime between classes, which is plentiful due to my Government teacher either not showing up or not teaching for more than a half-hour, I've been doing a lot of calculator programming (TI-83 plus, represent), and a lot of Sudoku puzzles. I've got a nice little version of Connect Four, plus a two player version of Boxes. Boxes is hard to explain, but if you go to Yahoo Games, it's under the name "Dots". More fun to play in person, but only if you're intensely bored.

At the Labor Day cookout my extended family had yesterday, I got to watch my year-old cousin for most of the day. He's smart as a whip (runs in the family), and he's just learned how to walk, so he's now capable of getting in all kinds of trouble. He's also the first cousin of mine that really wants anything to do with me as a baby. He's weird in that he refuses to be held by any woman except his mother, but he'll go to any male and be as happy as can be. He even went to my other cousin's husband, who defineitely hasn't had much to do with any of the kids, owing solely to the fact he's the newest member of the family.

Gas prices have finally leveled out, which I thankfully found out last night when I went for my weekly fill-up. When I went in to pay, who should I find cleaning the slurpee machine but good old Charlie Head. He is even lazier than me, as he isn't even going to school. He works a couple of hours a day at the BP in Statham, and that's it. I should go to his house (he lives around the block from me) and beat some sense into him.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to the Administration building at GC, where hopefully they will cut me a big fat check for all of the leftover financial aid I received. See kids, applying for every scholarship you can lay your hands on is a pretty good strategy. I got money from all over, and what's left after paying tuition goes directly to me. Did I mention GC only costs about $3000 total for a year? "Hey, Dirty, baby I got your money..."

Friday, September 02, 2005

commons question time

Here's the deal: I'm too lazy to write anything of merit, so the idea of this post is to "increase reader participation", i.e. get me some comment love.

I vow to answer any question posted in the comments section of this post, no matter what the subject, to the best of my abilities.

Obviously, I'll answer nearly any question about me personally, but also anything in general. If you want to know the airspeed velocity of an African swallow (unladen), here's your chance to have someone look it up for you.

Email me your questions, or leave a comment. I'll check periodically through the next few days and either post answers as comments, or if there's a really good question, edit this post and put it up on the main section.

Excelsior!

 

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