gold digger

Kanye West w/ Jamie Foxx - Gold Digger (pops)

The radio remix that 95.5 The Beat uses is much superior to the version used for the video. It doesn't have the a capella intro, and it starts off with the musical hook looped around quite funkily. Also, it has more bass, but that's a given for Atlanta.

I hate when censorship ruins the flow of a song. There is no reason to use "broke.. broke" in place of "broke-ass nigga". It sounds stupid, and it doesn't have the same cadence, which is the most important part of a call-and-response song form.

I'm in full coast mode as far as school goes. I did a two-pager (on George Wallace versus Malcolm X, to give it the M. Night Shyamalan twist) that wouldn't have gotten through the first draft in an AP Lit class, but I'll probably end up turning it in "as is" because I'm that lazy.

I haven't done Algebra homework in about two weeks. When she goes over the problems in class, I still get the answers before the teacher does, and catch her mistakes to boot.

The only class I halfway keep up with in terms of homework is Psych, and that's just because it's only reading assignments. If I had to write papers every week, I don't know that I'd be as diligent in the reading. Plus, it sort of interests me, and it sort of counts toward my actual degree. The fact that the teacher actually, you know, TRIES helps a litle bit.

So far, one set of kids has come to my door. And they don't count because they're my cousins. Are we, as a nation, afraid to go door to door asking strangers for free stuff? Or is it just that I live out in the boonies? Column A plus column B, and the slow usurping of Halloween as a holiday more for adults keen on getting drunk, dressing sluttily, or both.

Sluttily? I'm not sure that's in the Oxford Unabridged, but what other word applies? Trampish? Whoresque?

I'll wrap this up. A night of bad wrestling, decent MMA, and dedicated self-loathing awaits me.

shadrach

Beastie Boys - Shadrach (pops)

I seriously considered not doing a post today, but I couldn't let down my adoring public.

(*crickets chirping*)

Anyway...

This weekend I'll try to write my paper for AmGov, if I can find a good transcript of a Malcolm X speech. If not, I'm not sure what I'll end up basing the paper on. It's not due until next Thursday, so I've got some wiggle room.

I also have to get a rough outline of my schedule for next semester. I know I'll have to take an education class (Human Growth and Development) and a foreign language class (Elementary Spanish), but that leaves me six to nine hours extra which I don't know how I'm going to fill. I might try for a lab science, either Biology, Ecology, or maybe Physical Geography. I also might go for Statistics, to get that out of the way. Then there's my PhysEd requirement, which I probably need to get out of the way as soon as possible.

I need to do some Algebra homework, since I made a 60 on the last quiz, but it's extremely boring, and that 60 is countered by the fifteen or so other quizzes that I made straight 100's on. Suffice to say I hate asymptotical rational functions. Yes, I remember how to do most of the work from Trig and Calc, but it doesn't mean I like it anymore than I did then.

I also have to fix the upholstery on my car's driver's side door panel. I'll have to get some spray adhesive and a screwdriver and spend a few hours replacing the glue on the cloth covering behind the interior door handle. Tedious work, but it has to be done sooner rather than later because the foam backing on the panel is rubbing off.

Top that off with potentially going grocery shopping (if I can scrounge up some money), studying for the AmGov test Tuesday after next, the Psych test sometime either next week or the week after, studying for an eventual Music Appreciation test, and of course watching the Georgia game (poor Tereshinski, he's either going to be the Goat or the Hero, there is no middle ground), and I've got a decently full weekend.

I hope you enjoyed this examination into why I'm not exactly inspired to write for pleasure all that much these days. All that work, plus the creeping general malaise present in my genetic material. It's not really writer's block, but something more. I could write, given the time, but it would be hacky and cliche-ridden. I'd rather not write something I'm just going to throw away when I read it later.

Adios, muchachos.

flavor of the weak

American Hi-Fi - Flavor of The Weak (pops)

I've honestly got nothing to say. Really. I'm too lazy to take a quiz and post the results, so this one's short. I'm just thoroughly unmotivated.

Instead of reading an unmotivated meandering by me, go read some comics by a man I'm honored to call a friend, Dean Rasmussen. They're all about growing up in the South as a Baptist boy struggling with the real world.

That, and drinking. Lots of drinking.

Anyway, here you go. Enjoy.

bombs over baghdad

Outkast - B.O.B. (pops)

Continuing a trend of three letter acronyms, I present to you, straight from the Dungeon, "Bombs Over Baghdad". I try not to get too political on here, but we just hit the 2,000 mark in American casualties in Iraq. Something's wrong about our presence over there. I've got family serving over there, and I cringe every time I hear about another senseless death, whether it be on our side or theirs. I firmly believe in a policy of non-involvement, but I'm often overruled by the more domineering portion of American society.

Then again, my political policy in most instances is non-involvement. I guess it comes with the territory of being a libertarian. Simply put, I don't care what you do to yourself, as long as no one else is hurt. The mantra works just fine, until someone gets hurt. Then, libertarians usually become kind of conflicted. On one hand, it's violating another person's intrinsic rights, but on the other hand, who are we to judge the actions of another person?

Now, in a blatant change of subject, I feel a little better today. I took some Tylenol PM last night, but it didn't do anything besides give me mild hallucinations when I went to sleep. Weird dreams. Not nightmares or anything, but definitely weird.

Now my stomach's acting up again, which should come as no surprise. Hopefully I'll make it through this week with no major problems.

I just realized I haven't missed a day of school yet this semester. For the average college student, that's quite an accomplishment, but when you factor in my previous attendance record, it's approaching a miracle. I guess going two hours a day is easier to get through than a full seven and a half in high school.

I'll wrap this up. See you on the flip side.

what's the frequency, kenneth?

R.E.M. - What's The Frequency, Kenneth? (pops)

Because songs about Dan Rather getting viciously assaulted are tops in my book.

As an aside, if someone could get me an exact replica of the outfit that Mike Mills wears in that video, custom-tailored to my size, I would be forever grateful. I promise I would wear it at least once a week.

When I still entertained fancies of playing music for a living, I didn't look up to Jimmy Page or Pete Townshend. I looked up to musicians like John Paul Jones and Mike Mills. I never wanted to be a centerpiece; I'm not that much of an egomaniac. I wanted to be the foundation of the band's sound, the arranger, the multi-instrumentalist. I also wanted final decision over what we played, usually something I would write. That's probably a big reason why I never got past the preliminary stages of getting a band together. I may not be an egomaniac, but I'm damn sure a perfectionist.

Quick rundown of my instrumental background, all of which I can play with varying degrees of proficiency: guitar, bass, drums, piano, mandolin, violin/fiddle, harmonica, banjo, autoharp, xylophone/marimba/etcetera, timpani, and very little recorder. So I've got the foundations for being a semi-competent multi-instrumentalist. And yes, timpani are a bitch to play, especially if you don't have perfect pitch (I don't). Ask any percussionist, and you'll find out pretty quickly.

Driving home today, I got a massive headache, and I've been in bed ever since. It's great having your monitor and keyboard on your nightstand; you can be miserably sick and still check your email. I've got a paper to write for AmGov due by next Thursday, but it's only a two-pager. I guess I'll work on it some, but I'll probably do the bulk of the work over the weekend. I'm dreading algebra tomorrow for two reasons. One, I didn't bother doing the homework she assigned, and two, it's boring as hell.

I'm gonna go see what the medicine cabinet can do for a sinus headache. I bid you adieu.

the one I love

David Gray - The One I Love (pops)

Ha! What a twist! I bet you were expecting R.E.M., weren't you? Simple fool.

I went to that suicide prevention lecture today. It was a real downer (obviously). The assembly was held in a very small room for the number of people that were in it (all of whom were ordered by their psych professors to attend). Since it was such a small room, I couldn't sleep or crack jokes, which is my usual modus operandi during lectures and assemblies.

Granted, cracking jokes during a suicide prevention lecture is a little dark even for me. But I would have made a valiant effort, given the opportunity. Every little bit of gallows humor helps.

People say that a sense of humor is equal parts nature and nurture. Some people have an inborn lack of humor, even if they grow up in a humorous environment, while some people are the exact opposite, growing up in a very severe environment yet having a normal sense of humor.

My sense of humor was well-nurtured from birth. My family never really talked to me like a kid, being the precocious little wordsmith I was, so I got an "adult" sense of humor out of the deal. Not in subject matter, necessarily, but in complexity.

They knew better than to try to entertain me with simple jokes, like chickens and doorknockers. I went straight for the deep verbal humor. In terms of Python, I'm Eric Idle rather than a Terry Gilliam. Not to say that visual humor doesn't make me laugh, quite the contrary, but that wordplay strikes a deeper chord in me than does a good sight gag.

(As an aside, my personal rankings of the Pythons, in order from most favorite to least: Idle, Jones, Cleese, Chapman, Palin, Gilliam.)

The peculiar thing about my sense of humor is my fondness for galows humor. Apparently, my extended family says it's a lot like my great-uncle Jack's. I never got the chance to meet Jack (distance and death prevented it), but everyone says I act a lot like him. I look sort of like him, but he had a smaller build and jet-black hair. The faces are a lot alike, though.

Jack had this dark, rich sense of humor that was the blackest gallows humor you'd ever hear. (Again, I'm getting these jokes second-hand. If they're this good second-hand, they must have been great first-hand.) He had a lot of hardship in his life (he spent most of his life crippled in a wheelchair), but he was a good-old fashioned character.

Anyway, I've got this weird inherited sense of humor from a man I've never known. No one else in my family has anything like it, although my family has a big emphasis on humor. The vein in my family runs more to the "storytelling" aspect rather than the rapid-fire one-liners or harsh sarcasm I use.

Well, that post was a good way to fill up space without really saying anything. I guess I'm done. Email me, leave a comment, come to my house and try to rob me.

detachable penis

King Missile - Detachable Penis (pops)

There we go. Something that beats out Jonathan Richman for the weirdest song to be put on here.

Too bad I don't have any real content to go along with it.

Same as always today. Woke up, watched lucha, went to school, went to class, took a quiz, left the school, filled up my car, then went home.

I only had one class today, because I'll have two Psych periods on Monday: one regular class at the normal time and then at noon, a lecture I've got to attend and write a paper on. Great fun. The topic? Suicide prevention. Always a cheerful subject.

It felt like a waste of gas to drive all the way to school and back for one class. If I didn't have a quiz today, I was going to just skip it. I hate classes with attendance policies, but even worse, I hate classes without attendance policies but with daily quizzes that you can't make up. It's essentially the same thing, but with the second option, you're penalized for legitimate absences as well as illegitimate ones.

This weekend? I'm going to go grocery shopping and then read through my complete collection of MAD magazines. Exciting times.

I've got to remember to get Russell some Carlos Mencia albums, since I said I could get them easier than he could. Hopefully, he can help me out in the future with his employee discount at his new job.

Too bad I don't really need any car audio stuff, since that's his specialty. I've got a stock radio/cassette player in my car, and I don't really need any more than that. Sure, a CD player would be nice, and an MP3 CD player even nicer, but I can't justify the cost. As long as the radio works, and I can find something on one of the five stations I switch through, I'm fine.

Plus, I'd go nuts picking and choosing what to burn for the car collection. When you've got something like 200 albums worth of music, it gets tricky when considering what I want to listen to each day. Although, my collection comes in handy in the rare instances where I DJ. I've probably got something everyone will like, whether it be country, rock, rap, metal, techno, or even classical.

I shall cease my prattling for now. I have things to do and people to see.

Okay, not really.

but anyway

Blues Traveler - But Anyway (pops)

(Too tired/uninspired for a real update. Enjoy the video.)

-------

I lied and told her I loved her,
She didn't care, but anyway
I told her we'd still be friends,
And she didn't care, but anyway
I tried last week for to call her,
She wasn't home, but anyway
I think I'll spend my life alone,
I really don't care right now, but anyway

It's a state of affairs and a state of emotions
The kind of thing that you must understand
I tell you one thing; you tell me another
We walk away, maybe then shake hands

I'm quitting cigarette smoking
It's bad for me, but anyway
I don't think the TV was joking
When it told me this, but anyway
The newsman said not to sit on strange toilet seats
It's my life he's trying to save, but anyway
I found out that I've got eye cancer
Too many television waves, but anyway

It's a state of affairs and a state of emotions
The kind of thing that you must understand
I tell you one thing; you tell me another
We walk away, maybe then shake hands

Some day an answer will find us
Quite a long shot, but anyway
I think the past, the past is behind us
Be real confusing if not, but anyway
I put all my hope in tomorrow
It's gonna be great, I can tell but anyway
I see a new, a new day a dawning
I like to sleep late, oh well, but anyway

It's a state of affairs and a state of emotions
The kind of thing that you must understand
I tell you one thing; you tell me another
We walk away, maybe then shake hands

-------

blood on our hands

Death From Above 1979 - Blood On Our Hands (pops)

So I took an Enneagram test (sometimes I think I'll try any quiz once.)

I had to write a paper in Selick's AP Literature class once on the psychological aspects of a Browning poem, and used Enneagramic testing to completely bullshit two pages of it.

See, kids, it helps to have working knowledge of a variety of completely obscure topics on which to bullshit a paper. The teacher probably isn't going to have a clue what you're talking about, and won't go to all of the trouble of looking it up when they can just mark it as a passing grade and move on. Good topics include encryption, neuroscience, quantum physics, and lesser-known tribal societies. All of these topics are actually pretty easy to grasp the basics of, but most people will be scared off before doing any research.

Caveat emptor, though. Some teachers have a phobia about being uninformed, and this strategy will bite you squarely in the ass. They will do research just to spite you. These kinds of teachers also usually need to get laid worse than I do, which is saying something.

Personally, I think Enneagrams are probably as valid as any other widely used psychological profiling tool. Which is to say, not very.

Go ahead and take the test, see what you get, and post the results somewhere (not my comments section, as the HTML won't display correctly). Beware, the long version (the one I used) is over 130 questions long.

Anyway, here are my results, which I attempted to clean up for your viewing pleasure. I didn't succeed, but at least I tried.

Enneagram Test Results Type 1 Perfectionism |||||||||||||| 54% Type 2 Helpfulness |||||| 25% Type 3 Image Focus |||||||||| 33% Type 4 Hypersensitivity |||||||||||||| 56% Type 5 Detachment |||||||||||||||||| 74% Type 6 Anxiety |||||||||||||||||| 74% Type 7 Adventurousness |||||| 24% Type 8 Aggressiveness |||||||||||||||| 64% Type 9 Calmness |||||||||||| 50% Your main type is 5 Your variant is self pres

Take Free Enneagram Personality Test

dancing in the lesbian bar

Jonathan Richman - Dancing in the Lesbian Bar (pops)

With a title like that, you know I had to use this one at least once.

I officially changed my major today, trekking all the way to the Administration building and picking up the form, which said "go to the website, click on 'Current Students', then click on 'Change of Major Form'". And to think, I wasted all that effort in walking. But anyway, I went to the website (using IE, because GSC doesn't know any better than to use non-standard HTML codes which Firefox won't recognize) and filled out the form. It will be on my transcript in about a week.

Today, I went to class, came back home, goofed around on the internet, ate dinner, then took out the trash. Standard Tuesday operating procedure. Nothing new, nothing interesting. Same as always.

I should take up an extreme sport, to break up the monotony. Maybe bungee jumping or bullriding or something. I hear skydiving is nice.

I found a site for rap instrumentals today, but I don't think my readership is all that enthused about sick beats.

I've been trying to come up with an idea for a long-form written work, like a novella or something. Think anyone would buy a story about a realistic superhero, as in someone who works a day job and "fights crime" at night, but is considered a buffoon and a dangerous vigilante by the authorities? Secret identity and all that. Uses readily available technology, like police scanners and stun guns, instead of "superpowers". The only big problem is what to do with him/her. You can only put a character like that in so many situations before it gets too far-fetched, and the territory has been fairly well-trod by Frank Miller (Daredevil, Batman) and Alan Moore (Watchmen). It doesn't leave a lot of freedom, but I'll try to work something out.

I guess that's it for the day. Tomorrow I'll try not to fall asleep in class, so I guess it'll be the same as every day.

planet rock

Afrika Bambaataa - Planet Rock (pops)

As of tomorrow, I will officially be a Secondary Education major. I can do all of the classes at Oconee, and the only time I might have to go to the Oakwood Campus is for the PRAXIS.

What's funny (and why I love my school): I'm an English Education major. I will not take a single English or Literature or Writing course. I KLEPped out of my two composition classes (thank you AP tests and Carol Selick, you finally turned out to be good for something besides stressing me out over holidays). I can't fit any extra Lit classes in my schedule and still graduate on time and keep HOPE paying for all four years. I'll take three semesters of Spanish, but not a single class in English.

I guess the major is oriented towards the teaching aspect more than what your teaching material is. But of my six non-core classes, three are foreign language and the other three are Human Growth and Development, Teaching Exceptional Students, and Introduction to Education. Out of sixty hours, only six are actually towards teaching.

What a college, eh?

Nothing new in my life other than going to advisement and working out my schedule for the next year and a half.

I've got a copy of the Encyclopedia of Urban Legends that I'll end up reading eventually, but the formatting is weird so I'll have a hard time slogging through it.

Tomorrow I find out what I made on my Music test, plus I get to go over the court case of Marbury v. Madison in AmGov. Whee. You can smell the excitement through the screen.

Now I've got to go read Federalist No. 78 and try not to fall asleep. One can only read so much political rhetoric before one gets tired and nods off.

fade into you

Mazzy Star - Fade Into You (pops) (audio only)

I spent an hour looking for the stupid video to this song, but to no avail. So I uploaded it to YSI instead. It's only the song, and it's only up for seven days, but it will have to do.

If I couldn't have uploaded this, I was going to use "Shake" by the Ying Yang Twins for the video of the day. Talk about disparity between artists.

Speaking of which, does anyone actually watch the videos I link to? Just a question.

I'm thinking about adding another harddrive to my computer. This will make three, and if I get another 80 GB, I'll have 240 GB of space. Right now, I'm using about 110 out of 160 GB, and if I add another external drive, I'll be able to swap out more freely. If I don't add another drive, I'll probably end up getting an internal DVD burner so I can free up some space that's currently being taken up by my music collection and old free-to-air television episodes.

This weekend, I will either watch wrestling or play video games. I can't decide which. I've got TiVo'd lucha from the past two weeks that needs watching, not to mention the fifty or so tapes I haven't watched all the way through.

On the other hand, I haven't made time to play video games in over a week, and I'm worried my skills will atrophy. With my hands and wrists the way they are, they need the exercise, and simply typing ain't cutting it. I need to get some stress balls or weights or something.

If I'm feeling especially creative, I'll pick up the guitar and leanr some new songs. I doubt it, though.

I'll wrap it up. If you need to contact me, email me. I'll be on all weekend, and I check my email a few times a day.

time stands still

The All-American Rejects - Time Stands Still (pops)

I went to class today, completely unprepared. I hadn't done the required reading for AmGov, I hadn't done the required listening for the Music test.

Yet I still came out fine. I read the chapter for AmGov immediately before class, only to find out that no one else had bothered at all. The Music stuff was really easy, to the point that I finished the test in fifteen minutes and got home an hour early.

Tonight I read the required Psych chapter and I'm done for homework. I figure tomorrow I'll have homework over the weekend, but it won't be that much and I should be able to get it done easily.

Driving home today, Bulldog 103.7 apparently had me in mind when it programmed the playlist. They played "Runaway Train" by Soul Asylum, "Radiation Vibe" by Fountains of Wayne, "A Girl Like You" by the Smithereens, and "What's the Frequency, Kenneth" by R.E.M., all in a row. I think I love you, Bulldog 103.7.

All day long, my right calf has hurt. It's in the spot right behind my knee, on the outer side. It feels like I pulled a muscle, but it doesn't throb constantly, only when I put any weight on it or actively flex the muscle. Weird.

Well, I'm going to go put on my lucha mask and fight crime. Buenos noches.

P.S., go to Figure Four Weekly Online and sign up for the audio show. On Thurday, October 20, thecubsfan will be doing a thirty minute interview on lucha. It should be awesome. I would sign up for it, but I'm destitute.

december

Collective Soul - December (pops)

I have done nothing of note over the past five days. Absolutely nothing.

I didn't read any good books. I didn't see any good movies. I didn't go out. I didn't see anybody I hadn't seen in a long time.

I take the second part back, now that I think about it. When I got home from school today there was a Marx Brothers marathon on, and I caught the last half of "The Cocoanuts".

But essentially, I did nothing on my vacation.

And it was great.

Did you ever see the movie "Office Space"? The main character gets asked, "What would you do if you had a million dollars?"

He answers "Nothing. I'd relax, sit on my ass all day. I would do nothing."

I kind of feel like that. If I had a million dollars (or more, actually, since a million dollars will not support you for life these days, what with inflation and all), I would dick around on the internet, watch a lot of bad television, and probably complain about it.

Which is kind of what I do now, just with occasional class mixed in.

Speaking of which, 99 on my Algebra midterm and 91 on my Psych midterm. I can coast from here on out, and still keep HOPE. I've got a music test tomorrow, which I should probably study for. But I'm not. I might listen to the required listening, but I doubt it.

I'm thinking of taking up smoking. Not cigarettes or cigars (though cigars remain a possibility), but a pipe. It's relatively harmless as long as you don't inhale (thanks, President number 42). The entry-level equipment is fairly inexpensive. It's cheaper by far than cigarettes. And it makes me look like a pompous asshole, which might be its own reward. So now you know what to buy me for a present or something.

I think I'm going to wrap up this entry. I'll try to stick to a daily update schedule, but I don't know about that since I now attend GAINESVILLE STATE COLLEGE. Note the new name. Plus, it's now a four-year. I wish they'd have changed it to the more well-known "Oakwood University".

Bye, and don't take any wooden nickels.

drop it like it's hot

Snoop Dogg and Pharrell - Drop It Like It's Hot (pops)

I'm on vacation today and tomorrow, and I'm savoring every last minute of it.

So no real post today.

Maybe one tomorrow, if I get bored.

But I doubt it.

movies

Alien Ant Farm - Movies (pops)

Spring schedule came out today. The Oconee version (the only one I'm going to look at) of the Spring schedule seems a little lighter than the Oconee Fall schedule. hopefully that's not a problem.

I'm hoping to either continue to go for about three hours a day every day, or go for around five hours a day for three days. The time is the same, but if I get a three-day schedule I'll have to get a job. Jobs are bad, children.

I'll have a month to look it over, since registration (for me) doesn't start until November 7. In between now and then I should have a better idea of what I want to take, just by talking to other students and hopefully some faculty. Actual advisement is four days the week after next, so maybe I can squeeze in between all of the people on academic probation.

I forgot to link my facebook profile on my main page, so I'll fix that after I finish writing this. But for now, here you go. That link will take you directly to my page, whether you're listed as a friend or not.

Feel free to add me as your friend. I reserve the right to refuse you, but I probably won't. I mean, I've got one person on there I consider to be a mortal enemy, and I didn't turn them down. A genuine No-Prize if you can figure out who it is. There's another person on facebook who hasn't asked me yet, who I also consider a mortal enemy. A double No-Prize if you can figure out who that is.

So far, I've only got two complete strangers on there, meaning people I would not be able to pick out of a crowd if my life depended on it. The vast majority of my Facebook friends are people I went to high school with.

I found a music site that has a great integrated radio station (that actually works in Firefox, unlike Launch, the bastards). Go to Pandora and put in a favorite artist or song, and you get a playlist crafted to match that artist's or song's signature characteristics. Too bad the trial lasts only an hour, because that's not enough time for me to decide whethere it's worth $36 a year. Especially when you can't rewind or play specific tracks again.

I think tomorrow I'm going to end up going to the grocery store... okay, Wal-Mart, and try to get done before the UGA game. If I had a little more disposable income, I'd go to Gamestop and buy some more games, but I don't, so I won't.

I'll probably end up sleeping most of Monday and Tuesday, if I dont get my rear-view mirror fixed. The actual lens is cracked down the middle, and I've got a replacement, but I can't get the old one off without cracking my windshield. I'll have to take it to an auto-glass shop since my usual mechanic doesn't have the tools to do it. I hope I don't end up having to get a whole new windshield, because that would be such a waste, not only of a windshield, but of my precious hard-earned money.

Go have fun children. If you're going to do something particularly stupid, call me so I can come watch and bail you out of jail if necessary.

take a picture

Filter - Take a Picture (pops)

After 11:00 AM tomorrow, I'm free for four whole days. No homework, no studying, no real responsibilities.

But that's tomorrow. Tonight, I'm going to have to study my ass off to make a good grade on the Psych midterm. Or, I can do really poorly and hope that everyone else has the same idea, and he gives us a big curve. But I know someone would ruin it, so I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and study.

I'm listening (well, after picking today's video) to R.E.M.'s album Monster. I swear, I don't like them just because I'm from the Athens area. It does help, however, to be surrounded by sheer fanboyishness. For instance, the shirt I'm wearing right now is from Wuxtry Records, the quite possibly the largest repository of R.E.M. memorabilia outside of the band members themselves (and their collection is probably larger than most of the members). Also, Peter Buck worked at Wuxtry before he was in R.E.M., so there you go.

I'm also putting off studying. That's pretty convenient, don't you think?

After Monster finishes, I'm going to finally get around to listening to Elliot Smith's first album. I'll most likely be done with my masters' before I get around to listening to everything I've got.

Note to self: listen to Sam Kinison albums, steal material/delivery, go get Joey to help me do old-fashioned tent revivals, profit.

I'm halfway considering ordering that doctorate degree from the ULC. Metaphysics or Divinity? Decisions, decisions. It would be really funny to have a doctorate hanging up on my wall while I'm plodding away at good old GC. Maybe I could get my professors to call me "Doctor Foster". Then again, there's a small chance that buying a fake degree from a highly questionable institution would somehow be morally deplorable.

Also, I need the thirty bucks for gas more than I need a fake degree.

Oh well, I'm off to study. I'll try not to let my brain explode like the Russian chessmaster's did.

mad world

Mad World - Michael Andrews featuring Gary Jules (pops)

This might be the most depressing song I've ever heard, and I've listened to the entire Cure discography, plus Joy Division and the last Johnny Cash album. You've got to love a song that includes the line "the dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had". The song was originally a Tears for Fears number, but Gary Jules and Michael Andrews stripped it down to this bleak, bare melody that is just utterly dysphoric.

I went to school today and watched the faculty set up for the "Transfer Fair", also known as the "Get The Hell Out Of Gainesville Fair". Then I went to Psych, where we had a twenty-five minute review session, so that was a complete waste of time. I sat around the SRC for another half-hour before going to my algebra class, where I had my midterm. Not too horrible, but I can see how some people would find it discouraging. I know of at least one person who's already dropping the class based solely on this test.

I got done in about forty minutes, then went home. I picked up Mom so we could go to her mother's and to the dentist. I made small talk at my grandmother's house so I could get my great-uncle's late graduation present (cash, accepted everywhere). I had to drive over there because my mom sucks at driving on 316, while I drive on it every single day.

After that I went to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned. No cavities, but they still won't take out that verdammt bottom retainer. I'll offer to take it out myself if they'd provide the novocaine and the dental drill.

I then went by Taco Bell to get dinner, and saw Brittany, who was on her way to meet Kate to help plan a wedding shower. Then I came home, checked my email, and saw that Kelly Johnson is still talking to me even after that birthday card.

And that's pretty much it up until now. Don't you feel just positively enlightened?

Oh, and I picked up the new copy of Flagpole as I was leaving the school, but I haven't gotten a chance to get past the movie section yet.

Didn't want to leave anything out.

I'm going to try to write another song, but as soon as I say that, any semblance of lyricist/librettist talent I have will suddenly evaporate.

Funny how things turn out. Maybe I'll watch lucha instead.

blue flowers

Dr. Octagon - Blue Flowers (pops)

Okay, you've got to be a little weird to appreciate Dr. Octagon, but I have faith in my audience.

Now I have a really strange image of Otto Octavius in a ninja outfit. Amazing how my mind works.

This morning I picked out the most tastless and offensive email birthday card I could for Kelly Johnson. She'll either laugh really hard or never speak to me again.

I watched UFC Fight Night last night live, then watched Ultimate Fighter this morning before school and watched RAW Homecoming about an hour ago. So I've seen enough people get beat up (legit or make-believe) for a good while now.

School schedule for the rest of the week: Psych review tomorrow, test Friday. Algebra test tomorrow, no class Friday. On Thursday, I've got normal AmGov class and then review in Music for a test next Thursday.

I'm free from about 11:30 AM Friday until about 9:30 AM next Wednesday morning. So if you want to do anything (doubtful), come get my ass but have me home by Wednesday morning. Let me know ahead of time if I need to get some singles.

I actually sat down and wrote a song last night, but it's all weird and country-fied. It sounds like a suicidal Buck Owens, if that makes any sense. I can't get the chorus out of my head, so that's a good sign. If you've all been good little intrepid readers, maybe I'll post the lyrics. Maybe.

I think I'm having pizza for dinner tonight. It's not delivery, it's a Tombstone. Feel the culinary quality.

I need to read more comics. I've got a backlog of stuff in my archives that has accumulated. Let's just say I've got a few thousand issues to catch up on. I figure I can get completely caught up by June of 2013, assuming no one prints any comics from now until then.

I started reading the Calvin and Hobbes treasury. I'm up to about 1988, so I've got about seven more years to go.

Have you noticed I read in big blocks? Strange, that. I can't really stand dailies in their intended format, but I'll read several months worth at a time and enjoy them thoroughly.

If anyone can find me a complete set of Blackadder episodes, I'd be eternally grateful. Well, maybe not for an eternity, but at least for a couple of weeks.

I'm out, and Grease for Peace.

be my yoko ono

Be My Yoko Ono - Barenaked Ladies (pops)

I'm too tired/busy for a real update. Instead, watch this video and be amazed at fine Canadian songcraft and embarrassing early-90's hairstyling.

Seriously. The shaved-sides mullet doesn't look good on anyone. And at this point the band had two members with a shaved mullet.

While we're on the Canadian kick, go listen to Anne Murray, Triumph, and pre-Jagged Little Pill Alanis Morrisette.

streets of bakersfield

Dwight Yoakam (with Buck Owens) - Streets of Bakersfield (pops)

I need to play more guitar.

But instead, I play more video games. I picked up Soul Calibur 2 for cheap at Gamestop when I went to renew my discount card (and receive another year of Game Informer, the most biased game magazine out there). It's alright, but it's not as easy to get into as Tekken, its "sister" series. I guess some people like the depth of the gamplay, but sometimes I just want to beat the shit out of something, and since the assault laws in my state are what they are, I settle for doing it in digital form.

I played Soul Calibur most of yesterday, after getting back from the grocery store. Today, I wrote a paper for AmGov and watched the two big ones in the Nascar race. I almost got last year's Nascar game at Gamestop, but it hadn't come down to my preferred price point yet. Same thing with GTA:SA, X-Men Legends (the first one), and Tekken 5.

You know by the time they release the sequel, shouldn't the used versions of the original game be less than $20? Just a thought. I guess some people are willing to pay it, since that whole "supply and demand" thing seems to work in practice as well as in theory.

I checked my site stats the other day. Seems that I get a lot of visitors from the Great White North.

The land of Maple Syrup, Poutine, and Rush.

Socialized Medicine-ville.

That's right, Canada.

So in keeping with Canadian broadcast guidelines, I will (from now on) make an attempt to produce 25% native Canadian content. I guess I'll just put a big maple leaf in the background or something. Maybe have "O Canada" loop behind the main page.

My ramblings grow weary. I bid you adieu.

Oh wait, I'll have to offer a French version of my site, too.

Never mind. Screw Canada.

(Not really. I love Canada. Especially their money. Please donate to my PayPal. I'll even send you a thank-you letter! Bilingual, even!)