Archives - November 30, 02 - present
February 23, 03 - I've decided to totally redesign this blogging idea. I no longer want to give a datebook response to the world but would rather comment on things that I am thinking about, even if I leave out a few life stories. But I will always mention what movies I've seen :)
First off; Congrats to Adam who got accepted to VT!! Super-hopefully we'll be roommates.
Friday night I saw A Guy Thing with Adam and Dan. I wasn't impressed. Just superfluous, cheap comedy, and much wasn't very funny actually. But with the knowledge that Julia Stiles is hot (thanks to Dan) the movie was ok to sit through. Then again, I've always been so impressed with Stiles' acting that it's almost as if have to see her films. At least I made it through this one. 2.9 out of 10.
Saturday was the day from hell. It was so full of things to do and places to go that I started getting physically sick and ended up needing some pain killers. But not that it stopped me from seeing
Just Married, which wasn't bad at all by the way. Not only was I feeling better by the end of the film, but actually thought it was an ok flick. I didn't want to see it however because I had heard so many bad reviews of it. The storyline was actually decent and the humor was good. Not bad for post-8Mile Brittany Murphy. 3.9 out of 10. And thanks to Allison for "taking me" to see it, even though I wanted to see Antwone Fisher before it leaves the theaters. Oh well.
Then I went to Mark's where we hung out for a while and watched Cast Away. Wow, that was incredible. I had heard mixed reviews of this one and didn't know what to expect. Ton Hanks scores again. Such an extraordinary use of music and sound. Realism and dramatic effectiveness out the hiz-zouse. It is definitely a eye-opener regarding our human tendency to forget the little things in life. I felt so lame after watching it; what a retard I am. Great, great, great movie. And The Road To Perdition (another Hanks film) comes out this week!! For CastAway I say yay with a 8.1 out of 10.
I'm starting to become jealous also of Adam's and Jeremiah's ability to find very funny links to flash whatevers. How do they do it...
I've been getting lots of feelings about the whole church thing. Like where's the direction in my life regarding that and why am I there? I need some guidance obviously as far as where I should be attending and how to get involved in something even if there are specific time restraints on my visiting due to my future L-burg goodbye. Oh well, it'll work out and if it doesn't then I'll still do my best to grow further within the college realm.
UPS came through with flying colors this week after they successfully delivered my two packages (different days). The first is something I can talk about because it's a secret for everyone. The second was my new
guitar. Wow, it rules!! The polished maple fretboard is the smoothest thing ever, lead parts will be adaquately covered, no doubt. I am happy.
guitar. Wow, it rules!! The polished maple fretboard is the smoothest thing ever, lead parts will be adaquately covered, no doubt. I am happy.
Who's in a Jetta mood? I am.
I'm going to be very busy in the next couple weeks and can almost promise the world that I will be able to make little updates. But don't worry, better things are on the way.
February 17, 03 - I want to applaud Rianna on her recent blogging. I wish I was that attuned to ranting about the foolishness of America and everything else. I seem to have more talent for being shallow and cynical about media than I am about this nation.
But since I'm on the topic of ranting I'd like to make a point about Americans. I'm not just trying to spinoff of what Rianna had said but I can definitely agree with her and very much be a witness to her point about how superficial this nation has become. Each spoiled snob gets whatever they want simply because their father has connections or a wad of cash in the right place (maybe stuck up something...). I'm going to instantly notice this too at VT when people are being totally stupid and doing their "Beach Week every week" thing. Ugh, I'm just not good at making my philosophical opinions known. I admire Rianna for that talent :)
Saturday I had a b-ball game where we won again. Then I went to work (hell) where I found out they had stepped up their firewalls *yay* so now I'm basically stuck in my hole in the wall without even as much as a wink to the outside world.
I stayed home Saturday night due to the ice. I watched The Count Of Monte Cristo again. That's such a powerful movie. Somehow it reminds me of The Four Feathers (which is out this week on DVD) but TCOMC actually has somewhat of a good ending. What's with movies these days that they can excite the crap out of you and give you such profound feelings about life but no one seems to be able to finish a movie precisely enough that you walk away just in awe. Opening scenes are way important, but the conclusion has to be just as amazing. The Road To Perdition, Forrest Gump, Monster's Inc., and About A Boy come to mind as having some of the greatest ending scenes; something to finally take with you. ::sigh:: If only every movie ended with such the effect that chick-flicks do...
So it iced all Saturday night and Sunday and Sunday night and ended Monday morning. Of course cancelling school. All total we have about 4-5 inches of solid ice. Not the greatest thing to drive in or walk in for that matter.
Sunday night I watched the 300th episode of The Simpson's. I've been watching since I was just a kid (2nd season I believe) and have loved it from the beginning. Matt Groening is such a tv genius. His show ranks up there with the other greats like Seinfeld, Frasier, and [admittedly] I Love Lucy.
I spent today doing homework and wishing I had the talent to effectively speak my opinion without sounding rude or self-righteous. ::more Rianna's talent coveting::
February 14, 03 - Happy Valentine's Day!!! Much love goes out to all.
I've been very, very, very busy lately and have had zero desire to update, so I simply haven't. And I'm still really not liking the long process of using Homestead...so yeah. And please forgive me if I forget to mention something important; I'm trying to cram a week's worth of stuff in this update.
Well last Saturday was good. I went over to Raj's place again with the group and this time we watched About A Boy. Just the greatest movie, and they loved it too. Great conversation and commentary.
Sunday was good. Went just fine.
Monday I woke to a 2 hour delay for school but had already gotten ready so I just got online and talked to
Rachel who was also watching the closings and delays on tv. We fervently continued to wait for BedCo to announce it's closing but no luck. Again and again we raced to the teles only to find out that it was stil on a 2 hour delay. Then at the last second, 9:00, they closed BedCo. So that was good.
Rachel who was also watching the closings and delays on tv. We fervently continued to wait for BedCo to announce it's closing but no luck. Again and again we raced to the teles only to find out that it was stil on a 2 hour delay. Then at the last second, 9:00, they closed BedCo. So that was good.
Tuesday night was the Chili Olympiad at FMS. The jazz band played along with Savory and New Age Vikings. All went well and was worth it. Immediately following I had a basketball game. We won 50-42. Good game for me.
Wednesday was the Gov trip to Richmond. The ride was pretty good. We 'watched' some totally very bad politically related movies on the rides but they were so not even worth paying attention to. The trip itself was fantastic. I simply loved the House of Delegates and watching them vote which completely fascinated me. The bustle of that arena is just incredible. The Supreme Court was ok. I did find one appeal interesting; it was about a plaintaff who argued that his client should have been the awarded party in a case over the liability of untended property, specifically when a neighbor slipped and seriously hurt himself on his neighbor's sidewalk due to ice that the neighbor had not cleaned off. One judge said he didn't really have anything to fight against because he said it's like "cleaning my property for the safety of my trespassers." Even better was Danny's synopsis of the court: "the first judge questions everything, the second judge questions the important stuff, and the third judge makes fun of you as you leave." Good trip.
Thursday was another great basketball game. Very tense game and good competition. Went into overtime where we suddenly came out of the closet and dominated. We won 64-59.
Now it's Friday night, late night, and I'm getting back home from a good evening. I had no other plans and so didn't Allison so we went to see Drumline and then went to the Sundae Grill. I was hoping the movie would be good since it was sold out several times. But it beyond sucked. Like I seriously can't tell you how much that movie is suck-worthy. It's supposed to be a marching band movie but it's soooo far from being like a marching band. And the big event that supposed to be all suspenseful at the end is the BET Big Southern Classic. That's right, and all the bands play hip-hop and rap music. It was so stupid. When marching band goes wrong. 1.0 out of 10. But besides that attrocity of film, I think Allison and I had some good conversations about life whatever not.
Oh and I am now going to prom. I had deliberated myself not to on the basis of not having almost any fun last year and I just didn't want to have to deal with the pleasantries this year. But I had thought about it (and I'm sure someone else thought about it too) and now I have a prom date. Her name is Kim :)
February 8, 03 - The week ended with another spontaneous snowfall providing 5 more inches of snow (equally about 1.5 inches of actual rain water) to our droughted supply. So schools were closed again and our fourth Friday off commenced.
But first Wednesday was a basketball game. We won, again, 54-42. This was the team that we actually lost to since one of our main forwards was out of town. But we definitely killed them on our second time around.
With so much homework staring at me I decided to completely give it a shivering cold shoulder and just basically slack off all Friday. I ended up getting some of it done Saturday and will leave the rest for Sunday (if I even get to it).
On my day off I watched one of my all-time favorite films, Back To The Future. The first one is just so good. Acting has always impressed me (although I was always curious about such an old high school student being played by Michael J. Fox). With the profound talent of Lloyd and Fox this movie shines. The plot has always intrigued me even if it is ultra unrefined and downtuned. Great movie.
Later that night I had an interesting conversation with my parents after I called Rianna to see if she wanted to see a movie that night. My father instantly labelling it 'dating' with his reasoning being that going alone with someone else of the opposite sex is the supreme way of defining dating (although he doesn't have to prove his point). My mother refuted saying my sister had done that many times with a close guy friend in her high school days and never had intentions of dating him. So my father then asked, 'What's the difference between going out on a date and going somewhere with someone?' I replied, 'The difference between my opinion and your opinion.' I have to admit, my reply wasn't very tactful, but it shut everyone up.
So I had a Fine Arts practice that night. Went very well. Good sounds.
Then I went to the movies to meet Rianna to find out that she ended up getting hold of Sherrie, Raj, and Es (which was the plan in the first place but I wasn't able to contact them all day). So we rented a movie and went to Raj's apartment where the good times commenced. I will never forget the skis on The Price Is Right after that night. This is a totally inside joke thing, but it's...soooooooo funny. Let's just say that Mr. Barker's ladies had the most interesting motions to display the ski/snowboard package.
February 4, 03 - These last couple days have defnitely been ones of difference. I went from being myself, to being another, to being someone new. Maybe this will help explain.
Immediately following the Columbia disaster, I payed little attention to the coverage and details of it feeling that this was of no importance to me. I even became very angry after seeing a church's lawn sign thing read "Remember Our Astronauts, True Heroes" because I argued that the loss of teachers and doctors doesn't get into the newsworthy positions but seven space people could get all the immortalization they want simply by working for the U.S. Government. So I became highly cynical of the whole situation. I despised hearing of the tragedy and consistently shunned it from my thoughts except when I was raged enough to tear it apart with criticism. I returned home today from a very normal day of school to turn on the tv straight to FoxNews of course. They had sort of played over Cavuto's show to go to the NASA briefing about updates and then went to a summary of the memorial service that was held today in honor of those who died. I watched this large group of people in solemn silence, not moving or being swayed by the chilled air, but instead staring ahead or to the ground. I saw the president as Fox summarized his speech with a few highlightable quotes. Then I saw a final video clip of the Columbia in descent. After a little over a month of work in space these astronauts were returning home as scheduled to complete their tasks and to reunite with their families. But I saw the unexpected. A flash from this already brilliantly flamed shuttle and the Columbia began to break from it's shell. Ceramic-like tiles made to displace heat and cold violently were torn from the capsule and crisped into the outer atmosphere. The shuttle must have titled sideways and then began to explode and detonate from the heat as it reached parts of the shuttle that were not made to handle such pressure. Then I saw despair. People crying, children crying, and the president wiping away a tear. The future of hugging their spouses and children and spending time doing research at NASA was torn from their grasp. Their approach home took another course. I saw myself and how I mocked over the lives of seven people. Seven people I've never known, never talked to and never seen at work. I saw how pitiful I am at the great highschool at JF with my hopes of being in acoustical engineering and how futile I am. I saw the dreams of seven people to do something greater than themselves and to go somewhere that few can ever experience. I saw love fall down. And I went that way.
The days arriving up to today were all genuinely different. I saw some movies, The Princess Bride and The Patriot. I spent some time with Adam and Rianna. I dj-ed a party for a THP friend. I aspired hopes about college and that realm. I also finally made a choice to one day leave this awful Homestead account and get my own real site (who knows maybe it'll be soon).
Live life and don't be afraid to fall.
January 30, 03 - For your intellectual pleasure: Cavuto's Common Sense - Playing With Fire. Also, thanks to the genius of Jeremiah, a click for your laugh.
Again, a lot has happened this week so far. My two real exams were ok. AP Calc was easy just very long and only a few things I had no clue on. AP Gov was easy too, but then again I consider getting a 85 easy and a 95 very hard. Well, it was fun while it lasted.
Since the whole school schedule was majorly screwed due to snow inhibiting, I've had major time at home to get some audio stuff done. I've completed almost 100 cds of my ripping and have majorly been ruling in Medal Of Honor on the hard difficulty. ::sigh:: I'm trying so hard not to become a computer geek; they're so not cool.
Tuesday I finally got around to watching About A Boy and just plain wow. That movie is great. Of course, I'd heard a lot about it and saw it made it very high on many reviewers' top movies of 2002 lists, so I finally wanted to see it for myself. It's incredible. Seriously. This is one of the best movies I've ever seen. And the structure of it makes it a see-it-a-million-times-and-it's-still-good movie. Acting is phenominally characterized, led by the great Hugh Grant (one of my favs in the industry). The storyline is so good; it's touching, it's beyond funny, and it leaves you with such a great lasting impression. 8.8 out of 10.
Yesterday was another b-ball game. I was just not having a good day and again I just cannot, for whatever reason, hit a foul shot. I still made several other shots though. We won though 58-43.
I woke up this morning only to look out my window and be blinded by this wonderful sheen of white everywhere and after hearing of school's closing I went back to bed. I woke up later and went outside to take some pictures because it's so beautiful out there. I opened the outside garage door and stood on the area where the over-hang keeps snow from getting on the brick and I just stood there. All I could do was stop. Only the calm brush of snowflakes could my ears grasp. The movement of each snowflake was so elegant, so individual, not one had the same course but each one would work together for the same purpose. I felt this enormous peace come over me, something I haven't felt in a while, and I just halted my own world to enjoy God's amazing creation. I hated to disturb this beauty but reluctantly I walked around to grab a few pictures that I hope will be able to preserve some sense of this majesty that I witnessed first hand this morning.
And last, but not least, Happy Birthday to Rachel!
January 27, 03 - Long weekend. Two days off from school due to inclement weather (Thurs and Fri), a weekend, and then Monday off for a teacher workday. I'm worn out from not being busy.
Friday afternoon was the first practice for the school talent show. We got some music down but still way plenty to do. It'll be cool though.
I went to see My Big Fat Greek Wedding with Mark and Rachel Friday night. Drumline was sold out, so it was our second pick. Rachel was the only one who hadn't seen it, but Mark and I were definitely willing to watch this masterpiece of a comedy (and true story) once more. Then we went to Ruby Tuesday's for some food. Good times. Our waitress got in on the conversations as well and it was much fun.
Saturday was work and finding out my brother and his fiance would be home for the day. That evening we went to Hong Kong Super Buffet (the ultimate is all buffets) and then everyone went their own way after that.
I went to the movies with some THP folk to see Drumline which apparently had already sold out, again. So we saw The Ring. Oh gag, this movie was awful. Scary movies are only effective when they have a plot (hence Signs' superior performance). The Ring absolutely had no base plot. Sure it had like a point, maybe even a storyline, but there was no continuing and contiguous plot to this film. Yes, it's scary, I'll give it that much. But, honestly, movies are only good if they make sense. This one was stupid. In my handheld I commented: 'salvaging actors from nowhere; barely widescreen; the sixth sense meets minority report meets eight legged freaks; can anyone say are you afraid of the dark (Nickelodeon show)'. I thought the film was dumb, they tried to scare people and then tell of the negative effects of single parenting, oh come on. 2.1 out of 10.
Sunday I went to BRCC for the early morning service so I could get back to 1stAG to play. Both services went incredibly well and was just very inspiring.
I found out that due to a misunderstanding I will only be participating in Male Vocal Solo in Fine Arts. As
Rianna would say 'Wa-freakin-do'.
Rianna would say 'Wa-freakin-do'.
The day ended with a Super Bowl party at Matt's place. I like the color red so I was rooting (routing?) for the Bucs (I had no clue who was playing so I have to cheer for someone). Well they one so that was cool. But I actually, after noticing the large point spread, ended up going for the Raiders because I love come-back games. Come-back games make all sports more exciting, especially the Super Bowl.
My eBay days are almost over. Three of my four auctions have closed to Buy It Now and the last one is almost near reserve. After this is over with I'll quickly start looking for my new guitar (vintage or reissue, such a tough question?).
And before I forget, I learned a new work last week: centenarian. A centenarian is a person who is at least one hundred years old. Very kewl.
I've had a lot of good college/life conversations lately, which is good because I only have 5 more months left of school before I'm thrown out into the darkness of the real world by myself. Also, I've been wondering what I'm going to do with my site once I leave for VT. I'm quickly running out of room on my hosting, so I'm not sure what to do. Oh well.
January 23, 03 - Evening: I have this bad feeling that I already updated recently, and just my luck, I updated this morning. I'm such a retard. But I do want to totally vent/get-something-off-my-chest or whatever.
I really hate being too specific with stuff in my blogs, so please excuse my generalities. Lately, I just don't know what's going on. Sometimes I think the whole home situation is ok and other times it's just not cool. Sometimes I think things are in moderate order within the organizations and groups I'm a part of and other times I don't know what to make of the situation. Sometimes I think life is good, that each breath is a gift and something to cherish for all eternity, other times I hate everything, desperately trying to find something to loathe about. Right now I'm confused. I don't know what to think. I don't even know if I should think anymore. Every time I take a step into the unknown it turns out to be something awful that I wished I would have stayed away from. But I hate the present. I don't want to be where I'm at now. I want to think for myself, but at the same time there are so many things I'm just supposed to accept. I'm not like anyone I know, and the people I believe I am, in fact, most like are the ones that other people would consider my opposites. I have a future and a hope. It's just as if there's some enormous chasm in between my present and my future. So what am I supposed to do here? Jump for all I'm worth? Wait as if it will work itself out? Right now I'm not sure. I don't want to make any moves that will seriously cause some horrible outcomes, but at the same I can't just sit here and act like things are peachy. I want to run through the halls of my high school, I want to scream at the top of my lungs. But, I am seriously glad that I have the friends that I have; they by far have been such an inspiration and source of, well....friendship in my life. Oh blah, everything's dumb...ah scratch that, a lot of everything is dumb. Well, it's official, I've totally made a loser of myself for updating twice in one day.
And not to mention the factor that I've definitely nerd-ified myself for not wish Jeremiah a HUGE Happy Birthday (belated). And also a big shout out to Rianna who was on Hannity's show!!! Now everything is wicked bloody cool again.
It's amazing how shallow I am. I can start this big ranting and raving update and by the end of it not care one bit about it. Maybe I have the hope part down pretty good already.
Morning: Well this week has been very busy thus far. Each day has provided for something new to completely dive in; not meaning that whatever it was happened to be a positive thing, just something in between a celestial pool and a food processor.
Sunday was ok. Still lots of questions regarding Fine Arts. Basically I just felt no leading to do anything and I definitely did not want to get involved just so I could that I did it.
Monday was a day off from school before exams this week. I met up with Adam, Dan, and Jessica for lunch at Macados. Then we cruised the mall as Adam explained about his recent discoveries at American Eagle
(which I may check out sometime). Then we headed back over to Candler's Station and saw Die Another Day. Bah. It's a usual and common thing for sequels to totally suck. The bad thing is that it's been this way for 30+ years with the Bond films. I'm not saying that each movie has progressively declined down the suck trail because, yes, each movie has it's ok highlight scene (like the car chase in Die Another Day), but they just aren't good anymore. 2.4 out of 10.
(which I may check out sometime). Then we headed back over to Candler's Station and saw Die Another Day. Bah. It's a usual and common thing for sequels to totally suck. The bad thing is that it's been this way for 30+ years with the Bond films. I'm not saying that each movie has progressively declined down the suck trail because, yes, each movie has it's ok highlight scene (like the car chase in Die Another Day), but they just aren't good anymore. 2.4 out of 10.
Tuesday was a full day at school. Not bad, only a few classes did more than review for exams. Then I had a basketball game that night. We won 60-50. I was just having such a bad game day; couldn't control with dribbling (not like that's unusual though) and just could not seem to accurately help the guards cut in. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.
Which came the next day. A day of exams at school first, but I only had a long band class that afternoon where we practiced for 3 hours for festival. Then the basketball game came. This was against one of the Boonsboro teams, maybe it's the 03 but the B teams are always the hardest (especially before they stopped letting them stack the teams). This was definitely my day. Of course I didn't score many points but I was able to get the whole paint area sealed off from rebounds (which I got quite a few of actually). So my game was great and we won too, 59-53. But, sadly enough, I got totally smacked in the forehead with an elbow. It was an accident because the guy was going for a rebound. But I was knocked backwards and did the little drunken stagger-step for a few feet before I could realize what happened. Now I have a bruise above my eye, but that's ok; winning always comes at a cost.
Oh yeah and after finally receiving some direction to follow regarding Fine Arts, I will now be participating in Male Vocal Solo (with serious Matt E-bass backup) and Percussion Solo. Sounds like fun? Oh it will be.
January 18, 03 - I promise I will never again update back-to-back so forgive me this one last time. A lot has happened this weekend, thus far, and I just want to write it down.
So many thoughts ran through my mind this weekend. Too many, as far as I care. I've noticed, in some incredible way, how the Christian music industry really does not effectively try to reach teens. Maybe it's because there's just almost no market for it, but from all views the CMI just doesn't look like it's trying. Most of their focus seems to be on the middle-aged and late adults. The model I have noticed in the past couple months is for teens to steer away from Christian music because, honestly, they can find the same values other places with just a better sound. And hey, I agree. So, anyways. Sorry Adam, I do like to rant :)
Last night was My Big Fat Greek Wedding with (another) Adam and Dan. That movie is all the hype says it is. Wow, such a great low budget movie by a no-name company; I'm impressed. This is, seriously, one of the most 'wholesome' comedies I've ever seen. Must see. 7.4 out of 10.
I've see way too many good movies lately. Since I had no forecasted plans for tonight I decided to sit in my theater and watch a DVD. I chose The Matrix, because, admittedly, I have never seen it before. Yes, yes, I know...what a fool am I for such an ignorance?! But yeah, that movie is pretty good. It's 2 hours of me harping about everything that's wrong with the world. Surprisingly enough, the theme revolves around my personal motto of 'Life is what you make of it.' And, of course, the visual work was nice; although I have seen better CG and have definitely heard better sound effects and digital panning. So yeah, enjoyed it all the way. My one complaint: for a movie with such an in-depth plot and surreal background story, why such a short and concise plot? This could definitely have been one of those 3+ hour movies you don't mind sticking around to watch the ending. But regardless, 7.6 out of 10.
January 17, 03 - Life is crazy, but I'm ok with that. I can understand that I don't always have supreme say over what happens in my world, but, hey, no worries, I'm not in control anyways.
The school week ended up nicely. We're on a snow day today. They were calling for 4-8 inches. We got just less than 2, and it's the dryest snow I've ever seen. I used my arm to wipe off one of the cars outide and my arms stayed fairly dry.
Not having to take many exams is good for me. But at the same time I guess it's not such a great thing. With VT so close, I should probably start truly getting into the study habit and seriously focus on my work. ::sigh:: Life always has to begin with my decision to do something.
I cleared up most of the computer problems I've been dealing with (I'd stll rather have a tiBook though). The ripper works fine now and I've been spinning cds like crazy. Maybe by early May I'll have this job completed.
Since I was just overflowing with extra time today, I decided to watch a movie at our home theater. Recently I went to BestBuy after hearing a lot of great reviews regarding The Shawshank Redemption and purchased it for myself for $9. Not bad for a classic. I watched this afternoon. It's pretty good. Tim Robbins (AntiTrust) is one of my favorite actors anyways so it was easy to enjoy it. Plus Morgan Freeman. Even with only two well-known actors this movie really can develop. The plot is just great (very, very, very reminiscent of The Counte Of Monte Cristo) and the progression of characters is good too. I wasn't in a very positive movie watching mood and I also took 5 minute breaks every half hour to continue my ripping work, so I never fully got into that movie mode. But still, this movie is definitely something to be seen. 8.3 out of 10.
Maybe I'm just saying this for myself, but "get busy livin' or get busy dyin".
January 14, 03 - Life is just so...interesting. I've never had a week-beginning quite like this one. Everything has been odd and just strange.
First the uncertainties of Fine Arts hit me Sunday. Oh what fun. Although something will work out, there are going to be some major hindrances this year.
Monday, somehow a squirrel gets loose in school. It brought a rather delightful twist on a normally routine Monday morning. School was just so normal. Then I took my AP Gov test at the end of school and did surprisingly well, so that made me happy.
Getting home to a screwed up computer is just as thrilling and exciting. Especially when, in a 6 month-ish deadline, you have to rip every cd you own (in my case, that's a lot of cds, remember I'm a dj). And it's also even more fun when your reliant ripping utility decides to be totally stupid and not work even after reinstallations, updates, and reconfigurings. This is just fun.
And the fun doesn't stop. When your eBay plans go hay-wire I must be there. Some folks apparently have absolutely no trust in other people and find it a foolish risk to buy things on eBay. I beg to differ. You, same people, trust 20+ year old automobiles to be safe on a day-to-day basis and aren't even swayed from your belief when you witness a fatal accident; yet, with much heroism, you semi-commute daily and expect God to shower down upon you the safest trips available. eBay is not a risk, unless you're stupid. Don't tell me otherwise.
Oh, and the FP meeting was awesome. Very inspiring; left me thinking.
Then Tuesday comes with visions of flurries and wintry mixes in my head. We get something late afternoon, not much though. And still with a dumb computer to deal with these ripping issues get more intense and almost scary (I mean if I lose all this info, I'm going to have to kill mysef).
And then there's the news of hearing that your best friend is in an accident. Not a car wreck or a pedestrian accident. No, a helicopter crash!! Now what a way to wake up!! Jeremiah's fine though (thank God) but it stresses me out everytime I hear about it.
And life goes on, even with anal Americans sending their gas money straight to the Middle East where it is, in turn, funded into terrorist plots against ourselves. Americans are so foolish with their money, also with their pride. Most people think that because they live in America they are free from anything at anytime. This is very not true. The more ignorant we are about the world around us the more danger we put ourselves in daily. But I won't even get into that tonight because I'm so tired and exhausted and want sleep desperately.
A snow day wouldn't hurt either.
January 11, 03 - This week has been very crazy. We got FP started back up again (donuts do a world of good) and school was more than hectic by itself. Plenty of homework and larger-size assignments compared to other things I've done this year. I so can't wait for VT; although I know I'll be dying the first semester in the College of Engineering it's going to be so fun (out of the house I mean). Yet I keep reminding myself my friends won't be able to come along. This realization makes me count my days very seriously. Life is often wasted on ourselves, I want to get out of that natural habit and start actually doing something in this feeble world. Wow, call that my soapbox for tonight.
I'm starting to re-rip a lot of my cds again due to a major error I had (without knowing) before when ripping. So much to do...and at 1x it's very slow.
Me admitting something: I've been listening to Hybrid Theory a lot lately, thanks to a good friend of mine. I'd heard so much about LP and how awesome they are blah blah blah. As I said previously I began liking Good Charlotte a couple of weeks ago and was amazed at their quality of sound and lyrical work. Well, we almost have a tie with LP. Although their music is predictable, I still can appreciate it in a new way. Lyrically it's pretty good. I guess it's the energy of the music that attracts me to it. Regardless, it's a good cd.
Work today very early before my basketball game.
Almost forgot: we had our first basketball game Wednesday where everything seemed to fit together incredibly well. We won 75-24. It was simply beautiful; passing was perfect, shots hit each time, and forced turnovers galore. Great game. Then today we played and just bombed it. Only a few of us were really trying (it seemed like it at least) and we just couldn't keep it together. Lost by like 10 points, I can't remember the exact score. Our team name is the Forest Party. Color: bright lime green with orange lettering. You'll see our eminence before you see us totally destroy you with fastbreaks.
I went over to Matt's today to get some things prepped for eBay. Hopefully I'll get lucky and rich (although the money is going right out as soon as I get it).
Tonight Mark asked me to help him co-host CafeRock thing at SFM. Well, it's not LiveWire (which I dearly miss). It was fun though getting to be at the station and doing some radio stuff like the good ole days.
January 7, 03 - Well, after the news of the second cloned kid the issue really starts to heat up. But I have noticed a very odd (at least to me) trend among other people: most don't care. It's as if their attitude is "as long as it doesn't affect me it's ok". Cloning is one of the biggest mistakes in all of mankind's history. To artifically re-create life in an entirely unnatural way is further lowering the bar of human standards of morality and ethics. Abortion already desensitized people enough to the merciless killing of people without appeal; cloning apparently will be no different. As long as regular Joe-Americans don't have to see a clone being tested on 24/7 I guess they just won't care. Maybe in 50 years the DMV will offer another choice on driver's license registration besides Organ Donation: "In case of death, do you allow the state to use your DNA samples for cloning research and development?"
School has started back with a bang. I've been hit with a large amount of homework and stuff already. Not that it's some unusual feeling or something, but the break really kicked in my slack-off approach to school. Oh well, just another week closer to June 7!
Major shout out to Jeremiah who is currently in San Francisco at the Mac World Expo. Have fun, if not for yourself then for me too.
January 5, 03 - Before I say anything, or more likely before I forget, I am officially changing my rate/score for
Tuck Everlasting. After much deliberation I do believe this movie is pretty good and definitely a DVD buy, and it's only PG! Well, here goes more nothing...6.3 out of 10.
Tuck Everlasting. After much deliberation I do believe this movie is pretty good and definitely a DVD buy, and it's only PG! Well, here goes more nothing...6.3 out of 10.
I've been avoiding the issue of a new year pretty carefully, not really expressing any general feelings about 2002. So now I guess I'll go ahead and do some spilling. Last year was a good year for me. But from the surface it would not appear that way. So many rather tragic (using the term loosely) things happened that really threw me off in the race of life. There were some mountain-top experiences when things just seemed to go so well, but they were very short-lived and exasperated quickly. The valleys and issues seemed to overwhelm me for the good majority of the year. Struggles and mentally obscuring events that just made me stop and pray for help. My faith in God grew in 2002 (no rhyme intended) and the lifestyle I lived changed. I can't say that things became easy for the slightest bit or that reality seemed to float away in some bubble so I could focus on myself; but honestly, in 2002 my perspective on living and myself really progressed from dire selfishness to sincere hope for a fresh and better future not only for myself but for anyone I ever could come in contact with. I could rant and rave about the difficult situations I faced last year, but in hindsight I can now see that the distance I travelled in a year was upward and not further in regression. That's something to thank God for.
Now for the Shout Outs that really, truly matter. These are to the people who were there when I needed someone to talk to, who influenced me in some great way, or those who I've found a true friendship in: Jeremiah, Rianna, Cliff J, Mark L, Matt H, Adam N, Melanie F, Kristine, Dan B, Tabitha and Allison (they are that famous duo), and I'm sorry if I've forgotten anyone. Each of you has somehow affected the way I look at life and how I react to myself; God Bless, I love you all so much.
Here's my 2002 top picks from the top of my head, I'll probably add more later; these are the ones that just deserve to be bought:
Music; Jeremy Camp The sound is awesomely good, the lyrics pure as silk, his life story is filled with personal tragedy, losing a new bride isn't easy, and the songs he sings reflect such a passion for new things instead of focusing on the bad. This is such a good cd.
Movies; Monsters Inc. Come on, how can you not love this movie! The storyline is incredible and the CG work is phenominal. I've seen this movie more than any other last year and I still walk away just so sentimental (and that's not me!). The comedy never ends but a true emotionally charged film emerges just the same. Just great!
Oh yeah, be looking out for V. 2 :)
January 4, 03 - Not much has happened these past few days. Homework basically kept me waking up every morning because I still yet to have complete several school things before Monday. I really need to start seriously disciplining myself in the area of school because next year is going to be the greatest test of mental courage I'll ever take; well, as far as I know.
I had a rather eventful day. Work, basketball practice, some window-style shopping that was actually more like walk-past-stuff-I'll-need-for-college shopping. Then got home to do some well-deserved work on my "handy dandy notebook."
Tonight I saw Tuck Everlasting with Tabitha and Allison. I have mixed feelings about that one. The concept that the plot was built on was unsurpassibly awesome, but the plot itself just wasn't very good. I'm not saying the storyline was bad (which it definitely wasn't, I enjoyed the film) but there was so potential to be had and the creativity seemed to stop flowing somewhere. I had already figured out the plot about 35 minutes into the film, they gave it away in too many subtle ways near the beginning. So, I'm really struggling to rate this movie. It was so good, yet just wasn't there. I'll just recommend you go see it before it leaves theaters; the DVD comes out 2/25/03 FYI. Hmm, here goes nothing...5.1 out of 10.
January 1, 03 - Hey, it's a new day, new year, and if you're as optimistic as me then anything is possible. Let it be known that I wish everyone *most everyone* a very Happy New Year.
Shout Out to Adam, a cool new friend of mine that I met through Jeremiah (who by now is off to SoCal again). Adam apparently has his own site too. He calls it Divivonan ::a Memento twist::.
New Year's Eve was spent at Mark's place with the company of Jeremiah and Adam. First, however, we went to Adam's house and had a bonfire/s'mores time with his family. That was a good bonding time, hence the bondfire. Ehh...maybe I'll stay away from the jokes tonight. Then we went back to Mark's place where we watched tv and talked about tv. We flipped over to MTV to watch the NYC ball drop at midnight starting off this grand year, then we were back to Cartoon Network watching one of Adam's favorite shows, Adult Swim.
New music interest: John Mayer. Something about that smooth and fluent sound just intrigues me. The music and lyrics have such a comfortability to them that it's a very attractive sound, at least to my musical tastes.
And still Good Charlotte is, since I've heard them, big on my favs list. Down with Avril.
Oh, I'm glad I didn't go to Winterfest on New Year's Eve because I heard it totally sucked. That was a good monetary decision on my part.
Closing off this first update of 2003: Make this year better than the last otherwise you've totally wasted an enormous amount of precious time.
December 31, 02 - With the help of my handheld, I'm able to document any possible things I could ever want to remember. So this may be quite the big update.
We left Friday for MD. The whole trip was ok. There's so many angles at which to approach something that it's often difficult to create just one image from something. I guess this is one of those cases. Here are some notes from the trip.
There are those people out there that refuse to have any blame placed upon them at all. This really confuses me, because to truly accept your mortality and weaknesses we must all face the facts that there is at least some blame on us at all times.
I recall a time during the trip when everything just seemed so oddly hopeful as if regardless of the present, current condition I knew there is always hope for everyone and myself. I've realized that true rewards far outweigh the sacrifice and the battle is always worth fighting for justice and truth.
I noticed that as age increases so does stubborness. The innocence of youth is such a profound and amazing thing. For children answers must be sought out not given to them. And as the natural life of society progresses through age it is necessary that answers be provided instead of researched through, and since people do not wish to accept things at face value they resist this change of reality. Stubborness is a bad thing. This world is such a cruel place; the sidelines are for the losers who once enjoyed the sport but let traditional boundaries tell them what to do.
We returned Sunday afternoon from MD. I went to see Sweet Home Alabama that night with some JF-ers. Reese Witherspoon must be plagued with some plateau of acting. SHA was no different than Legally Blonde, I mean they are strangely similar. Oh well, chic flicks aren't a bad thing, just one of those necessary evils.
Monday was a big day for several of my closest friends. With the return of Jeremiah to Lburg, there was a massive plan to unite the group once again. But first
I met Jeremiah at some home-cookin' style restaurant for breakfast. Really good meal, and that meal marked the first time I had seen my best friend in almost five months. Lots of good conversation. We then went over to Mark's place where Jeremiah is staying for the time and we just talked and listened to a lot of music. Because of that time of catching up I have now fallen in love (vaguely, consider it just better than 'liking' something) with the wonderful sounds of Good Charlotte. Wow, I had heard their MTV release but hadn't heard anything else. But yesterday I witnessed some great and solid tunes from a band that I had only previously heard a minute bit about.
Then we waited for Adam, Rachel, and Rianna to join us all and the group was complete, for the time. We of course talked for a while then began the first film. Pulp Fiction was chosen. It was agreed by all of us that not once before had we witnessed such a violent display of explicitives in our lives. Although with that said, I must admit the plot and thematic structuring of this film was incredible. However only Adam and I liked it, everyone else just saw the film as complete nonsense I guess. Oh well. 7 out of 10.
We then left for Roanoke for dinner. The trip was comically commentated upon with thoughts from the most random of topics. After 30 minutes of losing our way we made it to the Olive Garden where we talked some more while waiting for a table. The meal was great and the trip home was just as good.
After arriving back in Lburg we found out that Mark got home early from his recent trip. So we talked some more before beginning the second and last flick of the evening. Memento was chosen and quickly started. I had heard so much about this movie before but never got around to seeing to enjoy it myself. That movie is incredible. The obvious differing layout and edit is just phenominal and a work of pure creativity and possibly genius. The movie left me with so many questions that I just have to see it again to finish my thoughts. Over and above the qualifications needed to declare this one a DVD-buy. 8.9 out of 10.
The group talked some more before splitting up once again. That short twelve hours together was definitely needed for most of us because it's such a rare occasion that everyone can be at the same place at the same time. Monday was awesome.
There are a few plans being tossed around for a New Year's Eve party but not everyone would be able to attend. Regardless, I'll probably be doing something quite memorable tonight with friends. Happy New Year to everyone.
The past cannot be judged by itself but by the present; for however great and large valleys and mountains may seem it is not by them that we can describe ourselves but by our current condition can we truly see who we are and what we've become. - Me 12/31/02.
December 26, 02 - So much has happened in the past few days. Where shall I begin?
Monday night I was at the FP party which was great fun. Good conversation, I really enjoyed it.
Afterwards I went to see the new LOTR with Rianna. Just fab. Although every review I've read said that it's better than the first one, I really can't say that this sequel out-did it's predecessor. I mean, think about The Empire Strikes Back (Episode 5) compared to A New Hope (Episode 4)...the second one was so much better and even added a huge plot twist (Vader being Skywalker's father). I just don't think that The Two Towers was any better than the first, nor do I think it was any worse. The depth that went into exploring the character Gollum/Smeagol was great, his two selves are just compatible in the strangest way. The splitting up of the main plot (with Frodo and Sam; Merry and Pip; and Gimli, Legolas, and Aragorn) is great, but at times difficult to follow completely. Maybe I am just looking into this too much. Oh well, regardless it was $7.25 well spent. 7.2 out of 10.
Let's see...Tuesday was just staying at home and playing on one of our Nintendo 64's with my brother. Tuesday night began a little of our Christmas tradition.
Christmas morning: waking up around 9 and waiting for the slower people in the household then diving right into the tree. It was good, very relaxing and enjoyable I must say. I finally got a PDA and several DVDs I've been waiting for to be released *yay*. Then I installed Medal Of Honor: Allied Assault onto the computer and immediately started away with it. Now the computer is constantly being fought over between myself, my dad, and brother because we all love he game.
Next came the waiting for Mike and Kellan to get here from NoVa. They were considerably late due to some poor weather and some things to grab while in CVille so we ended up eating the big dinner before they could get here. Then everyone just kind of relaxed before doing some more gift trading. Christmas day is always good; the evil in the world rests for just a couple hours while peace and joy reign in every street and corner. Such a time of celebration is rare in this society, might as well enjoy it to its fullest. Merry Christmas to all!
Since this is the first day-after-Christmas we've ever stayed in town, I did some shopping. BestBuy had the best sales so I got there quickly. Not fast enough, however because The Green Mile was already sold out (it was $12.50 today). But no worries.
I still have MUCH homework to do. I really am going to have to just lock myself in my room sometime and get it all done in one sitting (maybe 48 hours).
Anyways, Happy Boxing Day!
December 23, 02 - Saturday went by ok. It wasn't as physically draining as I had expected it to be. The basketball practice was good; just all scrimaging. I got in a nice 3-pointer and a tip-in. Looks like our team is going to be quite competitive with the group we've got right now.
The THP practice set everyone up for the Sunday morning performance. But before I talk about that...
The THP party was awesome fun. Lots of music, video stuff, and games (Dirty Santa and some GameCube). Way good times.
Now, for a Sunday morning report. It was spectacular. And I'm not one to sugarcoat things. The entire set went great. I must complement Jonah on his Snowflight/What Child Is This classical performance; you did awesome man! Every single performance was praised for quality and content. I was really pleased with the entirety of it myself. I played an acoustical solo for O Come Emmanuel while singing my version. I also helped out Queen Mel on her bassed-out version of Angels We Have Heard On High by playing the Leslie organ. Wow, Sunday morning was awesome!
Sunday night was the candle-light service. Very traditionally sentimental.
Today we took my car to get a check-up. Apparently there is a leak somewhere and is somehow messing up things that can't be seen. Oh well, I trust the people down at Bell's to do their best.
My cat goes in today for a check-up as well. He's been limping since Friday and we're very worried he's broken something. That poor thing! Ok, you can quote me here because I'm likely never to say this again: "awwww".
I watched First Knight this afternoon with Sean Connery and Richard Gere. Although the plot was ultra predictable, I still enjoyed the truly realistic recreation of that era of time. 6.1 out of 10.
Tonight is the FP leaders' Christmas party. More fun!
Afterwards I hope to see the new LOTR with Rianna. I've heard so much about the movie already and can't wait to enjoy it myself.
December 20, 02 - AHH!! Christmas is only a handful of days away!! With my shopping still not completely done, beyond plenty of homework to complete, college application returns to fill out, and a holiday to enjoy I have such a wonderful life.
This week ended the last few remaining days of school for the year 2002. They were pretty good. Those specific classes where you do nothing are quite a treasure because it's a rare occasion when you do nothing in Physics II or Adv. Sympho. Band. Only one more semi-year of JF left and then I'm off to the races!
Another basketball practice tonight. Lots o' fun. Our scrimage was a display of some of the greatest feats of fast passes and shots ever. Several people got some nice dunks in as well, including the illustrious me.
Tomorrow is going to drain me from all life that is left within these bones. Work, basketball practice again, THP practice, THP party, and me collapsing on my rather new bed. Hopefully I'll have enough energy to make it. This whole disease thing is really catching up with me and seriously killing my energy supply. But I gotsta remember that disease/illness/handicap is 90% mental, at least according to me.
December 17, 02 - The Christmas CoffeeHouse was extraordinarily good. That was some of the best drama I've seen in a while and very finely polished everything. I did have some skirmishes about the music performances (Christmas music sounds bad on guitar whether you like it or not) but overall I had a good time.
Announcement: I'm finished Christmas shopping for the family!!! Now for the friends...
School is not fun, in fact it's very annoying. But after my acceptance, I have more motivation to truly push myself this last semester to get myself for the grueling effort I'll need in the College of Engineering.
Although I can't say that Senator Lott's remarks were connotated to be specifically racist (which I highly doubt he was meaning) I do foresee his stepping down as Senate Majority Leader. If he stayed in this position then Dems will slam him as Republicans did with Clinton after the whole affair thing. So he might as well just become a regular senator again and just deal with the flak. That's my word of advice :)
Is it just me or is a certain "wonderful" teacher at my school in fact a poor teacher after all? Apparently I'm not the only one who's noticed.
Christmas CountDown: 7days.
Some people say it will be sleet/slow/icing/wintry-mixing tonight and we'll miss school tomorrow, but here's my wonderful opinion: no it won't; the temps aren't cold enough, it will be way too warm tomorrow, and the amount of precipitation we'll receive tonight won't be enough for anyting significant let alone something big enough to get us out of school. Wow, I'm on a roll tonight!
December 13, 02 - I've always said that Friday the 13th's are a good day for me. Superstition isn't even a part of it. Today...well, today was a good day.
Thursday was pretty good; normal schooling experience. Found out I have plenty of homework for the weekend and beyond (meaning during break).
Today at school was ok, nothing spectacular. Had a basketball practice tonight which I just beyond sucked at. Some days I can really do good things on the court, but this was not one of those days. Oh well, another practice next week.
I stopped by our mailbox before I went down our driveway. It was raining very hard and it was very cold. Looked in to see if anyone had already gotten the mail that wasn't there when I left for practice. Grabbed the mail, some random stuff basically. But I did notice a largely-packed envelope from Virginia Tech.
Suffice to say, I got from the end of our driveway to the garage rather quickly and got inside fast. So I opened up the letter and <WHAM> "We're sorry to inform you..." I was devastated. Actually, I'm just kidding. I have been accepted into the Early Admission Elite at Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University. So, making it simple: I now know where I'm going to college.
Shout Out: to God for totally being Awesome and Faithful!!!
This weekend looks to be huge. Work, Christmas shopping, and else stuff. The Denison Marrs concert was cancelled, so I'll be going to Blue Ridge's Christmas Cafe.
And for you mathematically challenged people - it's less than two weeks till Christmas!!!! This is insane...I thought Thanksgiving was like yesterday...
December 11, 02 - After the previous craziness of the last couple of days, things are in fact changing. Details, schmetails...just try and think up your own circumstance when something was crazy and how it came out.
We had a very lite wintry mix today, which still got us out of school, that did very little to accumulate or anything. Plus the temps were 35 degrees F and above. At least I was able to get some homework done. I just don't have that long-winded spirit in me to do everything though, or at least work ahead.
Monday night was the first basketball practice for out team. We are now no longer called "The Dynasty" but "Forest Lotto" and our team colors are lime green shirts with orange lettering. Right...At least it's actually a fun team to play on and still competitive at the same time.
Interest: Is it mere coincidence or scientific proof? - Just today I simultaneously loaded the Apple and Dell websites. Apple's loaded but Dell's refused to load and kept giving me the never-ending "Won't Respond" thing. I call it scientific proof.
I was looking at some old school Palm handhelds today. In just about four years technology has grown so tremendously, it's unreal sometimes. The original Palm Pilot (not the term people are now genericizing, but the actual unit) had only 128KB of internal memory; now it's not common to see less than 16MB on a handheld, even PocketPC's average around 32MB (but their OS requires more space because it's dumb). I just thought that was interesting.
Here's a link my brother sent me: Mini-Putt. I haven't played enough to get good, but I'll definitely work on it.
Don't you hate it when people blatantly copy you? Talk about annoying. I mean this isn't some kind of epiphany or anything, but still. Can't stand it.
December 8, 02 - Saturday was big, crazy but big. Went to work, went to a soon-to-find-out cancelled basketball practice, since it was cancelled I continued my completely unfinished Christmas shopping, then I went to help out with some kids Christmas play I've been asked to aid (gag...sorry, but gag).
After that I went to see Signs again with Allison and her friend, Rachael. I lied continually saying certain parts weren't scary and then delighted in seeing them horrified. Oh, it was great. I also decided to lower my former rating for the movie from 7.7 to 7.1 out of 10. Reasoning: the plot was backed into a corner near the end, and without going into major detail, I'll just say it wasn't as universally profound as it could have easily been with a few initial changes. Got it? Great!
The controversial topic thing died on impact. Next time I'll just shoot myself.
These last couple of days have been crazy. Seriously, things have just been out-of-the-ordinary and not the normal at all. I hope they settle down, but at the same time, maybe this is the start of something big. Only God knows that one.
::Way Off-Topic:: So Many issues, So Little time.
Point Of Inflection: It's raining fire, and the fire's reigning us.
December 6, 02 - I hope my comments on the Connotations section came off as controversial. I'd love to have viewers of this site email me with their comments so I can post some viewer feedback about the issue.
These past two days have been spent without formal schooling. Bedford County closed schools Thursday and Friday due to heavy snow and ice accumulation. The combination just ended up creating a nice crunchy layer of snow underneath a solid rock layer of ice (aka, not the type of snow needed for ice angels). So I did homework and got some other random stuff done along the way.
Christmas shopping began today. Hopefully it'll end by tomorrow...I wish.
I was at Danielle's birthday party today and had a great time. In my own words, it was "quaint". Her parents are way cool (though I'd comment on that). Everyone had a nice time of just hanging out, playing blackjack, and watching me kill at foosball. Then we started talking about farts. Turn of events there. I left before the rest of the pack because I have a long (early) day ahead of me tomorrow.
I'm surprised at how quickly people are to complain yet they never seem to take into consideration other angles of view. I got to pondering all this following my reading of many of the negative feedback the NR70V has received (link above). So many of these comments are just foolish. One person said that the NX70V replaced the NR70V after "about a month". WHAT?! That's crap. Just about all of these negative comments contain perfect signs of incessant complaining and no remnants of knowledgable advice to hopeful buyers. People must stop being dumb. Now.
December 4, 02 - I'm not sure exactly the writer of "Let It Snow" but rarely, when it snows, does it get "frightful" outside, unless of course you take into account all of those ignorant drivers who think their Hyundai Sonatas and Chevy Cavaliers are four-wheel drive. That's something to be scared of.
Monday night was the rec league basketball draft thing. Basically they shoved all 15ish of us onto the middle school court and told us to do a few drills and a small game. Then we were gone. I am on a team properly called "The Dynasty" which I seem to remember a lot from last year. This will be my last rec league of basketball so I might as well get all the "team work" out of it as I possibly can.
Tuesday night was the big Christmas Concert. It was ok. I'm not going to sugarcoat it and say the performances were great because honestly they weren't. Just as average quality as you can get. Plenty of mistakes, but, regardless, it pleased the parents and staff. I now have firmly decided on my "senior wish." It will be for me to conduct one piece in the Spring Concert. Even if it's that crazygonuts song "Jungle Fantasy" I won't mind. But I just want to conduct something for that concert. I can only hope.
Today was a two-hour early dismissal due to the imminent snow. The "downpour" began around 1:30 EST and has continued since. I use "downpour" lightly, obviously. But the weather forecastings all indicate great accumulation over tonight and tomorrow morning. Some even predict 8-10 inches. I'm not sure about that much, but it wouldn't hurt.
::Saving Face:: Link Of The Day: Kris.
December 1, 02 - Since I completely forgot about Wednesday night within my last entry, I'll blog it now.
A large, huge group of JF students went to the Dollar Theater and saw Signs. Not only did we act dumb and less sophisticated than normal, but everyone wore an aluminum foil hat adapted from the movie and from a College English assignment. We all had a great time, so that was fun. But, now for my rating of the movie. Fabulous. Such true suspense. Phenominal acting. A few minor "kinks" here and there, but things maybe I just payed too much attention to. I won't complain about this one, because it's definitely a "worth-seeing" movie and a DVD buy. 7.7 out of 10.
Now back to today. After a Sunday lunch at Fazolli's I left the parking lot in awe. I witnessed a line of Porsche's on the outskirts of the parking lot which had pulled in right before I left. A Boxster and three 911 Carrera's, one being a Turbo. Shock! A nice Candyland experience.
Three.5 weeks until Christmas. Or more importantly...24 days left of the "Christmas Spirit". Make this one count.
November 30, 02 - Thanksgiving weekend was/has been insane. Even if school isn't in session I can always count on having some type of homework. Most likely being assigned by my bi-polar English teacher (well maybe it just seems that way, but she's kewl overall). Arg...I spent so much of my vaca time doing notes and journalling.
I am in the serious melt-down mode because I don't have a PDA to jot down quotes that I hear or whatever throughout the day. I've missed easily a dozen great sayings because I simply forget them. And also, I never remember Christmas ideas because my parents and grandparents are begging me to come up with some ideas for gifts. But because I don't have a PDA to write an idea down when I think about it or see it, I lose track of it and it is eternally lost in a whirlpool of confusion, known as my brain. So I need my PDA. Well, maybe it's just a want.
I'll be finally going all digital with my dj-ing now. My conversion of most of my cds to mp3s is just about done. This means much convenience (hopefully...I guess) is in the future.
Ray's birthday party was tonight (Happy B-Day Ray!). I dj-ed a little, but mostly it was just everyone talking loudly and doing whatever. The John and John band thing played for a while too which was fun. I'm so worn out from this party thing. In four weeks, I've been to four birthday parties. And this trend will probably continue into five weeks because next Friday is Danielle's party. I don't know how much more of this I can take.
My Archives page has finall reached maximum capacity, meaning about six months worth of blogging. I'll just create another one for my next entry.
So, after I get all those things currently on my mind out of the way, let's reminisce:
Thanksgiving, a time for each person to honestly show (not tell) their gratitude for whatever it may be. I confess I wasn't all perfect during my Thanksgiving but I'm still learning and want to mature continually. So let's just get down to the basics here: What am I thankful for? The Love and Mercy and continual Faithfulness of the One True God. A family who puts up with my unwillingness, who shows compassion in my rebuttal. Friends who are there. Friends who laugh with me. Friends who can be serious with me. Friends who rebuke me right when I desperately need it. Friends who won't let me say stupid things about my situations or myself. Friends who share my same factor of criticism and who can honestly be just as "delightfully anal" as me. Friends in general. The blessings of health and life. Blessings. And I'm thankful.
Now after all that glittering generality, here are some specifics. Jeremiah: the single most influential person in my life (not counting the eternal change in me through Jesus), who has taught me the importance of consistency and perseverance. Friendship is a genuine thing, and this one is truly original.
Matt Hogan, Mark Lamb, and Cliff Jordan: the mentors in my life. Each contains his own perspective and insight, each so valuable in my guiding to further get closer to God. My gratefulness to their willingness to serve is sincere. The friends of mine from school, not mentioning names because I fear forgetting someone: daily companionship is awesome. One of my greatest regrets about leaving for college is that my relationships with these incredible people may grow heavily restricted and torn; I pray that the differences we make in each others' lives will never cease as distance gets in the way.
God: need I say more?
I am not nearly thankful enough.
Acquaint Yourself
-Welcome to your next few moments. This is Ryan (aka Pudn) and my life. Although I cannot guarantee your full agreement with my beliefs and opinions, I do hope this site offers a nice twist on the world. When the stocks dive and corporate scandals sore, relax in the safe knowledge that my life is neither that unpredictable nor rollercoaster-ish. However, I've been known to do some...strange things on occasion. Like, for example, starting off all of my sentences with unnecessary clauses.-
Connotations
"Do you have an American quarter, sir?" - a worker at Movies 10 after I gave her three American quarters and one Canadian quarter, obviously it was a mistake on my part ::shock...confession::
"First it's two minutes late, then four, then six, then eight minutes...next thing you know we're the US Mail." - Cast Away, regarding FedEx's one minute delay on shipping (within the film).
"I rule this pseudo-sport." - Homer after beating Tony Hawk in a skateboarding competition.
"God will give me Justice." - The Count Of Monte Cristo.
"Real estate is about imagination...it has nothing to do with property." - Barbara Corcoran, owner of the Corcoran Group (real estate) and author.
"How do you stop a French tank? Shoot the guy pushing." - from a viewer of Your World with Cavuto.
"Did this really happen? ... He wiggled on me, yes, your Honor." - a lawyer appealing at the Supreme Court of Virginia.
"If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything." - Back To The Future.
"A rhythmic ceremonial ritual" - Doc's view of dancing.
"We remember not only one moment of tragedy, but seven lives of great purpose and achievement." - excerpt from Bush' Memorial Address.
"I love nerds; I want a nerdy husband." - Rianna 1/31/03.
"But I want to be cynical and rude and mean and selfish for the rest of my life." - Me 1/31/03 regarding comments Rianna and Adam made saying that my future wife would drastically change me.
"Contact Supervisor Immediately If" - the entirety of a safety sign for an electrically operated gym bleacher unit.
"Pray for me, but above all pray for the cause." - The Patriot.
"Will you now, when you are needed most, stop at only words?" - The Patriot.
"A shepherd must tend his flock, and at times fight off the wolves." - The Patriot.
"The honor is found in the end not the means." - The Patriot; I thought that was interesting.
"No, no, no...you've had me wrong all this time, I really am this shallow." - About A Boy...also speaking from my own heart :)
"It was horrible, horrible...but driving fast behind the ambulance was fantastic." - About A Boy.
"Probably some local fisherman out for a pleasure cruise at night...through eel-infested waters." - The Princess Bride.
"There's nothing to explain! You're trying to kidnap what I've rightfully stolen." - The Princess Bride.
"As for Shaq - well, even when he's reduced to the size of a midget's thumb, there's something about that guy that says, "Get out of my way!"" - NewsWeek article about the new Lego pieces.
"Jury says dead man committed murder." - Headline from Lynchburg's News & Advance 1/29/03.
"The wholesome snack that smiles back until you bite their heads off" - excerpt from the new Goldfish jingle.
"There's no difference beween a slacker and one who works in bitterness." - Me 1/25/03.
"Don't play with your food; when I was young we didn't have food!" - My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
"My brother has two jobs: to cook and to marry a Greek virgin." - M.B.F.G.W.
"The man may be the head but the woman is the neck and she can turn the head any way she wants." - M.B.F.G.W.
"I said to myself 'Screw the lie, I'm gonna get to know these girls, they're all super hot'." - Evan Marriot, Joe Millionaire.
"One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter." - Die Another Day, I've heard that before but only wrote it down recently.
"Sex for dinner, death for breakfast." - Die Another Day.
"What is Real?" - The Matrix.
"To deny our own impulses is to deny the very thing that makes us human." - The Matrix.
"'Cause nice Greek girls are supposed to do three things: marry Greek guys, make Greek babies, and feed everyone until the day we die." - My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
"I hope." - The Shawshank Redemption.
"Wherever we go the party's at." - John Giudice in the most monotonous and boring voice I've ever heard.
"True love is in the form of sedation." - Matt Grachan commenting after seeing an apparent couple at school leaning on each other with completely blank faces.
"The clock ticks life away." - Linkin Park. I thought that was an interesting angle at viewing time (or at least lyrically) so it made Connotations.
"After 40 million (and counting) aborted babies in the United States, who, or what, is going to stop cloning?" - Cal Thomas.
"Life is what you make of it." - my motto for 2002.
"You don't have to live forever, just live." - Tuck Everlasting.
"Girls like cars and money." - the truth about life so simply stated by Good Charlotte.
"As attractive as your first girlfriend. More protective than her father." - from a Case Logic CD case.
"No dancing on tables with spurs." - from a Sweet Home Alabama bar.
"You can't have both roots and wings." - Sweet Home Alabama.
"Awww, you tried, we'll give you a Dove." - Rianna 12/30/02 about the Christian music industry.
"There's no "I" in team, but there sure is an "A" in annoying." - Rianna 12/30/02.
"He tailgates and then doesn't pass, that is the true redneck." - Me 12/30/02.
"I feel cute but I need to do better." - Rianna 12/30/02.
"Just because there are things I don't remember doesn't mean my actions are meaningless." - Memento.
"The world just doesn't go away when you close your eyes." - Memento.
"Memories are just an interpretation not the facts." - Memento.
"I lie here not knowing how long I've been alone, so how can I heal? How am I supposed to heal if I can't feel time?" - Memento.
"I have to believe in a world outside my mind."- Memento.
"I bring you good news of great joy for everyone!" - Luke 2:10, NLT.
"Only fools dream of the one thing they can't have." - Sean Connery, King Arthur in First Knight.
"<singing> We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas, and a Merry Christmas" - Homer Simpson standup toy.
"Is your drink a drink?" - my father 12/15/02.
"Dear Ryan, Congratulations..." - Special words.
"Where my hat is at?" - One of my favorite Homestar Runner quotes. Homestar...he's such a goof.
"Cornbread Cracker" - Me and Cliff's slang term for a gungho-ultra-mega redneck, more properly pronounced "corn-bred kraka".
"great for jogging and work; I thought. $499 for the pda + $89 dollars per memory stick + $59 service plan at Best Buy with taxes brought the cost up to about $820." - consumer review of the Sony NR70V. Shows just how much soccermoms know about technology. I must question, if the total cost was approx. $820, how many Memory Sticks did she get?
"Don't just stand there, spend something!" - Congress' unofficial motto termed by current Budget Director, Mitchell Daniels.
"Island" - One of the funniest Strong Bad Email things ever. The link may not work so try this one if it fails.
"Why Pep Rallies Are Gay" - by Miles Hughes, a former JF student.