Archives - September 2, 02 - November 26, 02
November 26, 02 - Tim's party went just fine. Great music, good dancing, and lots of pool games. Tons o' fun.
This week contains much craziness and insanity as a short school week ends and an annual Thanksgiving trip to MD begins.
Since the 6-weeks is ending, most teachers are giving either big tests or big quizzes. I got both ends of the spectrum today and suffered through it all. College English was the worst and I won't even give the reasons why because it's just stupid.
Tomorrow looks to be exciting. With a 2-hour early dismissal and a movie after THP, it seems my last Wednesday before Thanksgiving will be thorough. But let's not forget the loads of homework I have to complete by next Monday and all the other piddly things that will consume me.
Tonight was the National Honor Society Induction Ceremony. Approximately 95 juniors were inducted this year. I had the honor of inducting Tanya Daniszewski, Tim Davidson, and Alex Davis. I also completely screwed up my personal introduction. I ended up saying something like "next fall I hope to plan to attend..." Oh well.
I'm continually putting off looking for scholarships, which is just stupid. Actually I'd consider it more of forgetfulness than ignorance. Tech offers several Engineering scholarships but because I am a white male I doubt I'll get a cent from anyone.
November 23, 02 - Life is what you make of it. Everyone should know this. Any person's situation is only what you perceive it as and accept it as. People need to live by this. Illness is any form is 90% psychological; you can't be considered "disabled" until you give into your hindrance. Life is what you make of it. Make it a good thing.
My student conducting experience was good. I made sure "Bugler's Holiday" went almost as fast as I'd like it. I quickly realized how difficult it is to keep an 80+ member symphonic band in the same tempo at such a fast rate especially when you have no conducting experience and you just kind of wave the baton to and fro. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.
Last night I saw TripleX with some THP folk. This is the most testostorone-induced movie I've ever witnessed. Not only is Vin Diesel a horrible actor but so much of the movie was either over-cooked or just plain spoiled. The action was, unfortunately, completely non-stop. But if you like that kind of stuff then go for it. 3.3 out of 10.
Tonight is TIm's B-Day party which I am now dj-ing. So my evening is hopefully filled. Yet I am so worn out from a lack of sleep that I'm not sure if I will be able to stay awake. I haven't slept in on a Saturday morning in almost 5 months. It's a horrible feeling depriving yourself of natural fuel.
November 20, 02 - And school continues to get harder...This may become a trend.
I will get to student conduct tomorrow and Friday in Advanced Symphonic Band because Mr. Webb will be out for his little annual band director's vaca. I'll be directing on "Bugler's Holiday". Oh what joy.
Thanks to Burning Bush for their efforts to allow Lynchburgian teens something to do. Since "Spanky's" has now reopened their prime location is available once again and they are pouring in the artists from Stavesacre and Squad-Five-0 to Denison Mars and The K Word. Very nice.
This weekend I might actually be attending another birthday party. Apparently Tim is celebrating, so maybe I'll be over there for a while. Also, in total ignorance and in lack of information Mark celebrated his birthday without my knowing. So Happy Birthday Mark, and...Tim, well you can have a nice day too.
It seems that everytime I try to start blogging regularly, I get more busy or lazy in the evenings and blog less (most likely busy-ness instead of lazy-ness). Oh well, maybe I get that going strong once again.
We had to replace my bed because it was, in summary, falling apart. So we got out another bed we had up in the attic and now I am officially almost a foot higher off the ground. It's the strangest feeling to step out of bed and almost fall to the floor. I have a feeling my "loft experience" in college will awaken me to some new styles of waking up.
For the world to know: don't judge me when you yourself blatantly ignore your imperfections that you have been graced by God with. I'm not perfect, and so aren't you. And don't tell me I've done something wrong when you have a closet full of skeletons and oftentimes living bodies.
And further reason to now avoid the Forest area: Bedford County officials (School Board, Supervisors, and Superintendent) have recommended that some of JF's students be relocated to Liberty High School since they don't have the money to renovate even though thousands of dollars of structural and medical research have unanimously told them to build a new JF. Sounds like a perfect time for a walk-out...and stay-out.
November 16, 02 - Maybe it hasn't been that crazy. This week has taught me a lot. It's taken me on a "wild ride" that I refused to relent to. My stubbornness further broke me down and finally made me collapse today (thanks God!). This week has been slow and steady, but that's how we win the race.
Friday. Always our hope. Good times. I spent the evening at Stacy's house with many friends. B-Day party!! Happy Birthday Stacy!!! The party was just fabulous and the dancing was wild. The "costumes" (if you can even call them that) were funny. I personally thought Tim's interpretation of a...well...a poorly clothed human being was great.
Saturday I woke up "bright and early" to get to work for my five hours. That was the first time I've seen my alarm clock with such little numbers on it. Work went by fast.
Then I went over to the memorial service for Dr. Murphy who passed away this past Sunday. It was a calm and pleasant memoriam that filled the church with students and teachers alike. He was certainly an inspiring person; one of those people you are blessed to know.
I was inspired from some of my thinking at work, so after the memorial I went over to THP quickly and worked my inspiration out into a genius display of lighting power.
I then spent the evening with "some nerds who keep following me around" aka Tabitha and Allison (I was forced to say that after an IM conversation with Tabitha herself). We saw The Four Feathers. Wow, that was good. My initial reaction was supremely phenominal but as I started thinking about the movie and it's interwoven parts my rating for it began to drastically drop. This is a movie that only some people will like. Reasoning: it has a few confusing parts in it that for some would just not make sense and therefore they would get lost in a self-delirium of nonsense (to them). But for those super-highly-intelligence-ified people like me, well I got the movie completely. But...Honestly, it did have some strange structure at times, more so the ending, and the character development wasn't as deep as it needed to be to make this film an ultimate success. Still, worth your time; maybe even worth the 16$-ish for the DVD (when it comes out). Before I say any more nonsense here's the "gist" of my movie reaction: I much enjoyed it and personally would most likely get the DVD (which means a lot for a "cheap" guy like me). 7.5 out of 10.
November 14, 02 - This week is one day from finishing out. And yet even now I can give it the title "Most Craziest Week Ever." Things have been turned upside down and my expectations were all but destroyed. Maybe it's for the better; you decide.
Of course, having already blogged this Tuesday (check Archives), school has been dramatic. Coping with the loss of another student is never a frivilous thing, this one especially. I'm always relieved by our faculity's effort to slow things down when tragedies like this occur to allow students some time to back off from work and focus on counsel. I consider this a blessing.
I finally did my College English presentation this past Wednesday. After 8 hours of preparation and in-depth study, not to mention the complete stress and nervousness, Mrs. Boswell-Beer said mine was "excellent." She also said I covered the material incredibly well for the difficulty of my chapter. My timing was great too. Hopefully a certain few will get me back their homework assignment so I can grade them and turn them in. Oh well.
Also on Wednesday, Mr. Steve Newman was our guest speaker in AP Government. For those of you non-my-district people, Mr. Newman is our State Senator for this area of Virginia. He is just a great speaker. He thoroughly and clearly described our state government and its operation. He also did a quick thing near the end of class using some students as office holders. I was the lieutenant governor. Apparently it's not a flashy job because I was constantly told I was "not relevant" and just a basically pointless governing figure. I wonder if I get a Porsche...
I went over to BestBuy Wednesday evening. Purchased Coyote Ugly and Star Wars Episode II. Both were on sale, meaning both were viable excuses for me to get a DVD. Ironically enough I ran into Mr. Newman at BestBuy. He remembered me as the "lieutenant governor."
Tomorrow is Friday and then the weekend. I'm not sure if I even want to make plans ever again in my life in fear of this type of craziness taking reign consequently. Oh well...
November 12, 02 - So many things are happening at once. Totally disregarding all of the school work I have due this week and in the future here's the lowdown of the rest:
On Sunday, 11/10/02, Dr. Murphy passed away. After a long struggle with cancer, he finally left us. He taught Physics I at JF; he was my teacher. His insight and influence into students' and faculties' lives was just incredible. I'm truly glad I was able to be under his instruction in science before he died just this past weekend. I can only wonder...
Today at the middle school, someone was killed when a car collided with a bus. I don't know the logistics of the issue, but some sophomore girl will not be attending any more classes because of this absolute tragedy. I never knew the girl, never knew her name until this afternoon, but somehow I feel "touched" in a way. I'm trying to explain this feeling I'm having, so be patient with my lack of fluency. It's so strange, I guess, because just today during school I was wondering about what it would be like if I was killed at school; would people remember me more because I was simply killed at the school, or would my influence in peoples' lives go far beyond just the superficial feeling of solemnity? Tonight has been quite the revelation for me and I hope it continues. My life here on earth is not one of accident, I serve a purpose and I must be humble and selfless enough to accept it and follow it. I've never appreciated hypocrisy, but now I realize if I ever wanted to rid the world of evil I should have begun in my own life. I can only imagine...
Also, thanks to all the veterans in the United States Armed Forces. Happy *belated* Veteran's Day. Your service is truly appreciated; thanks for your protection and sacrifice.
November 10, 02 - Please forgive me for not updating Friday as I had expected. After arriving home from school, I was quickly whisked away for the weekend; I was expecting some layover time to update, but that didn't happen. Anyway, so about my weekend:
First, let it be known that school just totally is kicking my tail. Work is coming at me from every angle and I'm spending the largest portion of my weeknights ever with homework. College sounds so close.
Ok, the weekend. We left Friday heading for some place near Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Warning: Pigeon Forge is the biggest tourist trap ever created to steal away your money and time. Stores such as these line the streets with lights blinking and cash registers cha-ching-ing: Hole-In-One Driving Range; Discount Drugs (I know what they mean, but some reason I just thought it was funny); Sexy Stuff (their sign was as bold as fonts get); Alf's (advertising "Good Food, Cold Beer"); and finally, my favorite, The World Famous Chef Jock's Tastebuds Cafe. The town is entirely made up of novelty and nostalgia, aka not-my-type-of-town. Avoid it at all costs.
So anyways, we make it to the cabins where we reunite with some of our relatives that we don't see often because they are on the other side of my grandparents family (I believe it was like my grandmother's family who live around the Tennessee area compared to my grandfather's family who all live in Mary-Land). Anyways, so that was nice and more people kept arriving. The cabins in this area are all just beautiful (not to mention the view) and the location is nice. Each cabin is precariously (I don't care if it's spelled correctly, as long as you understand what I mean) positioned on this mountain and the trip to get to them is crazy-wild. The hills reach angles easily of 60+ degrees. Insane. Most vehicles don't make it up, so many people got their 4x4's out for the trip.
That night was quick because most people got there around 10:30ish. I spent the late night talking philosophy with some of my distant counsins. Very cool people.
The next morning started off with a great breakfast. The rest of the day, for me, was spent doing homework, playing pool, eating, and watching the Tech-Syracuse game. I never finished my homework, got horrible blisters from playing so much pool, ate too much junkfood, and didn't respond well to Tech's horrible defense (it's not like I care about sports, but when it comes to college football and a team that I will probably be supporting in college, well, I can make an exception). Saturday was good. Saturday night was spent playing Catch Phrase with the same cousins, again, more goodtimes. Then we talked about stupid stuff and random things about our past. Someone noticed a creature on the floor and said it was a "scorpion." Well, she ended up being correct. We quickly disposed of the little intruder and continued out conversations.
Sunday morning was nice. Quick breakfast and good-byes and we were on our way. After an (in my opinion) unfortunate stop at one of the local tourist traps (The Incredible Christmas Store, or more likely to referred, by me, to as "the biggest ungodly waste of real estate") we headed on our way back to the L-Burg area.
And then I ran over to THP just in time and got back home only to be greeted with things to unpack, homework to finish, and a site to update because I didn't have the time on Friday. And I'm really tired. Goodnight Stars.
November 5, 02 - I hope everyone of legal voting status got off their lazy tail and voted today. It's definitely better for normal (even sometimes lazy) people to vote instead of allowing those radical extremists on both sides of the spectrum to run things.
With my recent Sony renouncement, I will take a twist on things and now celebrate. The NX70V Clie is released this week featuring Palm 5.0 OS! A pure (too expensive) ingenius design for the PDA culture; a nice buy for those who don't mind the Everest-level price.
My day was totally thrown into major hilarity after I visted HomeStarRunner.com. Major thanks to Jeremiah for the link. This site combines some of the most confusing themes with just completely funny sayings and videos. I suggest the Email section with Strong Bad.
With an entire day of no-school, I spent much of it doing homework. In my College English journal (weekly) I wrote a section on preparations for college. Lately I've realized how much things will change after I've graduated and moved on from L-Burg. Statistics say I will only see 5% of my high school graduating class after graduation day. It's going to be difficult having to leave behind so many great friendships. There's going to be a huge list of people I will miss beyond incredibly.
November 2, 02 - November already?! I can remember mid-March when I couldn't imagine already being in my senior year. Time flies. How do I know this? Because I had a great realization today that we have owned our new tv for over a year when it still seems like we were gawking over its new-ness. That was random. But still productive.
Sony Tech Support BITES!!! They provided NO help to my receiver problem and only gave me the option of buying the manual for it (which I already have) to read up on what this problem is (and the manual says nothing about this issue). I once again renounce Sony's products and inferior computers.
Today was nice. Work, New Life, BestBuy. Got the Spiderman DVD at BestBuy; the extras look pretty cool, I'll watch them soon.
A small group of JF and BRCC people had a quaint surprise birthday party for Daniel tonight. Beth put it all together and we had a good time. Afterwards we went to Movies 10 to see Men In Black II. It's the quality I expected from seeing the first one. Although this one is definitely funnier. 5.6 out of 10 for the movie. 10 out of 10 for the party!! Happy *early* B-Day Dan!!!
October 30, 02 - Weather check: it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Pretty cold, even those "it's gonna snow" rumors have already been making headway around the halls at school. With all the rain lately, I wouldn't be surprised if we got a below-freezing day and some precipitation that we would get a nice healthy layer of snow. Which I wouldn't mind at all. But it's not even November yet!?
*YAY* My college application is finally sent away and now the waiting begins. Although I can't say that the waiting will be as exciting as sending it away, but at least that fraction of a chance at being accepted leaves me "warm fuzzies."
If you heard, among the slew of items found in the snipers' vehicle was a "Sony laptop." Go figure...
Speaking of Sony, I contacted their tech support today about a problem I'm having with my receiver. Apparently Sony has this "Protector" on their receivers that protects them from distorted or peaking signals so the amps are not wounded in the process of producing sound. I don't understand this feature exactly because it will still turn on even at extremely low volumes even if the signal is slightly peaked. Oh well, hopefully this will be my last complaint about Sony home theater receivers.
Cavuto's "Common Sense" spot was incredible today. I suggest you take a few moments of your tedious life to engage in some deep thinking with this.
October 27, 02 - My sickness still lingers. The rest is minor throat irritation and a bad cough. And not to mention the stress from homework and college application fun.
I've decided after much personal deliberation that I was too generous in my final rating of AntiTrust. I now give it (and will not change this rating) a 7.4 out of 10.
Saturday morning was spent at the Bedford Elks Home with First Priority helping put up Christmas decorations and doing some other random things around the area. Then lunch at the Armory. Much fun.
Saturday night: movie. Daniel and I saw The Road to Perdition. Incredible. I enjoyed it much even though I was tired. This movie has a great story line. I would suggest, however, that it is not for everyone; it's a depressing movie, but thoroughly sophisticated. I loved it. 7.7 out of 10.
October 25, 02 - This week has been a collaboration of school work and activities/events/and such that have evaded my free time. I still have college application stuff to do! What's this world coming to?
I watched AntiTrust tonight on DVD. Again, great movie. Last time I rated it 7.2 but after viewing it with a movie-ready mindset, I've decided to extend it's genius to 7.8 out of 10. I must be in a generous mood or something. Maybe it's the headache I got about halfway through the movie. What's the deal with me getting sick at movies recently?
Tomorrow is the "Make A Difference Day" in Bedford, VA. First Priority is taking a group to get some stuff done at an Elks Home (apparently it's like a fraternity for the elderly). Anyways, I'll be getting up early for that one as well. But when was the last time I slept in on a Saturday?
Let's hope this is the end. In America there are such vast and intricate networks of communication that it's amazing. Through these interlaced arrays, the sniper has been caught (or let's hope this is the case). Thanks much to all law enforcement in general; although we many times ignore your presence, hit the brakes when we see you on the road, and avoid eye contact at all times, we still appreciate your service to this country.
What's the deal with me using so many questions tonight? I never use rhetorical questions, so why start now? Why do I continue to question myself when I frankly have nothing left to say?
October 22, 02 - Sickness update: still sick. Having a hard time laughing because it turns into *very* painful coughing and bolts of agony that travel across my spine. Fun...
School is getting harder. I shouldn't have been surprised, every one of my teachers had already mentioned how things would pick up this 6-weeks. I find it comical how people in Physics II expect to get good grades by copying work from other people and trying to find corners around problems and such. No kidding...I'm actually starting to understand instantaneous vectors and rotation forces. Maybe college physics won't be so difficult if I can get some of these skills down now (and not forget them over the summer) and progress the rest of my yet-to-be scientific knowledge. And early decision application due dates are coming fast.
Madrigal.com - website of the moment. Possibly also a nice place to work in the future. Home of some of the finest home audio in the world. They own that well-known audio company called Mark Levinson that makes little supreme audio machines for Lexus (aka Lexi).
October 20, 02 - I woke up this morning with an incredibly high fever. Don't even ask what possessed me to do an update tonight. Maybe it's extreme boredom or this bad feeling I get when I don't update in four days.
Saturday was work. Went over to Journey's at the mall and found some nice Pumas. Not sure about the color combination though (black, blue, and white). Oh well, maybe they'll get some white on black ones in soon.
I saw Lilo and Stitch with some THP-ers last night. Although about that time I began to get sick, I still semi-enoyed the show. I'm not sure I have mentioned this before, but I am not an animated movie lover with the exceptions of Monsters Inc., The Emporer's New Groove, and Shrek. Yet being as unbiased as I could be, I'll give it a 5.6 out of 10. It had a over-used plot and just enough humor to keep me from falling into a feverish sleep.
Tomorrow will include no school due to conferencing. I will be diving into even more homework including my AP Gov. speech.
October 17, 02 - I find that the more I actually try to enjoy and make use of AOL the more it fails me and upsets me. I recently downloaded AOL 8.0 which AOL offered to all of its current customers in advance of the public disc copy. Well, they have some connection errors still prevalent within them because every night around 9PM I get kicked off. It's so regular I literally can (and will) set my watch to it. I will most definitely be reloading 8.0 from disc after it is released; this problem is hopefully going to be avoidable.
It's been one month so far without Jeremiah in town. Things are very different. It's not an exuberant feeling having your best friend finally get lucky and get out of town; yet at the same time, it's pretty cool seeing him in the Apple Switcher commercials. So maybe it's a win, win situation :) Either way, Jeremiah, you're missed back here in tha Burg.
I want to keep my updates shorter, meaning I'd like to update more often so I don't flood every 5 days with just loads of life to inform the world of. Support my effort by sending me money.
This week at school has been "spirit week." It's basically a chance to show "school spirit" even though only like 5% of the students actually do something. But anyways, it's been crazy fun. Today was crazy day actually. Lots of gorilla suits...surprisingly enough. One Al Qaeda member, one lunaTic, and everything else imaginable.
October 13, 02 - Saturday was filled with stuff and whatnot. Oh yeah, and it stopped raining, at least temporarily.
Work was interesting. Around 9AM the fire/basic evacuation alarm went off. So I went outside for a few minutes then since it was not deactivated, I just went back in to contiunue my work. Well it ended up staying on for a long time, almost an hour. So I instinctively crammed my ears with anything available to snuff out the horriblly raucous ringing.
After I reached the threshold of ultimate pain at work, I went to New Life because they were having their hugely amazing sale. Got plenty of nice music for a even better price.
Later in the evening I went over to the "Blue Ridge Festival of Bands" (aka the Brookville marching band competition). It was ok, not the quality or level of excitement that I witnessed in the past, but still a good way to spend the early evening.
Today was the groundbreaking ceremony at 1st Assembly; however, I didn't go so I couldn't inform everyone how it went.
Even though I wasn't in a movie mood, I watched The Count Of Monte Cristo this afternoon. My mood quickly changed. That is one great movie. The plot is in-depth yet not so thorough that the average person would get lost. Great acting as well. 7.4 out of 10. A definite DVD buy. I would have used one of the quotes in the Connotations place, but I've forgotten them already and my brother took the DVD back to school. Maybe next time.
October 11, 02 - End of 1st 6-weeks at school. Not bad so far, but all my teachers warn of things to come.
Wednesday night I had dinner with Mark at Applebee's. Good times.
Started raining Thursday evening and hasn't stopped since.
FP morning meeting went great. Being his usual rebel-self, Cliff (FP leader mentor) blew straight through one of the basic guest rules. But I'm not complaining. More good times.
Tonight I saw Spiderman with Mark. After hearing so much great feedback from other viewers, I was shocked at the whole thing. Honestly, people, the plot is shallow. When MaryJane said "The truth is..." regarding her secret hidden love over Peter Parker...ugh...come on. It was Cheese. Although the graphics were incredible thanks to some advanced Sony geniuses. As a whole, the movie was no different than me sitting down and reading a comic book from the original, same stupid villains and same supernatural good guys. Realism even in the basic parts of the movie was just not compatible with...reality. 5.1 out of 10 (but the graphics are worth it all, just great graphics).
Shout to Jennifer Bing who kindly allowed me and Mark admittance into the sold out show. Technically it wasn't sold out, but they weren't offering more tickets to be sold, maybe that makes more sense.
Afterwards another meal at Applebee's. I fixed up Mark's surround sound "problems" by rearranging his array of inappropriations. Sounds much better now. Looks better too.
October 8, 02 - Monday night was the regular FP meeting. Things are going great and events are being scheduled. A seemingly profound step for us :)
Immediately following the FP meeting, Stacy, Alyssa, and I rushed over to the PTSA meeting at JF regarding the post-vote initiative. FYI: the vote, taken several weeks ago, decided 4-3-1 not to build a new
JF; there is much controvery over this decision because some of the School Board members did not vote with their constituents but rather what would profit themselves. So naturally this meeting produced some mutual volatile spirits, but it was kept in a reasonable manner because this was all JF people in this particular meeting. I was very intrigued by a few comments, particularly when someone mentioned how the Bedford City Court House was basically quarantined until renovations were finished but they are going to allow students to remain in JF while renovations occur...ouch. A nice time, lots of town-meeting-fun.
JF; there is much controvery over this decision because some of the School Board members did not vote with their constituents but rather what would profit themselves. So naturally this meeting produced some mutual volatile spirits, but it was kept in a reasonable manner because this was all JF people in this particular meeting. I was very intrigued by a few comments, particularly when someone mentioned how the Bedford City Court House was basically quarantined until renovations were finished but they are going to allow students to remain in JF while renovations occur...ouch. A nice time, lots of town-meeting-fun.
This weekend may easily be quite busy for me. There's still plenty left to do in L-Burg up until the time I can get out of here.
I think it's incredibly amazing how I can look back on my past archives of Live[d] and just see how I've grown through life. For example how I'll be all worrysome over whatnot and it ends up being nothing. Thank God for...well...God.
[Forced] Shout Out to Tabitha because she incessantly complains that I never mention her on my website even though I specifically told her she won't get a shout out unless she does something noteworthy.
October 5, 02 - No movies this weekend. Too many other cool things to worry about.
First, Friday night I went to Ms. JF. Very interesting. I've never been to a pageant before, and it was quite the experience. Shout out to Rachel who did fantasticly well!
This morning I woke bright and early for a time at Tech. Open House was from 8:30AM-12:30PM for me; I could have stayed longer but the rest was stuff I already knew. But...I learned a lot of things. Tech obviously supports its students to be fluent not only in Windows but also in the Mac OS's. They have these "computer labs" everywhere just filled with iMacs, Cube G4s, and PowerMacs. Tech also owns a study facility called the Math Emporium. Literally the size of a grocery store (or more easy to contemplate...a football field) this lab contains, easily, 500 computers: all new iMacs. As far as the eye can see, it's beautiful. And not to mention the ethernet and wireless compatible buildings everywhere. Sounds like I'll be applying for early decision; might as well give it a shot.
So I return home from an exhausting day of being thrilled to death, and I find out some particular news...
Sony NX70V is now for sale!!!!!!! And....it now is capable of video recording!!! This is too kewl. Somehow I need to keep myself from diving into this so fast (or maybe I should pray for a flood of cash at my door). Anyways, it's some great news from the first Sony Clie running 5.0 OS.
October 3, 02 - Two days of College English release is nice. Such a quaint time to get stuff done. Speaking of school, it's been not bad lately, although the tests and quizes have been getting shallow...
Saturday is the VT Open House, so I'll be waking up at the *crack* of dawn for that one. Hopefully this little visit will influence me more, or at least support my hopes that VT has a strong mechanical / acoustical engineering school.
I've been doing some emphatic search for a PDA. Right now, because I've been forgetting things left and right, I'm just looking for a easy-to-use cheap one until I get either the NX70V or NR70V. Any suggestions would be great.
After a brief conversation about a certain song, I was asked to go to a certain website regarding Avril Lavigne. After reading it, and after hearing several of her songs, I must agree that she is quite the poser in punk music. Her image is created by "Sk8tr Boi" and not supported with any other track on her cd. Ouch. Talk about bad management. If you're gonna go punk, then go punk; crossing over is bad.
October 1, 02 - College admissions time is here. ::Screams:: I'll have fun though. Looks like Tech and
WM are my top choices. Acoustical Engineering or Law.
WM are my top choices. Acoustical Engineering or Law.
Grow up Torricelli. For those of you who aren't up to date on current topics: New Jersey Senator Torricelli has resigned from the election race because he just didn't think he'd win, meaning the race would be won by the Republican candidate. So he wants the New Jersey State Surpreme Court to allow a "replacement" candidate for him because he still wants the Dems to have their chance at the Congressional seat. Get a life.
As school goes on, I find that my surprising "liberal" score in an AP Gov activity-thing is becoming truer. Am I really this liberal, or am I just paranoid?
After a nice little cleaning of the clutter of my Buddy List, I am much uncommonly annoyed by random people popping up while I'm online. Goodbye to the 30some I dropped!!
October is Car-Care month. Take great pride in your transportation and treat it with the utmost respect and compassion. You need them, they need you. Take a hint from work on my car.
Shout out again to BestBuy. Your monopolization of electronic retailing is grotesque, but your prices are beyond resonable. And you now carry the Apple iPod, so much love due to you.
Congrats to Matt on his recent purchase of a master's edition Yamaha 6-stringer. Pounding lows has never sounded so...rawk.
September 29, 02 - Rough weekend. Life is so complicated sometimes, so difficult and tiring. There are days when I total collapse in anguish over what has surrounded me for the ages of time. What truly is rest in the 21st century? If there is anything to find assurance, hope, and life within, it must be Jesus; there simply is no other true peace and tranquility than finding an eternal hope and plan for our lives.
THP is moved into its respective place within the Fort Early Executive building. The first meeting was tonight; went pretty well. Lots of sound problems due to an annoyingly awkward resonant frequency(ies); odd sound structure. Definitely a big change with the surroundings of the old THP. We've gone from Euro-Ravie to Ghetto-Fabulous. Quite a jump...
Introducing the Sony NX70V releasing in early November. I will pray for a miracle of $600 cash to arrive at my door the day of its release.
September 27, 02 - The week-ending of school has been definitively pleasant. Weather has been wonderful. We've needed rain, we got three inches (thank God). FP had two meetings today, both incredibly great. A nice week of strenuous school (notice my alliteration technique).
Tonight was Simone with Sherrie and Ez. Afterwards was Sundae Grill (as usual) where we talked about what-not and etc etc. Now about the movie: I've seen movies before that attempt the make-em-laugh-because-it's-stupid routine, but never before have I seen a movie that portrayed a lack of real humor in itself. And by "real humor" I mean an attempt at being funny to be funny, or also an attempt at being stupid to appear stupid. Simone (the movie, not the character) was just plain stupid. The acting had some good points, but nothing to save it from my wrath. The plot was so thin...I could just watch the cheese drip from this one. If I was nice I would give it more than a 1.0. But I'm not: 1.0 out of 10.
A looming weekend full of action and excitement is before me. Of course none of it is official or set in stone, just a lot of ideas and such. THP moves in the morning, I'll work, and, why not, maybe even another movie.
September 25, 02 - It's not fun to be consistently treated as an ignorant subordinate. It is in fact aggravating and unpleasant. However, it was quite enjoyable for me to write my riddle for College English. I already enjoy poetry but the riddle part intrigued me further.
As you may notice, I've changed my Aquaint Yourself part. Enjoy.
After my rather nasty collision of interest with BestBuy, I've solved my home theater problems by "hot-wiring" my VCR to be a temporary router to the tv. An interesting sight to see, no doubt.
Palm 5.0 OS handhelds release October 28 = Good News. Sony won't be far behind, and hopefully my only candidate in Sony's computer-related adventures will score a few more points on my list.
Again, FoxNews is cool. Particularly Your World with Cavuto. Something about that show is addictive.
September 23, 02 - After three weeks of school things finally begin to pick up in the form of work and what-not. I hear the greatest quotes eveyday that I want to post, but because I don't have my handheld to write them down with I forget them instantly. Bummer.
After BestBuy totally "drops the ball" with a recent purchase of mine, I've lost much faith in them. They sold me some A/V Modulator which could connect and rewire many devices simultaneously (something my system is missing). I found out, after hooking it up etc etc, that it sends a semi-static signal to the video line which creates those ugly lines that crawl the screen constantly. So it's now returned and I got the money back. Tsk Tsk, BestBuy...I gave you an inch...you thought you were a ruler.
I worked at the Republican Fundraiser thing this Sunday evening for Virgil Goode. It was quite interesting to hear these hard-core Republicans talk about stuff. Speakers were so-so, and I kinda got pretty bored, but the food was good. If you understand the Connotations thing, then good (no pun intended) for you...it was more of a "you had to be there" thing.
Shout Out to all the things I've forgotten to write in here over the ages. I miss you so much.
September 21, 02 - Today was the definition of tiring. Besides my entire week of little sleep and a school-weary mind, I went to work bright and early at 7AM (EST) today.
I watched our Harry Potter DVD today. I can understand how religious people get all uptight about it because the movie obviously blurs the line between right and wrong, but honestly...it's just a regular movie if anything. It just doesn't seem to me that big of a deal. Obviously if you want to enjoy a movie you can't be biased about it beforehand. I had no opinion of the whole movie/issue when I watched it, and still can't understand how this movie is making such a big fuss. It wasn't even that good anyways. 4.3 out of 10.
Party at THP tonight was great. Lots of dancing and just plain fun. That marked the last chance for anyone to truly party in the original THP hangout. Moving day for THP: Saturday, September 28.
Long-range Shout Out to my best friend in Cali. Hope the weather is fab and the Mac stores close by.
September 20, 02 - Instant-latenight-update: You should be grateful that I'm doing this when I should be sleeping for tomorrow. I got to see Blue Crush with Sherrie and Ez. Great movie. There were some minor insufficiencies within the framawork of the plot and a few obviously under"cooked" camera shots that didn't quite make me impressed. Overall, a good movie. Enjoyed very much. 6.0 out of 10.
Earlier-not-so-instant-update: I apologize for the lack of updates. Besides being horribly sick, I've been swamped with SYATP rally preparation and homework. But hopefully I can get back on the updatin' track.
For the record, the SYATP post rally was incredible. All of the preparations went smoothly and the production efforts were definitely not in vain. JAVA got much positive feedback and Nakita Koloff was just plain incredible not only in his message but in taking down Matt (Bulk Hogan). Awesome time.
As schedules move on, THP is about to take another step. As of October 1, 2002 there will be no classic THP building. It will be demolished to make way for the new auditorium/gym complex. The last chance to party at THP will be this Saturday, September 21 at 6PM. Admission is some kind of food item; we'll have a great, and sadly, last, time at The Hiding Place.
My school update: going fine. I can only presume that my overwhelming feeling of danger in the terms of schoolwork has paid off because I'm getting less than I had expected. But it's still a lot. Not bad though.
Shout out to everyone at JF who was sick this week. With mono and strep going around in tremendous proportions, it would take a beast of an immune system to combat such rampant amounts of viruses.
Speaking of JF...last night the school board decided to renovate JF. Bad idea. This has obviously caused a great effect of anger and appeal against this decision due to the many professionals who have said that the school must be rebuild at a different site. And remember, not only did JF pass all of their SOLs last year, but the Forest area accounts for 45%+ of Bedford County's tax revenue. Really bad idea, guys.
September 15, 02 - My last couple of days have been a combination of fun and rememberance.
As Jeremiah heads off for his destiny, I reminisce back through all the incredible times we as best friends had together. God definitely blessed me with the most inspirational and amazing best friend. Although we've run into each other on a few issues (pun intended, relating to our mutual car destruction) our friendship has been incredibly helpful in my life and I'm sure to him. Enjoy San Diego, bro, and take care.
Friday night was spent at Mark's house with some friends. We started the Power's marathon and watched
Dumb and Dumber while digesting our food from the great Applebee's. Great Times.
Dumb and Dumber while digesting our food from the great Applebee's. Great Times.
Saturday was interesting. Got four hours of sleep. Went to work...fun. Went to Stringfellows, Lynchburg Music Center, New Life, and Best Buy. Bought guitar strings, a nice new pair of 2BH Vic Firth's, and some cds. Returned home to restring my guitars for Thursday night. Relaxed before
I went to Mark's house again late Saturday night. While Mark's iMac copied my 10GB of mp3s, we (Jeremiah and I) watched Ocean's Eleven. Great movie even the second time through. So well plotted out and intriguing. We ended the Power's marathon also. That night marked the last time I will assumably see
Jeremiah for many months. But still, lots of fun, like the good old days.
Speaking of Thursday the 19th. See You At The Pole rally at Straight Street Blue Ridge. 6:30PM. Incredible music and...let's just say there will be a lot of laughs. Stop on by.
September 12, 02 - After the unforgetable anniversary of 9-11, life continues on, not in sequence, but in memory.
I attended Lynchburg's own ceremony at City Stadium with a large selection of special guests. Honestly, I enjoyed it very much: an appropriate memorial with adaquate performances from a select portion of L-Burg's best in the arts.
Following the memorial, I hauled it over to Mark's place where a few of us celebrated Jeremiah's last chance to officially party before leaving for San Diego. Good luck Bro, and God Bless!
My lack of updates has been due to a strenuous early week schedule combined with a lot of good shows on FoxNews to view. So I've been...preoccupied temporarily.
September 7, 02 - Congrats to my best friend, Jeremiah, for being chosen as a Mac-daddy finalist for the
Switcher campaign with Apple!!! Everyone look out for da Co-[h]ick to air on major tv stations throughout the US and check out his feature at Apple.com as well.
Switcher campaign with Apple!!! Everyone look out for da Co-[h]ick to air on major tv stations throughout the US and check out his feature at Apple.com as well.
My first [considered] week of school was nominal. Classes are fitting into place and I'm actually getting some homework done. Although I've been ravaged with AP Calculus homework, I can get it done in the comfort of my couch watching Cavuto ramble on about the day's interesting stories and topics. Goodtimes.
Movies. Theme of this weekend. Friday was Eight Legged Freaks. One of the worst movies I've ever seen. Never in my life have I wanted to just get up and leave the theater (which I almost did). At best the plot was even aligned together, and the realism of the physics and chemisty of the basic story line was just so bad I just...blah. I'm being nice here: 1.9 out of 10.
After purchasing the DVD, I watched Ocean's Eleven today. Wow, this definitely helped my movie-craving and aided the fight against all my wrath I wante to spill out upon Eight Legged Freaks. Ocean's Eleven is just incredible. A plot that just screams thorough and acting that just blows away all other comparisons. It's like Minority Report all over again. Great movie guys, 8.6 out of 10.
Yet another flick I witnessed today: SwinFan. The first movie I've seen for more than $1.50 was not as good as expected. I won't even mention how much I was charged just to breathe the movie theater air let alone "enjoy" the film. An average plotline, but lacking in easy transitions. A few confusing scenarios that I tried to look too much into and therefore just threw me a curve ball for the time. Just plain average, but I have to admit, better than most. 5.1 out of 10.
On a minor note. Thanks to BestBuy (my favorite corporate monopoly) for being a great aid in my search for the right audio/video direct box for my home theater. Much Love!
September 4, 02 - First days of school impressions: being a senior is just as normal as anything else. Although it is an interesting feeling knowing that there are no older kids around. But overall, classes are good, yet going to be a great challenge for me (at least I get one challenging year out of twelve).
I'm forced to make a decision between the intriguing work of Latin IV and the mind-dulling work of Spanish I. This decision must be made within 36 hours and will determine a great change within the difficulty of my senior year. My decision has yet to be made due to a complete confusion over the way I want to approach my last year at JF.
Cavuto has won my heart. John Gibson used to get much of my brain time, but now that Cavuto is coincidentally placed in an open part of my day, I am watching his show much more, and enjoying it just the same more. But regardless of who I watch and when I watch it, FoxNews is just another synonym for my tv.
After an intense talk on O'Reilly last night, my day today was completely full of the same debates. THP even included a talk very closely associated to the topic. Maybe I should go into law and not acoustical engineering...
After much pressure to watch it, I, only because it was on sale, went to Circuit City and purchases the
Ocean's 11 DVD. I'll watch it soon, hopefully to my enjoyment. While there I played around with the Sony
PEG-NR70V handheld, which also hopefully will become my next purchase. It's definitely all I had expected, and more at that.
Ocean's 11 DVD. I'll watch it soon, hopefully to my enjoyment. While there I played around with the Sony
PEG-NR70V handheld, which also hopefully will become my next purchase. It's definitely all I had expected, and more at that.
September 2, 02 - Spending Sunday night at Matt's house with Jeremiah was interesting. After watching
AntiTrust (7.2 out of 10) and Coyote Ugly (7 out of 10) I was involved in some intriguing conversation for a time. The next morning we headed off to Cracker Barrel for some "niblets", goodtimes.
AntiTrust (7.2 out of 10) and Coyote Ugly (7 out of 10) I was involved in some intriguing conversation for a time. The next morning we headed off to Cracker Barrel for some "niblets", goodtimes.
My lack of rest was never fully satisfied before I left for the First Priority leader cookout. Good food and some *hilarious* games of Catch Phrase. A nice preparatory before the task of smacking into the ever-near school year.
Speaking of which, I am in the last few hours of what I consider my "summer." In just a couple more moments I will be sitting in a classroom being introduced to the wonderful world of being a senior, and be getting loaded down with stacks of non-liability papers to sign...
Acquaint Yourself (8/15/02 - 9/25/02) - Kick back, relax, and enjoy. This is my site, and my site will not be one of rules, regulations, or conspiracy. I will tell the truth, or perhaps my opinion. Have faith in the fact that I won't bog you down with incessant jibberish or strangle you in a rush of stereotypes. All of my effort will be implemented to waste away the world's spamming hysteria, and I will, under oath, never give up my efforts to rid my site of the pop-up which forever haunts these pages. I urge you to think, ask, and propound. Rambling is purely human, so don't worry. I am the one of the site. I am Pudn (actually, I prefer to be called Ryan, but just use your best judgment).
Connotations
"I hate the situation but I love the potential." - Me 11/24/02 in a moment of truth.
"There's always someone who's after world domination, and it's the British who keep saving us all." - Kids-in-Mind.com description of the theme behind Die Another Day with Pierce Brosnan
"What did the cannibal do after he dumped his girlfriend? He flushed." - Tim telling an absolutely hilarious joke at lunch today.
"I think there are not yet any heroes; there's still much left in the campaign." - The Four Feathers, I can't remember the exact quote but it sounds more or less like that.
"The charge to Peter was 'Feed my sheep', not 'Try experiments on my rats', or 'Teach my performing dog new tricks'" - C.S. Lewis.
"A man's riches may ransom his life, but a poor man hears no threat." - Proverbs 13:8.
"A 2002 gold Ford Expedition, fully loaded, with leather exterior." - some kid at school bragging about his parents' new auto. Note: he never corrected himself.
"HomeStar Runner, we love you!" - from the HomeStar Runner theme song which is the most unintelligible and confusing theme song of all time. But I love it.
"Don't be afraid of death...be afraid of un-lived life." - Tuck Everlasting.
"We are so caught up in the here and now, that we fail to understand it is only here, only now. It was a very different world a week ago. Some were alive and didn't know a week later, they would be gone. Some were panicked and didn't know a week later, they would be calm. It's enough to make you want to appreciate what you have now. Knowing full well, in a week or less, you might not have it at all." - Neil Cavuto.
"Jazz hands! Boot to the Moon! Jazz Hands!" - Daniel singing this totally awesome song/dance.
"Never Underestimate Radical Vision." - Acronym of N.U.R.V in AntiTrust.
"Human Knowledge belongs to the World." - Milo in AntiTrust.
"What you eat today walks and talks tomorrow." - Babe, that movie about the pig.
"They don't even want to have fun anymore; they want fun to be done to them." - Mrs. Morris, my AP Gov. teacher regarding a very noticable pattern in society tending to prefer slackness and passiveness. I agree completely.
"But I can guarantee you that every legitimate sniper in the United States would love to have the opportunity to put a bullet between this guy's eyes." - Derrick Bartlet, director of Snipercraft in Florida who basically sums up my feelings about this whole sniper issue.
"Who won?" - someone from school asking about the single-party, dictatorial election in Iraq with only Saddam Hussein on the ballot who is known for terrorizing people who vote against him.
This sums up the entire New Building VS. Renovation controvery over JF. Thanks to Roanoke Times.
"With great power comes great responsibility. This is my gift; this is my curse." - Spiderman. The first part of that was obnoxiously repeated four or five times throughout the whole movie...a turn-off no less.
"I want some Krispy Kreme donuts right about now...yum..." - Me 10/7/02 in one of my notes during the PTSA meeting which also included my idea of how to solve this renovations vs. new school problem: an underground school; 10+ stories of education all hidden within the depths of our wonderful earth leaving only the famous silo above ground - at least I think it would be cool.
"They were recently quite successful." - the VT Open House presentation lady, commenting about a new on-campus organization, S.A.W.- Students Against Winter.
"Actin' like you're somebody else, gettin' me frustrated" - Avril Lavigne.
"He finds it ironic that in a culture that supposedly values diversity, the ones who dominate that culture mean anything but." - Neil Cavuto.
"Another question has been: Where is the proof on Saddam? Well, if you make this demand with your voice muffled, from your head jammed in the sand, then the proof won't make much sense to you." - John Gibson.
"Our ability to manufacture deception has now exceeded our ability to detect it." - Al Pacino in Simone.
"I find I work best with people when they're not around." - Rachel Roberts in Simone.
"In a swift turn you hope, To regain what you lost to me. But I vanish, Invisible to your grasp." - Excerpt from my Anglo-Saxon-esque riddle for College English.
"Would you like a bumper sticker?" "Which one?" "Goode" (pronounced " 'gud " instead of " gu(long"u")d " - Me, making a fool of myself at the Republican Fundraiser for Congressional candidate Virgil Goode.
"You want words of wisdom - get a dictionary." - Me 9/21/02.
"A man must conquer pride, not kill it." - "The Seafarer" from The Exeter Book.
"Conor! Put your hair away!" - Nicole Sosa appalled at Conor Frackleton as he expanded his fro into a mass of hairs everywhere.
"When you're gone, it's not about what you did in life but how you do it." - Lynchburg Fire and EMS Chief, Buddy Martinette.
"Well, think of AP English as a journey into the rainforest: you gotta be ready for the change, but don't be afraid to take along a few semi-automatic weapons and flamethrowers." - Me 9/6/02 talking to Rachel about her first few days of the class and my experience of the same.
"So "Mickee-Dees," it's one thing for you to throw us a garden salad, but a garden fry? Come on. Be who you are. We love you, unsaturated fats and all." - Neil Cavuto.
"If they want a pep talk, then go get a football coach ... but stop getting chaplains and religious folks to come in. It's forbidden." Michael Newdow, aka the idiot who tried to get "one nation under God" thrown out of the pledge, and now wants government-paid chaplains fired.
Archives - June 8, 02 - August 31, 02
August 31, 02 - Last weekday of work: normal. Totally normal. And...I found out that my work on Saturdays is going to take longer than expected, so I'll probably be working for longer than I could ever wish or want to.
I saw Mr. Deeds Friday with Jeremiah. Funny and well thought-out plot. Thorough, yet still lots of room for laughs. 6 out of 10.
Saturday was filled with CD-Rs. It took 15 of them to back-up my collection of mp3s. Time consuming, yet got the job done.
Travelling all over L-Burg tonight was interesting. Went to Kim's birthday party, then to the Dollar Theater to see The Sum Of All Fears with Jeremiah, and back to the party. So a great night overall, and I enjoyed
Sum a little better the second time through. I was probably overly critical on my first viewing, so I'll raise my score to 5.3 out of 10.
Sum a little better the second time through. I was probably overly critical on my first viewing, so I'll raise my score to 5.3 out of 10.
August 29, 02 - My second-to-last day of work at Frama-lama-tome was rather awkward. My work load was dramatically increased meaning I'll probably be staying longer than I had wanted on my Saturday schedule. Fun...But I only have one more weekday of work left. Oh, oh, oh, oh, stayin' alive, stayin' alive, oh, oh, oh, oh, stayin' aliiiiiiiivvee!!!
I met with Kristine today for brunch at B&N. While we chatted about randomosity, I noticed a *genius* guy set up his iBook next to our table. So that a was doubly pleasant morning :)
Orientation at school presented the same reaction I had supposed I would experience. AP Calculus is gonna destroy my life, while my other classes will be no less than moderately difficult with AP Government and College English taking the lead.
August 28, 02 - After some great discussions tonight at THP, my love for debating (particularly on politics) has been renewed intensely. Hopefully AP Government will contain much of this...hopefully. I'm looking forward to bashing the ignorant-minded in their attempts to act like they know what's going on in the world.
If Mr. Larson himself had been around me as much as I am, he would have dedicated these two (one and
two) comics in my memory.
two) comics in my memory.
After even more heated search for just the perfect PDA, I've been informed to wait, patiently. Palm 5.0 OS will be released onto handhelds near Christmas-time, so I'll hold off until then to buy myself a mean piece of technological advancement.
Two more days of weekly work for me. And then I get Saturdays until there is nothing left to do (aka...I work Saturdays until I retire...)
August 26, 02 - Headline: I will be a brother-in-law x2. After a quick journey to the Roanoke Star, my brother is getting married to Michele and vice versa :) !!! Congrats and ::applause::
First Priority is moving along quickly. Schedules are in finalizing-mode and everything else seems to be fitting into place.
Speaking of God-things, Sunday night at THP was incredible. Word, Fun, Sound. All cool.
My research into PDA's has brought me to a new Sony product. The Sony Clie PEG-NR70V has incredible capabilities backed with a built-in keyboard. One major turnoff: no modem connection for email. But overall great user reviews and tech specs.
August 24, 02 - Friday night I went to see The Sum Of All Fears with Sherrie and Ez. Although they had a great idea for a plot, they didn't really implement it in well to make a good movie. It ended up being just a sappy love story involving yet another average Joe turned hero. 4.7 out of 10. Afterwards, we enjoyed a pleasant time at the eateries of the Sundae Grill. Good conversations, good times.
I spent the entirety of daylight today adding music to my computer. My computer now has two gigs less space on it than it did yesterday. That's a LOT of music. Hopefully within a year, I'll be able to go totally digital with my dj-ing. Another dream, but another chance.
Maybe if Americans were incredibly oblivious would Al Arian be acquitted. Constituional rights cannot be used to protect terrorism, plain and simple. Or maybe I just stole some of John Gibson's words :)
August 22, 02 - Seven Head Division was KEWL!!! Good evening at The Drowsy Poet. Vroom was good too, I'm just not into their sound; I enjoyed the emo-rock of SHD better.
Someone decided to just "steal" my quotes and use them for his own site. Although I am not sure of the reasoning behind this abduction of words, but regardless it is an odd predicament.
I finally applaud a Sony computer-related product: Sony Clie PEG-N760C. Maybe one day I'll spoil myself and get one. But, I admit, Sony PDA's are very nice. A great OS (PalmOS) and nice construction and layout all around. A definite recommendation.
One week and one day left of work!! ::celebrates::
August 21, 02 - My schedule at JF now includes Spanish I. It shouldn't be that hard because I've previously taken three years of Latin, so the langauge won't be all that new to me.
Tomorrow night will include a free concert with Seven Head Division and Vroom. This eclectic rock show will be a nice twist to my work week.
I found out that AOL users may not get the same quality graphics to this site that other users would. Please contact me if the graphics/pics look poor.
Latest musical recommendation: Switchfoot. A long time favorite of mine finally gets proper recognition.
August 19, 02 - Welcome to all Liberty University freshmen/transfers/etc. Enjoy your semi-charmed kind of life here in L-Burg.
I am glad to say that 90.9 "The Light" is getting better, at least for the time. Because it is freshmen orientation week, they are broadcasting live most of the time, meaning no horrible Nashville station anymore. At the very least the music is getting better.
Face the Facts: FoxNews is cool. Although CNN may be the "#1" news station, they could ever match up to the knowledge, insight, and quick humor that FoxNews displays 24/7.
August 18, 02 - I'm still throwing around different ideas for a permanent layout for V 1.1. Everything I've tried to far doesn't fit that smoothly, so don't be surprised if every other day this site looks completely different.
JF has surprised me by refusing me to take both Latin IV and Physics II. I've never had scheduling problems before and this is a bad time to start. Both of these classes are very vital in my final year of high school, so I'm basically confused as to what to do. Maybe this FarSide explains my sudden JF surprise a little better than what I can explain...
GodFest was just fine. For the most part the bands were solid and complete in sound. The weather wasn't the greatest, but it never stopped the show.
THP is movin' along pretty well. JAVA too. Things are picking up pace around there and are set to get bigger and better not long.
August 16, 02 - After some more serious graphics and formatting issues, I've decided to Really change things around. I'm still in my production mode so anything can happen now, I suppose.
Only two more weeks left of work. I was asked today to stay into September to help finish things up, but I'm not sure if I like the idea of continuing into school with boredom on the weekends...
Welcome Back Cohick! Jeremiah quickly faded out of town, as he says "mysteriously." Hopefully his trip was worth the time and, well just time spent.
No movie this week. Why? Because the Dollar Theater in town only released The PowerPuff Girl movie, and I'm not about to see just how these tweens saved the world before bedtime...again.
August 15, 02 - !!! Version 1.1 !!!
After several graphics problems and some major Homestead issues, V 1.1 is launched. There are still several components not yet up yet, but they are in construction right now, and will be uploaded as soon as I get a chance. The incredible work paid off. Major thanks to Jeremiah at Sketcha Studios for some help. But I want MAJOR feedback regarding V 1.1, you like, no like?!
Summer is winding down. Also so is my time to writhe at work. Still so much to do (now easier to do thanks to no summer assignments) and so little time.
You might notice the stretch of the border surrounding the text. I will fix that whenever I fix another defect that needs fixin. Hopefully that'll all be taken care of by mid-next week. So to make myself incredibly clear regarding V 1.1, this site is NOT finished. My projection date for completion of V 1.1 (disregarding regular updates) is within two weeks.
August 11, 02 - Returning from my siesta in MD, I get back to work on V 1.1 stuff, after...finally...completing my AP Calculus summer assignment. Talk about fun.
My uncle brought his mid-90s Miata to the gathering of family. I got to drive it around for a while. Definitely a fun car. I like the small interior...cosy. Just overall a great sporty car for fabulous pricing. An easy two thumbs up.
What's the deal with all these nice cars. Just last week I saw a BMW Z8 in Lynchburg. This seems odd to me: for a beyond rich person to live in L-Burg...for him to own a complete luxury of metal...and for him to be cruising in it at rush hour traffic. But oh well...it was some nice eye candy.
August 9, 02 - Pudn's Place V1.1 is moving along well. Ideas are coming to life, and my deadline for launching has been moved up. Expect V1.1 to meet your browser mid-next week.
GodFest, featuring JAVA, Living Waterz, For Cryin' Out Loud, Soul Collision, and Undignified, is just one week away + one day. August 17 is the big day. Starting at 5PM at the Coolwell Amphitheater, this rock show will blow you and your socks away!
Only a few weeks remain until school starts up again, and my job is no more. My College English summer assignment is out of the way, but AP Government and AP Calculus still haunt my very dreams.
Kutless: my latest musical recommendation. Just incredible, sounds a lot like Nickelback if you ask me.
LimeWire is getting my constant use, and so far my constant approval. Although using a dial-up connection doesn't help the downloads, it still is convenient to have perfect access to so much stuff, particularly music I'd rather not pay for :)
August 5, 02 - Happy Bank Holiday in Australia and Scotland!! WooHoo!! And also, unfortunately, I was not able to celebrate Picnic Day with my fellow Aussies...::tears::
My vocabularly has been enrichened in light of all of my summer assignment stress. Thanks to
Framatome, I now know what an Amateurfunker is (aka, an amateur radio operator).
As I endlessly ponder life at work while staring mindlessly into the abyss, I contemplate why people find pride in the exConfederacy. How can a Dixie flag be displayed in affection when it only portrays and depicts the essence of pure evil in the once righteous America? Maybe it's just me again...But I don't care what other's think on this issue; my opinion on the corruption of ante-bellum and post-bellum South is firmly founded.
My blog is an interesting assortidem of randomness that usually occurs when DeadJournal outrages me at their repeated failures to accept a blog update. Enjoy :)
Tomorrow is the release date for the first Lord of the Rings DVD. Only $16 at Best Buy; talk about knowing how to get it done...
I'm adding links to the Archives section of my site starting today. This will hopefully be a slight bit more convenient for those browsing that section.
August 3, 02 - Happy Birthday to my brother, Garren. And Happy (belated) Birthday to my good friend
Rianna. Congrats to both!
Rianna. Congrats to both!
I witnessed, for the first time, the car I wanted to own about 3 years ago. Chevrolet C5 Corvette Hardtop in Aquatic Blue. The times have changed now though, and I can't give up my G35.
I saw The Bourne Identity tonight with Jeremiah. Was not impressed. The trailer looked so good, but then...very disappointed. Plot wasn't there, kind of a mix of action and romance, but so shallow as to support little of either. 4.1 out of 10.
This week has been surpremely crazy. Summer assignments are here, and I'm there. Work is lively and me sluggish. I have so much to say, but DeadJournal refuses to listen. Ugh...
V1.1 of Pudn's Place is moving along well. New photos are to be taken soon as well. I'm still a little lagging on my "V1.1" logo however. Hmm...creativeness I need soon.
July 30, 02 - Minority Report technology meets us, here and now. Check this out.
I must admit, if I've ever seen a hilarious court trial, the Traficant one was it. I definitely don't agree with most of his actions, but he sure is the most hysterical exCongressman.
Summer assignment deadlines all begin to encroach on my territory. What to do, what to do...
On a lighter note, Pudn's Place V1.1 will be launching in mid-August. So expect some fabulous new graphics and layouts that will make you wanna scream for more...which you'll get later.
I'm sorry for using MSNBC news as the links for the two above news stories, but I just got my
NewsWeek and I didn't check to see if FoxNews (good) covered the same things as MSNBC (bad). Next time, I'll be a little more careful.
For those of you ill-informed people who don't quite recognize the advantages of Mac, Apple has released, almost a month ago, the new 20GB iPod which is compatible with Windows. I urge everyone to splurge your resources and get one for yourself. Your result will be happiness :)
July 26, 02 - Ok, I know that 26 is my favorite number and all, so the 26th of each month is supposed to be good, at least in appearance. But tonight was incredible.
Jeremiah and I witnessed one of the greatest "motion pictures" of all time. I'm VERY critical about movies/music and tear them all apart from the inside; but I was speechless tonight. Out of 10, Minority Report receives a 9.3. The highest rating I've ever awarded to any form of music or movie. That was simply beyond what movies are expected of, in my mind at least. Casting/Acting: WOW. Computer Graphics/Effects: Stunning. Plot: Jaw-Droppingly Intensely Perfect. I found no flaws in this movie besides for a poor vocal audio part in one scene; other than that, this movie was so flawless that, I don't even know if the term "movie" applies anymore. I finally "Experienced" a movie. Congrats Minority Report!
I've found my future workplace: !JBL. That is exactly what I want to do when I grow up: create and design the greatest audio products in the world. Can't wait to grow up...
I'm having problems with DeadJournal lately, lots of problems. They seem to refuse to allow me to update my blog. But consistent, more like constant, efforts to connect with their servers have allowed to update a bit, but, regardless...it's incredibly annoying.
July 24, 02 - Another day, another carnivorous creature reaching the U.S.
I was surprised to find The Hiding Place completely renovated when I arrived tonight. In the middle of a delayed move, we've been on hold for some time about financing a new building, so THP was taken apart from the inside ready to be relocated. But due to the delays, it may be some time before things start to go. So Matt, Sherre, Shawn, and Rianna completely re-did the place in the matter of 3 days. The walls are now club-ish again (thank God), and the lights are all put up as they once were (dance-party ready). So...THP will be completely rockin' for the next couple of months complete will regular raves etc etc :)
I sat through plenty of brain-teasers today at work, in an attempt to find something to think about. I was semi-confused with some and others were not so difficult. But regardless, it let me look at life a little more relaxinglyish.
I did end up getting The Time Machine on DVD. Can't wait to see it again. Also I found Encino Man at Wal-Mart for only 9.44$ on DVD. Good deal, good price, good buy.
July 22, 02 - My deadline for my AP Gov. essay, which, I might add, ended up a million times better than I had expected. One down, one to go.
It's, honestly, nice to have the parents back home. All of the "responsibility" got old after a few days, but it was definitely nice to be able to relax in solitude.
I received my AP grades recently from CollegeBoard. I was completely ripped off. The only exam I even tried on was English and I did my very best on it as well. Throughout the school year I progressed and at the end of the year had supreme writings under my belt (I was the bomb at timed-writes). And now I get back my AP test grades...and? A 4 in AP History and a 3 in English?!?!?!?! WHAT?! Those frivilous idiots at CollegeBoard apparently can't take my in-depth thought and analysis of literature while they sit back and proclaim Harry Potter an icon. Although I was glad that I got a 4 in History, I didn't even attempt any effort on that exam. Oh well.
Tomorrow, The Time Machine is released onto DVD. I will be heading over to Best Buy to purchase that one soon. That was a great movie for those people who'd rather see insight than sex/alcohol/violence.
I have to recant a few statements about 90.9FM (Lynchburg). I had bashed them for being horrible in their song line-up etc etc. But after further research, they aren't airing in the summer, they in fact get their signal from another broadcaster and 90.9 just airs them 24hours in the summer (since
Liberty is not in classes). But anyways, "Christian Hit Radio" (whatever) is AWFUL in their song choosing. They played a Jennifer Knapp song which was followed by a Third Day song. Then played the song "Sing Alleluia" which is just a combo of J. Knapp and Third Day. Ugh...why do I even bother to listen...
July 19, 02 - My last night without rents. This week has definitely been different. Just seems awkward not having them about in the house etc. Oh well, it's been real.
Tonight I *finally* saw Star Wars Episode II. I had been hearing about it throughout the end of school, and hearing different reports of its quality. I had heard everything from "horrible" to "great." I've been a semi-Star Wars fan for some time, nothing fanatical, but just interested in the movie, especially the production work. Well tonight, I have to admit, that was incredible. This definitely made up for the flop in Episode I. Great plot, and special effects to back it up. Anakin could have been a bit better at acting and realism, but other than that, good movie. 7.1 out of 10.
Fox News just gets better and better. This morning was the portrayal of one of the best Middle East politics arguments I've heard ever. Strong arguments on both sides, but the Palestinian view was not backed in truth. But regardless, I'm pro-Israel most of the time anyway. So my advice is to turn on the tv and flip it to Fox News and just enjoy.
As each day passes by, I support Mackie products more and more. One day maybe I'll go all Mackie and just buy an entire Mackie set-up...after I become excessively rich and have lots of money to burn on sound reinforcement.
July 16, 02 - Happy belated Bastille Day! Down with aristocracy, etc., etc.
Today I saw my future *hopefully* car: the Infiniti G35. Congrats to the owners, whomever you are; your purchase of that car is a blessed one :)
To those of you who like to run, here's some helpful advice. Don't run at night. I about creamed some lady who was taking a jog on 622 because I met her at a turn. She was lucky her shoes had those reflective stuff on them otherwise I would have never seen her.
Last night, Jeremiah, Rianna, and I watched Contact in 5.1 Dolby DTS. Great movie and great surround effects too. Also, quite a comedic time; but that is to be expected once the power trio is combined in thought.
The First Priority meetings are going smooth at JF so far (every Tuesday night, 8PM at the flagpole). As a rising senior, I only get 180 more days to make a difference. So much to do, so little time...
July 12, 02 - Shout Out: Best Buy, for being my favorite. Sorry, I must apologize to all those not in favor of small, monopolistic corporations, but I just love this one :)
Tonight, Jeremiah, Rianna, Sherrie, and I saw
Changing Lanes starring Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson. I thought the movie was constructed well throughout, but Jeremiah had altering opinions. But overall, I'd say, out of ten...6.5 (pushing 7). After the movie, we went to the Sundae Grill where we entertained ourselves and while Jeremiah and Rianna spit up water/soda on us all.
After another....constructive...week of work, I've found myself greatly enjoying Fridays more than those Mondays. Odd..isn't it?
I received my GPA in the mail this week. I have a 4.0 at JF and am 15th in my class of 287! Honors parking!!! WOOHOO!!!
July 9, 02 - Well I've only been working for three weeks and my job has reached the ultimate level of boredom of all time. Although, I have to admit...having 8 hours of deep thining is quite refreshing compared to nothing. But come on...does it have to be that boring?!
I've finally gotten my new car pics back. My favorite one is here. I love it, I love it, I love it!!!
So far the FP meetings having been going along well (every Tuesday, JF flagpole, 8PM). Join us if you so wish to do so.
My summer assignments are finally haunting me. I've got less than a month left, and more than 3 months of work. If I've calculated this correctly, then it's time for me to start totally freaking out.
I've finally gotten a blog. I have a feeling this means less updates here and more updates there, although I am really limited in types of content on my blog. I'll still try and get as many updates in a week as I can here due to the fact that I hope traffic on my blog is less than here. Or am I rambling on and on?
July 6, 02 - As you will soon tell, I am becoming a movie person. Good thing or bad thing...you decide.
This week (Thursday from my memory) I finished up watching XMen on DVD. Plot has potential but the acting isn't high quality. Out of 10...I give it a 5.
My Friday night was filled with things to do and places to go. I got to work "late" (although in my position it is impossible for me to arrive at work late, because no one depends on my work, and my boss said to just get there whenever) and went home "late." After getting home I scurried around for some dinner, then left for Sherrie's house to meet up with Sherrie, Rianna, and Jeremiah for dinner and a movie. Dinner was provided by Ruby Tuesday's and the movie by "Legally Blonde." Great movie, I highly recommend it.
After many sore palms from throwing the baseball around with my brother, I retreated to wash my car, again. Hopefully I may be getting an addition onto it soon. I won't inform anyone of this addition unless it happens, so you'll have to wait.
Thanks to Blockbuster I watched The Majestic tonight. All I have to say is..WOW. I've never seen a movie that good with Jim Carrey in it. With a plot this thorough and acting this intense, it's hard to walk away for refreshments. Out of 10, this is a solid 8.5 (my average movie ranking is 4, so 8 would be an incredible movie, and 10 being absolutely phenominal).
July 4, 02 - I Hope everyone has a great Independence Day!
Last night, Jeremiah, Kristine, Erica, and I went to the Celebrate America thing at Liberty University. Although the reenactment was not quite top notch and the speakers were all so very cliche-ish, the fireworks just made it all worth it. TRBC always has good taste in fireworks (but the cannons in the background were quite annoying).
I'm still in desperate need of some good, comfortable "tennis" shoes. I was shopping today with Jeremiah and Rachel, but I came up with nothing. Jeremiah did find some Sketchers though, so congrats on your luck.
Jeremiah, Rachel, and I also went to see The Rookie. While the plot of it is pretty good, the acting is not completely coherent throughout. It also was a bit too long. Out of 10, I give it a 4.5.
July 1, 02 - Happy Canada Day one and all!!!
I'm trying life without hair gel. So far, so good.
My first day of work after my "vacation" was not the easiest. It's hard to stay awake when you only get just enough sleep to open one eye.
I've decided, due to common sense, not to appropriately link the update below.
If you like the Farside things I'm posting (to the right) then please tell me, and I'll get more. I only choose the best, of course :)
June 30, 02 - Getting back from Creation 2002...and...
First I'd like to recommend this event to anyone and everyone interested or not interested at all. I'm very critical about events and concerts so for me to actually praise something (and I definitely think Creation rocks) is quite a feat.
Time Table of my week:
Day 1 June 25:
Leaving very early in the morning to head over to Melissa's house to pack and set off for PA was not quite my definition of an exciting morning (I need my sleep) but at least we were on our way. Jeremiah, Daniel, Nathan, Melissa, Emily, Lyndsey, Crissy, Karen (Melissa's mom) and I left around 8:45ish for our destination in PA.
We arrived (after many, many, many missed exits and wrong turns) at Mount Union, Pennsylvania approx. at 5PM. We set up camp along side Calvary Fellowship who so gratefully let us become as one camp with them. Then we cruised throughout all of the Creation campsites (covering hundreds upon hundreds of acres
of land) talking and meeting new people.
of land) talking and meeting new people.
Day 2 June 26:
Sleeping in was nice :) Me and Jeremiah went to the sport area place and threw frisbee for a while after getting so very bored doing nothing at the campsite. People still arrived all throughout the day. The night opened up with Cross Movement and Toby Mac. Mac just totally rocked; he was definitely one of the best of the week; incredible show. Eastman Curtis spoke: great. Audio A closed up the night in an incredible concert, just some straight out fun and hard rock.
Day 3 June 27:
Waking up early for the first time was...fun. People still were arriving ALL throughout the day (I didn't understand how someone could miss even one second of Creation so that confused me). A great morning speaker, Mike Silva, started things off for everyone. Jeremiah and I cruised the booths/vendors/shops when Ten Shekel Shirt and Ceili Rain peformed finding a lot of kewl and *free* stuff. I was lucky enough to see Phil Keaggy perform after lunch. Jimi Hendrix had said, before his death, that this is the greatest guitar player in the world, and after 30 years with his band, he hasnt missed a beat; I was astounded by his talent. Our group went to The Benjamin Gate's performance that afternoon, and that was very cool. That night, the Supertones played (very nice) and Buster Soaries spoke (VERY nice). Then Kirk Franklin and Third Day closed the night off, which I have to admit was just...wow...great.
A few of us went to the Vertical tent for the swing dance that night. And that was AWESOME; I jived to some awesome swing/jazz music provided by Denver and the Mile High Orchestra.
Day 4 June 28:
People were still arriving throughout the day....I don't get that. The morning session was a bit slow with the speaker and opening bands, but the rest of the day was just great. Me and Jeremiah went to Thousand Foot Krutch's performance for a while: very nice. Relient K was my highlight afternoon band; they simply were awesome. Being one of my fav bands right now, they totally were great. Ken Davis was the night speaker and he was quite inspiring, and funny too. Delirious and Michael W. Smith ended the night in some of the most (can't think of a good enough adjective) coolest worship/praise ever I have witnessed. And major props go to Delirious for a great visual show, aka video production. And also thanks to MWS for just being used by God. The entire evening ended with a candle lighting: imagine over a hundred thousand candles lighting up a place in the middle of nowhere...kewl :)
Day 5 June 29:
This day was absolutely the equivalent of fun. Rock N' Roll Worship Circus and By The Tree led off the morning in a bang. After lunch we headed over to the Fringe Stage for some Five Iron Frenzy. I got as close to the stage as I possibly could and it was incredible. FIF know how to have a good time and spread the goodtimes at the same time. I saw a couple of PAX217's songs on the main stage too before I went back to camp for rest (well-needed). After our siesta we went again to the Fringe Stage for John Reuben. My that was kewl...JohnReu is awesome, and very funny. Jeremiah, Melissa, Nathan, and I went to the worship leader seminar with the Rock N' Roll Worship Circus that evening. Meeting the artists themselves and seeing their honest hearts was incredible, and was such a good experience for me. The evening and speaker (Joshua Harris) and closing band (Newsboys) were just phenominal as well. Then our last sleep in a tent commenced.
Day 6 June 20:
And now I write this update in the comfort of my house grateful to sleep in my bed tonight. Thanks for all prayers and I, again, recommend this event to anyone and everyone interested. I will add the links to the appropriate people and bands soon.
June 25, 02 - I'm off to PA for Creation. I hope your summer while I enjoy mine :)
June 23, 02 - CONGRATS to Kellan and Michael Hogye for their commitment to each other on Saturday June 22, 2002. The wedding went great on Saturday. The weather nice, the ceremony pleasant, and the reception exceptional. Shout out to Dan and Drayton who will find their vehicles destroyed one day...
Well, I have one more day of work, before I kick back and relax for a while in Pennsylvania. I'll be groovin' to some phat tunes and will be growing spiritually with the many other hundreds of thousands of teens.
I have begun adding my past Connotations into the
Archive section. I figured some of them were too good to throw away, so I'm gonna save them as well.
Tomorrow is packing day for my vacation. I've got a huge list of things to get before I leave, so tomorrow night, I'm gonna be beyond busy. And also...I'll be www-less for a week as of Tuesday morning. Repeating: "I will live, I will live, I will live."
June 20, 02 - My first week (well four days) of
work is now over. It wasn't as bad as I thought, or at least heard how it would be. But...then again...
Thanks to my sis for my (late) "birthday surprise" which came via snail mail today. And a future congrats goes out to you and Mike *yay* !!!
Well, after some Wednesday night DVD purchases, my to-get DVD list has been lowered once more. I'm down to this:
Lord Of The Rings (Fellowship), The Time Machine, Star Wars Episode II, Spiderman, etc etc (those I can't remember off-hand).
Tonight I saw Monsters Inc. for the first time with Jeremiah. I have to admit, that is definitely the best Pixar movie I've ever seen. Incredibly funny and just a good hour and a half well spent. Definitely adding to the DVD list...
Tomorrow is the wedding rehearsal in Charlottesville. Another reason to wear a tux... :)
June 19, 02 - Third day of work, diagnosis: work sickness. Well actually, that's quite dramatic. I don't mind my job at all, it's just that around twoPM i get just the slightest bit tired of it. But I'm sure I'll start getting used to the time frame pretty soon here.
One week until CREATION 2002!!!! *YAY*
My sister's wedding is this Saturday. Things are coming along nicely for that lil occasion. Also, we'll all be jamming to some nice "tunes" at the reception as DJ Pudn mixes it up front...or something like that...
I've been looking for some cool wallpapers recently and have found some great ones at Cognitive Distortion (thanks to Kris). If anyone else has suggestions about where i can find some good wallpapers, please email me.
June 17, 02 - First day on the job. My first impression of it: not as good as At The Hop was, but I do get more hours, but then again I'd rather a more comfortable working environment and a less tedious task than this.
The whole day at Framatome went very well. I was oriented quickly into the schedule of things and was on my way in the role of the "scanner guy." In just 6 hours, I scanned 1441 documents into the database. Of course, I couldn't have done it that fast without the help of the ultra fast Canon scanner at my hands.
Tomorrow night (Tues. June 18, 2002) is the first summer meeting for First Priority which will be held at the JF flagpole at 8PM. These meetings are weekly, so feel free to stop on by.
I have no idea what to use for a quote this update, so be creative and think up something for yourself :)
June 16, 02 - Saturday, I helped move my sister into her new apartment in Louden County (bordering Mary-Land). She will be getting married in one week, so the move was quite timely. With the help of many of her friends, a great big task turned into a lot of small and convenient tasks, so it wasn't as bad as I had contemplated it to be.
This summer is just going to be crazy for me. Now that I have a 40 hr/week job, I'll have very little time for most of the things I had hoped to do this summer. Hopefully none of my plans will be slashed or cut short though, because I'm in desperate need of my own relaxation.
Tomorrow is my first day on the job. Task #1: Drug tests.
June 14, 02 - Today was crazy. I haven't been more confused about things than today. So with that in mind.
After many long and drawn out hours of confusion, I found out I was hired by Framatech Technologies in Lynchburg. I don't think my job will take much brain work because I'm only getting a lil out of it. But that doesn't bother me. I am employed :)
Also after many long hours of scheduling a time to meet for a movie, Jeremiah and I finally went to
Clockstoppers tonight at Cinemark. I had read many reviews of the movie today and no one really liked it; but frankly, it's not that bad. The plot is second best, acting is just fine, but the special effects are simply incredible. This movie is definitely worth seeing, for a dollar at least.
I've finally made progress on my AP Calculus summer assignment, which is basically the entire
Barron's book on it. So, I guess I've got a long road ahead of me.
June 13, 02 - So this is what it feels like to be free...school is finally out. I stayed after yesterday and found out my finally AP History grade. I was quite surprised to find out that I had an A, which means I know get a 5.0 into my GPA instead of a 4.0. So that should help :)
I saw LOTR again today (3 times so far), this time with Rianna. And again, I really enjoyed it. I will be purchasing that one as soon as it hits DVDs.
Rianna, from her reaction, really liked it, but now surprise there because only
over-critical-classic-novel-killers wouldn't like
LOTR. And then there was the couple behind us...
Tonight I went to a party for Josh (a 2001-2002 FP leader) who is moving to Indiana this summer. Keep in touch man.
So far, from what I'm hearing, some people like the new pic (above right) and some don't. A majority needs to speak here or otherwise I'll have to get some more shots. Let the jury rise!
I took some new 35mm pics of my car. Hopefully they came out better than the one I have know, which was taken on a rainy day...what was I thinkin'. They will be up soon.
Last night at THP, Jonah and I were messin' around with the mixer's effects just seein' what is on there. I put it on what's called a "Super Reverb" which is actually just a really weird underwater sound. So naturally, Jonah and I made some cool little mermaid sounds. I am gonna digitally record our little jam sessions on the mic with this effect next time, I could use it in a mix or two.
June 11, 02 - I've added an Archive section for those of you who have time to browse my site and read about my past everyday life.
One more day of school left :) And I'm happy *yay* Shout to all JF peeps!!!
I'm still unemployed. Although I got a call today from Framatome about my application saying they were interested, so maybe that's a good sign. Maybe :P
Feedback: Yay or Nay on the new pic of me above right?
Hopefully as soon as school is out I will be able to start workin' on my movie list with Jeremiah (we've got a list of movies we are going to see together before he leaves for Boston). I can't wait to see the end of The Matrix, I never got to see it :P
June 10, 02 - I can't believe it...it's almost two weeks into June and we're still in school. What has modern America come to?!?!?
I have a majorish project due in English tomorrow. It's a presentation, and everyone is a different author or literary writer. I randomly selected Shakespeare (my arch-enemy). So I guess just naturally, I will do all within my power to destroy his reputation as a classic literary figure, seeing how incoherent and jabberous his works be.
Thanks to J and Ri for their shouts to me on their sites. Your input in my life has always been especially inspirational and just plain "kewl." So, well why not..............
Let's hear it for Jeremiah and Rianna!!!!!!!!!
So...my plans for the summer? Well most of it is yet to be speculated upon, but so far this is what I've got:
*See a million movies with Jeremiah before he leaves for Boston
*See a million movies with other people
*Creation 2002 *yeah baby yeah*
*Lots of First Priority stuff: remember summer meetings are every Tuesday at 8PM at the flagpole at JF
*Eating at Sundae Grill
*Having a job, but we'll see what happens there
*Other stuff, I'm sure I could say more, if I could even remember it...
June 8, 02 - CONGRATS to the class of 2002 at Jefferson Forest High School!!! You have my commendations :)
To Jeremiah: :)
Today has been one of the greatest day I've ever been through. I went to the graduation in the morning, then to a quick reception at the Cohick residence and then back home where I cleaned up my car and polished it. After that I met up with Rianna, Jeremiah, and Mark Lamb for dinner with Jeremiah's relatives. Following the scrumptuous dinner, we headed over to Jeremiah's grandparent's house. After a tour, we watched
Vertical Limit (boy do I have some comments on this movie). God did something amazing in me tonight.
I've been reading from a book called Worship: A Way of Life. It talks about appreciating God's beauty and worshipping Him for His splendid work in us. At J's grandparent's house, that's all I could do. The masterful nature of this place is so accreditted to God and His goodness and compassion. Even though corruption seems to find its way to the wealthiest faster than anyone, I'm so thankful to God for the few who have used their gifts from God to glorify Him in such an open and honest way. Praise God once more!!!
Now about Vertical Limit...this movie is filled with the strangest plot transitions and most confusing basis of plot of all time. I could not follow most any of the movie without laughing, as me Jeremiah, and Rianna tore it apart in criticism. I'm sure the director(s) had a good idea in mind for this one, but they could not pull it off (maybe they lost their finger :)...must see the movie to understand that one). Anyways...be careful and always watch what you step in, you never know when your shoes are covered in nitro glycerin.
Past Connotations
"When you're gone, it's not about what you did in life but how you do it." - Lynchburg Fire and EMS Chief, Buddy Martinette.
"Well, think of AP English as a journey into the rainforest: you gotta be ready for the change, but don't be afraid to take along a few semi-automatic weapons and flamethrowers." - Me 9/6/02 talking to Rachel about her first few days of the class and my experience of the same.
"So "Mickee-Dees," it's one thing for you to throw us a garden salad, but a garden fry? Come on. Be who you are. We love you, unsaturated fats and all." - Neil Cavuto.
"If they want a pep talk, then go get a football coach ... but stop getting chaplains and religious folks to come in. It's forbidden." Michael Newdow, aka the idiot who tried to get "one nation under God" thrown out of the pledge, and now wants government-paid chaplains fired.
"Sick of all the lies." - KJ52.
"We give Saudi Arabia billions for their oil. They should take the money, and consider themselves lucky we're still in the mood to pay." - John Gibson.
"Baseball, Schbaseball. It's time that cricket rises up." - Me 8/28/02 on the upcoming baseball strike and issues surrounding the issue.
"A sign that you're new to the Lynchburg/Liberty area...You're parents wanted to visit you one weekend, so they tried to book a room at the Texas Inn." - The Light 90.9FM.
"Al-Arian has his constitutional rights intact, but the university will likely succeed in firing him, no matter how many times he quotes Patrick Henry and wraps himself in the flag." - John Gibson.
"It's Clay Crosse. His dog is named Tyson. Clay tried to get his dog an album, but he couldn't figure out how to mic Tyson." - Jim Arnold on his outro to a song.
"I don't want to be here, I don't want to see this now, it's all wrong but it's all right." - Switchfoot.
"I'm not a warmonger. I'm a realist and it has been forced upon me. Really." - John Gibson .
"I think we're all over that boys of summer, frolicking on the greensward, diamond days, smell of the grass, cracking of the bat, pop of the glove crap. This strike is all about cha-ching and we are the ultimate source of the cold hard cash for that cha-ching." - John Gibson (my hero).
"But now I see our lances are but straws, Our strength as weak, our weakness past compare, That seeming to be most which we indeed least are." - The Taming Of The Shrew, Shakespeare.
"Extreme sports can be used effectively to fight bad guys. Suave spies in dinner jackets are so yesterday." - Kids-in-Mind.com regarding "XXX".
SignSpotting.com winner for 2001.
"The mirror's another place, we wrestle face to face" - Chris Rice.
"Children and extraterrestrial beings tend to be kind-hearted and smart, while most adults are close-minded and obtuse -- and are not to be trusted, especially if they're government agents" - Kids-In-Mind.com about E.T. (movie).
"Jeremiah: That's the Apple thinking.
Me: Yes, iKnow" - 7/3/02.
"Quote Box - I was going to put Ryan's reason for his tardiness last night here but it's just too stupid" - Jeremiah 7/3/02.
"I think they're delusionary. I think they've had something funny for lunch in their meal. I think they should be handcuffed, chained to a fence, and flogged, and all of their hearsay evidence should be thrown the hell out. And if they lie again, I'm going to go over there and kick them in the crotch. Thank you very much" - James Traficant.
"I love America, but I hate the government" - James Traficant.
"Everybody runs" - Minority Report.
"Sometimes in order to see the light we must risk the dark" - Minority Report.
"Chemicular Air" - Me 7/24/02 on my explanation of what a fog-machine produces, because it's definitely not "smoke."
"The power that every individual gave the society when he entered into it can never revert to the individuals again, as long as the society lasts" - John Locke.
"And the number one sign you may be having a bad graduation: it's so hot in the gym that Osama died and was sent there" - 90.9FM The Light, Get-Up-And-Go Morning Show.
"Number One rule of government spending: Why build one when you can get two for twice the price?" - S.R. Hadden in Contact. He speaks volumes.
"Fermented Dairy" - Rianna's polite comment on my breath after the group went to Sundae Grill.
"A big problem calls for a big head" - A "Hey Arnold: The Movie" poster ad.
"Are the lemons extra?" - Me 7/5/02 questioning our waitress at Ruby Tuesday's in hopes of not paying anything for a meal because I had already eaten.
"Honestly, I've never met someone so delightfully anal as you" - Rianna 6/1/02 commenting on me.
"To Hell with the devil!!!!!!!!!!!!" Five Iron Frenzy.
"Shall we gather at the shower of forgiveness" - Jeremiah and I while we showered during Point Of Grace's performance.
"Think about this" - Steven Curtis Chapman.
"Worm not functional" - a young Michael Hogye describing a roasted worm on the sidewalk after a spring shower.
"My cat just dropped the bomb in the litterbox" -
Jeremiah 6/20/02.
"Motorized Sunshine" - Rianna's definition of my car.