Prelude To Innovations in Motion

Where Is My Damn Chipotle In Ann Arbor?

September 06, 2006

I thought there was going to be a Chipotle in Ann Arbor, according to this reliable source, I mean, it is the number one result on Google (a boutique site) for "chipotle ann arbor".

Well, supposedly, from an undisclosed source:

We had a deal, but it fell through. However, we're looking for another at this time. We'll get there and hopefully soon. See you in the fall, get ready (yeah, Im a Buckeye. Don't hold it against me)!

Sincerely,
David Chrisman
Mo'Joe
Chipotle

This is dastardly! Right now, there is a vacant hole on State St. here that would be perfect for a Chipotle. Come on... Come on!

Health Code Violations in Ann Arbor Eateries

September 04, 2006

So, for the second time, I was in the presence of someone smoking in a restaurant. First it was Lucky Kitchen where some guy was smoking while sweeping the kitchen. Today it was at Blimpy Burger where a guy was just smoking right near the unprepared food.

Does anyone care about this?

Camp Is Really Done

August 21, 2006

So, right now, i am in PinesA, and tomorrow morning I leave at 6 AM with Wahlberg to go to HP and then further to Ann Arbor. I am really not in the mood or energy to write a long story about this summer, except that it was amazing with high energy and great times for the kids.

The past week has been family camp, and it has been a weird quasi-experience for me. I probably won't be on cabin staff next year (moving to a specialist position), so that will be an odd isolating experience.

I don't want to leave, but I know that camp won't be the same without the people who are leaving tomorrow. There is always next summer, and it will be even better. Damn it.

Here I am at camp, at camp I be (pre-camp)

May 30, 2006

I arrived today with Ramsay , we made good time in about 7 hours, at now we are at camp, staying in the infirmary. We drove from Chicago starting around 8 30. it is not cooler at all here than in Michigan, but there are more bugs here...

...this is awesome.

Have the tables turned, yung wun?

May 26, 2006

So, I was sort of upset because I never thought I would be able to find a subletter for my room over the summer, and then I was talking to Nasty Nate, a nice fellow, who suggested I use Craigslist. And now there seems to be a large list of folks who need rooms.

However, the fact that my room is particularly awkward (the reverse loft) may put-off some people. Yet, the fact that it is close as fuck to campus and I have my own bathroom, so, you know. On the third hand, this place is a mess... so.. you know....

Welcome Back to Ann Arbor

May 26, 2006

So, I am back here in Ann Arbor until the Monday of Memorial Day, when i roll out. So, I come back, and I realize that my room (which is not being subletted, like an idiot I am), is being used for storage, and the matress has been taken out and is being used by another of my roommates.

The essence of my room is being used, but I am still paying the full rent for it. This is infuriating me. Therefore, somethings must be rectified. However, I can wait a bit for that to happen.

On the other hand, I slept on the couch, got four hours of sleep (my fault, I guess), and now need to go take a shower. I drove all day yesterday, waking up at 7 30 and getting in around 4 20 [sweeet]. I went got a burrito with Jason, came home, experienced freak storm with Frey and Lady Brenda, and then Frey and I watched season finale of Lost together (my second viewing)

I hung out with Frey for the entire night. We went and saw X 3 (big big big mistake). And we came back home, and I tried to stay up watching Wet Hot American Summer, but had to crash around 3 55...

"Who Killed the Electric Car?"

May 24, 2006

I just watched the trailer for "Who Killed the Electric Car?", and the entire time I am watching this trailer about the death of the electric car and environmental badness, I am thinking that the Stonecutters killed the Electric Car.

Am I Sick (or is my body just upset?)

May 22, 2006

So, for the past few days I have been feeling tired, and sort of naceuous, and all those types of things. It may be attributed to nerves (excitement over traveling) or eating (lots of slippery foods), or maybe JRussell ( I have been spending time around that Strep-infested boy who has been dipping his hands into my Trail Mix, sneezing on my table, and more of the sort).

Whatever it is, I have found myself making 5+ trips to the restroom today for Jop-related activites. I mean, what is up with that? Maybe I should rename this blog "Prelude to Innovations into a Sound Bowel" (Mega LOLzariation).

Floss Works

May 22, 2006

Surprsingly, Floss works really well on celery. Despite it increasing my tooth brushing time at least two fold, it has made my oral feel much better. I am using right now Unwaxed floss, which I think is a mistake. Before I leave for Camp, i will make a trip to the Safeway and do a gathering of Toiletries I will require for the Summer(ian).

"If something is #1, that means it was the first and best."
"Yes, the precise reason for my 'Mesopotamia is #1" t-shirt"

Burger King ain't that much better

May 18, 2006

Transfering to a video blog? ... .I don't think so. I mean, it would be pretty easy, I guess, but the whole thing would have to be more automated, by myself. I would like it to be like:

I create the video, and I save it into a certain folder. That folder has an AppleScript Folde Action that asks for a title, and if I want any text to go along with it. Then, it would upload the video, create the new entry, and that would be that, but I don't think that is going to happen.

So for now, this stays, and maybe one day I will get around to a finished redesign...

When the Danny is away, the idiots will play

May 14, 2006

I just left the room for a second... download the video (3.7 MB .M4V)

The Reasons Why I must live for at least the next five years

May 13, 2006

• How does Lost end?
• The Simpsons Movie
• Do I get through college?
• Assorted friendships and relationships

Things to Remember: may Twelve Twenty Oh Six

May 12, 2006

• Sunblock does not help when battling the Sun in a Solar Systemic War.
• Dogs pulling underwear off children at the beach should be shaved.
• Shaven dogs, although hideous, should be depawed.
• Paws are $3.653 per boned ounce as of March 17th, 2006

Download the video (8.5 MB .M4V)

Count Cochula Mitzvah

May 10, 2006

"Chumscrubber" and "Thumbsucker"

May 02, 2006

I have watched these two movies, Chumscrubber and Thumbsucker. They both deal with medicating high school kids, and one lone young man's quest for feeling normalized. However, that is the most of their comparisons (except for sharing the same actor. Maybe Hollywood is at a loss for people who are old but look young... hello, I am right here). Well, they both feature younger brothers to the main characters.

Chumscrubber ended in a very unexpected way, in a good way, I would like to think. Although, it might have tied things up too cleanly. Jaime Bell, the star of the show (remember he plays the young white boy in PJ's King Kong) is relatively the same age as me. That is messed up. We have perfectly fine yanks here, but we are importing 20 year olds to play us. Thumbsucker also has amazing soundtrack. It feels more art house, more dense.... definitely a wider aspect ratio. Odd how these two movies, with titles sounding so similar, seem to revolve around the same idea of a weird high school kid who has a social disease and focuses too much on these kids. Like high school is the pinnacle moment of their lives. Add them to your NetFlix queue, or whatever, and I will continue to rent movies.

Services.

May 02, 2006

Over the past two days, I have gone to businesses. Here is a review of them:

• Sports Honda- They told me it would take an hour and a half to finish getting my oil changed and doing the 10,000 check up. It took an hour. I walked around the Cluck U, which was not so great, and then just walked around the Automobile Blvd. talking to myself comingu up with an idea for an Captain Power movie.


• Wireless Zone in Mazza I went to go get my New Every 2 upgrade phone thing. The staff was very helpful, nice, and honest. I would go back to them again, in two years, when I get another new phone.


• Apex Optical I went in, asked them if they could reset my glasses, and they did it nicely and free of charge.


• Hair cut Good hair cut, I wanted it short, and they gave it to me short, it worked out well and nicely.


• Ben + Jerry's Gabby and I went to the B+J last night, I got this 10% off card for a year, but he didn't get enough ice cream the first time, so he got that Free Cone Coupon, called for a verification code right then and there, and got a free cone.

Congratulatios due to Ian

May 01, 2006

Congratulatios® to Ian for his new position as Sports Editor of the Washington Post Express newspaper. This is big big news. For those of you not in the know, know that the Express is the No. 1 free newspaper for people who are hip/have short attention spans. Oddly enough, Ian fits into neither of those categories, but this is still amazoing® news! (I wonder what this means for his blog?)

I am going to work as the sports editor for the Express, which you can find in yellow boxes around the city.

Lest you all worry

April 30, 2006

So, I am in DC. I woke up around 7 this morning, without the help of my alarm, which never went off, and just got up and drove. I went to pee twice, pooped once on the ride, filled up my gas once. It was an easy ride, I listened to Live Phish the entire way and the time passed quickly. Gas costs a lot, who knew?

Once I got into DC I brought everything into the house, went and got the car washed, burrito'd. I also called my mom's voicemail and left her a message saying that I was late waking up, so I am coming in tomorrow. It is all about showmanship!

So Long For the Summer

April 29, 2006

Tomorrow i embark on the journey home to DC from A², and I think back on driving up here at the beginning of the year, and getting things started in the house.

Upsettingly enough, everyone has already left! Pug, Colin, and Arkesh have gone to Regional frisbee, Frey has gone home, Devan is about to split, and Steve is just Steve. So, I am leaving and I had to say bye to everyone. What a load of hogwash and a half.

This morning Sean Bennett came by and dropped off a present of mine for me, and I got a chance to meet his Mother, which was nice, because I think I gave her the impression that Sean had a friend at college and not all was lost for him.

I have packed up most of my things, 'cept for this computer, some clothes, backpack, sleeping stuff, and some pens. I have stuck it all in my car. I have stuck most of my computer stuff in my trunk, and the other important things are in the back seat covered by a blanket. So, if anyone were to want to steal from me, I would suggest breaking into my car. However, please do not take my trail mix for I need that for the ride.

Lightworks Festival Winter 2006

April 23, 2006

The past two evenings have been the Lightworks Festival for the Winter 2006 term. Again, the FVSA, the group I am in, organized it. It is a ton of work, and being head nerd, I helped out with the program and I fiddled with the website.

Last night, the second night, there was an amazing amount of work. There was some impressive pieces, and I was very envious of those who had done the pieces.

Afterwards, there was a nice party of film and some actors and it was all good seeing people. This is a very unimpressive post, and I should've wrote it last night, but I got in around four and I was totally tired.

Here are some of the kind words the faculty have sent to the FVSA Board. These are the kinds of letters that make it all worthwhile, knowing that the Faculty enjoy it.

I wanted to congratulate the FVSA for all of their work in pulling together another successful Lightworks! I was impressed by both the level of the student work and the organization of the festival. I came away from the festival impressed that our students do such good work in so many forms, from film narrative, to TV comedy, to installation, animation, video art and live projection work. The short films and slides the FVSA produced as part of the showing also made for a lot of fun.

Despite hours of programming, you kept everything organized and running smoothly. Thanks also to the judges for all of their work as well.

this was a great show, a great demonstration of the depth of accomplishment dealing with ideas and issues that matter.

I wholeheartedly agree with my colleagues. A very successful Lightworks and you should all be proud. The works were uniformly strong and both evenings flew by - aided of course by the tight programming and short intermissions but really moreso because the work was good.

I'll chime in too! I was blown away by the quality of work this year. And thank you for all of your efforts putting the fest together and in general for promoting such a great Film/Video culture!

Pre-Dream: Camp Feelings

April 21, 2006

So, last night I was lying in bed after a long day of working on the Lightworks program, I didn't even get to watch SURVIVOR!, and all of a sudden I got this great feeling that came over me of what being at camp feels like, and it was incredibly powerful, and all I could do is smile. And it wasn't based on any video or photo, or any specific memory, but the general feeling of being at camp and how great it is. How familiar I have become with it, and on the other hand how different it can make me feel.

And I don't think there is another place like that for me.

End of Classes (Winter 2006)

April 21, 2006

Classes have ended for the semester, and it is all happened so quickly. It really didn't feel like much time was spent at all. I have two finals next week, and then I am out of here. All the work I thought that was going to be really bad to finish, wasn't so bad.

I wonder what the reasoning was behind that, why I thought it would be so bad. I was able to write six pages about my topic in no time at all. That must have been was Friedman was talking about when he said that by the end of college, he could write a ten page paper no problem.

The Winter semester went by really fast, however, looking back on it I realize that a good deal of time has passed and a lot of stuff happened. Ian left, and then there was some Spring Break staying here, and then I traveled around the country. I mean, I did stuff, it is just that everything happened so quickly.T his year, nothing monumental happened, and maybe that is why it felt like it went by quickly. Nothing really changed for me during it. I didn't get a new job, or join a new club.

The next step, next year, is to just keep on going with the classes. Try to get distribution out of the way and try to graduate. And then, I don't know what I will do after I graduate... and I am getting way much far ahead of myself.

I think this semester may have been the worst in terms of grades and general feelings. I didn't get any of the classes I wanted, and I had to do a make shift schedule at the last moment, which was a drag. I am hoping this will be my worst semester, and from here I will bounce back up to doing alright, from this semester's standard of doing almost alright.

This semester in terms of housemates living situation, we got along fine, for the most part. I know I am annoying, but I don't think I was too annoying. My brothers think I am really annoying because they have known me my whole life when I was younger and would really just gab and gab and gab. I still talk a lot, but I am starting to say funny things when I talk so people don't mind. Like, when you burst out "Viceroy Gunray" at the exact right time, and everyone laughs, it is ohkay to just talk and talk and talk and talk.

Next year I am living with a few of the same people. Steve and Devan are staying, Frey is moving into his own room, a guy named Adam who i don't know if joining on, and we have no found a sixth. I was worried I would be the coolest most calm in the house, until Devan decided to stay. I am very happy that I am able to live next year with people who I had no relationship with this year at all. I am very lucky person for meeting my housemates this year.

TV Studio Sitcom Class Screening

April 20, 2006

IT'S NOT TV IT'S ITV* You Are Cordially Invited To Attend The Premiere Screening Of Two Original Situation Comedy Pilots...

So, I went tonight, and I saw Sean there, actually more like met him outside. So, we sat and watched The Graduates and Love and Happiness which were both better television shows than the current crap that is out there in the sitcom world, duh.

Afterwards, Sean and I hit up Zingerman's, and came back to my place and chilled and watched some Arrested Development for the rest of the evening until he got tired, and I got gasy. I am feeling really gasy right now.

Winter Term 2006 Heros

April 19, 2006

I think I am going to have the name the heros this semester as Stanton McManus,Devan Gandhi, and Sean Bennett. They have inspired me to be more than I could be in every way. There were others that inspired me to be the best that I was at the moment, but not more, and to those people, they are not heros, but everyday good people.

Unfinished Post

Grandma Ruth's 85 Birthday

April 16, 2006

Early saturday morning to get to Florida for Grandma Ruths' 85th Birthday, it was a super fun time and I got to see a lot of realtives and also my family.

Long story short, Spirit Airlines Sucks, Northwest Rules, I love my family, I want to see more of my second cousins who are under the age of 7, and I hate the fact that I could not spend more time with everyone due to school.

Saturday began with me not going to sleep, and waking up Pug, so i could get to the airport.

Ramsay in Town

April 16, 2006

I spent the past five hours with Robert Ramsay, Non-American, and I had a great time. Sadly, no photos were taken, but I am proud to be on the CAMP NEBAGAMON STAFF TOUR 2006 (Tucker and Ramsay, now).

A Bad Semester

April 14, 2006

So far, this semester is not boding well for me, and I don't think it is going to get any better. There is just a lot of work to do, and I feel like I am in the "Sophomore slump." I am hoping that next semester, when i am taking better classes, that I will do better.

Just right now, the work and the motivation is killing me. Global warming is ruining me. I spend a lot of time outside in malaise than actually working.

BIT 358 Presentation

April 12, 2006

So, tonight, my group (Duane, Jason, and I) presented our project for the Human Computer Interaction class that I am taking at the B School this semseter.

We totally knocked it out of the park. Our slides were great, what we said was great, and our demo was great.

Overall... Amazoing®

Chipotle is coming to Ann Arbor

April 12, 2006

Chipotle Mexican Grill is coming to Ann Arbor, adding one more fresh Tex-Mex option to an area that seems to love them. The restaurant will set up shop in Chalmers Place, a new shopping plaza under construction on Washtenaw Avenue. The restaurant is set to open during the third quarter of 2006, said company spokesman Chris Arnold. It will join The Vitamin Shoppe in the retail center.

Trailer : "An Inconvenient Truth"

April 12, 2006

Go watch the Trailer for An Inconvenient Truth

Eloquently weaves the science of global warming with Al Gore’s personal history and lifelong commitment to reversing the effects of global climate change. A longtime advocate for the environment, Gore presents a wide array of facts and information in a thoughtful and compelling way. The film is not a story of despair but rather a rallying cry.

Whether or not you like Al Gore, I hope this movie becomes famous and everyone sees it and notices how screwed we really are.

Lamb Cooking

April 10, 2006

This evening I cooked the Lamb I bought yesterday. I bought a live phish show. I ate the left over salmon, along with some lamb, and cucmber, and string cheese, and a pizza (organic), and for a midnight snack some Raisin Bran. This is the same box of Raisin Bran I have had since the beginning of the year.

I realized tonight I have about a week and a half left of school. I have to do my creative writing work, finish up doing this The Remote thing for the BIT class, and write a film paper. The film paper is going to be HORRIBLE. I should start on it tomorrow, but I most likely won't. I finally did some work this weekend (which was four days long), and it took me forever. I just have no drive to do anything unless it is due the next day. It is bad.

Salmon Cooking

April 09, 2006

So, today I did no work, which is very upsetting. I did however cook some very oily Salmon. I went to to store to get the Salmon, and also got some Lamb, Cucumbers, and String Cheese. That was it. I cooked the salmon, and now have leftovers, good, it makes me feel like I am spending less money when i have left overs, it doesn't happen often up here.

Dorm Room Wrap Party

April 08, 2006

Normally, my goings outs are not succesful outings. I don't really like parties for some reason and I always feel out of place a little bit. However, no, not this evening. I headed to Jordan's apartment for a nice gathering of film students and such. I have to say, this only reaffirmed by feeling that parties suck, and gatherings are the best. When you can see everyone who is hanging out at the same time, that is the best. When you don't have to yell, that is best. And I don't mind other people drinking at a small gathering, it is a good old time.

I decided that, along with my increasing boredom, I should go to this "Party," (which later turned out to be a much more enjoyable gathering). I was cold on the way there, and on the way back, and after a little trouble finding the place at first, which I was going to get scared about in the way I do of being scared about going places and turn back, I found it and walked in and there was a nice assortment of folks there.

I did watch an episode of South Park about Family Guy, which made a lot of sense, and I enjoyed it when Jordan defended the quality of The Simpsons. Sean, who has gotten hot recently, expounded thoughts of Comics, and I like that I have found a friend who is at an equal geek stage on something, (him comics and computers). At a certain point, i think 1/3 of all the female film students I know were there, and I talked to them about what it is like to be a female film student. And I decided it really didn't make that much of a difference because it is all about if you've got the skills or not. I also appreciated it greatly when Sean told me he enjoyed my Skee Ball movie, which I am hoping other people will like.

I got there around 11 and left around 3 and some change, and I was the last to leave with Sean and we walked back on Hill, and he agreed with me that we don't do the small gatherings enough, damn it. After that, we parted ways, and I got a slice of pizza, and came back to my locked house (I think I have come back to the house when it has been locked maybe twice so far.) I brushed my teeth,( did I? yes, I did, i remember now), and now I am in bed.

Today was a lot of film stuff. Two meetings, a gathering (of magic), nothing else. I went to Zingerman's, and I have decided I am going to to try to have every sanwhich they have. Cause you know, even though I may not like the individual ingredients, I bet once they are all together, they are great. I had Pastrami today, for I think the first time. Number 11. Only many more to go.

Grandma Celia's 90th Birthday

April 04, 2006

3 plane rides, 3 meals, sleeping on couch cushions, 2 MiniDV tapes, a few car rides.

I wanted to cry, but I was afraid I'd get it on the audio track. It was a great party, a great time. I got to see my family. I'll post a video of it eventually, I didn't take many photos.

On Friday night, I didn't go to sleep. I stayed up watching episodes of Weeds I had downloaded from the iTunes Music Store, and then Devan came home and I talked to him. Then, I shaved and showered and eventually woke up Frey to take me to the airport. We got there quickly, and I sat on the plane.

I stayed up so I would sleep on the plane, that didn't happen. I finally got into San Fransisco. I called my Dad, and his and my Mother's flight just landed. I have some good video of seeing them in the airport. We went to In-and-Out burger, then they stopped by their hotel, and we finally made it to Grandmama's house for a quick visit before Dad and I went into the city to visit our other relatives who live around there.

There I saw Sammy! and the other Cohens (Aunt Carolyn, Uncle Fred, Alison, Michael, and Jane) for an hour. Michael, 12, beat me in 2 games of ping pong... snap. They watch Survivor and the Amazing Race, and they have good qualities too. We had to go back to South San Fransisco 'cause my Mom needed the car. She was making a posterboard full of old photo's for my Grandma's party.

That night we went to a nice Italian Restaurant.

The next morning we went to Green's, a vegitarian place in SF. They just opened up a party kind of room in the back, and it was a very nice time. Grandma got to socialize with people, which she doesn't do enough, and she likes doing it, I hope. She is just a really amazing woman, and I love her, and I was happy I was able to share that moment with her.

Strait from the party I got into a vehicle with my brother Jim, driving, and my father and brother Sam. Sam, Dad, and I had flights leaving in the afternoon, while Jim had a later flight. So, I got dropped off at Northwest, and I will be seeing my family again in two weeks at Grandma Ruth's 85th Birthday. More family, I love it.

On my first flight from SF to Minnesota, I sat on a plane with the entire Womens Track and Field team from the University of Minnesota. My second flight was nearly empty. I was orignally in row 17, but they changed me to row 7 for some reason. Once I got on the plane, I realized why. The seat I was going to have was mangled and tapped up, it was quite something. Looks like someone vandalized it. And, it was only the seat I was going to have. Hmmm, go figure.

Overall, a lovely trip, surprisingly low stress. I am happy I went. I didn't mind traveling for this one at all.

Huge Rain Today

April 01, 2006

Today I did some FVSA work, and watched our Michigan baseball team beat the Northwestern team.

Later, after the FVSA meeting, it was raining, hard. After getting a salad, the rain intensified further. It was really bad. By the time I got home, there was some mini-flashflood going on, and everything I owned was totally soaked ( except for my iPod which was protected by the iPod sock! yes yes yes).

Tomorrow I got to San Francisco for about 24 hours. I hope to video document it.

Wonderful Weather On the Porch Sang

March 31, 2006

So, today I awoke to the wonderful sunny spring that Ann Arbor offers once about every three weeks. It was so nice that I had my one class outside, and probably at on the porch for a few hours while Devan played the guiatr and I sang. I think we got two good songs out of the deal, which means it is a good day. After that I was spent and my voice started to give a little. Thankfully, we recorded the whole mess. It seems when record the songs, we remember them so we can play them next time and elaborate on them. Otherwise, they are lost forever (much like the great "Dog Faced Woman" was from two weeks ago)

In front of you/ I say you're my queen/ but behind your back/ well, I'm pretty mean/ you just don't have that nice of a face/ In front of you/ I tell you you're a goddess/ but to my friends/I'm fairly modest/ you are really not that pretty

What did I do today? I woke up, went and read the paper, went to HCI usability test, went to class, whent to HCI usbaility test, stopped by east quad, stopped by red hot lovers, hung out on porch (see above), helped out gabby with web site thing, watched a bone-load of TV, got into bed.

Getting in bed at 11 is great

March 26, 2006

Now that Dance Marathon is over (I worked approximately 20 hours at it this weekend), I can finally rest as the school week begins. Oh, wait, that doesn't seem right. Yet, tonight, I will be getting the most sleep since last Wednesday. I have three pieces of work I have to do for Tuesday. So far, I will

Tonight I went over to Gillian's place where Sam and her were cooking up dinner for a small group of people. It was nice to see Sam again, finally. I mostly just seem him when I pick him up from the train station. I am glad him and Gillian got back together. They are happy together, so that is the most important part. Sam made pizza, and I have to admit my last attempt at making pizza was much better (self-made wood burning oven helps a great deal)

And I came back home, and twaddled around, and am now in bed.

I think the Universe is just upset right now

March 25, 2006

Lately, things just seem to be crummy. For instance, this evening I went and got strawberries, and when i brought them back, and set the bag down, and soon tripped over the bag, releasing a few of them out of the container. It is not that big of a deal, but it is a nice reminder of just little things piling up that shouldn't make a difference to tell me the Universe is upset at me.

Maybe it was all the gloating, and now I must be taken down a few pegs. It might be because I am very tired, and I just keep on getting tireder. Either way, I am just having a bad last month, I think, just need a band aid.

Danny Dislikes Dutyful Days

March 23, 2006

Alliteration aside, Danny has much to do. Mac stuff, Dance Marathon stuff, Human Computer Interaction Class stuff, Film History stuff, Creative Writing Stuff, Traveling stuff, Grandma Stuff, Traveling Stuff, Creative Writing Stuff, HCI class stuff, then nothing that bad for a bit, Traveling Stuff, Grandma Stuff, Traveling Stuff, A lot of Film History, a lot of Creative Wrtiting, a lot of HCI stuff. This ends around April 19th, then a quick dip with some Lightworks Festival, then some Film History Final Exam, and I am done for the year.

Danny dislikes traveling stuff, but loves Grandma stuff, hard tradeoff.
Danny dislikes school, and hates doing work for it, tough noogies.

My new Jacket

March 21, 2006

Today, around 1, I got my new jacket in the mail. for some reason, I cannot find my favorite old man jacket. As the weather in Ann Arbor gets nicer, I need a lighterweight jacket. Therefore, I asked my mom to get me one, as I am incapible of doing so myself. She found me one online and had it sent to me. It is called the Kavu Alpine Adventure Jacket .

I have the jacket now, and it is far too cool for me. Maybe some of its awesomeness will rub off on me. I can imagine the jacket egging me on to go out on a Saturday night to some crazzy party to something else crazzy. It is comfortable, though, and I am sorry to my old man jacket, whever you are, but I will probably get another of you in my life time.

I blew up at one of my roommates yesterday

March 20, 2006

So, yesterday, I had been cleaning all day for Colinfest and then afterwards for our Beach Party. Steve had been working the entire day. He came home, sat down and ate food and watched TV while we were all cleaning. Fine, he hadn't eaten all day. I asked him if one of his fancy glasses can be put into the dishwasher, he says leave it he will do it later.

I continue cleaning, as well as the rest of my housemates do. Colin is mixing drinks. Pug isn't around. And the living room is now all but clean, but we have move so much furniture out of the way now our Router is exposed to any elements (beer, ugh). Frey helps me move a desk on top of it. Then, Steve comes in and suggests that we just move the router. We can't, it is connected to a lot of wries, all over. He suggests again. I say we can't. He suggets again. We can't. He suggests again.

Well, at this point, I did what any sane five foot three person would do against a man who is twice his size. I yelled.

Not only did I yell, but I screamed, and it felt good. I lost it. It became less about the Router and more about how he uses the rest of us like his support. He uses dishes and glasses and cutting boards and knives and never cleans them. He is very self-oriented, and that is just how he is. But, man, I lost it. After I finished my first tirade, he began to speak, but man, I just made a loud noise that totally shut him out.

"This is the most uncivil I have ever seen you." Me: "Yes, beacause of all the pent up rage!" And I cannot remember what I said after that. But I do remember that he grabbed his glasses, i thought, and just retreated upstairs.

I cannot stand people who I have to their support for, their frameworks. It happened with Damien back at my first summer as a counselor, and I couldn't take it. I was doing all the background work for him. I think it took me too long here to say anything to Steve about it, and I just blew up. I was tired of having his dirty dishes always around, and him being so much about him all the time.

But now, I feel bad, I do. I am not sorry, I was in the right, but I feel sorry that I "owned" him. I wish I could have brought it up in a more sane fashion, but I guess I am too much like my father in some ways [which I have absolutely no objetions to being compared to such a great man].

I now know how much it completely sucks to have this guy who eats food all the time and uses your dishes to just leave them around, or maybe put them in the sink. Just put them in the damn dishwasher, how hard is that? Keep the place clean, for god sakes. Thank you, Krusty.

We haven't spoken a word to each other since, or even acknowledged each other's existence I am scared, a little, and upset that I did that, but, man, for me it had to be done. Put me on Survivor man, I would be good TV.

Drawing: Dragor the Comedic Dragon

March 20, 2006

I imagine that this dragon, Dragor, is trying to make it big on the Dragon Comedy circuit, but the big dogs are always getting in his way.

Oh my, I am tired.

March 19, 2006

I am sitting in my new lawn chair in my room, typing away, after the Beach Party and Colinfest, and I remember why I hate parties so much. I enjoyed it last weekend, going around and talking to sane people. But tonight, it ruined for me again, especially throwing one of our own.

There was this loud drunk who kept on falling over, who was just a complete disgrace to humanity. In fact, the three high school girls moving throughout the party were just equally sketch. There were some parts of the night that made me smile, however. Seeing Chris and Alex. Pug and I matching clothing. Prathap and his lady friend stopping by. Z Boys/ DC people. Anita and Katie were here for like 3 minutes. Luke, SBF, Peter, Jake, and Will came by for a little and were, as always entertaining. Now that I think about it more, it was not a complete bust. It just wasn't as great as the last one we threw. I think it has to do with moving up a peg in the responisibility ladder of the house.

"how would you like it if I made fun of you when you were drunk?" "That's the thing, i wouldn't be. I don't drink. And if I ever were, then you could. People need to know their limits, and when they pass them, that's it." That's my feeling R. Kesh. If you're going to go out and get drunk, you've gone beyond your limits and you've failed.

Whether Wind Weather's Wind

March 16, 2006

So, Sunday was amazingly beautiful. Monday was alright. Tuesday was windy. Today was brisky.

I woke up earlier than normal, 9, a late wake up, and walked up to Palmer's Commons for work until 1. I fianlly made it home after stopping by Red Hot Lover's for lunch. 3 I had class, came home, did... nothing? NO! I finally did homework before the last minute. I started writing in answers to questions for my exam tomorrow. That might have been the first time in a while that I have done work before the last minute. I did it mostly so I could watch apprx. 4 hours of TV tonight. I went to my three hour class, which only last an hour and a half. (sweet.)

I watched an episode of Veronica Mars, and three episodes of Survivor: Pearl island (Thank you OLN), and half of a recap episode of Survivor: Exile Island. I cannot get enough Survivor. I think I want to be on Survivor one day, just to grow a beard.

Tomorrow begins my weekend, going to see V For Vendetta preview screening which I better get into, damn it.

Breathing Camp Nebagamon

March 12, 2006

I have been commissioned, by two separate people, to create two different web sites pertaining to Camp Nebagamon.

One is the .com, the other is the .org. One is more under my control and I am building a web application from scratch to support it. The other is working with a very likeable client and building on top of existing stuff.

Both will make me go crazy, I project, by the time they are finished. This is what I have been thinking about since Wednesday night. I am keeping a secret blog about it and I am planning to print out the blog when this is all done and get it bound, and send it to the people involved so they can enjoy my pain and pleasure.

Spring Break '06 : Done

March 07, 2006

So, Spring break is over, and I spent the entire time here, and totally didn't get any of the four things on my list done. My script is still at 80 pages, I waited until the last minute to get my English work done, although I like my short stories in it, and I waited to do any of the FVSA work I wanted to do.

I think I might be addicted to caffine, or on the other hand, I really want some strawberries right now. I think that is why I like soda so much, it is similar to strawberries, and I am not getting enough.

Overall, I think this was enough. I got very relaxed, definitally, didn't worry about work, I am focused on not this semester. Note to self: never take Creative Writing again, you don't like classes like that. You look at examples of what people do all the time, no need to take a class on it to learn stuff. That is something I have figured out. Screw taking classes to learn how to do things if it is not hands on in anyway. The best way to learn something is to set out and do it yourself, and if you don't know how to do parts of it, steal and borrow and look at how other people do similar things. That is how I learned all my web development skills.

Coach Saah asks for 'turf' and removal of character from Wilson Fields

March 05, 2006

I don't know how many people have read this important memo, deemed by the amount of capitalized letters, from Woodrow Wilson Senior High School's own Coach Saah. Coach Saah is pleading, or yelling, at the alumni, parents and friends of the school to come forward to help put turf on the legendary Wilson Field.

This is intolerable. The Wilson field's fine mud and viscous playing conditions would be lost, along with the character the field has held for these so many years. While some may see a patchy pile of grass, I see that Wilson is winning 12 to 6 thanks to the advantage of the run down field!

Sure, It's not as nice as a luscious green field that is most likely more safe and fun to compete on, but that is not what Wilson is about. It is about powering through with what you got until it is finally over. This is a selfish move on Saah, and would be the second step in the complete destruction of WIlson (the first being that clock tower restoration).

Spring Break '06 : Day 7

March 02, 2006

Today I recieved my Cordarounds, went to Red Hot Lovers, and watched Survivor, My Name is Earhl, and The Office.

Tomorrow Pug leaves, so sad, he has been a good roommate hanging out with me this week and I have been a bad one by introducing him to Paper Mario and wasting his time. I will also need to find a place to get my new pants shortened by two inches... gah !

Spring Break '06 : Day 6

March 01, 2006

So, today, I helped someone out with Mac help, made a Roast, and watched a lot of TV (LOST and Survivor: Pearl Island repeats on OLN).

Instructions for Roast - 2lbs meat, 1 hour, 5 potatoes, salt and pepper. Simple and sweet.

Spring Break '06 : Day 5

February 28, 2006

Today I went to Zingerman's again, and got sanwhich and a pot pie. All the while Pug played Paper Mario, and I read more about Ruby on Rails.

THEN, after that were the Apple Announcments of Intel Mac Mini and iPod Hi-Fi. I don't think I am going to be purchasing any of those things.

Watched a couple episodes of scrubs

And, tonight, I went a visited my Indian friend Prathap in East Quad. Man, this town is dead, it is scary. Now I am back watching Paper Mario..... what a day.... Tomorrow I am going to help someone with some Mac stuff, which I always like doing because I am good at it and I get to help out. Also, new LOST tomorrow night. And.... that is about it. Thursday, maybe go throw the disc again, Friday, my brother is visiting, Saturday , people start coming back... CAN I MAKE IT?

Spring Break '06 : Day 3

February 27, 2006

So, Today was quite an uneventful day. No new news in the world, no mail, no trips to store.

I wanted to go to Red hot lovers, but they were closed. I went to Zingerman's and got a half a loaf of bread. I made two derby pies, which about 1/8th of one.

I was hoping Can't Hardly Wait or Harold and Devan Go To White Castle would be on, as per my theory, but my theory failed. So, snap.

Nothing new today.... bah... bah! Monday, I donno. Tuesday, Apple stuff. Wednesday, LOST. Thursday, I donno. Friday, I donno. Saturday, I donno. Sunday, people come back.....

In all, relaxation has been reached, fully.

Spring Break '06 : Day 2

February 26, 2006

So, today turned out to be far more exciting than I had planned.

I woke up around... say, 11 30? and made a song in GarageBand, and that took me about an hour and a half. By that time, Pug was home, Devan was awake, and the two were ready to set off onto the airport. Devan missed his flight yesterday, and was sure to make his flight today. I ate a cucumber.

As Devan was being sent off, I watched TV, channel 49 the food channel. I was inspired and ruined a steak by cooking it, and deciding to add enchilada sauce to it. The smell of it penetrated into every pore of the house. Oh dear.

Pug returned, and we decided that we wanted to do something. Something had to be done. It was Sunny outside!

So, I suggested we go throw the disc on the Diag, a popular past time for nice weather. We walked up, and threw. I hadn't thrown for a while, but I soon got my skill back. Once you learn to do it, you never forget it, you can just become a little rusty. One of the things I noticed I was most rusty on running. I got tired very quickly, it was upsetting to me that I was so bad at moving my body quickly. I need to start exercising, but that is for another day.

Well, throwing was good, until it started to snow. Yeah, it began to snow while the sun was shining brightly. Therefore, I suggested we go to the library and get a movie out, and then i realized that the place was closed, so we logged onto a pair of computers, and he showed me some really cool videos of people playing Zelda and Mario themes via Piano.

Afterwards, I wanted to go to get Wired magazine. did that. He wanted to get a used book, we went. I wanted to get a comic book. Went there to, they were out. Tried borders, no luck. snap. Then, we went to Blimpy Burger: bad colon-fucking medicine. Damn. That ripped us both apart.

So, after we ate our burgers, and I had a nice doody, we went to Meijer. I wanted to clean my bathroom, which had been disgusting since the beginning of school ever since I got here, and I think he wanted to bake, or something.

We got back to the house, and I went to work cleaning. I had bought gloves and a sponge-type thing and I set to work, along with lysol, removing some nastyness from my bathroom. For those of you with a faint heart, dare not read on. Alright, there was hair everywhere, just, like, everything that should be white was blanketed with hair of all variety. So, I mean, it was horrendous, sponging up these big glops of hair, disgusting. And I didn't even put them there, I swear, it wasn't my fault. It was this disgusting when I got here. I did dispose of all the newspapers I had brought in there and such.

But now, wow, it is nice and clean, like, clean. The sink is white and shiny, and the faucet doesn't have soap scum all over it. Ahhhh, god, just thinking about it again gives me the 'willies.' At one point I did need to start boots on and clean the shower area. I mean, it was clean enough, but there was residue that was upsetting. It was finally time for a Spring (Break) Cleaning.

That was Day 2, in a nutshell. Pug made a triple layer cake, which I don't like at all. Tomorrow, i will make some derby pie. I didn't really have a boring today at all. Pug and I walked over a good portion of Northwestern part of campus. I made a nice song. I cleaned the bathroom (by the way, cleaning makes you feel very good afterwards), right now my laundry is in the dryer. I have more than conquered Day 2 of Spring Break.

Spring Break '06 : Day 1

February 24, 2006

One sec, one sec... let me haul this out

SpRiNG BreAK!

alright. So, day 1 of 2006 spring BREAK! will most likely be the most eventful day I will have all of this week. On Thursday, 3/7ths of my roommates left, another one tried to leave today, one will leave Friday morning. I am going to go crazy

One might ask, why do I not simply drive home? I respond, of course that would be what a sane person would do. I, on the other hand, am hoping that my isolation will force me to do some work that I want to do, namely fix FVSA website, work on my screenplay, do my creative writing portfolio. Furthermore, this involves me not driving. I feel like I would be doing similar things at home, but that would involve me driving, which is something I just do not want to go through right now.

ALRIGHT, so what did I do today?

I woke up early, odd, on the first day of spring break, I decide to wake up earlier than my alarm. I am going to be keep using my alarm for the duration of Spring Break to keep me on some kind of schedule, maybe make me get tired at certain times of the night. So, I took a shower, and hung out with Frey a little bit before he goes off on his Week of Fun. A little disappointing for me, I am losing him. At this point in the day, Pug is out doing something, and Devan is sleeping.

Around one thirty, I walk up to the MLB to listen to javier grillo-marxuach talk about writing, working on LOST, general industry stuff. He was very entertaining and almost he said things about writing that just were inspiring. I video taped it, and hopefully I will be able to publish it soon so everyone can share in the experience I enjoyed live.

Afterwards, I came home, sat on my ass, went to Kroger because I figured I would be here for at least two more days and would need fresh food. Then, I came back, and my good roommate Devan called me and informed that he had, in fact, missed his plane flight. So, I would be on deck in case he needed a ride back from the airport.

Inevitably, that is what occurred. I drove out to pick him up, and bring him back here, and I will probably drive him out there tomorrow, which will be the most eventful thing to happen to me. So, in conclusion: Today was exciting, Sunday may be good ,Tuesday will be exciting, Friday and Saturday will be painfully lonely, and Sunday will get things back to normal.

Will I graduate in 4 years?

February 12, 2006

Here is a table to see if I will graduate in four years.

Semester	Credits Needed	Credits Gotten
Fall 2004	120	19
Winter 2005	101	14
Fall 2005	87	13
Winter 2006	74	13
Fall 2006	61	16
Winter 2007	45	15
Fall 2007	30	15
Winter 2008	15	15
Total	0	120

Therefore, it only seems that if I would take 5 classes a semester, instead of the four I am doing now, I will graduate in four years, and not piss of my parents... that seems like the best choice of action.

Music to make me feel better

February 10, 2006

After my problem with my mortality, I am listening to Styx: Greatest hits , and it is making me feel better.

I am going to go to Pre-Camp

February 10, 2006

I am going to go to Pre-camp this year, which means two things. First of all, I am going to be heading up there at the end of May, which is fine, a month of home is enough, as it was last year. Secondly, I won't be going to the WWDC in SF this year, which is fine, too. you know, I spend my entire year looking at Mac stuff, I don't have to be in the center of everything. I never get an amazing seat at the keynotes, and yeah, I would probably get a preview disc of Leopard, but I can wait, considering I am going to monopolize my life with it anyway afterwards.

This decision came afterward watching, surprsingly, the Hell Fish Bonanza episode of The Simpsons on DVD (which I purchased yesterday), actually, I was just watching the beginning of it. I got one of those crazy problems where I thought to myself that "one day I am going to die," and so, I started to have a panic attack, which are becomming more frequent after two months of subsiding, and the first that came to my mind was Pre-camp. Therefore, I decided to jump on it.

Goodbye Ian

February 06, 2006

So, tomorrow morning Ian is leaving 711 Arbor forever, and as he put it, he is never going to clean the kitchen again. This is a sad moment, and has been a slow departure. First, he lost his room, then he went back to DC for a week, then he had his several goodbye parties, his goodbye Michigan Daily edition, and now his past few days.

I spent my first sick day in Ann Arbor two Septembers ago at lunch, with Ian present. I remember stopping by 711 that day, or maybe the next, and walking in on the house to see it a complete mess, although I guess I can save that for another entry some time from now. So, when I signed on to 711, only knowing Pug and Colin would be on, there was a hint that Ian would be here also for the first half of the year. This was all contigent on him becoming Sports Editor. He did, in fact, and signed on with Arkesh (sic) taking his room currently now, the second half of the school year.

The summer of 2005 came to an end, and Ian had been stopping by my house in DC to check up on getting Sam's car for his own, and we spoke some. I drove up on August 29, 2005 [no blog post that day] and Ian was not here. A few days, or maybe the next day, I am fuzzy on the facts, Ian, Colin, and I went to Meijer to pick up on essentials and sundries. The one thing I clearly remember Ian stating was that while you can skimp on some things, toilet paper should not be one of them.

I feel like those are the things that Ian has been passing onto me here. Little things that I probably can't thnk of now, but are invaluable to my student life here. The most recent of which was finally getting me to skip a class. Not only did I feel better and some anxiety was lifted from me, but now I am not shackled by the hopes of having perfect attendence throughout college.

When the weather was still nice and before we had internet, we would sit out on the porch with our laptops and steal wireless from our nieghbors. Just enjoying the weather and each other's company. He got us home during a scary wintery drive for Thanksgiving; "you have to wait until you get on the highway to start the music."

He may not have always been at home during reasonable hours, but he was always there to give good advice and help. He cleaned the kitchen more than he should have, and was sort of like a big brother, always looking out for me. I know I'll miss him and the 5 months he was my housemate.

Snot nosed Danny

February 05, 2006

I feel sick, in my nose and my throat, and of course my stomach, as usual. I don't blow my nose enough, so I wake up with a need to sneeze and maybe something comes out my nose. Or maybe a 'loogie' comes out of my mouth. I am always proud of those for some reason, I like coughing up snot from my body. Blowing my nose, yeah, that is also good.

Cooking last night

February 05, 2006

Last night, for dinner we had a homemade roast with potatoes, carrots, beans, and garlic bread courtesy of Pug. Then Frey and his lady Brenda made some dope choco-banana bread. During which, Pug and I made 6 different kinds of spices/rubs/marinades/flavors for some chicken wings which are now in the fridge stewing in juices to give them flavor.

I have eaten too many Enchiladas

January 29, 2006

So, tonight, Devan, ARkesh , and I made enchiladas at home. We made 1/3 chicken and 2/3 veggie. I had 2/3 chicken and 1/3 veggie. I also made some chips from the extra tortillas we had, and those were good too. I was on rolling duty. After the corn tortillas had been dipped in the oil, slathered with the enchilada sauce, and topped it was my duty to roll them and place them. As a result, my hands got very saucy.

I ate many enchiladas.

However, now I am full. Nachos, 6 enchiladas, and a Cherry Coke are not a good idea. I am stuffed to the damn max.

A Disheveled Party at 711

January 29, 2006

So, tonight there was a party at my house here at school. And there was this douchebag in an orange shirt that I thought was pocketing a spoon from us. Like, he was also checking if there were any open doors he could get into. Sort of really sketch (dog go go go). I have, therefore, given it some thought that I would like to share. It turned out it was no big deal.

The theme was "Afterparty," so you come dressed up like you were just at a big party, and this is the after party... get it?

Junk Mail, spam, has now become something similar to some guy with no business trying to live in the same society as me knocking on my door, asking for Roja and offfering to increase the girth of my genitals through p3rSciTPion DR0gz. And these are the orange polo shirt jerks. You can clean up after them, but it is just work, just like cleaning out your junk mail.

Another thing I have learned, that when I am greatest member of authority, I have no fun. When I have to make sure that other people are acting in accordance that they don't kill themselves (at camp, or when people are doing keg stands in my kitchen who have no idea who I, or anyone in my house, are).

I dislike parties. I really, just, you know, I would rather have a bunch of people who I know hanging out, or just friends of my rooommates hanging out and having a fun time playing beer pong (which I don't partake in for the obvious reason I don't like to drink). The thing is, when the lights get turned off, people get way too drunk, and people who are just all together random come walking through my place that have no interest in living a righteous lifestyle in any shape or form.

The Following Was Writting after Devan knocked on my door and called me to come downstairs and sing with him So, the rain was coming down, but I sat with Devan in the really really nice for this time of year 41 degree weather and sang. Now, for those of you who don't know, and this is not boasting, I have been told I have an amazing singing voice. I am also, surprisingly, well versed in the art of making stuff up that makes no sense, improvising if you will, on the spot.

So, I'm out there with Devan, and there are about 4 other people there, and we start off with an nice old standard called "Two Ladies and a Douchebag." "Two Ladies..." is the chorus, and then in between I improvise lyrics as Devan plays. So, we play this, and this one girl is stunned by my voice. She asks if I do anything on campus in terms of singing and is astonished when I say "no." I have to stress, I really don't like boasting, but in this respect I must. I mean, singing is easy, you don't have to move much, and it comes really easy to me. I am not off key with making stuff up, I understand rhythm. So, we did two more songs, "Canyon Dave," and "My Hoverboard," which were all made up on spot.

And now it is almost 5 AM, which is very upsetting, I don't like to get to bed after 3 AM at the latest, just not to mess up my schedule of sleep, but sometimes it must happen. Getting some praise from people made the whole night of loud noises and everything feel better. I have also discovered another secret power of my voice that I will discuss later....

I skipped my first class today

January 24, 2006

today, i skipped my first class ever. One, i was not feeling well. Two, I wanted to go grocery shopping. Afterwards, i went to two of my other classes and felt fine. However, I doubt I would have felt so great if I had gone to my first class.

I hope this does not become a trend. I thought of an invention, it is a refrigerator with tank wheels that you can clap and it shoots out cans of sodas to you.

The Week Tucker Was in Town

January 19, 2006

So, on this past Sunday I was sitting, chilling, watching the food channel in my living room, when all of a sudden there is a knock on the door. It is Tucker Slosburg, friend from camp. He said he would be visiting soon, I just never knew when. It was quite a pleasant surprise to see him. He had just been up in N. Dakota, then to Camp, and the previous night I think in some Fudge Town in Michigan. He said he would be staying one or two days, instead he stayed all up until this morning.

He did more in his 4 days here than I have done in the past year. He met with friends, scholars, shopped around town, got work on his thesis/dissertation thing done. It was incredible. The people he would meet and run into and talk with and the amount of stuff he got done.

It is sad he had to go. Him spending his nights on one of my couches seemed to work well for him. He got a hell of a lot of work done.

And Karma Lightens Things Up

January 14, 2006

So, I just found the 50 dollar bill that my grandma gave me and I thought I misplaced from about three weeks ago in my backpack smaller pocket. If I had not gotten into the accident, left my backpack with Geoff, and he returned it and I go through it to check everything was there, I wouldn't have found it.

I looked at the ">present from Hannukah I haven't opened up yet, and thought about if I was having a really bad day or not and needed a present. I decided "I'll bounce back," and in comes a forgotten piece of cash to brighten my day.

Failure to Yield While Making a left Turn

January 14, 2006

at apprx. 10 45 this morning, I screwed up big time and got into an accident. The cop said I am at fault, and I guess I was.

The worst part of this is the insurance and the points on my license. The insurance, that is the worst part. The cost going up, damn. I decided to get some gas before I got home, because I was low. I had a full tank of gas, I just spent 30 dollars for gas, damn it.

I was not even supposed to be up this morning. I guess that is what karma (My name is Earl) gets you. I didn't want to help out at the New Center thing today, and I was going to be surly, and maybe that is what karma gets you. I was supposed to be asleep, going in around 1 o'clock.

This is probably not going to be much fun.

Time Shifting Hanukkah

December 29, 2005

So, I have decided I am going to hold off on opening the present, a book, I got tonight from my parents. I want to have a present to open later on if I am in a bad mood and want something to make me feel better. It is the same idea as buying a few pairs of socks, opening a couple, and sticking one in the back of closet so you can get excited when you get a surprise new pair of SOCKS!

Arizona 2005 (Day 5, Last)

December 29, 2005

So, the last day of Arizona trip 2005. No more red rock country, no more sleeping on the Murphy fold-out bed with a fire going strong. Back to the DC.

Woke up late as I damn wanted, no need for a 5 AM wake up to get home. The plane was leaving around 3 50 PM. I didn't say goodbye to my Grandma Ruth, I was sleeping. I didn't eat anything for breakfast, as usual.

We left the Enchantment Resort at... I can't even remember now, I should really write these things on the day that they happen, but I got home at 10 or 11 last night, and then went out for some McDonald's, cause I was hungry. The funny thing is we, my brother Sam and my parents, stopped for In N Out before we left Arizona.

This was my first stop at IN-N-OUT Burger. I have to say, their menu is so cool and simplistic. Two things made four ways, simple, easy, fast. They want to be fast; they practice volume. I didn't like the fries that much, but the burger was good. I was not feeling well in the stomach, maybe nervous about flying, so I didn't even get a drink. I had a burger, sans cheese, and 3/4ths of my fries, not that much.

Before we left the Red Rock Country, we stopped by Jerome, AZ which had some cool views. It had a lot nicer stores than there were at Sedona, which just had a lot of crap. It started to feel like a lot of our other vacations where Dad, Sam, and I followed and waited outside stores while Mom whent inside and looked at stuff in places with a lot of winding roads. My favorite part of the place was the Liberty Theater and Gift Shop which had a lot of cool movie stuff and especially old movie projectors and stuff. I didn't buy anything, but I was filming around the entire place.

Overall, the trip was fun and highly appreciated by me. However, I would have rather been here at home doing nothing but the regular DCo things, like burritos, Pumpernickel's and movies. That is just the kind of guy I am. I like traveling places and seeing new things, but in the end I just like doing the same old things again and again.

Arizona 2005 (Day 4)

December 28, 2005

So, my last full day in Arizona was relaxing. Wake up late, finish Veronica Mars, play some Catan, lunch in town, Palatki Indian Ruins, and a fine dinner at the fancy resort restaurant. The scenery is beautiful and paying 3 dollars for a skim milk the size of a tiny bowling pin is outrageous.

I woke up late, and my family was gone. My brothers and mother were getting massages down at the spa. My dad was hiking or something, or doing some business. I didn't want to get a massage. I don't think I could handle it. I mean, I just don't want to pay someone to push my skin and muscles all around and then offer to center me. I feel plenty centered, and I don't have much stress.

So, I had finally finished downloading the last two episodes of Veronica Mars Season 1. The night before I left on this vacation I had gotten through almost all of the first season, and I have been trying to download the 4GB torrent I found so I could find out what happens. I thouroughly enjoyed it and take back most of the bad things I have said about UPN.

My brother Jim had come back just about the same time cousin Michael had come to find out if we wanted to play Catan. Again, I got sucked in. Again, my brother Jim won. The highlight of the game was I had ordered a breakfast burrito at around 10 in the morning. I still have my watch set on DC time [2 hours ahead of Arizona], DCo Time. Shortly after finishing the game, the entire 11 member Cohen gang moved onto lunch in town at The Wildflower Bread Company.

The Wildflower Bread Company is much like Cosi's or another place like that. It had sanwhiches and salads and other things of the sort. Nothing special. I, still quite full from the breakfast burrito, opted to get a Caesar salad. This thing came with, for some reasons, mushrooms? I mean, come on. It had way too much cheese, the lettuce was pretty big also. Afterwards, my brothers and my Dad got ice cream from the Cold Stone Creamery in the same shopping centre that seemed like in a few years it would have an Apple Store. I am afraid to eat out and dine out, I have decided. I like to carry out, that is just my way.

So, we were done with lunch, and we were now headed to the Palatki Ancient Indian Ruins! This involved driving back towards the resort, but going left instead of right down a 5 mile dirt [red Airzona dust] road. Once we got there, it was pretty spectacular, though. The park rangers and everyone who worked there were very nice and loved to talk about the pictographs and the way the Palatki lived.

We drove back, I took a shower, and then we headed to the Yavapi Restaurant. This was the fancy restaurant at our resort. You had to look nice, no 'denims' or any of the sort, you know? So, I put on this mad bomb new sweater I got a few days before coming out here. It multiplies my style by 5 times, at least.

During the meal, my cousin started to play 20 questions. This got out of hand as we were all asking more than 20 questions, but it was fun. I had the biggest stumpers. My first one was "The Pythagorean Theorem" which took them a long long time to figure out. The second was "Star Wars Episode 6: Return of the Jedi," which they were close but my Mom kept on suggesting "Star Wars" which was not what I was looking for. My final one was a real stumpper: "Tomahawk" They got really close and then kept on hovering around 'javelin," "spear," "dart" and things of that nature. Finally, my Uncle Fred, who had been at the other end of the table and had been listening in for 3 minutes or so got it after guessing a few things. He is incredibly smart.

For the meal at the AAA Four Diamond rated Yavapai Restaurant I got a Caesar salad and the Buffalo. Now, my first experience with grilled buffalo was this past summer at the most amazing dinner I think I have ever had at the Wild Rice Restaurant in Bayfield, WI. Wild Rice was better than Yavapai, but Yavapai was pretty good too. The Buffalo was in a weird southwestern sauce kind of thing, but it was tasty. The Caesar salad was put into this baked cylander of parmesan which made it difficult to enjoy. For dinner, I got the Artisanal selection of cheese again. They gave me less than at the less fancy restaurant, but it was fine, I had filled up on bread. That is what I think the really fancy restaurants do. They give you a lot of bread in between the many courses and give you a little bit of food on your plate and you leave really full. I had a Cherry Coke before dinner and a Cherry Coke with my buffalo. I guess I have been having a lot more Cherry Coke on this trip than normal. But that is what vacations are for, relaxing to MAXXXXXXX.

So, tomorrow I go home until the 3rd of January when I and Willis drive back to A² for Winter Semester. This trip has been relaxing and great, but I really want my vacations about going home, sitting on the couch, watching movies, and eating Pumpernickel's and Chipotle. A weekful of old high school weekends.

Arizona 2005 (Day 3)

December 26, 2005

So, Today in Arizona was Monday, and filled with a Red Jeep Tour and a dinner at Dahl & Diluca Ristorante Italiano. I also visited the Mii Amo Spa.

I woke up when my brother Jim started watching TV. It was that movie The Perfect Score. We, both of my brothers and I, walked down to the Mii Amo spa to get some breakfast. It was a sort of fancy breakfast. It would have probably been better if I was into the whole relaxing smoothies and teas and Crystal Grottos they offer. I had the egg white omelet [note: don't get spinach in your omelets]. Afterwards we returned to our casita and was invited by a perky cousin Michael to play Settler's of Catan.

For those of you not familiar with Settler's of Catan, consider yourself both lucky and lacking in the most amazing board game experience you will ever have in your life. This game of Catan was further augmented by the expansion pack Cities and Knights of Catan which, I mean, made the entire game that much more stunning.

So, we played Catan until lunch time. The game ended with my brother Jim winning. Apparently he plays up at school, being a botany nerd and all. There was a highly contested problem with how many victory points the Longest Road was worth, but it all worked out well in the end. It was then lunch time.

We ordered lunch through the room service to be delivered to the pool area where we would eat. We, my brothers and cousins, headed down to the pool area to meet Aunt Caroline and Cousin Jane. They were just sitting down to their own lunch after a swim. While we waited for our food to come, brother Sam and Cousin Michael went to play the croquet courts. After a while, I joined them and discovered my highly accurate croquet swing. Strait through between the legs, people. Then, lunch came.

I had a Homemade Cherry Coke wrapped in shrink-plastic-wrap-stuff, and a chicken pizza. Now, let me tell you one thing about the food here. They love to call things "Desert," "Arizona," "Southwest," and other adjectives of the sort. So, you don't just get a Caesar salad. You get an "Arizona Caesar Salad" which is just a caesar salad with a few red spices. Nothing special. Don't get the pizza. The style of pizza they were going for would require a good crust, and they just didn't have one. Too bad.

Immediately after lunch was the Red Jeep Tour. The Red Jeep Tour cowboys had the driest (or desert) humor known to man: "I'm working on my second million. I gave up on my first." "That back seat hasn't fallen off today" "Man, this is much less fun sober!" I wasn't expecting such a style of humor from these cowboys as they showed us Soldier's Pass Trail. It was really cool and I felt surprisingly safe going down super steep rocks. I mean, I hate roller coasters, but this was slightly fun at some points. No roll overs, cool.

So, we got back from the Red Jeep Tour, and I was about to go take a shower, when my father asked if I wanted to get a schvitz with him. I decided what the hey and whent down to the Mii Amo Spa with papa for a sweat and a swim and a shower afterwards.

Being in a 190° hot steaming small wooden room is the perfect way to spend your time at the spa. Feel your body just float away in a dizzy slumberlike state sitting next to a dude who has his legs open and no towel on. I respectfully sat in the room with my Pa, in our swim trunks, for about 7 or so minutes, then we went into the pool. Then, we went back for another 5 minutes. Then, we went back to the pool. Then my brother Sam showed up, who was working out before. We all sat in the hot pool/tub/whirpool(?) thing for a bit, and then he left. I, and my pa, whent back and showered.

So, after the sweating for fun we, two Cohen families, celebrated Hannukah Night 2. I didn't get anything, but I already have so much stuff. It is all damn good, you know? So, then we went to the Dahl & Diluca Ristorante Italiano about 14 minutes away. It was a nice place. My favorite part of the evening was when the musicians played the title song from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Besides that, Three Cherry Cokes, A Caesar Salad, and two Lamb Chops filled me up nicely. On the way back to the resort, I to pee harshly. But, I peed.

Fun day, tomorrow is the last full day.

Arizona 2005 (Day 2)

December 25, 2005

This morning was a 7 AM wake up (9 AM DC Time) so we could go to the Grand Canyon. 2 hour drive there and back. I had always seen pictures of the Canyon and it did seem big, but I did not really know realize it until I got off the van and looked out and said "Holy Moly." I usually don't say "Holy Moly," but this was a special circumstance, it seemed. It was pretty big

We were getting a Grand Canyon Tour from Canyon Dave. Canyon Dave knew a lot about the Canyon. However, we were joined by his equally educated wife, Dora "The Explorer." She was very nice as the 11 member Cohen family packed into the 15 passenger Canyon Dave van. I spent the time in the van playing car gars with my 12.5 year old cousin Michael, and by listening to some phatty Phish jams. Dora also told us some facts about the Canyon and the surrounding ecosystem.

We got out of the van at the South Rim and walked down a bit on the Bright Angel trail thingy. The view was incredible, I mean, you can see the Canyon in photos, but it was just amazing. The color of the further rocks fade by the distance, only enhance the scope of the place. Huge, big.

So, after the Canyon, we drove through some Navajo place.... I mean, seriously, I already typed this once, and it was funny, I thought, but then something on the blog thingy ate it, so i am rushing through to get to the next part... so blah blah Navajo thing.

So, after the Canyon, after Navajo country, we got to the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument which was 'dope/fly.' The volcanic oozage had created some squeezed up rock formations. It looked like a black top from back at Lafayette, but darker, richer, and not full of Safety-Orange playground equipment.

After that, we took the 2 hour drive back as the sun was setting and got back to the resort. Dora "the Explorer" was a great guide for the day and did not completely want to destroy all of us by the end of it from the talking, and the asking of the questions, and the family drama that always occurs on a vacation, no matter what. So, we got back to the resort, hung out for about 17 minutes, and hooked back to the Lobby area for dinner at the same place we had it last night, enchanting.

However, tonight was different. First night of Chanukah! We needed latkes, but they were not on the menu. No matter, at this place, they would give you Vampire Blood if you asked for it to create an Anti-Vampire Potion. So, we asked, they did... they made us latkes. A fair amount, and they were good, damn good; damn good latkes. For dinner, I had three Bar-Concocted Cherry Cokes, and for dessert I had the Artisanal assortment of cheeses. For real dinner, I shared the fish tacos and carne asada (which I assume they stole from the T'Bell) fajitas with my brother, Sam. By the end of the meal, I wanted to burst. It probably didn't help that I had three Cherry Cokes, Two dishes, and some (fine artisanal) cheeses.

After dinner, presents were exchanged. I got this bomb looking pair of J Crew socks. Despite them not fitting into my normal "Smart Wool Only" line-up of socks, they are greatly appreciated for their bomb lookingness style. I cannot find them on the internet to provide example, but they are black with green tipped tips. Tomorrow we have a 'free morning' and in the afternoon there are some kind of Jeep Tour or something like that. My brother Jim is skipping them, and I may as well and go see a flick nearby. For dinner, I believe we are going to get steaks and grill them on grills provided for us by the resort. Luckily for me, I have an appropriate t-shirt.

Arizona 2005 (Day 1)

December 24, 2005

So, this morning, I went to sleep at 2 AM. I was awoken around 5 AM for our 7 AM flight to Phoenix. Our car was a little late, my brother Sam said it smelled a little. I found no problem with it. It is about a five hour flight to Phoenix, and then a two hour drive to Sedona, Arizona. Two hour time difference coupled with some phatty Phish Jams has made the day so far tiring and exciting at the same time.

After we, my dad, mom, and two brothers, got into the Phoenix airport, we had to wait a whole damn hour for us to get our luggage. I mean, it was rediculous how slow it was. When someone complained, they responded that they have less staff around Christmas time. First of all, I thought that Monday was Christmas, shows what I know. Also, why wouldn't they hire a larger staff because of the greater influx of travelers around the holidays? Either way, after an hour and some change, we got out of there and on the road north.

We stopped at Kid Chilleen's Bad Ass Bbq and Steakhouse which on the outside, and the location, did not look very welcoming. However, this was some damn fine food. I got the BBQ Brisket Sandwich which totally hit the spot I had been longing for since not eating the entire day. Snap. Then, we were off!

On our drive up, we took a slight detour (although I had awoken half way through it and kept on asking what was going on and no one said anything to me) to visit Montezuma Castle National Monument. It was some pretty cool dwelling [see lo-quality imagery below].

Afterwards we hopped back in our red rental mini van and drove up to Sedona towards the Enchantment Resort which offers "world-class comforts amid its pristine 70-acre setting." This place is pretty fancy. Way too fancy for me, but I am not complaining... yet. Tonight there is star gazing with a NASA engineer, apparently. All I want to do right now is go to the bar and get a Cherry Coke, but I have absolutely no friggin' idea how to get around this place.

We are in a "casita," whatever that means in German, which is a little home amongst a group of other little homes that is not directly connected to the main lobby. Ergo, if one would want to get a Cherry Coke, one would have to go out side in the pristine 70-acre setting and walk up to the main area to get it. I mean, give me a break. The help here, however, are very perky, but they come off a little insincere, I think. They are like the Zingerman's people who pride themselves on customer service, but the Zingerman's people seem genuine, maybe because I know them outside of work and they wear jeans and t-shirts.

We had dinner at the "casual" dining restaurant, but their inability to seat 11 of us on such short notice after realizing they got the reservation wrong (6 at 6 PM, instead of 11 at 6 30PM) made us sit in our own room off of the regular restaurant. Which is not any problem, because you realize that it makes it feel like more more a family dinner than us at a restaurant. This is the restaurant that is at the same resort, but in a different building. I get the whole idea of the resort, but there is something to be said for tall buildings and elevators. However, in this landscape, it probably would be incredibly stupid to build tall buildings and get nowhere near the height of the mountain landscape.

I got some boneless buffalo wings and some pasta. The wings felt like they had these chicken wings that were frozen, so they cooked them all the way through and they were hot, but they meat just wasn't that tender, I thought. They were too big to be wings, and too small to be tenders. The bleu cheese sauce on the side was watery also. I got the feeling it wasn't their speciality. The pasta, on the other hand, was very good. I can't describe it considering I don't exactly remember what was on there besides cheese, mushrooms and some kind of sauce. I also remember that I did not eat all of it because I was full from wings and chips.

I came back to the "casita" and watched an episode of Family Guy I had downloaded. Tomorrow, the Grand Canyon.

Driving Home (Winter Break 2005)

December 20, 2005

So, I woke up at 7 02AM, got in at 4 30PM. In between I stopped, I believe at almost every rest stop on the Ohio and Pennsylvania Turnpikes. My first stop, however, was at a McDonald's somewhere. I mean, oh my god. My damn stomach. It hasn't felt the same since.

New Facebook "Pulse" Shows Most People Are Tools

December 20, 2005

So, there is this new thing on the Facebook called the "Pulse" which is just an aggregation of all the information people pour into the database about their likes. Now, I am going to be first to say, this just shows that all the users on there are fucking tools, with Family Guy being the #1 TV Show, Old School getting #2 Movie, and that stupid Da Vinci Code grabbing the top spot for books.

Follow me as I explain why this Pulse is just plain wrong and broken.

It sickens me that Garden State and Napoleon Dynamite are so high there on the list. The only redeeming thing about this Pulse is that it shows that the University of Michigan has slightly better taste than the rest of the Info Sucking Facebook. Lost makes it on the UM list at number 9, and not on the Entire Facebook top 10 at all. Also, the UM movie top 10 features Shawshank Redemption, a completely respectable choice.

However, the whole thing just shows me how people are throwing away a great chance at creating a good view of what a college student is today. They just pump in every movie and every band they have ever seen or listened to instead of restricting it to their real favorites. No one can have 27 favorites bands. At the most, maybe 10, but that is unrealistic. Movies, of course, you could have more than one favorite, but not more than 10. Maybe one in each genre, but there is always one over all the others you would rather watch.

Overall, every person on the Facebook, excluding me, has contributed to creating the most homogeneous aggregation of idiot information ever. Thanks for ruining it, fucking tools.

Furthermore here is another thing i just saw:

1.3% of Michigan loves to watch Shawshank Redemption.

Now, Shawshank Redemption is number 5 of the list of Michigan student's favorite movies. I will consider that people may call it "The Shawshank Redemption" or just spell it wrong (I mean, who can spell anyway when they just a red dotted line below anything these days). The aggregation of data is just meaningless because it accounts that all of the movies people list are equal. However, that is not the case. Personally, the movies I list are mostly all equal for 100% quality rating. On the other hand, the music I list are just a few artists I like.

What does it mean? It means this is just another thing put up by the nice people at Facebook to rake in more advertising dollars instead of really improving the site as a whole. Don't get me wrong, it is a great way to connect people, it has worked much better than Friendster and (ugh) MySpace.

What would be more useful is include an AJAX-enchanced way of rating all the items you list as favorite movies, books, music, and etc. That way the organizing of the items would be quick and responsive and make the overall data more useful. Factor into the Pulse the individual ratings in some kind of equation/algorithm. Also, get some word recognition in there. If people spell something wrong or leave out a "the" in a title it just doesn't work as well. 1.3% of an entire population shouldn't be able to define what number five is on a list of Top 10 movies at the University of Michigan of Facebook users.

I'm Back in DC, are you?

December 19, 2005

Danny is in DC until the 24th-28th (Arizona Trip), and then until the 3rd.

Surprising Mom (Winter 2005)

December 18, 2005

I came home a day early to surprise my Mom. It worked.

Missings DVDs

December 17, 2005

So, right now, I am missing Braveheart and my copy of Shawshank Redemption.. I am thinking someone may have jacked them while I was at camp. Also, the copy of Forest Gump I bought, no longer resides with me......

Too bad Delicious Library doesn't remember the last time I watched a movie :(

Ending Fall 2005

December 15, 2005

So, this semester will come to a close around 6 10 when I hand in my screenplay for my screenwriting class. It is my final assignment. Then, tomorrow and saturday, is the Lightworks Festival which I am helping out at. On Monday, I am driving home so I can be back in time to catch a new episode of Arrested Development.

Was this semester hard? I enjoyed it much more than my other fall semester I have had. Let me tell you, living in a house is so much better than a dorm. The whole atmosphere is better, and everything. A fridge with mostly food instead of keeping alchohol cold for others to drink. Being able to cook steak and cookies to enjoy while sitting on a couch that is not disgusting. This is the life, eh?

I sleep under my desk

The classes were not too bad. I am continuously in the mind set that college is easier than high school. TV History turned out good, and so did Anthro, I think, I mean, when I say good, I am not talking about the grades. I am very happy I got the chance to take Digital Media Theory rather than a classical or contemporary type Theory class. The class had interesting topics and showed how old ideas about film can be applied to new media.

Screenwriting. I had a good time and I liked the instructor. No matter what happens, if I get into Screenwriting II or not, I will have had a good time doing it, and I am going to keep on writing. Maybe I can be one of those people with a story that no one believed in me until I became the greatest in the worldest.

Now, let's get this week over with, get home, go to Arizona, come back to home, enjoy new years, come back to A², and get my Winter 2005 semester on.

"Welcome To The Bootytronics"

December 13, 2005

This is a song in the genre of Bootytronica. I hope you enjoy it.

Welcome to the Bootytronics (AAC Download)

The Laundry Bag Set Up (Part 2)

December 12, 2005

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

December 09, 2005

I figured out how to make my chocolate chip cookies much better than usual. I took them out before they looked like they were finished... that was good.

So, when it says 9-11 minutes, take it out at 9 minutes rather than 11 or 12 or whenever they look done if you want them to be chewy.

Danny Dances for FVSA

December 03, 2005

Someone needs to tell me not to go to class

November 30, 2005

I threw up 5 hours ago. It was 6 AM, and I threw up, after waking up in the middle of the night. This was not, however, the same throwing up as a week and a half ago. This was violent and unfettered. Afterwards, I felt like passing out, but I couldn't. My throw feels still volatile, my stomach week.

This is what I get for my jovial diet of Cherry Coke and Hard Uncooked Pasta.

I tried to get through my morning class (after ignoring my alarm for 50 minutes) but only made 30 minutes of it, and now I am back home. My mom says I should go to the University Health, but I don't feel like it at the moment. I have a screening this afternoon I really don't want to miss for TV History.

THanksgiving2005 Thursday

November 26, 2005

Thanksgiving Day: what did I do? I.... hung out... went to Dean & Deluca with relatives... had Thanksgiving dinner... watched LOST 3.8....

I realize I don't like Turkey that much, or any of the Thanksgiving foods. I guess that is why I headed to McDonald's at night. Then, I tried to watch Time Bandits, but got tired... I feel sick. Meh.

At the end of the day, I sorted through some VHSes I had, and found a mother's day edition of SNL. Then my brother came in, and asked me about my fear of death... and I still have a problem with it. It is like all the time, in the back of my head, I am thinking about not living forever, and it is just ruining my times. When I say "I love you," I am thinking about the times when I will not be able to. And it is just horrible.

THanksgiving2005 Wednesday

November 24, 2005

So, Wednesday I awoke and went over to Pumpernickel's to get a gyro, and a Dr. Pepper, to settle back down and watch my homework: episode 1 of Soprano's. About 16 minutes in I paused, and I don't remember why, but I got a call from Swest. He advised me to come by Chipotle, the old Max.

At Chipotle, I saw many people which is always nice. I didn't get anything because I already had my lunch. My original schedule was to get it at 3 30, but this was one o' clock so I was not hungry yet. I still haven't gotten a burrito, and I have been here two days... gah!

Sam, Gabby, and I decided to get haircuts. We went to Camilo's, and as we were sitting, I got the feeling of wanting to go to the bathroom. So, I left Camilo's and he tried to get me to stay, but I yelled to him, and the rest of the barbershop, "I have to go to the bathroom." I drove home, and then returned to get a hair cut. Afterwards, I found out people were at Sam's house, so I stopped by there before heading back home.

The Evening

The evening was cold, and windy, and snowy, and wet. I had my waterproof shoes and my deep weather jacket, so all was good.

It was my father's birthday, and we went to this restaurant called Charlie Palmer's, with my family, and several extended family members. The resturant was slow with the service, meh with the food, and the resturant was cold. I got a salad to begin with, which was bland, and the steak I got was too glazy saucy. It was a good place to go to, though, because us as a family could hang out good with each other.

After the dinner, I returned home, and called around to find out what people were up to. I finally got and picked up Sual from his home and headed over to Vladeck's house to chill with other people. Afterwards, a trip to Aloews. It is really good to see people, and I was glad I went out, which I normally don't do, but on this occiasion, I needed to. Then, home for sleep.

Driving Home for Thanksgiving 2005

November 23, 2005

I left around 2 35, and got in around 12 30. What should have taken 8 hours took longer. It was the weather, it was the storm. It was my vehicle in two inches of snow and the roads stopped.

The plan for the drive home was to leave at 3 with Ian, go by W&J, pick up Brendan, and get home. The first step was waking up in the morning, actually, I had been mentally preparing for this day since last week, mostly beacuse of my stomach. My stomach is always a problem, but on the road, It is not really.

So, my Anthro lecture ended about 15 minutes early today and I was able to rush to Zingerman's to get three loaves of bread to bring home to my family. I chose the Chocolate Sourdough, the Chile & Cheese, and the Pepper Parmesan. I made it back around 11 45, and skipped lunch because of fear of upsetting my stomach. I went to class until 2 (which consisted of Cosby and Simpsons), and came home and got my things ready.

I loaded my backpack with all my portable mage pieces. I brought home a laundry bag full of clothing, so I didn't need to pack any other clothes. There was my old man jacket, which is also my traveling jacket, and my heavy jacket which is my heavy jacket. The bag of Zingerman's bread came along. I also burned another 6-disc driving mix, which features some of the old favorites from previous "Summer Mix 2005" and "Driving Up to School 2005" mixes. One can only hope "Spring Driving Mix 2006," will be as epic as this mix.

So, Ian loaded his things in the car, and we started off around 2 35.

The Drive

Shortly after picking them up, we made our way to a huge Sheetz place for more gas and food. I declined to get a good looking Krispy Kreme in fear of needing to poop and slowing us down. Also, there was some water and old trail mix in the car from my drive up last summer... oh yeah. I drove out of the gas station and back onto the highway.

As we pushed on into West Virginia, things were looking incredibly bad. It was a blizzard, about, with 2 inches of snow on the ground. Now, I had never driven in the snow before, but I quickly realized "don't do anything stupid fast." I got a hang of it, but we were driving at 10~15MPH and conditions were just getting worse. We could see cars on the side of hills in positions that were incredibly ludicrous. At one point, the traffic just stopped. We were behind a truck, and I was thinking that it was just way to diffcult. I was seriously thinking that, by accident, we would end up needing rescuing.

So, Ian volunteered to switch, as I had been driving for the past 5 hours and seemed to be unsure of driving in these conditions. Thank god he did. Ian and I switched spots on I-68, on the highway. That is something I didn't realize until far after it happend. I am upset because I did not have my camera out to take any pictures of all of this. When I was driving, the snow coming down and towards the car looked like some person scrambling angel hair pasta all over the windshield.

At one point, the windshield wipers became useless beacuse they picked up so much ice. We stopped at the Maryland Welcome Center, that was not so welcoming, while I went to pee and we tried to clean off the wipers. There was a sketchy (dog. go, go, go!) lerking at us through another building's windows. I acknowledged him, but he was still sketch (dog. go, go, go!) and we were happy to get out of there. Since that, it seem the dude was a pixie and placed a hex on our car for safe passage.

We finally made it to DC and I dropped all of them off at the Alfano residence, and I made my way to pick us some toiletries I forgotten (all of them) back at 711, and to get some McDonald's. Once that was done, I headed on home.

There is ice on my car. I am happy I am home. I saw my mother, I hugged her, It's good to be here.

I just threw up, too much Olive Oil

November 21, 2005

So, I just threw up. And I realize, I am really good at throwing up, when it rarely occurs. I was able to identify it about 7 minutes ahead, and then a minute before, I got out of bed, put some pants on, and waited near the toilet. I hit the toilet, easy as pie. I am really good at this. I have a feeling that the source of this vomiting, besides the oncoming cold, was the dinner I cooked tonight. It had too much olive oil.

I guess I shouldn't have deviated from my normal way of cooking steak. I normally spice it with cumin and chili powder, but tonight I did some thyme, sage, and rosemary with olive oil. I think it was the olive oil that did me in. I used too much. Or maybe it was the defrosting the steak that was no good... or maybe I am sick and I have been ignoring it.

Either way, since I had cooked that steak, I had, let's not try to be pretty about this, some pretty slippery stools. And then there were sometimes when there was a runway but no jet, if you get my drift.

So, I laid down to sleep, and tried to listen to some music, but my stomach was saying "hey, ehdiought, get out of the damn bed." So, I got out, and I feel a bit better now, I think. I don't feel comfortable yet going to sleep. Also, I wonder if this will affect my overall perfect attendence record in college? (although it counts for nothing).

I hope it does not mean I am sick, but merly I should've gone to sleep earlier, ( not 2 30 AM), not try to cook fancily with olive oil, and tell me I have eaten too much crap lately. But, seriously, isn't uncooked pasta , chili cheese bread, and Cherry Coke a breakfast?

I didn't realize it until I typed it just now, but I had the weirdest breakfast today. Whoaw, College.

When To Get a Thanksgiving Burrito?

November 20, 2005

When will it be proper to get a Thanksgiving burrito from Chipotle. Wednesday at 3 30 PM?

Will I Make it? Or will I Do Laundry?

November 15, 2005

So, I am going to be going home Tuesday the 22nd, with my laundry. However, it might be a lot, or a little, depending on if my underwear holds steady. I have five pairs left. Let's look at the scenario's of how to make my underwear last, or not...

Scenario 1 Normalcy I continue doing what I normally do. Everyday I have class or have to interact with people for work, I will take a shower. Consequently, I will change my underwear. (Despite what campers do, it is not a shower unless you change all your clothes (except for pants if they are clean, because, come on, they are pants.) Therefore, that comes to 5 days. Tomorrow, Wednesday, Thursday, Next Monday, and Next Tuesday. What happened to the three day weekend? I have no class those days, and no need to interact with folks. Therefore, I will just make it.

Scenario 2 Too Much To Do I continue doing what I normally do, but I must interact with people on the three day weekend. Therefore, at least 1 extra shower is added, upsetting the fine balance I have left in the bank. At the most, 8 pairs are needed, which will warrant an immediate laundry load.

Scenario 3 Whatever I don't shower, I don't wear new underwear (barring some night problem) and I smell. Seems unlikely.

Scenario 4 Meh Similar to Whatever, except it goes against a clear principle from Scenario 1: " it is not a shower unless you change all your clothes." This scenario plays out showering, but not changing underwear, which just doesn't make sense. Which seems unlikely.

So, either way, I will end up with a cache of 0 pairs of underwear or having to do a load of laundry.

I bought Wind Waker today

November 13, 2005

So, today, I bought Wind Waker from B est Buy. It was a horrible experience . I have gotten about 5 more pages in Homemade Zoo, and I need two more to get to the 90 page minimum. I was able to add more pages (PDF download)
from the inspiration of my horrible purchasing experience.

My eye is still twitching, and I just might, in fact, go crazy from panic attacks about death.

First Draft of Homemade Zoo Done

November 05, 2005

So, tonight, after powering through, I finished the screenplay for my Screenwriting 1 class that I have titled "Homemade Zoo." ( I originally wrote about this idea about three months ago). Right now, it is a little short, but I am hoping that through editing, I can push it into a nice length. If you want to take a look at it, just contact me. If you are important enough to look at it, you know how to get a hold of me.

My eye is twitching

October 31, 2005

Every so often, my eye lid is twitching, it is weird, it goes for like a second or two. Anyone?

Upstairs at 711: 10.28.05

October 29, 2005

31 minutes long. 10.28.05 at 21 MB.

Staying Up late to do an Anthro Paper

October 28, 2005

So, tonight, and tomorrow, well, this afternoon, today, I am confused as to what the time is.... I have a paper due in anthropology. I had put it off until tonight. So, after four hours of strait class, and 1.5 hours of improv inferno, I finally got to work. All I needed to do was finish the paper. I have Phish's Junta to keep me company.

Here are my notes while working on it:

Goooooo Blue Jackets

October 21, 2005

Tonight, after the first day of training was over, we all headed over to watch the Columbus Blue Jackets play in the Nationwide Arena [on your side] which was about four blocks from where we were all staying and doing business. This was my first NHL game experience, and most likely my first non-mighty ducks non-sega genesis hockey experience

I had never seen hockey played before for real, and I have to admit, I was entranced by it. The idea of continus gameplay, whilst players are coming on and off the ice and maybe a helmet or a broken stick is on there. I had a small Dr. Pepper, a thing of over buttered and over salted pop corn (which I didn't finish), and an upatizing hot dog with mustard and onions. You know, after having great hot dogs, such as from Red Hot Lovers, one cannot go back easily to piece of crap arena-dogs.

At one point, it was three against four (not including goalies) and one of the people on the three side broke his stick. So, he was just using his whole body out there to get the job done, and it was fantastic. Again, the continuous gameplay versus that seen in football or basketball. There should be more sports like that where the gameplay is not always interrupted or done in short spurts or segments. Ultimate Frisbee has more continous gameplay which is part of why it is such an amazing sport.

IN the end, the Blue Jackets (the union) won 4 to 1 over those pesky San Jose Sharks. My first NHL experience was very different from what I had seen in Airborne.

Ride to Columbus, OH (Through Marion)

October 21, 2005

Today, this morning, I woke up after a night of trouble falling asleep and a cheeseburger. I woke up at 7 Am to go to Columbus, OH. I went and picked up Josh from his apartment complex, and then got on the road. We dropped down 23, but at one point, my stomach started to hurt, right around Marion, Ohio. In Marion, Ohio, we stopped at the McDonalds, and that was where there was some drama.

Now, let me paint the picture. I really needed to go to the bathroom, and I thought that McDonald's would have a good one. When pushed open the door, it really swung open unhibitably from hinges and slammed into the wall. Then, when I went to open the closed door of the bathroom stall, it seemed that someone in there. The stupid lock doesn't work. I said "sorry, sorry." And stayed outside of the tiny room until he left. Then, I went in, and while I was in there someone opened the door on me. This was, without a doubt, one of the worst McDonald's bathrooms I went in. They had a roll of paper towels on the sink that was in any dispenser.

But, I think it had wireless internet.

Jew Zone from Drexel is Racist

October 20, 2005

The Most Amazing Schedule

October 18, 2005

So, I just realized, as I was peeing, that I just had a five day weekend, and now I am going to have a two day week, followed by a three day weekend (which I have every week). Why didn't we have stuff like this in high school, jeez! This weekend, however, I am going on an overnight trip to Columbus on Friday to Saturday mid day... FUN FUN FUN!

Eye Candy's Party Animals

October 17, 2005

So, last night, instead of staying home and watching TV (which reminds me, I need to go downstairs and watch some TV), I went over to the Improv Inferno to see the improv supergroup Eye Candy present the world debut of their comedy show pilot Party Animals. Not only did they show their pilot, but they also did about 45 minutes of improv which was just incredible.

I got there about 15 minutes early while they were still doing the Open Mike night, so I sat and watched the last few minutes of this guy's act. He was funny, no doubt, but he kept on looking at the wall beside him, which was kinda weird. Then, the place started to fill up, fast. People knew about this pilot, and they knew it was gonna be funny. I did not know, however, that it would be an hour until Party Animals started, and that in the meantime Eye Candy would be performing live. And it was a good thing I didn't know because these guys were hilarious. It was five of them, just never breaking characters, always knowing what is going on with the other guy. It was like they were neurologically connected at the hip. Each imrpov skit was wildly connected with the previous one, they kept on going back to jokes earlier in the show.

The imrpov was good, and then the Party Animals came on. Party Animals was a very good show. It took something like MTV's the real world, threw it into a scripted context, and then just introduced the characters through each other and from outer perspective. They only mention that the camera is there once, I think, although they do bludgeon a sound guy. I think they sort of took the whole idea of the camera being there not to the fullest extreme. Although the "ladies man" of the group did get raped by an overweight woman(?) and tried to play it off as him getting some at the party the previous evening.

Afterwards, I got some NYPD, and watched some AD, and whent to SLEEP, so it was a good evening out on the town with myself.... oh dear.

Loft Adjustment

October 15, 2005

Today, I switched my loft from having my bed on top, to having it on bottom. It meant a little bit of cosmetic construction to have a lot more convenience. Having to climb down in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom is a pain, and getting up there when I am tired is hard also. So, this just meant sense, and after Pug did the same for his room (desk on top, bed on bottom), and was willing to help me out.

The day began with a trip to the Lumber yard with Pug. We picked up three 12 foot two by fours to fix up my loft. He did most (all) of the construction, but I was a good assistant. The choice of how to set up the loft was pure scientific:

Feet of Loft Height	Hours	Activity
3	9	Sleeping
5	15	At the Desk

We can look at the number of feet for each section, sleeping or desk area, as a function of how much time I will spend there. I spend, on average per week, nine hours a day in my bed, and the rest of my time either at my desk or somewhere else. Therefore, it was simple. The current loft was the same, pretty much, but the bed was on top, which was just not useful at all.

I moved all my stuff into Ian's room, except for the mattress, which was kept on top until it was go time.

We began by sawing off three out of the four legs, but not too much. Then we cut the 12 foot 2 by 4's in half to put in as support beams. Then, they were attached underneath. Finally, diagonal cross support beams were laid in. Then, the fourth leg was cut all the way off. It was pretty cool, actually, because everything sort of whent upside down.

Finally, we knocked out the rest of the legs and the thing came down slowly, but surely. Now, I have everything set back up. My big black desk, actually, was falling apart. The only part of the project I actually did was something after Pug left for the evening. I attached a little shelf onto a support beam to hold my alarm clock and glasses case. In all, this is very good.

Preview of Little Manhattan

October 11, 2005

Last night for my screenwriting class I saw a preview of the new movie Little Manhattan, which I was taking as the "most adorable love story ever." But, in reality, it is about this 11 year-old's first love in the span of two and a half weeks. It was wholesome, touching, sweet, and really funny. The writer/director team were there of Mark Levin and Jennifer Flacket and they talked and answered questions from us after the movie was shown. This movie was really really good, I cannot stress this enough.

This was a movie that has been on my list of "Movies to See" for a while, ever since I saw the trailer. The main kid in it was just great. He was a good actor, and his crying was good, and the way he spoke was good. This is going places, he's got talent. It had that guy who I used to think of as evil from the West Wing and Billy Madison, but now he seemed humbled in this movie.

The duo talked about how they wanted to have more control over what they write. They used to write movies, but after they wrote them and sold them, they lost control over it. So, they wrote this movie, and made a little trailer from old Woody Allen movies, and showed the script+fake trailer around to people to show that not only can they write, but they know the visual aspects of directing. And they do, they did a really superb job in this movie, it was funny, and they got the kids to be very emotion-projecting.

I cannot express the glee that I had after this movie was over, and during it, it was just great great great... go see it.

It got very cold quickly around here

October 10, 2005

So, last night, I broke out my level 3 blanketing system for sleep. Level 1 is no blanket, which is what I was using when I first got to school, because it was just hot hot hot. Level 2 is a blanket I have, that has some coldness protection, but not ultimate layered. Level 3, which is what was used last night, is my comforter. It got cold up here very suddenly. I wake up, and now, I am cold. I don't like it, very much, no thank you.

Yesterday, I was walking back from office hours at starbucks, and I thought of how comfortable the weather is outside. It seems that, waking up is cold, but the rest of the day is comfortable. Thank you son. But, I was walking back from office hours, and I thought about how it is going to get really cold here, like 10 degree, less, cold, and it was going to snow. And I thought about last year, and it isn't that big of a deal. I had me a slice of NYPD chicken and tomato, 'cause I was around Liberty St area, and I was thinking about pizza, and I had pizza last night also from Cottage Inn.

The whole point is, it is going to get cold, there is nothing one can do about it, but soon my body will readjust, as it did last year, to make 30 degrees a day at the beach. What would one have, 30 and cloudy, or 15 and sunny?

For Wahlberg

October 09, 2005

M

We Should've Listened to Danny (Let the Heart Speak Edition)

October 08, 2005

Download We Should've Listened to Danny (Let the Heart Speak Edition). It is in an ongoing series of We Should've Listened to Danny posters up in 711A.

Zoom in on Design (11)

October 02, 2005

New Shoes, XCR's

September 27, 2005

So, I was sitting on the porch with Devan and I mentioned how I thought my shoes were going to come today. Just at that point, the UPS man came with my new shoes. my new Montrail Hurricane Ridge XCR : Trail Running Shoes. They are very nice fitting. They are waterproof with some Gore-Tex, and because they are waterproof there is no tounge on the shoe, so you have to work the foot into it some. But, they look cool, and feel nice, and finally I have some really nice shoes instead of the New Balances that fall apart and last long...

Pedal for a Medal Fall 2005

September 27, 2005

Today, I agreed to help out Colin with his Peddleboat race on the Huron River. I would be paddling a canoe with the cameraman in it. So, around 5 30 I packed into Colin's car and we drove town to the river. My job was to steer the canoe that Logan was in, while he was filming. I failed miserably. See, but it wasn't my fault. Because, I had the job of blowing the starting horn, so, already, I was not able to paddle at the beginning. Furthermore, to get close enough to hear Colin's directions, I had to be too close that starting from a dead start with another person in the canoe is too difficult.

So, once the race started, with about 9 teams in peddle-boats and me in a canoe, soloing with someone else in there, I started to paddle as hard as I could to get some movement going on. Then I turned perpendicular to the racers, and I collided with Colin's boat, and he was quite upset, naturally. Well, eventually, we got out of each other's ways.

I mean, come on, seriously, you have me starting for a cold dead start with another person in the canoe, it is going to be a little tough.

Whatever, it was nice to get back in a lake and canoe again, espcailly outside of camp... It is so relaxing... damn yeah.

Burin' down the house.

September 25, 2005

So, last wednesday night, or maybe it was early Thursday morning (this daylight saving time is doing nothing for my internal clock), I awoke in the middle of the night, and it sort of smelled like someone was curing some meats below me. My room is in right above the kitchen, so sometimes the smells come up, and because my bed is lofted, I get the heavier hotter smells of cooked foods. I got down from my loft, whent to my bathroom about two feet away, and went back to sleep, wondering if maybe Colin was cooking up something. I went back to sleep...

In the morning, I awoke, and Steve, Frey, and Pug were downstairs and told me that during the night the house up the street caught fire. I said "oh shit." They then informed that one of the guys in the house was criticall injurned. My body sank and I said "oh fuck." I looked outside, there was a Red Cross van across the street. Up the street, at the cinged house, there were policemen and firemen investigating what had happened.

The theory was that some homeless man had been sleeping on a couch on their porch with a cigarette. Pug said that when he lived with my brother back on Forest Court, there would be homeless people sleeping on their porch all the time. The homeless person dropped the cigarette onto a propane tank, igniting the fire, and further the house.

The area still smells like beef jerky, which Frey tells me is most likely burned skin. I think it just might be burned house entirly. The front area of it now is boarded up, the area is fenced. There is a black car in front of the house on the lawn with the back windsheild shattered.

The Daily story

The Dolly In

September 24, 2005

One of my favorite camera movements is the dolly in when something emotional happens. Sometimes they do this in the Simpsons, where I first noticed it, but now I love it and get excited when I see shows and movies doing it. It just hieghtens the impact of what is going on even more. But, see, it is not a quick Dolly in, but more of a slow gradual dolly in... those are one of my favorite moves.

Listen ta DIS!

September 24, 2005

Last night's keyboard funkulatory session. 9.23.05 at 19.7 MB

L O S T is lost

September 18, 2005

someone snagged my LOST dvds last night, I mean, come on... everyone in my house was loving them, and now they are gone after a party, this is pissing me off... very much.

that feeling, is mefgu

September 18, 2005

You know that feeling? That sinking feeling, when everything just seems to fall to pieces, and all you have worked for, and hoped for, has suddenly become so far away. When life seems to be so coincidental that you want to run away to some place where no one knows you. Just, so you can be, free from what people know of you to become who you are. People are always trying to find themselves that they lose time actually being themselves.

Every time, reminders, of just how far you have to go, and how close you were to perfection, and then, losing it all because you were too afraid to speak your mind, and open up yourself, and then slowly, all that had been worked for, was lost.

And then, you think about the idea of forgetting, being away, but, it is unmanageable, at least at this state and time. The distance that brought you closer now seems like millions of miles, and the doors seem heavier than ever to open.

What was said. treating others, people don't understand unless they listen. This is how you treat your friends? This is how you treat your friends? Look, lady, I treat my friends just how I would want to be treated, and what do they give me? They don't realize until I'm gone how much I wanted to be part of their lives, and then, when I'm not, they know the work I put into everything. Don't begin, lady, to dare make assumptions about what I do and why, and for what reasons. Don't you dare, because, please, I am one of the finest dearest people you are going to ruin.

How could it have been otherwise, if I knew what to say, if I could write my lines, if things worked as they did in the rehearsals, actors missing. So much time spent wasting without. Thoughts spent on a mission failed, I feel, at least at this moment. Why would I want to invest more time in something that just seems pointless, hopeless.

Don't you dare, lady, to call me a bad person, listening to one voice, without reason. I ran away, threw salt on some sores, let them heal, but don't ruin my chance for the feeling to go away. That everything you want is beyond your ability to grab out and snatch in that one moment that you had the chance to, why didn't I make a chance.

A Full Day

September 15, 2005

So, today is my busy day, Thursday is my busy day. I have class from 10 in the morning to 9 at night (although tonight it was later). The morning was a normal morning, Ahtro lecture. Then, the afternoon began the checkering of classes. An hour on, an hour off, an hour on, an hour off, four hours on.

This evening, Kate Kondell, screenwriter, came and visited us in the screenwriting courses. Something she is very skilled at is doing rewrites, where they hire her by the week and have her rework parts of a script. She talked about how she broke into the industry, why she chose her career, and how her work is now. She had a very realistic view, I feel, of what to expect.

Then, tonight, I come back (after howling at the ladies across the street because of my good feelings), and there is a huge game of RISK going on in the Auxiliary room. My roommates inform me they have been burning through the LOST first season DVD set. Right now I am watching the Survivor Guatemala season premiere.

No more classes, but I got some work going on tomorrow.

Upstairs at 711: 9.10.05

September 11, 2005

This evening, I sat down at my keyboard, and played for about 30 minutes, just recording whatever I did, and here it is, 9.10.05 at 23.3 MB, it is a hefty file, but it will keep ya busy.

Also, if you download the new iTunes 5 you can have it say your place in the song if you only want to listen to a little of it and come back to it ( just like the older ones do with audiobooks)

Excel is the devil!

September 09, 2005

Excel copying place is the devil. I went there and sat in a spiral layout of chairs for an hour and a half. I made it all the way through of Billy Breathes and made it to My Sweet One on Lawn Boy.

It is just a devil of a place, I mean, come on, seriously, I know that they have a lot of stuff to do, but it is just such a bad bad place to be. I wasted an entire morning there. Then, when I went to Dollar Bill copying, they said my coursepack wasn't in today, I mean... jeez, someone just cut me a break

Regrowth: Katrina, Threadless

September 07, 2005

I just bought 2.

Here's how it works: You buy a tee for $10 We donate $20 to Hurricane relief *up to $50,000!

So tell your friends, parents, neighbors, teachers, grandparents, garbageman, the cop writing you a ticket, you know pretty much everyone you see to buy this shirt. It's for a great cause. Thank you.

A Successful Labore Day

September 05, 2005

So, today was the last day before classes start tomorrow, and I had a great time relaxing before all the real work begins. My day began with a bowl of Raisin Brain that I purchased from Kroger yesterday with Pug, one of my housemates. Afterwards, I walked outside and sat on the porch and watched Pug begin to assemble his wooden bench love seat, as Colin and Tyler headed off to play golf. At around 11, I decided it would be a good time to get ready for work at 1 PM. So, at around 11 40, I was ready to go to work. This was after a shower, shave and doody (at the same time, mind you), and finishing Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

I went downstairs and played some Super Mario Sunshine and then headed off to the Union to work five hours in the Showcase. Afterwards, I headed over to the EQ to visit some people and found a bunch of ladies chilling on the roof. After chatting with them, I headed back home, changed clothes, and went to BTB for a Chicken Deluxe Burrito with black beans and lettuce. I ate the burrito while Devan and Swigs and Big Steve and Pug were hanging around playing Super Mario Sunshine.

The rest of the night was based primarily around Super Mario Sunshine, but there was one moment when I took an hour and made some cookies. There were three varieties of the same batch: Doughy, Crispy, and Extra Crispy. This spectrum of quality can be attributed to the cookies being of different sizes and being placed at different heights in the oven. Although, it is something I will try to do again (from the same Nestle original recipe).

So, now, it is time to go to sleep and get ready for an exciting day of classes tomorrow. Although, it already feels like I have been getting back into the swing of things here with my Job and going to all the same old places, classes won't be as jarring as they were last year. I remember walking into my Spanish class for the first time and just being freaked out. Then, I calmed down and realized this was gonna be fine. I still need to figure out, however, what I will be doing for lunches considering I do not have access to go to Red Hot Lovers every day now, sadly.

Dadninidy Goes Shopping!

September 04, 2005

This morning, after a rousing 10 30 wake up time, unlike the 8 wake up time I have been sporting because I have been working at the showcase, I began my day of shopping, both in the real world, and in the virtual.

I purchased, for my GameCube, Super Smash Bros. Melee and another controller, color Indigo.

I then walked up to Zingerman's and got a sourdough bread and a sandwich for lunch.

And now, I am full, very full... oh dognet.

The Bathroom Reader: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

September 02, 2005

Now that my living arrangements are such, My bathroom is direclty connected to my bedroom, in that I can swing my chair 180° and be pointing at my bathroom. I have decided that I will stick some nice reading material in there for me, considering it is a place I spend a great deal of time in. I stuck the Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince copy I got three months ago in there and so far have read 200 pages in the last two days just by the time I have been spending in the bathroom. I attribute the number of pages I have read to a mixture of Cherry Coke and odd constipation. Oh yeah.

Updated on Labor Day 2005: I have finished the book and all I can say is that book 7 is gonna be good, because all this one did was reveal all of what has to happen in book 7. So many big things happened in this one, and it took a very serious turn for the mature. It really expects its readers to have grown up just like the Hogwarts students over the past 6 books to be able to handle something as jarring as this. Some of the connections made between people were a little weak, but if you accept them, they make sense. Overall, a worthwhile read.

I am sad that I am done reading it because I will now have to wait another who knows how long before the next one, and I believe final, comes out.

Tapestry on the Wall

September 02, 2005

I have been here now, for about 5 days now. Monday, I came in, unpacked. Tuesday, I finished unpacking, and did mostly nothing, and then cleaned the kitchen. Wednesday, I worked at the showcase selling computers for 9 hours. Today, Thursday, I worked at the showcase again.

It feels much different than last year, showing up and not knowing what to expect. First of all, this year I feel much more confident, I am not in the new fish position at all. I am not sick, like I was last year. I could barely drink water without being in pain. I feel more comfortable where I am living. Today I sat on the front porch for three hours, not talking, just looking at the people walking by, and the weather was lovely.

I have a slight memory of last year, in the book store, not entirely understanding what I needed to get. It was confusing, I mean, because not all the classes were listed, and I couldn't remember what section I was in. And being at the Showcase for the past few days has reminded of that worry of being untethered. People come in needing ethernet cords, or laptop locks (a few not really knowing how to operate them). And there is a reminder of the trouble and anxiousness and worryment of being at school for the first time.

But, this is not my first time. I recognize more people, I do feel more confident walking around the city, that it is beginning to be something I can command.

I have another memory of meeting up with some people from Wilson my fourth or fifth day my Freshmand year, and them bringing along their new friends they had made up at school. I couldn't relate fully then to their excitement of seeing these people for the first time after three months. I now have that feeling, seeing all the old faces that used to be common place before the summer began.

It is a total different feeling now from last year. I see all these freshman traveling in packs roaming the streets (Although I did that maybe once or twice, and then found out I enjoyed spending my time roaming by myself, exploring the far reachers of Ann Arbor). They each have their own idea of what college will be like with emphasis either on studying or partying or making strong bonds and relationships.

Reflecting on the previous year, everything came together beautifully, I would say. I got a job I adore doing, and I was able to find a place to live that is just sweet piece. Seems like a beautiful dance of events that led me to this effect. I am ready for what lays ahead, and I hope it gets exciting

Here I be, at the house puor me

August 30, 2005

So, I got in yesterday at around 4 PM, and started to set up my room (which had a lot of stuff in it that was not mine, and i was very curious as to why). It is the perfect little room for me, considering it has a low ceiling and huge desk space for putting all my electronics and crap like that. I have everything set up, mostly, now. There are still a few things in my vehicle. The drive up was easy, smooth, although I have to admit I was pretty tired. I made about three stops, which Ian prounces as "sophomore stuff" considering he only did one stop of which he got gas and went pee at the same time.

When I got here I went over to East Quad area and saw a bunch of people. There are a few things weird with my room. In the majority of places in it, you cannot stand at full height, not even me. The bathroom is pretty dirty (which I have already started to clean up, because I spend most of time in the bathroom, and I need it to be clean for my doings), Thirdly, it has not grounded plugs, no three holes for electricity, only the two holes, so I had to go and buy an adapter for my MEGA Surge protector. It is a nice room, though, with a HUGE FUCKING BED, too big for me; it is a queen sized bed on a loft.

So, that is that for now. Tomorrow I am going to work at the Showcase selling macs. In my mind, it is going to be easy because who in the world would actually make the conscience decision to use windows?

Crackietsl

August 28, 2005

Dangit! I had this great entry to post, and then Safari crashed on me for some unknown reason... gaggigt! Well, I will remember what it is and anyone else reading this will not have any idea, unless they ask me. It was about leaving DC for school, and the weather... and stuff like that.

"Hello Dave!"

See Superior Sunset Sitting

August 26, 2005

I just discovered the most marvelous of Dashboard widgets: the Lighthouse cams widget is great because it has one of my favorite places to watch the sunset, on the shore of Lake Superior, at the Duluth Pierhead. It is so cool.

I can see the Lake Superior Sunset every day!

I could use some rain, some good rain.

August 25, 2005

I could use some rain right about now, some good heavy rain.

the 27th there was some rain in the morning, but too light, i would like some heavy rain, but not one when I am going to on my drive to Ann Arbor. Heavy rain, with good friends, makes me feel happy, makes me feel good.

VOID by Flaming Lips

August 25, 2005

The Flaming Lips released a compilation of their songs on Tuesday, a bunch of old songs and two new songs from soundtracks( Mr.Ambulence Driver from Wedding Crashers and a song from the Spongebob Movie). There is also some Phoboe Battles the Pink Robots which I think is just a bare bones version of Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt.1.

It has some of my favorite the Flaming Lips songs like Yoshimi, Do You Realize?, Raze for the Prize, Waitin' for Superman (but not my prefered version, the remix), and Mr.Ambulence Driver is a good song that is going to be on the Flaming Lips' Spring 2006 studio album At War With The Mystics. It is a great Flaming Lips starter kit.

Holding In For Dear Life

August 24, 2005

Another episode in a long running series about my odd stomach. So, today, I was driving out to Sports Honda to get my oil changed because they were giving me a free offer (which was very nice). I start driving, and my stomach starts to get upset. I think I should turn back, but I don't want to, I want to keep on going so I can get this oil change over with. I turn onto Connecticut going towards East West Highway, and my stomach is even more upset. As I turn onto East West Highway, the pain becomes too real to quell. And I am sitting in my seat, thinking, "This is the day I doody my pants."

A history of my ability to go mostly anywhere. This summer, whilst on the cabin trip in Eau Claire Lakes, we did stay at this one campsite where it had the nicest open air Jop (bathroom) ever. It was just a box, with a hole, on top of a pit. And I sat there, and it was relaxing. I could yell down to my co-counselor, Mr.Laskin, to fetch me more leaves because we forgot to bring the TP (or so they thought; afterwards, the trips staff apologized that she did in fact have toilet paper, but I did not mind one bit). I have no shame in the natural beauty of the doody.

Back to today. Every second, it goes from the worst need to go to the bathroom ever, to, I can do this I can do this I can do this. Finally, the need was too great, and I cracked. I needed to get to a bathroom, and fast, the soonest I could possibly get to one. I just so happen to be passing Meadowbrook Stable and I turned in. I jumped out of my vehicle and started moving towards the buildings there. All there was were stables and I was hoping for some kind of relief. This was a place that needed restrooms, right? Of course? And I saw the sign of that featureless man with "Men" stamped below it and I entered and I swung the stall door open and sat, and released, and felt like I had just saved myself from a traumatizing experience.

The amazing adventures and places I will see with this gut.

I gave in to Watter, Where is teh Waters

August 24, 2005

I bought another Threadless t-shirt called Water, Just Water. I like it a lot, i am addicted to this website, please someone help me before I go brok..... oh wait, it already happened.

Doing Nothing With Time to Go

August 21, 2005

Ever since I've been back at home from camp, I have been doing nothing much. My days are an arrangement of going to rent videos, going to Chipotle, going to Pumpernickel's, and watching movies. And thusly, I have watched a large amount of movies (and television), not all I can remember now, should've started this sooner:

Scrubs Season 1 (Discs 1-3), Brazil, Life of Brian, The Fisher King, A Very Long Engagement, The League of Gentlemen (thanks, knox), Arrested Development, Shakespeare in Love, Sin City, The Assassination of Richard Nixon, The Big Easy, and a few more...

20 Strait Hours With Ifshin

August 14, 2005

So, in about an hour, I am going to set off with Ben Ifshin back to DC. I was originally going to drive by myself, make a stop in Ann Arbobr, and the next day continue on to DC. But, because he is going with me, as I was very happy to learn yesterday, we are going to make the trip all at once.. no stopping. I like this because, for one, it gets me home sooner. Also, it gets me home to see my mom and brother Sam more, as they are leaving on a trip for Chicago in the 16th. Finally, I would rather just knock it all out at once than draw it out.

Last night was an amazing night here at camp. The campers had left, and the Pushes put on a council fire and slideshow (hilarious, of course). Afterwards, we all just hung out here at camp, no one left. It was a great way to end another amazing summer. This is more concise than usual, but I just love camp so much. There is a reason it is called the off-season.

End of First Four

July 16, 2005

How can one describe tonight, or better yet, how can one describe this week. I am writing this now, lying in my bed, which as of tomorrow will not be my bed anymore, while my campers, who as of tomorrow will not be mine, are playing one last card game on the last night of the first four weeks. This week has been an odd "Danny Cohen" week.

On Tuesday, I was doing an activity called "Being Danny Cohen," where I basically gave kids a crash course in what it means to be me. I had them do some exercises, such as yelling loudly and jumping oddly, and then they followed me around as I went through a normal day I have at camp.

Wednesday I finished writing my Council Fire, on the topic of Story. It would be a different kind of Council Fire. Instead of a funny skit followed by a monologue of explanation, I wrote a script of narration of a story followed by narration of the importance and power of stories. I finished the night by going out with Wahlberg and getting some Boneless Dixie Wings with bleu cheese.

Thursday was the day of the GTC, the camp talent show. I was running this summer the GTCs along with my good friend Schwartz. The thing is, Schwartz got very sick, and I started to go insane. I was doing two jobs at once. I was taking down names, trying to print out show orders, trying to make sure all the acts would be decent.... and so much stuff. Finally, right before show time, Schwartz came through with flying colors. He showed up, stuffed with Tylenol, and totally helped me out. I was freaking out because I also had a Council Fire tonight that I had not even begun to practice for. The GTC could've been better if we had more rehearsal time, but one cannot control the immune system.

So, this lands me on today and tonight, Friday. The kids had to get packed up, we had to make sure they were all ready to go, and I had to make sure the Council Fire was well rehearsed. I worked pretty hard to make sure everyone was packed before lunch, so after lunch we could rehearse, but that didn't even happen. So, after the awards ceremony (at which at one point I was one of five people standing around 1992, I felt pretty proud of myself for my parents sending me here for so long. "Family Camp,"), I got all my boys together, and we practiced. It was my entire cabin, Schwartz, Horvay, Bauer and Gerber. The rehearsal was good. My campers had learned their lines before hand (which was surprising), while my friends messed around.

After dinner, I called for one last rehearsal, right into the Fire. We rehearse, and still more messing around. But, I knew that they were my guys and they would come through for me. And they did.

Campers and staff filed into the Council Fire ring, and I was nervous as hell. And then it started, and the music wasn't working... I was going nuts! Some button was not working, or something like that.... it was disastrous. But then the Fire got started, and then the lines went on, and then it was time for me to close the fire:

I hope by now I have convinced you of the power of stories. If not, think about this idea. When each of you decide to come back to camp every year, you consider it for about one second because immediately all those great memories that have transformed into stories tell you that if you go back to camp, it will be incredible. That is the way, at least for me, I know I should go back to camp. If you have not guessed it, the story of the camper being told is my story. I hope I have been able to inspire you tonight with my story, which I am continuously writing new chapters into, and I would like to catch you up on it now: In 2003, I was accepted to come back here as a counselor. I did not know if coming here as a staff member would be anything like being a camper, if camp would hold the same magic as it would for me as a kid. Camp would be a job. However, over the past three summers I have been a staff member here, I have not viewed it as a job, but as an opportunity to change someone’s life or at least give it a positive impact. It has been hard at times, and certainly difficult to adjust, but I wouldn’t trade any days here to be anywhere else. Why? The ideals of Camp still stand no matter what age I am at. Friendship and growth, community living and cooperation, and the list goes on of what one can get out of camp. Sometimes I consider being at camp the greatest thing I have ever done for myself. I still lie awake at night in bed, counting the days to camp when times are hard in the off season, knowing here that times are hard, but I have such a wonderful family that anything is possible. It is the stories that I carry with me that remind me of this amazing place, and that if I don’t come back to it, I don’t know what I would do. For some of you, your story here at Camp Nebagamon has just begun. What characters will emerge, what conflicts will rise, and how will you write your way? You have limited pages, make them valuable. And for some of you, your story comes to a bittersweet end, you have filled up all the pages in the Nebagamon chapter. Close the book. Goodnight.

It finished, and my closing song played (The last song from Shawshank), and it was incredible. The key logs were put on, and they were touching for the entire camp. I went up to give mine. I thanked Adam and Steph, my campers, the Q's Corner Boys, and the guys at Range Cabin F, and all my Friends. I said how camp was magical. I began to cry, because I love Camp so much. The Fire ended, and I began to clean up, and I was greeted by so many hands to shake saying how good of a fire it was. If they believed it or not, if they were just being polite, I felt like I accomplished something amazing.

I came back to the cabin, and Laskin and I got the kids to hang out on the tennis courts for a little bit, and we talked. The kids talked about each other, said nice things, and things about me too. "He doesn't run, but he doesn't quite walk." Bercow said. They talked about my energy, and my weirdness, and I again realized why I love Camp, because it makes people feel so good about themselves and each other.

Tomorrow I go to Minneapolis for three days and two nights to drop off the kids at the airport and pick up the second four weekers. The Week of Danny Cohen is over... phew.

The Children are Coming, the Children are coming

June 20, 2005

Today, in a few hours, about 270 children will be coming into Camp for 4 or 8 weeks. I have been here the past week getting ready for them... well, I was here about two and a half weeks ago and then went to California for a week, and then came back here. It was quite a large amount of work. I am done on August 14th, but I am definitally not thikning about that now. I am quite focused on how great it is to have these kids for the summer... or for four weeks. I have all four weekers, and four of them I had before during my first four of counseling in Swamper 3. Now, I am Logger Dot Five, a modified Swamper 6, with my co-counselor, a one Mr.Laskin comma Nick.

Being back at camp is quite an amazing feeling. It is hard to decribe to people who have never been here, why you would spend a summer here instead of getting an internship, but there is a certain magic that is alive here that cannot be possesed anywhere else. It sounds sentimental, and it is, because this place makes me feel like myself, and there is a tight family that I cannot get at school.

I know I can look forward too good food, good friends, and good memories... and also a chance to expand my DVD collection. So, I am going to go get ready, because the Campers are coming!

Anyone Like These?

May 24, 2005

The Winter Anthem design was rejected for "being too large to print," so I have whipped up this one. Let's see if it gets through.

I bought my first threadless today

May 23, 2005

Today, i bought the Take a Hike because it had two properties: topographical map and outdoorsness. I liked it, it was only $10, I got it. I like the site.

Star Wars Episode III: The Experience

May 19, 2005

Today, I was woken up by JRussell yelling "Star Wars! Star Wars!" over the phone and abruptly hanging up. Today was, in fact, the day that we all went out and saw Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith! I had bought 5 tickets on May 9th over the Fandango, and slowly the lineup evolved into Myself, Sual, Sam West, JRussell and (ugh) Trevor. I went around and picked up the gang around 11 30, except Trevor, who decided he had to do something, We got to the theater around noontime and staked our claim in line for the 3 30 show. We would wait 3.5 hours for the show. And it was worth it.

We had a good time, finding credit cards from Pharaohs, eating pizza, going to 7-11, reading the City Paper, even a special guest appearance by Jrussell's father to bring up a poncho in case of the overcast sky becoming a RAINING sky. There was a nerd (a pleasant one) behind us who had gone to one of the Star Wars Celebration conventions who from time to time chimed in on our conversation.

We finally got inside the theater, and the seats that we wanted (well, i wanted different ones from everyone else, they don't understand my Film major mind thought). After some seat fumbling, we finally settled in, and then came all the cheering and applause all over. Whenever they showed the Batman Begin or the Fantastic Four trailer, there was a lot of cheering. The "Take me Fishing" ad was hilariously shitty. The movie continued, and throughout there was applause whenever an old character was mentioned, or Yoda did something cool. The movie ended, and we left the theater.

There were split reviews by the audience of us. Sual, Myself, and Jrussell enjoyed it, while Sam and (ugh) Trevor were not in favor. For me, My qualm was that the love story was a little rough, and I half-liked how everything was explained in the universe. Sam didn't like the explanatory things at all, I believe, because it does not leave much to find out. SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT I was a little uncertain about the movie, but once the Jedi started to be killed off, it took a turn for the better. It was a much better movie after the child slaughtering. The end, when they transitioned to Episode 4, was very good, although I think the all of a sudden "Hey, everyone on the Star Destroyers looks like they are in 70's clothes and the ships have all the old buttons."

I loved seeing all the old stuff in a new digital manor, the 70's ships and clothes, though. It was weird to see all the images from 4,5,6 and seeing those connections gave me an unsettling feeling. I think that was Lucas' goal, to give people an uneasy feeling and he succeded. It was sad to see Padmé die, although we knew from the beginning it was going to happen. It was sad to see Anakin go over to the dark side. And it was incredibly weird and made everyone want to watch 4,5,6 when the end came. It was the connection between Anankin and Luke. Overall, I liked the movie.

I don't know how the movie should be viewed in the future, in what order. I mean, we have all experienced the movies in 4,5,6 and then 1,2,3. But I would be interested in seeing how the trilogy would be viewed in the order of 1,2,3,4,5,6.

Help Me With a Playlist

May 14, 2005

Hey, peoples, help me finish this playlist... I need more music for it that goes along with the theme... (ignore the Ben Folds song,)

How the Criteron Collection Gets it Right

May 12, 2005

The Criterion Collection somehow became the gold star of DVDS... I mean, the name is synonymous ( n -having the same or nearly the same meaning as another word or phrase in the same language ) with high quality videos and plentiful extras. Go take a look at the Criterion Collection website, and you will find not only a business of selling DVDs, but some nice articles on movies. They make the DVDs more than just studio-released, but pieces of historical film captured in a box set. Also, their cover art just kicks ass.

A Month in DC

May 10, 2005

So, peoples, I have not posted here for a while. I have needed some time to decompress from School. Now, that I have some time to do nothing (well, not nothing. I have watched several hours of Survivor and Curb Your Enthusiasm) I am finally ready to enter back into the world. I am going to be in DC until May 27th, when I set sail in my new car up towards Ann Arbor, spend a day, then to Lake Nebagamon, WI for two days, and then off to California for a week and a half, and then back to Nebagmon. Last year I did a similar shuffle of going around to different places before finally ascending on Camp for the summer.

Knockin Pins Down

April 28, 2005

Looking at this empty room, makes me think back to how this year began. I was extremely sick coming in, and I did not know what to expect. I thought the classes would be extremely hard and I would be studying all the time. I thought that it would be hard to find people who I like to hang out with. 8 months later, all that is unfounded. College has turned out to be much better than I could have ever thought it could be. I have found student groups, a job, friends, classes that I am interested in. Not to toot my own horn, but I am really happy and every day I think about how lucky I am to be here.

I didn't know what to expect when I came to College. I was really sick, like tongue blistering sick. There was a smell whenever I would walk around. It was a hot smell, I think, I can't quite remember. But I can really remember what it felt like to walk around with no idea. To go into bookstores wondering which book was the right one for my class, and they all cost so much money. I remember walking into the room, my mom saying which bed I should take, and me just wanting to play it cool in front of my roommate Kevin. My other roommate, Alex, I had not even met yet.

Every once in a while lately, now that it is heating up, I get that same smell again, but it is different. I am walking the same roads, but now with greater comfort. I stroll the streets around here knowing what lies beyond my destination, like back home. Kevin is gone, and Alex is slowing dribbling out. And I am here, and sitting here, alone again, leaving on the last day possible like I did during Winter break... the thing is, it is different now. I have spent an entire year here, and I will miss it, I have gotten used to it, but I am getting used to also leaving when everyone else has left, not leaving on the climax but on the resolution.

How Everything Melded

One of my favorite things to do is see how things panned out for me; how something happened that affected something else, and so on. It is funny to look at how my situation right now is directly influenced by past actions. (You will see how ultimate frisbee plays a role in these)

FVSA - I would not be in the film video student association if I had not answered that e-mail. It is odd all the people I knew in that group before I came there. Doug, I knew from frisbee, and Phil I knew from going to the FVSA office hours back in October maybe. And now, I am an active member helping to plan things and get things done.

The Haus - The house where I am living next year, is where my brother is living now, but would I have been let into it if I had not been in that car ride back from ultimate frisbee practice where I was asked? I don't think so, probably not.

The Job - Usually, on Wednesday nights, there was ultimate practice, but that night there none. But there was "Stump The Experts" thing going on up on North Campus. Two things held me back: LOST was on that night, and it was on North Campus, a bus ride to a place I knew no where about. Against all my usual complacence-ticks , technology prevailed and I went to it. And even then, technology prevailed over my usual "stay in the background and do nothing," and I was bold enough to ask about the job.... and then I took the interviews... and now .... things are going great!

Now, did everything happen for a reason? I would like to think so. I would like to think that my dropping from Ultimate Frisbee was partially part of some master plan to allow me to focus on school and job, and not worry about committing to a huge team of Frisbee-ing. Maybe not, exactly, but it could be.

Conclusion

In the end, this year was what I made it. I could have sat in the dorm room, and done nothing, and I bet I would have had a fine time talking to people around and gaining weight watching TV all the time. Instead, on top of watching TV all the time, I became active and did things, and I am all the better for it. The world will not come to you, but it gives plenty of chances for you to come to it.

I would have liked it if school and home had been more separate, although I could not consider my dorm room a home. I want my home to be a totally different place from school, and sleeping in a University owned building doesn't really do that. Next year will be much better, I am still sleeping with a loft situation, but believe me, it is gonna be nicer.

I think I will do the whole thing again in 4 months.

Finally, enumerated

April 27, 2005

here a great list of why Geeks and Dorks are worth it to have as boyfriends. Some good points are made, and I think everyone should learn a little from them.

V I Charlie

April 26, 2005

So, last night I was hankering for some ice cream around 11 PM. I ventured out, and Stucchi's was closed, and as I was walking around, I passed Good Time Charlie's on Church... and let me tell you what I saw. First I saw Zach Coleman, who works at my camp and was a camper as well. And then I was waving my hand, and guess who is sitting next to him? My Spanish instructor, Manuel, from last semester.

I was going to go in, but the guy at the door stopped me and asked for my ID, and of course, I don't have so. So I went back to the window and put up my hands to show a "2" and "1", I am not 21. So, I waved them goodbye. and I got my vanilla ice cream, which I ate a lot of.

Today, then, after my American Musical final (done with classes, boye), I saw Manuel, and talked to him for a little, and learned that the two know each other because he is his Spanish instructor this semester [which just ended]. I got my wings for 35 cents each....

No More Class a lot of waiting

I want a steak

April 26, 2005

I want a steak. I have been wanting a steak for about three weeks, and now that this Passover thing has started, it makes me want a steak even more. Maybe this Friday, when my parents come for my brother's graduation, I will have a steak. In the mean time I need some meat, some heavy meat. The steak salad at the cafeteria tonight was a bit weak, not strong enough for me. The eggs/hash browns are good in the morning, no bread there, but at night, all I really want is a good steak. The stuff from Big Ten Burrito is not good steak. It is not juicy and cubic enough; it is like the stuff you would get from a chinese food place, not good for burritos.

Just give me a nice huge piece of nicely done steak ( I think the last one I had was from Outback steakhouse, and that was good). Gimmie Beef!

Songs for Silverman is OUT!!!

April 26, 2005

The Mr.Ben Folds has gotten his album out on iTunes. I have to admit although I ordered the special DVD set, I did download a few songs I had never heard before from the iTunes with my free pepsi songs.

Lightworks W2005, Night 2

April 23, 2005

Friday, last day, yesterday, I awoke. A Panic, yes, but not from me. My roommate had overslept by an hour for his exam. Expletives rang out, I could not go back to sleep. Bad karma in the room. I stayed awake, hoping a Survivor download would finish, but instead the Arrested Development DVDs I was making for my brother was encoding (hat trick - iDVD 3).

"Noon- Meeting- Zingerman's, the logo cried." Around 11 09, I left the EQ to head to Zingerman's for the last meeting of the school year for my job. It was slightly drizzling, and I decided to walk in my birkenstocks because my toes got hurt from banging them into the futon in the room. I stopped by Urlich's to get rid of the most heinous book ever: The Stats Book. I am so happy that class is over, and I just wanted to get rid of it fast, no matter how little they would give me for it. Afterwards, I continued on my way with a good playlist to listen to.

I got to Zingerman's way ahead of time, and stood outside. Eventually Jason showed up, followed by Sheri, and then Adam and Andrew. It was a nice lunch we had, we discussed plans for next year and summer. S'All good! (great, really)

I came back to the room, and hung around, and decided to deliver the Arrested Development DVDs to my brother Sam. This time, I laced up my boots, which I hadn't used in a while, and my jacket (san fleece), and went over to the 711 Arbor. No one was there. I went in anyway, dropped of the DVDs, looked like a reverse prefect robbery.

Eventually, 5 30 came, time for the Festival prep to being. It seemed like such a thrown together event that came off incredibly incredibly well I though. I had to carry the prizes from Apple (Production Suites and a copy of motion) all the way to Nat Sci. Those things are heavy [people were ecstatic over those prizes. They were excited that Apple was sponsoring the festival because that is really what people use all the time in class]. The movies were good, there were some really really good things being made by the students here. Almost none of them sucked.

Afterwards, I went over to the after party for a little bit. I had to explain to people that I don't drink several times, and then I went to get some pizza, and came back the room. Before I could hit the room, some people were watching Raw Milk, so I had to stop in and watch it. (I made the DVD! which people want more of...). I finally got to sleep (and woke up in the middle of the night feeling sick, afraid of throwing up, but I conquered that hurdle, go danny!)

I really love the Film+Video program here, and the people in it. It is great that people are making such entertaining stuff. Go Lightworks!

Lightworks W2005, Night 1

April 22, 2005

So, yesterday was a day I was trying to keep calm, chill. I had my stats exam in the evening, and I knew that if I started to think about it my stomach would hurt. This also meant not studying as much as I should have. Yet, yesterday was also the first night of the Lightworks Festival for Winter 2005, a collection of all student made production that is run by the Film Video Student Association.

I went to lunch with brother Sam at Pizza House. I got a calzone, and they gave me a salad before it. I talked to him about our summer plans, and such. He really has nothing going on, even less than I do now that my stats exam is done.

Around 5 30, I went to help set up for the Lightworks, folding programs and stuff before my 7 30 call for my stats exam. The L Dubs began, and I was hanging outside the Nat Sci auditorium, chilling with people before I finally had to go.

I went over to Dennison, and it was still light out, warm inside the building. It is so great how the days have gotten longer, as when before it would be dark around 5 30. I think the Spring is a great idea, and it should continue to occur every year. I sat down on the ground, waiting for the exam room's doors to open. The door swung open, and I took an index card assigning me to a random seat.

My lucky stars, I had a seat on the front row, all the way to the left. This really excited me for some reason, I don't know. Either way, the anxiety I felt suddenly went away because of this first row seat. I began the test and finished a half hour before the end time at 9 30.

I headed back over the Lightworks, which was running about 20 minutes late and got progressively more late as the night went on, and hung outside the auditorium again with the other FVSA'ers who were manning the booth we had set up. We had soda (pop), free stuff (swag), and t-shirts (cloth-ies). The t-shirts say "Michigan Film and Video," but I want to get some that say "Michigan Vilm and Fideo" because I think it is really funny. I am going to get one made up (along with the "I am Daniel Strauss" shirts) [note: giving me money to spend on whatever I want will result in a lot of useless shtuff].

Finally, sometime after midnight, the show closed for the night and we stacked our stuff in the projectionist's booth and headed home to our respective shelters.

Today, 5 30, is the curtain call again for the Friday night, which promises to be better, bigger, and grander! All I have to do 'til then is a noon meeting.

Last Day of Classes (Freshman Year)

April 19, 2005

Y'know, all I have to do is this three more times, and I am done with college. It is that simple. Looking back on this past year, college has ended up so much better than I could have ever imagined. I may have not gone out past midnight much, but I am really happy with how it turned out.

I still have two more finals, Stats and American Musicals, and then I am here until April 30th, when I go home for a month. I will reflect on my time here more later... Amazoing Race is on.

What Does Lunkeeing Mean?

April 18, 2005

Have you seen all my available messages on the IM?
Do you know what they all mean?

The FVSA Website

April 14, 2005

I have been working on the Film Video Student Association Website for a while now, and it is finally ready. I am very proud of the work I did. It features a rotating front page banner, lots of nice pop-ups inside the pages, it is really great!

30 Min. Keep to the Left.

April 03, 2005

Last night, for dinner, I decided to go to a cabin. Earlier in the week, on Wednesday, I walked right into an Environmental Week Day thing on the diag. Not only were there people bashing Apple, those fools, and handing out light bulbs, but there was signing up people to be on an e-mail list for this club called Les Voyageurs. The Society of Les Voyageurs: "To promote social and intellectual intercourse among its members, to promote a loyalty to The University of Michigan, and to promote its members’ interest in outdoor life and enjoyment of nature."

So, I got an e-mail:

It's been a while since you've heard from the Les Voyageurs--now that the weather is nice, come join us for a potluck and then some outdoor activity, canoeing, sauna, or a walk along the river...tomorrow, Saturday 4/2, starting around 6:30 pm. Don't worry if you want to come but can't come on time or have to leave early. We're laid back :).

And if you can't come to this one--there will also be a potluck next Saturday,
April 9th same time!

So, I decided to go, and I went to the cabin, it was thirty minute walk, and it was really fun! There was good food, and the cabin was nice, and it reminded me of camp. I ate at a long wooden table, on a long wooden bench, and a simple pitcher of water, with some mac and cheese, and bread, and cookies, and muffins, and salad, and this potato/cheese/vegetable thing that was really good to eat. After dinner, the people I was with, walked along the river on a path.

It was a really nice way to spend a Saturday night. And I am going to do it again.

Sin City!!!!

April 02, 2005

People, all I can say is, you must go see Sin City, it is incredible, incredible. Simply freakin' amazing

Around 8 30, I went over to the Phil Ranta residence, which is also the Mike Mannino residence, (welcome you guys searching these people's names), to get a ride with the huge FVSA party to go to Quality 16. (Which, according to Greg, is not quality, but sucky, something that I would say I really don't care, as long as I see the screen, and it is larger than the old Mazza Galleria theaters.) The walk took me about two songs, and the entrance into the apartment building was puzzling at first, as I saw no numbers on the door. I soon realized they were in the upper corners of the door, and I did find it, and strolled into see many members of the FVSA watching Old School (which is funny).

After about 20 minutes of messing around, I opted to get going in the car that was passing by Taco Bell. Despite my not wanting to get any Taco Bell, I wanted to get the ball rolling on people leaving, so the fewer people that are there, the easier it is to leave. I didn't get anything at the TB (sorry), and as we got to the Quality 16, we found out from the others that the 9 30 show was sold out.

Luckly, which we had planned for, there was a 10 05 showing as well. 10 05, this must be one of the latest times I have ever gone to see a movie, I think, maybe, I am not sure, I don't think I have ever to gone to see a movie any later, at least. Well, we got our tickets. When I got mine, the kid mentioned that there were 68 seats left. We stood around in a huge clump in a line waiting to see Sin City, and finally, finally, we were let in.

The movie was good, go see it.

Going out at night.. i have found something I like to do, hang out with people who are not getting drunk (but maybe drinking) and watch movies. It is enjoyable, if you are with the right people. I just don't think an evening activity can be drinking.. and if it is, it has to be with the right people, it cannot be with just some random people at a party. I guess that is what I don't find appealing about parties, it is meeting people, who are probably drunk, when the next time all you are going to remember is minimal traits about them because you were drunk to. You were, believe me. I guess I am too much like my old man, and there is nothing wrong with that.

A crescendo of a week

March 31, 2005

So, this week was like a heavy iceberg, or a ice sheet. Ironically, anything ice would be a misnomer (a name of not itself, defined by me) because the weather has gotten incredible. I broke out my old man jacket, my birkenstocks whent outside again, and there were so many people out on the diag. March is ending, and it will be soon, but it was a fine month, and I never wish time away.

Monday was about the first nice day of 2005, I believe. I took my FV290 quiz on Film and TV stuff, and I finished early enough to be able to sit outside the building and bathe in the sun. (I just thought of how odd it was that I was able to be done with a quiz early and just leave the classroom and the building! how different from high school). At night, I went and saw West Side Story at the Michigan theater for my American Musical class. After that, I believe I whent and got a burrito, to my best knowledge. yesah, it was a burrito.

Tuesday, if I recall correctly, it was also a busy day, or what I thought would be a busy day. I had my two classes for the day, and then a meeting for the video project for my 290 class. I was going to meet with Ralph Franklin, the LSA Media dude, but I thought he would not be around because I had not confirmed the meeting. I had met Ralph, although he had not met me, last week on Wednesday at a workshop he was leading on Photoshop + Final Cut Pro. He knows his stuff, he does, he knows all about using the Mac and the tools for working with video. I stayed around after the 290 meeting, went by his office and set up a meeting with him, and I saw Doug (Dougie Fresh) who I hung out with until it was time for the FVSA meeting. After the meeting, I hung around the MLB until it was time for the Stats review for exam 2

This week, or tonight, I had a Stats test, the second one. I don't think I did that well, I just need to study more, and I was distracted this week by also having a paper due in my Info to Information studies class, which was also due today. I got everything done, and now I am relieved by the abnormal amount of work (I don't do much, i try to classes that don't require much critical thinking).

Wednesday, just another heavy day, nice out. So incredibly nice out. I saw anita and katie in the diag, sitting down, and I was on my way to my stats lab. The stats lab was so freakin' warm. It was like a sauna in there, but I was not complaining, because after a four month winter, I was happy to get anything that was warm.

Thursday, today, was sort of nice out, I thought it was going to rain all day. One nice thing was Professor Frost came back to class. he had surgery a week or two ago, and we had been using some iChat AV action to have him conduct the class from home. I think it worked pretty well. I would have suggested that they have him control a VNC-enabled computer from home as well, just so the GSI Sharon would not have to hit the next button. It worked well in his pseudo-absence, but he is back (not pun intended) and he is doing well. He is really great to listen to in lectures because has all these stories and tells them entertainingly, but brings them back to the original topic.

I took the stats test, felt bad about it, came back, got a burger dinner, watched some Survivor, went to BTB (sabotaged Gabby), and now I am just chilling.

I am happy I got through this week in one piece, I thought it would be much worse, but things turned out fine.. just dandy fine. COME ON APRIL!!!!

12 15 on Sunday Morning, A Call

March 27, 2005

JRussell just called me, and was like "Dude, I'm playing Metroid Prime, and I have no idea what I am doing" I have never played that game. "You, you, you have a [GameCube]."

"oh man, I think I just broke his sheilds." And I laughed until he hung up on me

Today, I provide for you, this

March 26, 2005

One must analyze history and the future to create happiness in the present.

Wow, I am hungry

March 25, 2005

So, right now, my stomach hurts because I am hungry, and if I had decided to go to sleep maybe 20 minutes ago, I would not have been this hungry, because I would be on my way to being asleep, and then, when I wake up, I can do the Friday routine of a bagel, and then up to the meeting (which Sheri cannot be at, so I will be doing some table topping to get the word out; it is impressive how many people have these myths about Macs, it is all about hearing these myths from the people and dispelling them, spreading the truth)....

Give me a saturday, I am in the mood for it. The coming week is going to be heavy, but afterwards, things will slow down for a bit, but then school will be over.

It will be over for the year! Freshman year will be over, isn't that just incredible! On to the next thing

I hate Red Bull and Axe

March 23, 2005

I have got to get this off my chest. I hate Red Bull and that stupid Axe body spray. They smell horrible, just awful, I cannot stand the smell one bit. Red Bull smells like posion berries that are rotting, and Axe just smells... I don't even know. Most people use it as an odor concealor, but it just makes an aura around them of absurd smell, just simply awful.

In conclusion, shame on you makers of Red Bull and Axe for making products that I can just not take on bit.

Big Gulp 2

March 23, 2005

Next year, i have a sweet setup... based around a broad black desk. This deck is huge, large, and in charge. It is a nice sized room for one person, with its own bathroom, and own stairwell on the second floor.

But the desk is huge! And the bed is over the desk. yes, I know, another loft, I swore I would never do it again, but this time, I believe is a bit different. For, it is a larger bed, with a huge desk underneath, and knowing that my current roommates would not be there, just makes it that much better.

I preordered some ben folds stuff

March 21, 2005

What sloppy layout on this post

I also just got off of iTunes. It is the re-mastered version with 6 new songs... pretty nifty.

I am fo spent

March 20, 2005

I just did about 32 hours of work over the past three days. No biggie, I will bag it up, take out.

The Dance Marathon is over, and now I can retire to my boudui.

A Double Half Minded Day

March 19, 2005

So, this morning was like any other friday morning. Bagel and some Stats. And then, the job. So, this day was unlike any other day. I would like to make one thing clear, during this whole day, I have had to poo. Now that the fact is known, we can continue.

Around 11 09 I got back to my room. We had all decided to start working around noon. So, we would all get together around 11 30 and get some lunch, and then get going to start setting up for the University of Michigan Dance Marathon. At the beginning of the year, I thought Dance Marathon was just a dance marathon, where people dance for a long time. But, it is more than that. It is actually something to raise money, and a charity thing. So, that is good. I had planned on setting up until Midnight. I worked about half a day today, and at the end I still had energy. It was fun.

We went to Zingerman's for lunch, got some food (which took a little too long), and finally made it to the Indoor Track Building. We started to unload the things from the van. It was great. Sites helped up set up some iMac G5's for a gaming area. We also had to set up a machine to do an iChat Video chat with BG. We also had to set up a live broadcast for the Dance Marathon website. We also had to set up a video confessional booth. We also had to set up a photo booth where we take people's photos against a green screen and turn it into an iPod ad.

I won't go through the grueling details of setting up the booth, trying things out, realizing it was better another way, turning it around, and finally getting the set up to work. It involved two trips to Target, and a trip each to CompUSA, Outback Steakhouse, and a mountain of ethernet and power cords. (Outback Steakhouse, though never being there before, was a good solid steak, I would go there again, mate).

Working with this group, it makes me appreciate the skills I have and have come to learn over the years just by using Macs. I know the philosophy of the company, and I have my own creative means to do stuff. It was my idea to have us turn people's pictures into iPod ads, but it was as a team we can actually make it happen. We know what we are doing and trying to get done. As the rookie, I am still feeling out the position, but I have hit the ground running... and maybe this weekend I will be hitting the ground tumbling. It is fun, and I hope it stays that way.

We ended the night talking about the next two day's schedule. I ended up getting back to my room around 11, and then onto the potty around 11 30 (After I tried setting up a wireless bridge, to no avail).

I am waking up at 8 AM tomorrow to be there at 9 AM to meet one of the people who is going to help fix the problem with some of the Gaming machines where Halo won't accept the serial numbers. Gah, it is the weekend, and by the end of it I am going to be so burned out, I got a feeling. But, you know, I think most of the time, when I do actual work and not school work. I can go to sleep, wake up, and feel fine and ready to go.

Maybe I went Overboard

March 13, 2005

Last night i went to Zingerman's for dinner, and I paid $21. I got a loaf of bread, a soda, and sammich, and a 5 dollar chocolate bar.

#34 Diana's Different Drummer Niman ranch beef brisket served warm with russian dressing, horseradish and coleslaw on double-baked jewish rye bread.

I got it without the russian dressing. the 5 dollar bar is called a Zzang bar "with peanuts, honey nougat and caramel." It was good, and chocolately, and I got some on my new Overalls. I got the monthly special bread, the Paesano bread:

The traditional bread of the Puglia region of Italy. Pass it around the table for ripping and dipping in great olive oil, soup or pasta.

So, all in all, it was a very big night and a big dinner, and the bread is so good you can eat it as a snack plain. But, next time, i think i am going to leave the candy bar out, way too much and I had no milk around.

The Gabby and Danny Show Present... Episode 1 Prerelease

March 12, 2005

Ohkay, people, here is a prerelease teaser. Remember, the mixes aren't final, and this is not a complete episode. The files are zipped m4a (AAC Audio) files. Not Intended for Any Audiences, what so ever.

• 1 Teen People Magazine
• 2 Johnson Making Condoms
• 3 Larry Thompson: Egg Salesman.

And Don't It Feel Good.

March 12, 2005

First of all, I would like to say using this title for an entry makes me a little bit sad because then I won't be able to use it ever again.

Today, started, unlike other days. I woke up before my alarm, and I chose to get up, instead of normally going to pee and then sleeping for another hour. Today, instead, I went and took a shower. And instead of my bagel on the run for breakfast, I had eggs and a tri-tater with a glass of orange juice. I casually strolled to class, and after the hour lecture, it was off to North Campus.

Yes, people, my job more or less really started today (and don't it feel good). I grabbed the bus, and took it up the the North Campus, and readily had to go to the bathroom. For you see, humble people, when 11:30 comes around every day, I have to find a bathroom, for that is how I am, for most days, and this day, being most unlike, my body could not counteract. It was a combination of nervousness (I don't know why), and me actually having to go the bathroom, I think my schedule is out of wack. No after dinner or late night visits lately... weird... So, wait, back to the meeting.

I arrived at the meeting place around 11:25, thinking people would arrive at the meeting time of 11:35 AM. 11:30 comes around, no one, no one at 11:35, no one at all 11:40. I go and find a computer to check my e-mail (I have a laptop, why don't I carry it around? It is a pain to have to connect and reconnect all those cables, especially for internet and printing...) and I read the e-mail, and it says 11:45.. 11:45, so I was panicking about nothing. I was worrided about being in the wrong place, but I was in the right place. As I came back to the meeting area after checking my e-mail, Jason was there. Good man, Jason, all the reps are. They are really good at what they do, and I hope I can do the same. So, he looks absolutely tired out of his gourd. Then, Adam shows up while Jason is toasting his bagel from the Mujo. (I got a bagel, and some water, conservative food for a man with a timid stomach). Then, Sheri showed up.

We talked about things, that I am not going to reveal here. And then the meeting was done... and Sheri gave myself and Jason rides, and Sheri gave me some new things that I need for my job. Among them were a Final Cut Pro HD book, sweet to read, an Airport Express from John (who I want to meet, because he seems to be the most knowledgeable person about Apple stuff from what I have garnered), and a PowerBook. (and don't it feel good/ Yes, readers, I already have a 15" PowerBook, but this is a 12" PowerBook, and it is something that is going to be very good for my job. I am going to carry it with me everywhere, and I can always be ready to whip it out to show a customer. Which is super sweet.

Well, after a while of being giddy about all that (which I still am), I had to go to a group meeting for my Stats Project. I am not going to divulge the secrets of our super interesting question, but needless to say, it is a good one.

Then, to the Frieze building to edit film. I arrived at 3 PM. I have three group members, they each decided to: Forget about coming, and Show Up Late. (I actually called them ten minutes before to come: I left a message on two of their phones, and I talked to one who showed up about 30 minutes later.) So, Finally, everyone got there, and we started to go through the steps of editing the film for our class. Now, this is real editing, with film. If you muck it up, it is lost. But, we finally got it through... yes, it took four or so hours to edit a minute long film that is incredibly simple. We first took the film reel and cut it up into shots, and then furthermore those shots into each little cut we wanted. Then, we just went down the line and did a bam bam bam bam bam, kind of thing, getting it done faster than I had expected. So, we got it done in one day. (and don't it feel good)

And now, humble pie people, I am going to crash hard on my bed, as I am ready to just sleep.

I have never seen this before,..,

March 10, 2005

I have never seen this Red Band Trailer thing before, it is ingenious!

Gabby And Danny Present...

March 08, 2005

What is our plans? Who knows? I will give you a hint:

It involves Gabby, Danny, and our new friend Brad Summers from San Jose, California

To Travel Home and Feel Horrible

March 05, 2005

So, people, i am back at school.... oh well... it was fun while it lasted. Continue to read if you want to hear about the disgusting details of my day of travel.

This morning I woke up and had to go potty, and I then I ate something.... and I was feeling sick. So, I was a little chilly, and I have this gift to know when I am going to throw up about 10 minutes before hand... so, I waited until I was just about to, and I ran to the bathroom and let it all out from my mouth. I decided to take it easy until I had to leave around 2 30, so I watched an episode of L O S T before I finished packing. My dad wanted to make shure I did not have a fever, and while I was having my temperature taken (wearing my winter jacket and comfortable), I said: "Dad, this is wonderful, but I need to go throw up." So, once again, I threw up.

I finally got my temperature taken and I did not have a fever. I made the choice to continue with the day, and the flying and the driving. I made it to the airport in one piece, with my ZipLock bag at my side just in case. And, I made it to the terminal, and I was ailing the whole way from the curb to the seat. I finally sat down, looking like I was about to expire, and suddenly Luke arrived from out of the blue skied day.

Luke was on the same flight as me, and I boarded when they called for people who need extra time to get situated, because I needed extra time to get situated. The plane ride was fine, I was scared of having and liquids as of fear of throwing up. It seemed that there was this lady who was sitting in the aisle seat across from me who was worried I was going to expire or infect her. I finally made it off the plane, I had to go to the bathroom because I was about to let out the most liquid poop ever. Luke and I started walking in the wrong direction after we got off the little terminal light rail thing (I thought we were going the wrong way, but I was out of it). Eventually, we turned around and headed down to Baggage claim. I finally made it to the bathroom and let what was in me out... and sitting there in the filthy airport bathroom, I was relieved, although concerned whether I leaked or sweated myself. I assume sweated because of how many layers I was wearing.

We finally made it on to the AirBus, provided by the UoM for transporting students from the airport. I sad in the back right next to the bathroom (coincidence, it was the seat open) next to Luke. Finally, we made it off at State Street and I walked like a sick old boy back to East Quad. I dropped my bag, took out my Birkenstocks, and went down to sit on the toilet.

The toilet, home sweet home.

Ben Folds 2005 Thingies

March 05, 2005

Well, there are more details about the new Ben Folds stuff this year from BenFolds.com. It has gotten me all excited and such :

March 8 -- Ben's cover of the Dr. Dre Classic, "Bitches Ain't Shit" will be available to download from iTunes. You'll be able to check out Ben's brand of Chronic-era Dre on this new non-album track.

March 22 -- "Landed" 7" single arrives in your favorite record stores!

Also On March 22 -- The special expanded edition of Ben Folds Five's Whatever And Ever Amen remastered with new liner notes from alll the original band members and 7 bonus tracks: Video Killed The Radio Star (studio version, previously unreleased), For All The Pretty People, Mitchell Lane, Theme from "Dr. Pyser" (studio version), Air, She Don't Use Jelly, Song For The Dumped (Japanese version).
Pre-order your copy online now for just $9.98!

And the album you've been waiting for... April 26 -- Ben's new studio album, Songs For Silverman, will be released in three formats and packages:

• - 180 Gram Heavy Double Vinyl
• - DualDisc: Stereo CD on one side, DVD on the other side including 5.1 Surround Sound mix & 25-minute behind-the-scenes feature
• - Deluxe Edition: Featuring 40-page booklet and 40-minute DVD The Making of Songs for Silverman including live performances, exclusive interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage.

My Day Trip to New York City

March 03, 2005

Yesterday morning, around 6 40 I woke up and took a shower. Then, my mom drove me over to the Metro station, and I got on the train to Union Station. I got my ticket, and jumped on the train. The Train to My Day Trip to New York City.

The train ride was fine, I slept for about thirty minutes of the three hour ride. My iPod made it the whole day before it died when I was walking home from the Metro. I like riding the train, it is calming and a nice way to travel. When the train pulled into Penn Station, I got off and started walking. Now, I had never walked the streets of New York City alone before, and the previous stories of pimps and falling into man holes worried me slightly, so I kept my bag close to me, but I still took about 70 pictures. (I said to hell with looking like a tourist, and there are so many tourists there, especially the ones from Europe who are taking pictures with their camera phones.)

The Restaurant

Now, before and after the show, my Grandma opted for us to eat at The Palm, of which I had no problem with. Yes, we ate there for lunch and dinner, on account of us having no idea where else to go to for dinner. For lunch, I had a nice Rib-Eye. For Dinner, I had some Spaghetti. It was a fine meal (costly, but I was not paying).

For lunch, I arrived about 10 minutes early, and the restaurant was nearly empty (it was nearly fully by the time we left), and I felt that Dave, the waiter dude, was offended by my being there and sitting without the other members of my party there. Yet, when Grandma and Pamela (who thought she would have to eat and run, but the food came quickly so she could stay) Dave stopped freakin' me out and I could have a meal in peace.

The Play

SPAMALOT was really funny. What was the one thing that really stood out to me was the sets. The sets were big and had all these different doodads and whatchamacallits. Very impressive. It seemed weird to have songs put into Monty Python's The Holy Grail, but they fitted well enough to make the play very enjoyable. It is still in previews (so, they are showing it before it is finalized), but it was still very incredible. I don't want to talk about it at all in fear or ruining the surprise to anyone else who may want to see it. But, if you trust my judgment one bit at all (as you should), you must see this theatrical produciton.

My thoughts on The City

Any kind of comments or conclusions I can make about the city as a whole are invalid, the way I see it. I spent one day there, on one side of the city. "Mid-town West Side," as some put it. All I know is that if I ever need a $2 watch or a $2 t-shirt, I know where to go. It just seemed so grand and over the top and big. I would say the one thing that stood out to me was how Big everything was.

Overall, the day was well spent. Instead of my usual Spring Break fare of DVDs and Carry out, I got to go on an adventure and see something I could not view anywhere else! And now, sadly, I get to go back to school for 8 more weeks. Oh hum;

Maybe it is just gas

February 28, 2005

So, people I am probably not going to have a heart attack. I went to the Doctor's today to get a check up, and I told him about my problem. He said despite my numerous thronings, gas can collect up around my colon or stomach or something, and cause that problem. And, it also causes the problems with my left shoulder because the way the body is made, the nerves in my shoulder are connected to my stomach or colon... it is the same thing with the galbladder on the right side. Anyway, I gave the good old urine and blood sample (while looking through all the things I could have gotten, "Anal Tape" at the top of the list), I got off easy.

(Before I went to the doctor's I finally sent in my stuff to Apple to get a role on me starting my job) My way back from the Doctor's involved some Pumpernickel's (sammich sic, pizza, and a dr.pepper) , a Potomac Video (to get Philadelphia). Philadelphia is one damn fine movie, one damn fine sad movie, it is good. I liked it.

Now, what do I do? A nice week long SpRiNG BreAK!, and it is freakin' snowing here in DC. That is disappointing, but I have been to Pumpernickel's and Chipotle. Chipotle is pissing me off, making such tiny burrito's it is insane!. Well, I still have my NY Trip to go to on Wednesday, so that should be fun.

We are Danny

February 26, 2005

Redesign in Progress

February 22, 2005

I am working on Prelude to Innovations in Motion version 4 at the moment. Please tell me what you think of the redesign. thanks

I think I am going to have a heart attack

February 22, 2005

Today i was having trouble breathing, it was like there was a bubble in some place in my chest, and when i tried to breath in it would hurt my chest. And if I breathed in too hard my left shoulder would feel weird, and start to hurt. After a while of breathing softly, things got back to normal, but I am still frazzled, and scared whenever it happens

Professionally Unemployed

February 22, 2005

So, the dude who runs http://www.kottke.org/ has decided to quit his day job and be a full time blogger. First of all, if you haven't read his blog, it is a good collection of links and stories and photos. Secondly, this is a cool idea. Thirdly, he knows that through his fund raising campaign of offering oodles of free goodies, he is going to make a ton of money who want to win the things and support him. Finally, he is not selling any more content to people who paid, just the satisfaction they are helping a guy out whose stuff they like reading.

As soon as I get me some money in the bank, I am going to donate too. I mean, it is a cool idea. If you are popular enough, you can be a personal publisher and make a living doing it. Good for him

Spring has not SPRUNG. REpeat SNOW

February 21, 2005

People, come on, what is up with this snow? It was just melting, I was just seeing some grass on the ground, and then this snow comes along and is all... HEY! It is supposed to be getting warm... it is almost March!

Am I missing something? Does this part of the world stay Winter until it decides to get incredibly unbearably hot?

I guess I better break out the old Spring Break typelogo:

SpRiNG BreAK!

There, are you happy?

This is me needing something to happen, something to look forward to? and something to just be exciting! All of the talk of me not liking new things and not liking to travel, it does not work as well when everything is so cold and monotonous.

Life and school should be more separate than they are now. I don't want to see every one from school all the time. I liked it when I would go home and it not be school, and I would go to school and it would not be home. It makes each of them more different and not what it is right now. Where school surrounds home.

A reason to leave the cave

February 20, 2005

Hey people's, tonight I went to the East Quad Masquerade at The U-Club. I went there for the sole reason of the free frood and the promise of a raffle, or MORE FOOD! I had some cheese, cookies, strawberries, and chicken wings, and a nice amount of 4 ounces of water at a time. I got me some beads. So, after the first round of not winning at the raffle, I won during the second round. I won $10 at Mr.Spot's! Yipee!

And I left after that.

"All for One, All for Love" by Sting, Bryan Adams, and Rod Stewart

February 19, 2005

Download 4MB, (MP3)

When it's love you give,
I'll be a man of good Faith.
Then love you'll live,
I'll make a stand, I won't blink.
I'll be the rock you can build on,
Be there when you're old,
To have and to hold.

When there's love inside,
I swear I'll always be strong.
Then there's a reason why
I'll prove to you we belong.
I'll be the world that protects you
From the wind and the rain,
From the hurt and the pain.

Let's make it all for one, all for love.
Let the one you hold be the one you want
The one you need.
'Cause when it's all for one, it's one for all.
When there's someone that you know,
Then just let your feelings show
And make it all for one, all for love.

When it's love you make,
I'll be the fire in your night.
Then it's love you take
I will defend I will fight
I'll be there when you need me
When honor's at stake,
This vow I will make:

That it's all for one, all for love.
Let the one you hold be the one you want
The one you need.
'Cause when it's all for one, it's one for all.
When there's someone that you know,
Then just let your feelings show
And make it all for one, all for love.

Don't lay our love to rest,
'Cause we could stand up to the test.
We've got everything and more that we had
planned,
More then the rivers that run the lands.
We've got it all in our hands.

Now it's all for one, all for love.
Let the one you hold be the one you want,
The one you need.
'Cause when it's all for one, it's one for all.
When there's someone that you know,
Then just let your feelings show
When there's someone that you want
When there's someone that you need
Let's make it all, all for one, and all for love.

Future (confirmed) plan 1- Spamalot

February 16, 2005

So, peoples,

I am going to go see Spamalot in New York with my Grandma Ruth. It is going to be sweet: wake up early and catch a train, see the show, get some dinner, get a train back. A good day trip. Yipppies!

Future (Tentative and Maybe) Plans

February 16, 2005

There are two future plans I had tonight that might occur:

• Go See Spamalot during Spring Break. Go up to New York City for a day, see the show, maybe go do something else, then come back.


• Go to WWDC 2005 before Camp. Drive up to camp, catch a flight to San Fransisco, go to WWDC, catch a flight back to Duluth, go and spend a summer at camp.

Snippity Doo Dah

February 14, 2005

So on Saturday I did the filming for my film project for my film, video, tv project.

Let's take a look at how it came out:

• 10 AM- Come to Angell Hall 2nd floor and wait for the rest of my team
• 10 36 AM- Jeff shows up, we have two out of the four actors we need
• 10 42 AM- Charlie shows up with the lights, camera, and tripod. We start setting up the set and the equiptment
• 11:30 AM- Get me some Jimmy John's sandwhich that I munch on for the rest of the shoot
• 12 47 PM- We decide that Jeff will be our third actor as he goes out looking for our solo actress. The two actors arrived
• 1 30 PM- Eventually, we set everything up and we take our first shot.
• 2 32 PM-Filming ends
• 2 46 PM- We finally put everything back (the lights were really hot) and start back towards the Frieze building to return everything and get our film out to processed

So, overall, we got everything, titles and credits and everything, done in a couple of hours, but the waiting was FOREVER.

Hopefully everything turns out ohkay, I have no idea if it will or not, as this was my first time operating a camera for real with no one giving me specific instructions, but I think I did an ohkay job.

Superman is a Dick

February 12, 2005