I Get Cold Easily

Reflections on tonight

2010-03-14T23:11:00.002-05:00

In a way, going to concerts alone is the most liberating way to experience music. It makes me feel original, no matter how popular the band actually is. It makes me feel like I don't fit in with what everyone else is doing, which makes me happy.

I am suddenly aware of growing up. When Copeland introduced a song with, "this is an old one," and I totally knew the song, I had to stop and ask myself, "Is it really that old?" This is happening. My generation is going through growing pains; favorite bands breaking up and having families and lives. It's surreal. I'm okay with it. Reluctant acceptance.

Quick & dirty

2009-12-24T01:21:00.002-06:00

No pictures, no long-winded descriptions, just thoughts:

BEST ALBUMS OF 2009
Passion Pit - Manners
So Many Dynamos - The Loud Wars
UUVVWWZ - UUVVWWZ
Native - Wrestling Moves
Mr. Gnome - Heave Yer Skeleton

I normally don't believe in New Years Resolutions, but in the past few days I decided I'd like to be more crafty/handy, and we are a few weeks away from 2010, so I suppose that is mine.

Haha

2009-12-06T13:12:00.000-06:00

Haven't done this in awhile.

I'm livin' it.

Life is kicking my ass right now

2009-10-26T20:59:00.002-05:00

Tests, homework, essays, reading, acting, work, broken cell phone, meetings, clubs, radio, radio, radio, loans, money, anniversary, social life, shows, going home, picking classes, and on and on and on and on and on.

I hate it and I love it.

College: Time to experiment

2009-10-07T21:40:00.002-05:00

Don't consider this a blog post, I just didn't know where else to put this.

No, not that kind of experimenting.

I have a big Psychology test tomorrow afternoon. In every class so far this semester, I have, without fail, fallen asleep. No exaggeration. I am missing at least a few minutes if not the whole of each lecture. So I probably should study. But you know what? I won't. Asleep as I may have been, I feel like maybe somehow I internalized all that info, like in that episode of Dexter's Laboratory when he tried to learn french overnight but his machine broke and all he could say was "omelette du fromage." I looked at the study guide and just decided I don't want to do it. I'd much rather write about how I'm not going to study at all. And I feel pretty good about this. I feel like maybe I might be able to pull off a solid B-. I know this probably doesn't sound like a big deal to you, but it is to me. Shut up.

Hahaha

2009-09-20T03:27:00.001-05:00

Attention: Anybody who talks during movies (read: just about everybody)

Occupations - short film by Lars von Trier
by vahea

Since when have I had a blog?

2009-09-13T02:41:00.001-05:00

I don't have time/drive anymore.

Who wants to spend New Year's in Seattle/Vancouver with Ali & me? I'm 100% serious.

A Non-Comprehensive Best-and-Worst of 2009 List

2009-08-20T10:45:00.001-05:00

or, The Best and Worst of 2009 So Far, and by "2009 So Far" I Mean "The Past Few Months of 2009; God Forbid I Remember Anything From January"
or, I Haven't Updated My Blog In Forever, So I Feel Like Doing A Contemporary Retrospective Of What I Do And Don't Like About The Past Few Weeks Will Make Up For That

*(This entry is being continually updated. It's probably going to be the only thing I post/repost for awhile, at least until things at school start to settle down)*

BEST:

Paper Heart

I got to see an early screening of this movie, and I can't tell you how much I loved it. I know it won't be for everyone, because I heard some people walk out of the theatre saying things like "That was the worst movie I've ever seen," but if your taste in movies is anything like mine (see prior post), I'm sure you won't find anything wrong with this gem. There's a lot of movies that I like, and even more movies that I hate, but it takes a lot for me to admit a movie onto my "favorite movies of all time" list. This immediately hopped on as soon as the credits started rolling.

Wild Mushroom "Burger" from the Grand Lux Cafe
(Image from themushroomchannel.com/a Google Image search)

"A Meatless 'Burger' made from a Combination of Portabella, Shiitake, Crimini and Button Mushrooms Blended with a little Garlic, Cheese and Fresh Thyme. Served on a Bun with Fries"
-The Grand Lux Menu.
Seriously, if there has ever been a better veggie burger, I haven't had it. This thing is tops. I can't say anything about it other than go try it. It's amazing.

UUVVWWZ's Self-titled debut album

2009 has been a year full of musical surprises. If you asked me what my favorite kind of music is, I certainly wouldn't reply with anything popular. I'd probably say "math" or "noise rock". That said, I've really been enjoying Passion Pit's "Manners". It took me by surprise, and up until a few weeks ago I'd held it as the best album of 2009 so far. However, the indie-dance-rock world has a giant collective boner over them, so I don't feel like they need that much promotion. This little guy, however, does. This is the album that's stolen Manners' title for best of 09 so far. Imagine Yeah Yeah Yeahs & Melt-Banana had a baby, and that's what UUVVWWZ (pronounced "Double U, Double V, Double W, Z") sounds like. Shamefully, they're one of Saddle Creek's newest bands, and I don't feel like they're getting enough attention, so I'm doing my part by telling you to check them out. You'll like it, I promise.

The Loud Wars - So Many Dynamos

Okay, almost forgot about this one. This one is tied with UUVVWWZ for best of 09 so far. So Many Dynamos is one of those bands that I remember from back in the day. Like, I remember their name being thrown around in my freshman year of high school. The scary thing is that I saw these guys live a few days ago, and they look like they just graduated from high school themselves. Seriously, I wouldn't say they're more than one or two years older than myself. And for their age, this record is frighteningly good. Imagine if The Faint grew up in southern California. And the live show is tops. If you've got the opportunity to experience this band, please do so.

Losing weight

I've moved up a belt loop, and my pants are loose. This is probably due to all the manual labor I've been doing the past few days, but hopefully it'll continue into the school year.

(500) Days of Summer

I didn't think two instantly-favorite movies could come out in the same year, but here it is. A modern day romance masterpiece.

WORST:

Money

Seriously, fuck this stuff. It's ruining my life.

Wisdom tooth extraction

Was not fun!@#$

This is all that comes to mind immediately. I'll probably update this again soon with more goodness and badness.

I just need to write this somewhere, or else I'll forget

2009-07-29T01:29:00.001-05:00

Ongoing list of favorite movies of all time:
-Orange County
-Sideways
-PAPER HEART

FML

2009-06-05T21:09:00.003-05:00

So there is a party going on tonight, and just about all of my coworkers will be there. I was on the fence about going.

So I'm in CVS, buying some tissues, when I run into the girl throwing the party. Yada yada, small talk, chit-chat, then:

"So are you coming?"
"Weeeeellll, I don't know. Convince me."
"Umm...two kegs? And two games of beer pong!"

Right. Drunk people. Check.

"No promises, but we'll see!"
"Alright, then maybe I'll see you tonight!"

I continue shopping, and remember that my girlfriend and I need condoms. So I grab condoms. And I walk up to the register, and who should be in front of me but the girl throwing the party.

So I'm holding the tissue box and the condoms with one hand, trying to hide the condoms behind the tissue box. And, lo & behold, the condoms go flying. They didn't fall, mind you. I did not drop the condoms. The boxes snapped together and the condoms flung into the air like a trapeze artist, tumbling end-over-end in slow motion.

The girl turns away in pity, or embarrassment, or both.

My head was screaming "I swear, I am not out to rape your drunken party guests!" but all I could sputter out was, "That did not just happen."

"See you at the party tonight!"

The new dream

2009-06-02T16:37:00.003-05:00

Epiphone Les Paul Junior Double Cutaway. In TV Yellow, please:

Go ahead, try to find one. They don't exist. The Gibson version is available, but who has two and a half Gs to spend on a guitar? I sure don't.

This, of course, is coming after a new amp, and a vast array of effects pedals.

At least I have a dream, right?

Sigh and accept it

2009-05-31T17:38:00.002-05:00

After visiting my local American Apparel and Urban Outfitters (the latter of which I don't support, by the way), I strolled into a Panera - pay no mind to the fact that it's not a coffee shop; I almost went to Argo, but Panera doesn't have a time limit on their wi-fi - and plopped down into a seat. I took my MacBook (with a trendy skin on it, no less) out of my hand-painted messenger bag, plugged in my bright white headphones, and popped in a CD from the radio station I volunteer at. Later I intend on taking some photos with my pop camera in my bag and writing in my Moleskine.

I'm a goddamn Chicago hipster.

Just sharing

2009-05-15T00:31:00.003-05:00

This is such a damn clever idea, and I wish I would've thought of it first, because I know I'd be good at it.

http://fuckyoupenguin.blogspot.com/

FAIL

2009-05-12T20:15:00.003-05:00

This is Anton Yelchin. You might recognize him. He played Charlie Bartlett, Chekov in the new Star Trek, and he's going to be in Terminator: Savlation. He's 20 years old.

This is Bo Burnham. You've probably seen him on YouTube. He's a famous comedian now. He's 18.

And I'm sure you've seen this devil. It's Daniel Radcliffe. You know, Harry Potter. He's 19 now. While we're at it, also see Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. Oh, heck, go ahead and just look up everyone on the Disney Channel.

And this is me, Michael Cabellon. Eating string cheese. Yes, I just took that photo just now. I'm 19 (just six days older than Emma Watson, in fact). I spent today on my laptop, and tonight's agenda is full of more nothing.

Sometimes I wonder about myself. I feel like maybe I should've done something mighty by now, like the aforementioned horde, but all I've done is gone to college. That's more than a lot of other people can say, I know, but it's not even like it's a good college. I sometimes regret coming to Loyola; I know I could be at NYU or Harvard or somewhere else right now. I know I could. I know I have the brains for it. I just made a really uninformed, chance-based decision with college, and if I could go back in time, I just might be somewhere else. I could transfer, yeah, but I like it here, and I always justify it with, "Well, God brought me here for a reason, right?" I just feel like I'm going nowhere. Well, not nowhere, but nowhere notable, you know? I mean, my school just filmed a commercial. A goddamn commercial. Do you have any idea how hokey that is? When's the last time you saw a commercial for a college and thought, "Now that's a quality institution!" That's right, never.

Maybe I'll do something. Maybe I'll be somebody. Or maybe I won't, maybe I'll just live my life as an insignificant blip on the map of society; someone others regard as important, but nobody that people will remember. Doctor something, Mister whoever, Professor I don't know. We'll see. It's just hard sometimes, knowing that I haven't done anything. I think that's my ultimate goal in life, is to do something, and I'm worried that I haven't yet. And I know I've got the rest of my life, but these guys have already done something, and I could die at any second, and isn't the world supposed to end in 2012?

What am I doing just sitting here?

Panasonic RP-HTX7 Review

2009-05-09T19:22:00.003-05:00

I'll be a DJ on 88.7 WLUW in Chicago starting a week from Monday. Every good DJ should have headphones on in the booth, at least when they're speaking. And the DJs all have their own pair. There is a communal set in the studio, but what's the fun in that? So I decided that this would be a good opportunity to treat myself to a pair of high-quality headphones that I've always wanted.

Being the well-informed consumer that I am, I've spent the past day or so researching the best headphones my money can buy (and I don't have much money). For around $60, the Koss Pro4AA Titanium headphones seemed like a winner. The only problem was that they were ugly. Real ugly.

Stylish, I know.

So that was on the back of my mind. What also came to mind, however, was this pair of Panasonics I had seen on the head of many a young Chicagoan. I think that there are two main factors that contribute to this: 1) It's readily available. I got mine at Target, and if a product is available at Target, I'll be damned if I don't know at least three other people who have it. 2) It's fashionable. These aren't bulky black headphones. They actually come in like six colors, but I think Target only carries three. Here's what mine look like:

Shiny.

(The other caption I came up with for that was "Dear Apple, I still think white gadgets look cool.")

I thought that these bad boys were $50 at Target, but I found them on Amazon for $40*, so they were the cheaper choice. And according to user reviews online, they weren't half-bad. I mean, they weren't rated "best" in their class by any means, but they were decent.

So I had this battle between a high-end beast and a cheaper beauty going on in my head. I was pretty sure I was going to go with the Panasonics, just because I'm really vain, and I didn't want to be seen in public with a monstrosity on my head, so I headed to Target, where I was confronted with a problem.

Apparently, $50 was a sale price at Target. They were now back up to their retail price of just about $60, the same price as the Uglies. Luckily, I had my laptop with me, so I walked to the Target Starbucks and pulled up the Amazon pages for both to do some hardcore comparisons. They seemed equally promising, until I realized that the Koss pair weighed two pounds. Two pounds? That's like hanging a fully-grown lobster from your head. I ran back to the electronics department to look at the Panasonics - 5.8 ounces. 5.4 without the cord. That's nearly five and a half times lighter than the Kosses (I won't lie, I didn't know off-hand how many ounces were in a pound, I used my phone to look it up when I was in the store).

And that was when I made up my mind. There was no way I was going to have something with the weight and looks of a sack of potatoes on my head regularly. When it comes down to it, folks, I'm not an audiophile. Yeah, when I know what's supposed to be in a mix, I can tell what's missing, and there are some things I can hear in songs that my friends can't, but that's because a lot of my friends don't really "listen" to music, they just hear it. Anybody who's been trained in music for awhile could easily do better than I could at picking out sounds. Plus, the Panasonics just look so damn trendy!

*I totally forgot that these were available online for $40, and just rediscovered that fact as I was writing this post, so I now know that I kind of wasted $20. Oh well.

Okay, now for the actual sound test. I picked a handful of songs, based on a few criteria. Firstly, these are all songs that I know, front to back, so I know exactly what's supposed to be there, and how it's supposed to be mixed. They're all songs that I have, at some point in my life, spent a freakish amount of time listening to on repeat. In some cases, I know how to play the whole song, which really helps. Secondly, they're not web or radio rips, they came straight from CD, so I know that they're the highest quality the average person will ever hear. Lastly, they either had a lot of different elements that one could try to pick out, or almost no elements, so that the listener can hone in on one particular sound. This is also a really limited list, just what jumped out at me while I was scrolling through iTunes, so I'll definitely be doing some more extensive testing later tonight. Here's the list:

1) Native - "What Are You Dylan In My House?"
2) Tera Melos - "When Worms Learn to Fly"
3) Fear Before the March of Flames - "Given to Dreams"
4) Justin King - "Knock on Wood"
5) Kaki King - "Bari Improv" (if you've ever seen "August Rush," this is that song when August is playing with the acoustic on the floor in the house)
6) The Kinison - "The Farm & The Girls" and "Oh Boy That Girl Can Move"
7) Maps & Atlases - "The Ongoing Horrible"

The first thing that becomes apparent with these headphones is comfort. I've got a pretty large noggin - I usually have to stretch headphones to their biggest in order to accommodate my cranium. These fit my head pretty well, and even though they were pretty firm there, a little bit of finangling could've made them a bit wider. The ear cushions are as cushy as can be, and they went around my ears perfectly.

One thing that these do really well is accurately present what's being played. My old earbuds made everything sound like it was being played at the same volume, but these things play the quiets quietly and the louds loudly. Relatedly, these made me more aware of the flat production value on The Kinison's album. Compared to other songs, the production on this album made it sound like the band was playing in the next room over. In a way, however, that just makes me love the album even more. I can't tell you how much that album means to me personally.

The headphones also do a really good job of separating left from right. My old earbuds put muddy sounds right in the middle, but these have a clean left and a clean right. This is how I know the Kinison's flatness wasn't due to the headphones: I could pick out each instrument and channel really well, it was just an overall flat tone that I know came from the mixing board. I might be going crazy and/or imagining it, but I also think these headphones distinguish front from back. On "Bari Improv," as the echo/delay dies, I swear I could hear it moving from front to back. It was eerie. Another improvement these have over my old earbuds is clarity. On songs like "Given to Dreams," I could hear exactly when a note or strum would stop and another would start, whereas my old earbuds would make notes kind of mush together. I don't listen to a lot of metal, but I imagine staccato chugga-chuggas would sound glorious through these.

By my own admission, however, my old earbuds weren't that great (although they were a vast improvement on the stock iPod earbuds I had been using for everything prior to that). It's kind of unfair to compare these new headphones to such small stones. It's like comparing a Lamborghini to a Hyundai. So here's what I think, going off of my limited-but-I'd-still-say-above-average audio knowledge.

The treble & bass came in loud & clear. I might be biased with bass, because my old headphones (okay, last time I'll use that phrase) couldn't push bass worth a hill of beans. But treble & bass balanced each other really well. This was really apparent on the acoustic songs: "Bari Improv" and "The Ongoing Horrible" came across bright & punchy, and "Knock on Wood" was a symphony - the bass strings were warm, and the treble strings were crisp. Mids could use a bit of a push, but they were there. The only time I could complain about mids were when the treble drowned it out, but aside from that, the mids were okay.

The last remark I want to make is that there's a feeling that comes along when one buys new speakers and/or headphones, and it doesn't happen often, but when it does happen, it's a magical moment that makes me all giddy, and these headphones helped me experience that. It's when you're listening to one of your favorite songs, one that you've heard thousands of times before, and you think you know every little quirk, but when you listen to that same song through new speakers or headphones, you hear something new that you hadn't noticed before, and you realize that you're experiencing the song just as the artist had intended, with all its subtleties in tow.

On "The Ongoing Horrible," I always knew there was a second guitar, but I never paid much mind to it, and I could only really hear it during certain parts. These headphones really helped me to hear that second guitar, and the song just feels so much warmer to me now. It's like magic.

So would I recommend these headphones? You betcha. For most kids my age, I can guarantee that they're a step up from whatever they're using. Could you get a better-sounding pair for the same price? Sure, but my demographic is too concerned with aesthetics to be bothered by ugly masterpieces. We're not audiophiles, we're just kids who listen to music, and this stylish pair of $60 headphones passes that test with flying colors.

I tried to sell some clothes at Crossroads today

2009-05-07T20:25:00.002-05:00

It was my first time doing so, at any kind of buy-sell-trade type place. I can't decide whether I like or hate their system for buying back clothes. I don't know if it's the same way everywhere, but they had a very up-front system for telling you how much they're ripping you off. When they're done picking through your clothes, they say

"Alright, Mike, we can take nine of your items. It's worth $80 retail, so we can give you $28 or sorrywedonthaveanythingcoolforsale in store credit."

And it's not like you can say, "Hot damn, it's worth $80?!" and take it back, because, I mean, where else are you going to sell your clothes? So of course you have to fumble out a "Hurrr durrr I'll take the cash I guessssss."

Okay, no, yeah, I've made my decision: I hate this system. If you're going to swindle me, don't tell me. Just let me think that my shit is actually worth $28.

I'm taking everything else to Buffalo Exchange tomorrow; I expect the experience to be even more humiliating.

It's already a great day, and it's not even 3.

2009-05-07T14:45:00.002-05:00

Before I went to bed last night, I was reorganizing a set of drawers I'm keeping for Andi over the summer. I found two CTA transit cards in it, so I texted her, and she said that if anything's on them, I could have them.

As it turns out, I've got about three round trips' worth of fare on these cards. Stranded no more: Awesome #1.

Awesome #2 is the weather. It's seriously so damn nice today.

Awesome #3 is graduation. I'm not graduating, but if you walk around Loyola's campus, you'll see tons of kids who are, and their families. It's just nice to see families dressed up and supporting each other, in nice weather.

Awesome #4, and possibly the most awesome of all: I did my last practice run as a DJ today, three hours on air (which is longer than a usual shift). That in itself would be an accomplishment, but to top it off, I got a phone call from a listener before I played my last song. They asked me what I was playing, what was playing awhile back, then asked me if I had been DJing at noon. I told them that I got on air at 11, and they complimented me on my set. They said that they have really enjoyed every song I played and they thanked me.

That meant so much to me. People are actually listening to me, and people actually like me. It's exciting. Thank you, mystery caller, for making my day, and possibly my career.

Nostalgia Night

2009-05-06T23:59:00.006-05:00

Summer's officially here. I guess.

I'm all moved in to my new summer place, my girlfriend is back home for the next ten days or so, my job doesn't start until the 20th, and I'm stranded here - my U-Pass expired, and my Chicago Card won't be coming in the mail 'til next week (non-Chicagoans read: my methods of paying for public transportation are temporarily MIA). Oh, but I do start DJing next week, that's exciting. If you're ever in the city on a Monday morning, tune into 88.7.

Now's the time for me to catch up on all those things I've wanted to do during the school year, but just haven't had the time for. Expect frequent blog posts concerning things like what home remedy will best remove armpit stains.

I intended on taking it easy tonight and relaxing. The past few days have wielded a remarkable amount of nostalgic thrift store purchases: an All-4-One CD, a Spy Fox disc, and Power Rangers: The Movie (on VHS, of course), so I decided to make it a childhood/90s/nostalgia night. Before moving on with my night, let me reflect on each of these.

Best game EVAR

I can't tell you how many hours I lost to this damn game as a kid. Same goes for the sequel. I think that by the time the third one came around I thought I was too old for it, or maybe I just didn't know about it, but I would kill to play it now. This is my game of choice.

Remember when looking like this was cool?

I'll admit, I might be reaching out to a slightly older audience here. I consider myself pretty snobby when it comes to music nowadays, but this is where I got my musical roots. This is how it all started. Growing up, this stuff was all my sister listened to, so that's what I grew up on: Boyz II Men, Kriss Kross, TLC, etc. You know the scene. It still strikes a chord with me to this day. So you can imagine my excitement when I found this CD for less than a dollar at a thrift store.

Ohhhhkay, here we go.

You know you've had that conversation with your friends: "Hey, remember the Power Rangers? Yeah! Oh and what about those old Nick shows like Space Cases? Or The Angry Beavers? I loved that show! Oh man, Harriet The Spy was my favorite movie when I was a kid!" Don't ever have this conversation with me. I'll just get mad at you. This topic is just so overwrought, I've thought about it so much, that it just angers me when people bring it up casually. If you're going to have a nostalgic conversation with me, make it about something that I seriously hadn't remembered up until that point. The Power Rangers are more than a memory to me, they're an integral part of my childhood; nay, an integral part of my life. If you know me well enough, you already know this. Remember how you had that Red Ranger or Pink Ranger Wal-Mart costume? I had a custom tailored White Ranger getup, every year. I don't fuck around when it comes to the Power Rangers. And don't even get me started if you're going to conclude your little nostalgia trip with "Yeah, whatever happened to them?" or "I stopped watching when I was 8." I still try to keep up with the current seasons when I can. Judge away.

That said, I was giddy like a school girl when my girlfriend presented me with a VHS copy of the Power Rangers movie. It's not canon, I know, but I have such fond memories of it that I couldn't help but be excited.

So here I am, with my night lined up: I was gonna listen to "I Swear" on repeat (personal note: make love to this song at least once before I die), play an entire game of Spy Fox, then sit on the floor - that's right, not a cozy couch, the floor, true kid style - and watch Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: The Movie, possibly while eating a sugary snack and/or Big Mac. Okay, maybe not a Big Mac, those things are disgusting, and like I said, I currently lack transportation, but I totally grew up on those too. I was a chubby-ass kid.

I got through the All-4-One CD, no problem. Then I popped in Spy Fox.

Can't open the application "Spyfox" because the Classic environment is no longer supported.

What the fuck is this shit?! Are you telling me that my Macbook is too new to play old games?! What ever happened to backwards compatibility?!

So after a mild heart attack, I did about four minutes worth of research and found out that Classic stopped with the advent of Mac OS X (or Mac 10.4, I can't figure out which yet, but I don't really care). There is, however, a way to run Classic on OS X, but of course it requires a PowerPC processor, and I'm running Intel. Non-technologically-inclined people read: My MacBook is fucked and I need an older computer to play Spy Fox.

And so I moved on, bummed out.

I wasn't in the mood to start the movie, so I indulged myself into a Wikiwhirlwind. You know what those are: You look up one thing on Wikipedia, then you find a link that you open in another tab, and so on and so forth, and before you know it you've wasted an hour and a half of your time becoming an expert on something like Judo techniques. In this case, I looked up the Power Rangers movie. To reiterate, I was looking it up for production notes - I already knew the plot. Don't even act like I haven't seen this movie before.

And this brings me to what I'm about to present to you. As it turns out, when we were kids, Saban was trying to cash in on the Power Rangers craze by churning out a bunch of other shows in the same fashion. Some of these I can remember pretty vividly, but others I somehow subconsciously blocked out of my childhood memories. For some of these, I had to do a Google search and look at pictures & videos to remember what these were. What I have now, however, is a collection of shows from the early- to mid-nineties that I invested all of my time in as a kid. I can remember acting outs scenes & sequences from each and every one of these shows. And I was a spoiled-ass kid, so I had all the toys. Imagine little chubby Mike swinging around swords and guns with flashing lights and calling out dumb morphing phrases, and that pretty much epitomizes my childhood. I ate this shit up.

Warm-Up: Big Bad Beetleborgs

This is an easy one. I'm sure everyone remembers this one. It's funny, I could totally remember the chorus part of the theme song ("Biiiig baaaaad Beeeetleborgs"), but I totally didn't remember the dumb pseudo-rapping in between. Anyways, I had all these toys and followed this show fervently - for all two seasons it was on.

Easy Mode: Masked Rider

This one sticks out in my head a little bit more than the next few videos, but I don't really know why. I don't have particularly fond memories of it. In fact, I think I only had one Masked Rider toy, and that was the actual Masked Rider action figure, which came with his motorcycle thing. I loved that motorcycle.

Medium Mode: VR Troopers

I kinda remember this show. I remembered the words to the theme song, but for some reason I had a completely different tune in my head. I don't think I ever got too into this show, but I think some of my friends were. I don't know, I think this show suffered the worst from my memory suppression, probably due to my zeal for the Power Rangers.

Hard Mode: The Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog

Before you even watch the video, just read the name and let me know that I'm not alone. I read the name and thought "Tir Na Nog? What the fuck was this show?" It took me awhile to remember that I was really into this show, I just somehow forgot it in the depths of my childhood. I remember having all the weapons and stuff and swinging around that dumb flail thing. I kind of want it back. Seeing this show's logo gives me a weird feeling inside. It's not unpleasant, but it's not exactly "warm and fuzzy." It's like nostalgia squared.

I'll spare you from an onslaught of morphing sequence videos from every season of Power Rangers, but I'll have you know that I remembered almost every single one of them before I looked the video up. I'm going to go watch Power Rangers: The Movie now, and relish in all of it's 90s glory.

What's your favorite 90s memory? Do you remember VR Troopers better than you do the Power Rangers? Let me know what you think in the comments.

The only thing that could make me miss home

2009-04-28T19:39:00.003-05:00

SHE'S SO DAMN ATTRACTIVE!

Also, lawlz @ Penn & Teller.

Also also:

Dear Perez Hilton,

Could your video hosting be any shittier? Seriously, less resource-hogging on your site, plz.

Mike

Trust me

2009-04-23T22:42:00.000-05:00

This is single-handedly the most creative, hilarious, interesting thing I've seen on YouTube in a good, long while.

Appropriately titled

2009-04-23T18:27:00.002-05:00

I'm at the Pause Café right now. If you're in Chicago, just jump off the Berwyn Red Line stop and walk about 50 feet East. It's amazing in here.

The past few weeks have been hell. Absolute hell. But most of it is done. As of right now, I'm mostly just worried about signing up for next semester's classes. But for the next few hours, I can breathe for the first time in weeks.

I'm moving into my summer place on May 2nd. After that, I'll have a few weeks to do nothing before my job starts, so expect a lot of posts.

'Til then.

Finally

2009-04-06T22:12:00.009-05:00

It's here. It's late, I know, I don't really care. Also, this may or may not be unreliable information, as this concert happened almost two weeks ago, so a lot has slipped my mind between then and now.

I took over 60 pictures from my phone at the show. This is one of them. More below, but not all 60. Sorry, I don't think that'll ever happen.

I have very, very mixed feelings about seeing Katy Perry live. On one hand, a show this great by an artist this great at a venue this great for a price this great simply would've never happened in Vegas. Ever. Not in a million years. The fact that I attended this performance is a plus in itself. What's more, the actual show was amazing. Katy Perry is a wonderful performer who charmed me even further.

On the other, I don't feel I was a full participant in the show. I showed up late (in the middle of the opening band), and stood somewhat towards the back. I'm simply not the kind of person to push my way up front. Thus, I was filled with a night's worth of jealousy throughout the course of the show - elaboration later.

By that same token, however, I also convinced myself that I didn't need to show up earlier than I did. I convinced myself that I'm not the world's biggest Katy Perry fan: I only started listening to her late last year, and I don't even know all the words to all her songs. The kids up front probably listened to her from the beginning and know all about her and know all the lyrics, so they deserve to be up there.

But goddamn, I still get jealous when I think about what they got in return for that.

Mind you, for the first half of the show, Katy Perry was extraordinarily difficult to photograph with my cameraphone. She wore a silver-sequened hoodie/dress thing that reflected every beam of light that hit her. It was stylish, just hard to catch with a shitty cameraphone. Side note regarding Katy Perry's wit: "Boy, I don't know how Lady Gaga wears this thing." -Katy Perry

Let me just get the list out of the way right now so I write about the rest of the show with clarity: a) two giant inflatable strawberries were tossed into the crowd. KP told the crowd to keep it. I spotted one of the girls who popped one carrying it out after the show. I wanted to snatch it and run. b) Katy Perry had a giant inflatable cherry chapstick, which she rubbed on the faces of several front-row-ers. Also, when, in the course of conversation, an audience member admitted to not having cherry chapstick on her, several people threw theirs onstage. Katy Perry picked one up, applied it to her lips, and threw it back out into the crowd. c) She talked to the immediate audience. I know that seems like something every performer does, but for Katy Perry, there was a definite dichotomy between telling stories to the whole crowd and asking general question, and interacting personally with the closest audience members. She called this kid in the first row a playa. She gave relationship advice to a young couple nearby. She even held the microphone up to this kid at the end of "Ur So Gay" when he was supposed to say "penis," and made fun of him when he said "boy" instead. (Side note 1: MacBooks don't put that red misspelling underline under the word "Ur," but they do underline "MacBook." Side note 2: I suppose that kid didn't know all the words to all her songs. I'll go ahead and say everyone in the front deserved to be there, except for that kid.) d) And here's the kicker: At the end of the show, at the very end of "I Kissed A Girl," Katy Perry leaned over into the audience and kissed a person or two. I was too far away to see if it was indeed a girl, but people were screaming, so I know she kissed someone.

Do you have any idea how happy I would be if Katy Perry just had a conversation with me? Do you comprehend the mind-blowing intensity behind the notion of Katy Perry actually kissing a mere mortal? I would've killed to be up front at that moment. Killed. Maybe not a person, but I would definitely kick a pigeon to kiss Katy Perry.

Kicking pigeons is an allusion to (hilarious) comedian Hannibal Buress. If the idea of kicking a pigeon delights you, I cannot take credit for it. If the idea disgusts you, I cannot be blamed for it.

Okay, it's out of my system now. Aside from all of the totally awesome shit that happened in the first few rows I missed out on, the show was fantastic. Katy Perry can't dance, but in the charming kind of way. And she tells fantastic stories before almost every song that are both entertaining and relevant. It's not a script, either. On our stop of the tour, Katy made stories out of the night she had prior, wherein she "almost sliced [her] boob off." Katy Perry is a true performer in every sense of the word. What's more, her personality exudes through every song and story, making me fall deeper and deeper in silly celebrity crush with her. She's so damn charming and cute and lovable. Sigh.

This is Katy Perry after a costume change. In case you can't tell, it's a hot pink cat outfit, straight out of the 50s, complete with a tail and ears. Me-ow.

What more can I say about the show? This entry is already bordering on pure gushing over Katy Perry, and goddammit, this is a review, not a praise-fest or a recommendation. Oh, her drummer was really good though. Major props to him for being so kickass. Big props to my girlfriend Caitlin for offering to buy tickets back when they actually went on sale, before I was enough of a fan to want to spend money on going to a Katy Perry show, and for putting up with me as I spent the week leading up to the show frantically scouring Craigslist for tickets. Props to the guy who sold me tickets.

Oh, I got a Katy Perry shirt. It's a v-neck, so that probably won't make an appearance for a month or two (I would've gotten a sweater; alas, none in men's sizes). It is an awesome shirt nonetheless. It has her face on the bottom right corner (she's holding a banana up to her ear as a phone), and it has the Katy Perry logo on the back, towards a bottom corner. I almost got the one that simply reads "Katy Perry slept here" in big block letters, but opted not to get another shirt with lots of words on it.

Last photo I'll share. She's standing in the midst of the audience. Sigh, if only.

Also, I know it looks/sounds like I was miles away from the stage, but I really wasn't that far at all. I just have a terrible phone and a negative outlook on life. I wouldn't have minded being closer, however. In closing, an open letter to Katy Perry:

Dear Katy Perry,

If you are reading this, you have read my heart being poured out to you. I'm a new fan, but that doesn't disqualify me from being a big fan. My friends and I tried calling you from the world's largest cell phone on St. Patrick's Day, but that didn't work, so we left a message with a real phone. I don't want to say I love you, because I don't even know you, but you are endearing as all hell, both as an artist and as a person. Please, please, if you are reading this, it would make my life if you responded in some way. Let's have lunch or something. I'm not creepy, I swear.

Sincerely,
Mike

Where do I see myself in five, ten years?

2009-04-06T22:10:00.002-05:00

The more I read, the more I find truly, truly interests me. Right now I'm a double major in Psychology and Advertising/Public Relations, with a minor in Visual Communication. But I think that for the rest of my life, I'd like to continue getting Bachelor's degrees in various other fields, instead of getting a Masters or a Doctorate in one particular field. After I graduate and become an adult and whatnot, I think maybe I'll double major in Business and Environmental Studies with a minor in Physics. There's just so much that interests me. I never want to stop learning.

Let me tell you a little something about my diet.

2009-04-03T20:58:00.002-05:00

It's not often that I eat snack foods. I'm more of a Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, organic kinda guy. Chips are simply not my forte. I also enjoy Mexican food, immensely. So you can imagine my intrigue when somebody informed me that Doritos was now manufacturing taco-flavored chips. I put it off for a few days, mostly because I'm just not that into Doritos, but today I found myself next to our local 7-Eleven, and thought I'd stop in to try it out.

Sure enough, like a sign from God himself, my waltz into the convenience store was greeted by none other than a display specifically for Doritos and their brand new product: Taco-flavored chips. I grabbed a bag and a tea and headed back to my room.

Let me tell you, it takes a lot for me to want to write about a snack food. But I will be damned if these chips don't taste precisely like fucking tacos. And we're not talking about, like, Chipotle tacos here. I mean your Mexican friend's mom's tacos - pure ground beef, crispy tortillas, lettuce, cheese, everything. It's eerie. Upon opening the bag, one is inundated with the aroma of tacos. For the first few bites, you're like, "Alright, this is pretty taco-y." And the more you chew, the more you're like, "Holy fuck, it's a fiesta in my mouth! Gimme another bite-sized, triangular taco!"

This is the future, ladies and gentlemen. If the flavor engineers that devised this little wonder applied themselves to more respected fields like math and science, we would've been on the moon in 1847. Every society on Earth would be brought together in unity under the reign of the taco-flavored chip engineers. But they wouldn't rule mercilessly, no. They would rule with a benevolent hand, wishing only to bestow more holiness upon the land. God bless you, Doritos chip flavor engineers. And God bless America.

Let me tell you why today was a bad day.

2009-04-03T00:08:00.002-05:00

Demetri Martin came and performed at my school. It was glorious. I don't know if you know, but I've been listening to Demetri Martin for awhile. Like, awhile. So this was a long time coming for me. I was excited. I was happy.

I was hoping that I'd get to meet him. I wasn't counting on it, but it would've been nice. Alas, I didn't, so I moved on with my night, perfectly content.

Cut to about an hour later, and my friend Rex gives me a call.

"Hey, if you wanna meet Demetri Martin, he's out by the docks taking pictures and stuff."

Mind you, this was Rex's first exposure to Demetri Martin. He had heard of him through myself and various others, and came to the show with an open heart. But he didn't like him. Rex didn't even like Demetri Martin at all, and he's calling me when he's a foot away from him?

So I excitedly call Caitlin who says she'll be down in my room in a minute. I tell my roommate. Caitlin comes down with Andi. We're all really excited and we dash out the door to meet Demetri Martin. The second we open the door, Rex is standing there in the doorway.

"Did you meet him?!"
"Yeah. I got my picture taken with him."
"Is he still there?!"
"Well, he might be leaving about now..."

So we run about 3/4ths of the way there. 100 feet away; panting. 50 feet away; the docks are in sight. But wait, what's this? Are those headlights moving? Is that the production truck starting to drive away?! And a little white car?! "If he's in that car..."

Sure enough, Demetri Martin drove right past us. He looked out his window and waved, and just kept going. Everyone else tried to run after his car, but I knew it was too late. I walked back to my dorm, deafeated, wordless.

The Good Lord, He giveth; and the Good Lord, He taketh away.

P.S. Don't try to give me bullshit about how "at least he waved at you!" or "at least you got to see him perform!" This would've been a life dream of mine accomplished, and that was stolen from me. What's more, Rex got to meet him, and he doesn't even like him. This is bullshit and I'm pissed/depressed.

P.P.S. The goddamn Katy Perry post is coming, quit bitching about it.

Another half-assed passing thought

2009-03-31T22:03:00.002-05:00

When the average American citizen does something that is not in accordance with the Constitution, there is never so much as a question asked as to whether or not he should go on trial for his actions and possibly face jailtime.

When lawmakers, however, write an unconstitutional law (and it gets questioned by the public as to its legality), and the law is found to indeed be in violation of the Constitution, the law is simply retracted; no harm, no foul.

Maybe it'd be fair to put on trial the lawmaker largely responsible for writing and/or sponsoring an unconstitutional law. Bills have names attached to them, right?

Just a thought. It came to me whilst watching Andrew Card speak at my university tonight, but I believe it was inspired by the Peter Singer discussion I had in class today. If you're not familiar with the works of Peter Singer, look it up. I read "All Animals Are Equal," and I think it's an interesting read for vegetarians, vegans, and omnivores alike.

Geeks report in

2009-03-27T11:04:00.002-05:00

I think I've decided that my first $1000 for the summer will go to an Orange Tiny Terror, a Vox 2x12 (I don't remember the model number, it's the cheapest 2x12 from Vox on guitarcenter.com), and a TS9 Tube Screamer. After that will come the chromatic tuner, and after that will either come new pickups or more effects. Thoughts?

Also, expect an epic Katy Perry concert review soon. I took 63 cell phone pictures.

BE DOUBLE JEALOUS

2009-03-25T23:51:00.001-05:00

JUST GOT TWO TICKETS TO SEE KATY PERRY TOMORROW NIGHT! :D

THIS IS WHY MY SCHOOL KICKS ASS

2009-03-25T19:09:00.001-05:00

BE JEALOUS

So in other words, this post is completely useless.

2009-03-18T17:27:00.006-05:00

I know that nearly everyone who would bother to read a review of Watchmen has already seen Watchmen (seriously, who the hell is my target market with this blog?), but I still feel compelled to voice my opinion on the movie. Because that's what my generation is about, right? It's about advertising yourself and taking pictures of everything and living online, right? Have a field day, sociologists.

To put it simply, I feel like the movie was meh. When you read a review that says the movie is getting "mixed reviews," that's a pretty dead-on analysis of the movie. It's a five on the scale of one to ten, which, I know, sounds demeaning, but numerically speaking, that's right in the middle. In a word, it's meh.

Many attribute the movie's meh factor to whether or not a viewer has read the graphic novel. I'm a little confused about this. There were plenty of parts in the movie where I thought, "I am so glad I read this before I saw it. Had I not read the book prior to seeing this movie, this scene would thoroughly confuse me. I assume that there are lots of people in this theatre right now who have not read the book and are as confused as I presume them to be." Take, for example, the guy holding the "The End Is Nigh" sign. In the book, that's a pretty recurring image, so I understand why they put it in the movie. But in the movie, every time I saw that guy, his sign was too dark or moving too quickly to read. I was honestly trying to read it, but I couldn't help but feel like people who haven't read the book and don't know what the sign says were perturbed by the elusive text. I really appreciate that they wanted to match a lot of the panels shot-for-shot, and most of the time, they succeeded greatly. But when you've got text, you've got to give the audience time to actually read it.

This is where I would love to give you a screen cap of said sign, and then a scan of the graphic novel version. Alas, I can find neither. Apparently they made a mediocre video game called "Watchmen: The End Is Nigh," and that's all that comes up when I look for anything related to the sign. If you can show me up and find an image of either the movie or the novel version of the sign, by all means, please do so. I'd be more than happy to give you credit for it.

Another example is the Gunga Diner elephant that floats all over the city. That logo was hard to read too, and on top of that, those words were written on a giant floating pink elephant blimp. There is one scene in the movie where it starts unnecessarily floating past Adrian Veidt's office, ungulfing the entire window, and again, I couldn't help but think, "I hope nobody in this theatre who hasn't read the book thinks that that thing is a monster, and that all the superheroes are going to fight it now." There are countless other examples of things I could point to that might potentially confuse a non-reader (o hai Bubastis), but then I'd just be getting nit-picky, so let's move on to the readers.

If you have read the graphic novel, I feel like they've changed so much about it that the movie just isn't 100% satisfying. I understand that plenty of things have to be cut and/or reworked to adapt a book into movie form, and I'll admit that Zack Snyder is a fantastic director that seriously knows what he's doing and has a great eye for a good shot, and knows what makes a good movie. But at the same time, I feel like if Alan Moore had been more involved with the movie, it would've turned out way differently.

For example, I feel like the omission of the guy running the news stand talking about the headlines did a kind of injustice to the graphic novel, and replacing his tracking of the Soviets with the "Doomsday Clock" was a poor idea.

DUMB

But that's little fish compared to the big complaint with the movie: they changed the ending. I understand why. In the words of the great movie-version Dr. Manhattan, "I understand. Without condoning, or condemning." It probably would've left a bad taste in American movie-goers' mouths if all of a sudden they had to sit through horrible special effects. Nobody wants to see a giant prosthetic squid, per se. But consider this, Mr. Snyder:

1) It was a graphic novel first. If nobody likes the giant squid, it's not your fault. The movie was already written for you. That'll just be a blow to Alan Moore (although, such a blow would anger me greatly and make me think even less of American cinema-goers).
2) How many times have you seen the Ozymandias archetype in the movies? The guy with a ridiculously insane plan? The guy who thinks he is being a hero by killing millions? The mad scientist? Now tell me, which seems like a more interesting take on that character: the guy trying to solve the energy crisis, or the guy who sent a team of experts to an island to manufacture a beast and then killed them all?
3) The book never calls it a squid. It mentions a beak, and it has tentacles, but it is never expressly called a squid. If it's just the idea of a giant squid that seems hokey to you, that's a poor excuse. Do you have any idea how much fun you could've had recreating this monster? You could've picked anything! You could've just piled up lumps upon lumps of shit and called it a monster! You could've made it the goddamn Cloverfield monster. You could've made it a giant Rosie O'Donnell. It could've been anything, and you decide to change it into an energy crisis? Bullshit.

Speaking of the energy crisis, I feel like that seriously compromised Adrian Veidt's character. Without his full back story, his choice for becoming Ozymandias seems kind of arbitrary, and thus his whole argument/character is kind of half-assed. It's like Alan Moore wrote a really good argumentative essay (a la Letter From Birmingham Jail), then Zack Snyder came along and erased the first three pages and tried to pass it off as a legitimate argument. There's just something missing from Veidt. I feel like with the movie, the audience couldn't distinguish between Veidt being a hero or a businessman or a genius or a blibbering idiot. He just wasn't an accessible, relatable character.

And honestly, the performance didn't help much. Was he supposed to have an accent or not? And why did they pick such a skinny dude to play a hero that could take down The Comedian? At least if they would've covered his history, then maybe training and studying all over the world could've made his build a bit more plausible. But the way he was presented and played out was all wrong.

FAIL

While we're on the topic of bad acting, can I just throw this out there? Silk Spectre. Both of them. Watching Mama Spectre was like watching somebody's mom who is horrible at every visible aspect of acting but unafraid of a camera (confusion: Is the 40s version of Silk Spectre played by the same woman who plays 80s retired Silk Spectre? If so, she was doing fine as young SS but horrible as Laurie's mom. If they're different actresses, though, kudos to young SS). Baby Spectre was decent when she was talking to someone else; she feeds off of the emotion of others. But in monologues, it was like watching a girl audition for a high school play.

2 girls 1 fail (although I may be wrong about Silk Spectre I - see above)

If you've seen the movie, however, I'm sure that we're all in consensus when we say that the award for best acting in the movie goes to Rorschach. He got the role spot-on and even added a little something to the role, in my opinion. He added a new depth to the character, and is now on a level with Heath Ledger for playing the Joker in my book.

EPIC WIN

As far as the other concerns raised in other reviews I've read, this movie is not too violent or gory. How else are you supposed to depict a man getting his arms sawed off? What I do think there is an excessive amount of is sex. I don't need to see Silk Spectre having that much sex, seriously. Just show me a little bit and I'll get the picture.

I'm getting really tired of writing now. This review is excessively long. You've seen the movie already anyways.

Alex and Ashley came this weekend and I love them and I miss them already and there are infinite stories that we all now have and I've already written an epic about nonsense so maybe I'll write about their visit some other time.

Oh, one notable story, however: I tried to call Katy Perry from the world's largest working cell phone. That didn't work out so well.

Don't judge me.

2009-03-06T00:03:00.002-06:00

Don't question me when I say that I'm a huge Conan O'Brien fan, but I just watched the final episode of Late Night just now. In some ways, I'm glad I did, because I'm crying like a little bitch.

Conan has been on the air since I was three years old, and, granted, I haven't been watching Conan since I was three, but I grew up on him. In a lot of ways, he is the first guy I can remember looking up to for his sense of humor. A lot of my personality traits, or at least most of the development of my sense of humor, I'm pretty sure can be attributed to Conan O'Brien. He was probably the initial guy that made me think that maybe I could be in show business someday. He is still a hero of mine in a lot of ways, and to see him end a show that I grew up on was a big emotional thing for me. I'll continue to watch him on The Tonight Show until I'm old, but it's just hard to let go of the past, you know?

So there. I'm bawling. My glasses are stained, my cheeks are stained, my shirt is stained, and I've got a handful of tissues that are stained with tears. I love you, Conan O'Brien.

Hahaha yeahhh!

2009-03-05T23:05:00.001-06:00

Untitled from William Erwin on Vimeo.

This'll probably happen a lot this week

2009-03-03T02:11:00.001-06:00

Nope. Nopenopenopenopenope

2009-03-01T22:37:00.002-06:00

I can't. I just can't. I simply can't do it. I tried my very best, I really did. But I apologize, I just won't.

I recorded myself playing this cover once, played it back, and just about died. Nothing about what I am doing sounds or looks right. Maybe if someone else were singing this, and I were off camera, but I just can't take myself seriously sitting in front of my laptop and thinking that I'm actually entertaining anybody with this.

Sorry, scratch cover songs from my list of things to do. Nopenopenope, nevernevernevereveragain.

In addition, a well thought-out excuse.

2009-02-24T22:38:00.003-06:00

I have to take three mid-terms tomorrow. I haven't studied for any of them.

The way I see it*, a test is a measure of how much you've learned in a course up to that point. If I take a test without studying, then that's an accurate indicator of how much I've actually learned, or how much knowledge I've actually retained. If I study, then I'm just cheating myself out of the opportunity to accurately report to my educators just how poorly they're doing. Studying will unfairly boost my score and make people think I actually know things, and that just isn't right.

*I do not actually stand by any of these statements.

I seriously am going to go study now. Maybe.

I'm slacking.

2009-02-24T19:48:00.003-06:00

I know I said I'd do a weekly update, and since last week I did a positive review of my weekend, on a Monday, I figured that I'd do a negative thing yesterday. That didn't happen. I still need to sort out my weekly feature thing. Or maybe I won't.

In any case, I'm pretty sure this Sunday will be my first ever Cover Song Sunday, and henceforth every first Sunday of the month will be designated as such.

In lieu of my weekly post (which may or may not actually exist), I offer to you the following thought I had whilst riding the train a few days ago. It's not quite as tongue-in-cheek as Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal," nor is it to be taken totally seriously. It was just a passing thought.

I've come up with a solution to the economic crisis: starting now, inheritance does not exist. Nobody can pass anything on to their children, and nobody can accept anything from a dying parent. The current generation that is on their deathbeds, who have spent their whole lives saving up money for their families, will now have nothing to do with their money but to spend it. That will definitely stimulate the economy. Rich old people will buy frivolous things like Lamborghinis and showgirls to dance at their funerals, and the money will cycle its way between businesses and citizens.

As a result, children will learn that nobody can be born into a rich family. Everybody will have to work for their own money. This evens the playing field. No more Paris Hiltons. Parents will start to teach their kids about good work ethic. Everyone will know the value of a dollar.

And to prevent people from bumming out in a dismal sort of way, the government will have some sort of incentive to make people want to work and save up lots and lots of money to spend when they are old and no longer working. I don't know what that incentive would be, but it would be awesome. Like ice cream, but government ice cream. You know, genetically enhanced ice cream that puts you into a state of euphoria. A year's supply of it. I don't know.

It was a half-assed passing thought. I'm gonna go study.

Valentine's Day

2009-02-16T01:16:00.002-06:00

File this under things that made me happy this week (although that doesn't mean that that's what I've chosen as my weekly update. It's still up in the air. Right now I'm thinking positive/negative or open letter, and a monthly cover song).

Caitlin and I decided to split up the weekend: I get Friday night and she gets all of Saturday.

So for my date, I took her to the American Girl Doll Place Cafe, which she has wanted to go to since she was a kid who couldn't afford to. She started crying out of joy when the waiters started singing happy birthday to birthday girls in the room. It was precious. After that, we went and saw Xanadu, which, for the uninitiated, is the world's most ridiculous Broadway show. Ever. To boot, we sat on stage, which was pretty cool, but having to wave a glow stick in front of an audience full of "40 year old gay men" (a quote from the show itself - see what I mean?) was, for lack of a better word, insane. She enjoyed it though, and that's all that matters. Not that I didn't enjoy it. Just, you know.

Her date blew me out of the water. We had lunch at Hub 51, which is one of Richard Roeper's favorite restaurants (and now one of mine. Go to their website and click on "Get a Job," you'll see why). He's hosting his Oscar party there. It was crazy awesome, and the food was bomb-ass. I had sushi and she had nachos, both exquisite. After that we went to the Lincoln Park Zoo, which was like a dream come true for me. I love animals. I missed out on 3/4 of my favorites, but I totally got to see two giraffes, which was heaven. I also got a giraffe mask and a small stuffed bear. Caitlin holds that over my head, claiming that she wears the pants in the relationship. Buyin' me stuffed animalz & shit. After that, we had lots of time to kill, so we did lots of little things, like Best Buy (got the Lonely Island CD!) and Noodles & Co. (my first time. Not bad). The night ended with a trip to the Music Box Theatre, which is one of the most badass theatres I have ever been to in my entire life, seriously. We saw the Oscar-nominated live action short films, which was a lot of fun. If you get a chance to see them, do it. They're really good. Especially Manon On The Asphalt (the title is actually in French, but I don't remember how to say it in French. Manon en le something).

Oh, I missed the best part of it all. Immediately after the zoo, Genius thinks it'd be a great idea to take me to the site of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Surprise, seven people died right over there, exactly 70 years ago! Happy Valentine's Day!

So that's it. All-in-all, a great weekend. Save for the death.

Possible ideas for a weekly feature:

2009-02-12T19:39:00.003-06:00

So I think I'm okay with doing a weekly kind of thing, but I'm not sure what I want to do every week. Here are the options I've come up with so far:

-Open Letters: Writing an open letter to somebody I have encountered in the past week that I feel a need to say something to.

-Cover Songs: A YouTube video of myself covering a popular song. But since I never finish anything, it'll probably just end up being the first verse and chorus. Horribly sung, mind you.

-Vanity: I take pictures all week of the ugliest people and the prettiest people I see. This is one of my worse ideas.

-Positive/Negative: This is an either/or idea. I can either do a little diddy on things that made me happy that week, and/or a little rant about something that pissed me off.

Any other ideas? Also, what day of the week should this be on?

DO WANT

2009-02-09T17:05:00.002-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7yfISlGLNU

I am specifically not embedding the video here, because I want you to click on that link, watch it in HD, and watch it in full screen mode. It's incredible. I want this CD so bad.

Also, I am thinking about doing a weekly series on this blog, not unlike weekly things you see on other blogs, mostly because I think that'll be a good way for me to make sure I'm not neglecting this blog. Good idea?

Nearly a month between posts.

2009-02-07T14:09:00.002-06:00

That is pretty inexcusable. I apologize.

But you've gotta understand, I've just been so busy! I have enough time for quick exchanges via Twitter or MySpace or Facebook, but I just can't formulate thoughts long enough to constitute blog posts. I've been playing with the idea of buying igetcoldeasily.com in my head for awhile now, but then I think of how often I update this and it just seems like a waste of money.

Anyways, here's the short version of things:
-The snow is melting!
-Where the hell am I living next year?
-Everything else is great.

Here's the big long thought that I really signed on to write about:

Medical Problem?
More and more lately, I've run into this problem where I space out at really inopportune times. You know those times when your mind is preoccupied, and you finally snap out of it when somebody says "Hey, are you even listening?" That's been happening to me a lot lately, except there's nothing on my mind. I just space out, and apparently I just say "uh huh" and "yeah" to whomever is talking, but then when I come back to reality, I have to stop and say, "Wait, what did you just say?"

It's kind of scary.

Hello, it's been awhile.

2009-01-16T19:57:00.005-06:00

First thing's first: http://www.savenevadastudents.org/

I (along with any citizen of Nevada with half a brain and any sense of compassion or hope for the future of America) have complained enough already about education in Nevada, and I'm glad I got out while I did. But it's about to get worse. Please, please, please, especially if you're a student in Nevada that gives any kind of a good God damn about your education and the education of everyone else who will ever live in the state of Nevada, please write/call your legislator, attend the rally, do whatever it takes to make sure your voice is heard. There is no reason for the shitty to get shittier.

Also, if you ever feel like you need more links, about 90% of my Twitter posts as of late have been links to interesting articles and webthangs, so feel free to check that for reading material.

All that being said, I haven't posted in awhile. I apologize, a lot has happened; Winter Break ended, I got back to school. That's really it, I suppose. But those two events encompass a lot.

I've learned that the resounding question on everyone's lips upon one's return to campus from Winter Break is always "Oh hey, how was your break?" to which, thus far, I have almost always responded, "Eh, it was alright. I mean it wasn't great, but it wasn't horrible, so, you know. It was a break. How was yours?" And that's the abbreviated truth. The highlight of Winter Break wasn't the holidays, almost all of those sucked. It was really just seeing everybody again and catching up, and even that got tedious after awhile. And this isn't a diss if you're reading this and either thinking "Oh, so that's why Mike didn't want to hang out with me" or "So Mike didn't wanna hang out with me while he was hanging out with me? What a douchebag." I enjoyed the time I spent with each and every one of you, and to everyone I didn't spend that much time with, I regret that highly and I will promptly see you upon my next return to Las Vegas. It's just that going out every day and telling various people, "Yes, it is very cold in Chicago. No, I'm not cold right now, I got used to it," gets draining after awhile, you know? Regardless, I had fun. Relatively.

I got contacts while I was back home. Kudos to my optometrist and his staff for being so damn speedy and nice about everything. I also got two new pairs of glasses for those days when I wake up late or just don't want to put in my contacts. And don't think I'm spoiled, EyeMasters had a deal going on and it was only like an extra $20 to get the second pair. So I have a backup to my backup. Here's what my new glasses look like:

I just took that picture RIGHT now, by the way. That's the freshest picture of me you'll find anywhere until someone else's camera clicks. Oh, the power of a MacBook. Note that I did not get anti-glare coating (it was too expensive!), so you can totally see BabyGotBacBook's reflection in my glasses. And if you really need to know, my backup pair is even bigger. Not that it matters, I'm usually wearing my contacts now. If you'd like to see what I look like with contacts in, see picture above and 'shop out the glasses.

So, I guess for me, the big return-from-break question has been "Hey, how was your break? Did you get contacts?" To which my reply is the same as the aforementioned one, only prefaced by "Yes, I did!"

Other than being inundated with questions about my vision and my vacation, my return to Chicago has been rather fast-paced. The start of Spring semester is MUCH faster than the start of the Fall semester. I switched Spanish classes because everyone in my Spanish 103 class was way ahead of me, and that's totally not fair. So now I'm in Spanish 102 with Erin, and that's been nice. I'm also taking two communications classes (one downtown), a statistics class, and my philosophy/theology combination class that I took last semester.

Getting textbooks is a bitch.

Oh, and it's been cold. No, that's too big of an understatement. I don't even think there's a word for the level of cold it has been here, not for a West-Coaster like myself. The past few days have seen highs in the negatives. It's funny, when I'm outside, I can tell who else is from a warmer climate, because they're all walking around with this frightened look permanently frozen on their face. (Frozen! Get it?! Oh, Caitlin's horrible sense of humor is rubbing off on me. For the record, I usually don't endorse puns as funny.) Somebody mentioned that it was 0 degrees in Antarctica. That means that it's colder here than it is on the only continent on Earth that is uninhabitable, because - you guessed it - it's too cold there. And Chicago is the third most populated city in the US. Suffice to say I've been covering up. I brought a lot of new thick clothing back here, and my closet looks a lot fuller now. Which I hate. And there are still phenomena here that have yet to be explained to me, like when the lake steams. Or like how the lake can freeze over on some days, and be totally fluid on others, but the temperature is consistently under 32 degrees. Or how ice forms inside of windows. Or how it forms in weird patterns on windows. It's magical, really. Well, it's magical for as long as your brain can function and process how magical it all is. After a few minutes outside, your brain reverts to this barbaric state, and all you can think of is how damn cold it is outside, and arriving at your nice, warm destination, and why you're still cold even when you're wearing multiple thick layers, and why mankind has chosen to inhabit such ungodly locales, and how we've come so far technologically but have not come up with a sufficient way to combat the cold other than thick layers of clothing, which is essentially what our ancestors used.

Oh, and I saw Native the night after the first day of classes. That was a nice way to ease into things. Seriously, if you have not heard this band yet, do it now. They are amazing. I am so glad to be living in such a music-oriented city.

I don't really know what else I could update you on. I'm sure I've exhausted my interesting conversation pieces here. Nobody talk to me until something new and noteworthy happens that I can talk about, or else you'll find out what a horribly boring person I really am.

I wouldn't exactly call it a near-death experience,

2009-01-09T00:20:00.005-06:00

But I certainly just got through what must've been a near-hospitalization or near-severe-injury experience. It was every driver's worst nightmare:

So I'm going down this pretty big hill (citizens of Las Vegas read "that slope when you're heading East on Trop, just before the Strip, that starts right about where the 15 on/off ramps are"), and there's a stoplight at the bottom, and a long line of cars piling up before it. My foot starts pressing on the brakes, and I feel nothing. So I push a bit harder, only to be met by more empty space. I frantically shove the brake pedal all the way into the floor and desperately stomp on it over and over again, to no avail.

You know how I know I'm a bad person? They say that when one is under pressure, what comes out is what a person is really made of. And at this point, most people would say a quick little prayer to their God, or cry out "Mommy!" or "Rosebud!" or the name of some other significantly loved entity, but the only thing I could muster up was "Oh fuck, oh fuck!"

So I'm practically standing on the brakes of my uncle's shitty-ass excuse for a car, and with my tippy toes practically under the car, it starts to slow down a minuscule bit. Not stop, mind you, no. That would make for a good story. It just kinda slows down. Thankfully, the light had turned green, and the cars had started to move along, and I just managed to graze by without hitting anybody. I don't think I had ever been so scared in my life. Except for maybe every time I've ever asked out a girl.

I pulled over into a parking lot, continued to test the condition of the brakes, and then settled on calling my mother, who called my uncle, who called me. It was pretty difficult to explain to them the severity of the situation - and rightfully so. I mean, usually, when somebody tells you that their brakes aren't working, it means, you know, it's making a funny sound, or the car shakes, or something else stupid that doesn't necessarily mean that the brakes have ceased to function. That was, however, the case, and I had to resort to rudimentary language to convey what had just happened. "No, I mean, the brakes wouldn't work. At all. Like, the car was not going to stop. No brakes. No stopping."

After a few more confused phone calls, it was decided upon that I would attempt to drive home, very carefully. Leave it to that damn car to work perfectly fine the whole way back home. My uncle says he'll check it out, and with my luck, he'll find nothing wrong with it. And then he'll tease me even more (he was laughing when I got home. I kind of hope he gets into a car accident next time he's driving. I don't hope he gets hurt or anything, I just hope he feels sweet, justified irony to the fullest extent).

But I mean, you believe me, right?

Please help, every penny counts.

2009-01-08T02:06:00.003-06:00

"hey everyone it's Alex. somewhere between the end of our San Francisco show yesterday and our Riverside show today all my cymbals were stolen. i am already in debt and not sure if they will, if any of of the cymbals, be covered by insurance.

the total of the cymbals was somewhere over $1k and without insurance it's going to take a good while before i can re-buy them, with the exception of one cymbal that was 30 years old and can't be recovered.

anyway, if you care about me, this band, or punk rock/hardcore and are feeling generous please send concealed cash, any other form of american money, baked goods, cards, love letters, whatever nice to:

Radical Friends Records
c/o Alex Lenkeit
P.O.
Box 231012
Las Vegas, NV 89105"

Alex is one of my best friends in the whole world, and it would mean a lot to me, to him, to Mons Wolff (one of the only respectable and decent bands to have ever come out of Las Vegas), and to the punk rock community if you donated whatever you could. There are very few things that suck more than having your valuable personal belongings stolen, especially when you're right in the middle of using them, like having your equipment stolen while on tour, so please help.

Cymbals found. Thank you everybody.

Why am I sober?

2009-01-01T07:47:00.003-06:00

I'm gonna go ahead and make a premature judgment: This is probably just about the worst Winter Break I've ever had in all my life. That's not saying much, because I usually really enjoy the holidays, and this time around was just mediocre instead of amazing. Or maybe I'm just being overly optimistic. In any case, I hate this. I hate every second of this. I can't decide if I want to be alone for the rest of this break or not.

P.S. I'm psychic. Watch out.

P.S.

2008-12-27T20:09:00.001-06:00

I have thoughts on Christmas that I'd like to share, but since my college friends & I will be celebrating Christmas again upon our collective return to Chicago, I'll put my thoughts on ice until everything is said & done, and then I can pass judgments.

Twitter: Friend or Enemy?

2008-12-27T19:52:00.003-06:00

I'm starting to get that nagging feeling again that tells me to write a blog post, but I have no profound thoughts to write about, which is pretty much the only thing I can write about when all of the little details of my day-to-day are covered in Twitter. In that sense, Twitter = bad.

On the other hand, however, think of Twitter like a filter. If I weren't using it as an outlet for the little things, then all of my blog posts would be long-winded and boring. Now I know that everything I write about will be pretty quality. I think.

Thoughts?

A Little Bit About My High School

2008-12-19T16:23:00.004-06:00

I tried to visit my high school today. Formerly, you could waltz in, get a visitor pass, and go about your business on school grounds. Upon entry today, however, Elizabeth Jodzko told me in a particularly bitchy manner that I needed both the Principal's permission and to give advanced notice. New policy? Okay, I can deal with that. But then she proceeded to tell me that "it's been this way every school year." Bullshit.

So, should this post make its way into the hands of my favorite teachers at my high school, my apologies. I brought you Christmas presents that will now probably reach you after the break, and I would've liked to have seen you, but school policy is too strict to allow alumni to spread goodwill.

When I was still in high school, I noticed a trend. Every successive graduating class remarked in some way about how glad they were that they had gotten out of the school when they did, because the following year always seemed grim. And to be honest, it does get a little bit worse every year. Not by much, but it does. The students just put up with it. And I can't help but wonder how long it is before they don't put up with it anymore.

The teachers are wondering why the kids lack school spirit. I could make a conjecture, but I'll hold my tongue.

Slightly weirder than snow in Las Vegas

2008-12-18T12:40:00.001-06:00

It's 42 degrees out right now, so all that snow is melting - fast. Just stand in a neighborhood and close your eyes, you'll swear it's raining, because all you hear is melted snow hitting the ground.

Also,

2008-12-16T22:48:00.001-06:00

New heading - yea or nay? And is the right edge spilling over the border, or is that just on my computer?

EDIT: Fixed the color scheme, and that spillover. Look any better? If you didn't see the old one, don't worry about it. Just tell me whether or not this one looks dumb.

On Coming Home

2008-12-16T21:45:00.003-06:00

How long? How long have you been stagnant, just sitting there?
-Caravels, "Apollo Creed"

I've been home for almost 24 hours now, and the only conclusive thought I can muster up is that everything feels the same.

I thought that maybe I would have some resounding opinion or overriding emotion to associate with coming home, but I didn't. I had no strong feelings about anything; everything feels exactly as it is, exactly as it was.

Conversations with my family only confirmed this; as my sister puts it, "Same old shit, different day." My mom has a monotonous routine. It's kinda depressing. She's so lonely. She's exercising a lot to fill in the void, which I guess is a good thing. At least she didn't take up gambling or drinking or something. I encouraged her to volunteer at her church so she can actually make friends that she trusts and enjoys being around. My sister's still got man-troubles and money-troubles. Dynamics between my sister, her kids, and my mom are all the same. Everyone's depressed. It seems like the most anyone has to look forward to is the prospect of snowfall.

Maybe my opinion will change by the time I leave again. I hope it does. I hope I don't have to spend the first few years of my career digging my family out of a hole and putting them someplace better. I don't mind doing that, that's what families do. I just know that my family has the capability to be better than this, and they're not. They need a catalyst for change.

I miss Chicago already.

I rode the Holiday Train tonight,

2008-12-14T02:55:00.005-06:00

and then I saw Maps & Atlases for the third time in my life.

I've got pictures and videos to document both occasions, just remind me to upload them later.

This post is to focus on the opening bands of the show. Rarely do I go to a show and find myself so surprised by every single opening act. In this case, I enjoyed both Netherfriends and Pattern Is Movement.

Netherfriends played first, and reminded me a lot of Kiss Kiss. There's no other way to explain it. Very unique, very talented individuals making very different and very good music. They're just a good band, listen to them.

What I can describe in more detail is Pattern Is Movement. Excuse me for being biased, but I did not expect the dudes setting up the equipment to be the band members as well, because the dudes setting up the equipment looked like roadies. They were older gentlemen, and ~~fat~~ chubby. REALLY ~~fat~~ chubby. Like they admitted to being ~~fat~~ chubby, but they were funny about it ("Is there any way we could get these lights...you know, so they don't make us look...fat?" and "We love our McDonalds"). They just didn't look like a band. Oh, and that's not the only surprise. All they set up was a drum set and a synth setup, and when you see that on a stage, it's generally safe to assume that you know exactly what kind of music you'll be hearing. I was proved wrong on that note, too. Their drummer, ~~fat~~ chubby as he was, I'd fare to say is on par with Zach Hill. To that end, I'll go ahead and say that Pattern Is Movement is kinda like Hella, except replace the guitar with keyboards of various sorts. And add vocals. Vocals are the only thing I'll raise contention about; when I'm listening to rock n roll, I don't want to hear Gregorian chant. But other than that, immensely talented and surprising band.

Today was a good day. That is all.

I shit you not

2008-12-09T16:48:00.003-06:00

That would be the edge of Lake Michigan turning into a glacier.

THE FUCKING LAKE IS FREEZING, THAT'S HOW COLD IT IS HERE.

Alex was right.

2008-12-01T04:20:00.003-06:00

Hot damn. Related video:

Okay, so I just played in real snow for the first time in my life with other West Coast friends. Sooooo much fun. I didn't think it was possible to overheat in snow, but I was running around so much that I felt like I was going to pass out. It was like going to Disneyland for the first time as a kid. Purely magical.

Consequently, it's very late, and I can't ensure that I'm going to wake up for class on time, and I NEED to go to this class, so I'm pulling an all-nighter. Again. Woot.

Yep, still looks crazy.

2008-11-30T03:08:00.004-06:00

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Guitar Hero + MIDI controller + crazy drummer. Wait till you see the huge solos at the end.

i LOL'd.

2008-11-29T16:41:00.001-06:00

I weighed myself at Rex's house.

2008-11-29T16:27:00.002-06:00

Since coming to college, I've gained ten pounds. TEN FUCKING POUNDS! Freshman 15, here I come.

That being said, I'm leaving St. Louis tomorrow. Here is my general impression of the city:

The cuisine is great. Toasted ravioli, gooey buttercake, pizza so thin it might as well be served on a tortilla, all great. The weather is great. It's like Chicago, but not windy. I'd fare to say that the weather is near perfect. Not too hot, not too cold. Just nice. The people are all super nice. Every person I've met has been a kind, kind soul, even if a little incompetent (I'm looking at you, guy who gave us directions at Union Station).

My only gripe with the city is the fact that it's still horrendously segregated. Since I've been here, I've spotted two black girls (both very white-washed) and one hispanic dude. Kat is the token ethnic friend of her group, and she's only a quarter Japanese. I've been told that all of the black people live in East St. Louis. Hell, I was even asked if I was good at math. But the woman who asked didn't mean it maliciously, she was being earnest. She honest to goodness believes that all Asians are inherently smarter than white people. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I'm the first Asian that poor woman ever had any real contact with.

I'd love to say that I'm going to raise my kids here, because I love the city. I just hate that if I did, my kids would not be exposed to much diversity. Nice try, St. Louis. I'll visit you occasionally, but I can't live here.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T14:26:00.001-06:00

Also,

2008-11-26T17:42:00.001-06:00

I gave in.

Blogger users: Is there a hit counter tool anywhere on Blogger? I wanna know how many people are viewing me.

I'm in St. Louis

2008-11-26T16:42:00.002-06:00

This is where I'm spending my Thanksgiving "break." Quotations intended. Seriously, teachers. Twelve assignments? I have twelve fucking assignments to do over Thanksgiving break. That's nearly two assignments a day. And this is supposed to be a break? Fuck you, teachers. I cannot wait for this semester to be over.

Aside from that, St. Louis is treating me well. I've already developed the slogan "St. Louis: It just makes you feel better about yourself." Kat & I missed our Megabus here, so I owe her an extra $70...eventually. I'm sorry, but right now, all of my financial resources are going into getting Christmas gifts. The downside to going to college and/or living in two cities is that I now have two sets of friends to get gifts for. By virtue, that's not a bad thing; I love giving. I simply don't have the money to bestow lavish gifts upon everyone, so it's a real shitty thing.

My phone is showing that little notification for voicemail, but I don't have any voicemail. And that little symbol is irking the shit out of me. It needs to go. Sorry, it's an obsessive compulsive tendency.

Right, so, St. Louis. It's a very Midwestern city. I'm still confused as to how the geography of it all works out; there's so many little townships and whatnot. Apparently you can be at a location whose address is not legally labeled "St. Louis," but still be in St. Louis. It makes no sense. At least in Chicago, suburbs are very clearly not a part of Chicago. Silly Midwesterners. The weather is nice here.

Right now I'm staying at Rex's place, and I'm being transplanted into Kat's house on Friday. I must say that the Oberle family is amazing. They're all downstairs partaking in a pie-making day right now. Earlier I witnessed Rex and his sister & nephew dance to a Rihanna song, and that was a pretty revelatory moment. I understood the Oberle family and why Rex is the way he is, all at once. And the stories that they're telling (and the stories that are being made right now) are all very good stories. I'm glad I'm here.

I feel like I have more to say, but it escapes me right now, as it oftentimes does. Don't expect to hear from me until Winter Break. God knows I'll be writing and studying my ass off.

Just as I say I'm getting into it

2008-11-23T14:07:00.000-06:00

Hurray!

YES

2008-11-21T22:54:00.001-06:00

I saw Pushing Daisies for the first time tonight

2008-11-20T00:07:00.003-06:00

And I must say, I'm thoroughly impressed. It's a very well-done show, and I'm officially a fan. Witty dialogue, slick editing, intriguing story, etc. Look into it.

The following is a prime example of why I never update my blog. It is a theory/feeling/school of thought that I've held for awhile since coming here, yet it's something that never crossed my mind as something to post. It's just one of those things about life here that seem so insignificant to me, but I'm sure is interesting to...somebody. Right? My writing is interesting, right? I mean, you get to hear about Chicago. That's exciting to desert-dwellers, right? Regardless, here's the story:

I've discussed this with fellow native west coasters, and we're all going through what I've dubbed Hug Withdrawals. On the west coast, the hug is a common greeting. You see somebody, you say hello, and you go in for a hug. If you hold your arms out in a pre-hug gesture and ask a citizen from the west what it means, they will tell you that it's an indication that you want a hug. Out here, that gesture is unrecognizable. Don't get me wrong, midwesterners are without a doubt nice people. As a whole, I'd fare to say friendlier than westerners. They are, however, very touchy about their personal space. A hug is not a common greeting here. If you hug freely, you may be seen as "weird," and possibly reprimanded and/or ostracized. Us west coasters here on campus have to stick together to preserve our sanity. We greet each other with our familiar hug, while the midwesterners look on in confusion.

Hug Withdrawal.

I tried to pull two all-nighters in a row.

2008-11-18T11:24:00.002-06:00

That didn't work out so well.

It snowed here yesterday. Not the first time it's snowed, but it was the first time the snow stuck to the ground. Well not the ground, really, now it's all over the dirt and vegetation. But it's here. It's so fucking weird! I've gotta get used to this.

Just wanted to mention that.

Say hello to our new president.

2008-11-15T16:09:00.001-06:00

For further reading, please see this.

Other things to get excited about.

2008-11-14T16:49:00.000-06:00

Firstly, this.

And secondly, I'll be home December 15-January 10.

Jaguar Love has played Chicago twice now.

2008-11-09T20:40:00.002-06:00

And I've missed them both times, first due to forgetfulness, and tonight because of homework (from my terrible writing teacher mentioned in my side module, actually).

FML!

Don't bother watching all twelve minutes of this.

2008-11-09T01:29:00.001-06:00

Just know that I'm really, really, really fucking excited.

Fuck them, and the horse they rode in on.

2008-11-07T21:14:00.003-06:00

Every time a major event happens, I get the urge to make a lengthy post, describing it in detail. I even take little mental notes in my phone so I remember what to say. And then things happen, and I have neither the time nor the energy to actually write anything. I owe you guys a lot, being so far away from home, so my deepest apologies.

It's a wonder I'm actually writing this post, so here's a quick checklist of what I've accomplished over the past two weeks:

-Saw Family Force 5
-Saw COHEED AND MOTHERFUCKING CAMBRIA, TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW! Al the Killer live<3
-Saw Changeling
-Killer Halloween! Won a door decorating contest, by decorating our door with Christmas-related things. On Halloween.
-Girlfriend
-Gotten relatively used to the cold. One night I saw a thermometer that read 32 degrees, and it was chilly, but I wasn't dying.
-Witnessed history, up close and in person. I have pictures, if you'd ever like to see them. Obama 08!
-Had a gay shower singalong extravaganza.
-Saw Jersey Boys.
-Realized that I'm grown up. Remember when we were kids, and we'd look up to those older kids who listened to rad music that they grew up with that we had never heard of? I had a moment one night, around a bunch of younger kids, where I realized that we're those kids now. We're those older musical snobs. I'm so excited!
-Engaged in an (ongoing) prank war.
-Put something on my list of things to do before I die: make a mockumentary.
-Gotten sick. Twice.
-Finally updated my blog.

There's more, but it escapes me at the moment. I'd like to say call me for updates, but I haven't been returning calls lately, because I'm an asshole and I'm always busy. My apologies, friends. Again.

I love all of you. I'll be home for Christmas/New Year!

Things I've ever forgotten to mention

2008-11-01T20:13:00.002-05:00

1) When I saw Broken Social Scene, there was one point where all the equipment was giving lots of feedback, so everybody took a break. To pass the time, one member came out and said he had a project, wherein he interviewed his neighbors, then had some musician friends try and match their speech, note-per-note, with music. He demonstrated, playing a monologue of an old woman from across the street, and then played it back over with one of the other members matching said monologue with a saxophone. It was probably one of the coolest things I've ever seen done with music & speech.

2) One night, I was passing by a record store, and saw this sign on the front:

It was during my first few weeks here, and I thought "Wow, if that's the kind of attitude this whole city has, then life here is going to be awesome." There are hardly any small businesses in Vegas with this kind of mentality, which is why I think I have such an attraction to it.

A real update is coming soon, I promise.

FUUUCK YEEESSSS

2008-10-27T16:01:00.001-05:00

"We have finished "Phantom On The Horizon". (A.K.A. "Ghostship")

We will be releasing it for our tour starting November 28th w/ The # 12 Looks Like You, Warship, and Black Houses...

We will be doing the west coast 1st, playing the whole record, the whole way through, and doing the east coast soon to follow.

We have spent the last 4 and a 1/2 years on this record, it's a step up from anything we felt we've ever done. And we hope to give back to everyone who's been waiting so long to hear this song(s) for so long as we have.

We love you, and need you all. Mad respect, this one's for all of you guys who have been around for it all, and waited for it as well.

Let's show the rock n' roll industry it's not all about singles and good looks, it's about vision, integrity, time, and patience.

We are so proud of this record, so come out to the tour and get ur copy while we have them.

We love the hell out of you all.

XOXO
Thomas
Frank
Andrew"

new post coming soon, but ZOMG

More opinions

2008-10-24T11:13:00.002-05:00

Should I finally make the jump to contact lenses?

Pros:
-No more wiping off my glasses when I get in from the rain.
-No more wiping off my glasses when I get in from the snow.
-No fogged-up glasses when I walk into a warm building from the cold outdoors.
-No more worrying about glasses getting crushed at shows and/or highly physical events.
-No more worrying about taking them off when I lay down or anything involving contact with my face.

Cons:
-I look way more Asian without glasses on.
-I'm frightened at the notion of putting anything IN my eye.
-I can't just fall asleep with them in.
-More expensive over time? I'm not so sure about this, I'm only conjecturing.

So, thoughts?

Opinions?

2008-10-22T16:52:00.002-05:00

Which one of these should I get for my new MacBook?

Hi-res versions of all of them available at GelaSkins.com, if you want to see the details. You can find them yourself. Also, my MacBook is not white, but customer service told me that the designs for the old white MacBooks would fit mine.

I've been busy.

2008-10-22T08:05:00.002-05:00

This is my roommate.

In addition

2008-10-16T16:21:00.001-05:00

Andi's friend just came straight from California, bearing the gift of In-N-Out burgers. God bless America, life does not get any fucking richer than this.

All hail

2008-10-15T23:13:00.002-05:00

I'm posting from my brand new MacBook! It's glorious!

No real purpose for this post, other than to show off. Woot.

ALEX AND ASHLEY ARE COMING TO VISIT

2008-10-13T16:26:00.004-05:00

I'm infinitely excited about that news.

I saw Broken Social Scene a few days ago.

They are pretty magical live. I have to account for the fact that I saw Broken Social Scene with Jocelyn instead of going to see City & Colour with Tegan & Sara, but you can't win 'em all. I had fun nonetheless.

Ashley and Alex are coming to visit!

The venue, the Vic Theatre, reminds me a lot of exactly what I wish the House of Blues in Vegas was. Large, lofty stage, similar seating arrangements, way less drunken bros. It's a magical place.

Ashley and Alex are coming to visit!

New MacBooks are being announced tomorrow, which means that I'll finally have a laptop of my own, and maybe start becoming addicted to the internet again.

Oh, and guess who's visiting me in the Spring?

Me and Caitlin are, ehm, just call me. I'd rather not publicate all this jazz.

Did I mention that Ashley & Alex are coming to visit?

Sleeping with two other people in a twin bed

2008-10-08T18:30:00.003-05:00

I could've sworn I recorded some video from last night, but my camera...ate it. I'm going crazy. That was going to be the basis of this post, and now I can't do anything. So let me improvise.

Don't ever visit Schaumburg, IL unless you are both:
a) Rich
b) Hungry
Me, Kat & Bob spent the weekend at Bob's place, and there is nothing to do in Schaumburg except eat. And I guess shop, but we didn't do any of that. I did have Steak N Shake for the first and second times in my life. It made me feel greasy and bloated both times, because I ate so much, because it was so good. Nothing on In-N-Out, but a worthy contender. Side note - Bob & Kat are steadies now. Congrats to them.

Also, Jocelyn is back from going home. I hope she gets her head cleared up soon, I worry about her.

Listen to the new Loom songs, they will tear you uppppppzzzzzz.

I know what I want to do with my life.

2008-10-06T17:02:00.002-05:00

Music and comedy and showbusiness.

"Armisen began his career as a musician in the Chicago-based post-punk band Trenchmouth as well as playing with Blue Man Group. His transition to comedy came with the 1998 underground short film “Fred Armisen’s Guide to Music and SXSW” which followed him through the Austin, Texas “South By Southwest Music Festival” posing as a music journalist. In 2006, he tried his hand at actual musical journalism, profiling the indie darling Cat Power for the influential music website Pitchfork.com. He married music and comedy becoming drummer Jens Hannemann and releasing an instructional DVD “Complicated Drumming Technique” in 2007."

Fred Armisen is now in his seventh season on SNL. That's what I wanna do. Music and comedy and showbusiness.

In case you don't know,

2008-10-06T14:37:00.003-05:00

I hardly ever remember my dreams. Ever. So if and when I do, it's a big deal to me. And let me tell you, I had one weird-ass dream last night.

I don't know if we were in a park, or in an outdoor shopping mall, but it was someplace with a picnic table/bench-type thing facing a parking lot, with maybe a building or two opposite said parking lot. And my friends (I don't know who they were, or even if they were friends from Las Vegas or friends from Chicago, I just remember considering them my good friends) were sitting on the bench structure. More friends joined us and began showing off golden pots & pans, and then everybody took out these little red cards with numbers scribbled on them. Single digits only. And then I started getting mad and yelling, but nobody would listen to me. So after awhile I got fed up and stood on a bench, and yelled some mad tirade along the lines of "Fuck you! I fucking hate you! All of you! Happy Halloween, motherfuckers!" Apparently, it was Halloween. It hadn't occurred to me until I had said it. After my monologue, I stormed off into the parking lot, and that's all I remember about the dream.

Also of note: my screams weren't very strong. I remember when I was screaming, I thought "Why is my voice so weak? I know I can yell louder, why isn't my voice as strong as it could be?"

So that's what I remember about last night. Today's homework day, I think. I'm sure I'll get everything done...

...

Lately, by some odd circumstances,

2008-10-05T21:06:00.002-05:00

I have been around a lot of acoustic guitars. And it seems like every time I pick one up, I discover something really cool that I know I could develop into a good song. I'm just really afraid that if/when I get an acoustic of my own, I'll lose that inspiration and I won't be able to write anything.

Just a passing thought.

Two in a row!

2008-10-03T12:15:00.002-05:00

I'd like to let everyone know that I slept straight through my Psych class this morning. I hardly remember any of the things I know I did this morning. This is pretty indicative of two things:

1) I definitely need more sleep.
2) This weekend is going to be aaaawweeessooommeeeee

HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

2008-10-02T17:29:00.002-05:00

I was just allowed to partake in a bite of a friend's In-N-Out burger, which came from her roommate's friend, who is staying the weekend and just flew in from San Jose. It was soggy and microwaved and by no means a good representation of what In-N-Out tastes like, but it reminded me so much of home and made me feel so good. It was like getting a care package in the mail. In-N-Out, I love you.

I slept through my first class!

2008-10-02T16:15:00.003-05:00

I took a dangerous in-between-classes nap today. I actually woke up at my intended time: one hour before class starts, just enough time to grab lunch. I decided against that, however, when I woke up, so I set new alarms and went back to bed. When I awoke, I was all kinds of discombobulated, and for some reason thought that I was heading to a different class, and that I still had a half an hour to get there and turn in my paper. I got halfway to the building when I realized that it's Thursday, and that my class had ended one hour prior. I came back to my room, opened up my syllabus, and saw that my professor's office was open, so I headed over and turned in my paper.

I don't get nearly enough sleep in college. I was so deep into my nap today that I was completely unaware of a conversation I had with Rachel, who apparently came into our room during me & Bob's simultaneous nap and offered us cookies (six of which were on my desk upon my awakening).

I'm actually fine with the amount of sleep that I get. As long as I'm up and thinking and talking and doing something, I'm fine. But when I sit still for too long, like in class, or on a train, I start to shut down.

Speaking of trains, in case you didn't get my text message - and I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't - I stepped off a train yesterday afternoon, at which point my phone decided it would be a good idea to receive all 26 text messages it had missed over the past few days. It was the weirdest thing. I was getting text messages from last weekend. Then late last night, it did the same thing, except it only received 3 (thank God). So if I didn't respond to you via texting for the past week, I apologize on behalf of my phone.

We're spending the long weekend at Bob's place, and I actually don't have too much homework to do. Party!

P.S. Seriously, Facebook?

I just turned in my absentee ballot request

2008-10-01T11:05:00.002-05:00

I'm late, I know. But better late than never.

I'm really debating getting a Facebook account. I feel like I'm missing out on some huge social aspect of college life by not having one, but at the same time, a part of me wants to keep going without any ties to technology. Everyone on Facebook is addicted to it, and I just want to rebel and live life, maaaaan. But seriously, I don't want something online to occupy all my time, and I kind of like that no one on campus can find me on the internet.

Thoughts?

Fabulous Kokomo, Indiana

2008-09-29T23:10:00.003-05:00

Once again, I apologize for my lack of expedience in updating this blog. Ten days is pretty inexcusable. But this will probably be the last time I apologize for infrequent posting. I'm finding that my schedule hardly makes time for computer-related leisure. That, and I don't have a laptop. Ever since I got to college, not having a computer of my own has made me more and more disconnected from the internet. It's pretty liberating. The only reason I still have to use one is to check my email, because that's how all my teachers communicate. Maybe it'll all change when I get a laptop in late October. Or maybe it won't. Maybe a laptop is a waste of money at this point. We'll see what happens.

Not too much has happened in the past ten days. I'm now the proud new owner of a Magnus electric chord organ, which I found at a yard sale for $5. That happened last weekend. The work week was pretty mundane; classes by day, chillin' by night. This past weekend I went with Carly to Indiana to volunteer for the Obama campaign. That was pretty magical. I spent lots of time talking to residents of Kokomo, IN about the upcoming presidential election. I'm on the big board of volunteer door knocks now at the campaign office. And my dorm room door is covered in Obama propaganda. Oh, and I finally ate at the Chicago Diner, which was amazing, as expected.

I can't stress enough how continually disconnected I feel from the internet. I wish I had more to tell you, but this past week has been kind of boring, but not in a bad way. I've just got a lot happening here in the real world, and I'm only finding marginal motivation to earmark life events and exhibit them here. I won't stop posting, but it'll be a struggle to make posts with meaning, unless something super happens. I wish you were all here with me. Call me sometime. Seriously.

Yesterday was miserable, and amazing

2008-09-19T13:00:00.004-05:00

I hadn't slept the night prior (my first all-nighter of my college career, woo!), so I was falling asleep in all of my classes. It was embarrassing. I was so tired, I would fall asleep in the middle of writing something, then wake up before I finished the sentence, then look down at what I wrote and think, "What the hell does 'The human is rearet is' mean?"

After all my classes were done, I decided it would be a bad idea to take a short nap and risk not waking up in time, so I powered through the next few hours leading up to FEAR BEFOREEEEE.

I must say that I really enjoy the Beat Kitchen. It was small and just generally a cool place. Unfortunately, it was attached to a bar, so there were lots of intoxicated assholes running around, akin to the House of Blues back home. For those unacquainted, several years ago, I rechristened the House of Blues as the House of Bros, because almost every show there was swarmed with big, drunk, No Fear-wearing, quad-riding, white truck-driving, energy drink-drinking bros. Granted, there was only a small group of them in attendance last night, but it still made me horrendously uncomfortable.

Lucky for me, the bands more than compensated. The opening band was a local band that reminded me of a less technical version of Tera Melos. I can't remember their name off the top of my head, but once I find them, I'll post about them here. Unfortunately, we came late and missed most of their set, and they didn't have CDs for sale, but I talked to them and they said that all their songs are up for download on their MySpace.

I Am The Ocean has grown by leaps and bounds since I saw them years ago in a dusty backyard. I'm glad they're getting recognition. I had previously thought that new Damiera sucked balls, but after seeing them live, I think it's growing on me. I may have to revisit their new album and give it a second chance. Additionally, the frontman looks like he is doing an immense amount of drugs.

And then came the moment of truth. Once more for the unacquainted, let me tell you about Fear Before the March of Flames. They were amazing. Their first album was my favorite, their second album my second favorite, and their third album is terrible. Their new album is coming out in October. They were best known as a four piece, but waaay back in the day they had a light guy, and I think a second guitarist. If you watch old videos, it's really cool to see their lights timed to the music. They quit doing that awhile ago though. Right now they're a five (or is it six?) piece. They have said repeatedly that they will never, ever play songs from their first album live.

Now let me tell you about Fear Before. They shortened their name. The new songs are very, very different, but not bad. Just completely different. My jaw dropped when they said "We'll be ready to start as soon as you turn the lights out, we have our own." Their light set-up was amazing. There was a fog machine too. It was very theatrical, and I loved it. They had samples playing between all their songs too, and it added to the ambience. My jaw dropped even wider, however, when they started playing older songs. They opened with a new song (very unorthodox in itself), then played what is arguably their most popular song (fans: Should've Stayed in the Shallows). And then, oh my God, and THEN, they played my favorite song they have ever written. From their first album. Fans, prepare yourself. Given To Dreams. MOTHERFUCKING GIVEN TO MOTHERFUCKING DREAMS! It was orgasmic. Then more songs from that third album, complete with bros singing along. They also played Fashion Tips Baby, and a handful of songs from their second album, one new song (pretty impressive), and ended with more third album poop. But altogether, it was amazing. I'm upset they weren't selling hoodies, because I am in dire need of more cold weather clothing, but I got a shirt. With the old name.

And then me and Zak ate Mexican food. And then I came home, talked to Kat & Jocelyn, and then crashed. Apparently, I missed out on a lot from going to bed so early; Connor was hospitalized or something. But I don't care. Sweet, sweet slumber.

I've got a problem

2008-09-16T01:04:00.015-05:00

I've felt no need over the past few days to write about what's happened to me. The only thing compelling me to write this entry is this weird, innate obligation I feel to you, the reader (all two of you). I feel like if I'm not writing, I'm letting this blog die, and thus letting a part of me die, and by extension, letting a part of you die. I won't let you die.

For my memory's sake, let's backtrack through the weekend, starting with today and working our way backwards. I just got done having White Castle for the second time in my life. I can actually feel my heart struggling a little bit, but it's totally worth it. I had some one-on-one time with Josh this morning, he's a nice guy. Nothing else to note about today, I don't think. That may change.

Sunday, hm. Let's start at the very beginning. A little past midnight, Kat said something about going on a diet, and I laughed in her face. So we made a bet out of it. Until Friday at midnight, Kat can't eat more than twice a day. This includes drinks & snacks. She can only have unlimited amounts of water and gum. So two consumptions a day, and no ice cream, and no soda. If she makes it, I have to wear neon tights & yellow booty shorts, run around a big building here on campus while reciting a list of her attributes that she writes, then run to the roof of a building and make a final proclamation about her. If I win, she has to ride around campus on a bike in the same outfit. Tied to the bike will be a wagon, holding a stereo that plays a ridiculous playlist of my choosing. She will also have to wear a large sign around her neck that reads, "I Lost A Bet." I'll probably ride alongside her with a megaphone, calling attention to her, and handing out things for people to throw at her. In any case, I get to spend all week eating all kinds of food right in front of her, so it's a win-win situation. I slept in the rest of Sunday, and watched Burn After Reading that night. It's an odd little movie. I can't say it's good, by any means, but I can't completely denounce it. I just know that somewhere, the Coen brothers are shitting themselves right now, sitting on large piles of money, smoking fatty cigars, and giggling like little girls about how ridiculously easy it is to make money off of movies in America.

Oh, and I know some people will be looking for this: Also on Sunday, we came across an old guy on campus that, well, here, you judge this for yourself:

Sorry for the terrible cell phone quality. Actually, I'm not sorry. Blame the cell phone makers. Bob got a picture with this guy. He continued to walk around campus, proclaiming, "Vote for Obama, fuck McCain!"

Oh, and Rex came home on Sunday! :D

Okay, Saturday was fun. Kat had job training in the morning, for the job that she and no one else got. I'll admit it, I'm pretty mad I didn't get that job, and it's total bullshit that almost nobody else did either, but I'm not going to worry about it too much. Not much I can do about it now, and I mean, everything happens for a reason, right?

Anyways, most of the day was spent in Belmont, which, in case you forgot, is thus far my favorite part of town. We explored an art festival (unheard of in Vegas!), found my new favorite bookstore (by the way, has anyone seen the new issue of, oh, what was it, Maxim? Whatever has Megan Fox on the cover. I remember seeing Transformers and thinking, "Wow, that girl is not hot at all," but she is seriously gorgeous in this photoshoot. Fuck Transformers, man.), and did quite a bit of shopping. We finally tried Chicken Hut, which was a dump, although I think I was the only one to think so.

The only thing more fun than Saturday was - you guessed it - Friday! The PM, to be specific. Somebody thought it would be a great idea to venture to where an alleged Steak N Shake was (I've still never had Steak N Shake, but I hear wonders about it), in the rain, of all things. We wandered for quite some time before realizing that there was no Steak N Shake (as confirmed by a few phone calls). We spent more time in the rain trying to find out where else to go, and by the recommendation of Bob's drunken uncle, we spent hours and miles on foot wandering a vast area in search of a tiny place called Marge's. We seriously spanned a considerable amount of space (remind me to make a map later, you'll be in awe), and like any good comedy movie, the place ended up being a few steps away from where we had started. Good ol' fashioned irony.

We also came across this gem of an establishment:

I don't remember much else from that day. Gimme a break, I have terrible short-term memory. I had to consult my roommate to get me thus far.

Thursday night I played campus-wide capture the flag. I think enough is said there.

That's all I can remember right now. I know I'm forgetting something, and depending on how lazy I feel, I may or may not come back and post about it. Don't take it personally if I don't post for awhile. I just hate the interwebz.

I swear I'll start posting more frequently

2008-09-11T01:47:00.002-05:00

If you haven't registered to vote yet, please click the link on my MySpace to do so. It could win my school a free concert, but more importantly, and certainly more likely, it could get me a scholarship. And spread the word!

I kinda miss writing about things like this

2008-09-09T16:49:00.004-05:00

Fear Before The March of Flames has officially changed their name to Fear Before. Meh.

It's too short of a clip to tell whether or not I'll like it. I'll be seeing them on the 18th, let's hope they play a few new ones.

I completely respect them for wanting to progress and never make the same album, I love that about them. It's just that in my musical opinion, each album has gotten progressively, exponentially worse. I mean, singing? This album better not be a disappointment.

I can, however, take consolation in the fact that Thomas Erak is doing guest vocals, among others.

I had my first real bad day yesterday

2008-09-08T16:21:00.003-05:00

It didn't last that long, however, so I won't go into detail. The main thing I want to mention is that I had my first Epic Burger. Guess how it was.

It's Epicly expensive, but totally worth it, especially if you're eco-minded. Just explore their website, you'll get a feel for what kind of business they are. I liked it. In addition to my burger & fries, I had two smoothies (two, because one was so good I just had to try another), one of which was the Milk n Honey smoothie. I initially got it because it reminded me of Carli, but beyond that, it was a damn good smoothie.

Another reason for everyone to come visit me!

After having slept on it,

2008-09-07T11:54:00.002-05:00

I think I can accurately describe my feelings like this: I can't tell whether I'm homesick, or if I'm just sick of it here. I don't know if I'm upset because I miss home, or if it's because everybody here is starting to remind me of home, so it feels like I never left. I mean, I have my reasons for wanting to leave Las Vegas, and I think maybe I'm upset because I feel like I'm still there. Or maybe I'm upset because I want to go back.

I can't tell. Either way, I hate this feeling.

Maps & Atlases

2008-09-07T01:50:00.003-05:00

Was orgasmic. My mind is still a bit scattered, so I'm going to share this in bulletpoint format:

-They played their songs noticeably slower. It wasn't a bad thing, it was just interesting.

-A few variations of songs. They even played the first part of "Songs for Ghosts to Haunt To" completely in bar chords, with this blues-y feel to it. Dave called it "Scary Ghosts." Another song ended a little more jazzy than it is on the record; I can't remember what song it was, I just remember telling myself such. I think Chris might have been improvising a little bit.

-New song = audio orgasm. Seriously, Ryan would throw a fit over it. There is this little two-hand tap shuffle thing in it that is so, so, so golden.

-The Ongoing Horrible! And everybody was singing. It was amazing.

-Nurses was pretty good. I hadn't listened to them prior to this point, but I liked them. Their drummer played standing up, that was really interesting to me.

I managed to stop drooling long enough to get a few photos & videos via my phone, so remind me to share those later.

All-in-all, tonight made my week. My month. My anything. I'll probably remember more as the days trudge forward, so mind that this post may be updated.

Also, an interesting thought crossed my mind during the show. I had this insane desire to walk around and start introducing myself to people, but I knew I couldn't, that'd just be weird. But it got me thinking, how am I going to make friends off-campus? I mean, in theory, the easiest way would just be to make a friend from Chicago, who in turn would introduce me to their Chicago-native friends. But no one at my school is from Chicago, they're all from suburbs. And I kinda wanna meet completely new people, not a friend of a friend. I just can't think of a good way to go about doing so.

Right now there are six other people in my room, playing "Never Have I Ever." All these people are my friends, but sometimes they do such immature things, and sometimes I just want to be alone, and this situation meets both of those criteria. And I'm too much of a pushover to say anything or walk out. Woot @ headphones. I love Maps & Atlases.

I apologize for the lack of updates

2008-09-06T15:37:00.006-05:00

I'm in the middle of an assignment where I have to chronicle the high- and low-points of my day, so I think that has been satisfying my desire to blog lately. I also don't feel the need to go online a lot, since most of my friends call or text, and I can check my email from my phone.

I'm going to see Maps & Atlases tonight, and I'm super excited about that. One of my favorites.

I have a shopping problem.

More updates later, I just wanted to reassure everybody that I'm not dead.

P.S. I need feedback on this: Would you be against me putting ads on my blog? If they were there, would you click on them? I think it'd be an easy way to have a little bit of extra money in my bank account, and Lordy knows I need that. I'm just a little apprehensive about it on a moralistic level. So, yea or nay? Why or why not?

Addendum to Last Night:

2008-09-01T18:33:00.001-05:00

Rex finished the last Harry Potter book and was freaking out the whole night.

And this:

Cooking Extravaganza

2008-09-01T17:54:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, Kat & myself explored the Belmont area of Chicago, which has to be, by far, my favorite area. I speculated as such while I was still in Las Vegas; I learned that a famous vegetarian diner was in the area, as well as more than a few decent music venues. Walking around the area only confirmed my suspicions. We found the Threadless store, and a few good record stores (I scored The Go! Team's second album for ten bucks). Belmont actually kind of reminds me of Berkeley and NYC smooshed together. Hipsters walking into hip stores, with this very street, not-so-seedy-that-you-wouldn't-want-to-go kind of vibe. Oh, I also tried Hawaiian Coffee for the first time, and let me tell you, I'm hooked.

Later that night, a handful of us crazy kids decided to make a run to a supermarket to get some food. In addition to stocking up on food for the future, Kat & I decided that we would make an amazing dinner. We bought a frying pan & spatula (the ONLY cookware used, mind you), some chicken, and a pasta side (yes, pasta made in a frying pan), and made one of the best damn meals a couple of college students have ever made. Ladies and gentlemen:

(There should be a picture of our amazing meal here, but the laptop I'm on is being kinda gay, so just remind me to post it later)

After going to bed with full stomachs somewhere around 5:00 am, we awoke sometime this afternoon with the intention of making pancakes. There's this entire fiasco involving chocolate chips that we won't get into it, but needless to say, with our culinary skills, these pancakes rocked the house.

It's currently Labor Day, so almost nothing is open, including the library, forcing everyone on campus to do their homework in the dorms. It's kinda nice to sit in my room and not hear people yelling or something, but eerie at the same time. Something isn't right about a quiet residence hall. Nevertheless, I should tend to my homework. God forbid I don't finish my ten million pages of reading.

Maps & Atlases is playing this Saturday, and my improv audition is on Wednesday. Other stuff in the week, but those are the big things. Holla.

That must take a lot of courage...going through life with no teeth

2008-08-30T20:43:00.007-05:00

Today was an adventure day; myself, Rex, & Teresa (or, as we like to call her, the Boston Teets Party) went about the town shopping & exploring.

Among the first places we stopped was my first real record store in Chicago (okay, so it was in Evanston. So sue me). I picked up Cryonics by Hot Cross for $6.92, despite the $8.99 price tag. By the way, if you don't listen to Hot Cross, start.

Also among the first few places we stopped were multiple stores that made me depressed about being a broke college student. I need money to look good and be a materialistic American, so if you'd like to support the cause, !

It's counterintuitive, I know, but I purchased a belt today, and from Urban Outfitters, no less. I feel really guilty every time I buy something from Urban Outfitters, but I mean, tell me where else you can find the hip stuff they sell. And if you still readily support Urban Outfitters, please read this. Or, if you're lazy, just know that they steal designs from independent artists.

Before we left Evanston, we made a stop in a charming used bookstore, where I found this gem of a label:

From Evanston, we headed south to the heart of Chicago to see Vicky Cristina Barcelona (that's a movie - I hadn't heard of it prior to yesterday). It was a decent movie, very typically Woody Allen. There's some more sitting & eating & window shopping sprinkled in with this part of today's adventure, but none of it really noteworthy.

Oh, one small thing I'd like to mention is this one small moment: we were waiting for a shuttle to pick us up, and a bum walked up to us and asked us for a dollar. We all told him that we didn't have any money on us, so he got all kinds of belligerent, saying, "What, you got this scripted? This a movie or some shit?" to which I replied, "No, this is the 21st century, when everybody pays in plastic." He looked like he was going to say something else, but he just gave me a high five and walked away. That guy was cool.

I'm going to an improv show in a second, and I'm auditioning to join them in a week. Wish me luck.

I can't quite describe the feeling in a concise manner

2008-08-28T02:24:00.000-05:00

I don't know if I should say that I feel very adult, or very experienced, or very city, or very college. In any case, tonight was most definitely a coming-of-age night.

Rex and myself just spent a few late-night hours in a grimy, local 24-hour diner, eating deliciously greasy sandwiches, doing our homework and reading, all to the soundtrack of a young couple dealing with their marital problems in an audible manner in the next booth over.

If this isn't life, I don't know what is.

Also,

2008-08-27T17:37:00.001-05:00

Any suggestions as to how this should look/feel are totally welcome.

Also also, I live here:

Underwhelming First Post

2008-08-27T17:07:00.000-05:00

Ignoring what I've already told my close friends (and thus, initial readers) about my first few days in college, today was the Student Organization Fair, where I signed up for numerous organizations, of which I'll only participate in about 4%. My roommate signed me up for any club that gave away cool things for signing up, and a friend signed me up for rugby and hockey. In other words, I expect my mailbox to explode sometime soon.

More to come!