College-Era Contempl@ion

Summertime Blue

2010-05-28T11:40:00.000-07:00

Not plural.

I think I'm depressed. I have no motivation to do anything, anyway, and I rarely find myself smiling. Not real smiles, anyway. Those fake, plastic-looking ones that never quite reach one's eyes (turns out, humans can't move those muscles consciously. It's a dead-giveaway for a fake smile. I've been found out, or could be) are all that I can seem to generate, and even those seem to come more and more infrequently.

This weekend we're to go to Albany to stay with Ryan's (Evan's roommate's) cousin Robert. I had fun last time, but I can't get excited to go again. We went to the movies last night, but a combination of my preexisting ill-humor and the fact that we were watching Shrek Forever After did not yield a fun time.

I dunno. Maybe I'll feel right as rain soon, but for today, I don't. Or yesterday. Or the day before that. Or for a while now, going back to when UVM was still in session. This past semester really sucked, but I haven't gotten out of my bad mood from it. On a (most probably) more correct note, I think that I was in a bad mood then because my courses either weren't challenging, weren't informative or were decidedly too difficult (here, I use decidedly to mean that the professor had decided to make the course harder than it normally would have been.), and I am in a bad mood now from a combination of boredom and other things that I shan't discuss here (no one really needs to air their dirty laundry. It can just be washed and then left to dry up. I wash regularly, so I guess I just need to dry up at this point).

I dunno. Maybe life is supposed to be boring.

I dunno. Maybe my life just happens to be boring.

This isn't boring:

As an aside, I don't really like the new YouTube layout. I understand why they have changed it (and here, that isn't just a vague statement. I actually do understand why they did it), but I still must admit that it is less ... ... ... something. Maybe it's just less.

Also, sorry it's been so long since I've posted. Before I was too busy to say anything, and now I find I've nothing to say.

So I'll stop saying it.

After a thousand years and an ice age, it seems...

2010-03-10T10:35:00.000-08:00

I'm not a very good blogger in the respect that I often forget to blog for long periods of time. I know that a really committed blogger would make sure to take time out each day/week/whatever to blog about his/her life, but sometimes I get so caught up in experiencing life that I forget that I can share what I am experiencing. Sharing would detract from the experience, as it were.

Anyway, I am not on here to ramble to you in a confused and confusing way. Let's talk life.

Classes: suck. I am rather disappointed in what UVM is giving me to deal with this semester. All of my classes are important, sure, but I feel that they are being presented in such a way that I shall never be inclined to much like them. I do enjoy Mr. Lawlor in calculus, because he has the most cleanly colorful expressions. "If you treat this equation like a fine lady" or "If you watch this expression like a hawk, and compare it to that one over there".

Friends: all okay, or at least the ones that still talk to me -_-. That's not a worthwhile story, but it's an earful and will probably cause a headache to the listener. Ho hum.

Life: seems worth it. It might as well be, because I only get this one so I want to enjoy it a bit more.

I have decided that I am going to study abroad in Japan, but I don't know if I will go my Junior spring or Senior spring. If I go as a Junior it could set me way behind, but if I go as a senior I might only have to stay one extra semester or maybe one year. But it would be worth it. I won't have another opportunity like this to go live in Japan for about 15 weeks so I want to take advantage.

Finally, a video! I have known about it for a while, but don't think I've shared it. Sorry if I have!

I must be going for a record or something...

2009-12-03T13:49:00.000-08:00

So, another new post.

Today I have to present on ternary (or trinary) computing as opposed to binary computing. Part of the interesting applications have to do with the fact that optical computers (which use photons rather than electrons) could implement ternary systems to make vastly faster computers, because we've almost maxed out what we can make the electron do. We need to branch differently.

Anyway, one of the advantages to optical computers are that the photons would move faster than electrons can in circuits (electrons go much slower than the speed of light when moving through copper, for example). Also, photons have higher bandwidth. I puzzled over that for quite a while.

At first I (for some reason) decided that it must be because photons have more mass. But they're massless (duh). Then I looked into what particle bandwidth is (thanks, wikipedia!) and it basically depends on the spectral linewidth of a particle (in this situation). Since electrons have small linewidths because they move into discrete states and photons have a huge spectrum they can move around in, their bandwidth is greater. See, I was thinking about bandwidth in terms of internet speed and that was my hangup.

Silly me.

Anyway, watch this video, it's GREAT:

I'm so unreliable about this...

2009-12-01T09:32:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I have been told to update and I have known for a while that it was time to do so, but I've been crazy crazy busy. I still am, actually, but I have decided that this is worthwhile enough to blog about.

Okay, so in my Discrete Structures class (which is killing me), I have been spending the entire semester studying math. I get that it's supposed to be mathy, though, so I accept that for what it is. The problem is the caliber of the problems given the class. The average homework assignment takes me four hours and two trips to o

ffice hours. That isn't too bad, but I don't think I'm learning things properly. On the last exam, for example, I got a 50. Out of a hundred. And the class average on the exam was a 50. I would be the type of person to put it all on the professor, but he gave us the option to redo it for half the points we lost, and as I look it back over it seems really simple. For example, the last problem totally stumped me. I just looked at it again, and I could readily see why n*2^(n-1) is equal to the sum of k going from one to n of k C(n,

k). I would format that better, but I don't know how to do so on this. Instead of erasing anything, I'll just go do it in Word and see if I can append it here in that way (starting time 12:37 p.m. EST, let's see how long it takes me to do this in Word).

Well, that took me until 12:51 to do. The new Word makes things hard to find and makes me miss OpenOffice. Ho hum. Anyway, the answer is to use the binomial theorem trickily and then take the derivative of both sides. I won't go into all the details because a) it's boring and b) I'd hate for it to look like I was facilitating plagiarism. Rest assured, though, that it is very provable (laughably so, in fact).

Anyway, there's a really funny show called It Only Hurts When I Laugh, and it's like AFV, but there are more videos that actually make you laugh and people fall down a lot. I like when people fall down, and I don't know why. Look into it. In the mean time, watch this:

Oh, jeez...

2009-10-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

Yeah, it's been a while since I have posted anything, but that's because my life has been a little hectic as of late, with tests and quizzes and whatnot. Even tomorrow I have a stats quiz and a Japanese Kanji quiz. Sometime this week I will also have a midterm for stats, so that is also something I have to look forward to.

But now I have a moment, so I decided to update.

Um, so what's new with me...

Well, I have actually started playing World of Warcraft, haha. I don't play it obsessively (I haven't played in a week, to be honest) and I'm pretty casual about it, but it is a lot more fun than I remember, because the servers aren't as slow and there's tons to do. I've been enjoying that, then.

Also, I think I am all done worrying about anything that will happen after I die. No, really this time. It's totally beyond my scope and outside my domain, so I'm officially letting it go. It doesn't mean I'm happy about it, but what kind of person is?

Also, my good friend Taylor is coming up to visit soon and Michael is supposed to come up to VT in December, so I have that to look forward to as well. Hopefully everything works out so that they can come up and I can see them. It would certainly be nice, as they both go to different schools now and I haven't seen them in too long.

Also, I watched Where the Wild Things Are, and while it was good, it was rather depressing. I had also forgotten how the book had actually ended, and I was a little saddened by the fact that nothing was fixed for the Things at the end of the movie. But hopefully things were on the up-and-up for the Things. But who knows. The movie really played into my mood as of late, which was bizarre and bizarrely comforting. I think.

Also, I have nothing else to say, so I will just post something, I suppose:

Existentialism and war.

2009-10-13T21:28:00.000-07:00

The two elements of this title are only sort-of related. Don't read too much into it.

Okay, so the ideas of death and dying have been on my mind so much recently. It's a kind of thinking where you get a little nauseated when you ponder things, but I think I have come to the crux of the issue, and here it is:

Eventually, the entire universe will cease to be, and I will have no idea anything happened. The entirety of the many billions and billions of years that will pass will, to me, seem to go in a fraction of a second because I won't be aware. In fact, I won't even know the difference between the universe existing and it ceasing to exist. The transition will be lost on me.

That is a big thought. However, when I stop and consider it, I don't really want to know. I don't want to be around to witness the end of everything. It's like a morbid curiosity. I want to know but if I ever knew I would want to not know. So I think it's for the best that I won't know. Even though it makes me a little sad, I think the knowledge and the weight that would accompany it would make me even sadder. Billions of years elapsed before I was born and that didn't seem to take any time at all, and I don't regret not seeing how it all started, so I guess it's not a big deal that I won't see how it ends.

Don't get me wrong, though. The finality of death is still depressing to me and it does make it hard for me to fall asleep sometimes. If you know me personally, then you know that's pretty big, because I can usually fall asleep in eight seconds. I have lost, as near as I care to figure, 19.5 hours of sleep since last Sunday over this. That is time just lying in bed, thinking about all the time that I won't be able to think.

That's another regret. Losing my ability to think and reason. As a person who loves those two things as much as I do, the thought is heart-wrenching that I will lose both and all my accumulated knowledge.

Anyway, that is all besides the point. I am going to die and I have got to get over it and I won't see how it ends and I have got to get over THAT, too. I guess I'll just try to avoid thinking about it. What will happen will happen, and it will happen that I will cease to happen. Ho hum and that's the end of it. If we all only get one lifetime, I have just got to make sure that I make the most of mine, and sitting around thinking about not having time (since it's a construct that the dead can't appreciate or even notice) is certainly not a good time.

It's late, so forgive my affected speech.

About war, though. War is a way for people to get ahead by killing other people, and I hate it. I am diametrically opposed to violence (not that I have any idea what I mean by diametrically or even what diametrically means. It sounds nice, though.) and I ever take Gandhi's stance about not being willing to kill for any cause (though he was willing to die for many, and I can't say the same.). Societies that use war as a tool are base cultures in my opinion. Violence is, I think, wasteful. Not only do you have to expend lives and energy and money to beat someone down, but you then have to keep them beaten down. It's too costly and too silly.

And that's all I have to say.

That's not true, but it's all I'm going to say now. おやすみなさい。

On Death and Dying

2009-10-08T21:53:00.000-07:00

I have had a morbid obsession since Sunday night with the idea that I will die. It causes me that same queasiness that thinking about the nature of the Universe or the set of all integers causes me. Infinity is sickening because it can't be fully grasped. It can't be contained in anything, let alone our minds.

Well, I was thinking about death, and it's depressing that after however many years I get to live, I will then proceed to never, ever, never ever, nevernevernever live again. My consciousness will fade into nothing when I die and it will never again light up. No more sparks of understanding. No further learning. No memories. Time and humanity will march ever onward while I rot in the earth. Someday we might leave the earth. I will never know. Someday the Sun will go red giant and it will consume the earth, and I won't feel it happen.

It's damn depressing, and I can't get it off my mind. It's a terrible way to have to live, thinking about the fact that someday you won't live, but I can't stop myself thinking about it. My mind won't rest until it's reached some conclusion that it can accept, and the prospect of death is unacceptable to me.

It's also inevitable.

It's also terrible.

On the nature of trust

2009-09-24T06:11:00.000-07:00

Whom can we trust in today's society where technology puts such a buffer between people that we sometimes forget there's a real person on the other end of the phone call or on the other side of the IM window?

Well, my personal philosophy is to trust everyone until that person proves they cannot be trusted. I am not advertising that we all tell our innermost secrets to every stranger, but rather that if something isn't a major piece of information that we be honest about what we think and feel. Giving guarded answers to everything doesn't allow for anyone to learn who you really are, so then there is always some chance that there will be a falling out later down the road when you have come to consider yourselves 'good friends' and you actually start opening up.

If you trust a person with small, superficial secrets for a while and aren't betrayed, then you can move on to offering a few (not too many) secrets that are a little more personal. These might be memories from childhood or other secrets that, while you wouldn't make them public, they are removed from your present sufficiently enough that if they got out it wouldn't be the end of the world.

It should be a progression, but the progression has to start with some form of initial trust. Something like a small business investment (though I am loathe to use a business metaphor about friendship, since the two seem rather antithetical). That trust can then be allowed to grow or shrink depending on how things proceed with that person.

Oh, and someone who gossips to you about others most probably gossips about you to others, so be wary.

Oh, and if you haven't read "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, you probably should. It's a really, really, really, really good short story.

Do the shuffle.

2009-09-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm in a class this semester called Puzzle, Games and Algorithms. Originally I thought it would just be an easy class that I would take for essentially free Comp. Sci. credit. It hasn't been terribly difficult, but Friday of last week shared some information that rightly blew my mind.

We were discussing a random deck of cards and Professor Snapp made the claim that if he were to shuffle the cards, then the specific permutation of cards that his shuffle would yield would never have been seen before. Most of the class disagreed with him. I agreed with him, but only because I thought he must know something that I didn't and not because I genuinely thought that the average shuffle yielded a unique deck. Well, here was the proof:

Since there are 52 distinguishable cards in a standard deck of playing cards (13 different numbers, repeated four times, but each time in a different suit), then the number of distinguishable permutations for the deck is 52!.

If you aren't sure about factorials, 52! (read 52 factorial) is equal to 52 * 51 * 50 * 49 * ... * 3 * 2 * 1 = 8 * 10^67

To put that in a little perspective he offered us a few estimates for other objects:
• Number of seconds in a century = 4.5 × 10^9.
• Number of human beings alive on Earth = 6.7 × 10^9.
• Number of Oreo cookies sold since 1912 = 4.9 × 10^11.
• Federal debt (est. in US$ on 9/10/07) = 9.0 × 10^12.
• Number of seconds that have elapsed since the Big Bang = 4 × 10^17.
• Number of distinct positions in a 3 × 3 × 3 Rubik’s cube = 4 × 10^19.
• Number of grains of sand on the earth = 10^21.
• Number of stars in the visible universe (Simon Driver, 2003) = 7 × 10^22.
• Number of atoms in a human body = 10^28.
• Mass of the sun (in kilograms) = 10^30.
• Number of legal chess positions = 10^40.
• Number of distinct positions in a 4 × 4 × 4 Rubik’s Revenge = 10^45.
• Number of permutations of 52 playing cards = 8 × 10^67.
• Number of distinct positions in a 5 × 5 × 5 Rubik’s Ultimate Cube = 10^74.
• Number of physical particles in the universe (inflationary model) = 10^80.
• Number of distinguishable games of go = 10^768
(These were copied from the PowerPoint presentation used during the lecture, found at http://www.cs.uvm.edu/~snapp/puzzles/)

Basically, even if everyone (today's population) on the earth had been shuffling a deck of cards once a second from the very instant of the Big Bang, we wouldn't have seen all the possible combinations. In fact, if every star in the visible universe had a planet just like the Earth with exactly as many people and all of those people were shuffling 52-card decks once a second beginning the second of the Big Bang, even then we would have only seen 1.876 * 10^50 diferent shuffles, leaving the rest of the 8 x 10^67 unseen. And that is a great number of unseen permutations.

And that's all I have to say.

How long has it been since I posted?

2009-09-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

I have successfully completed the second week of my stint as a sophomore Computer Science major at UVM. I wrote my first program for Intermediate Programming in Java (I hope that I remember all the syntax soon, else the upcoming projects are going to suck). I am really quite confused about boolean circuits and what, exactly, they are doing. I see lines and then lines coming off of lines and lines going into gates and out of gates and into other gates and I am simply lost. Ho hum.

Three of my courses appear to be near-carbon copies, too. Two of them, incidentally, are taught by the same professor (Snapp, if you were curious). They all basically have taken the ideas of computer logic and are just applying it slightly differently. One looks at the actual structures of computer math, another at applications of computer-style math in the real world and the third looks that the probability that computer-math-based programs and processes will work (among other things, though).

The courses, since you asked (I don't think I actually have any readers, but whatever) are Discrete Structures (called Discrete Mathematics by most universities), Probability and Statistics for Computer Science Majors and Puzzles, Games and Algorithms. Puzzles, Games and Algorithms is probably my most interesting (and, incidentally, easiest) course this semester. We're going to the Great Corn Maze in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont on the 26th of this month. If I remember to, I'll post about it.

As a shameless plugs, I would like to invite everyone to use Blackle.com as much as possible as opposed to Google. It is powered by Google but uses a black screen which saves kilowatt-hours (but only in a significant amount if a great many people use it).

Also, I would like to post this video for your enjoyment (it's quite old and I've seen it countless times):

The post that contains the monologue about the decent friend

2009-09-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

What, exactly, is a decent friend? There are fun friends, silly friends, obnoxious friends, outgoing friends, introverted friends, useless friends, caring friends, casual friends, reliable friends, etc. But what, exactly, is a decent friend?

This is a question that bugs me every time I take a facebook survey that asks me if I have a best friend. Surely, before I can honestly name a "best" friend I must have a concept of a decent friend.

To be honest, tonight I was talking to one of my more compassionate friends (who, unfortunately, is no longer near to me geographically) and it came about that I was called a decent friend. I had to take issue with that because I haven't made for myself a clear definition of a decent friend. I will try to now. I didn't say I would come up with a definition, mind, just that I'd try.

Out of all of the friend-types, the caring friend is almost always considered the best. But I don't know that I can accept that as an absolute. Sometimes it isn't enough to care, but the caring must necessarily translate into always doing the right thing. But is it even necessary for a decent friend to always do the right thing for the other friends? I can't help but to say no, since that would seem to indicate a "perfect" friend, and that's an abstract that is absolutely impossible.

So, I think that what I have to settle on is a friend that, whenever possible (or, perhaps just more than seventy-five percent of the time that it's possible) does what s/he has to for a friend in need. A decent friend doesn't have to like doing nice things or doesn't have to enjoy being there for a friend, but the decent friend will always set him/herself aside (or, again, the majority of the time) in order to help his/her friends.

There aren't many decent friends, are there?

This is a video that I particularly enjoy:

School-ward bound

2009-08-25T09:26:00.000-07:00

All summer, sadly, I have been looking forward to returning to school in the fall. I say sadly because I remember well how much I looked forward to summer vacation as a child. Now, though, I can't help but to feel that I have outgrown the town I live in (as anyone who lives here will eventually do). This creates a lot of frustration for me when I have to go back for breaks or spend any significant length of time in the town. It isn't that I feel as though I'm too good for the town (and not just because I have such a hard time with that particular abstract noun) but I just get so bored when I am here with nothing to do and that makes me tired. And being tired all the time is draining on a person. Thus, I have been eagerly awaiting the day that I get to leave again.

That day, as it happens, is this Sunday. I plan to leave very early in the morning and get to school as soon as possible. In fact, I have even started packing already (and that's big for me) because, well, there's nothing else to do.

I would not be in such dire straits if my car hadn't been murdered by my brother's fiancée (about whom a blog could be kept to track all of the stupid actions she performs during any gien day). Without a car, it's impossible to get a job in this town (as there are literally only three places to work and none of them are ever hiring). The cycle continues because no car means no job means no money means no car means no job.

But Sunday it's all done!

Wretched Racko

2009-08-11T08:50:00.001-07:00

This morning I was awoken, yet again, by my all-too-noisy cousin Chris singing on his way up the stairs. Good morning, world. Nine o'clock in the morning in the waning days of a summer vacation (a day with no plans except sleeping in, no less) is far too early an hour to be rudely awakened. And upon being woken up, I was harassed by several people into a game of Racko. I haven't played it in a long time, and apparently it has been a long-enough time for me to forget my intense hatred of that game.

When I was younger, I used to have to spend one weekend every few weeks at my grandmother's. She is card-obsessed and I used to have to play Racko several times a day, at least, for the entire duration of the weekend. A nine-year-old who only wants to go outside and play (which I only really wanted to do at my grandmother's, probably as a result of the card-playing alternative) is not mollified by endless games of Racko, golf, rummy, 21, Skip-Bo and Uno. The only three of those games for which I acquired a long-lasting dislike are Racko, golf and rummy.

But this morning I forgot that Racko was on that list. About forty seconds into the game, I was hit by the recollection of my deep-seated hatred of that game. My family, however, has the policy that if you start a game you have to see it through. I was stuck. I'm sure everyone knows the feeling.

The problem was compounded by the fact that everyone's patterns shared at least one card with another player's. The game went on and on, with everyone picking up cards and immediately discarding them. Everyone knew what was going on, but, true to form, no one acknowledged the ugly truth. It became a waiting game, with all four players hoping someone else would crack first and try for an entirely new pattern. Since everyone was only one or two cards from winning, though, no one was willing to try to get a whole new pattern as they knew they'd not have the time and each card thrown out from their rack risked the game for them.

The end result was that everyone got tired of the game and everyone decided to end it so that nobody won. It sounds a lot like some government plans that have been implemented, but the events are on such a different scale that it would be a superficial connection anyway.

I guess that's it for now.

Short-term happiness from one petty act.

2009-08-10T16:46:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, in (what passes for me as) a fit of rage, I posted a definition on the Urban Dictionary website (urbandictionary.com, oddly) for the name of my brother's fiancee, Noel, on the site with a lengthy and scathing definition. It pretty much attacked everything about her and made me feel better. I know about their screening process and "inside jokes" are supposedly rejected in the review process, so I never actually expected it to make it to the site. And I proceeded to forget all about it. Until today.

Facebook is a wonderful tool for me to look at, because many times my friends' statuses jog my memory about something I either did, forgot to do, should have done but decided to put off or had simply refused to do but (upon being reminded ofsaid "something") had a change of heart which caused me to do whatever it was about which I had refused. Today my friend's status referred to a new favorite non-word ("Rumsfail," if you're curious). That reminded me of my post and I went on the site immediately to see what had become of it. I found my definition and was pleased at once. In a rare act of nostalgia, I read through it, grinning all the while. Until I noticed one sentence missing a comma at the end of the third paragraph (I tend to ramble).

My happiness dissolved at once and I tried to edit the post, but I couldn't for the life of me remember the password for the account I'd made, so any possibility of that was dashed.

I guess the moral of this story is to always use the same password for everything, despite what the Internet security people say about hacking. In retrospect, if they got the password to my online banking, it really doesn't change anything if they get the password for my Urban Dictionary account as well.

Three cheers for bad foresight. Also, enjoy this:

(I do so enjoy kitties).

Back in Business and Izzard.

2009-08-07T06:41:00.001-07:00

Well, last night I had a really strange dream involving the Hitler balloon in Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and I have decided to take up blogging again. The two events are totally unrelated, but that doesn't change the validity of either.

Since I lack anything real to blog about, I have decided to write about Eddie Izzard. Though he's been a performing comedian for a number of years now (you can tell from the outfits that he wears, assuming he doesn't enjoy dressing in all the hottest out-of-fashions), I have only recently been introduced to his comedy. My favorite excerpt from one of his shows so far will now be posted:

This is pretty representative of his comedic style. As an aside, Izzard identifies as a straight transvestite, and seems to enjoy the gamut of reactions his clothing draws.

If you're unfamiliar with Izzard, I would definitely recommend watching some of the clips on YouTube and familiarizing yourself. If you opt out, I won't lose sleep over it, though.

In search of a midnight Sled

2008-12-15T20:55:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday evening was a rather interesting one, especially considering I did not partake in any substance consumption at all (I know, I am responsible and studious =). I spent the begginning of the night viewing the truly epic 3:10 to Yuma for about the twentieth time. This was an amazing experience as always. However someother individuals down the hall were partaking in some certain stress relief methods and after the viewing was over I meandered down the hall.

Upon investigation I discovered that a certain couple altered floormates had decided that it was time to go sledding. I found this to be an excellent idea for some reason, it was probably just out of sheer boredom and a slight urge for an adventure on the scale of Yuma. A detail worth noting is that it was in the single digits plus wind chill. WE armed ourselves to the teeth, each of us three bundled to the brim, all carrying our stolen trashbag "sleds" as we exited the warmth and comfort of Millis.

The initial stages of our quest were unsuccesful and cold. We traveled towards Redston in search of an adequate hill. Unsuccesful, we decided to make an exodus towards Davis where we knew of a ideal slope. Upon the way we encountered a large snow mountain formed by plows. The logical thing to do was to try to sled down that. As we ascended this miniature hill we were startled as people emerged from inside the mountain. This was startling to say the least, especially for my more twisted friends. They implored us to get off of their igloo for fear of a collapsed. We realized the merit of the situation and ascended promptly. We ere then invited inside to partake in some extracurricular activities. The absence of neccesary materials dictated that we move on. We said farewell to our hosts and continued into the night.

Unfortunately, the "igloo" has long since been washed away. The rest of our quest was succesful, and yes, large trashbags are surprisingly effective as sleads.

What the F*** happened to winter?

2008-12-15T20:48:00.001-08:00

It seems as if Kaleb's wishes were granted; God decided to cancal winter this year. Ok, it supposed to snow alot this week so its only temporary but serious, how does it go from being wind chill of -10 to nearly 55 degrees out overnight? I happen to enjoy winter and find freshly fallen snow to be incredibly sublime and beautiful. The current state of brown mud combined with the ugliest, damp, green grass and the little bit of whats left of the snow amkes for an incredibly depressing sight.

Granted it was awesome to walk to the Marche this morning in gym shorts, but I still miss my Winter. When I decided to go here I signed up for a solid 5 months of harsh snow, ice, and wind, none of this weak early groundhog day shit. I am not even one of those skiiers who constantly is bitching about the conditions at Jay, Stow, Bolton, or wherever. Plus I think the mountains should be fine. As far as those of us who opt for the Nordic variety of skiing, we should pretty much accept that conditions will be invariably shitty down here next to the lake.

The forecast is looking good for the rest of the week for snow, so maybe god decided that he would reinstate winter and give us humans one mroe chance after fucking up the environment so much.

The best of Broomball

2008-12-15T09:03:00.000-08:00

Many are probably familiar with the sport of broomball, and intramural favorite here at UVM. It's pretty much floor hockey on ice but without skates, a bigger ball, and weird sticks. Apparently it originated in Canada (the first week I was under the imprssion it was UVM exclusive, false) and now has spread throughout North America. I made a post a while back about the specifics of broomball. The jist of it probably was that it is incredibly fun to play and hilarious to watch since pretty much everyone sucks unless they have a lengthy background in hockey. Also the fact that many students choose to participate inebriated can add to the potential humor.

My perception of the sport changed drastically when a floormate showed me a highlight video of the Canadian National Broomball team. It is nothing short of ridiculous, although prior experience actually playing the sport would enhance one appreciation of the amazingness of these guys. It is also a much more rugged game at a higher level, I think UVM should chill out about some of the sliding and contact rules personally

Enjoy

Laundry at UVM

2008-12-15T08:52:00.000-08:00

One of the most pleasant surprises that came with attending our fair University was the realization week before we moved in that laundry was free here. My older brother insisted that I must collect quarters all summer in order for a successful first semester laundry-wise at college. that was a nice little bonus at the coinstar the day before I left.

However, actually doing your laundry is far from a happy, loving, egalitarian environment. The laundry room in Millis is nothing short of a battlefield, where a constant war is being waged by hundreds of students who often do not know each other out side of the laundry context. There are only 6 washing machines accompanied by 12 dryers. A load of laundry will take about 38 minutes in the washer and 60 minutes in the dryer. If you so dare as go even a minute or two past the time when our laundry has finished, youd best watch out. People are ruthless, they will remove your laundry and replace it with theirs, usually giving no thought to the sanitary integrity of your clothes. Most will respectfully place them on top of the machines or the bench next to the dryer. But every once in a while you will return the laundry room to see half of your clothes strewn on the floor. This is a devastating sight especially considering that grossness factor of the floor there. It is pretty bad.

I would never mind doing laundry at home but here it is a dreaded weekly routine that just adds an unneccessary amount fo stress to my free time. The key is to find a time when other laundry patrons are few and far between. On a final note, I am deeply grateful to the University for providing free laundry. At least we know that tuition is going somewhere =).

The Dark Knight

2008-12-15T07:46:00.000-08:00

As most people are already aware, The Dark Knight was released on DVD last Tuesday. This is kind of a big deal considering how popular it was in the theaters and just how good a movie it was. I am not going to make some absurd, overarching statement like "the best movie ever", but its damn good especially from a genre not known for consistently producing critically acclaimed films. And of course Heath Ledger's last performance was incredible.

Most recently a friend down the hall purchased a copy of the film and ever since it has made it's was around to pretty much every room on the floor. This was initially a good thing since I got to experience the movie again, but it has quickly turned into a black hole for wasting time. It seems like ever time I walk into a room now, The Dark Knight is playing and I am obligated to stay for at least the current awesome scene. Next thing I know I have wasted two plus hours of time on a movie Ive already seen three times. This wouldnt be that bad except that it was not limited to an isolated incident. I haven' actually watched through and through more than once since it has been on DVD, but I have committed too many hours to bits and pieces that form a huge chunk of time.

It is still a great movie, and probably one that I will still be watching decades from now. It would have been awesome if they decided to release it after finals week. Also RIP Mr. Ledger, it's too bad we werent able to see more examples of this caliber of acting talent that he displayed.

Red Neck Rock

2008-12-11T07:15:00.000-08:00

Half of the reason that Atlanta soimetimes gets a bad reputation is because of it's surroundings, and something called Stone Mountain. Atlanta is surrounded by the most Conservative states in the country, so for some one that is ignorant Atlanta would fit into that mold. Atlanta is extremely liberal and far from deep south, except for one huge red neck monument directly in the center of the city.

Stone Mountain in Atlanta is really just a gigantic piece of granite. It is not a mountain it is a rock. First of a little history about stone mountain. The KKK was started there(I heard that the avid members still meet there today). For some reason that I seem to missing, tourist and people that come into Atlanta always go to Stone Mountain. One reason is that Stone Mountain advertises there "spectacular" laser show. As a new comer to the city a laser show sounds awesome(how could a laser not be cool?). Personally I think that the Laser show might as well replace the KKK meeting that used to be held at Stoned Mountain. At one point the laser show projects a giant confederate flag onto the mountain, and the southern crowd in the audience erupts in cheers. I really do not understand the pride in a confederate flag. All sorts of things like this happen through out the show. The worst part about this display of "southern Pride" is that Atlanta is associated with Stone Mountain to new comers.

Stone Mountain really is a huge advertising ploy. Only half of the name is true. Stone mountain is just a large stone, maybe a hill, but not a mountain. Also Stone Mountains clever advertisement about the laser show helps sway new comers to go to Stone Mountain. I am sure that after the new comer pays ten dollars to go look at a huge rock they are thoroughly disappointed. The moral of this story is if you are ever visiting Atlanta do not go to Stone Mountain.

The Epic Death of a rat

2008-12-10T18:06:00.000-08:00

I have always hated rats. I have can never really do anything about the diseased filled rodents other than almost throw up every time a see one. There tails are the worst part, so long, fat, and hairless. This is a story about me and a couple of friends acting on my hatred for rats.

It all happened back home in Atlanta. My friends and I were walking out of my other friends dorm at Georgia State when we saw it. For a moment of my life I had the eyes of an eagle, I spotted it way down the hill behind a stop sign it was so fat, long, and hairless. I knew it was a rat the moment I spotted it. I alerted my friends of the situation. We decided to make an attempt at hitting the rat with rocks that were at the top of the hill. I grabbed a dense gravel piece and hurled it in the general vicinity of the rat. The rock made contact disabling the rat. After the rat was disabled to a pathetic squirm my team of rat killers finished the job with there rocks. The deed was done, my friends and I actually killed a rat for the good of human kind. Of course one person had to take killing a rat to the next limit and hit the body again with an extra sized rock.

Usually I hate hunting, or just killing something uselessly, but I make two exception to my rules. The first exception obviously is rats. The second exception which rivals the rat is the cock roach. When I see either of these fowl creatures they turn me into a stone cold killer. Usually I am not able to act on my deep hate for the two creatures but this story is an exception.

Streeter

2008-12-10T17:33:00.000-08:00

Streeter is a gigantic, old, psychotic, and great teacher at my high school. I thought that it could be interesting (or just take up one of the four posts I have to do in three days) to post about him because of how ridiculous this teacher is.

First of all if you just look at him you would think he is crazy. He is about six feet tall, and his stomach actually looks like he swallowed a television. Also he is bald just in the center of his head, and all around that lone spot he has hair down to his shoulders. His looks are not the weirdest part. He has had the same teacup since the ice age when his kind went extinct. Also that same teacup does not get washed. He was quoted in our school paper saying,"I will wash it when something crawls out." He washed that disgusting cup the year that I graduated (I will let you imagine why). Also everyone that has been in one of Streeter's classes has seen his never ending but crack(Especially when he gets the latter out). The final thing that I want to describe about Streeter is his insane appetite. He let students cut class to eat if they brought something back for him. Sometimes in class you could catch a glimpse of him shoving a whole hard boiled egg into his mouth as a snack. If you were really lucky you could see Streeter eating his daily package of cold cuts and mustard. He began by placing the ham into his mouth, while the ham was still in his mouth Streeter would squirt packages of mustard in to go with the ham.

Even though I make Streeter sound like a nasty fat man, he was actually the best teacher I had. I learned a ton about photography and also enjoyed every minute of his class. It was best to laugh at his cheesy jokes and then look away when he climbed a latter, but other then that he was a great nasty fat man.

Semantics

2008-12-10T11:36:00.000-08:00

HAHA funny title.

Anyway, to business. This is my last blog post. Possibly ever. You might think that makes me sad. It does not. If I had anything interesting or funny to say on a regular basis and the drive to post about it online I would probably continue this blog. Sure, maybe in some abstract way this is all electronic literature, but I just can't get the will to blog.

That wasn't the purpose of this post, just so you know.

I am actually posting about the old game Sim Ants. Yeah? Now the title seems funnier? Oh well. I still think it's kind of clever.

Anyway, I played Sim Ants for the first time in a long time a few days ago and it was a lot of fun. I won't lie, the spiders are still very scary and I am not really sure how to kill them, but overall my colony is doing well. No complaints, anyway.

The graphics aren't great and the interface isn't entirely simple and the objective is rather trite, but even so I don't hate it. I will even play it again. Now.

Blog over.

Good Green Landlord!

2008-12-10T11:10:00.000-08:00

Green Team by Will Ferrell

The Landlord by Will Ferrell

Good Cop, Baby Cop by Will Ferrell

Yeah, I know those videos have been around for a while and that everyone in the known universe has seen them, but I just love them. My friend Chris was showing me a clip about Wayne Brady from Chappelle's Show, and it reminded me of those so I figured I would blog about them and kill another homework assignment. Seemed legit.

After having had watched them, I realized that Will Ferrel is actually funny. When I was younger I always thought he was an idiot and ought to die. Well, not so! He is actually quite droll, as it turns out. I won't speak as to how intelligent or unintelligent he is because I frankly have no idea, but I know that he makes me laugh quite often.

I wonder how I didn't see that before?

What's All This About Exams???

2008-12-10T09:24:00.000-08:00

As we enter into the home stretch for the semester, most of the students at UVM are preparing themselves for final exams. I, through a combination of luck and... luck, only have two!

These two exams actually don't require too much in the way of studying. One is for French, and it is an exam that is broken down into three sections. The first is a short answer section on the readings over the semester (so I need to read... all... of those), the second part is a paragraph that is full of mistakes of all sorts that needs correcting and the third part is a short essay on an undisclosed topic.

My other exam is in Calculus. It will be the standard math-style test wherein I shall have to find derivatives and integrals. I will have to be able to evaluate critical numbers for extrema and decide when the MVT and Rollé's Theorem are applicable. All of this seemed easy enough when she was telling us about it... but now that I look at it maybe I should go study some of this...

Umm... I am going to go study. I guess I'll post later on or something...

See you in class (?)

The Office

2008-12-10T09:11:00.000-08:00

Okay, it really doesn't need to be said, but The Office is the best show ever produced and everyone who watches it becomes a better person. Some people say that it isn't that great. They are stupid and have no idea what they're talking about. That or they watched it for the first time alone and had no idea what was going on or anyone there to prompt them when things were funny and they should laugh.

Once you're hooked, you're hooked for life, though.

I have seen almost every episode of The Office that is out and I am rapidly coming to the point where I will have seen them all. I have seen all of Seasons 1-3 and most of Seasons 4 and 5.

The Office, if you aren't aware (and if you aren't, make yourself aware) is about Dunder-Mifflin, a paper supply company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The stars are Michael Scott (Steve Carell), the Regional Manager of the Scranton branch, Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), the leading salesman for the branch, Jim Halpert (John Krasinski), the funny and charismatic salesman and Pamela (Pam) Beasley (Jenna Fischer), the receptionist.

The Office is based on the premise that every activity in the Dunder-Mifflin office at Scranton is being filmed. The characters interact with the cameras watching (held by real people in the show) and give interviews to those cameramen about what is going on throughout the day. While I am not sure why the Scranton branch of a failing paper supply firm is being filmed, it is still funny.

This show is absolutely amazing and I would recommend it to anyone who asked, and many who didn't.

Also, if you "like" John Madden (It's hard to express what I mean here. No one really 'likes' him, but anyway...) and know anything about Dungeons and Dragons then you should watch this. It's called John Madden: Dungeon Master.

Sprained ankle

2008-12-09T12:49:00.000-08:00

The other day I decided to attempt to play pick up basketball with a couple of friends from my hall, now I am scarred from embarrassment and have a sprained ankle. I made the mistake of believing that even though I am horrible at basketball I could still try and play it just for fun. That is where I went wrong...

Pick up basketball at the gym was everything but fun. First of all it seemed like everyone knew what they were doing. That was bad because I had no idea what I was doing but tried to act like I have played the game my whole life. My first game(which my team lost horribly) I ran around and got dominated by a huge guy that seemed to have roid rage. Every time I touched this beast of a man his face would turn bright red and he would scream,"FOUL! FOUL!" Even if it was a foul all of the screaming was completely unnecessary. After running around the court aimlessly for an hour I found my one opportunity for glory. A player on the opposing team was on a break away and I was the only one that had any chance of catching him. I ran as fast as I could and was able to catch up to him. The opposing player went up for a lay up completely oblivious that I was right behind him. I went up to swat the ball and find my glory, but alas I missed and landed on my ankle side ways. So now I am hobbling around realizing once again that basketball is not my sport.

I believe that this fatal attempt at playing basketball is once again telling me never to play basketball. I have not been blessed with any attributes that would be help full in basketball, I am short, I have an awful shot, and I can not jump. This instance of terrible play is just another sign that basketball is not meant for me.

Il a ete tres chere

2008-12-07T20:33:00.000-08:00

This weekend I went to Montreal for the first time, also I went to a bar for the first time. Apparently it is very obvious that I am a stupid young American that has never been to a bar. To introduce my stupidity me and two friends bought three hot chocolates for forty Canadian Dollars.
Sucked in the glee of being in Montreal and also feeling the extreme cold my two friends and I decided that it would be a good idea to find some hot chocolate. We stumbled across a very fancy bar that advertised there hot chocolate as tres bien. In the bar we all ordered our hot chocolate and everything would of been fine if one of my friends did not ask the bar tender to "throw a little" vodka in his hot chocolate. Obviously being a naive American going crazy that the drinking age is 18. Of course that gave my other friend and I the brilliant idea of asking the bar tender what would be really good to mix in Hot chocolate. Of course the Bar Tender suggested something that sounded absolutely perfect. We got our hot chocolates and they were probably the best drink I have ever had in my life. Then we got the check... Suddenly the drink left a bitter taste in my mouth. It turns out what ever vodka the bar tender "threw" into a drink was ridiculously expensive. Also it turns out that nothing is perfect because what ever the stuff he suggested to put into my other friend and my drink was eighteen bucks. The bill came out to forty dollars for three hot chocolates.

My friends and I seriously contemplated running out of the restaurant to avoid paying the bill. We decided against that course of action and spent a chunk of our Canadian money on hot chocolate. I learned many things from simply buying three glasses of hot chocolate. One is figure out what you are buying before you buy it.

Final project

2008-12-05T11:47:00.000-08:00

I am severely dreading our final project that is due next week. I chose to go with the boring not so creative route and just write a paper. Hopefully my paper will be some what unique but that is unlikely.

The main question that my paper is trying to answer is how is the Internet changing literature, and how is that change in literature affecting our society?In the first half of my paper I will give examples of changing literature based on the Internet. In the second half of my paper I will give examples and explain how the Internet is creating a whole new community based on the literature that is being created. I want to show that changing society and changing literature are connected. Also I plan on using many examples from the things that we have already done in class to help explain my two points. Almost everything we have read/watched in class are perfect examples of how literature is changing using the Internet. I plan on using different kinds of examples such as blogs, digital stories, YouTube etc.

I am hoping that my paper will show the connection that I am trying to make while showing many valid examples. Also I will be arguing that all of the examples that I am using are literature. I am explaining that literature is no longer just something you can hold in your hand and is written down. I am asserting that literature is much more then something you can hold in your hand, literature can really be anything. As hopefully my paper will explain digital literature and non-digital literature are really not that much different in what they are but it is what they are doing to society that makes them different.

Wall-Ewood

2008-12-01T13:44:00.000-08:00

Like the title? I thought it was clever. A nice little portmanteau (of course) of Wall-E and Hollywood. Yeah, I know, you got it. Shut up.

Okay, so I have been railing against Wall-E for the past few months because it sounded like a terrible idea. A robot that compacts trash and somehow is going to make the Earth life-supporting again? It really sounds ridiculously stupid.

Well, I watch it. And then I ate a lot of crow. It was actually a really cute movie. The plot maybe wasn't too original, but then, what plot is? The movie looked really cool and the fact that all of the humans on the ship had gotten so lazy that they were supermassively obese was funny when compared to today's society where obesity abounds.

Wall-E builds buildings (why don't we call them 'builts'?) with the compacted trash squares in order to help clean up the environment. A girl robot, EVE, comes to the post-trashpocolyptic Earth on a 'classified' mission. I won't disclose too much for fear of spoilers, but a nice movie follows the beginning with cute animated infatuation and more hilarity than expected. This movie is, of course, good for the entire family. The kids will see a fun film about robot shenanigans and the parents will actually be able to look into the plot a little deeper to get some meaning from the movie.

Oh, and this is really funny.

A Cup-le of Prodigies

2008-11-21T07:17:00.000-08:00

I was on YouTube today after I finished with my Kingdom of Loathing adventuring for the day, and I saw this as one of the featured videos. It is basically (not even basically, but actually) two young kids with a cup stacking routine. I thought it would be boring but figured it couldn't be worse than some of the things we watch in class (Oh, the nightmares!)

Anyway, after about 2 seconds I was mesmerized. I watched the entire routine. I got my roommate over and made him watch it. I showed some people down the hall. This routine was absolutely amazing and I was its thrall. Their hands moved like lightning and the routine was nearly flawless. Their moves are synchronized and choreographed almost to perfection.

This is one of the coolest videos I have seen in a very long time. Here it is:

scrabble

2008-11-20T17:16:00.000-08:00

I thought that the scrabble story was... well... I don't really know what the scrabble story was other then absurd, ridiculous, and actually kind of funny. The worst part was that I thought the scrabble story was real. I was slow to pick up on the fact that it was all false.
I think the way that some one judges the scrabble story is purely based on how it is perceived. Since I am slow to pick up on things, I thought that the scrabble story was extremely stupid, and slightly humorous, because I thought the story was real. The reason that I thought the scrabble story was so stupid is because I thought that the author really wanted me as the viewer to take the story seriously, which is impossible since it is talking about scrabble as a religion. The whole time I was watching the video I was just thinking how psychotic the narrator was because of how seriously she took scrabble. On the other hand if I had viewed the scrabble story as an obvious falsehood(which it is) then I would of understood the sarcasm and play on religion present in the story. Once I came to my senses and realized that the story was meant to be taken as a joke I started to understand the humor and cleverness of the digital story.
In conclusion I think that the scrabble story was both clever and funny, because of it's realistic feel. I myself am evidence that the story is presented in a realistic way, or at least realistic enough to fool some people into believing that it is real. If you take the story as real it is both psychotic and funny. If you take the story as fake it is funny and clever.

We are the best

2008-11-19T21:12:00.000-08:00

Burlington was named the healthiest city in the country by the CDC. Everyone here is fit based on hippie activities like skiing, biking, hiking, and almost anything known to man. One of the best places to see just how healthy Burlington is, is in the UVM gym.

In UVM's elaborate gym there is two tracks, three basketball courts, multiple tennis courts, a weight room, ice rink, soccer fields, racket ball courts, and an indoor pool. Offering plenty of places for students to stay fit. The most intimidating place but also the best represented of Burlington's healthy status is evident in the free weight room. I do not know if the people in this room are legitimately as strong as they seem to be or if UVM has a steroid problem, but every time I enter that room I feel like a baby. Every one in that room is lifting a huge amount of weight and all of them seem to be part of Americas worlds strongest man team. I think that Burlington could be even healthier if they created a second weight room for people like me(or people that do not bench 500 pounds), then those wimpy kids that just want to stay in shape could not feel insignificant when working out. All though maybe those ridiculously strong people in the weight room are part of the reason why Burlington is so healthy, because they pressure the people that are not as healthy to become more healthy.

I did not mention that the article explaining why Burlington is so healthy compares Burlington to the most unhealthy city in the United States Huntington West Virginia. Surprisingly as the article explains the two cities are very similar. If you want to read the article here is the link.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081116/ap_on_he_me/med_healthiest_city

A Million Problems

2008-11-18T18:07:00.000-08:00

A Million Penguins? A Million Forms of Torture, more like. It was terrible. I am not sure who thought that having a book written by 10,000 stupid people would be better than one, but they were wrong. A book with so many different authors really has little chance of coherence and less chance of meaningful meaning. Walry? I mean, come on!

Generally I enjoy or at least don't hate everything assigned in Literature in a Wired World, but this was just TERRIBLE! I don't think this is even of the type that I could suggest others read it. Normally if I suffer through something I get others to do so, but I don't think I could be that sadistic. It was funny in (very) little spurts, but taken on the whole I would rather a lobotomy than a reread.

A Million Penguins is on my hate list right up there with Number the Stars and The Giver.

You know what isn't on my hate list? Well, I mean, there are a lot of things. The one I am thinking of right now, though, is Pandora. I had heard of this site a while ago but never went to check it out. I went to it while typing an essay for French when a friend who as also in the lounge with me showed me the site. I put in Reel Big Fish as the search term and the resulting radio station is awesome. For those that don't know, Pandora takes a song or artist that you like and creates a custom radio station for you based on the information you give them. It is awesome, because I've discovered probably 10-12 new bands over the last week that I would probably have never found otherwise. Look into it if your music library just isn't doing it for you anymore.

But back to A Million Penguins. It sucked. It was painful. Crowdsourcing a book is a bad idea. Don't read it. Don't think about it. Scream whenever someone mentions it. It's that bad. It is something like what I'd expect to experience when I was sick, on a bad acid trip and severely ADHD.

End.

Eff You, Winter Weather!

2008-11-18T17:41:00.000-08:00

With the onset of winter weather here at UVM, the residence halls have turned the heat on. That's not a bad thing, right? That way we aren't balls cold at night and shivering through the night. Unfortunately, the air is very dry.

I am currently sitting in my dorm and my nose hurts. It is very dry from breathing this air in all the time. We aren't really sure what to do. My roommate thinks we ought to get a humidifier, but I don't know. Are they even allowed? It would be nice!

A friend of mine down the hall actually woke up with a nose bleed from the dry air. This is borderline ridiculous! In any event, despite the rules, my roommate said he's going to get a humidifier tomorrow. That should make things a lot better.

As an aside: Fuck winter. It is the worst. I have been in Vermont my entire life and I hate it. The leaves only look cool for so long. The snow is always too cold for reality. I am definitely not staying in this state. I am thinking tornado alley. Sure, tornadoes are worse than snow, but they are only around for about 10 minutes, not months and months, they hit a small area rather than EVERYWHERE and they are at least warm. 'Nuff said.

End.

Tootsie Pop Problems.

2008-11-18T17:24:00.000-08:00

I got several Tootsie Pops for Halloween from my Residence Hall to tell me about a Halloween party they were planning (it flopped, incidentally). I got two brown pops and a darker-red one. The raspberry one I know I will eventually get to.

However, TWO CHOCOLATE ONES?!? What the heck am I to do with those? They are, and I say with with a straight face, the worst Tootsie Pops out there. I would sooner eat orange. Yeah, it's intense.

Anyway, The real reason for this post is to ask what I ought to do? I can't throw them away or give them away as they were gifts, but I don't want to eat them. Should I keep them and see how long they last or should I turn them into an abstract art project?

I am really at a crossroads of the ridiculous variety. There shouldn't be so much angst over nearly month-old lollipops.

In fact, there isn't. But it's another post done.

About that Obama...

2008-11-18T17:07:00.000-08:00

Recently, you may know, there was a presidential election in the U.S. where Barack Obama (D) won the presidency over John McCain (R). My hatred of bipartisan politics aside, I was irritated with the election in general.

I am a lifelong Vermont resident and, as such, I am registered to vote in Vermont. I hate that fact, because ever since the seventies Vermont has voted liberal. We voted for Reagan in 1984 over Walter Mondale (Mondale, of course, only won his home state of Minnesota) but other than that we have really been a blue state for a while now.

That means my vote doesn't really doesn't matter. Looking at the data for Vermont, McCain got very, very few towns here. No matter whom I chose to vote for, it really wouldn't make a difference in Vermont.

I voted for John McCain. Why? A friend from the next floor up attacked everyone constantly for about a month leading up to voting day to vote for Obama, and that was irritating as all get-out. I mean, as my vote I should have the right to choose my candidate. If anyone tells me how I should vote, I am generally okay with it if they give me good information and don't press the issue.

That is at least half of the reason I didn't vote for Obama. Good job, die-hard Obama supporters. Let's push those on the fence away with our ass-hattery. Probably a good plan.

Another prime reason was that the Democratic party called my cell phone at 10 a.m. the day after Halloween. Saturday. Day after Halloween. Who is really going to be up at 10 a.m.??? They didn't chat, they just said, "This is with the Democratic party calling to remind you to vote for Barack Obama and all the other Democratic party members in the upcoming election. Are you aware that elections are on the fourth of November?"

What a way to start a day! Call me, wake me up and treat me as an idiot. Also, saying "calling to remind you to vote for Barack Obama" makes it sound like I don't really have a choice or as though he were the only candidate.

And nobody acknowledged the Libertarian, Constitutionalist or other non-Democratic/Republican candidates. Why are we so deadlocked for either party?

Anyway, I felt like this is a suitable way for me to boost my blog count.

Written Up

2008-11-17T18:11:00.000-08:00

Everybody knows how the University of Vermont's alcohol policy really works. Sure there is what the handbook and all that bollocks says which is that UVM is a dry campus and you will be caught by whomever, RA's or cops usually, should you choose to consume alcohol on campus. In reality most RA's run by the same philosophy, we know it happens, just don't be stupid about it and don't force me to write you up. This pretty much entails not leaving your door open, not walking around with alcohol in visible possession and not hosting thirty person pong or dance parties in your shitty forced triple in which ever hall you ended up in.

I have been fortunate enough all semester to avoid subjecting myself to any extreme and blatant stupidity that would result in a citation from the ResLife system. However, one must account for the factor of sheer bad luck before they can assume in gliding through their years on campus without any run ins with the law just on common sense.

Unfortunately, I was subject to such a dose of misfortune this past Saturday evening. After a truly epic Friday night and a plethora of studying and work to do in the coming week, I was taking Saturday easy. I spent most of the early night either jamming with my roommate or watching college football around the hall. Granted there was some drinking taking place but by the hour of eleven, all those truly in pursuit of inebriating themselves had generally vacated the premise.

At this time my roommate Chris, Joe from down the hall, and myself were all chilling in Joe's room, contemplating what to do with our fairly lazy weekend night. The key fact in this situation is that Joe, who is a sophomore and has a car, has been in the habit of collecting various redeemable bottles every weekend to deposit for a little extra cash each week. This fateful night he had collected three empty 1.5 liter bottles of liquor from various acquaintances to add to his collection of redeemable for the weekend. Sadly these three bottles were straight chilling on the floor and had not yet made their way to the closet with the rest of the collection when Chris and I were vacating the room. As the door was opened allowing us to leave, three RA's were walking by doing their usual rounds. Of course they see the three empty containers, leading to write ups for Chris and I who were walking out of a room, stone cold sober, where no alcohol was being consumed, and Joe, who gets screwed for recycling other peoples shit.

We were all written up for actively consuming alcohol from a common source. This implies that each of us had put a handle of liquor to our face that night.

One doesn't have to be familiar with the nuances behind the basic forces of Blood-Alcohol levels to question the validity of this assumption.

I am in no way pledging myself to be an angel when it comes to this sort of thing but it does strike me as somewhat ridiculous that all three of us are facing a fine and citations for literally doing nothing other than walk out of a room at the wrong place, at the wrong time. My hearing is on Wednesday, we shall see what happens and I have hope that whomever is calling the shots on this can appreciate the ridiculous nature of the situation for at least Chris and I, Joe may be another story. In any event this serves as an excellent example of the inherent flaws in our University's policy.

fairy tale hotel

2008-11-17T17:14:00.000-08:00

The other night I was watching an older James Bond played by Pierce Brosnan(who was not a good bond) and I commented on how ridiculous and excessive Bond is, not that it is a bad thing. The scene that I chose to comment on was the one that was really not that ridiculous. The scene I commented on was the car chase through the Ice castle hotel.

Who would have thought that an Ice Hotel actually existed in multiple places? It seems that most people already knew that they existed not including my self. I looked up Ice Hotel on Google and the first one that came up is in Quebec. For five hundred and seventy four dollars per night any one can stay in a winter wonderland. It amazes me so much how excessive the human race really is. No one would ever come close to need to drink out of a cocktail glass made of ice while sitting in there frozen bed , which is in there spectacular double room ALL MADE OF ICE! Although it would be really awesome it also seems like the most impractical thing ever created. Also obviously it is a temporary hotel that I am assuming must be re-created every year.

Even though the effort and the money put towards staying in an Ice Hotel I still want to at least go in one, maybe even drink out of the ice glasses. Also am I the only one that has not heard of this waste of human activity?

A great fall

2008-11-16T20:53:00.000-08:00

Falling has always fascinated the human mind including my own. Falling is the universally funny thing all over the globe. No matter where a person falls if they are not seriously hurt(or even sometimes if they are) someone will laugh.
I have had many awkward and clumsy falls in my life that made me look like a complete moron, but to avoid that I will tell an extremely funny falling story about one of my friends that made him look like a complete moron. One of my good friends and I were simple taking a walk. Suddenly my friend decided that it would be a great idea to add some excitement to our innocent walk and run and jump on to a seemingly low ledge. Little did my friend know that the "small" ledge that stood only three feet tall had a significantly bigger drop behind it. Of course he did not notice that and neither did I. My friend ran(which is really funny in it self because he is very small and round..) and leapt onto the four foot ledge and caught his loose shoelace on the landing. He tumbled(when I say tumbled, I mean he really did a somersault) over the ledge, landing face first in some very soggy grass. Maybe in writing this story does not have the same effect but believe me we were both crying from it(at least one was from laughter).
Seeing a fall always helps the spirit, so just in case my written documentation of a hilarious tumble did not do the trick I resorted to YouTube to find something that is really funny. The best part about this video is the situation of it, meaning that the person in the video is completely alone. Also fast forward to two minutes and thirty seconds, enjoy.

Family Feud Failures

2008-11-11T09:02:00.000-08:00

Okay, so just now I posted about eggs. That was a boring post. It is related to the filler episodes in a television series, where they still want to put something out every week but aren't interested in advancing the plot at all. Just apply it to a blog and there you go.

In any event, YouTube.com has some great failures at Family Feud. I don't want to write too much about them because I would give away the surprises, but these videos are so worth watching. You can see a man fall to his knees in mirth. Hilarious.

They are rather long, but dear me these people are dumb. Where did they find these people???

Really? Good Eggs at the Grundle!?!?

2008-11-11T08:53:00.000-08:00

Here is a random post for you:

This morning I woke up at 7:55 a.m. after having stayed up until 2:30 a.m. and I was balls tired. I managed to get up and get into the shower, though, and then I started to feel myself really wake up and felt semi-ready to face the day. I normally go to breakfast with Casey and/or Chris and/or Rebecca. I knew Rebecca was under the weather and planned on sleeping in, so it looked like I would be going with Chris and/or Casey or by myself. Chris was still in his pajamas, so he was out. Casey was almost ready, so I decided to wait for him. I didn't have anywhere to be until 2 p.m. anyway, so I was not in a rush. Well, in the end Casey lallygagged too much and had to skip breakfast for a 9:30 class. That was fine, I wasn't ravenous or anything.

Chris, after he got back from his 9:30 class, accompanied me to breakfast. We arrived at about 10:30, which we refer to as "awkward time" because they are transitioning between breakfast and lunch at the Grundle and so there is slim pickings. I went over to where you can get omelets on weekends, because they tend to move breakfast there at about 10. I got eggs and home fries.

THE EGGS WERE DELICIOUS!! Normally at the Grundle they are too fluffy and bland, but they were the perfect consistency and had a great flavor (especially with a bit of salsa on them).

Chris disagreed. He found them too flat and bland. He was wrong. Taste is not a matter of opinion. It is empirical fact and I know he was misinterpreting the facts.

Those eggs were DAMN good.

Belated Obama Post

2008-11-11T06:14:00.000-08:00

Okay, so its been almost a week since Barack Obama was announced as the projected winner of the Presedential Election and the following campus-wide explosion that took place. I must say that I was personally very happy with the result and expected some sort of positive reaction but certainly nothing of quite that scale.

Unfortunately I did not follow drrogers and company downtown to witness that spectacle. However, I was still witness to and a participant in the continuing celebration that took place in between good ol Harris/Millis and the U-heights complex. Somebody had the amazing presence of mind to break out a set of congo drums to supplement the natural crowd noise. The fairly talented percussionists manning these drums kept the crowd together for much longer than I expected, providing a steady but constantly changing beat to the celebration. At some points the festivities were very reminiscent of tribal dancing or maybe something out of Lord of the Flies. The definite highlight for me before I retired to view the speech online with drrogers and company was a barely distinguishable, yelled version of the national anthem. I don't think I've ever seen that sung with such fervor in my lifetime, especcially not by the younger generation.

One thing that I did find very disapointing about this whole celebration was that there were many people who I know are not that political and just used this historic event as an excuse to get trashed on a Tuesday night. To each his own I guess. On another note, my Dad, who is a fervent Obama supporter, just had surgery and was on Vicatin when I called him. He was loving life to say the least =)

Skunk siting.

2008-11-09T17:13:00.000-08:00

I have seen all sorts of new things while I was in Vermont. Almost all of them were in some was rewarding or beneficial. The other day I saw a skunk for the first time in my life, which apparently is not that big of a deal.

I was standing by Williams while talking on the phone around eleven o'clock. I was casually walking on the side walk minding my own business and I saw a skunk. I flipped out and ran very fast away from the scene. I did not get the memo that Skunks are not a vicious killers. I looked like a complete fool running away from what most of the people around Williams thought was a common occurrence. In a slight defence to my stupidity I ran because I did not want to get sprayed by the skunk or have to do something weird like take a bath in vinegar to get the smell out.

Next time I see a skunk now I know that it is really not a big deal, and I don't have to run away like the foot tall skunk will eat me alive. I understand that this is a really useless post to most people but to me a skunk siting is a big deal.

Obama happy riot

2008-11-06T16:56:00.000-08:00

When Obama clenched the election I was ecstatically happy, but I did not expect the thrill of what was to come(even though I really should of, knowing that Vermont is the most liberal state in the nation). I heard some slight celebrations outside of Millis and me and a couple friends walked outside and realized we were joining a riot of joy.

We stepped outside with hundreds of UVM students running towards central campus chanting. The mob built up to over three thousand participants basically controlling the flow of traffic Burlington. The thing that I was so impressed with is the whole concept that a mass group of young people were chanting," U-S-A! U-S-A!" The students that were part of the spontaneous Obama rally really meant and felt like they were part of the United States of America. Maybe it is just because I did not believe in manyof the policies of the government in my lifetime, but I think that Obama did a pretty Damn good job of helping a majority of young people feel a since of patriotism(or at least what Obama stands for). In the rally we sang the national anthem not in the boring way (like when it is forced upon you in middle school) but we sang it with heart. I even saw a couple McCain supporters dancing and chanting for Obama.

The riot in Burlington was a once in a lifetime experienc. The rally at least felt like every thing in the United States would be okay. Completely contrary to the UVM rally, not to the people that loved Obama, a friend I have at the University of Georgia told me that it was a completely opposite reaction there. At the University of Georgia there was a small riot out of anger(they flipped and burned a car). I prefer the happy euphoric riot over that.

Holy Projectile Vomit, Batman!

2008-11-03T08:55:00.000-08:00

Here is a true story. This really happened. Hold on to yourself. Be seated. Stop performing pilates.

This weekend I went to some Halloween parties (shocker?). The first was substance-free. We watched Evil Dead, Final Destination, the original Halloween, etc. Then I got bored with movies so I came back on campus (I had been in Essex Jct.) and went to a party here. One of my friends had been drinking for several hours and he (who stands about 5'5" and weighs maybe 120lbs) had apparently been drinking A LOT.

I was at the party for maybe 45 minutes (I was not in any way drunk, let me assure you) and was sitting on the bottom bunk when I hear my friend above me say "Someone get me a bag." He didn't say it loudly, but I heard his message loud and clear. My legs had been dangling, but within 1/2 of a microsecond, I had my legs up against my chest and was huddled far back on the bed to avoid the ensuing vomit-fest.

He vomited more than his own body weight, I am pretty sure. It was gross. Desk, floor, DVDs (even inside some cases, oddly) were covered. My shoes were across the room and somehow he got them too. It wasn't just projectile puking, either. It was a cross between the distance of a sniper rifle and the spread of a sawed-off shotgun (yes, I have been playing Fall Out 3).

The moral of the story: Leave before they vomit. If you leave after you have 'bailed' and if you don't leave after you have to help with cleanup, which can involve several hundred Kleenex tissues and one towel (that will disappear in the washer, never to be seen again).

I must admit, though. That amount of vomit was impressive. Five stars.

Lee is a douche.

How Stereotypes are formed?

2008-10-31T11:49:00.000-07:00

Being from the south and coming to a northern school I am very aware of both the redneck community, and the stereotypes that a person that is not part of that community get when they come to Vermont. First of all let me explain that Atlanta is not part of the stereotypical community in the south that parades around with confederate flags, does snuff, and shoots squirrels off of there front porch(even though I would not mind doing that...squirrels suck). Atlanta is a huge city composed of "city-folk," just understand that.
The instance that I saw the other night at U-mall was both really funny and also enlightening to how some of the ideas people in the north form the ideas they do about people in the south. First of all where would you expect a group of rednecks to walk out of at a mall? They walked out of the Apple bee's, of all places these southern folk could of walked out of they chose the most stereotypical location. Also at the time it was snowing outside so when this southern family walked out of the Apple bee's they immediately started yelling very loudly,"Oh My God! It Is Snowing Outside." All of which is said in a very heavy southern accent. It is fine to yell about the snow, it is ridiculous that it is snowing right now. The thing that got to me was when this family kept on screaming about things that were not necessary, in fact I don't even know what they were screaming about because it was so uselessly loud. Everybody that was outside was starring at them and then the family said,"It's okay were from the south." That is the statement that really got me, I am not like that and I am from the south, but now a few of the people that were watching this situation will have the idea that most people from the south yell for no reason and have heavy accents. I do not have or do either of these things.
My heritage is southern, but in reality I am not a deep southern boy that has lived on a farm his whole life. I live in a massive city, that is very liberal and not in touch with there southern heritage. I am not disregarding my roots but I am also not part of the stereotypical apple bee's eating, Camo wearing farm boys that a lot of people seem to think that people from the south are.

Meet the lucky ones...bleh

2008-10-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

Watching Meet the Lucky ones for a second time did not enhance much other then make me more mad . I disliked Stella even more for falling for such a creeper. Although There were only two things that noticed that were minutely different then when I watched this story in order.
The first thing that I noticed which probably has almost no significance is that Bill's pill subscription was able to be viewed in every episode. My guess to why the author of this story did this is to make sure that the reader understood that Bill had high blood pressure. I think I did not notice this because, I understood it the first time so the point of letting the audience read the prescription is unclear.
The second thing that watching Meet The lucky Ones again might of done for me is give me a clear since of how the family was related. Instead of watching them from left to right I watched each episode based on who was mentioned in the previous episode. That way I would see who was related to who more quickly. The First time I watched Meet the Lucky Ones I thought that Sharon was Stella's daughter, I did figure out that was wrong through watching Meet The Lucky Ones in an order that made since.
Maybe it is just because I am not very observant, but I really did not get much out of watching the episodes again. I found out one relatively important thing and one thing that did not matter at all to the story.

Meet the Lucky Ones... Again!

2008-10-29T11:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, so after rewatching "Meet the Lucky Ones" for a second time and in a different order than I watched it the first time, I got absolutely no better understanding than if I had watched them again in the same order. The fragmented stories certainly had more nuance the second time because I already had a vague idea of what was going on in a general sense. I really don't think that watching them in order this time (as I watched them in a random order last time) enhanced anything. I am still not sure why Alice does her laundry in the driveway. I still don't know why Frank is such a miserly asshole. I still don't understand how Sharon giving her mom the car that she and Frank bought her makes her feel any better, as she is giving her the means to abandon her family. I still don't understand why Alice eats her damned ice cream cone so slowly that the ground gets more of it than she does. I still don't know to which side of the family Estelle belongs, nor why she has decided to compile a bucket list.

There are stil many unanswered questions, but I definitely got a better understanding of the semi-intelligible things in the story. I understood the family dynamics better, wasn't confused when Alan seemed to hit on the same woman twice (mother and daughter, duh!!), I picked more up on how much of an asshole Frank is.

The real question, though, is why a Danish exchange student has two coconut-whatevers. There are no coconuts in Denmark. Also: why don't they tie into the story at all? They are on center stage on the welcome screen before you select an episode...

WHY?!?!

Also: How is this a commercial? They never once try to convince you to do anything, let alone buy a car. They mostly try to convince you to try to kill yourself when you see Alan and kill others when you see Frank.

End Transmission.

Personal Understanding

2008-10-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

The Understanding entries, to me, speak of someone who made a mistake that really wasn't their fault and then coming to own the finality of their decision without owning that it really wasn't their fault. When Ben Peek turned the car away from the truck to make it so that he wouldn't be hit, he wasn't actively trying to kill Geraldine Lee. He just jerked the wheel where he felt he would be safest, as any human would.

That he thought "fuck you" is irrelevant as even he doesn't specify what he was "fuck you"-ing. The survival instinct saved him, but he holds it against himself. In the picture of the eyes, his eyes reflect the full realization that he killed Geraldine, whom he loved, and that she would never be coming back. The understanding was false, though, in that it did not take into account that he really didn't plan on her death. Turning the wheel so that she was hit was the best option, really, when one considers that as both the side of the car with the wheel and the side of the road people drive on is backward, him turning the wheel as he did would have him moving empirically away from the oncoming truck. Thus it is plausible that he was just trying to get the entire car away from the truck.

On an unrelated note, the Personal Diary Entries were a good insight into Ben Peek's thoughts about Geraldine and life in general. The only personal diary entry that wasn't written on Oct. 12, Ben's birthday, was written shortly before Geraldine was killed. Ben had gotten a book deal and was happy and he and Geraldine were going out to celebrate. Then they somehow became pissed at each other and were driving home angry. Geraldine and her unborn baby were both killed in the crash (actually revealed in "X is where you sign your name"). Ben goes througha deep depression on his birthday, where he doesn't feel his life matters.

That's important.

The fact that he feels guilt and remorse on the day he is officially one year older is important because the guilt most likely stems from the thought that he will continue to get older but Geraldine will not. This guilt is compounded by the fact that he only sees himself as respsonsible for the accident.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. You may disagree. I may not care. That sounds harsh. I do care, really. But just a little. Don't take it personally. I never go back on an idea once I have ideated it. Forget that noise.

Finally, and on a happier note:

That only gets funny after a few minutes.

I don't understand

2008-10-26T12:33:00.001-07:00

First of all if any one reads this post please understand that I am really not sure what Ben Peeks Understanding entries are meant to do. From what I gathered in the two understanding entries/pictures is that even though G's death hurts and depresses him Ben Peek he has to understand that G is gone.
I think that the second understanding post is what really helped me figure out what I thought the meaning of The two understanding posts were. It shows Ben Peek looking over after waking up and seeing that G is not there. The picture shows that G's spot is imprinted on the bed next to Peek. I think the eyes in the first entry represent his look of sadness and understanding that he is expressing in the second entry on understanding. It is doubtful that after G has been gone for so long that there is still an obvious imprint of her presence still on the bed, but the picture is meant to help the reader understand what Ben Peek is feeling. I think that the first entry of the picture of the eyes is purely a connection to the second entry, just more intimate.
I think that using a picture like Peek does in the two understanding entries can truly help the reader grasp his feelings, and also visualize what the characters look like. With out a picture the whole message the Peek is presenting could be presented too directly. Finally if I analyzed this at all correctly then the two pictures are used simply to help the reader understands Peeks thoughts.

Lord of the Skim

2008-10-26T09:48:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this weekend I had to take an online reading quiz for Racial and Ethnic Geographies in the United States. That's GEOG 060, if you were wondering. I have had to do several, and they are always 2 weeks apart. Due to the midterm, though, we had one moved and one other was devoted entirely to a book we were to have read, "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin (a decent book, I might add).

Well, due to one thing or another, I had somehow gotten 3 weeks behind on readings. The fact that I have a ridiculous English teacher who assigns books all willy-nilly didn't help at all, let me add.

In any event, I digress (what's new?). I had to catch up on 3 weeks' worth of readings and take the quiz this morning in anticipation of class tomorrow at 9 a.m. (Fleming 101 if you are interested in sitting in). I read all of the readings but the last (it was 15 pages long and I'd been reading for a VERY long time).

I scored a 90. Nice!

Moral of the story: It's alright to slack, as long as you are an excellent skimmer.

Also: this is a video called "Driving on Salvia" and it is hilarious. Don't be appalled when you see it. They had no intention of driving. Note the duct tape over the ignition.

Quite droll!

The Worst Building On Campus

2008-10-21T10:53:00.001-07:00

Yesterday when waking out of the horror show that is the Billings Lecture Hall Basement, I asked myself, what is the worst overall building on campus? The logical answer was under my feet but I decided to think a little more. Perhaps it was the nondescript Rowell with its cramped boxes that serve as excuses for lecture halls. Unfortunately my train of thought was abruptly cut short as I walked back to Athletic Campus. The answer of course, was right in front of me.

As I rounded the corner, I glimpsed a mammoth and hulking geometric shape that could probably best be descriped as a some sort of rhombus or trapezoid plopped in between the life science building and Cook Commons. This building is of course the Angell Lecture Hall. I'm not quite sure what the architect was thinking and/or what he was experimenting with when he had the great idea of inundating an otherwise gorgeous section of campus with possibly one of the worst examples of architecture that Vermont has witnessed this past century, making most of the residence halls look like contemporary masterpieces of building design. He successfully integrated the worst elements of early seventies/late sixties design with a experimental Geometry survey gone horribly wrong.

The next time you're walking out of Cook or anywhere else in the area, take a moment to visualize that area without that geometrical abomination that is Angell. You will be surprised at how temporarily euphoric you feel upon visualizing this blissful state. Unfortunately, you will soon return to the painful reality that Angell is still there and is probably not going anywhere fast.

Ben Peek and the Letter "C"

2008-10-21T08:26:00.000-07:00

I will post what I wrote in class in response to the question: Which entry in "Twenty Six Lies/One Truth" have you enjoyed the most so far? I think we may be the only blog group where every member chose the same entry or entries. I chose the entire "C" chapter in general with some emphasis on the seventh entry.

My favorite entry/chapter was definitely the "C" chapter. This is by no means based upon the sheer profanity or the shock factor. I actually found his argument about why the "C-word" is considered so offensive in our society, where as other words are seen as less offensive when they actually might be just as, if not more, profane or demeaning. Speaking from personal experience, I have never used the "C-word" in the presence of a woman, However, I have seen other males do so to disastrous effect. Adversely I've never took much offense to something like "dickhead" which is pretty much a masculine equivilent, so I see his point.

I especially enjoyed the passage from the seventh entry where he argues that females should be offended by the offensiveness of the word, and that some feminists have already made this point. His justification is as follows "If someone was to tell me that my cock was considered the physical manifestation of the foulest word in the English language. I'd be pretty fucking pissed off" I think he makes a pretty good case.

On another note, the eight entry in that chapter is a little bit suspect on a couple of different levels.

The great escape

2008-10-20T15:19:00.000-07:00

I am usually not a fan of writing about "what happened to me this weekend," but this is one of the few times that I believe it is a worthy event for such an entry. To introduce the situation I went home this weekend and got trapped in a very unfortunate situation.
While in Atlanta I was visiting one of my friends at her house around two in the morning. She is still a high school student, and is forced to sneak out after twelve. So in other words I was not supposed to be in her house at two in the morning, so as we were leaving her mom woke up, which is usually not a big deal. The problem is that this time when she woke up she immediately went to the kitchen and set the alarm, forcing me to find a new route out of the house(which requires no doors and most of the windows are off limits). We frantically searched for a way for me to exit the stronghold that I was trapped in. There was only one window that was able to be opened in the whole house, that was in a rather extreme spot.
The window is located on a very steep incline on the roof which is around twenty feet off the ground. I climbed out shaking, and I realized that the only way that could get down is to get to a lower part on the roof. This required me to clear a five foot gap between one part of the roof to the other. Once I did that my escape was far from over, I still needed to find a way to climb off of the roof, which was still around fifteen feet off the ground. I experimented with hanging off the gutter and climbing down(the gutter almost fell off), also I tried to use the tips of my fingers to scale the bricks of the house down(once again I failed). Finally I realized that the only way to get to the ground and finally escape was to dive into a tree about five feet off the roof. I dove off the roof grappling the tree any way I could and slid to the ground(note that I had to do all of this in my socks because NO ONE can where shoes in the house).
After I reached a safe spot on the ground I immediately realized that having the alarm set on the house is much more dangerous then just not setting it. Really my friends mother is causing much more danger to what ever misdeeds the five girls in the house could be doing if they just snuck out the front door.

Lots and Lots o' Cuntries

2008-10-19T09:20:00.000-07:00

Yes. I do like the portmanteau of "cunt" and "entries."

Ben Peek likes the infamous "c word," and so it is in this spirit that I will only be slightly squeamish about using the word cunt in this entry. Test the waters with it. Write a loveletter about it. Whatever.

Okay, so here is what I wrote on that scrapule of paper in class:

My favorite entry in Twenty-Six Lies/One Truth was the entire Cunt chapter. All of the entries had the same title, so I cannot easily distinguish one from another, but here is a summarizing rundown of the damned thing: Man likes word, "cunt;" man has students use word; man uses as insult; man uses as term of endearment; man has homosexual acquaintance who pretended to have a cunt for online sex channel; man goes into in-depth etymological discussion of cunt; man admits he is fascinated with word cunt; man doesn't like word slurry (nasty); man talks about puissance of cunt in other countries; cuntcuntcunt"

Then when I went back and looked, I was pretty much right, give or take some details. Those were irrelevant. Well, not really irrelevant, but less stand-outish. I really wrote as much. But is isn't droll. So I won't share it. How much more cuntries do you really want to hear about, anyway?

That about wraps it up. Just one last thing for you:

Fun, neh?

Tales about Tales

2008-10-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

So last night some friends and I decided that there could be nothing better than staying in and watching the original Tales from the Crypt movie. I have seen it several times, and Amelia had heard of it, but Matt, Pat, Casey, Chris and Hannah were entirely in the dark about it.

Many people have seen the series or the other movies. Those that have remember the Cryptkeeper looking something like this:

Yeah, he looks like a champion. He is.

The old Cryptkeeper is more flesh-oriented. He is similarly a badass, but more humanly so. He tends to look more like this:

Despite an entire lack of illegal substance, this movie was damn good. I have seen it quite a bit recently and have to say that without Amelia and Hannah to set the mood, the movie would not have been scary. There was a scene where a homicidal maniac dressed as Santa reached through a grate to grab at a woman. It has reflex-action and a little jumping potential, but by and large it isn't scary. Hannah screamed. Amelia, who was reaching for the popcorn that Hannah was holding, screamed because Hannah screamed. I was sitting close to Amelia. When she screamed, that caused me to start and nearly fall out of my chair, as well as sacaring Chris. Casey admits he jumped as well.

That was the first of the five stories in the anthology. That scream set the mood and the movie, featuring zombies, wishes gone awry and killer animals/blind people, creeped everyone out to greater or lesser extent.

Anyway, the moral of the story: If watching a vaguely scary/creepy old horror anthology, bringg a few jumpy girls. They know how to set the tone.

Ben Peek entry

2008-10-17T09:52:00.000-07:00

My favorite Ben Peek entry of course, was in chapter c. The reason I chose this entry is because it makes a good point in a clever funny way. The entry that I chose is the one where Ben Peek points out that it should be offending to women since the foulest word in English refers to female genitals.
Number one I agree with the point that it is offending or at least should be to women that Cunt is the worst word in the English dictionary. I loved the example when Peek imagines how he would feel if Cock was the worst word in the English dictionary. Using that example helps the male reader get a grasp on Peeks reasoning.
The second thing that I liked about this entry is that it is about the word Cunt. I have always thought that it is really offending, but never new why it should be so offending. Peek cleverly pointed out the real reason why cunt should be offending. Also I thought that this entry expressed Ben Peeks voice well. Overall I really liked chapter C. I am not sure if it is because I think the word Cunt is funny or if it is because of Ben Peeks thoughts on the word. Which ever it is section C is defiantly my favorite section.

Not So Hippie Any More

2008-10-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

On Monday night I was nuzzled in between two six foot five skin heads covered in fake blood and other bodily fluids that I do not need to name. Where did I find this odd scenario? No where else but the Gwar concert. This theatrical and "hard core" show features the band Gwar (outer space beings that come to take over the world through heavy metal music), numerous thrash dancers, skin heads, an imitated slaughter of all the presidential candidates(plus Hilary), and of course being sprayed with many alien fluids.
I had no idea what to expect at this head banging, blood spraying concert. In the very beginning of the show I was thrown into a mosh pit where I was introduced to thrash dancing, which is absolutely the dumbest type of dance I have ever seen. Thrash dancing involves flailing every limb of your body in any place you like, with complete disregard to the people around you. One of the thrash dancers in this pit kept dancing in front of me almost knocking me out multiple times. I ended up having to plant a firm kick to his spine to make him stop freaking out in front of me. After the thrash dancing incident the concert was actually quite entertaining. When the band came out, they introduced the idea that the alien band was running for president, and they were going to have to kill the entire audience.
After Gwar informed the audience that the band is running for president, they brought out dummies of all the political candidates(excluding Ralph Nader which is relevant since he is excluded from all debates) and either cut their head off spraying red water all over the crowd, or did something a bit more gruesome in Hilary's case. Those were not the only fake murders of the show, Gwar also murdered multiple other persona's such as a skin head and a hippie. At this point in the show I was covered in red from head to toe in the very front row squeezed between two huge skin heads. By the end of the show I was so hot I was begging for more fake murders so that I could cool off with the cool fluids(never thought that I would say that sentence).

My wish was granted when the lead singer eject fake heroin into his penis, which then started spraying cold green water all over the crowd. Really the water was mainly sprayed on me because I was in the very front and the singer did not make an attempt to spray it all over the crowd...So I was being hit directly by the green stream for around five minutes. Even though this concert sounds disgusting, it was quite an experience and I had an amazing time seeing the insanity of a Gwar concert.

I don't like Sociology

2008-10-10T11:03:00.000-07:00

First of all if you are a sociology major then don't read this post or judge me by it. Maybe I hate sociology so much because it is just an intro level class and all of those suck. I don't think that is the case, mainly because I think I am getting the general idea of what I believe sociology is. Sociology is the science of putting names to things that you either already know or you (or at least I) don't care about. Sociology is a nightmare class that is as broad as the mass media. THE MASS MEDIA!
In this class we learn things like the news creates symbols not reality. Wow.. thank you for making a simple idea sound so complicated. The news creates ideas by covering something a certain way, obviously it can not create reality because it is only showing reality. I took notes on what a "public sphere" is and how it work. A "public Sphere" is really a large scale debate for a community where people get together and talk about problems in that community... or a completely worthless term. This term "public sphere" really is putting a name to something that I do not need a name for and I already know what the idea is.
This sociology of the mass media has taught me one very important thing that I will use for the rest of my college experience. I will never take another sociology course no matter what it takes. This class is miserable either because I am to stupid or I really just do not care about the large assortment of useless terms that are being forced into my mind. Who knows though, maybe later in the year sociology and I will some how bond and I will fall in love, maybe major in it... Which is as likely as me growing wings, and even if I did grow those wings as a sociology major I would most fly to hell.

Alice in Italy

2008-10-10T07:16:00.000-07:00

Alright. First of all, enough with the Wonderland crap. Alice here, Alice there. Lewis Carroll turns in his grave. Not really, though (Interestingly enough, he died just two weeks before turning 66).

Okay, but now I must actually post something about Inanimate Alice. I really did not like the first one. The interactive elements in the China episode left a lot to be desired. Namely, interactivity.

The second one, then, is my favorite. The interactive nature really shone through and I was part of the story (the bike took me ages to finish because I just kept clicking on the back tire and expected it to solve itself...) and felt involved. Much more so than in the first.

This story, in Italy (as I am sure you know) was cool because essentially we have a kid in Italy specifically to ski/snowboard and then, somehow, forgets to go to ski school. That seems odd considering that was all that the kid had on her agenda that day and she was supposedly REALLY looking forward to it. (As an aside, the ski lifts were closed that day. How was ski school supposed to work?) It's good that I think logical flaws add character to a work. Really.

In any event, this child's parents are gone for the day and, scared, Alice the 10-year-old decides that there is no one better to call than her tutor in Saudi Arabia. Because she will be able to do a lot.

Anyway, it was also odd that when you are solving the bike puzzle you are told "You can't have any supper until you've solved my puzzle." To whom was that directed? I would easily have had supper without finishing the puzzle. It was for her dad, but she can't really tell her dad when he can / cannot have dinner, either. She's cheeky.

Anyway, it was fun and the abrupt ending which showed Alice as exactly as paranoid as the people in the beginning who called her paranoid was awesome.

That last bit was hard to understand, even for me. Sorry.

Anyway. I am done.

Oh! Here is an amusing video, courtesy of YouTube. The funny bit is the host's reaction to the event. Enjoy! I do. Often.

Why Alice's Soundtrack Kicked Ass

2008-10-09T13:02:00.001-07:00

Honestly I wasn't a huge fan of this whole Alice business, it seemed like one of Steve's adventures gone very wrong (See "The Adventure of Steve" for reference) with some scarring childhood expieriences and a lot of death thrown in.. What really caught my attention was the fusion of two very different musical genres as the soundtrack.

Lets be honest, how many of us have actually dabbled in ElectronOpera (Yeah, thats a real genre name, No I didn't make it up). I admire explorations in music, especially when people are combining elements of music that we don't usually see together. Example: "Contradanza", everybody's favorite juxtaposition of classical violin with techno. It was just pointed out in class that this ElectronOpera bears a resemblance to the "Diva Dance" in "The Fifth Element" (you may or may not think this movie is complete trash, if anything else, its damn entertaining).

They should release a compilation of this stuff on iTunes. I wouldn't buy it. Some people might though. Apparently people buy the High School Music soundtracks, so as far as I'm concerned, pretty much anything can sell.

favorite inanimate Alice

2008-10-09T11:24:00.001-07:00

My favorite inanimate Alice was definitely the one when the family was in Moscow. I thought that this story was the best because of the plot twists that actually seemed to mean something, not like some of the other episodes. Also I really like the doll finding game.
The reason that I say the plot twists in this one were better, is because something horrific actually did happen to the family. I don't mean that I just hate Alice and her family, I just wanted something to actually happen, instead of almost happening. In most of the other episodes before this one something would almost happen but then it would be resolved. In Moscow how ever the family actually was forced to move away from Moscow, and change their life style completely.
The second thing that I really liked about the Moscow episode was the option to play the catching Russian doll game. Not only did it make me interested and enthralled in finding all of the dolls, but if you did not find them then you as the viewer would influence the story. In a way the doll game gave the viewer a since of control in the story. Also I thought that it was a cool way to relate to why Alice's player was so important to her. The player helped Alice not focus on all of the bad things going on around her by tuning into the player and tuning out the world. In a way the Doll game helped the viewer see how Alice used the player, by forcing the reader to play a game that was on the player as a side note to the story. I really have no idea if that is what the writer of this story was trying to accomplish with the doll game, but that is what I gathered.
I thought that inanimate Alice was done well in the since that it did leave you hanging on what the family will do next. Also it left the viewer wanting to know more about the family back ground and personal information. I could really relate and feel what Alice was thinking and feeling through the way the story was told.

Digital Story: Finally

2008-10-09T09:47:00.000-07:00

I hate technology. Although I got through actually making this thing all right. It has taken me the past two days to finally figure out how to get this final version up. On another note if you could not watch this.....yeah......... that'd be great..........mmmkay

Oh, and by the way

2008-10-07T12:56:00.001-07:00

Most of you seemed confused about 5 minutes ago (i.e. 3:59 p.m. EDT) when I assaulted Parent about our subtitle/tagline.

I said "No. It was definitely "'The truth shall make you flee!' by Terry Pratchett. And on day two you were like, 'I like that. I like Terry Pratchett.' And then I was like, 'Good. You don't have to die. I have since changed that opinion."

Not whatever ~reparent thought I said. But I don't repeat myself normally. I just smile like a creeper until people laugh and change the topic.

Um, that's really all that I have to say.

All This Fuggin' Musical Chairs

2008-10-07T12:24:00.000-07:00

Alright. I am not an unreasonable person. That's a lie. I am rather unreasonable. But it's also irrelevant. I am not here to talk about my reasonableness. I am here to talk about the seat changes in English.

You probably aren't very irked by them at all. I am. I have sat at good ol' laptop 20 for the majority of the semester. The one a row behind it didn't work for me, so on day two I moved to laptop twenty (codename Harriet. Not Tubman) and it was like a match made in heaven. She and I got along so well. As with all good things, though, Professor Parent crushed my blossoming relationship.

"Everyone move somewhere drastically different," the order rang out through the classroom. The tone was leaden, unmoving, cold and callous. All the pleas (I think I was the only plea-er) were for naught. So I moved to the back of the room like some kind of second-class citizen in exile.

It wasn't a happy moment, but after half the class I was getting settled in and happy (ish) with my new place in life. There was the benefit of ~reparent not being able to sneak up behind me unless he can somehow move through walls (which I, oddly, don't doubt). Even so, I missed Harriet. My new laptop (whom I shall call Gertrude) was nice and fairly identical to Harriet (though there was just something special about Harriet) but at the same time, we didn't click. We were just finding our groove when class ended.

Sad face?

I can back to class about 20 minutes ago, and surprise surprise, ~reparent made us move again! To a "dramastically" different spot (Damn you, portmanteaus! Some words don't need to be fused!). Now I am at laptop number 13. How lucky.

I will be level with you. I don't like it. But I did like "The Lazer Collection" on YouTube (Produced by DFear Studios). As well as its sequel. Here is the video. Enjoy. I did.

The Longest Game

2008-10-05T21:30:00.001-07:00

This Redsox-Angels game has the lasted the entire damn night. Officially kill any prospect of having a truly productive Sunday night. Needless to say this makes me rather angry with both myself and the Sox for not being able to lock it up. I just now realized that I forgot to email my blog tally earlier in the weekend and am feeling like a major slacker. If they can't close it out tonight then we at least have Lester probably for the next game and he was absolutely dominant in the later innings of the season opener. As I am writing this the Angels have scored a run.............

FML

On another note, my roommate's younger brother was up this weekend. We had a good time.I know that he had a good time, I just hope he can remember some if it and will then apply to UVM Parent's Weekend rocks. Even if your parents don't come. Speaking of which one of my roommates parents decided to come up on Saturday night at around 9 pm. We had to put our closet door back on in a hurry, I think most other college students should know why.

I guess I didn't completely waste my weekend away, I hiked Camel's Hump on Saturday. It was good hike and the view would have been awesome if the summit wasn't in a rain cloud. Despite that it was still a good hike, I even got to see snow for the first time in a while.

Jesus H, it's almost 1 AM.....time to go

The Good Medicine

2008-10-02T17:48:00.000-07:00

This is my completed digital story.

And You Thought Your Life Sucked...

2008-10-02T13:15:00.001-07:00

Well, this video has taught me several things. I hate Macintosh computers, and I think that video editing software shouldn't be so ridiculous about importing and exporting things so that things are flattened like when you save a photoshop image and it gets flattened.

Then you go to edit them later and you can't really do a good job.

End.

Oh yeah, I guess I ought to include the video. I will, but I strongly advise you to not watch it or to watch it with your eyes and ears covered. Or kill yourself first. You will probably want to afterward.

In any event, enjoy (?)

Name of the Game: Broomball

2008-10-01T18:30:00.000-07:00

Tonight I had my first experience with the UVM exclusive game of Broomball. The team that I am on was formed at a floor meeting by a bunch of freshman who had no idea what the hell it was. This lack of experience was clear during our first exhibition at Gutterson earlier this night. As far as I could tell its pretty much floor/field hockey on ice, this is much more difficult than it sounds

We got to the Gut at around 8:00, led by our fearless leader Ralph, we numbered 8 guys and four girls. This would eventually result in some incongruities in playing time due to the rule in Co-Rec that their must be three of each on the ice at all times. The proceeding two fifteen minute halves were nothing short of painful yet hilarious to watch. The long and short of it is that we lost 2-0 at the hands of a much smaller and mildly more experienced team. It was certainly frustrating as a guy and not being able to play much but I took solace in knowing that no one could really do any better than the other at this stage in our careers.

Despite our brutal opening loss, Broomball was an otherwise enjoyable experience. The brass band in th stands playing fight songs definitely added to the ambience in a half serious way.At the end of this I found my self wondering: Who came up with this idea? My hypothesis is that this sport was founded with the aid of some *ahem* external influences on some creative UVM students from years past. I certainly hope our season picks up after this initial set back.

Sleep Control

2008-09-30T19:21:00.000-07:00

Since I was young I have always been a out of control sleeper. Ever since I was a baby I would do strange things when I woke up or while I slept. My out of control sleeping was re-emphasized this weekend on a canoe trip. My friends back home always told me about the ridiculous things that I did and said when I was sleeping, but this is the first incident in Vermont.
First of all back home I did weird things like sleep walking, talking, and the two were usually combined.
One of my friends told me about one instance where I stomped around my basement(and his head) screaming profanities looking for the bathroom, in my own house, while he laid frightened below me. My parents also noted one instance when we were on vacation in Wyoming and they thought I called someone in my sleep just to yell every profanity know to man at this imaginary caller. Every time something like this has happened I already know the people. Even sometimes though with my best of friends my odd sleep habits can be embarrassing. For instance once I woke up with my hands grasping each one of my best friends butt cheeks. Of course it was very surprising to my friend to find my hands on his butt. Still I know him very well and it is hard to really surprise him. Camping this weekend I definitely did not know everyone.
While camping we slept in a row of six under a tarp on the ground. I rolled out from under the tarp three times during the night. All three times it happened to be raining slightly. Waking up three separate times mildly wet was not what I expected. All three times I fondled the girl that was sleeping next to me(in this case above me) legs looking for my flashlight. When the girl woke up to this guy she did not know touching her legs it did not look like I was looking for my flashlight, that was embarrassing to say the least. The worst part I don't even remember, I was just told by the girl that I assaulted. During an obviously deep sleep I rolled on top of the girls legs and stayed there until she eventually woke up because she lost feeling in her legs. She pushed me off and I continued my psychotic slumber. I don't know if these odd sleep habits will ever be a real problem but I will continue to freak people out I do not know while I am gently sleeping.

Phase One Complete: SetLasers to "Mildly Disinteresting"

2008-09-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

The title of this post doesn't make sense, but only because it would have been odd for me to say "set lasers to stun" as the video isn't stunning. Still, considering how much I hate Macs and had to use iMovie, it could have been worse. Much worse.

Stewart v. Colbert: Why the Controversy?

2008-09-29T20:43:00.000-07:00

I know I am posting a great deal of blogs. I apologize, but I kind of got behind and am making up for lost time. I know you have all been anxious for updates (and even if you haven't, a white lie never hurt anyone!).

Okay, so there are two major comic news shows on Comedy Central right now. They are called The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report. There is, despite the friendliness between these two hosts, much controversy and even animosity over which show is better than the other.

Some, such as correspondent Casey Rock, prefer The Daily Show. Jon Stewart's comedic routines and hilarious commentary on important news items. Casey did go on to note, though, that an irritating fact about Jon Stewart is that he wrote a somewhat disparaging book about America (Called America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction, published in 2004). This is interesting to note, as many rather enjoyed the book, but is also rather irrelevant to this post. So I won't speak further on it.

I personally like The Daily Show because, well, it's a classic. I have watched it for several years, and Jon Stewart is a very funny man. I would have his babies, except that I tend to lack of a uterus and he's already married to Tracy McShane and has 2 children. His commentaries on the war in Iraq as well as his current commentary about the presidential elections keep me laughing and begging for more.

On the other hand, Stephen Colbert, who began on The Daily Show, is also a rather funny man. He is a pseudo-uber-conservative who's daily guests on the show cause me intense happiness and an inexplicable sense of fulfillment. Chris Teel, another corespondent, prefers The Colbert Report (pronounced "Col-bear Re-pore") to The Daily Show. I cannot argue that Stephen Colbert is fantastically funny. He portrays himself as intense, but this is evidently not so. His dry, satirical humor is enough to sustain a small nation. Chris Teel is actually such a fan that he knows off-hand where Colbert was born (South Carolina). That impressed me.

In any event, both of these shows are on friendly terms and at the end of each Daily Show episode "hands off the baton" to The Colbert Report. Stewart and Colbert get along, so now I think it is time for the fans to reconcile their differences and make friends. Embrace both shows, I say. If you choose to embrace one show more than the other, that's alright. But both are definitely well worth watching.

Let's just get along ;)

Bringing Burgundy Back, or Ron's Return

2008-09-29T20:25:00.000-07:00

I am fairly certain that everyone everywhere has seen Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. If they haven't, I am not sure why. I mean, obviously developing countries won't have watching this smashing comedy as a goal, but anyone else ought to have seen it! It is, in my opinion, the best comedy released within the last 5 years. Will Ferrel, playing Ron Burgundy, a very popular San Diego news anchor, causes me to rock with mirth every time I watch that movie. His over-the-top acting style usually makes me slightly ill, as in Old School, but definitely does the trick in this film.

As awesome as that film was, though, I am not actually campaigning for it tonight. It does that for itself. I am actually concerned for the Anchroman legacy. There are plans in action for the production of an Anchorman sequel, due to begin production in just a few years. Generally, sequels suck. If you don't believe me, watch Scary Movie or Mulan (or any other Disney movie, really. Toy Story II? C'mon...). So, in light of the fact that Anchorman was such a smashing movie, I am afraid that if I watch a sequel, I will be turned off on both of the movies.

I don't want that. At all. It would make me sad. In a bad way (as opposed to the good way?) I say no to another Anchorman movie. I know that even if it isn't as good as the original, it could still be phenominal (half of infinitely funny is still infinitely funny, but more finitely so. That doesn't make sense? Too bad.). Even with that knowledge, I don't want thissequel to sully the pristine name of Anchorman. I will watch the sequel, have no doubt. But I had better not be forced to regret it.

As an aside, the production of the sequel was announced on May 5, 2008 (my birthday, just so you know. It's also Karl Marx's birthday). How do I know that? Wikipedia!

By the way, I found this image today. I find it hilarious. I hope you do too.

You don't find it funny? Get out. Just kidding. But no, seriously. Leave. If you want. Now.

Live From New York....!

2008-09-29T20:08:00.000-07:00

I watched Saturday Night Live on, you guessed it, Saturday night (into Sunday morning, but who really cares about such pedantic distinctions?) and I must say that, even as a long-term fan of Will Ferrel with his voice immodulation as a news reporter, I must say that I absolutely love the Judy Grimes skits.

Judy Grimes is a very nervous reporter who is terrified when on the news and responds to everything that she says with "just kidding" and then launches into another lie. Over the course of the skit, these rapid lies become hysterical. No one that I have shown the video to has avoided laughing for the entire segment. And I mean laughing and not your average giggle, chuckle or even guffaw.

Reproduced below is the skit. We have it courtesy of hulu.com.

I find the video very hilarious and have probably watched it ten times. The speed with which she thinks of her lines is remarkable, and the amount of stuttering or mumbling is minimal.

It has been presented to me that she wasn't thinking of the lines as she went but had memorized them previously. I don't think this is so. She looks up and to the right in the video, which is considered a standard sign of someone trying to perform creative or inventive thinking, as when they fabricate a story, especially visuals. Information about this can be found on interesting sites such as this one.

Anyway, that about wraps it up for this post! I hope you enjoyed it!

Digital story

2008-09-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

This is my digital story about my need for travel and the importance of it. At the beginning of the story I talk about my long time love for natural beauty. Then as the pictures progress my love evolves to more then just natural beauty, it evolves into a need for travel. My ending message is to keep close ties with the people that you already have, but use travel to widen your horizons. Also I want to convey the message, get out in the world as my main theme.

Some Old Friends Never Get Old...Sometimes

2008-09-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

What to blog about this week? Well, I posted a great picture of my friend Hallie from high school on Facebook and, of course, tagged her in it. Why wouldn't I? It was an epic picture of her making the most ridiculous face I had ever seen in my life. She has a double-hinged jaw, so her mouth opens really wide. I know what you're thinking. No. It opens even wider that that. She could comfortably chew a watermelon. Whole.

But I digress. Hallie, upon realizing she was tagged in the photo, untagged herself. Facebook, (unfortunately) has the feature that whenever someone is tagged in a photo they are made aware of the photo. That sucks. Some cool features are that when someone has been tagged in a photo, that photo goes into their profile under "Pictures of ______" (the blank is, of course, filled in by that person's name. Well, that made it funny because this picture that everyone except Hallie thought was outrageously funny was in her album. Until she untagged herself.

Sad face.

I tried to re-tag her in the photo, but Facebook would NOT allow me to do so as she had untagged herself previously. That blew. So I took down the picture and reuploaded it. I tagged her again. She untagged herself.

Well, I am no quitter. I was determined to get her good. So I put the picture as my profile picture for a while. Any time I SuperPoke'd anyone, posted on a wall, commented on a status or sent a private message (among thousands of other instances), the picture of Hallie was shown anew. Victory!

But Hallie convinced me to take it down. How? Threat of physical and/or emotional violence (That may or may not be true. I can't remember. Go under the assumption it is true, though).

But now months have passed and, frankly, I had entirely forgotten about the picture until just a few days ago a friend was e-ambling through my pictures and saw it. And commented. And that made my day! The old picture of an old friend, like when it was new, brightened my day (that really didn't need too much brightening, come to think of it). Now there are many messages about the picture. Facebook really does spread joy. MySpace, on the other hand, spreads STDs. Or spreads like one, anyway. But I digress again.

Actually, I don't digress. I finish. But, just for having made your way through this post that, while interesting to me, probably isn't interesting to you, I leave you with a couple of things. First, a request to post a comment including any similar story (if you are so inclined to share) and also a copy of the picture itself, reproduced below in all its splendor, for you to behold.

Oh, I forgot to mention. Hallie doesn't normally look this gross. She was tied for Most Attractive girl in our class. She wasn't expecting that.

The log book

2008-09-22T16:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend I went camping on the long trail in the breath taking mountains of Vermont. It was my first experience with the outing club and the wilderness of Vermont. The place that we camped at was a beautiful hut overlooking everything all the way to the Adirondack mountains. In this hut lay a notebook log of all of the hikers/campers that had stayed at the same hut. It was really amazing to read a first person account of the history of the place that we were staying. In one account a women moaned about french Canadians, while in another some one wrote a violent poem about revolution.
In the first log entry I read there was a women that was obviously hiking by herself and stayed a night with a group of eight french Canadian women, that apparently would not stop jabbering in french. The women kept repeating how foreigners get to her, and how she could not stand the consistent jabbering in another language. The part that I really found interesting about this entry was that later in the log the women wrote a p.s. basically about how much French Canadians get to her. I think I enjoyed reading this log entry so much because through the ladies writing I could imagine how she talked, looked, and even her beliefs. The best part about being able to imagine all of those things is that, I knew that this women, that had a strong distaste for French Canadians was really out in the world some where. I am not sure why that is so appealing, because I don't think that I would get along with the women writing but I like to imagine her through the writing. Also acknowledging that I have slept in the same place as her.
The second entry that was extremely interesting was an entry in which someone wrote a poem involving Molotov cock tails made from nalgene water bottles, some how relating to some sort of revolution. This article left so much room for the imagination to wander. I could either go about dissecting this article in a cynical way, by thinking the poem is just silly and disregarding the weird content. Or I could dissect the poem and truly imagine what this person was like. So I took the second method and imagined a whole story about the deranged person that wrote the poem(even though the person was most likely not deranged).
Finally I do not why I felt that these a accounts of different people were so interesting. Maybe it is because I was just board in the woods and was letting my imagination wander. Or may it was because I really did like reading the history of the 1930's hut that I was staying in. Either way if you ever go camping and stay in some sort of shelter I recommend reading the log book.

The Adventure of "Steve"

2008-09-21T18:40:00.001-07:00

The following events are entirely true and can be verified by multiple eye witnesses

It's a Saturday night at Harris-Millis and you know what that means. Hordes of variously impaired students are filtering in and out of the dorms, either coming or going to further achieve cerebral enhancement of some form. I had already made it back to my floor at around 1:30 and was "straight chillin" in a friends room with four other people, probably about to call it a night when a knock came at the door. It was not particularly alarming as my friend Joe was expecting another guest.

However more than one new person entered the room. One was the expected acquaintance and the other was a fairly nondescript guy who looked at least a little out of it and had no shoes. This in itself was not too surprising as it would have been perfectly normal for my friend's friend to bring along a couple people. This was not the case and the guy promptly dropped his bag and then curled up and passed out on one of the beds. After some inquiry it was discovered that this guy was not invited and had just followed his way into the room.

After attempting to wake this unknown dude who had crashed in the room, he declared that it was "His bed, and shouldn't have to get up" We followed up the question of his name and were granted the following response:

"Right now..................its Steve" At this point it became clear that Steve's night had clearly been enhanced by something a little stronger than usual, in other words, he was tripping hard. The expected questioning ensued: "Where are your shoes?", "What are you doing here?", "Where are you living?". Apart from asserting that he lived "here", it became clear that Steve was in no mood for answering these terribly prying inquiries. After he continued to assert that we were all dick heads for trying to make him get up, it was decided that Steve's stay on Millis 3 low had to be ended.

Tyler and I then guided him down stairs to the lounge where we set him up on a couch. We also noticed a random pair of shoes and socks at the entrance to Harris/Millis. One mystery had been solved. With Steve now safely on a couch we thought that we had fulfilled our responsibility to our fellow student and we were sure that Steve's quest had come to an end.

We were wrong. Maybe twenty minutes later, traveling through the lobby again. We saw the intrepid Steve had switched locations to the local ping pong table and used two pizza boxes in the place of pillows. I can't make this shit up.

By now there was a small group formed around him attempting wake this mysterious fellow. Steve did finally come around and he was born a new man entirely. Invigorated with sudden energy, hed suddenly decided that he had to make it back to his dorm which we discerned was on the "Back Five" of Trinity Campus. For those not familiar with geography of University of Vermont, it is a friggin trek to get back there from Harris/Millis.

Despite the protests and alternate suggestions from the onlookers, Steve headed out the door into the vast and dark campus, determined to finish the trip back home.

I'm sure that the events that I witnessed were only a small portion of Steve's epic quest that night, and I honestly have no idea how it ended but I sincerely hope he made it to wherever he was headed in one piece.

It's Time to Face New Facebook...

2008-09-18T09:05:00.000-07:00

Yeah. New Facebook! w00t!

I am fully aware that everyone has decided that new Facebook layout blows, but it is just time to face facts. At the end of the day, we aren't in control. Facebook is. They own Facebook. They control Facebook.

The old Facebook layout was cool and was pretty user-friendly and we knew how to use it and everything was well and good.

We miss those days, right? When old Facebook was standard, but if you felt a bit adventurous you could 'try' the new Facebook and see how you like it. Now you clicked it just to give it another shot and they took away the option to change back to the old Facebook! Those jerks (?) !

The campaigns have begun already and are in force. Thousands upon thousands are members of groups designed to restore Facebook unto its former slightly-more-disorganized glory! How dare those bastards who thought up, funded and put together Facebook tell us what is best for the site about whose inner workings we know next to nothing? They are no one! Rise against! E-lobbyists, prepare your cyber petitions! Rail against the system! If not enough people sign the petition, make up names and type them in! No one would ever know, right? Besides, I am sure there is someone, somewhere named Charlene Demple, right?!?

Go forth and be fruitcakes! Err, fruitless! Nono, I mean. Um. I lost the thread of that thought. Sorry, I never really was good at zeal.

The point is: give it up. Turn your frown upside down (or at least into a quietly pained grimace) and get used to the new Facebook. Srsly.

When you think about it, what have we lost? We still use their program for free! Sure the new layout isn't as comfortable as the old one, but as soon as you clock a hundred hours using it (which should only take a few weeks) you will know it better than your own endocrine system! Seriously. No joke. By the way, this is what your endocrine system looks like:

If you're not sure what each of those glands (ductless organs) does, then you should spend less time on Facebook and more time in biolofy. Just saying.

But I digress. The New Facebook is actually kind of cool when you take the time to actually examine it. It has all the applications along the bottom of the page to keep them out of the way on the left. Changing your status is just as easy and the fun features like updates and chat are still intact. Profiles look different, but really they just moved the wall up to the top of the page so that you can get to it more easily instead of scrolling through endless applications. Facebook has allowed us to prioritize. That isn't accurate, actually. Facebook has prioritized for us the things that we meant to set in order but never actually got around to setting in order.

Facebook is like a teenage friend who decided a lime green mullet was a great idea. Sure, you disapprove of the new looks and behind that friend's back you snicker a little and make small groups planning to do something about things. But now just as then you will do nothing and your friend Facebook will just have to learn the hard way. Not that there is a hard way.

Facebook has your back. Why don't you have its?

Only one construction

2008-09-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

Almost anyone you talk to will say how much better college is then high school,and how many more unique experiences there are in college, I usually agree. One of the few cases that I disagree with this notion is with finding unique experiences. The construction class at Decatur High School offered no knowledge in the subject matter, but did offer many exciting and truley unique experiences unlike any I will ever have again.
Construction pushed the limits of the typical "bad" class. In this class the teacher and students frequently got into wrestling matches throughout the day, the doors were nailed shut with three pieces of wood, the desks were stacked to the ceiling for no reason at all, every light in the room would be turned off multiple times a day purely to cause utter chaos, and the list just keeps going on with more ridiculous acts. The reason all of this was so much fun is because you could feel a since of freedom by rebelling against the strict guidelines of high school. Honestly I feel bad for Coach Shep(the teacher) he was innocently not a talented disciplinary. Coach Shep was supposed to teach the class construction, but the most construction the class ever did was nail the door shut to lock Coach Shep out of the room. When Coach Shep finally did gain entry to the rowdy class room the students would physically wrestle him to the ground, and then cause more chaos. An example of the chaos in coach Shep's class was boom ball. A game invented to destroy and disrupt. It involved punching a large rubber ball found in the class room any where as long as it stayed in the air. The game does not sound destructive but when the lights were out in a small classroom full of breakable objects, Boom ball made the class look like it was hit by a bomb (hence the onomatopoeia BOOM ball ).
Thinking back to this class is all I will have in the future, because I will never have an experience as close to anarchy as I did in construction. Also I do not know if many people will ever have an experience quite like this one either, or at least not at Decatur High school. Coach Sheppard was fired and the construction program is now gone leaving just the stories from the graduating class of 2008. My memories of high school will always incorporate this wild class because it is a once in a life time experience.

Interview of the Famous James

2008-09-11T12:55:00.000-07:00

I interviewed James about the his favorite digital story.
drrogers: What is your favorite Digital Story?
James: "M.S.K Running " by morne Solomon

drrogers:could you summarize your favorite Digital short story?
James: It is told from the perspective of Morne Solomon who had a troubled child hood. His father left when he was a baby. He was part of a big family, his mother was there to take care of him. He focuses on sports and other activities to keep his mind off the turmoil in his home life. He wants to set a good example for other children.
drrogers:Why was this your favorite?
James: It was Straight forward and to the point. I could relate to some of it like sports to get your mind off of stuff. I could see the kid in me.
drrogers:What was your least favorite part?
James:He seemed naive in some of his statements. His commentaries at the beginning were a little unnecessary.

Last thoughts: Interviewing is really hard to quote accurately.

drrogers Interview

2008-09-11T12:54:00.000-07:00

I interviewed drrogers about the digital stories that we recently read. The substance of the interview is based upon which video he found the most interesting and why. Also a "least favorite" part

Q: What was your favorite Video?

drrogers: I like Healing by....... I don't know her name. I thought it portrayed a way to cope with cancer and not be completely miserable with it. It was like empowering. Also it was straight forward, put that.

Q: Care to summarize a bit?

drrogers: Well its about this girl, whos like 19 and she got a cancer that has like a 95% cure rate. But she's into a real natural approach to healing. She uses her own methods as opposed to conventional practices. She eventually went through Kemo and her immune system, got like mssed up. But she eventually took some more stuff to get better and can like surf and go in the ocean now. Also she didn't like being a tearjerker poster girl for like cancer fundraisers.

Q: What was your least favorite part of "Healing"?

drrogers: I generally liked all of it but if I have to nitpick....I'd say some of the background music. I really can't think of anything significant that I didn't like about it

Interview with a Damn Liar (haha weak pun...I=hateme)

2008-09-11T12:52:00.000-07:00

I interviewed Austin Underwood about the digital story "Rituals." Aside from not remembering what the Story was about at first, here's what Austin had to say:

C@: Alright, so which was your favorite digital story?
AU: Rituals... wait. Was it shoes? No, no, Rituals. I am certain.
C@: (Yeah. Right.) Go ahead and summarize it for me.
AU: Alright, this woman's talking about how her mother-in-law (hyphens added. He didn't pronounce them) was healthy and then got sick and died really quickly. Like in weeks. She also said that death rituals aren't for the dead but are for the living and help the living to cope with the dead being dead. There was also something about a sisterhood. But I don't know what.
C@: ...Okay. Why is this your favorite digital story?
AU: Well, I mostly liked the music at the beginning and end.
C@: Oh yeah, it's from Oh Brother, Where Art Thou (Yes, I did pronounce the title in italics).
AU: Is it? All I remember about that movie was John Goodman and a frog. Or something.
C@: No, no. It's totally in there. At the scene with the baptism at the river. You know...? Anyway, it was in there. What was your least favorite part of the digital story?
AU: Um... (under breath) oh, snap... *Nervous chuckle* (twice). Let me watch it again... Oh, I didn't like the woman's voice. I forgot how annoying that was. Maybe this was actually my least favorite video.
C@: Yeah.

Austin is a blogger himself. His blog is called "Royale With Cheese" and if you go there you will see many of the aforementioned Royale with Cheese.

If you'd like to watch the digital story that Austin watched and subsequently forgot, it's called "Rituals."

Name of the Game: Procrastination

2008-09-11T09:13:00.000-07:00

I have always considered myself an expert procrastinator, finding the smallest things to prevent me from doing my work until the last possible second. The fact that I am making this post this afternoon, merely hours before class, is a testament to my legendary reputation concerning the putting off of work.

Take for example last night, this current post was my only pertinent assignment and I vowed that it would be completed before the end of the night. Well after returning from my truly dynamic and thrilling Geology lab I had the entire night to complete a measly blog post on the topic of my choice. Next thing I know I've already gone to the Marche (FYI, the best place to eat on campus, Ralph) and am now sitting in a room down the hall watching other people play poker. For those not familiar with the process or who have never flipped through ESPN2 to accidentally catch the World Series of said activity, I can tell you that when the thrill of potentially winning or losing your money is removed, it is a decidedly dull event. But fear not, a new distraction came in the form of the Redsox-Rays showdown taking place on the tube.

A truly epic battle, the contest between the two teams was still locked in a tie going into the ninth. The general consensus was that such a well fought and played game should be seen through to the end and that each subsequent inning should warrant a certain celebration. The apocalyptic match between the forces of Boston and Tampa eventually dragged into the fourteenth inning where Timlin was brought in and promptly allowed a three run homer. So much for a universally well pitched game.

Following a near Boston comeback, I mozy down the hall, in a less than stellar mood, exhausted, and inexplicably my mind is wandering.

Time to make a blog post!

Yeah right.

cook commons vs. The Grundle

2008-09-11T06:11:00.000-07:00

So which cafeteria has the best food, the infamous grundle nestled between Millis and Harris... hence the name; or cook commons with no nasty nick names. Both have there advantages and disadvantages. Before my time the Grundle has been known as the worst cafeteria. While cook is considered to be the best, once again before my time.

Why is the Grundle considered in such poor regard? First of all I spoke to upper class men about the Grundle, all of them seem to believe that it is obviously the worst dining hall on campus advising me to go to Cook commons if I want to eat well. When I have spoken to freshman, all of them seem to think that the Grundle is perfectly fine. Is this just because the freshman are young and inexperienced with cafeteria food, or has the Grundle changed? I believe personally even though it may be bias (me being a freshman) that the Grundle is the more efficient place to eat, and the food is just fine. I say this because there is more space and the line is not usually as long. Sitting in the hot line for too long can force a person to eat the pasta and marinara everyday(no body wants that). The Grundle does not let any one do that, because the lines are much shorter. I have theorized to why it is less crowded. The Grundle theory is because all the upper class men do not eat there because last years food was bad, but now the food is better. The lines are shorter because all of the upperclassmen believe that the food is still bad based the Grundles food last year. It is a small victory for the freshman.
Even though I have been boasting about the Grundle, cook is not bad either. The main advantage to cook is that the food is better. Cook gives many more options and higher quality food. The disadvantage to having higher quality food is that the lines are much larger because everyone wants to eat the better food. during the lunch and dinner rush cook's long lines force me to eat what ever item of food does not have a long line for instance, the dreaded pasta and marinara sauce line. The key to eating at cook is too go either before or after the main rush. The optimum time to go to cook is either between five and six or between six thirty and seven. It is a small window of time but if there is time then cook is the better option.
Finally the better dining is to be determined by the eaters mood, patience, and time. If you have time to spare then eat at cook. If you do not have a huge window of time and a great deal of patience to stand in line, then the Grundle is perfectly fine. There is one other cafeteria on the red stone campus... but that is just plain out too far.

Confusion by the Slice

2008-09-09T09:06:00.000-07:00

I read Slice just now. Yeah, whatever, I procrastinated. No, actually, I didn't. I wanted it to be super-fresh in my mind so I saved it especially for the last minute. That's right.

Anyway, I could make neither heads nor tails of the ending. I read the Twitters, and I even went to the friends' links on the Twitters and checked out almost all of the blogfriends from Lisa's blog. After all that investigation into the ending for this story, all I am left with is three letters. WTF!

The story was interesting, once I got the hang of the format and started reading from to bottom and working my way toward the top of the page. I read eagerly. I finished reading angrily. Who is this author (actually, who is the author? For real? I don't remember his/her name...) to leave me hanging so cruelly? It just isn't right. Instead of a warm, fuzzy feeling that I have finished a book and know how it ended I am left with this:

Did you see that? That's right. I am left with this:

Yep. A whole lot of nothing.

I dislike people who like to deform the plot triangle. It is a good formula. It has always worked. How is it an upgrade to make it look like this:

It doesn't look nicer to me.

UPDATE: I did a lot of searching, and apparently after the posts went up an update was posted for a short while before being removed. It read:

Turns out that dream fairylands also contain nightmares.
As soon as I got
back I found this note in the kitchen. Ma and Pa have gone down there! I wish I
had time to say more, but I've got to go back and find them. It's so easy to get
lost there, places shift around and change, and you lose track of time.
I
haven't called the police. What are they going to say to a wacko american girl
with some crazy story about a rabbit hole? And I don't think Jacomo would be a
happy bunny if a team of detection dogs came down his burrow.
What really
happened to Mary Jane? First mom said it was a car crash, with a strange animal,
then she starts telling people it was a plane crash.
It's stupid, I've
wished enough times that my parents would disappear forever, and now all I want
is them back here, yelling at me about insignificant, normal life problems.

-We Tell Stories, Slice - Despoiler - We Tell Stories found on 09.09.2008 at: http://wetellstories.despoiler.org/index.php?title=Slice<

Interesting, neh?

Thoughts on "Slice"

2008-09-08T19:40:00.001-07:00

I Just finished reading "Slice" by Toby Litt, I definitely enjoyed the format and layout of this alternate way of forming a narrative. The end was extremely abrupt however, and leaves little answered and much to the imagination. I think I'm going to skim it again to see if I can pick up on anything else that might shed light on the sudden conclusion.

I'm still not quite sure about how I feel about the ending method as I like that it leaves so much to your own interpretation but I would've liked a little more personal closure to the plot. Apart from the conclusion I would say that I enjoyed reading it less for the content but more for the experimentation in a new medium of storytelling. The dual perspective offered by both of the blogs was also pretty cool, although I felt like the parent's blog really didn't add that much substance

I also found myself doubting the probability that a middle aged married couple is going to keep that kind of blog. In fact the more and more I think about it, the more I realize that the secondary blog was mostly fluff and kind of a waste of time.

One aspect of Litt's piece that I really did appreciate was leaving the exact circumstances that lead up to Slice's situation were left somewhat in the dark to the readers. Specifically what she had done to warrant such a dramatic move for the family. Overall I found the piece to be interesting but there was definitely a lot more that this story could have delivered.

Slice a new form of literature?

2008-09-07T11:57:00.000-07:00

In a narrative book the audience has the option to finish the story when ever they want to. Also the audience is forced to imagine the objects and setting on there own. Slice shows a new modern way of telling a story. This modernized form of story telling is unlike any other types of literature that have ever been available. This blog is a hybrid of many different forms of literature making a new modern way to tell a story.
Slice is a mixture between the type of literature that a book uses purely based on the fact that it is written, but it is almost easier to compare to a television series. In a T.V. show the audience has to wait until next week to see what happens in the story. In Slice the readers have to wait until the author posts again to see what happens next. Also the obvious similarity between Slice and a Television series is that slice shows images, unlike a book in that the reader has to imagine all the things described. In Slice the reader can still dissect major themes in the story similarly to that of a book. The thing that Slice does differently in this aspect of dissecting a story, is that Slice also uses visuals as symbols along with the text. For example when Slice is talking about the Diary that she found a picture is also shown that has a drawing of a hare on it. This drawing is a major motif in the story because the death of the family that lived in the house before slice, was caused by a hare running in front of the families car. The way that slice gives the setting and tone of the story is also radically different then a narrative book. Instead of revealing her mood through the style of writing the girl in slice just tells the audience with a mood indicator at the bottom of each post. Also the way that the writer conveys the setting and her feelings on the setting is through a link to Google maps. For instance the writer named the place she was on Google maps hell allowing the reader to infer the writer's feelings on the setting. This blog reveals the same things as a book would but in a more modern since and allows the reader to truly feel what the writer is feeling.
Finally the main difference between a book or a T.V. show and Slice is that slice relates to the reader in a very real since. By posting as if the story was actually happening it helps the reader to feel as if the story is real. By making the reader feel that the story is real it helps the reader understand, relate, and enthrall them selves in Slice. There is even another blog posted that is done by slice's parents helping the reader get a truly real since of the story and see all sides of what is going on in the story. This hybrid of litterateurs creates a literature all to it self showing that there are many different methods to telling a story.

On The First Day of Classes...

2008-09-06T10:20:00.000-07:00

College is a very new experience for most (if not all) first years at UVM. The first night on campus and the last night before classes start were, for me at least, tense. I stayed up too late and got up way too early. I went to my first class at 2 pm (rough, I know. I really had a hard time keeping my head off the desk), and I didn't know what to expect.

Here's what I expected from my first day of French class: Go to class. Be too early (I am freakishly paranoid about being late). Listen to a lot of boring talk about the syllabus. Leave. Perform a small amount of homework.

Here's what happened: Went to class. Was way too early for class (35 minutes early!). Tried to listen to a lot of talk about the syllabus and the class (but the professor spoke English only once. To make a point.). Left the class. Wrote a 150 word essay, read 7 pages in a book in French and performed a long survey about my views on writing and an exercise on how to translate the word "way" in its many diverse meanings as well as tricky English idioms into French.

As if that weren't enough, French was quickly followed by English. The professor seems a bit odd upstairs, but the class ought to be alright. We are all participating in writing blogs, as a long-running project. We are hoping to explore what the word "Literature" actually applies to. Professor Parent promises that we won't come to any real answer. At first that might seem to make the class into a giant waste of time/money, but sometimes the most important questions don't have absolute answers, right?

You might be curious (but are probably not) about the professor. Yeah, he really is odd. He's odd like the number 7. Here's a picture:

Yeah, I do know what you're thinking. I thought it too. It's true.

Meet the Te@m

2008-09-04T12:49:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the C@-amount blog. This blog is written by Ralph Rogers, James Kennedy and Kaleb Thompson. Even though we produce the blog, we really can't make any promises about quality.

Read at your own risk (physical, mental and otherwise).