More Wasted Time

"Do me a favor & tell your professor that I spoke for at least 45 minutes..."
~Officer Smotcho, campus police

Yesterday & today one of my professors went out of town. Now rather than cancelling class, he had guest speakers come in. I figured that since these are summer classes, these guest speakers would probably be TAs or something to make sure that we got through our entire course load. That was not the case. Yesterday's lecture was from one of MSU's campus police who instructed us on how to stay safe on campus. Yep, that's right. I got to listen to the police's orientation speech all over again. So now I know not to drink & drive and to always walk with a buddy. At the very least, the guy had the courtesy to not take very long. In fact, he only took 10 minutes. I think that he got bored with his speech just as quickly as I did. People were still coming in tardy, after he had finished talking. So, that was lame.

Lamer still was today's speaker. This time they didn't get bored with themselves, in fact I got the idea that this speaker very much enjoyed the sound of their own voice. A woman from the health center came to us & brought an assistant with her in full-on scrubs. At this point I'm wondering if I'm about to be told how the Longest Health Center works, but that was not the case. The assistant leaves, I actually have no idea why she was brought along in the first place and this lady proceeds to rant about advertising for an hour & fifteen minutes. She even brought slides. Now I used to be an advertising major & left it because it's one of the most dishonest industries that you can be involved in. So, in my opinion she had a very easy target. But she NEVER makes a point, ever, ever. She jumps around from talking about women's shelters, to family abuse, to bashing PETA, and just about everything in between. All the while, I get the general feeling that she thinks that advertisers are at fault for all of this, but her proof is sorely lacking. All she showed us were photos of several ads that when taken WAY out of context COULD have a different meaning.
Now the better arguement is that advertisements objectify women & present an unrealistic expectation for young girls to aspire to. That's pretty true, but that's also old hat. I don't think there's anyone that hasn't heard this argument & I'm pretty sure that most people would agree with it to a greater or lesser degree. But this wasn't what this woman presented to us. I got the vague impression that she sees advertising as a kind of mind control that makes us do bad things. Which really is kind of ridiculous. I was irritated at her argument because there is a legitimate point that could be made here, but her using it as a pulpit to express an unfounded and poorly researched opinion makes the audience less receptive to the legitimate opinion.

Wow, that sounds like one of them serious blogs.

Televised

If television truly does rot your brain, I'm going to be in serious trouble after this week is over. On Monday I purchased the third season of Sliders & have been watching a few episodes each day since. In addition to that I've been re-watching the X-files with Chuck almost as often. I will admit that if any show could rot your brain, it's probably Sliders. I'm fairly concerned about this, as I tend to need my brain at least every other day.

"Don't worry Houston. I'm sure it will turn out fine."

Oh hey, Blogger-voice! Good to see you again.

"And it's good to see you too Houston! Problems with television addiction, eh?"

Well, not exactly. Aside from trying to catch new Family Guy episodes, there's not that much that a regularly watch on TV right now. But these gosh darn season-long dvds have gotten their claws into me. Anyone else finding that they're wasting large ammounts of time watching chunks of season-long dvd sets?

"Are you asking me or other people?"

I guess other people, as you are a made up voice.

"That's not very nice."

I know. I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted. See you later."

Adios!

A quiz none of you can win...

I just entered this months PG website contest. The prize this month? An official crew t-shirt from last year's tour. Ooooohh! Aah! And all I had to do was identify the songs these particular lyrics come from. I'll have you know that I did this in less than 3 minutes with no need of research...

1. “…watched by empty silhouettes who close their eyes but still can see…”
2. “…I can hear the distant thunder of a million unheard souls…”
3. “…there are always hidden silences waiting behind the chair…”
4. “…stranded starfish have no place to hide still waiting for the swollen Easter tide…”
5. “…pale zeros tinge the tiger skin…”
6. “…kicking the cloud with my moccasin shoes…”
7. “…pulling out the papers from drawers that slide smooth…”
8. “…it wasn't with the angels in their quilted coats…”
9. “…lost among echoes of things not there watching the sound forming shapes in the air…”
10.“…but nothing fades as fast as the future and nothing clings like the past…”

Dumb Day

I crashed early last night. Fell asleep on the couch about 9 & went to proper bed about 10:30. I think this was brought on by the first home-cooked (well, home-prepared at least) meal I've had in quite some time. It truly made me quite drowsy. But today, I feel good & refreshed. Class let out early today. It's a nice day. It would be a great day for the Sanderson except that...
I have to do my Small Group project today. What crap!
Yes, let me explain what this project entails... We're supposed to spend five hours together. We can be performing any activity, but we're supposed to spend five hours with each other. We could go to a movie or a bar even (and there's a group going to Mugshots, how I long to be in that group!). But we're going to the Sanderson.

"But Houston, you just said that today would be a great day for the Sanderson."

Yes reader, I did. However I asked my group what we could possibly do in the Sanderson for five hours. They said that we weren't really going to do anything. We were pretty much just going to meet up to figure out how we're going to fake it.

"Wouldn't it be easier just to do it?"

Perhaps. That's what I suggested. Especially since it can be something as simple as watching a friggin movie. Now I'll probably be too tired after this to actually do what I need to do at the gym today. Another day wasted, now I really wish that I had gone yesterday.

"Anything good happen today?"
Yes actually. I got my Norm Violation approved by Flick today. So now I know what I'm going to be doing & can start preparing for it. I think it'll be pretty darn funny.

"Will you tell me what it is?"

Not yet. But I will tell you some of the ones that I DIDN'T pick...
1. Faking a seizure in the Union.
2. Bringing a stereo & having a dance party in the library.
3. Sitting with and singing to a total stranger at kareokee night.
I think that the seizure bit would have been a bit too much, but I think that I could have done either of the other two just fine. But the one I picked is better than any of those.

"Why are you typing your entry like this?"

Charlie suggested that someone try writing an entry like a conversation between two people. This is my attempt at that. How'd it turn out?

"Really well. I love the way you blog. You're so interesting & funny."

Why thank you. Anyway, I have to go now. I'll blog again another day.

Monday is the new Saturday

(This post is boring)
I'm feeling not-so-super today after the apartment was host to an impromtu party. I don't really know how it happened but there were eventually about 12 people over including various members of Second Saturday. I don't think that I have any Blue Moon left. Many thanks to Mal for a well-timed wake-up call this morning. My head really hurts.

In other apartment news, we won't be moving until August 3rd it looks like. This means, I think, that Chuck will have to move into Apartment 4 before we make the big switch.

Since I don't really feel like doing much of anything today, perhaps I shall finally finish Dark Tower...

Feeling Dismal

We returned from our trip to the woods yesterday afternoon. I'm slightly embarassed to say that I spent most of that afternoon sleeping on the couch. Yeah, I was pretty tired & achey. It might have had something to do with the fact that all of us were sleeping on the side of a hill (yes, a hill not a mountain). But other than that, the trip was awesome. It would be so much fun to do that again. I really enjoyed walking around the woods with Matt, Mal, & my little sugar cookie. It was nice to have a weekend where the biggest concern was where we were going to eat our sandwiches. Ahh... but now, back to school.

Some more Flick quotes:
"You're like a good dog. A really good hunting dog."
"This is not a gay bar!!"

I got my tests back from Friday. Which as you remember was in-between two trips to Alabama. I got B's on both of them. That's pretty good, considering what was going on last week. I'd always rather get less than an A & be able to say that I did exactly what I wanted to do, than to feel like I did nothing but study.

So you don't confuse them with mountains...

On my recent roadtrip to Huntsville, I made some sort of comment that I enjoy being around mountains. This is an approximation of the remarks that followed:
"You think those are mountains?"
"Those aren't mountains."
"I've SEEN mountains and those aren't mountains!"

Okay. So, you've seen mountains. I guess that you're talking about those rocky, snow-capped things or maybe those rocky, dry, dust-blowy things. But there's no way that a round-topped, tree-covered thing could be a mountain. That must be a hill. Yep, you've seen mountains. Who HASN'T seen a mountain? Any joker with a television has probably seen a western & probably seen some mountains. I'm not claming that those things that fall under the names of Rocky and Appalachian are not mountains, I'm just saying that the term mountain is a little more fluid than that. Many of the things that are said to be hills may, in fact, be mountains.

So, let's do some research...
From Webster.com: mountain defined.
Main Entry: moun·tain
Pronunciation: 'maun-t&n
Function: noun
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French montaigne, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin montanea, from feminine of montaneus of a mountain, alteration of Latin montanus, from mont-, mons
1 a : a landmass that projects conspicuously above its surroundings and is higher than a hill b : an elongated ridge
2 a : a great mass b : a vast number or quantity

Ok, so now we know that mountains & hills are definately seperate entities... but how high is "higher than a hill"? We'll have to continue...
Again from the Web-man. Hill defined.
Main Entry: 1hill
Pronunciation: 'hil
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hyll; akin to Latin collis hill, culmen top
1 : a usually rounded natural elevation of land lower than a mountain
2 : an artificial heap or mound (as of earth)
3 : several seeds or plants planted in a group rather than a row
4 : SLOPE, INCLINE

Grr... "Lower than a mountain." That Webster is a smart-ass. ONWARD!
Here's what Britannica has to say about them mountains...
landform that rises prominently above its surroundings, generally exhibiting steep slopes, a relatively confined summit area, and considerable local relief. Mountains generally are understood to be larger than hills, but the term has no standardized geological meaning. Very rarely do mountains occur individually. In most cases, they are found in elongated ranges…

Alright! Rule Britannica! So the term has no standardized meaning, but they generally do occur in ranges. And those bad boys I was looking at in the Not-So-Cottony-State certainly were not isolated hills. I stand by my statements. Thems was some mountains.

Rock & Roll

Last night was the big Dave Matthews concert in Nashville. What fun! While there I partook of overpriced beer & hurricanes, got fondled by some large security guards, and learned that Matt Albert has a bladder the size of a small pebble. Today we met Caitlin at Mikawa for some lunchtime sushi. Now I shall do some studying for my tests tomorrow. Time to engage in some acts of responsibility (I've got to work of that debt after all).

In regards to my last post, it seems that PG is back to work on a new album. Last night was a full moon, which is when the Gabriel website should have been updated with something new. However when I checked this morning, there was nothing new. I am guessing (fingers crossed here) that the delay is due to waiting for the finalization of some larger news. It'd be neat to get more news on this album, but if not I shall settle for the new Genesis & Gabriel dvds that are due in October...

Good News!

This is a summary I have stolen that appeared in the recent Rolling Stone & Mojo magazine... Looks like the ball is rolling!


Title: I/O
Due: TBC
Production: Peter Gabriel
Songs: Wild, Silver Screen, Curtains, Amazing, Baby Man, Animal Nation.

The intro says: "It's getting on for three years since Peter Gabriel's last studio album, Up, and already he has... well, 'absolutely no idea' when the next one will be finished."

To summarise, the piece says that PG recorded a handful of working title tracks in 2003 and these have now been provisionally mixed by Tchad Blake. PG has now resumed on the album and will be concentrating on it for the rest of the year.

Interesting PG quotes: "I went to the painter Howard Hodgkin's studio once and he showed me some things he'd started 20 years ago. I thought, Ah, I'm not the only one. Apart from new stuff, I have this chart of about a hundred ideas, which I'll revisit and sometimes you'll find gravity has started to pull on them. Curtains was actually the B-side of a single called Big Time [1987]; through my website I asked people to vote for the songs they most wanted us to play on the tour and it came near the top. Probably one obsessive with nothing better to do, but I decided to rework it, so thanks to whoever it was."

The article also says PG has "resisted big-money offers for a Genesis reunion" and is looking forward to working on the new album "no matter how long it takes".

"I do like carefully chiselled stuff. I still aspire to the way Brian Wilson works. I love to get out the magnifying glass and craft a song."

When asked what the "buzz" is about the new album, he replies: "Er - more of the same old sh*t!"

Rescue 911

So I went running errands with Mallory & Laura in Columbus today. This included a stop at TCBY. While standing in line, Mallory excuses herself to the bathroom & asks me to hold her place. Well, I make my way to the front of the store & begin to order. Then my phone rings. And it is MALLORY! I think at first that she is playing some sort of joke on me. But I answer anyway, & she says "Houston come try to get me out of this bathroom." Now I wonder if this is some kind of bet or something... So, I start ordering my ice cream. Then she says something like, "Did you just tell me to hold on? COME GET ME OUT OF HERE!" So I walk down the hallway & as it turns out, Mal has locked herself in the MENS bathroom. Later she said that they were not labeled but there were easy-to-read signs on both doors. Pretty funny. Anyway, if it weren't for me Mal would still be stuck in a Columbus TCBY bathroom.

Geek Chic

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Huntsvillian

I got back last night from Huntsville. I got to see a very interesting "cave" (actually a mine, caves are naturally occuring). But it was still very cool to walk around in & I had pretty good company with me. Caitlin & I also finally made it to Mikawa & had some mighty fine sushi. However, after dinner we decided to order drinks. First we ask the waitress for a drink menu & were promptly brought regular menus. Then I went to the bar to find a drink menu & was unsuccessful. THEN, we realized that since there was a full bar we could probably order whatever we liked, after which we ordered 2 gin & tonics. But that's really not the story, so here's the real deal. The drinks were brought out with lemons in them, now a gin & tonic is traditionally served with a lime. But, I thought that limes were close enough to lemons. I mean, how big of a deal could it be? Well, the lemon wasn't such a big deal but the fact that there was almost no tonic at all in the drink made a huge deal. The two of us tried to take a few sips of what was more or less straight gin. YUCK! I'd like to tell you that we got them fixed, but no. We eventually managed to drink the whole things.

Windowned

I took my first test today which went well enough. Unfortunately today was also the debut of assigned seating in said class. My seat just happens to be right next to a rather large window. Now, I've never really had a problem with being distracted in class (sleepy, yes. distracted, no). But this window looks right across the drill field from McCain to the Union. So at around 11, when I still have an hour to go, I get to watch all these folks head towards their early lunches & breaks & things.

Yesterday, Dustin & I taught the Summer Scholars about stage vocalization. It was very fun, as all of these kids seemed to enjoy the RWS show & were looking forward to classes taught by us. Later that night, we taught them the first of two improv classes. It was in this class that I had to fight Dustin away from trying to make out with me. Yeah, apparently some of the kids had conspired to get him to surprise me during a scene. Ah, theatre kids & their crazy senses of humor.

I've also been informed that I do not blog often enought & that I'm risking being removed from other folk's links lists. I think that such claims are ridiculous. Ridiculous I say!!

I'd like to core those Apples

Earlier I was in the library, doing my thing, and I realized that I was trying to "apple-Q" out of windows to close them. Apple has brainwashed me.

I'm experimenting with going without my brace for half-a-day today. Hopefully that goes well.

Rayburn is trying to force me into grilling tonight. Unfortunately for her, I do not negotiate with terrorists.

Golden Scissors

Saturday night was the summer scholars RWS show. Everyone did a fantastic job. The kids were a great audience and reacted very well to us. One of the kids had to explain to us what a bodega was, as it was suggested for a scene we were doing. Another of my favorite scenes was a 2 minute re-enactment of all 6 Star Wars flicks, complete with Empirial Walkers being brought down by tow-cables at the Battle of Hoth.

I'm glad that Caitlin was able to see the show this weekend. She's back in Huntsville now spreading viscious rumors about my progressive rummy skills. When a game is called, the standing score determines the winner. So I have won. End of story.

Laura & I encountered a Runnin' with Scissors fan at Abner's today. We were quite shocked to be recognized & called out like that. So weren't as sociable as we could have been... If that girl reads blogs, she is my new favorite fan.

I do not have class in the morning tomorrow. I'm very excited about it. I think I shall go on an overnight drunk...

Blog Blog Blog

Last night was Caitlin's super-crazy birthday party. Caitlin & I lost our thrones as beer pong champions but I am confident that our titles will be regained in the near-future. Edd and Charlie showed off their mad shot making skills. The Marble Tornado is my new favorite shot. It was great to have everyone back together. Next year is going to be excellent.

Tonight is the Summer Scholars RWS show. I'm very excited!

I want to go see Fantastic Four. I keep hearing postive reviews from folks about it.

Recharge

I got a decent sleep but not the long-term snooze that I wanted last night. I stayed up and watched the last half of Re-Animator. One of the first nights in recent memory where I have done absolutely nothing. It was quite refreshing. I met with Robert B. at the bowling alley to return some property to him. He had been a bit mad at me for not staying long enough at his wedding, although I was one of the last non-family members to leave. We talked it over and I think that things are okay now. Which is good because I like to be able to count the people that don't like me on one hand, it keeps things simple.

New Handle

I have welcomed several new nicknames lately, so now you can refer to me as either "lil roo" or "strawberry muffin." As far as I'm concerned, "Houston" can go back to Texas, it's no longer my name.

Ankle Bitten

I've been recording some of the more interesting Flick quotes from my small group class. Here they are:

"I like watching Jerry Springer. It keeps me up before I watch Blind Date with Roger Lodge. It's great. Losers who can't get it on by themselves."

"Ever have a man doodie on you? I don't know you well enough to say shit on you..."

"Donkey! Donkey! Ruff ruff!!"

"You came in here to sleep didn't ya? Or just dream about my sister?"


This'll be quite an entertaining month. Now let me tell you an interesting tale of my trip to the Longest Health Center. First of all, Longest reffers to the name of Dr. Longest. It does not mean that the health center is the longest building on campus. Nope. Nothing like that. So I go in after barely making it to class that morning. My ankle feels worse than any pain I've ever felt at this point. I waited in a short line to make an appointment. But, after I get to the front the ladies start having computer trouble. So, I'm standing on one foot while these two old woment try and work the computer. I just stand there as more and more old ladies come to look at the computer as well, while I think about how much my ankle hurts. Eventually things are straightened out & I get to see the doctor. At first he thinks that my ankle is broken & sends me to get x-rays. My shoes are off & he tells me to leave them off since I'm going to go back up there. So I'm limping around the health center barefoot... And the nurses ask me why I don't have shoes & tell me to go put them back on. I try to explain that the doctor told me to leave my shoes off but by that point I'm at the x-ray place anyway. Long story short. Too late. No broken ankle. It is at this point that a nurse offers me a wheelchair. Then the doctor asks me if I need pain medication. I say yes. Then he proceeds to prescribe me advil & extra strength tylenol. Then he asks me if I need crutches. I ask if he thinks I need crutches since he is the one with the medical expertise. The moral of the story: The Longest still sucks.

Justification

"If you don't think 91.1 WMSV has Peter Gabriel then you are ca-razy!"
~Sarah Smith

Ah yes. It was very nice to get a dedication of "Solsbury Hill" tonight on the radio.

"I think it'll be a few beers tonight. So, we'll be happy... and sad."
~Peter Gabriel

It has begun

I got tired of people hating on my livejournal. Calling it "not a blog." Can you believe that? So now I'm here at the blogspot. You see up there? It's got blog in the title. So there.