Houston (Not the city...)

Coming Attractions

2006-07-31T14:33:00.000-07:00

As I'm getting ready for Dave's Dark Horse tonight, here's one of the new bits I'm adding to the set tonight. Only two old bits made it into the tonight's performance mostly because I don't remember any of the other ones. Must not've been that good...

We're living in scary times. Lots of things going on in the Middle East. People are mentioning World War III. And I'm worried. I'm just so scared. I'm so scared that its going to be lame. I don't think its going to live up to our expectations. After years and years of crisis like this, it really can't. I was sitting on the couch yesterday eating fishsticks & watching the news and I thought, "Eh, I've seen this all before." Horrible thought. At this point anything short of boiling seas and demons crawling from the earth won't be that impressive. Besides, we all know the odd-numbered world wars just aren't as good as the even-numbered ones.

Monday Night

2006-07-27T15:22:00.000-07:00

Come down to the Dark Horse to catch me doing some stand-up on Monday night. Hopefully it'll be worth your time. I'm still about 5 minutes short on material but there's nothing like a deadline to get one working. Or not. Anyway, here are some subjects that will be addressed:
World War III
Preadator II
Women's Pants
Darts
Arts
Toys
I'll be there. How about you?

Que?

2006-07-24T14:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, I think that it's time to admit to myself that I'm not exactly a top-shelf blogger. I can't offer any real day-to-day content, as my life just doesn't seem to be that exciting. Perhaps I should offer some sort of review-blog. I could review movies or products or well, I guess the word "products" covers everything really. I could also just start up a total nonsense blog & just put up wacky things everyday but I think I'd have just as much a problem with day-to-day wackiness as I do with day-to-day real life.
And so, I turn the floor over to you. What the heck should I blog about?

What's this?

2006-07-06T13:09:00.000-07:00

Why, it looks like a blog! Perhaps I shall post some info on it...

Anyways, my lonley summer term is underway. Last night was celebrated by watching Justice League late into the night & watching Chuck put on his sad pants.

It seems that we'll be doing a lot of roleplaying until Fall, with Mike & I both running games and Bust running two. The other night's game featured us fighting off zombies from the town of Tarksville.

Today I got a call from the good ole folks at Barnes and Noble to go to an interview on Monday. I'm pretty excited and hopefully I can get a management position.

So that's about it for now, maybe the blog will get more interesting later. Maybe it won't.

Travel Blog

2006-04-17T14:25:00.000-07:00

Hey folks! Check out the blog for my upcoming trip to Europe here!

http://bulldogsabroad.blogspot.com

Travel Plans

2006-03-20T11:30:00.000-08:00

It's official as of today. I've just booked my plane tickets for the 16th of May to London. Caitlin and I will be leaving from Huntsville and spending five weeks in Europe.
Our current plans include the following countries:
England
The Netherlands
Checz Republic
Italy
France

That would give us a week plus or minus in each country. We've also talked about including another country (maybe Spain or Greece).

Our time in London will include a fair ammount of time on the West End, where we will see The Phantom of the Opera, The Producers, and *maybe* Avenue Q.

I'll be posting more about the trip as we decide it and I'll be setting up a photo host to post pictures.

Stand Up

2006-03-06T17:58:00.000-08:00

Tonight at Dave's Dark Horse Tavern...
Mice Races and Open Mic Night
Featuring Matt Albert and yours truly doing stand up

How will it go? One thing's for sure, I'll probably be very drunk by the end of the night...

Tomorrow

2006-01-23T14:16:00.000-08:00

I'm getting ready to head out to an RWS meeting and then to my first night class of the semester (6 to 9). Ugh... I am going to be performing in The Exonerated in February. Everyone should come and see me play an aged hippie. Should be good times for all.

But right now I'm excited about this:

Comes out tomorrow! Stephen King + Zombies = Ownage Hopefully I'll be able to find it in town & won't have to make a drive to Columbus.

Bowling for Starkville

2006-01-14T12:23:00.000-08:00

College Bowl applications are availible now. They are due by January 25th. I'm working on assembling a new team. Anyone out there interested?

The 41st Post

2006-01-12T12:20:00.000-08:00

The semester has officially begun, at least for RWS I suppose. I met with Mark today and have been talking to folks about getting things rolling. Much to my surprise, things are already pretty much rolling without me. That's great news in my opinion. I was a bit worried about starting to be less involved in the day to day running of the group. But the guys seem to be more than willing (and pretty excited) to pick of the torch.

They'll be performing a little bit at MTA (the Mississippi Theatre Association) Festival tonight. I'm pretty gosh darn proud that they've arranged this on their own. After that, we'll be getting ready for our show on the 20th.

My new role will be to manage the group, show to show but not the shows themselves. I'll be making sure that locations are booked and the promotion is being done, as well as making sure that everything is on task. It should lead to a much more streamlined way of doing things, with no one being overwhelmed. At least that's the idea.

I'll also start working on auditioning for "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum." This means that I'll have to get less rusty with my singing. I've only sang (sung? singed? sanged?) onstage once before and that was in a purposely bad singing voice. So, we'll see how that turns out. I'd really like to do this show, as it's one of my favorites. I always get excited when I catch that movie on TV, even though the movie is not so great.

See? I'm blogging again. Told ya so!

So (The year-end wrap-up)

2006-01-11T00:42:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I suppose I don't really blog that much. However the new year brings a new PC into my life, his name is Dellwyn. Perhaps this will inspire me to do more writing which will maybe even lead to more updates for ye olde blog.

New year's resolutions? Eh, not really. I'd like to learn to play the keyboard that's been in my room since I moved to Starkville. Yeah! That's a good idea. I'll do THAT. So there you go.

The past year has had its ups and downs. I didn't end up keeping that really sweet Reflector job, which I kind of regret (if for no other reason than it didn't display very much stick-to-it-ive-ness). I did end up doing more performing than I expected to both in RWS and Omnium Gatherum.

I took a look at some old journal entries circa last year. I was pretty surprised to see that alot of the same things are going on in my life. Most noteworthy, the near-total lack of writing entries. But seriously, I guess it's like they say, "The more things change... blah blah blah." But there is one thing that has set 2005 apart from those other years with lower numerical values...

There is one thing that has defined this year for me. *Cue the sappy music* It is a certain special someone that has made this year the best year of my life. And I can only hope for more to come.

woot

2005-11-10T10:19:00.000-08:00

Gabriel Eyes Genesis
Original frontman says reunion talks are imminent

Will the Lamb lie down on Broadway once more? For years, the former members of Genesis have said that they are ready, willing and able to reform the group at original frontman Peter Gabriel's whim -- and for years Gabriel has adamantly refused. Until now. "The odds [of a Genesis reunion] are better now than before," Gabriel tells Rolling Stone. "We're going to have the conversation."
Aside from a one-off concert in 1982, Gabriel has not stood on stage with the classic five-man Genesis lineup since the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway tour ended in May of 1975. Phil Collins, who had played drums since joining the group prior to its third album in 1971, took over as vocalist in 1976 and lifted the British art rockers to stadiums all over the world. Collins quit the group after 1992's We Can't Dance tour to focus on his successful solo career. Remaining members Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford recruited former Stiltskin vocalist Ray Wilson for the 1997 release Calling All Stations, which fared so poorly that Genesis were forced to cancel a tour of American theaters. The group quietly folded in 1998.

Since then, a large cult of fans (particularly of the Gabriel era) have kept the Genesis flame alive. Phil Collins played with Genesis tribute band the Musical Box -- who recreate the Gabriel era with frightening precision -- when they visited his hometown of Geneva, Switzerland recently. Earlier this week, Collins reaffirmed his desire to drum again for the real thing during a Tel Aviv press conference. Last month, guitarist Steve Hackett told the Chicago Sun-Times that he received a phone call from Genesis management. "There's a movement to put us all together again," he said. "I do think it will happen."

Notorious perfectionist Gabriel warns that any reunion concert would require serious preparation time. "When we got back together in 1982, I don't think we rehearsed," he says. "To really do it properly, we'd have to take more time. It's quite a commitment."

When pushed to definitely say if the group is reuniting, Gabriel remains coy: "I wouldn't put money on it . . . yet."

ONE MORE TIME!!

2005-09-27T21:56:00.000-07:00

Come down to McComas Hall on Friday night to see MSU's excellent comedy group, Runnin' with Scissors. You are certain to enjoy it. There's a chance that you will see us do something we've never done before...
What is it, you ask...
STAND UP COMEDY!!
(maybe)
(Well, probably...)

Lookie Here

2005-09-25T19:33:00.000-07:00

Campus got owned by some serious tornadic activity today. Some determined RWS members huddled together in McComas hall and had a quick improv practice during the mayhem outside. And now I get to do a happy dance because I don't have any class tomorrow.

On Tuesday I've got to give another presentation for my voice & articulation class. I had to pick a song to select some lines from to recite from memory in one of 3 situations (whispering to a baby, delivering a eulogy, or speaking to a crowd of hundreds). I picked Peter Gabriel's "Games without Frontiers"...

Hans plays with Lottie
Lottie plays with Jane
Jane plays with Willie
Willie is happy again
Suki plays with Leo
Sasha plays with Britt
Adolph builds a bonfire
Enrico plays with it
Whistling tunes we hide in the dunes
By the seasdie
Whistling tunes we piss on the goons
In the jungle
Its a knockout
If looks could kill
They probably will
Games without frontiers
War without tears

UPDATE: This just in... I've finally beaten Caitlin at progressive rummy! Now I am the champion. Caitlin must now go into card-game exile...

Sawing Blogs

2005-09-22T21:34:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have seen me trying to get Blackfriars reorganized, with the help of the good ole MSU theatre folks. We had our initial meeting today and also did some recruitment for RWS. I was glad to finally get some of the people I've been talking to a chance to come play at practice with us.

Hopefully my article about Bulldog Bash will make it into the Reflector tomorrow. The biggest chunk of info I got wasn't about the bash at all. Next semester, the SA is planning to have a "Battle of the Local Bands." That sounds more interesting to me. I also think that my next film to be reviewed is going to be "Corpse Bride" this Friday or most likely Saturday.

Once October rolls around, it's time to start looking towards throwing a sweet-o Halloween party.

RWS

2005-09-07T07:07:00.000-07:00

It's almost that time again!

Runnin with Scissors: A night of improv and sketch comedy!
Friday, September 9th at 7:30pm
McComas Hall main stage
Tickets are $5 and all proceeds go to Red Cross hurricane relief

You get to help out a good cause while Runnin' with Scissors brings the funny. How can you lose?

PANIC!!!

2005-09-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

As I'm sure everyone is painfully aware, the Gulf Coast & New Orleans were struck by Hurricane Katrina this past week. Things in those areas will probably never be quite the same, it shall take years to rebuild in some cases. However, in Starkville you would think that the situation is just as dire looking at some people's reactions. The gas pumps have been crowded with lines of people afraid that the city will run out of gas. Well, news to those people: we weren't running out of gas, but we are now thanks to your panic-induced consumerism. I just got back from the grocery store where throngs of folks are crowded in there filling their shopping carts with everything that they can get their hands on. You may think that these are perhaps refuges or people looking to donate items. I'm afraid not. People are now worried that there will be a food shortage. Yes. That's right. There are people here that think STARKVILLE, MISSISSIPPI is about to run out of food. That trucks will not be able to deliver more supplies to the grocery stores. How the Hell can anyone believe this garbage? C'mon Starkville citizens & students, wise up.

Oh, in better news... Kroger has put up their beer fridges & stocked them. Unfortunately it's Sunday so you can't buy it. Apparently while some Blue Laws are not okay, some still are... Weird.

Live & Unwrapped

2005-08-26T13:50:00.000-07:00

Check out the artwork for the cover of this upcoming Peter Gabriel DVD. It's freakin' creepy.
I'm a bit scared of it. Anyway it'll be just in time for Halloween coming out on October 24th...

Blog Cabin

2005-08-25T11:50:00.000-07:00

I'm back in the full swing of things. At least I am for now. I got the rest of my books today along with a sweet new backpack. I lugged my old one (which had no straps left) full of books on my walk today. Needless to say, I was quite frustrated with it by the time I arrived on campus. All it had left was the handle at the very top to hook on things (like hooks). My hand was raw all day today, luckily I didn't have to write that much.

The instructor wanted to talk about Monday's movie review in class today. She wanted to know if there was any controversy over the headline. I thought that was funny.

Last night was Day Two of the Laura Rayburn Twenty-First Birthday Extravaganza. I don't think that I can take much more celebrating...

My next article for the Reflector is going to be about the new Boar's Head Tavern. So, if anyone has anything to say about it please post here. I also think that I'll be seeing "Brothers Grimm" sometime this weekend, if anyone is interested in going.

In a bit, I'm going to Philosophy of Religion, which I'm pleased to find is taught by Dr. Mullen. I haven't had her as a professor since my first semester. She wrote me a letter of recomendation from the philosophy department at the time, but I decided not to change majors. Anyhow, I'm very excited to be in another of her classes.

This weekend I have to work on memorizing a monologue for Voice & Articulation, hopefully I can find something interesting. Also, I need to finish reading the script for Theatre MSU's next show so that I can be ready for auditions on Monday.

Until next time, kiddies...

Scatter-Brained

2005-08-22T13:02:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah, I also wanted to mention that I came in 2nd place in a Scattegories tournament the other night. I owned all except for Edd, but I'll be practicing for a re-match in the future. Also, my progressive rummy skills are improving as I came in 2nd to reigning champ, Caitlin, a few days ago. It really is only a matter of time before I beat her at this point... Beat her AGAIN, I mean.

Here's some upcoming events that are happening in the near future. Let me know if you're interested in participating:

1. Tuesday for Laura's birthday we're taking a road-trip to Memphis to do some stand-up comedy. Should be fun, especially since we haven't really prepared anything.

2. The X-Files Drinking Game shall resume at Apartment 89. I think we're on the 3rd Season at this point... I'm not really sure...

3. After-party for the Runnin' with Scissors show on September 9th, also at Apt. 89.

Hired

2005-08-21T20:34:00.000-07:00

It is official. I am now an entertainment writer for the Reflector. On Tuesday I'll have a review for The 40-Year-Old Virgin as well as maybe an article about the upcoming Sister Hazel concert. I'm still pretty darn excited at the prospect of being paid to watch movies.

Classes went well today, save for the fact that I was enrolled in the wrong piano class. Apparently Functional Skills Piano is for people who already know how to play a great deal. The class that was suggested to me is full so it looks like yet another semester will go by without me gaining sweet ivory-tickling skills...

Gulfport is all abuzz with the exploits of my grandfather. It seems that even in retirement, he can still manage to cause a stir. He's been to several hospitals for medical and mental treatment recently. The problem is, he doesn't particularly like to be under supervised care. This has prompted the involvement of several other doctors, lawyers, and police officers. Heck, even the parents of two of my old elementary school friends are involved now, anyone else interested better sign up soon 'cause it looks like tickets are going fast.

Dream Job?

2005-08-19T11:23:00.000-07:00

The 2nd first day is officially over and I am delighted to discover that my payment finally went through on my holds. Now, my schedule is totally finished at a solid 17 hours. Talk about last minute!

It seems as though I may get a job at the Reflector writing movie reviews. I truly hope that I get the job, as that is something that I think I would be good at. It is also about time that I started getting things published. That might make it easier to find a job in the journalism world after graduation. Anyhow, I'm supposed to go see The 40-Year-Old Virgin sometime this weekend, possibly tonight. The folks at the Reflector will pay for all of the movies that I write reviews for. I'm pretty excited about it. Oh yeah, I get paid to if I get published. Pretty much the sweetest job ever.

Now I'm waiting to talk to a woman about getting RWS involved in MTA. I think that I'm dealing in way too many acronyms lately. It is some sort of party for high school kids that's going on in January. I don't know that much about it yet, but it seems like something that will be right up our alley. Practices for Scissors are starting back up next week, it's going to be alot of fun to get the gang back together. Hopefully it will be without too much drama. I think that we'll have auditions for our crop of newcomers sometime in mid-Sepember.

So this semester there's RWS, Reflector, College Dems, and 17 hours... This could get interesting real fast...

Apt. 89

2005-08-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

I've almost finished setting up my room, washing clothes & dishes,and unpacking the living room of Apartment 89. Caitlin has been helping out alot around there. I think that it will be looking great by the weekend.

I'm trying to find some finishing touches for my costume for Thursday Night Throwdown tomorrow. And later tonight, I'm going to own everyone at trivial pursuit. I've told Caitlin to get on board the winning team while she still has a chance to.

I'm discovering that blogging has become more difficult now that summer is almost over. I hope that I am able to continue. I'm sure that I will have plenty to write about after the party tomorrow.

Out of the Frying Pan...

2005-08-14T22:03:00.000-07:00

I told you guys that it would probably be awhile before there was another blog post but even I didn't think that it would be this long. So, since the last post, I made it through the last of summer classes. I moved out of apartment 4 and into apartment 89. Apartment 89 just doesn't have the same ring to it. I took a wonderful trip to Huntsville followed by a rather crappy trip to Gulfport. My vow of returning with a computer and a dog did not yield any results. However, I did get my 4-year-old laptop back in working order. Now, if only I can get my AC adaptor back from that Mark Harris fellow...

I'm getting a bit worried as my allergies have gotten steadily worse since moving. I think that I may need to go get more shots. That's one more thing that I'll have to look into when I go back to Gulfport.

And, finally, in response to some checho's comment on another blog: I could indeed blog about my time spent watching Sliders. I have not done so for two reasons:
1. I have not finished watching the 3rd season.
2. There is a long list of other shows & movies that I would blog about before I blogged about Sliders.

The Butler did It

2005-08-04T20:09:00.000-07:00

I'm nearing completion on my norm violation paper. Now I'm distracting myself with blogging & text messaging. It's amazing that even though I know that all of this will be over tomorrow, it still feels like this will never end.

Anyhow, the violation took place at Abner's today with Chuck & his buddies from Georgia. Laura got called into work unfortunately, so Chuck had to take over the camera. His skills were found lacking, as at first people noticed him taking pictures. I attempted to wait on about 8 groups of people as they came & went. Not a single person let me refill their drink for them. Even though it's a huge open environment where they'd be able to see me all the way from the table to the drink machine. Three people got up & refilled their own drinks immediately after I asked if I could do it for them. However, no one was really rude. People just smiled and politely refused. At worst, they seemed slightly confused. Well one guy my age didn't seem too amused but I didn't bother him for very long. I didn't get thrown out as many people expected me to either.

Well, back to work & then off to study for my exam. I can't believe I took a break from writing about my norm violation to write about my norm violation. What an idiot!

Keyless Entry

2005-08-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

I turned in my Apartment 4 keys today, as well as the "master key" that Tabor was letting us borrow. Yep, for the past few days I had been entrusted with a key to every apartment at Glen Hollow. Chuck & I considered going "shopping" but in the end did not give in to temptation. There were plenty of other criminals lurking about the premises anyway. I had to chase away a guy the other night who was staring through the window of Apartment 4. He claimed to be considering renting a Glen Hollow apartment. Yeah, that's why he's creeping around at 11:30 at night.

Also, the "cleaners" have been cleaning out anything that gets left outside for more than 10 minutes. It made moving very interesting to have to stick my head out the door often enough to make sure the cleaners aren't making away with anything. Well, there is one thing that the cleanters didn't want. Trash! For all the furniture & clothing that they seemed to be interested in, they still haven't finished cleaning out the two apartments that we're moving into.

And, sadly, there were two casualties of the move. The first happened yesterday. My bed, which I inherited from my pops, which he had for about 12 years I think, fell apart upon having the mattresses removed from it. I'm going to go looking for a new one sometime next week, until then it's the couch for me. The second casualty happened this morning. Chuck & I went for one last sweep of the apartment to pick up trash & see if we forgot anything. Well, it turns out that we had. The grill. But it was too late, someone had made off with it already. I called Tabor about it & they apologized and said that they'd try to track it down. They said that usually the people are good about bringing things back if they are asked to. But obviously all anyone has to do is say that they don't have it. So we shall see.

I'm heading off to Huntsville tomorrow! There I will get to see Caitlin & watch Will perform in "Grease!" This will certainly be alot of fun. After that, I'm heading to the Coast. While there I'm going to work on bringing up a computer... maybe even a dog. Who knows. The point is, there may not be alot of posting for awhile but I am still committed to the blogosphere.

Catching the Red Eye

2005-08-03T07:52:00.000-07:00

Does anyone want a giant inflatable basketball? It doesn't really bounce. I think it's a pool toy. I used it in my presentation today. I don't really want it anymore.

On my way to an exam now. I have my paper & one last exam on Friday. But there is NOTHING on the agenda for Thursday. I knew fortune would smile upon me sometime this week. There will be time for sleep afterall.

*Update*
I guess that the rumors are true & we'll have cold beer in town in 30 days. Things are getting pretty strange around these parts. Well, I'm off to try my luck at job hunting...

House of L

2005-08-02T07:57:00.000-07:00

"Why do wise old indians have to be so damn vague?" ~Chuck

This is it folks. By the end of the day, Apartment 4 will be no more. Feel free to come by and pay your respects throughout the day. Services will be held at 10 o'clock tonight. In lieu of flowers, Houston Longino (devistated widower) asks that you make a small donation in crisp, non-sequential bills.

I also just realized that I haven't turned on the power yet. Uh oh. It's gonna be H-O-T in there.

The Earth has a Secret to Tell

2005-08-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

After that last post, I have learned that attempting to do regular-style blogging doesn't jive with my readership. I shall stick with this & keep my opinions to myself.

Anyhow, I helped Caitlin move out of 401E this weekend & helped Matt move out of Apt. 4 (well, I helped with a mattress anyway). It was a bittersweet weekend filled with tears & laughter. Also a good deal of alcohol. It was like a preview of what next semester will be like. We'll get a better idea of that on Wednesday when Apt. 4 will be totally emptied. I considered burning the place down, but Tabor Construction wasn't too keen on that idea.

Chuck & I moved some of his stuff out of the Commons last night. I also worked on my city council project/presentation for Small Group. I think that most of this week is going to alternate between typing and lifting heavy things. Chuck & I shall finish his move after I get out of class today. Then I'll go meet with my lazy group & we'll discuss what we're going to talk about on Wednesday.

The presentation that I did today went very well. Our proposal was picked above the other two, much to the dismay of one guy in class. I thought that perhaps I was going to have to throw down. Instead there was just a good deal of heated debate, but folks were unprepared for the skills that I have cultivated with 4 years of Youth Government. Can we say "owned" boys & girls?

"Owned."

Very good.

More Wasted Time

2005-07-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

"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

2005-07-28T07:24:00.000-07:00

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...

2005-07-27T14:15:00.000-07:00

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

2005-07-27T07:52:00.000-07:00

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

2005-07-26T10:22:00.000-07:00

(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

2005-07-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

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...

2005-07-22T07:08:00.000-07:00

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

2005-07-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

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!

2005-07-20T09:04:00.000-07:00

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

2005-07-19T15:11:00.000-07:00

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

2005-07-18T19:43:00.000-07:00

Your Geek Profile:

Movie Geekiness: Highest

Academic Geekiness: High

Music Geekiness: High

SciFi Geekiness: High

Gamer Geekiness: Moderate

Internet Geekiness: Moderate

Fashion Geekiness: Low

Geekiness in Love: Low

General Geekiness: None

How Geeky Are You?

Huntsvillian

2005-07-18T09:58:00.000-07:00

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

2005-07-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

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

2005-07-12T14:56:00.000-07:00

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

2005-07-11T11:36:00.000-07:00

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

2005-07-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

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

2005-07-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

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

2005-07-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

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

2005-07-07T09:55:00.000-07:00

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

2005-07-06T22:19:00.000-07:00

"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

2005-07-06T13:51:00.000-07:00

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.