Current Mood: I remember it!
We'd finally gotten to San Antonio, where Airman Bradley had been enlisted in the Air Force since early February. I narrowly missed seeing his graduation from Basic Training due to my class schedule and the expense of flying (I contemplated driving, what an awful idea that would have been). Then he started Tech School there, and we found out afterward he'd be leaving to go to Germany for his job! My visit to Texas for my internship happened to provide the perfect opportunity for me to see him for possibly the only time before he left!
I was so happy to see him when we finally arrived - in part because it was the end of the trip, but also because doggone it I missed him pretty bad! For a day and a half we enjoyed San Antonio - stayed in a hotel to get him off base. We ate barbeque, we swam in the hotel pool, we had some drinks, and he told us hours of stories about military life and Basic shenanigans. I really loved hearing his stories - he's got a little different demeanor after enlisting, but especially hearing him tell jokes about the little screwups and victories, it really felt like he was still my brother. He did awesome at Basic, if you're wondering - I'm super proud of him.
We toured his base - got to see the areas I'd seen in pictures where he did PT, took test, trained with his rifle, things like that. Saw the parade grounds, Airman's Run area, even some static planes on display (although when you've seen WPAFB...nothing compares!). Brad insisted that seeing his dorm buildings was no big deal, but our family has always had a thing about seeing where people live and work- I know it helps me picture that person living there and being happy. We also got go to a cool Base Exchange (BX) store and check out some military gear. The whole time Bradley shared some little bits of military lingo... I couldn't always remember it all, but I think it's super neat.
We explored San Antonio a little bit. We saw the outside of The Alamo (apparently it closes at like, 4?) and I saw enough of the plaques outside to move on. Kinda...underwhelming? Didn't help that it was sandwiched between giant skyscrapers - I felt like that detracted from the historical aspect. Anyway, we went down to the Riverwalk. I got another bent penny for my collection, and then we waited a bit to take a boat tour. The tour was great! A good mix of things to learn, like how I had completely forgotten that Miss Congeniality takes place there.
Nabbed a sweet riverside table at a mexican restaurant in part because the waiter liked Brad's Reds hat! His favorite player was Joe Morgan of the Big Red Machine. We had dinner and people watched for a bit, and we waited hours for the christmas lights strung ALL over to light up...nothing!
The end of the visit was bittersweet. Bradley and I were pretty businesslike, but mom cried a lot (as moms are both wont and allowed to do). I don't know when I'll see him next, but I bet he'll be a little more grown up and a lot more worldly!
The next day I dropped mom off at the San Antonio airport (she had an awful trip home, with delays and hours and hours of flights/airport waits - thanks for going with me, mom!) and drove 4 hours back to Dallas. After being surrounded by family for about 3 straight days, it was a lonely drive. SICK of being in the car.
My apartment check in was surprisingly smooth. I picked it completely sight unseen, working with an unknown roommate (Nick, also an intern with me) - so I'm glad it played out okay. Probably my only complaint was that I couldn't show proof of income [my internship was still 3 days from starting at this point], so the company insists on holding a massive extra deposit while I'm here. I will make enough money to cover it just fine...over the course of the 3 months I'm working! Cash flow priorities, for sure.
Moved my stuff in - place is nice, probably somewhere between my current place and our last one. Big, and especially with my meager offerings, feels very empty. Still, it's in a nice area, has central air [does any place in this heat scorched landscape not have central air?], a pool in the complex, isn't too far from work, and is close to food and groceries and stuff.
Picked up roommate from the airport on Monday with my rental car. We went to some stores and bought some essentials, but as my "you stupid idiot, how could you forget _____" list indicates, there remains some items to be had. For the most part, I've tried to lay low, beat the heat, not spend a lot of money by going out, and get ready for my internship!
Showing posts with label apartment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apartment. Show all posts
5.25.2012
5.05.2009
zombies!
Current Mood: on alert
As you may or may not know, I take my zombie lore fairly seriously. I've studied zombies on paper, in cinema, and other forms of media. I've plotted out outbreak scenarios and formulated contingency plans, and as a result recently finished my first zombie novel (The Next Most Dangerous Game). I've begun evaluating potential groomsmen for my upcoming wedding based on fitness against the zombpocalpyse, like somebody I know once did.
My roommates and I even have a rule that any strange noises/shambling figures between the hours of midnight and 8am can and will be treated as hostile creatures looking for food. Destroy the brain first, ask questions later.
SO. Pranksters of the world, take note: this shit is not even remotely funny.
As you may or may not know, I take my zombie lore fairly seriously. I've studied zombies on paper, in cinema, and other forms of media. I've plotted out outbreak scenarios and formulated contingency plans, and as a result recently finished my first zombie novel (The Next Most Dangerous Game). I've begun evaluating potential groomsmen for my upcoming wedding based on fitness against the zombpocalpyse, like somebody I know once did.
My roommates and I even have a rule that any strange noises/shambling figures between the hours of midnight and 8am can and will be treated as hostile creatures looking for food. Destroy the brain first, ask questions later.
SO. Pranksters of the world, take note: this shit is not even remotely funny.
9.04.2008
accelerated
Current Mood: behind
MAN school caught up with me quick.
I'll spare you all the play-by-play of each day, but here's the summary:
MA 266 (differential equations) - again
AAE 301 (signals and systems analysis)
AAE 352 (structures II)
AAE 352 lab
CGT 226 (computer modeling - part modeling and advanced surface design)
13 credit hours.
Same old, same old, really. Difficult classes, I feel like I'm in over my head, the math involved blows my mind. I feel really...sluggish getting used to the routine, the workload, etc. Not crazy about trying to pass DE again, but what am I gonna do? Worried about student loans. Of course it wouldn't be a semester at Purdue for Ryan without problems with scheduling, registration, and student loan acceptance. a;sljdf;aljdf
On a scale of 1-1o, with 1 being Ferris Bueller's Day Off and 10 being Alexander's Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day, my schedule looks like:
Monday: 6
Tuesday: 4
Wednesday: 9 (5 classes spanning 7:30am to 5:30pm)
Thursday: 2
Friday: 7
A lot of my aero professors are downright crazy, but it's balanced by a generous amount of oh my god these guys are so smart. I also regret letting all my knowledge of CATIA atrophy over several years since CGT 163.
New apartment is nice, even though I kinda hate trekking up Chauncey Hill. Especially 3x a week at 7 in the morning. I am not used to early classes like this!
Improv is good. I've already seen a lot of familiar old faces, and it looks like we've got a good recruiting class, which couldn't come at a better time for us.
Several job fairs are coming up next week and I suppose it's high time for me to buckle down and try to seriously get myself out there and find some sort of internship for next year. If nothing else I do not want to work for university residences again (not that it is a bad job, I just don't think I can do it again). Side thought...the longest I've had any job so far was about 3 years and each time I started to get pretty stir crazy. I hope that if/when I get into my preferred "field"I will be more content and won't feel the need to jump around so much.
Lastly, Andy Ober gave Jenny and I some last minute freebies to go see another preseason game - Bengals @ Colts a week ago. So we got to see Lucas Oil Stadium up close and personal, and the Bengals won (something I am worried about not celebrating a lot in the coming months). That said, my new favorite Bengal is Corey Lynch - not just because he makes a great impact on our D, but he's also a rookie from Appalachian State. Which means he was part of the David team that brought down Michigan last year at the Big House, apparently starting a tradition.
:D Football season!
MAN school caught up with me quick.
I'll spare you all the play-by-play of each day, but here's the summary:
MA 266 (differential equations) - again
AAE 301 (signals and systems analysis)
AAE 352 (structures II)
AAE 352 lab
CGT 226 (computer modeling - part modeling and advanced surface design)
13 credit hours.
Same old, same old, really. Difficult classes, I feel like I'm in over my head, the math involved blows my mind. I feel really...sluggish getting used to the routine, the workload, etc. Not crazy about trying to pass DE again, but what am I gonna do? Worried about student loans. Of course it wouldn't be a semester at Purdue for Ryan without problems with scheduling, registration, and student loan acceptance. a;sljdf;aljdf
On a scale of 1-1o, with 1 being Ferris Bueller's Day Off and 10 being Alexander's Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day, my schedule looks like:
Monday: 6
Tuesday: 4
Wednesday: 9 (5 classes spanning 7:30am to 5:30pm)
Thursday: 2
Friday: 7
A lot of my aero professors are downright crazy, but it's balanced by a generous amount of oh my god these guys are so smart. I also regret letting all my knowledge of CATIA atrophy over several years since CGT 163.
New apartment is nice, even though I kinda hate trekking up Chauncey Hill. Especially 3x a week at 7 in the morning. I am not used to early classes like this!
Improv is good. I've already seen a lot of familiar old faces, and it looks like we've got a good recruiting class, which couldn't come at a better time for us.
Several job fairs are coming up next week and I suppose it's high time for me to buckle down and try to seriously get myself out there and find some sort of internship for next year. If nothing else I do not want to work for university residences again (not that it is a bad job, I just don't think I can do it again). Side thought...the longest I've had any job so far was about 3 years and each time I started to get pretty stir crazy. I hope that if/when I get into my preferred "field"I will be more content and won't feel the need to jump around so much.
Lastly, Andy Ober gave Jenny and I some last minute freebies to go see another preseason game - Bengals @ Colts a week ago. So we got to see Lucas Oil Stadium up close and personal, and the Bengals won (something I am worried about not celebrating a lot in the coming months). That said, my new favorite Bengal is Corey Lynch - not just because he makes a great impact on our D, but he's also a rookie from Appalachian State. Which means he was part of the David team that brought down Michigan last year at the Big House, apparently starting a tradition.
:D Football season!
8.20.2008
dry erase board
Current Mood: still amazed
Tuesday I drove to Chicago with new Current Roommate Greg to go see Judas Priest on the Metal Masters tour.
Holy shit.
Despite driving through Chicago not a week earlier, I still forgot about the time change, which meant we left at 1:30, gained an hour, and arrived at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheater about three hours early. Totally not a problem - the weather was gorgeous (I'm convinced the nice weather for both of my trips dooms the start of school to be torrential downpours and 200% humidity until it snows in November). The drive was simple - it was located in the South side of Chicagoland, so there was only 1 toll either way and the traffic wasn't too bad either. The way up we listened to the JP's newest album, Nostradamus.
Anticipation.
I got my ticket for free with the purchase of the aforementioned Judas Priest album, but I wasn't expecting much because it was a lawn seat. I knew the concert series had a few acts associated with it - Testament, Motörhead, and Heaven & Hell. I figured one of the three other bands would open for Priest (maybe on rotation?), and then we'd be gone. 2 hours, maybe, 3 hours tops. I secretly held low expectations in case my treasured ancient bands hadn't aged well and just limped around stage singing low-key (double meaning intended) versions of their former selves.
Wrong.
Fun police stopped us at the door. Football to toss around in the parking lot to kill time? No playing catch allowed. Blanket for lawn seats? Not allowed. Binoculars? Too big. Greg's carabiner? Not allowed (apparently they can be made into makeshift brass knuckles, which I totally hadn't thought of before). Camera? Not allowed. Snacks? Not allowed. Mandatory pat-down? Check. I was beginning to wonder if it was even possible to have a show that even remotely resembled concerts of my favorite band's era(s).
Waiting.
Greg and I stood in line for merch for 45 minutes, thinking that later prices would be higher and they'd having nothing but 2XL. We spent the entire time checking out band shirts around us, and it was like an archeological dig. Pretty much every hard rock and heavy metal band represented here, and some 7 foot tall metalhead stopped to tell me "Man, I love your shirt. Queen's really sweet. I've been listening to them probably since before you were born." Greg and I settled on matching shirts featuring the Screaming for Vengeance eagle.
Thirsty.
Turns out the concert wasn't sold out, so they upgraded all the lawn seats to regular seats. We were stoked, until we found out that we moved 10 feet forward from the lawn right to the last row of seats. Yay? Testament opened first. I've not really heard much of them, but they really kinda sucked. Cookie monster vocals that I don't like. (Side note: I'm a big subscriber to the philosophy that if the music's too loud, you're too old, so I was a bit dismayed when Testament was actually hurting my ears. Afterwards Greg told me that the sound guy must've been drunk because the guitars were WAY too loud, squealing constantly and drowning out everything else out. Still: next concert, consider protection, as lame as that feels). Didn't recognize any of the songs, and the sun was in my eyes.
20 minute break to change sets.
Motörhead up next. I seriously can't understand a fucking word Lemmy says (Another side note: his real name is Ian Fraser Kilmister, which didn't need to be changed). Much better sound, but I still don't know the songs. Lots of ancient fans rocking out, which makes me smile. Finally I get pumped as they close with Ace of Spades - and I'll admit here to the world that I only know it because of Guitar Hero. At this point it's starting to look like maybe we'll see all four acts? Fans start whispering if H&H has a guest singer, or the real deal...
More fans fill in during the break.
Heaven and Hell has the most incredible stage set I've ever seen. And that's not just because the previous two acts had nothing more than a banner. We're talking 20 foot gargoyles, fog machines, decrepit cemetery fences and headstones, strobe lights and pyrotechnics. It looks like a Spencer's display at Halloween, and it's cheesy and perfect. Ronnie James Dio himself runs on stage in all his 5 foot 4 glory, and even our seats we can tell he's a tiny ball of energy. The crowd explodes as he greets us. I can't wait for the final act, but I know a lot more songs now. They play my two favorite songs of theirs, Time Machine and the eponymous Heaven and Hell. During the latter Dio stops in mid song to look at the sky, the lights die and a single spotlight illuminates his conversation with the angels. Then he tells them off and looks down at the floor, and a single enormous red light shines on his face, casting a demonic shadow behind him . He sings a deal with the devil and he dives back into the song. He leads the crowd along with the main riff to the song, and I've got goosebumps.
Encore! They play Neon Knights, and the drummer has glowsticks on his drum sticks. Fantastic.
Agonizing wait as the last bit of sun sets behind the stage. Finally, a 50 foot Nostradamus projection signals the entrance of one of my favorite bands. Rob Halford, the voice, wears a metallic robe and holds a scepter as he sings the intro track before diving into their setlist. To the best of my memory:
Dawn of Creation
Prophecy
Metal Gods
Eat Me Alive
Between the Hammer & the Anvil
Devil's Child
Breaking the Law
Hell Patrol
Dissident Aggressor
Angel
The Hellion/Electric Eye
Rock Hard Ride Free
Painkiller
Hell Bent for Leather
The Green Manalishi (with the Two Pronged Crown)
You've Got Another Thing Comin'
It's really hard for me to pick my favorite part. On the projector they had album covers from each song, Halford jumped on stage early on to wave the giant JP flags, they extended the drum solo before Painkiller (with the stick tosses), and seeing KK Downing and Glenn Tipton in perfect sync as they melted faces with their solos was amazing.
Rob Halford rode his Harley onstage for Hell Bent for Leather, which was a trademark moment I thought had passed since he hurt himself doing it a long time ago. Greg and I just about fell off our chairs (the chairs we were now standing on, not blocking view 'cuz we were the last row). I'm not going to claim that he invented it, but at one point Mr. Halford stopped to do a very Freddie Mercury-inspired vocal duet with the audience, with a series of short cries that slid up and down the scale. His voice was phenomenal. He still hit the high notes and I was incredibly impressed.
Overall, it was an phenomenal experience. Judas Priest rocked so fucking hard, it really blew me away. Greg and I really couldn't even talk afterward, we screamed and sang so much. The concert exceeded my wildest expectations, and I like Priest even more now (I didn't think it was even possible!). A six hour concert finished off by a great performance!
Tuesday I drove to Chicago with new Current Roommate Greg to go see Judas Priest on the Metal Masters tour.
Holy shit.
Despite driving through Chicago not a week earlier, I still forgot about the time change, which meant we left at 1:30, gained an hour, and arrived at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheater about three hours early. Totally not a problem - the weather was gorgeous (I'm convinced the nice weather for both of my trips dooms the start of school to be torrential downpours and 200% humidity until it snows in November). The drive was simple - it was located in the South side of Chicagoland, so there was only 1 toll either way and the traffic wasn't too bad either. The way up we listened to the JP's newest album, Nostradamus.
Anticipation.
I got my ticket for free with the purchase of the aforementioned Judas Priest album, but I wasn't expecting much because it was a lawn seat. I knew the concert series had a few acts associated with it - Testament, Motörhead, and Heaven & Hell. I figured one of the three other bands would open for Priest (maybe on rotation?), and then we'd be gone. 2 hours, maybe, 3 hours tops. I secretly held low expectations in case my treasured ancient bands hadn't aged well and just limped around stage singing low-key (double meaning intended) versions of their former selves.
Wrong.
Fun police stopped us at the door. Football to toss around in the parking lot to kill time? No playing catch allowed. Blanket for lawn seats? Not allowed. Binoculars? Too big. Greg's carabiner? Not allowed (apparently they can be made into makeshift brass knuckles, which I totally hadn't thought of before). Camera? Not allowed. Snacks? Not allowed. Mandatory pat-down? Check. I was beginning to wonder if it was even possible to have a show that even remotely resembled concerts of my favorite band's era(s).
Waiting.
Greg and I stood in line for merch for 45 minutes, thinking that later prices would be higher and they'd having nothing but 2XL. We spent the entire time checking out band shirts around us, and it was like an archeological dig. Pretty much every hard rock and heavy metal band represented here, and some 7 foot tall metalhead stopped to tell me "Man, I love your shirt. Queen's really sweet. I've been listening to them probably since before you were born." Greg and I settled on matching shirts featuring the Screaming for Vengeance eagle.
Thirsty.
Turns out the concert wasn't sold out, so they upgraded all the lawn seats to regular seats. We were stoked, until we found out that we moved 10 feet forward from the lawn right to the last row of seats. Yay? Testament opened first. I've not really heard much of them, but they really kinda sucked. Cookie monster vocals that I don't like. (Side note: I'm a big subscriber to the philosophy that if the music's too loud, you're too old, so I was a bit dismayed when Testament was actually hurting my ears. Afterwards Greg told me that the sound guy must've been drunk because the guitars were WAY too loud, squealing constantly and drowning out everything else out. Still: next concert, consider protection, as lame as that feels). Didn't recognize any of the songs, and the sun was in my eyes.
20 minute break to change sets.
Motörhead up next. I seriously can't understand a fucking word Lemmy says (Another side note: his real name is Ian Fraser Kilmister, which didn't need to be changed). Much better sound, but I still don't know the songs. Lots of ancient fans rocking out, which makes me smile. Finally I get pumped as they close with Ace of Spades - and I'll admit here to the world that I only know it because of Guitar Hero. At this point it's starting to look like maybe we'll see all four acts? Fans start whispering if H&H has a guest singer, or the real deal...
More fans fill in during the break.
Heaven and Hell has the most incredible stage set I've ever seen. And that's not just because the previous two acts had nothing more than a banner. We're talking 20 foot gargoyles, fog machines, decrepit cemetery fences and headstones, strobe lights and pyrotechnics. It looks like a Spencer's display at Halloween, and it's cheesy and perfect. Ronnie James Dio himself runs on stage in all his 5 foot 4 glory, and even our seats we can tell he's a tiny ball of energy. The crowd explodes as he greets us. I can't wait for the final act, but I know a lot more songs now. They play my two favorite songs of theirs, Time Machine and the eponymous Heaven and Hell. During the latter Dio stops in mid song to look at the sky, the lights die and a single spotlight illuminates his conversation with the angels. Then he tells them off and looks down at the floor, and a single enormous red light shines on his face, casting a demonic shadow behind him . He sings a deal with the devil and he dives back into the song. He leads the crowd along with the main riff to the song, and I've got goosebumps.
Encore! They play Neon Knights, and the drummer has glowsticks on his drum sticks. Fantastic.
Agonizing wait as the last bit of sun sets behind the stage. Finally, a 50 foot Nostradamus projection signals the entrance of one of my favorite bands. Rob Halford, the voice, wears a metallic robe and holds a scepter as he sings the intro track before diving into their setlist. To the best of my memory:
Dawn of Creation
Prophecy
Metal Gods
Eat Me Alive
Between the Hammer & the Anvil
Devil's Child
Breaking the Law
Hell Patrol
Dissident Aggressor
Angel
The Hellion/Electric Eye
Rock Hard Ride Free
Painkiller
Hell Bent for Leather
The Green Manalishi (with the Two Pronged Crown)
You've Got Another Thing Comin'
It's really hard for me to pick my favorite part. On the projector they had album covers from each song, Halford jumped on stage early on to wave the giant JP flags, they extended the drum solo before Painkiller (with the stick tosses), and seeing KK Downing and Glenn Tipton in perfect sync as they melted faces with their solos was amazing.
Rob Halford rode his Harley onstage for Hell Bent for Leather, which was a trademark moment I thought had passed since he hurt himself doing it a long time ago. Greg and I just about fell off our chairs (the chairs we were now standing on, not blocking view 'cuz we were the last row). I'm not going to claim that he invented it, but at one point Mr. Halford stopped to do a very Freddie Mercury-inspired vocal duet with the audience, with a series of short cries that slid up and down the scale. His voice was phenomenal. He still hit the high notes and I was incredibly impressed.
Overall, it was an phenomenal experience. Judas Priest rocked so fucking hard, it really blew me away. Greg and I really couldn't even talk afterward, we screamed and sang so much. The concert exceeded my wildest expectations, and I like Priest even more now (I didn't think it was even possible!). A six hour concert finished off by a great performance!
8.16.2008
arguably the best summary ever
Current Mood: summer is slipping away...
I've been slackin' on my goal to post once a week here.
Part of that was the early part of the month - I helped Jenny move from Hillenbrand to her new place, and then I moved out of both my old apt. and Earhart into my new place. Many thanks to everybody that helped.
I'm glad that's over, because it felt like a solid week of moving, and the furniture especially sucked to move. I guess I'd underestimated how much stuff I really left back at the old place. That's even with a concerted effort not to keep a lot of things, and even still it was a lot!
I'm more or less all settled in my new place, and it's really nice - a lot of that is just more space, but also the pool, laundry room, more a/c. Greg and I are hangin' all the time (I even have gotten him hooked on RE4) and it looks like it will be a blast living together. I have a slight suspicion that there's a bug infestation in a nearby apartment, but hopefully that's just me being paranoid.
Still need to get my registration and loans goin'...
The other big part of August so far has been Jenny and I's trip to Green Bay. Jenny posted pictures and kinda chronicled everything here: 1 2 3
We left Sunday morning and forgot about the time change driving through Chicago. I'm technically from Cincy, but I really am not a downtown driver. So of course I was terrified to navigate my way to my friend [from improv long ago] Scott's house in the heart of the city. Still, it was a Sunday afternoon and despite a few slow moments and a few tolls, we made it okay. I'll go ahead and mention here the weather was gorgeous the entire time.
Side note: later I want to take a trip to Chicago and get a CityPass because pretty much all of the stuff I want to do and see there is a nerdy museum of some kind. Also, the pass is good for 9 days, so it'll be a big expensive trip.
Had a great time with Scott and his girlfriend Allison. We walked like, 2 miles, trying to find Giordano's Pizza - in part because it's Stu's favorite chain, in part because I'd never had authentic deep dish. This was also my first time to Chicago, despite living 2 hours away for 4 years. After stuffing myself, we rode the 'L' into downtown Chicago (the whole time I kept fantasizing about skipping a day of school to see the sights, making dozens of police cars chase me all over town, and then hunting down the one armed man - and if I was very lucky, seeing Janitor [bonus points to anybody who got that one]).
An eerily quiet Chicago downtown awaited us. We saw the Magnificent Mile (why is it magnificent? because of shopping, apparently, not because of grisly murders), Sears Tower (from the ground), and the street they filmed some of The Dark Knight on. Took pictures at the Bean (sigh). Later that night Scott made us pot roast and we watched a bit of vintage Ah-nold.
The next day we drove to Green Bay. The drive up was pretty uneventful, even if Milwaukee was 50x bigger than I thought it would be (I guess when the only idea of Wisconsin I have is from That 70's Show, I kinda imagined the whole state looked like Eric Forman's house).
Green Bay The City is awesome. The whole town is just like you think - everybody there has a cute almost Canadian accent (mostly it's the drawn out "o"s) and a Favre jersey, even with all the crazy shit that's been going on with him being traded to the Jets. I watched Jenny buy a ton of Packers stuff she's been wanting for a long time, 'cuz it's cheaper/only found there.
Every fan we met there was super nice. Granted, it's not like the Bengals and Packers are hard-core division rivals, but basically it was nothing but smiles and waves. I got to try more local food: butter burgers, cheese curds, and a real bratwurst. Fantastic. My first NFL game was at historic Lambeau, and it was really pretty amazing, like any old stadium should be.
Our sign ("We drove 8 hours to get here, and the loser pays gas!") made some people laugh, but it didn't get us on TV. Oh well. Turns out the family behind us drove 18 hours from Montana, anyway, so it didn't seem so impressive. Plus it was a lie...beforehand we decided that I'd buy tickets, Jenny would buy gas. Yes, that's right, I lied to try to get on the Jumbotron.
Speaking of tickets, our seats were on the 20 yard line-ish, and the view was about the same as Ross-Ade watching the Boilermakers, that is to say pretty decent. The preseason game doesn't count for anything, but it was awesome to see our teams actually playing, tackling, passing, and kicking against each other. Bengals won 20-17, and I was happy to see Aaron Rodgers take over the Packers offense without Favre and do a good job. The drunkest fans we saw were middle aged schoolteachers sitting in the row in front of us. Odd.
The next part of the trip started right after the game. We drove about an hour and a half West of GB to a little town called Waupaca to stay with Jenny's aunt and uncle. They were really nice and drove us around the area to show us some parks and lakes and take us out to eat. Uncle Dennis had an amazing vinyl collection that I went really crazy for. Like for all of Jenny's family, I turned up the charm hoping they would like me. Like all of Jenny's family, I think it worked :D
Unlike the 2-day trip up, we drove back all in one day on Wednesday. We covered close to 400 miles. The rest stop was in Pleasant Prairie (right near the southern WI border) to take a tour of the Jelly Belly factory. Seriously, we only stopped here to stretch our legs, but it was a fun stop. Bought some JB irregulars ("Belly Flops") and some caffeinated "sport beans". The next "stop" was rush-hour Chicago. Seriously...close to 3 hours to go like, 60 miles, and I think we spent 20 dollars in tolls. In retrospect, FUCK toll roads. We drove s'more and had a nice dinner with Benji and Corrie in Valpo (and found a sweet water park for next year).
Whew. Next up: Judas Priest concert on Tuesday.
I've been slackin' on my goal to post once a week here.
Part of that was the early part of the month - I helped Jenny move from Hillenbrand to her new place, and then I moved out of both my old apt. and Earhart into my new place. Many thanks to everybody that helped.
I'm glad that's over, because it felt like a solid week of moving, and the furniture especially sucked to move. I guess I'd underestimated how much stuff I really left back at the old place. That's even with a concerted effort not to keep a lot of things, and even still it was a lot!
I'm more or less all settled in my new place, and it's really nice - a lot of that is just more space, but also the pool, laundry room, more a/c. Greg and I are hangin' all the time (I even have gotten him hooked on RE4) and it looks like it will be a blast living together. I have a slight suspicion that there's a bug infestation in a nearby apartment, but hopefully that's just me being paranoid.
Still need to get my registration and loans goin'...
The other big part of August so far has been Jenny and I's trip to Green Bay. Jenny posted pictures and kinda chronicled everything here: 1 2 3
We left Sunday morning and forgot about the time change driving through Chicago. I'm technically from Cincy, but I really am not a downtown driver. So of course I was terrified to navigate my way to my friend [from improv long ago] Scott's house in the heart of the city. Still, it was a Sunday afternoon and despite a few slow moments and a few tolls, we made it okay. I'll go ahead and mention here the weather was gorgeous the entire time.
Side note: later I want to take a trip to Chicago and get a CityPass because pretty much all of the stuff I want to do and see there is a nerdy museum of some kind. Also, the pass is good for 9 days, so it'll be a big expensive trip.
Had a great time with Scott and his girlfriend Allison. We walked like, 2 miles, trying to find Giordano's Pizza - in part because it's Stu's favorite chain, in part because I'd never had authentic deep dish. This was also my first time to Chicago, despite living 2 hours away for 4 years. After stuffing myself, we rode the 'L' into downtown Chicago (the whole time I kept fantasizing about skipping a day of school to see the sights, making dozens of police cars chase me all over town, and then hunting down the one armed man - and if I was very lucky, seeing Janitor [bonus points to anybody who got that one]).
An eerily quiet Chicago downtown awaited us. We saw the Magnificent Mile (why is it magnificent? because of shopping, apparently, not because of grisly murders), Sears Tower (from the ground), and the street they filmed some of The Dark Knight on. Took pictures at the Bean (sigh). Later that night Scott made us pot roast and we watched a bit of vintage Ah-nold.
The next day we drove to Green Bay. The drive up was pretty uneventful, even if Milwaukee was 50x bigger than I thought it would be (I guess when the only idea of Wisconsin I have is from That 70's Show, I kinda imagined the whole state looked like Eric Forman's house).
Green Bay The City is awesome. The whole town is just like you think - everybody there has a cute almost Canadian accent (mostly it's the drawn out "o"s) and a Favre jersey, even with all the crazy shit that's been going on with him being traded to the Jets. I watched Jenny buy a ton of Packers stuff she's been wanting for a long time, 'cuz it's cheaper/only found there.
Every fan we met there was super nice. Granted, it's not like the Bengals and Packers are hard-core division rivals, but basically it was nothing but smiles and waves. I got to try more local food: butter burgers, cheese curds, and a real bratwurst. Fantastic. My first NFL game was at historic Lambeau, and it was really pretty amazing, like any old stadium should be.
Our sign ("We drove 8 hours to get here, and the loser pays gas!") made some people laugh, but it didn't get us on TV. Oh well. Turns out the family behind us drove 18 hours from Montana, anyway, so it didn't seem so impressive. Plus it was a lie...beforehand we decided that I'd buy tickets, Jenny would buy gas. Yes, that's right, I lied to try to get on the Jumbotron.
Speaking of tickets, our seats were on the 20 yard line-ish, and the view was about the same as Ross-Ade watching the Boilermakers, that is to say pretty decent. The preseason game doesn't count for anything, but it was awesome to see our teams actually playing, tackling, passing, and kicking against each other. Bengals won 20-17, and I was happy to see Aaron Rodgers take over the Packers offense without Favre and do a good job. The drunkest fans we saw were middle aged schoolteachers sitting in the row in front of us. Odd.
The next part of the trip started right after the game. We drove about an hour and a half West of GB to a little town called Waupaca to stay with Jenny's aunt and uncle. They were really nice and drove us around the area to show us some parks and lakes and take us out to eat. Uncle Dennis had an amazing vinyl collection that I went really crazy for. Like for all of Jenny's family, I turned up the charm hoping they would like me. Like all of Jenny's family, I think it worked :D
Unlike the 2-day trip up, we drove back all in one day on Wednesday. We covered close to 400 miles. The rest stop was in Pleasant Prairie (right near the southern WI border) to take a tour of the Jelly Belly factory. Seriously, we only stopped here to stretch our legs, but it was a fun stop. Bought some JB irregulars ("Belly Flops") and some caffeinated "sport beans". The next "stop" was rush-hour Chicago. Seriously...close to 3 hours to go like, 60 miles, and I think we spent 20 dollars in tolls. In retrospect, FUCK toll roads. We drove s'more and had a nice dinner with Benji and Corrie in Valpo (and found a sweet water park for next year).
Whew. Next up: Judas Priest concert on Tuesday.
7.23.2008
Baby Hold On
900 posts!
Current Mood: frustrated
My summer work is almost over. About 2 more weeks of work, and then I'll be done with conferences, done with Earhart, and done with dining hall food. Our last big conference leaves Sunday and I get my floor back, I get paid at the end of the month, and things start to wind down.
Still, the last bit isn't exactly going very smoothly. I was told at the start of the summer to prepare to work until August 8th, which I was. Then we had a staff meeting and were told we could leave on the 3rd...only to get an email an hour later revoking it. Not such a big deal except we still are being asked to move out of our rooms by the 4th to turn things over to the new RAs. Power outages, being on call until the early hours of the morning, construction, and all other sorts of things are workin' my last nerve.
Yeah, this job really can't be beat in terms of compensation (pay, food, housing) vs. actual work (duty, check ins, etc.), but I am really getting sick of doing this. I can't leave my work at work, because I also live, eat, sleep, and socialize here. I'm not making any progress career-wise, either. It's very much a safety job for me, and I want to break free.
I really miss apartment living, which is another reason I'm aching to leave. I need to figure out moving out of Earhart and my old apartment into my new one, and coordinate things with both new roommates and their old one, plus my "current" roommate and the two subleasers living there. On top of that I have to find a vehicle to move my bed, desk, flatware and such, plus move a ton of stuff to other people (Wii, TV, fridge, couch). Plus my fantastic old apt. landlords decided to pro-rate rent for the month of August, so I have to cough up about 100 dollars on top of it all. Who knows how much of my security deposit I'll get back.
And then of course I still need to get registered for classes...but I have made some progress! I went to see my advisor. He pawned me off to his secretary (actually a really nice lady), who informed me that Purdue is transferring all of their administrative tasks to an entirely new software system. So she tried to help me, but I couldn't do anything because of a hold. So I took the printoff to Schleman. Schleman told me it was a loan thing - because of academic problems last year I've been making student loan payments, but part of that was Purdue is also transferring lenders - a multimillion dollar deal. I took the printoff to University Collections. UC told me it was still having problems with "student status" from my academic problems from last year. I went to Hovde and got an official transcript and brought it back to UC. UC told me to wait a few days for the system to update, and then I should be able to go back to my advisor's secretary and register, so then I'll have registered student status for the Fall so I can now apply for a student loan.
And I'm sure that'll just happen without any problems.
What a difference from my last post, eh?
Current Mood: frustrated
My summer work is almost over. About 2 more weeks of work, and then I'll be done with conferences, done with Earhart, and done with dining hall food. Our last big conference leaves Sunday and I get my floor back, I get paid at the end of the month, and things start to wind down.
Still, the last bit isn't exactly going very smoothly. I was told at the start of the summer to prepare to work until August 8th, which I was. Then we had a staff meeting and were told we could leave on the 3rd...only to get an email an hour later revoking it. Not such a big deal except we still are being asked to move out of our rooms by the 4th to turn things over to the new RAs. Power outages, being on call until the early hours of the morning, construction, and all other sorts of things are workin' my last nerve.
Yeah, this job really can't be beat in terms of compensation (pay, food, housing) vs. actual work (duty, check ins, etc.), but I am really getting sick of doing this. I can't leave my work at work, because I also live, eat, sleep, and socialize here. I'm not making any progress career-wise, either. It's very much a safety job for me, and I want to break free.
I really miss apartment living, which is another reason I'm aching to leave. I need to figure out moving out of Earhart and my old apartment into my new one, and coordinate things with both new roommates and their old one, plus my "current" roommate and the two subleasers living there. On top of that I have to find a vehicle to move my bed, desk, flatware and such, plus move a ton of stuff to other people (Wii, TV, fridge, couch). Plus my fantastic old apt. landlords decided to pro-rate rent for the month of August, so I have to cough up about 100 dollars on top of it all. Who knows how much of my security deposit I'll get back.
And then of course I still need to get registered for classes...but I have made some progress! I went to see my advisor. He pawned me off to his secretary (actually a really nice lady), who informed me that Purdue is transferring all of their administrative tasks to an entirely new software system. So she tried to help me, but I couldn't do anything because of a hold. So I took the printoff to Schleman. Schleman told me it was a loan thing - because of academic problems last year I've been making student loan payments, but part of that was Purdue is also transferring lenders - a multimillion dollar deal. I took the printoff to University Collections. UC told me it was still having problems with "student status" from my academic problems from last year. I went to Hovde and got an official transcript and brought it back to UC. UC told me to wait a few days for the system to update, and then I should be able to go back to my advisor's secretary and register, so then I'll have registered student status for the Fall so I can now apply for a student loan.
And I'm sure that'll just happen without any problems.
What a difference from my last post, eh?
5.18.2008
Retrospective
Current Mood: excited
Hey guys! I am less busy now that it is summer. I've moved back into University Residences (Earhart Hall) and will once again be a summer Operations Assistant for conferences. I am more or less a summer RA until August. I'll be on duty a few nights a week - required to stay in the building, doing rounds, check ins/outs, etc. I will probably try to take a summer class.
In August I move into my new apartment with Greg and Chad - I'm pretty excited about that. Woo! Pool! Washer and dryer! Bigger bedroom!
I'm going to try to write in here more, as well. If any of you still care to read, I'm also going to be updating my NaNoWriMo story from last year - starting tonight! I aim to update both blogs at least once a week. Speaking of blogs, I got an actual phone call from Allister today, and it was a fantastic surprise - thanks man!
Along with my class, books, video games, and work, I'm gonna try to stay busy.
It's a bit of a blast from the past to go back to the residence halls each summer, now that I've been in the apartment. I don't cook or clean, and I'm back to using my freshman shower caddy and my sandals have been pressed back into service as shower shoes. It's a bit odd. Fortunately, Jenny is working in the hall across the street and the rest of the staff is really nice. I have a very firm grasp of the job at hand.
This May marks the end of four official years at Purdue - and I'm at least one year (probably more) away from my degree. I'm trying really hard to accept that as okay and enjoy it, instead of worrying and beating myself up. It has been a very long road, with more to go, but I have overcome a lot to even be where I am.
Hey guys! I am less busy now that it is summer. I've moved back into University Residences (Earhart Hall) and will once again be a summer Operations Assistant for conferences. I am more or less a summer RA until August. I'll be on duty a few nights a week - required to stay in the building, doing rounds, check ins/outs, etc. I will probably try to take a summer class.
In August I move into my new apartment with Greg and Chad - I'm pretty excited about that. Woo! Pool! Washer and dryer! Bigger bedroom!
I'm going to try to write in here more, as well. If any of you still care to read, I'm also going to be updating my NaNoWriMo story from last year - starting tonight! I aim to update both blogs at least once a week. Speaking of blogs, I got an actual phone call from Allister today, and it was a fantastic surprise - thanks man!
Along with my class, books, video games, and work, I'm gonna try to stay busy.
It's a bit of a blast from the past to go back to the residence halls each summer, now that I've been in the apartment. I don't cook or clean, and I'm back to using my freshman shower caddy and my sandals have been pressed back into service as shower shoes. It's a bit odd. Fortunately, Jenny is working in the hall across the street and the rest of the staff is really nice. I have a very firm grasp of the job at hand.
This May marks the end of four official years at Purdue - and I'm at least one year (probably more) away from my degree. I'm trying really hard to accept that as okay and enjoy it, instead of worrying and beating myself up. It has been a very long road, with more to go, but I have overcome a lot to even be where I am.
3.15.2008
Something dreams
Current Mood: grab-bag
Current Roommate Alex needs some help! He's looking for twenty good men and/or women to win free stuff! If enough entries come in by the 18th, the winner gets some stuff from the Something Store.
Good luck!
Current Roommate Alex needs some help! He's looking for twenty good men and/or women to win free stuff! If enough entries come in by the 18th, the winner gets some stuff from the Something Store.
Good luck!
Fukushima dreams
Current Mood: maniacal
Current Roommate Alex has alerted me to a contest! His friend Adam, some guy living in Japan participating in the JET Programme, is giving stuff away. He needs help deciding what, however.
That's where I come in. If I win the contest, I want Japanese LEGOs.
So, Adam - if you're reading this, I want you to find me some LEGOs from Japan. Preferably some giant anime styled mecha LEGOs filled with little Japanese characters I don't understand. They don't even have to be official ones - I'll take knockoffs. If anybody else is reading, head on over for the official rules - anybody can enter, but the deadline is the 18th.
*Probably most accurately described as co-owning with my siblings.
Current Roommate Alex has alerted me to a contest! His friend Adam, some guy living in Japan participating in the JET Programme, is giving stuff away. He needs help deciding what, however.
That's where I come in. If I win the contest, I want Japanese LEGOs.
Some backstory:
I fucking love LEGOs. I* own probably upwards of 10,000 individual pieces, and spent a good portion of my childhood income (and even some of my adult income) on purchasing sets and bricks. I asked for them every birthday, Christmas, and any other event I could bargain for.
I clearly remember my first set. It was a "Town" themed box with a black jeep, towing a black speedboat. I named my first LEGO character Jack, and it was with that set that I joined the LEGO fan club. I was a LEGO maniac (your feet quiver/your feet tap/it's enough to make you snap), I read the magazine, and I've no doubt my love of these toys is/was tied to my current studies of engineering.
So, Adam - if you're reading this, I want you to find me some LEGOs from Japan. Preferably some giant anime styled mecha LEGOs filled with little Japanese characters I don't understand. They don't even have to be official ones - I'll take knockoffs. If anybody else is reading, head on over for the official rules - anybody can enter, but the deadline is the 18th.
*Probably most accurately described as co-owning with my siblings.
12.20.2007
crazy sevens
Current Mood: funky
I think NaNoWriMo completely burned me out on writing, seriously. I haven't updated my NNWM story since a few days before the end of November (and I feel kinda bad, because quite a few people bothered to read it, and I'm guessing they're sick of checking for non-existent updates).
Worse, things on my writing front aren't going to improve anytime soon. About the only thing I write about in *this* blog with any regularity is football, and fantasy football ends this week, college bowls by the first week of January, and this is the penultimate week of regular season football. I am sad for that.
I'm leaving to go home in a few hours, and I'll be back to Purdue probably around the end of the year. I'm not addicted to the internet like Current Roommates Alex and John, so I won't take my computer home (that's a pain in the ass anyway, though I really do need to break down the 'ol compy and dust 'er off). Basically, I won't be updating much for a while at home.
On top of all that, this upcoming semester (starting January 7th) is probably one of the most important of my collegiate career. I need to seriously buckle down and overcome some academic roadblocks I've been struggling with for quite some time.
My rough attempt at a plan involves not working (already quit my job), scaling back my role at the improv club (read: less worrying over details/let new guys step up), and take out more student loans to worry less about money. The last one is almost paradoxical, but from last semester I think it is worth a try. There are some other things, but I don't want to list them here.
Also, on the proactive side of life, I need to start finding something to do this summer. I can easily go back to my old job as a summer conference assistant, but that's a step backwards and I'm getting sick of it. I want to do something engineering, something I am proud to put on my resume...but that's easier said than done with my gpa.
I tell myself to cut some slack because I'm stretching myself academically like whoa, but still...nobody to blame but yours truly. Get it together, Ryan.
Space is limited
In a haiku, so it's hard
To finish what you
-T.M
I think NaNoWriMo completely burned me out on writing, seriously. I haven't updated my NNWM story since a few days before the end of November (and I feel kinda bad, because quite a few people bothered to read it, and I'm guessing they're sick of checking for non-existent updates).
Worse, things on my writing front aren't going to improve anytime soon. About the only thing I write about in *this* blog with any regularity is football, and fantasy football ends this week, college bowls by the first week of January, and this is the penultimate week of regular season football. I am sad for that.
I'm leaving to go home in a few hours, and I'll be back to Purdue probably around the end of the year. I'm not addicted to the internet like Current Roommates Alex and John, so I won't take my computer home (that's a pain in the ass anyway, though I really do need to break down the 'ol compy and dust 'er off). Basically, I won't be updating much for a while at home.
On top of all that, this upcoming semester (starting January 7th) is probably one of the most important of my collegiate career. I need to seriously buckle down and overcome some academic roadblocks I've been struggling with for quite some time.
My rough attempt at a plan involves not working (already quit my job), scaling back my role at the improv club (read: less worrying over details/let new guys step up), and take out more student loans to worry less about money. The last one is almost paradoxical, but from last semester I think it is worth a try. There are some other things, but I don't want to list them here.
Also, on the proactive side of life, I need to start finding something to do this summer. I can easily go back to my old job as a summer conference assistant, but that's a step backwards and I'm getting sick of it. I want to do something engineering, something I am proud to put on my resume...but that's easier said than done with my gpa.
I tell myself to cut some slack because I'm stretching myself academically like whoa, but still...nobody to blame but yours truly. Get it together, Ryan.
Space is limited
In a haiku, so it's hard
To finish what you
-T.M
11.14.2007
there goes the Rose Bowl
Current Mood: sore
Jenny got me the newest Avenged Sevenfold album and Disney's RocketMan on dvd as anniversary presents (Amazon shipped a few days late). There are probably only a few people reading who understand the significance of the latter gift, but trust me when I say it has been on my wish list for some time.
Yesterday I signed the lease for next year's apartment on the landing with Future Roommates Greg and Chad. I have a feeling that'll be quite a fun living arrangement, considering the wide overlap of interests. While I'm on the subject of apartments, Current Roommate Alex has Gamefly and I've discovered the crazy hedonism that is Elebits. Other games I'm playing (at least casually) are Red Steel and a MegaMan collection, all for the Wii. They probably are at least in part to blame for my novel being behind schedule.
Onto sports!
I will freely admit that football has quickly risen to my top interest amongst sports, and probably is near the top of my interests in general. I also have a minor interest in other sports though, including NASCAR and MLB. The latter of which really isn't too strong - that's more of my dad's thing. Still, I like the Cincinnati Reds and the Florida Marlins, and have an incredible dislike for the New York Yankees, and to a lesser extent the Cleveland Indians. Here's a nice little summary of the Reds in the offseason. Apparently we're having salary problems? Baseball buffs might want to check out 1986: Take Two, a complete simulation of the year of my birth in terms of major league baseball, using statistics and data to build models.
I think that models like this are fascinating, especially when they are reasonably accurate! Madden users have been predicting the outcomes of football games for years, and apparently the high-end ones are good at at least predicting the winner of the game, if not the score.
Purdue lost to Michigan State 48-31. I make no attempt at hiding the fact that I think this is a crock of shit, since they had a crappy record and we should have beaten them soundly. However, I did get to attend the game because my friend Eric (Beard) gave me John (Cowboy)'s ticket since he was out of town. The loss was disappointing, but the company was anything but. We had amazing seats, just nine rows back, and nice fall weather. Beard was enthusiastic and funny, and let me tell you the man can yell like none other.
I'm not a superstitious sports fan by any means, but of Purdue's four losses this season, I've attended both home losses and none of the other games. *shrug* We are now ranked seventh in the Big Ten, with a record of 3-4 conference, 7-4 all. Our final game this Saturday is at Indiana, the annual Old Oaken Bucket rivalry game. They are 2-5/6-5, and actually have a shot at winning, unfortunately. This is at least on a par with the annual Ohio State vs Michigan game - both teams are 6-1 conference having both lost last weekend unexpectedly (Ohio State felled by unranked Illinois?!). Ohio State looks to be the stronger team with an overall record of 10-1 with the nation's #1 defense, vs. Michigan's 8-3 with losses to Appalachian St. and Oregon, plus injuries at QB and RB. Future Roommate Greg and I are divided in this manner and I think that next year the game will have to decide something big.
Continuing on through this recap of wacky football, the Dolphins nearly beat the Bills (13-10). As the Bengals were the most recent victim of the Bills' weak team, I nearly went ballistic until the winless Dolphins blew a 3rd quarter lead. Whew, that was close - our mediocre team almost looked even worse.
Speaking of blown leads, a Browns victory over the Steelers would've been good for my division, but the "big Doug Flutie" Ben Roethlisberger had a comeback drive to win 31-28. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm okay with rooting for the Browns as of late. I like QB Derek Anderson, and I also like WR Braylon Edwards (okay, some of that is his studly performance in fantasy football). I swear to god, though, the moment Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn gets in there, they're right back to my hated in-state division rivals.
Green Bay found a running game! They shut out the Vikings 34-0 and Adrian Peterson left early with a knee injury. They're now 8-1, tied for the best NFC record with the Cowboys, and face the 4-5 Panthers at Lambeau next. RB Ryan Grant had over 100 yards rushing, the first Vikings opponent to do so, and allowed some balance to Favre's gunslinging ways. This makes me really happy. Fox switching the game over to Eagles vs. Redskins once the game was one sided, however, did not make me really happy. It made me none happy. Negative, even.
I don't know what to make of the Saints anymore. Let's get some fuckin' consistency, good or bad, please. I mostly blame the quarterback in these situations, and Brees went back to his opening four game slump and contributed to the 37-29 loss to the Rams. THE RAMS. THE RAMS WHO WERE PREVIOUSLY WINLESS. *snarl* They fall to 4-5, the same record as the Texans they face this week. Fortunately, even after giving the Rams their first win (now only the Dolphins are winless), the Saints are in a shitty division and can come back - but they have to be good from now on. Seriously, Drew Brees, what the hell.
I don't know what's weirder, that the Cardinals scored 31 points to beat the Lions, or that the Lions only scored 21 to lose (considering last week), with negative yardage. And speaking of weird, the Colts lost to the Chargers, 23-21. Now, I never thought San Diego was that good anyway, having seen their [lack of] offensive production in the first ten weeks, and Indianapolis should've been hungry to win it after losing to the dirty cheaters [Patriots].
Maybe the Colts were hungry and they were decimated by injuries. Or Mr. Clutch Adam Vinatieri missed 2 field goals in a dome, the latter of which - a potential game winner - was 29 yards. Or Robot Manning threw six interceptions ("so why wouldn't you use it to throw into coverage?"). Whatever, pick your poison, the point is it shouldn't have happened. As Future Roommate Greg put it, the Chargers had a 16 point lead at the half, so the fact that there was a comeback at all was telling - Indy shouldn't have had that chance in the first place the way they played.
Cowboys beat the Giants, 31-20, in what some people figured was a battle of QBs. Fine with me, I never had any doubt in my boy Tony Romo. The undrafted rookie made a fool of Manning's brother - even though they were similar statistically, Romo is creative and scrappy and so much fun to watch! I heard he even plays Guitar Hero, so how can I not love him? They improve to 8-1, with a massive NFC east lead. Next up: 5-4 Redskins division game at Texas Stadium.
Finally, some good news. Bengals didn't score a touchdown and still beat the Ravens 21-7. At first I was upset that Carson Palmer wasn't finishing what he started [i.e. drives], and that Chad Johnson was hurt or Houshmandzadeh broke his TD streak. Turns out Ravens played a specific deep cover defense, so short passes by Palmer led to field position, and kicker Shayne Graham scored 21 points himself through field goals. That's seven FGs, one less than the record of eight set earlier this season by Titans' Rob Bironas. Wasn't pretty, but it was a division win bringing us one step closer to .500. That leaves us at 3-6, vs the 4-5 Cardinals at the Jungle in Cincy this week.
Lastly, fantasy football. I lost to Jenny 79-57, and while neither of us had a huge score or made the best choices of who to start, I really am frustrated with myself. I had two questionable players - New Orleans RB Reggie Bush and Indianapolis TE Dallas Clark. I decided to risk one, replace the other, and it bit me in the ass twice. Reggie Bush, who I did not play, had a great day. Much better than his replacement, Dallas RB Julius Jones. Dallas Clark, whom I figured was going to play, did not. ON TOP of all that, I figured the Colts' kicker would bail me out, but no. Optimal score was 90. This drops me back to .500, 4th place and 3 games behind. Three more weeks (including this one) until the playoffs...
Jenny got me the newest Avenged Sevenfold album and Disney's RocketMan on dvd as anniversary presents (Amazon shipped a few days late). There are probably only a few people reading who understand the significance of the latter gift, but trust me when I say it has been on my wish list for some time.
Yesterday I signed the lease for next year's apartment on the landing with Future Roommates Greg and Chad. I have a feeling that'll be quite a fun living arrangement, considering the wide overlap of interests. While I'm on the subject of apartments, Current Roommate Alex has Gamefly and I've discovered the crazy hedonism that is Elebits. Other games I'm playing (at least casually) are Red Steel and a MegaMan collection, all for the Wii. They probably are at least in part to blame for my novel being behind schedule.
Onto sports!
I will freely admit that football has quickly risen to my top interest amongst sports, and probably is near the top of my interests in general. I also have a minor interest in other sports though, including NASCAR and MLB. The latter of which really isn't too strong - that's more of my dad's thing. Still, I like the Cincinnati Reds and the Florida Marlins, and have an incredible dislike for the New York Yankees, and to a lesser extent the Cleveland Indians. Here's a nice little summary of the Reds in the offseason. Apparently we're having salary problems? Baseball buffs might want to check out 1986: Take Two, a complete simulation of the year of my birth in terms of major league baseball, using statistics and data to build models.
I think that models like this are fascinating, especially when they are reasonably accurate! Madden users have been predicting the outcomes of football games for years, and apparently the high-end ones are good at at least predicting the winner of the game, if not the score.
Purdue lost to Michigan State 48-31. I make no attempt at hiding the fact that I think this is a crock of shit, since they had a crappy record and we should have beaten them soundly. However, I did get to attend the game because my friend Eric (Beard) gave me John (Cowboy)'s ticket since he was out of town. The loss was disappointing, but the company was anything but. We had amazing seats, just nine rows back, and nice fall weather. Beard was enthusiastic and funny, and let me tell you the man can yell like none other.
I'm not a superstitious sports fan by any means, but of Purdue's four losses this season, I've attended both home losses and none of the other games. *shrug* We are now ranked seventh in the Big Ten, with a record of 3-4 conference, 7-4 all. Our final game this Saturday is at Indiana, the annual Old Oaken Bucket rivalry game. They are 2-5/6-5, and actually have a shot at winning, unfortunately. This is at least on a par with the annual Ohio State vs Michigan game - both teams are 6-1 conference having both lost last weekend unexpectedly (Ohio State felled by unranked Illinois?!). Ohio State looks to be the stronger team with an overall record of 10-1 with the nation's #1 defense, vs. Michigan's 8-3 with losses to Appalachian St. and Oregon, plus injuries at QB and RB. Future Roommate Greg and I are divided in this manner and I think that next year the game will have to decide something big.
Continuing on through this recap of wacky football, the Dolphins nearly beat the Bills (13-10). As the Bengals were the most recent victim of the Bills' weak team, I nearly went ballistic until the winless Dolphins blew a 3rd quarter lead. Whew, that was close - our mediocre team almost looked even worse.
Speaking of blown leads, a Browns victory over the Steelers would've been good for my division, but the "big Doug Flutie" Ben Roethlisberger had a comeback drive to win 31-28. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm okay with rooting for the Browns as of late. I like QB Derek Anderson, and I also like WR Braylon Edwards (okay, some of that is his studly performance in fantasy football). I swear to god, though, the moment Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn gets in there, they're right back to my hated in-state division rivals.
Green Bay found a running game! They shut out the Vikings 34-0 and Adrian Peterson left early with a knee injury. They're now 8-1, tied for the best NFC record with the Cowboys, and face the 4-5 Panthers at Lambeau next. RB Ryan Grant had over 100 yards rushing, the first Vikings opponent to do so, and allowed some balance to Favre's gunslinging ways. This makes me really happy. Fox switching the game over to Eagles vs. Redskins once the game was one sided, however, did not make me really happy. It made me none happy. Negative, even.
I don't know what to make of the Saints anymore. Let's get some fuckin' consistency, good or bad, please. I mostly blame the quarterback in these situations, and Brees went back to his opening four game slump and contributed to the 37-29 loss to the Rams. THE RAMS. THE RAMS WHO WERE PREVIOUSLY WINLESS. *snarl* They fall to 4-5, the same record as the Texans they face this week. Fortunately, even after giving the Rams their first win (now only the Dolphins are winless), the Saints are in a shitty division and can come back - but they have to be good from now on. Seriously, Drew Brees, what the hell.
I don't know what's weirder, that the Cardinals scored 31 points to beat the Lions, or that the Lions only scored 21 to lose (considering last week), with negative yardage. And speaking of weird, the Colts lost to the Chargers, 23-21. Now, I never thought San Diego was that good anyway, having seen their [lack of] offensive production in the first ten weeks, and Indianapolis should've been hungry to win it after losing to the dirty cheaters [Patriots].
Maybe the Colts were hungry and they were decimated by injuries. Or Mr. Clutch Adam Vinatieri missed 2 field goals in a dome, the latter of which - a potential game winner - was 29 yards. Or Robot Manning threw six interceptions ("so why wouldn't you use it to throw into coverage?"). Whatever, pick your poison, the point is it shouldn't have happened. As Future Roommate Greg put it, the Chargers had a 16 point lead at the half, so the fact that there was a comeback at all was telling - Indy shouldn't have had that chance in the first place the way they played.
Cowboys beat the Giants, 31-20, in what some people figured was a battle of QBs. Fine with me, I never had any doubt in my boy Tony Romo. The undrafted rookie made a fool of Manning's brother - even though they were similar statistically, Romo is creative and scrappy and so much fun to watch! I heard he even plays Guitar Hero, so how can I not love him? They improve to 8-1, with a massive NFC east lead. Next up: 5-4 Redskins division game at Texas Stadium.
Finally, some good news. Bengals didn't score a touchdown and still beat the Ravens 21-7. At first I was upset that Carson Palmer wasn't finishing what he started [i.e. drives], and that Chad Johnson was hurt or Houshmandzadeh broke his TD streak. Turns out Ravens played a specific deep cover defense, so short passes by Palmer led to field position, and kicker Shayne Graham scored 21 points himself through field goals. That's seven FGs, one less than the record of eight set earlier this season by Titans' Rob Bironas. Wasn't pretty, but it was a division win bringing us one step closer to .500. That leaves us at 3-6, vs the 4-5 Cardinals at the Jungle in Cincy this week.
Lastly, fantasy football. I lost to Jenny 79-57, and while neither of us had a huge score or made the best choices of who to start, I really am frustrated with myself. I had two questionable players - New Orleans RB Reggie Bush and Indianapolis TE Dallas Clark. I decided to risk one, replace the other, and it bit me in the ass twice. Reggie Bush, who I did not play, had a great day. Much better than his replacement, Dallas RB Julius Jones. Dallas Clark, whom I figured was going to play, did not. ON TOP of all that, I figured the Colts' kicker would bail me out, but no. Optimal score was 90. This drops me back to .500, 4th place and 3 games behind. Three more weeks (including this one) until the playoffs...
10.17.2007
disparity of opinion
Current Mood: peeved
So, good thing I have some sort of living situation lined up for next year, because both of my roommates (but not me) got a letter from our property management company. It stated that they'd sold our building, and would no longer offer us housing after our current contract expires in August 2008. No need to panic right away, but it would've been nice to be notified.
Tangentially related, I hung out with Future Roommate Greg for our usual Tuesday routine. We are watching Season 1 of Prison Break, the current Season 2 of Dexter, current Season 4 of House (damn you, baseball playoffs), playing Guitar Heroes I, II, and Rocks the 80's (while waiting for GH III), and we even took a break to throw around a football for a bit, which is a surprisingly relaxing activity (I had never done that before). I also borrowed Blazing Angels for the Wii, and so far it's pretty cool.
So, good thing I have some sort of living situation lined up for next year, because both of my roommates (but not me) got a letter from our property management company. It stated that they'd sold our building, and would no longer offer us housing after our current contract expires in August 2008. No need to panic right away, but it would've been nice to be notified.
Tangentially related, I hung out with Future Roommate Greg for our usual Tuesday routine. We are watching Season 1 of Prison Break, the current Season 2 of Dexter, current Season 4 of House (damn you, baseball playoffs), playing Guitar Heroes I, II, and Rocks the 80's (while waiting for GH III), and we even took a break to throw around a football for a bit, which is a surprisingly relaxing activity (I had never done that before). I also borrowed Blazing Angels for the Wii, and so far it's pretty cool.
9.29.2007
powdered fruit
Current Mood: groggy
Hey everybody. I don't solicit reader action often, and there's probably some overlap between blogs anyway, but if you could take a moment to click over here and help out Current Roommate Alex, we'd both be grateful. Popular Science magazine came to Purdue the other day and asked students to make videos about why they should get 5,000 dollars (as part of their "Pimp My Dorm" contest). CRA has been dying to go to Japan since...since I've known him, and he's actually got a shot at winning this.
Speaking of winning, Purdue beat Notre Dame 33 to 19 and we are now 5-0! Next weekend's match up vs. unbeaten OSU should be amazing - I am fired up!!
Hey everybody. I don't solicit reader action often, and there's probably some overlap between blogs anyway, but if you could take a moment to click over here and help out Current Roommate Alex, we'd both be grateful. Popular Science magazine came to Purdue the other day and asked students to make videos about why they should get 5,000 dollars (as part of their "Pimp My Dorm" contest). CRA has been dying to go to Japan since...since I've known him, and he's actually got a shot at winning this.
Speaking of winning, Purdue beat Notre Dame 33 to 19 and we are now 5-0! Next weekend's match up vs. unbeaten OSU should be amazing - I am fired up!!
9.26.2007
perambulator
Current Mood: tired
Ever had one of those things you hoped would work out, kinda banked on, but in your heart really figured wouldn't make it? I happened to have one of those things turn out just dandy this week in a surprising continuation of positive happenings.
My current apartment lease ends in early August, 2008. Current Roommate Alex is planning on moving into his own apartment space in Lafayette (close to his job). Current Roommate John will be graduating, and I think he's planning on graduate school of some kind? Regardless, that leaves me without some place to live as I continue my, uh, extended tour of schooling. I would normally say this is awfully early to start worrying about this sort of thing, but good housing 'round here fills up quick, and leases are usually signed November/Decemberish.
Anyway, I found out last night that a long shot opening with a friend of mine is available. We've been kicking the idea around for a few months, but never really settled on anything. Greg, one of my old Aero buddies (now some kind of finances major) and his brother are losing their third roommate at the end of the year to graduation, and were looking to avoid the painful search for a cool roommate. I think you all can see where this is headed.
I'll probably rehash this at some point, but some things I'm really looking forward to: community pool, close location to Wabash Landing, still semi-walking distance to campus, new a/c and dishwasher, less hard water problems, patio, bigger bedroom, bigger bed, another bathroom, cable TV, in-house laundry facility, and more awesome roommates.
Of course, that's a minor battle when you look at the larger scope of things. Looking (way) ahead, other hurdles include:
* completing my paperwork to unfuck my academic situation
* finding a new job
* get some serious money (new apt. lease down payment, student loans, holidays, etc.)
* improve my grades
* finding long term reliable transportation (read: car)
* get some sort of real job experience (internship?)
As well as sorting out many other serious...personal issues. Deep meaningful introspective stuff.
Heh. Uphill battles all the way.
Ever had one of those things you hoped would work out, kinda banked on, but in your heart really figured wouldn't make it? I happened to have one of those things turn out just dandy this week in a surprising continuation of positive happenings.
My current apartment lease ends in early August, 2008. Current Roommate Alex is planning on moving into his own apartment space in Lafayette (close to his job). Current Roommate John will be graduating, and I think he's planning on graduate school of some kind? Regardless, that leaves me without some place to live as I continue my, uh, extended tour of schooling. I would normally say this is awfully early to start worrying about this sort of thing, but good housing 'round here fills up quick, and leases are usually signed November/Decemberish.
Anyway, I found out last night that a long shot opening with a friend of mine is available. We've been kicking the idea around for a few months, but never really settled on anything. Greg, one of my old Aero buddies (now some kind of finances major) and his brother are losing their third roommate at the end of the year to graduation, and were looking to avoid the painful search for a cool roommate. I think you all can see where this is headed.
I'll probably rehash this at some point, but some things I'm really looking forward to: community pool, close location to Wabash Landing, still semi-walking distance to campus, new a/c and dishwasher, less hard water problems, patio, bigger bedroom, bigger bed, another bathroom, cable TV, in-house laundry facility, and more awesome roommates.
Of course, that's a minor battle when you look at the larger scope of things. Looking (way) ahead, other hurdles include:
* completing my paperwork to unfuck my academic situation
* finding a new job
* get some serious money (new apt. lease down payment, student loans, holidays, etc.)
* improve my grades
* finding long term reliable transportation (read: car)
* get some sort of real job experience (internship?)
As well as sorting out many other serious...personal issues. Deep meaningful introspective stuff.
Heh. Uphill battles all the way.
8.24.2007
plumage
Current Mood: more paranoid
Alex narrowly escaped death today checking the mail. He came sprinting back to the apartment and slammed the door, chest beating, panting. Apparently the killer cicada is back, now stalking us by hiding in the mailbox.
Clearly the only solution now is to introduce a cicada-destroying invasive species to solve our problem. When those get out of control, we'll find a bigger/stronger animal. This can only end well, right?
Phase 39, robot chickens!
Alex narrowly escaped death today checking the mail. He came sprinting back to the apartment and slammed the door, chest beating, panting. Apparently the killer cicada is back, now stalking us by hiding in the mailbox.
Clearly the only solution now is to introduce a cicada-destroying invasive species to solve our problem. When those get out of control, we'll find a bigger/stronger animal. This can only end well, right?
Phase 39, robot chickens!
ex-parrot
Current Mood: paranoid
Last night I was spooked by the sound of a rather large cicada (I think?) that suddenly decided to make its presence known. It flew out from behind my blinds and then around the ceiling, buzzing around my room with a terrifying noise. Let me put it this way -I heard it despite wearing my headphones with the volume cranked. No friggin' clue how it got in.
Eventually, I decided enough was enough. After studying its movements, I swatted it against my bookcase with my sandal. I left it there as a trophy to show my roommates the next day.
Today it is gone.
Did...did it reanimate? Perhaps I just stunned it?
Last night I was spooked by the sound of a rather large cicada (I think?) that suddenly decided to make its presence known. It flew out from behind my blinds and then around the ceiling, buzzing around my room with a terrifying noise. Let me put it this way -I heard it despite wearing my headphones with the volume cranked. No friggin' clue how it got in.
Eventually, I decided enough was enough. After studying its movements, I swatted it against my bookcase with my sandal. I left it there as a trophy to show my roommates the next day.
Today it is gone.
Did...did it reanimate? Perhaps I just stunned it?
7.19.2007
I fucking live here, okay?
Current Mood: exiled
Current Music: "Doctor Jimmy" by The Who
Note to self: screen future potential roommates. Avoid "bringing a stranger to the dojo" and use creative ways to check for racism, pedophilia, and vampirism!
(no this isn't commentary on my current living situation)
Current Music: "Doctor Jimmy" by The Who
Note to self: screen future potential roommates. Avoid "bringing a stranger to the dojo" and use creative ways to check for racism, pedophilia, and vampirism!
(no this isn't commentary on my current living situation)
4.29.2007
Nintendo Fanboys
Current Mood: awesome
Current Music: "We All Die Young" by Steel Dragon
We (Current Roommate Alex, John, and I) now have an apartment Wii that we bought from a porn star. Seriously.
Wii buddies, anyone?
Current Music: "We All Die Young" by Steel Dragon
We (Current Roommate Alex, John, and I) now have an apartment Wii that we bought from a porn star. Seriously.
Wii buddies, anyone?
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