Black Holes are an Honorable Way to Go

It's been quiet on here this month. Strange how that in no way reflects the reality of my life! December has been so busy, so overwhelming, that I'm amazed I got as much done as I did.

One of those things, and one which I'm particularly proud of, is finishing the short story I started writing a few weeks ago. I'm proud of it because I tend not to finish many of my creative endeavors, and I met my deadline of January 1st for finishing this one. Not only did I finish, but I finished on time! That deserves a woot woot, believe me.

I'm also proud of it because it's my first serious writing attempt in several years, as well as the first thing I feel I could put into a portfolio as a developing writer.

It's a story based on an idea I had awhile ago, and I'm proud of how it came out. You may not like it, but that's not what's important to me. What's important is that it's good from an objective, literary point of view. If any of you who have training in things like structure, character development, language, etc are willing, I am for sure open to constructive criticism. But if you just want to tell me it's not good because you didn't like it, then respectfully keep your opinion, to which you are entitled, to yourself.

Please keep in mind that I wrote it in two sittings and edited it once, so it's certainly not perfect. Also, I am pretty up on my grammar in general (including the use of contractions), so please figure that in, too. Unless something is an obvious oversight, I used the grammar I wanted to use.

The title to this entry contains a link to the RTF file if you want to give a read. Just please don't plagiarize! I won't know if you do, but you will, and karma's a bitch.

I dropped the ball.

No doubt about it. Lots of working, relaxing, and sleeping this month. It's December, so what else is there to do, really?

Yesterday I finally started writing something. It's a short story, and I'm about half way through it. I can't really tell if I'm doing a good job with literary technique, but I think it reads ok. Mostly I'm just happy to write something again. It's been a really long time.

It's hard to believe that it's December 17th. Christmas is one week plus one day away. That's kinda fucked up.

Click the link for a great way to spend your down time at work! Reading a zine on the interweb!

Sorry for the delay.

I just got the Internet in my apartment today and had some catching up to do, but the travel journal from Italy is all up now. I left it how I wrote it, which is imperfect.

I am so, so happy to be done with that ordeal. Only I'm not done yet. British Airways still has my bag. Or they gave it to somebody other than me. Or something. I still don't have it, and I haven't heard from them in over a week. I have to call and get this done myself, apparently.

FUCK BA.

Not gonna wait til 2008.

Life is good! On Sunday a troop of us went to the beach. (Isn't "troop" a more lively term than "bunch"?) Despite some pretty severe Chad & Trixie action, it was amazing. I always forget how good it feels to lay in the sand and bask in the sun.

After the beach we sat on the edge of a canal and smoked, which fueled a hunger for vegan pancakes. From where? Glad you asked. From the ever-lovely Pick Me Up Cafe.

Today is the Decemberists with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.. for free!

Oh to be alive.

It has been an eventful past few weeks, to say the least. I moved from Ann Arbor to Chicago, and life here has been pretty much as I've expected it to be: wonderful. I really can't say that enough.

Things are different though. Since I'm leaving for Italy in a few weeks, I've had a hard time finding a job, and that is something that's become foreign to me. I feel guilty about it. It's temporary, though. Also, I'm living in my friends' guest room, and as comfortable as I feel with them, which is very comfortable, it is not home for me. I am anxious to come back from Europe to my own apartment. But again, this is temporary.

Lately I've discovered how ridiculously easy it is to get around without a car, and soon I'm selling mine. Tana and I went to Filter in Wicker Park for coffee the other night, and we had a nice conversation. I've missed that, and I've missed her. I am glad to be close again. I want to go back before they close.

So yeah! 95% of my stuff is in storage, and I live in a new city. A proper city. I am ecstatic.

Physics makes us all its bitches.

Oh this crazy Midwestern weather. One day it's sunny and 85. The next it's storming and 65. I can't much complain, though. I've spent the past five days indoors at work, with one more day to go tomorrow.

They're accusing me at work of having already checked out. I can't say the thought hasn't crossed my mind, but I still think they like to find reasons other than my obvious tendencies toward procrastination to explain why I don't get certain things done on time.

I don't know if it's too many consecutive work days in a row or what, but I'm back into this anti-social rut again. I haven't gone out or seen my friends in about a week. I've mostly been reading and listening to random vinyls of old school swing. And also drinking wine. Please let's not forget to mention the wine.

Boo.

I've been MIA for the past couple weeks. I can't say that all that much has happened, really.

I have this idea for a vegan food blog. Perhaps it will see the light of day or monitor soon. Stay tuned?

This weekend is a Chicago weekend! Critical mass on Friday, more debauchery on Saturday, and Bike the Drive on Sunday. If I could get any more geeked, I think it would involve suspenders and pomade.

Word.

Downtown Seoul.

Life has been very slow, yet very fast lately. I've been given an opportunity to go to Italy for three weeks in August, and I am definitely taking it. That was a very pleasant surprise.

Other than that, I've been at a standstill. I've been doing a pretty good job of not spending money I don't have to spend, which means I stay in a lot. That's ok. I haven't been in much of a mood to get out for the last couple weeks anyway. And to be honest, living like this is kind of peaceful. I want my last two months in Michigan to be as easy as possible.

I've been listening to the Mountain Goats, a lot.

It feels good to feel good.

Every visit to Chicago makes me realize more and more that it is where I belong. Leaving that city to come back to Michigan is almost heartbreaking. I have good friends there. I have good memories there. I have everything to look forward to.

The only thing left to do is wait until July. That word has become well-worn in my day to day vocabulary. July! This is shaping up to be a very comfortable departure and a smooth transition, which is all anyone can really hope for. It is a good omen, I'm sure.

I spent a lot of money this weekend, which I probably should not have done. I had been doing so well at saving. Oh well.. I can do it again. A thirty-cent raise doesn't hurt, either. Piety.. the way forward.

Bamboo!

I think that Panda Bear is my new favorite thing to listen to in the world!

I have so many Chicago trips planned. It must be hard to tell how excited I am about moving there..

Speaking of which, my last and final class of undergrad is all set up. Three more months, friends. Three more months. I'm gone.

Waiting for the shower.

My cats will be very happy. There'll be no dog to eat their food, chase them down, disrupt their wrestling matches.

You'd think they'd just stand up for themselves. I've babied them.

Lately I have not been able to get Emily Haines off my speakers. I am completely in love with her voice.

Bam chikka bam chikka BOOM BOOM BOOM

So the weekend really wasn't all that great. The red party on Friday was canceled: a bummer. Last night was a bust. Today, I work.

I did manage to see Venus, and it was interesting. Peter O'Toole makes a perfectly creepy old man.

Perhaps this weekend will be better.

I ain't been myself in years.

Dance parties, looking forward to having more energy, February is nearly over, it was 40° today!, it makes me sad to be happy over 40°, Tana and Matt come back tomorrow (Marley too?), tomorrow = day off

,,,,,,,

VD!

All my cursing of Valentine's Day has come back on me. I ate way too much Tios last night, and my body's telling me it was straight black poison. I woke up disoriented, shivering, and with like two seconds to hit the bathroom.

Except for probably the two most miserable hours of my life spent driving through this Satan spunk some people call snow to deposit a check and get my as-miserable car in for an oil change, I've been sleeping with a hoodie, knit cap, and thick thick blanket in my bedroom, which is probably around 73° by itself.

I think I'd rather have been shot with an arrow. I still have to return a dvd to the library before I pick up a late fee, go get bread and now for my unsettled stomach some saltines.

Sunday.

I fell asleep on the couch last night with Frank curled up on the blanket next to me. My black shirt was covered in cat hair.

I woke up early early early. I couldn't go back to sleep, so I took a shower and waited until 11 for the co-op to serve brunch: vegan sausage polenta, tofu scramble, and home fries.

Went grocery shopping at Whole Foods to pick up odds and ends I missed last weekend, because I am a habitual scatterbrain and cannot remember things I need!

Following Whole Foods, I paid an arm and a leg at the car wash. Afterward, I stopped at the Ugly Mug to read for awhile. Ended getting hopped up on caffeine and reorganizing all my files.

I was going to get my taxes done today, but I balanced my checking account, and I don't have enough to pay H&R block to do them.

February can fuck a stick.

The first Wednesday in February, or A day off.

I went out to lunch today at Cafe Zola with Katelyn, John and Phil. I had a portabello mushroom sandwich, and John, Phil and I shared a pot of Rwandan coffee. Both had my stomach smiling.

Afterward, we made an expedition en masse to the laundromat. I was excited because this laundromat is much cleaner, newer, and better than the one I usually frequent. Yep, dork alert.

I also rented Noí from the library and picked up a pump carafe, which took forever to finally find. No more overbrewed French press coffee!

It was an ok day.

Ice beard.

The weekend has been, along with other things, unfathomably cold. The kind of cold where once you walk into it, you have to embrace it and ignore it. Otherwise, you freeze.

Matt, Mitchel, Tana and I played shuffleboard at ABC for the Superbowl. I don't think any of us watched the game really or even paid attention to any commercials. They were both boring.

I went to bed at 12am last night, and it was one of the earlier nights I've had in recent memory.

I hope Valentine's Day passes quietly.

Ice storm.

Everything is covered in ice. Over the past two days I've seen so many trees uprooted or snapped under the sheer weight of it.

I've had to chip away at my car in the morning.

On the drive home Tana and I drove by a transformer as it exploded.

An interesting Thursday.

If you've ever wondered whether it's a good idea to ride your bike at night in the cold against the wind, let me enlighten you: it's not. I lasted about two blocks.

I went to the coffee shop tonight to indulge a craving I'd been fruitlessly trying to hold off for a soy latté(!). In the process of licking the foam off the inside rim of my to-go cup, I dipped my beard in latté.

These stories might have been much more exciting with illustrations, but alas. I am no Nicole Georges.

A kind of new direction, but not really.

I've for the longest time been planning on making this blog a place not to post daily happenings and things of that sort, hoping instead to fill it with meaningful insight that would help me grow and see how I've grown.

In truth, though, this insight comes from everyday happenings, since this is how I most easily understand the world. And, it turns out, the seldom-simple effort of consciously extracting the wisdom from the filler produces overthoughts* that really don't help in any sort of way until I relate them back to things I experience day to day anyway.

Also, it's pretty obvious that I've been mostly writing about my days, regardless of any intentions otherwise.

*I made this word up, but hey, it's the English language. That's how we roll.

A promotion for your dad!

Christmas this year was unusually nice. I was surprised with several wonderful gifts I had not expected, and I will leave it at that.

I hope everyone else had a pleasant holiday, whichever it may be, or in the case of you more progressives: all of them!

Who's looking forward to New Year's? I know I am. You can find me staggering about with a half-gallon jug of the best beer Ann Arbor has to offer, a sexy Jamaican, a stunning white boy, and plenty of noisemaking.

Oh the humanity!

Someone visited here from a Google search for "don't want a career in business."

I think that is spectacular.

War is over, if you want it.

I saw the US vs. John Lennon tonight, since it finally came to Ann Arbor, and I was not disappointed. I have so much respect for the man, and it was a very provoking documentary. I wish we lived in revolutionary times again; I sometimes think I'd be better suited for that sort of culture.

The next week and a half of work is full of early mornings. The longer I stay there, the more I hate going in. I was deliberately late this morning, because I couldn't bring myself to get up at 6 to go work retail again. I have to do the same thing tomorrow. And Saturday is a 5am day.

Tana and I may be moving to Chicago in the fall of 07, and I can hardly wait, because I am quitting my job.

bark bark swat.

This month is time for making resolutions for next year, and I have a few.

• Get back into writing. No expectations set, just writing. I've asked for a blank journal from Otsu in order to facilitate this.
• Don't stress about figuring everything out. Some things should just happen or be happened upon. No use looking for something in places you're not sure it can be found.
• Housebreak the dog.
• Cook better meals, or at least eat healthier more often.
• Meet more people.
• Graduate and get ready for Chicago.
• Get filthy drunk in good company.
  

I'd love to hear some of yours.

Glasses, check. Masking tape, check.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love Wikipedia? I could spend, and many times I have, hours researching various things. Probably the thing I love most about it is how far off on tangents my searching goes. I'll read an article, find an interesting link in it, click on it, read it, find another link, etc. until I forget what it was I was originally reading. I've ended up with like ten different tabs in my browser that I have to close to get back to the first article.

I think I've just given myself up as a hopeless nerd. As if you didn't already know.

Quit banging on my walls, please.

To whichever neighbor(s) likes to bang on my wall, ceiling, or floor: knock it off? I don't know what reason you have for pissing me off, but you're doing a nice job of it.

Tana called me from the airport in Chicago. She was given a free ticket to San Diego out of the blue. Jealous? You bet! Man I need to take a trip somewhere. Chicago would be nice again. I think I'm going to go this spring but not spend a ton of money like I did last time. No shopping. Just food and drink. I have two weeks to kill before May.

My professor emailed me way back on the 2nd of the month concerning my attendance, or lack of it. I've been so detached from school that I haven't bothered to check WebCT for that class since last month. I emailed her back, detailing what I'm going through with my major and everything. I hope she understands, because I feel guilty that she took the time to contact me, when I haven't taken the time to show up in her class more than once or twice this month.

Ah well. Thanksgiving is in two days. I'm super excited over the Tofurky that I bought this year. And rolls with cranberry sauce, of course. I hope Tyler is making a vegan pumpkin pie, because I have been craving pumpkin pie since the leaves started to turn.

Glorious.

So I lost big time in this blogging once a day thing! Time is few and far between. Well, that is a lie. With all the free time I've gathered from cutting class, I've done little more than visit coffee shops and ride my bike.

Lately I feel as though I'm interpreting other people's successes as my own shortcomings. This is such a flawed way of thinking, and I need to stop it. It is counterproductive and not very conducive to personal wellness.

Speaking of wellness, I've resolved to accept that I don't know what I'm doing with my life right now. I am doing horrible in school, and it doesn't bother me as much as it should. I've accepted that it is not my priority at the moment. What is my priority?

My dad advanced a Christmas gift and bought me a French press coffee maker. I've been getting into coffee more lately. It seems to be my new pastime. I spend a few nights a week at Cafe Verde, trying various fair-trade coffees. Yesterday morning I tried making pancakes, and apparently kamut mix does not make very good pancakes. I made like three pancake omelettes before giving up and scrapping the batter. But this is the most spectacular part... I was looking at the cafe's website, and lo and behold, Sunday brunch included vegan pancakes! The rest, as they say, is me eating vegan pancakes after all. Glorious.

Tomorrow you may be eaten.

So, inspired by Wendi, I'm going to give this NaBloPoMo thing a shot. No guarantees, as I am prone to back out of most things I say I'm going to do.

I have become such a sloth since it's gotten colder. Daylight savings has nearly killed me with SAD, to boot. It's snowed three times already, and today was only the third day of the month. Currently it is a blisteringly cold 23F outside. Again, it's only three days into November.

My hat's off to those who think global warming is a myth, because it takes balls to be that bold and stupid at the same time. We've had a two-season year so far, and to that I say, "Fuck."

No shame in it.

I need to get laid. Good, ol' fashioned rock-the-bed-half-way-across-the-room laid.

And sometimes the gun jumps me.

Let me just say that it frustrates me to no end when someone says to call and then doesn't answer or return it. Indeed.

Tana and I are going to Erin's Adopt-a-Minefield dinner tonight. Vegan food and good people for an even greater cause.

We are also moving out of this house and its chain of incompetent realtors very soon. Hello, Ann Arbor.

Game on!

I guess sometimes I jump the gun.

Oops.

That feeling of accomplishment.

I finally cleaned up a bit around here, though not so much vacuuming and dusting as organizing and filing. The mountain of two weeks' mail is sorted; the smaller mountain of two weeks' receipts are accounted for; old, barely edible food is tossed; dishes are done.

Sometimes it takes things piling up before we find the energy to deal with them. Some say it is healthier to deal with things as they come, and in many cases I agree. But not with housework.. no, definitely not with housework. It takes a certain energy to deal with housework as it comes, and after a long week at work, and especially after a long day of work and school, I just don't have it. And after I find it and spend it, the result is my philosophizing chores on the internet.

Oh and uhhh the cute hair stylist? Her name is Katy, and she likes coffee :)

Smiling faces sometimes.

Yesterday I got my hair cut. It always amazes me how long my hair gets inbetween cuts, a point succinctly conceded by my stylist. Speaking of my stylist, as plainly as I could notice it, she was a total cutie.. total cutie <3

Some people bring back the rock, the funk, or occasionally the beat. I am bringing back the beard. It's going to be amazing, for reals.

My Ann Arbor relocation may be coming sooner than expected. Stay tuned.

Fair wages.

The faculty strike is over, and my questionable third class has resumed! This means I get to graduate in December still, which makes me happy. I only hope that the faculty gets fair negotiation with the administration; I'm not happy with our administration at all.

We have the fourth lowest paid faculty in the state, and the fourth highest paid administration. Call me crazy, but that doesn't seem to balance out too well.

In other news, my birthday is in two weeks exactly. New bicycle! I need a riding partner. Inquire within.

Boom!

It is September, and September came quickly. It's my birth month, and it's perhaps the most beautiful month in Michigan, though so far you wouldn't know it.

UofM students are back. And so are UofM football games and, thus, UofM football traffic. Let me say it strongly and loudly: I hate football traffic.

I've been listening to the Roots a lot lately. Game Theory is so good it hurts.

My little xA is doing so well! I've doubled the fuel efficiency I had with the Explorer. It makes me smile :)

I'm also enjoying A Million Little Pieces more than I thought I would. I suppose it will be a bit disappointing to find out which parts were real and which weren't.

Holla at ya.

People are moving back for the semester. The simple fact that there have been parties every day for the past week tells all. It's comforting in a strange, strange way.

I started my new position as a supervisor this week. So far, it's been going well, except for my having not yet been fully trained, so I have a lot of downtime during which I have nothing to do. That will soon be over though, replaced by responsibility for every dollar and cent that enters and exits the building. Eek.

Today a single mother and her three daughters came into work, hoping to buy tickets, but our Ticketmaster is down. As she walked outside, she was quoted by a coworker. "Mmmmmm I liked his scruff. Might just have to holla at ya, Mr. Ticketmaster Man."

Mr. Ticketmaster Man, seducing hot moms since '84.

It's here!

31 city/38 highway, 50-state emissions, and a 160-watt six-speaker iPod-ready sound system.

More importantly than anything, I am no longer a guilt-ridden owner of an SUV. I can sleep soundly at night once again :)

T-minus...

...about 10 hours or so. The time for eco-retribution is near.

Yes, you guessed it. Death to the SUV.

More to come!

A day late and a dollar short.

Today was not the best of days, despite my better efforts.

One of my team members called off today for a closing shift. I just spent the last week finding coverage for her so she could take off days that she didn't properly request off, and therefore wasn't entitled to. It's not even my responsibility to find coverage for people on my team who want a day off, let alone four of them. Nevermind the fact that she just got an entire week off, and top of it, she convinced our manager to give her vacation pay for it. No, after all that, on her first day back, for a closing shift on a Sunday in which we were the only two scheduled people for most of the day, she calls off. I am a patient, understanding, obliging person. But that pissed me off. I ran myself crazy all day long trying to keep up with calls, I couldn't even take a break for five straight hours, and I stayed 45 minutes over my shift. Yeah, pissed off is a good way to describe it.

On the way home I stopped at Whole Foods and bought some sangria to try. I get home, take a shower, anxious to sit out on the porch, drink my sangria, and read a book as the sun set. A nice way to relax and calm down after a hellish day at work. But nah, within ten minutes of sitting down outside, the sun set enough that I couldn't read anymore. Had I not stayed 45 minutes over at work, I could have enjoyed my sunset. For an entire hour even. And my sangria. And all would have been well.

So instead I grilled a veggie burger in the dark, drank my sangria anyway, and came back inside to watch Crash, which upset me even more. Not so much the tone of the movie, but the extent of its haminess (yeah I made that up). No way should it have beaten Brokeback Mountain. Yeah, I hold that grudge.

Growls. Lots of growls.

Meet me here later.

Simpler look. Opinions?

The summer is almost over. It's gone by so quickly, yet I've enjoyed every minute of time off of school, which starts again in a few weeks. Only three more classes to go!

Also, duh duh duh... time is running out for the good ol' Explorer. T-minus 10 days. In its place will be a Scion Xa, hopefully within the week. 31 city/38 highway.. *pumped* And did I mention its sexiness? Let's get it on.

Two months gone and no big news.

I finally got around to learning how to do my own laundry. Believe me, it was a system of baby steps that lasted about two years. But I'm fairly sure I didn't ruin any clothes, and that's nothing but a good thing.

Tana and I have to go back to Dearborn to buy a new bowl for our hookah, the original having been mysteriously broken by someone who we will promptly bitch smack should she ever return.

I bought two new suits for work at a ridiculously good price. It's gonna be hot.

Things behind the sun.

True days off are few and far between anymore. Today was a good one, though. I woke up at 1:30 and spent the afternoon cleaning up the apartment, preparing for Frank and Ella's arrival Thursday evening. I then went to Whole Foods to pick up some spices for a rice dish I made for dinner. Going through my cookbooks, I've realized that I really need to invest in a food processor. Of course they have to be so damned expensive.

I made some chai about an hour ago. I really need to stop drinking tea before I go to bed. Well, what I really need to stop is drinking caffeinated tea before I go to bed. I've been on a huge tea kick lately. I bought a proper tea kettle so I can avoid the microwave (if only it weren't for the convenience of microwave popcorn, I could get rid of the thing), and I'm getting good use of it. I also ordered a teapot from Teany, as well as a coffee and plate set from Villeroy and Boch. V&B is expensive, I know. But I got a $118 set for $60. We don't even sell it that cheap at the store.

February was a strange month. I pretty much didn't see my friends at all, and not for lack of trying. I spent more time with coworkers. I almost grew a beard. I got a promotion at work. I spent too much money. I've been fighting to keep motivation for my classes, because it's waning. I haven't really done much of anything in terms of personal development or well-being. It's just been a pass-through month, as in all I did was pass through it.

I'll probably get Patriot Act-ed.

I don't know how to explain it, but today was full of movies and documentaries about suicide bombers and war in the Middle East, seemingly by chance. While getting batteries at Target, I happened upon a movie I remembered having seen a trailer for, The War Within, and I bought it. Then when I came home, I turned on the Discovery Times channel to find a documentary on a group of Afghani refugee children in Pakistan, followed by a documentary on women in the Middle East.

I have a sudden fascination with those cultures.

Zzzzz.

I've been sleeping so much lately.

Let's see. Saturday I slept a good nine hours, and after I came back from an hour of work, I took a four-hour nap. Sunday, whilst recovering from Saturday night, I slept about twelve hours total. Last night I only got about five hours, but after I went to work and realized I wasn't supposed to go in until 3:30, I came home and slept for four more hours.

I'm still tired. However, all this sleep has been lovely. I love to sleep more than I love a lot of things!

Gifts.

This Christmas was one of the better ones I've had. I think it was because it was very low-key and relaxed. With all the stress that comes with shopping, preparing food, making plans, and fitting it all in with daily routines, taking the actual holiday to relax was very, very nice.

I think everyone liked the presents I got them. I bought my brother a double boiler, pastry blender, and sifter for his kitchen collection; I bought my sister a large bread basket from Whole Foods full of bread, muffins, and bagels; I bought my mom Carol King's Living Room Tour double CD; I bought my dad a nice wallet set.

I personally enjoyed every single thing I received. I received a stocking full of vegan candy that my mom ordered from Pangea and Vegan Essentials. She also bought me a bunch of shirts (1, 2, 3) and a wallet from Otsu, The Garden of Vegan and Animal Ingredients: A to Z, and she gave me a check for $100. I used it to buy another shirt, a calendar, and a cardholder from Otsu. My sister made me an awesome shirt that says, in bleached letters, Soy: The Other White Meat hahaha. My brother hand-stitched me two pillows. My dad bought me Me and You and Everyone We Know, Happy Endings, and Crash on DVD, as well as two gift cards to Target and Barnes & Noble.

In a Sentimental Mood.

I often get this anxiety about writing. Sometimes I feel that if I don't write down the boring, mundane details of my day, I will miss out on something-- on what, I have no idea. So I will make myself go days at a time without writing anything. And my memory is so poor that I quickly forget the one or two things that are actually worth commentary. Then, when I go back over a month's worth of entries, it's all still boring. So the point, which is my current perceived lack of excitement in my life, is effectively not addressed, but skirted.

Everyone has gone home for the holidays, and I'm bored. My mom and brother came up for a few hours this morning to get some groceries they can't find in Monroe. I then took a four hour nap, after which I made a peanutbutter sandwich and ate some potato chips. I was still hungry, so while watching a special on the mind, I made some pasta. I just finished watching Ghost World on the IFC, and here I am, writing about boring details haha.

I think I may venture to Ann Arbor and get some cider. H e l p.
I just realized how funny a word that is.

Updates.

The hallway in my house smells like burnt bacon. I don't care who says what. The odor of burning pig fat is nauseating. I'm amazed at how little meat has appealed to me since I lived at home. It doesn't look good, it doesn't smell good, it doesn't make me want to eat it. It's dead flesh.

I added a few new photos. They're fun.

Also, to whomever decided to combine pretzel nuggets with sesame seeds: You, sir or madame, have made my night. I love you.

Always in time for the holidays.

I remember getting colds as a child, and they never seemed to last longer than a week. I'd have a week of stuffiness, sore throat, and a cough, and then it would pass. If only I still had that luxury.

I've been battling the same general cold for at least a month. It comes for a few days, then it fades, but never disappears. It lingers. It's jealous of my otherwise good health.

It causes me to lose motivation to study or do anything. So I end up staying up late making up for all the things I was supposed to have done during the day. And so I lose sleep because of it. Ironically, loss of sleep is probably what's keeping me sick. I need a good week of solid rest. No work, no school, just rest.

I must confess, though, that I love my sick voice. Not the nasal-ness of it, but how deep it sounds to my own ear. I'm sure it doesn't sound much deeper to other people, but due to my sinuses being backed up and messing with my ears, it sounds deeper to me. I like that. I'd be lying if I said I didn't stand in front of the mirror and say stuff in a deep voice just to pretend I'm all dark and mysterious haha.

That school thing.

Two exams down, three to go. I got the results of my OD exam back, and I got a perfect score, plus two extra credit points. With that, I ended up with the third highest grade in the class. I jumped.

I'm afraid it's all downhill from here, though. My ethics exam wasn't too rough, but it won't be enough to get me an A or even a B probably. I had a D+ going into the exam, which is much worse than I thought. It's my own fault though. I missed a few assignments and didn't do so hot on the midterm. My HR exam will be rough. I don't know where I stand in the class now, but I'm desperately hoping for a B overall. My finance exam will hopefully not be too bad. I'll be prepared. I think that with a good score on it, I can pull off an A in the class. My econ. exam? I have abandoned all hope. I'm walking out of there with a C, and I'm beyond caring. I am done with economics.

I can soon relax for two weeks and regroup. This semester was the worst I've ever had.

Viva la birra.

I am sitting here, drinking a bottle of Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale, thinking about beer. And I have decided to make a list of some of my favorite beers, in no particular order. Bud drinkers, take note.

• Sierra Nevada Stout
  This is a good staple stout. Strong in flavor and alcohol content (5.8% ABV), but smooth enough not to make you think about coffee rinds. I get this when I'm not feeling adventurous.


• Rogue Mocha Porter
  An amazing mocha porter. If you like mocha, and you like porters, this stuff is for you. 6.5% ABV, plus it comes in pints, which earns it bonus points.


• Victory Storm King Stout
  Like stouts? This is your ticket to bragging rights over all your lesser stout-loving friends. This is quite possibly the perfect commercial stout. This stout earned a 100/100 in a taste contest, and if you've ever had it, you know why. Though it boasts, and proudly so, a 9.1% ABV, you'd never know it by taste. Smooth, creamy, great finish.


• Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
  A pale ale for people who don't usually like pale ales. This doesn't have the citrusy, mouth-puckering bite that is typical of pale ales. 5.6% ABV.


• New Holland Poet Stout
  Another excellent stout with 6.5% ABV. Strong, dark, and notably smooth. I recently tried this for the first time, and I will be buying it again soon. Too bad it's seasonal.


• Bell's 20th Anniversary Ale
  I'm a fan of Bell's, and usually their beer is a good conservative choice, or a good choice in a pinch. However, when I tried their 20th Anniversary Ale, I was blown away. I don't know how they made such a light, golden ale taste so good. It's a lighter one with enough alcohol content to do the job (5.8% ABV), and it tastes pretty much like domestic beers such as Budweiser and Miller could only hope to taste like.


• Founder's Dirty Bastard Ale
  I can think of only one way to describe this ale, and that way is best transcribed as "holy fucking crap." Weighing in at a whopping 8.3% ABV, Dirty Bastard Ale packs a punch that is sure to leave your unborn children feeling it. Dirty, nasty, and tasting pretty much how I imagine a Scottish loch to taste, this ale needs some time to grow on you. With so much alcohol, though, after the first bottle, you're gold.


• Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
  I'm quite happy I tried this. I almost passed it off as a light, festive beer due to its Christmas-esque labeling, and I was nearly fooled. With 6.8% ABV, this is no light beer. In fact, it's quite strong where it counts. It also has a bit of a bubbly texture and a great finish. Feliz Navidad, bitches.

And that concludes the beer list for now. Try a few of these, and you can tell your Bud Light-loving frat bros to cram their twist-off caps up their stupid asses. Or if you're a girl, get yourself that much closer to me wanting to jump your bones.

Whoa-o.

I was up so late last night that I decided not to go back to bed. I made pancakes at 6am, and I finished reading Memoirs of a Geisha. I had full intentions of going to class in the morning, until I realized that I could barely see straight I was so tired. So I went to bed and just now woke up at 5pm.

I am so productive that I amaze myself, sometimes.

New home.

It's been a long time, I know.

Calamityproject.com went down about a month ago, and Joe hasn't gotten around to rebuilding my account. I don't mind, since he let me use his space for free for like two years. The guy is awesome.

Regardless, I switched everything over to my school's account, only to find that it doesn't support CGI scripts, erego no more Greymatter. Bummer. The only way I could integrate a manageable, organized blog was to do it through Blogger.com, which is what I did. And I spent the last five hours doing so!

So take a look around. Check things out. I added a few new pictures, but nothing you haven't seen on my myspace or facebook.

Cheers.