Since mid-July of 2010 I've had this story evolving and gestating in my head (and on the page) at a primordial ooze pace. At first I didn't know what I wanted the story to be. However, the impetus was two things:
1. All my friends had either graduated or gone home for the summer and I was alone living in Bloomington where my days were comprised of waking up 6:30, going to class, coming back from class and running, showering, going back to my second class, coming home and napping, playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (I became surprising good), and finally going to sleep before the cycle started again.
2. One day I was napping and I was awakened by this massive crashing, thundering noise. It sounded like a bomb had gone off in the distance. It was really eerie to wake up to that. And maybe the worst part was I never found out what the hell I heard!
So I started with that eerie sensation of waking up to something incredibly foreign and being utterly bewildered. I also began with the protagonist alone so he was discovering his environment with only his mind to digest what he saw (it's important to note he has no recollection of where he was before coming to).
So I have this guy that hasn't a clue what he's doing, his brain comes in while his body's mid action, and he's basically a leaf blown off a tree. He has no anchor. He's just going where the wind takes him. I thought, "what might be a good anchor? What's something this guy could find that he'd want to hang on to?" I ended up going with a girl because, in the end, it's the people we love that ground us and keep us from being blown off the tree by the wind.
I'm going to end this here for the moment.
"Till I Get There" - Lupe Fiasco
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Skyrim Stories #3
There's just the one story in this entry.
1. I progressed a bit further in the civil war story between the Imperial Legion and Stormcloaks. I sided with the Legion because the Stormcloaks and their leader, Ulfric, are racist, while the Legion are kind of wimpy, but are acting the best interest of everyone.
Since I progressed further, the Legion started showing up inside the walls of Whiterun (the neutral city in Skyrim). It caught my eye the first time I saw a group of 3 of them huddled just inside the gate. I looked at them for a few moments noting that my actions in the game were the reason they were there (side note: I love when games show your effect on the world). Then one of them drew their bow and arrow and a frost dragon whooshes over my head.
I had never seen one attack inside a city yet. It is awesome. The dragon perches on top of the weapons store and hits the Legion guys with an ice blast. I takes off again, landing further into the city, and attacks again. It dies this time, but it kills one of the NPCs in the town (Armen. Poor, poor Armen).
I have to say, fighting dragons in cities is even cooler than just fighting them in the open.
Also, I've sunk around 70 hours into the game (and I still two large sections of the map to explore!). It's ridiculous how much content there is in the game.
"Ain't Nothing Wrong With That" - Robert Randolph and the Family Band
1. I progressed a bit further in the civil war story between the Imperial Legion and Stormcloaks. I sided with the Legion because the Stormcloaks and their leader, Ulfric, are racist, while the Legion are kind of wimpy, but are acting the best interest of everyone.
Since I progressed further, the Legion started showing up inside the walls of Whiterun (the neutral city in Skyrim). It caught my eye the first time I saw a group of 3 of them huddled just inside the gate. I looked at them for a few moments noting that my actions in the game were the reason they were there (side note: I love when games show your effect on the world). Then one of them drew their bow and arrow and a frost dragon whooshes over my head.
I had never seen one attack inside a city yet. It is awesome. The dragon perches on top of the weapons store and hits the Legion guys with an ice blast. I takes off again, landing further into the city, and attacks again. It dies this time, but it kills one of the NPCs in the town (Armen. Poor, poor Armen).
I have to say, fighting dragons in cities is even cooler than just fighting them in the open.
Also, I've sunk around 70 hours into the game (and I still two large sections of the map to explore!). It's ridiculous how much content there is in the game.
"Ain't Nothing Wrong With That" - Robert Randolph and the Family Band
Monday, November 14, 2011
Skyrim Stories #2
1. As I walk into the settlement of Falkreath, a guard stops me and asks if I saw a dog roaming around the road. I end up speaking with this guy named Lod who needs a companion and would like me to find the dog. He gives me some bait to attract the dog. It does, but then (spoiler) the dog talks. It turns out the dog, Barbas, and his master are estranged and he wants me to help bring them back together.
I more or less think this quest is pretty cheesy, but the one benefit of this quest is that Barbas stays with you 'til you finish all of it (you can dismiss him, but you'll have to go find him to finish the 2nd part of the quest). And, the benefit of having Barbas around is that he'll never die.
Seriously. He's like catnip to all the things you encounter; meaning you can just bow and arrow the shit out of whatever you come across. It's quite hilarious watching a little dog taking on a dragon and not dying.
2. I go exploring the mountains south of Ivarstead and a blood dragon starts roaring in the distance. I see it scorch a tower, circle it, and then come for me. Blood dragons are harder to kill than the normal ones and not only was I just chilling (get it? I was chilling because I was on the side of a snowy mountain.) in the open, but my little helper/companion/walking knapsack chick had mysteriously gone AWOL, so I had no help. After it drains half of my health, I sprint down the mountain and look for some cover. I find an abandoned building called the Alchemist's Shack and regain some health inside. I can hear the dragon outside and pop it in the face with a few arrows. I think, "hey, I may actually be able to just whittle its health down like this!"
Wrong.
I get ready to shoot some more arrows at it and, when I step in the opening of the shack, a blast of fire cooks me to death. Obviously the moral of the story here is that dragons are dangerous.
"Quiet Dog" - Mos Def
I more or less think this quest is pretty cheesy, but the one benefit of this quest is that Barbas stays with you 'til you finish all of it (you can dismiss him, but you'll have to go find him to finish the 2nd part of the quest). And, the benefit of having Barbas around is that he'll never die.
Seriously. He's like catnip to all the things you encounter; meaning you can just bow and arrow the shit out of whatever you come across. It's quite hilarious watching a little dog taking on a dragon and not dying.
2. I go exploring the mountains south of Ivarstead and a blood dragon starts roaring in the distance. I see it scorch a tower, circle it, and then come for me. Blood dragons are harder to kill than the normal ones and not only was I just chilling (get it? I was chilling because I was on the side of a snowy mountain.) in the open, but my little helper/companion/walking knapsack chick had mysteriously gone AWOL, so I had no help. After it drains half of my health, I sprint down the mountain and look for some cover. I find an abandoned building called the Alchemist's Shack and regain some health inside. I can hear the dragon outside and pop it in the face with a few arrows. I think, "hey, I may actually be able to just whittle its health down like this!"
Wrong.
I get ready to shoot some more arrows at it and, when I step in the opening of the shack, a blast of fire cooks me to death. Obviously the moral of the story here is that dragons are dangerous.
"Quiet Dog" - Mos Def
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Skyrim Stories #1
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim finally hit store shelves yesterday and I'm going to blog every so often about the random, awesome things I come upon in the game.
1. Right as I was free to roam the world, after the game's opening sequence, I went off exploring; ignoring the main quest line for the time being. The first thing I find is this religious shrine tucked away near a lake with a group of bodies and blood around it.
2. I find a place called South Shreikwind Bastion which is home to a Master Vampire and his underlings. They were a cake walk, but that dude kicked my ass and I had to run away, but not before I contracted the vampirism disease from him.
3. This 3rd notable thing just happened. I came out of a cave and hopped down the mountainside to the road and there's this orc standing next to these two large, dead beasts. He says he is looking for a "good death" because he's too old to be of any use. I offer to help him out and I end up killing him. There's not much to that one, but I think it is cool.
"Way Away" - Yellowcard
1. Right as I was free to roam the world, after the game's opening sequence, I went off exploring; ignoring the main quest line for the time being. The first thing I find is this religious shrine tucked away near a lake with a group of bodies and blood around it.
2. I find a place called South Shreikwind Bastion which is home to a Master Vampire and his underlings. They were a cake walk, but that dude kicked my ass and I had to run away, but not before I contracted the vampirism disease from him.
3. This 3rd notable thing just happened. I came out of a cave and hopped down the mountainside to the road and there's this orc standing next to these two large, dead beasts. He says he is looking for a "good death" because he's too old to be of any use. I offer to help him out and I end up killing him. There's not much to that one, but I think it is cool.
"Way Away" - Yellowcard
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
(Spoilers are a-coming)
I will preface this blog by saying Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is among my favorite games of all-time. It blew me away. The first part of the game was a slow burn. I was in college at the time and I only played maybe a 1/4th of the game before the Friday following the game's release. That Friday night I started playing again and didn't stop 'til 7am the next morning.
It was, and still is, incredible. I remember my jaw dropping multiple times that night. The 1st time I played the chapter where Drake and Elena assault the driving caravan; with Drake jumping truck to truck, I remember thinking, "I can't believe I'm doing this in a video game."
Suffice it to say, I was eagerly awaiting the release of Nathan Drake's 3rd adventure. And, well, I have conflicted feelings about Drake's Deception.
It tells a fantastic story about the relationship between Drake and his mentor, Sully. In Uncharted: Drake's Fortune we know that the two are partners in crime and get into all kinds of shenanigans together, but there's not much beyond that. In Among Thieves, Sully exits early on into the adventure because the stakes get too dangerous for his liking. With Drake's Deception we get to play the moment when the two meet and see, throughout the adventure, that they're not just friends. Sully is the orphaned Drake's surrogate father and Drake is the child Sully never had. What moves the plot along later in the game is Drake's loyalty to Sully, not his desire to unearth a legendary artifact (unlike the first two games).
While the Drake/Sully part of the story is great, the Drake/Elena portion gets very little spotlight. We see her in the middle of the adventure, again a little later on, and finally at the very end. We learn that she and Drake were married at some point after Among Thieves. However, they are now separated. Yet, she still wears the ring because it comes in handy (Drake doesn't). I love the witty, funny banter of the two in the previous games, so I was disappointed she was around for only a few chapters. Though, I do get that this adventure was more about Sully and Drake.
The Elena thing is only a gripe.
- Spoiler -
What I don't like about Drake's Deception is room after room of pain-in-the-ass enemies that completely bog down the progression of the narrative. At one point the main antagonists douse the chateau you are in with gasoline and set it on fire. While you are trying to escape the burning, crumbling building the generic henchmen are still hanging around attempting to shoot you and get in fist fights. It's a little ridiculous. It feels more like a way to extend the game at some points. Do we really need the second wave of enemies after we just killed 10 or 15 guys? No... we don't. It slows the game down.
- Major Spoiler -
At one point towards the end Sully gets shot from behind by Talbot (the #2 villain) and dies. Nate freaks out and jumps down to chase after the bad guys only to have to fight 5 or 6 powered up henchmen where I promptly die a few times (mind you, I always play on the "Normal" difficulty setting the first time through and these dudes kicked my ass). By the time I killed them all, the adrenaline from Sully's death had worn off and I was mostly happy to have finally killed those dudes. It takes away from what should be the most gut-wrenching part of the story.
Maybe drop the number of dudes down to 2 or 3? Or, because he's so driven by Sully's death, Nate can take more damage than usual? I don't know. I'm not a professional game designer (I would like to be though. Hahaha).
Also, for a game to have such an emphasis on shooting in its single player mode (the Uncharted series has had a multi-player mode beginning with Among Thieves), you'd think the gun play would be solid, but it's average at best. Which is weird since the shooting in Among Thieves was excellent. I can't understand why they'd really mess around with it since they nailed it the 2nd time around.
- More Major Spoilers -
So that's one small gripe and an average size complaint.
Here's the thing that actually irks me about just this game (I can think of no instances where the 1st two did this to me). The things that Drake survives through are verging on the completely ridiculous. In the course of one adventure he: escapes a sinking cruise liner, conveniently washes up on shore outside the city Elena is in, gets sucked out of a disintegrating plane and manages to clutch onto a piece of cargo with a parachute, lands in the middle of a desert and roams for at least a day without water, and finally stumbles upon the very people he's chasing.
Look. I know all about suspension of disbelief. And, I get that it's a story, but you have to see these set pieces; one after the other, after the other. They are stunningly done and would likely be a cut-scene in most other games. However, to have each one of these things happen in the course of one story, to one person, and have that person survive them all, well, the writer in me can only suspend so much disbelief. Also, these events all happen in the second half of the game alone.
Criticisms aside, I enjoyed Drake's Deception a great deal. It's definitely worth a purchase and, if I had to put a letter grade on it, I'd give it an A. The Uncharted series is one of the best in video games and sets the bar for storytelling in a game. I look forward to seeing where Naughty Dog takes Nathan Drake next.
"Boom, Boom, Boom" - The Outhere Brothers
I will preface this blog by saying Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is among my favorite games of all-time. It blew me away. The first part of the game was a slow burn. I was in college at the time and I only played maybe a 1/4th of the game before the Friday following the game's release. That Friday night I started playing again and didn't stop 'til 7am the next morning.
It was, and still is, incredible. I remember my jaw dropping multiple times that night. The 1st time I played the chapter where Drake and Elena assault the driving caravan; with Drake jumping truck to truck, I remember thinking, "I can't believe I'm doing this in a video game."
Suffice it to say, I was eagerly awaiting the release of Nathan Drake's 3rd adventure. And, well, I have conflicted feelings about Drake's Deception.
It tells a fantastic story about the relationship between Drake and his mentor, Sully. In Uncharted: Drake's Fortune we know that the two are partners in crime and get into all kinds of shenanigans together, but there's not much beyond that. In Among Thieves, Sully exits early on into the adventure because the stakes get too dangerous for his liking. With Drake's Deception we get to play the moment when the two meet and see, throughout the adventure, that they're not just friends. Sully is the orphaned Drake's surrogate father and Drake is the child Sully never had. What moves the plot along later in the game is Drake's loyalty to Sully, not his desire to unearth a legendary artifact (unlike the first two games).
While the Drake/Sully part of the story is great, the Drake/Elena portion gets very little spotlight. We see her in the middle of the adventure, again a little later on, and finally at the very end. We learn that she and Drake were married at some point after Among Thieves. However, they are now separated. Yet, she still wears the ring because it comes in handy (Drake doesn't). I love the witty, funny banter of the two in the previous games, so I was disappointed she was around for only a few chapters. Though, I do get that this adventure was more about Sully and Drake.
The Elena thing is only a gripe.
- Spoiler -
What I don't like about Drake's Deception is room after room of pain-in-the-ass enemies that completely bog down the progression of the narrative. At one point the main antagonists douse the chateau you are in with gasoline and set it on fire. While you are trying to escape the burning, crumbling building the generic henchmen are still hanging around attempting to shoot you and get in fist fights. It's a little ridiculous. It feels more like a way to extend the game at some points. Do we really need the second wave of enemies after we just killed 10 or 15 guys? No... we don't. It slows the game down.
- Major Spoiler -
At one point towards the end Sully gets shot from behind by Talbot (the #2 villain) and dies. Nate freaks out and jumps down to chase after the bad guys only to have to fight 5 or 6 powered up henchmen where I promptly die a few times (mind you, I always play on the "Normal" difficulty setting the first time through and these dudes kicked my ass). By the time I killed them all, the adrenaline from Sully's death had worn off and I was mostly happy to have finally killed those dudes. It takes away from what should be the most gut-wrenching part of the story.
Maybe drop the number of dudes down to 2 or 3? Or, because he's so driven by Sully's death, Nate can take more damage than usual? I don't know. I'm not a professional game designer (I would like to be though. Hahaha).
Also, for a game to have such an emphasis on shooting in its single player mode (the Uncharted series has had a multi-player mode beginning with Among Thieves), you'd think the gun play would be solid, but it's average at best. Which is weird since the shooting in Among Thieves was excellent. I can't understand why they'd really mess around with it since they nailed it the 2nd time around.
- More Major Spoilers -
So that's one small gripe and an average size complaint.
Here's the thing that actually irks me about just this game (I can think of no instances where the 1st two did this to me). The things that Drake survives through are verging on the completely ridiculous. In the course of one adventure he: escapes a sinking cruise liner, conveniently washes up on shore outside the city Elena is in, gets sucked out of a disintegrating plane and manages to clutch onto a piece of cargo with a parachute, lands in the middle of a desert and roams for at least a day without water, and finally stumbles upon the very people he's chasing.
Look. I know all about suspension of disbelief. And, I get that it's a story, but you have to see these set pieces; one after the other, after the other. They are stunningly done and would likely be a cut-scene in most other games. However, to have each one of these things happen in the course of one story, to one person, and have that person survive them all, well, the writer in me can only suspend so much disbelief. Also, these events all happen in the second half of the game alone.
Criticisms aside, I enjoyed Drake's Deception a great deal. It's definitely worth a purchase and, if I had to put a letter grade on it, I'd give it an A. The Uncharted series is one of the best in video games and sets the bar for storytelling in a game. I look forward to seeing where Naughty Dog takes Nathan Drake next.
"Boom, Boom, Boom" - The Outhere Brothers
Monday, October 31, 2011
Halloween
I think it may be my favorite holiday.
I'm not big on costumes (I have good costume ideas, but I rarely wear them).
I did go as Nathan Drake this year. He's the protagonist of the Uncharted video game series on the PS3. I wanted to go as a Party Down employee, but that wouldn't have been any fun without other people doing it too. The best thing about the Nathan Drake costume is it was basically normal clothing. I had to find a leather wristband and wear a silver ring on a leather necklace. No one knew who I was, so I just looked like a douche-y hipster.
It's cool though. I was comfortable and I nailed the costume.
But back to why I enjoy Halloween.
I think it has to do with my loving genuinely thrilling/suspenseful and supernatural things. I love a great scary story; whether it is a book or movie or video game. What I really like are the stories that actually build suspense and don't just go for the cheap "gotcha" scary (like nearly every horror movie in at least the past decade). Movies like Jaws or Alien nail the suspense aspect. You hardly see the "monster" before the final act. Granted, this is due to those movies being made in 70s, but those movies get that what I imagine a lot of people don't understand.
What the viewer/reader/player imagines in their head will always be scarier than what is actually there.
The fear of the unknown is a pretty powerful thing.
So on Halloween I watch classic scary movies. The past two years I've watched Young Frankenstein (not scary, but hysterical) and Night of the Living Dead (the original zombie flick). Both are some of my favorite movies. I think I might add The Creature from the Black Lagoon to the mix.
The other reason I love Halloween, boat loads of candy. Yeah, I know, I'm a kid sometimes.
- In Other News -
I hate the NBA will not have an 82 game season. It's such a bummer.
It's slightly over halfway through the fantasy football season so I'll do an update blog on my teams. One is doing stellar, but two are struggling. Although, this week I will go 3-0.
I bought FIFA 12 and have basically become addicted to its career mode. Tomorrow Uncharted: Drake's Deception releases and I'll be getting that. The Uncharted series is one of the best franchises in the video game industry.
"The Little Things" - Danny Elfman
I'm not big on costumes (I have good costume ideas, but I rarely wear them).
I did go as Nathan Drake this year. He's the protagonist of the Uncharted video game series on the PS3. I wanted to go as a Party Down employee, but that wouldn't have been any fun without other people doing it too. The best thing about the Nathan Drake costume is it was basically normal clothing. I had to find a leather wristband and wear a silver ring on a leather necklace. No one knew who I was, so I just looked like a douche-y hipster.
It's cool though. I was comfortable and I nailed the costume.
But back to why I enjoy Halloween.
I think it has to do with my loving genuinely thrilling/suspenseful and supernatural things. I love a great scary story; whether it is a book or movie or video game. What I really like are the stories that actually build suspense and don't just go for the cheap "gotcha" scary (like nearly every horror movie in at least the past decade). Movies like Jaws or Alien nail the suspense aspect. You hardly see the "monster" before the final act. Granted, this is due to those movies being made in 70s, but those movies get that what I imagine a lot of people don't understand.
What the viewer/reader/player imagines in their head will always be scarier than what is actually there.
The fear of the unknown is a pretty powerful thing.
So on Halloween I watch classic scary movies. The past two years I've watched Young Frankenstein (not scary, but hysterical) and Night of the Living Dead (the original zombie flick). Both are some of my favorite movies. I think I might add The Creature from the Black Lagoon to the mix.
The other reason I love Halloween, boat loads of candy. Yeah, I know, I'm a kid sometimes.
- In Other News -
I hate the NBA will not have an 82 game season. It's such a bummer.
It's slightly over halfway through the fantasy football season so I'll do an update blog on my teams. One is doing stellar, but two are struggling. Although, this week I will go 3-0.
I bought FIFA 12 and have basically become addicted to its career mode. Tomorrow Uncharted: Drake's Deception releases and I'll be getting that. The Uncharted series is one of the best franchises in the video game industry.
"The Little Things" - Danny Elfman
Monday, October 10, 2011
Blogging Bad
Note: I don't watch Breaking Bad (I should), but I thought that was a clever title for this entry.
Ooof.
I haven't blogged for a few weeks now. I should've... it's not like I'm lacking free time at the moment.
So what's new with me? Good question.
I finished the first chapter of the story I started last summer. Chapter two is the process of being completed. And apparently it's good. Or at least my friend, Amber, thinks it is. She is not an idiot, so that means a lot.
Fantasy football isn't going that great though. I'll be 2-3 in the leagues I want to do well in the most, but will be 5-0 in the league I've been in the longest. My 5-0 team is a juggernaut featuring Matt Forte, Fred Jackson, Ahmad Bradshaw, Jermichael Finley, Vincent Jackson and, the centerpiece of the team, Megatron.
Tangent: Everyone and their mother is using the "Megatron" moniker for Calvin Johnson and jumping on the bandwagon now. It's annoying. I've been a paying member of the "Megatron" bandwagon since '08.
But I digress.
What else?
Oh. I bought Gears of War 3. The first new game I've bought in months.
It's really good... like really, really good. However, one of the things I found myself liking most about the game is how it is written. I enjoyed it quite a bit and did not expect to at all.
I also started playing Animal Crossing on my Gamecube again. That's right. Again.
I made a new town, village, or whatever you want to call it. Don't ask me how, but it's still as fun as it was back in October of '02 when I first got it.
"Superstars" - Styles of Beyond
Ooof.
I haven't blogged for a few weeks now. I should've... it's not like I'm lacking free time at the moment.
So what's new with me? Good question.
I finished the first chapter of the story I started last summer. Chapter two is the process of being completed. And apparently it's good. Or at least my friend, Amber, thinks it is. She is not an idiot, so that means a lot.
Fantasy football isn't going that great though. I'll be 2-3 in the leagues I want to do well in the most, but will be 5-0 in the league I've been in the longest. My 5-0 team is a juggernaut featuring Matt Forte, Fred Jackson, Ahmad Bradshaw, Jermichael Finley, Vincent Jackson and, the centerpiece of the team, Megatron.
Tangent: Everyone and their mother is using the "Megatron" moniker for Calvin Johnson and jumping on the bandwagon now. It's annoying. I've been a paying member of the "Megatron" bandwagon since '08.
But I digress.
What else?
Oh. I bought Gears of War 3. The first new game I've bought in months.
It's really good... like really, really good. However, one of the things I found myself liking most about the game is how it is written. I enjoyed it quite a bit and did not expect to at all.
I also started playing Animal Crossing on my Gamecube again. That's right. Again.
I made a new town, village, or whatever you want to call it. Don't ask me how, but it's still as fun as it was back in October of '02 when I first got it.
"Superstars" - Styles of Beyond
Monday, September 12, 2011
12 Team Draft #1
This is the fourth year of this league. It's a bunch of listeners of a podcast about sports videogames, called 4th String, and the host of the show. I've actually run the league the past three years (which is a pain in the ass because people drop out every year and I have to find replacements). I even won the championship 2 out of 3 years ('08, '10 and got 3rd in '09).
Because this league 12 teams, not 20, the teams have a ton more depth.
So here's the entire draft. And here's who I ended up with:
Round 1; Pick #5 - Ray Rice (RB)
- I was pumped to have gotten the 5th pick. I've never had a top 5 pick in the league. I hoped Rice would fall to me, but wasn't sure it would happen due to uncertainty about a few of the other top players. If he'd have been taken I'd have probably gone with Andre Johnson or LeSean McCoy.
Round 2; Pick #20 - Vincent Jackson (WR)
- I was hopeful that Calvin Johnson (from now on referred to as Megatron, as fantasy owners know him) would be around, but he was taken 16th overall. Lame. I went with Jackson because he's a top-flight receiver and has Philip Rivers throwing to him (I despise Rivers, but they love to chuck the ball in San Diego).
Round 3; Pick #29 - Matt Forte (RB)
- This is the 1st time I had not drafted two top tier WRs. I was considering Steven Jackson, DeSean Jackson, and Forte with this pick. I was pleasantly surprised that both Jackson, Steven and Forte had fallen into the 3rd round. Luckily only one of the 3 guys I liked were left, so I had no decision to make. Forte at pick #29 is great value.
Round 4; Pick #44 - Jermichael Finley (TE)
- I might have been able to wait one more round to grab Finley, but I wanted to make sure I got him on my team. I think he'll have a huge year.
Round 5; Pick #53 - Brandon Lloyd (WR)
- I wanted to get my 2nd WR with this pick. Lloyd was the #1 receiver in fantasy last season, but he'd been a disappointment ever year prior; it's thought to be an aberration and this is why he's not being taken in the top 20. I really would've liked Kenny Britt to fall to this spot, but he was gone with pick #47.
Round 6; Pick #68 - Fred Jackson (RB)
- I wasn't looking for a particular position here. I would've liked Tim Hightower (#63), Brandon Marshall (#64), or Auquan Boldin (#65) just slightly more, but Jackson is a solid back-up RB (as long as C.J. Spiller doesn't cut into his touches).
Round 7; Pick #77 - Joseph Addai (RB)
- Mike Tolbert was taken at #72 and there wasn't anyone else I was too excited about at the time so I went with Addai. Like I wrote in my 20 team draft blog, he's a risk (less so because this isn't a 20 team league), but could payoff.
Round 8; Pick #92 - Willis McGahee (RB)
- This was my 3rd straight RB drafted. I'm not sure why I did this, but I like each of the guys I took and it gave me good depth at RB. McGahee is supposed to get the goal line touches in Denver and the Broncos new coach, John Fox likes to run the ball. Also, he's behind oft injured Knowshon Moreno and he could be the starter at some point.
Round 9; Pick #101 - Packers D/ST
- It's not the best idea to take D/STs before the later rounds because, statistically, it's hard to predict who the good defenses will be. However, the Packers are a great defense. They get after the QB and have an awesome secondary. I probably should've taken a WR here (I only had two at this point), but I wanted to own the Pack on at least one of my teams. I also would've considered Matt Stafford, but he was grabbed with pick #95.
Round 10; Pick #116 - Jacoby Ford (WR)
- It was going to be either Robert Meachem or Ford here. Probably Meachem, but he was taken with pick #111. The plan was take Meachem at #116 and Ford a round later at #125. Oh well.
Round 11; Pick #125 - Donovan McNabb (QB)
- Since the Meachem/Ford plan didn't work out, it became 'get a QB' time for me. I planned on taking another QB to pair with McNabb and just go with the better matchup. McNabb doesn't throw too many interceptions so his limited upside (the Vikings are a run-first team with Adrian Peterson) isn't a problem.
Round 12; Pick #140 - Davone Bess (WR)
- I needed a receiver and Davone Bess is a decent bye-week fill-in. He's a possession guy and could get you 60, 70 yards and maybe a TD on a given day.
Round 13; Pick #149 - Eric Decker (WR)
- I'll be honest, I'm looking at my picks and I don't know why I took Decker here. I think I was worried that he'd be drafted since there are a few Broncos fans in our league. Nate Burleson was taken with pick #145. If I remember correctly I wanted him, but I really didn't like any of the receivers 'rated' around this spot so I took Decker and his upside.
Round 14; Pick #164 - DeMarco Murray (RB)
- He's behind Felix Jones on the Cowboys depth chart, but Jones is frequently banged up; the rookie might see some substantial work at some point.
Round 15; Pick #173 - Colt McCoy (QB)
- I'm looking at my draft now and I know that I wanted McCoy as the other QB I would pair with McNabb, but I think that the Decker and McCoy picks should've been switched.
Round 16; Pick #188 - Matt Bryant (K)
- He's the Falcons' kicker. They'll score a lot of points. It stands to reason he will as well. When in doubt, draft the kicker with the good offense.
So that's my drafted team and here's the link to my current team, Quantum of Fila. Quantum of Solace came out the 1st year I joined and I thought it worked well with 'Fila' (which I wanted to incorporate into the name); and now I'm not getting rid of it because it's practically an institution (2 two time champ!).
I've owned Megatron the two years prior to this one and love having him on my team so I immediately worked a deal to get him. My first offer was declined, but he came back at me with Megatron and Jimmy Graham for Ray Rice. I already have Finley so I'm set at TE, but I'm going to trade Graham after someone gets hurt or if he blows up like I think he will.
I also made another trade that day. One of the teams was really hurting for WRs so I offered him Lloyd and Addai for Ahmad Bradshaw and Pierre Thomas. This is a completely even trade. I needed to fill the Ray Rice-void on my team and having Megatron made Lloyd perfect trade bait.
I prefer how my team is constructed now more than the way it was just following the draft.
"Start the Commotion" - The Wiseguys
Because this league 12 teams, not 20, the teams have a ton more depth.
So here's the entire draft. And here's who I ended up with:
Round 1; Pick #5 - Ray Rice (RB)
- I was pumped to have gotten the 5th pick. I've never had a top 5 pick in the league. I hoped Rice would fall to me, but wasn't sure it would happen due to uncertainty about a few of the other top players. If he'd have been taken I'd have probably gone with Andre Johnson or LeSean McCoy.
Round 2; Pick #20 - Vincent Jackson (WR)
- I was hopeful that Calvin Johnson (from now on referred to as Megatron, as fantasy owners know him) would be around, but he was taken 16th overall. Lame. I went with Jackson because he's a top-flight receiver and has Philip Rivers throwing to him (I despise Rivers, but they love to chuck the ball in San Diego).
Round 3; Pick #29 - Matt Forte (RB)
- This is the 1st time I had not drafted two top tier WRs. I was considering Steven Jackson, DeSean Jackson, and Forte with this pick. I was pleasantly surprised that both Jackson, Steven and Forte had fallen into the 3rd round. Luckily only one of the 3 guys I liked were left, so I had no decision to make. Forte at pick #29 is great value.
Round 4; Pick #44 - Jermichael Finley (TE)
- I might have been able to wait one more round to grab Finley, but I wanted to make sure I got him on my team. I think he'll have a huge year.
Round 5; Pick #53 - Brandon Lloyd (WR)
- I wanted to get my 2nd WR with this pick. Lloyd was the #1 receiver in fantasy last season, but he'd been a disappointment ever year prior; it's thought to be an aberration and this is why he's not being taken in the top 20. I really would've liked Kenny Britt to fall to this spot, but he was gone with pick #47.
Round 6; Pick #68 - Fred Jackson (RB)
- I wasn't looking for a particular position here. I would've liked Tim Hightower (#63), Brandon Marshall (#64), or Auquan Boldin (#65) just slightly more, but Jackson is a solid back-up RB (as long as C.J. Spiller doesn't cut into his touches).
Round 7; Pick #77 - Joseph Addai (RB)
- Mike Tolbert was taken at #72 and there wasn't anyone else I was too excited about at the time so I went with Addai. Like I wrote in my 20 team draft blog, he's a risk (less so because this isn't a 20 team league), but could payoff.
Round 8; Pick #92 - Willis McGahee (RB)
- This was my 3rd straight RB drafted. I'm not sure why I did this, but I like each of the guys I took and it gave me good depth at RB. McGahee is supposed to get the goal line touches in Denver and the Broncos new coach, John Fox likes to run the ball. Also, he's behind oft injured Knowshon Moreno and he could be the starter at some point.
Round 9; Pick #101 - Packers D/ST
- It's not the best idea to take D/STs before the later rounds because, statistically, it's hard to predict who the good defenses will be. However, the Packers are a great defense. They get after the QB and have an awesome secondary. I probably should've taken a WR here (I only had two at this point), but I wanted to own the Pack on at least one of my teams. I also would've considered Matt Stafford, but he was grabbed with pick #95.
Round 10; Pick #116 - Jacoby Ford (WR)
- It was going to be either Robert Meachem or Ford here. Probably Meachem, but he was taken with pick #111. The plan was take Meachem at #116 and Ford a round later at #125. Oh well.
Round 11; Pick #125 - Donovan McNabb (QB)
- Since the Meachem/Ford plan didn't work out, it became 'get a QB' time for me. I planned on taking another QB to pair with McNabb and just go with the better matchup. McNabb doesn't throw too many interceptions so his limited upside (the Vikings are a run-first team with Adrian Peterson) isn't a problem.
Round 12; Pick #140 - Davone Bess (WR)
- I needed a receiver and Davone Bess is a decent bye-week fill-in. He's a possession guy and could get you 60, 70 yards and maybe a TD on a given day.
Round 13; Pick #149 - Eric Decker (WR)
- I'll be honest, I'm looking at my picks and I don't know why I took Decker here. I think I was worried that he'd be drafted since there are a few Broncos fans in our league. Nate Burleson was taken with pick #145. If I remember correctly I wanted him, but I really didn't like any of the receivers 'rated' around this spot so I took Decker and his upside.
Round 14; Pick #164 - DeMarco Murray (RB)
- He's behind Felix Jones on the Cowboys depth chart, but Jones is frequently banged up; the rookie might see some substantial work at some point.
Round 15; Pick #173 - Colt McCoy (QB)
- I'm looking at my draft now and I know that I wanted McCoy as the other QB I would pair with McNabb, but I think that the Decker and McCoy picks should've been switched.
Round 16; Pick #188 - Matt Bryant (K)
- He's the Falcons' kicker. They'll score a lot of points. It stands to reason he will as well. When in doubt, draft the kicker with the good offense.
So that's my drafted team and here's the link to my current team, Quantum of Fila. Quantum of Solace came out the 1st year I joined and I thought it worked well with 'Fila' (which I wanted to incorporate into the name); and now I'm not getting rid of it because it's practically an institution (2 two time champ!).
I've owned Megatron the two years prior to this one and love having him on my team so I immediately worked a deal to get him. My first offer was declined, but he came back at me with Megatron and Jimmy Graham for Ray Rice. I already have Finley so I'm set at TE, but I'm going to trade Graham after someone gets hurt or if he blows up like I think he will.
I also made another trade that day. One of the teams was really hurting for WRs so I offered him Lloyd and Addai for Ahmad Bradshaw and Pierre Thomas. This is a completely even trade. I needed to fill the Ray Rice-void on my team and having Megatron made Lloyd perfect trade bait.
I prefer how my team is constructed now more than the way it was just following the draft.
"Start the Commotion" - The Wiseguys
Sunday, September 11, 2011
My 20 Team Draft
I've always wanted to do a 20 team league. Sadly, I don't have 20 friends that like fantasy football so this has never been a possibility. Because of this I occasionally visit the ESPN.com fantasy message boards and look for deep leagues that are looking for replacement owners. Luckily I finally found one for this season.
20 team leagues are about as deep as leagues featuring only offensive players can get. If you have the #1 pick in a 20 team draft, your next pick won't be 'til pick #40. That's how far the talent pool drops off after just your 1st two picks. By the end of round #5, there will be 100 players gone. In a draft like this, your final picks will be guys in the 3rd or 4th spot on the depth chart. They may not see more than a few touches all year. This places even more importance on the draft because being able to identify the sleepers becomes even more vital.
In a bye week in a normal league (10 or 12 teams) you might be able to expect your bye week replacement to get you around 10 points; depending on how deep your bench is, this might be higher. A bye week replacement in a 20 team might, hopefully, get you 4 or 5 points.
It's kind of crazy.
Anyway, here's my drafted team (and a link to the whole draft). Each team was able to keep up to 2 players. Mine had Michael Turner and Frank Gore so I obviously kept them:
Round 1; Pick #8 - Michael Turner (RB)
Round 2; Pick #28 - Frank Gore (RB)
Round 3; Pick #48 - Jermichael Finley (TE)
- This pick is a bit of a risk. The standard thing to do here would likely be: take a QB (since a top QB will win you that position most weeks in a 20 team league), but 11 QBs had been kept so the best on the board was Josh Freeman. I decided I wasn't taking a QB until later. I also might have taken my 1st WR here, but I equate Finley to basically a very productive WR. He was on fire last year before he was injured. He's a matchup nightmare and the only other player I would've considered was Felix Jones and he was taken the pick before mine.
Round 4; Pick #73 - Anquan Boldin (WR)
- I was looking at Boldin, Kenny Britt, Brandon Marshall, and to a lesser extent Percy Harvin. I preferred the formers, because they are all big receivers that have the potential to catch 10 balls on a given Sunday. Harvin has the return ability in his favor though. Anyway, Britt was taken at #62 and Marshall at #66 so only Boldin was still around. I lucked out and got my 1st WR. Boldin had a down year last year, but I expect him to bounce back.
Round 5; Pick #88 - Joseph Addai (RB)
- This could either be a very smart pick, or an incredibly dumb one. Addai is a serious injury risk, but he's a starter and can score TDs. I was hoping Mike Tolbert or Tim Hightower might still be around, but Hightower was taken at #77 and Tolbert was taken right before me at #87 (the same dude that took Felix Jones at #47. Ughhh). At least Addai starts when he's in and he looked good during the preseason, if that means anything. I was really hoping that Matt Stafford might be available, but some tard took him at #51.
Round 6; Pick #113 - Robert Meachem (WR)
- Around here I was thinking QB, maybe Sam Bradford, but he went at #102. So I decided that it was time to take my 2nd WR. Meachem has battled injuries for the past couple years, but he got the skills to be a top WR. He's a favorite sleeper of mine.
Round 7; Pick #128 - Jacoby Ford (WR)
- Here's another sleeper of mine. In mock drafts I had done on ESPN.com Ford was going somewhere before pick #120 typically. When I took Meachem I had accepted that Ford would likely not make it 'til my next pick. So I was happy, maybe even giddy, that he was still on the board. If he hadn't been around still, I would've likely taken a QB here, but, again, I put it off. Ford should start for Oakland and he's blazing fast. So in a bye week, or if someone gets injured, he's got the talent to break for a long TD at any time and be a good fill-in.
Round 8; Pick #153 - Nate Burleson (WR)
- By this point I was in best available mode. I still needed a QB, but 23 QBs had been drafted by the start of Round 8; it really didn't matter which one I took. They were all the same, production-wise, at this point. Of course, by waiting I was risking them all being taken (which almost happened. More on that in a bit). The only one I would've considered taking was Ryan Fitzpatrick and, once again, he was taken mere picks prior to mine. Anyway, I considered a D/ST here too, but the ones I liked (Packers; #122, Ravens; #133, Falcons; #141) were all gone so I was just looking at WRs and RBs. I was surprised Burleson was still out there at this pick. He's looked great in the preseason. I figured someone would've overvalued him and taken him earlier. He should be a solid fill-in for injuries or bye weeks (maybe even a starter if something were to happen to Calvin Johnson, Megatron).
Round 9; Pick #168 - Ben Tate (RB)
- I remember being very frustrated around this time. Jason Campbell was still on the board when I took Burleson and I was hoping to draft him come this pick. He was drafted at #160. Ughhh. That meant the only QBs left, that I could tolerate owning (barely), were Matt Hasselbeck, Chad Henne, and Alex Smith. Nearly every team had a QB at this point so I was confident that I could wait just one more round (25 picks 'til my next pick) and one of the three would still be around. It came down to Bernard Berrian and Ben Tate here. Berrian had shown some flashes of chemistry with Donovan McNabb during the preseason, but I decided on Tate. Fantasy analysts love him and, if Arian Foster goes down with an injury, he will have a good opportunity to start.
Round 10; Pick #193 - Chad Henne (QB)
- Hasselbeck was taken after my pick in Round 9, but both Henne and Smith were still there (as were Rex Grossman and John Beck, but I'm not sure that either will start the entire season so I didn't consider them). I went with Henne since he has Marshall and a solid possession WR in Davone Bess and more job security... but just barely.
Round 11; Pick #208 - Eric Decker (WR)
- Honestly, had Alex Smith still been around I would've taken him here and just alternated between him and Henne, but he wasn't. Decker is another sleeper I wanted to make sure was on my team. I probably took him a tad early, but better safe than sorry (I likely should have adopted this strategy for QB). I think he could catch a good number of TDs this year.
Round 12; Pick #233 - Stevan Ridley (RB)
- Another sleeper, but only if Benjarvus Green-Ellis gets injured. He looked good in the preseason and the Patriots use the platoon RB strategy so he might have value.
Round 13; Pick #248 - Jabar Gaffney (WR)
- Just a best available pick. I would've taken Arrelious Benn, but he was taken at pick #243.
Round 14; Pick #273 - Vince Young (QB)
- This could payoff big. He's the back up to Vick in Philly, which means he'll probably play at least one game due to Vick being injured. He's looked solid in the preseason and now he's in Philly where they groom QBs.
Round 15; Pick #288 - Titans D/ST
- All that was left to do was pick a D/ST and a kicker. I really wanted the Broncos D/ST, but they were gone just pick before mine again (this was a recurring theme in this draft). I think they could be decent this year. At least they will get a lot of sacks with Elvis Dumervil (back from a season-ending injury) and rookie Von Miller. Anyway, I decided on the Titans D/ST. I think they will have a decent year.
Round 16; Pick #313 - Matt Prater (K)
- Nothing to really analyze here. He's a solid kicker and can hit some long kicks. No brainer.
So that's my team. I came out of the draft awful at QB, but solid everywhere else. I'm not a huge fan of Michael Turner so I started shopping him immediately for a QB. People constantly think they are being screwed over so pulling trades off is difficult. I wanted to trade for Stafford, but that owner is a moron; so I didn't even try. I ended up putting out two trades: Turner and Henne for Fitzpatrick and Beanie Wells, Turner and Henne for Colt McCoy and Vincent Jackson. I preferred the later. Of course, the Fitzpatrick/Wells trade is accepted. It's a fine trade. Fitzpatrick is a decent fantasy QB (better than Henne) and Wells is the hands down starter in Arizona so I'm ok with it. I should've waited for the McCoy/Jackson trade to be accepted or declined, but oh well.
Here's the link to my team if you'd like to check it out: Snitchin' Bubs (my team name is a Wire thing so if you haven't watched the show, you won't get it).
"Game Theory" - The Roots
20 team leagues are about as deep as leagues featuring only offensive players can get. If you have the #1 pick in a 20 team draft, your next pick won't be 'til pick #40. That's how far the talent pool drops off after just your 1st two picks. By the end of round #5, there will be 100 players gone. In a draft like this, your final picks will be guys in the 3rd or 4th spot on the depth chart. They may not see more than a few touches all year. This places even more importance on the draft because being able to identify the sleepers becomes even more vital.
In a bye week in a normal league (10 or 12 teams) you might be able to expect your bye week replacement to get you around 10 points; depending on how deep your bench is, this might be higher. A bye week replacement in a 20 team might, hopefully, get you 4 or 5 points.
It's kind of crazy.
Anyway, here's my drafted team (and a link to the whole draft). Each team was able to keep up to 2 players. Mine had Michael Turner and Frank Gore so I obviously kept them:
Round 1; Pick #8 - Michael Turner (RB)
Round 2; Pick #28 - Frank Gore (RB)
Round 3; Pick #48 - Jermichael Finley (TE)
- This pick is a bit of a risk. The standard thing to do here would likely be: take a QB (since a top QB will win you that position most weeks in a 20 team league), but 11 QBs had been kept so the best on the board was Josh Freeman. I decided I wasn't taking a QB until later. I also might have taken my 1st WR here, but I equate Finley to basically a very productive WR. He was on fire last year before he was injured. He's a matchup nightmare and the only other player I would've considered was Felix Jones and he was taken the pick before mine.
Round 4; Pick #73 - Anquan Boldin (WR)
- I was looking at Boldin, Kenny Britt, Brandon Marshall, and to a lesser extent Percy Harvin. I preferred the formers, because they are all big receivers that have the potential to catch 10 balls on a given Sunday. Harvin has the return ability in his favor though. Anyway, Britt was taken at #62 and Marshall at #66 so only Boldin was still around. I lucked out and got my 1st WR. Boldin had a down year last year, but I expect him to bounce back.
Round 5; Pick #88 - Joseph Addai (RB)
- This could either be a very smart pick, or an incredibly dumb one. Addai is a serious injury risk, but he's a starter and can score TDs. I was hoping Mike Tolbert or Tim Hightower might still be around, but Hightower was taken at #77 and Tolbert was taken right before me at #87 (the same dude that took Felix Jones at #47. Ughhh). At least Addai starts when he's in and he looked good during the preseason, if that means anything. I was really hoping that Matt Stafford might be available, but some tard took him at #51.
Round 6; Pick #113 - Robert Meachem (WR)
- Around here I was thinking QB, maybe Sam Bradford, but he went at #102. So I decided that it was time to take my 2nd WR. Meachem has battled injuries for the past couple years, but he got the skills to be a top WR. He's a favorite sleeper of mine.
Round 7; Pick #128 - Jacoby Ford (WR)
- Here's another sleeper of mine. In mock drafts I had done on ESPN.com Ford was going somewhere before pick #120 typically. When I took Meachem I had accepted that Ford would likely not make it 'til my next pick. So I was happy, maybe even giddy, that he was still on the board. If he hadn't been around still, I would've likely taken a QB here, but, again, I put it off. Ford should start for Oakland and he's blazing fast. So in a bye week, or if someone gets injured, he's got the talent to break for a long TD at any time and be a good fill-in.
Round 8; Pick #153 - Nate Burleson (WR)
- By this point I was in best available mode. I still needed a QB, but 23 QBs had been drafted by the start of Round 8; it really didn't matter which one I took. They were all the same, production-wise, at this point. Of course, by waiting I was risking them all being taken (which almost happened. More on that in a bit). The only one I would've considered taking was Ryan Fitzpatrick and, once again, he was taken mere picks prior to mine. Anyway, I considered a D/ST here too, but the ones I liked (Packers; #122, Ravens; #133, Falcons; #141) were all gone so I was just looking at WRs and RBs. I was surprised Burleson was still out there at this pick. He's looked great in the preseason. I figured someone would've overvalued him and taken him earlier. He should be a solid fill-in for injuries or bye weeks (maybe even a starter if something were to happen to Calvin Johnson, Megatron).
Round 9; Pick #168 - Ben Tate (RB)
- I remember being very frustrated around this time. Jason Campbell was still on the board when I took Burleson and I was hoping to draft him come this pick. He was drafted at #160. Ughhh. That meant the only QBs left, that I could tolerate owning (barely), were Matt Hasselbeck, Chad Henne, and Alex Smith. Nearly every team had a QB at this point so I was confident that I could wait just one more round (25 picks 'til my next pick) and one of the three would still be around. It came down to Bernard Berrian and Ben Tate here. Berrian had shown some flashes of chemistry with Donovan McNabb during the preseason, but I decided on Tate. Fantasy analysts love him and, if Arian Foster goes down with an injury, he will have a good opportunity to start.
Round 10; Pick #193 - Chad Henne (QB)
- Hasselbeck was taken after my pick in Round 9, but both Henne and Smith were still there (as were Rex Grossman and John Beck, but I'm not sure that either will start the entire season so I didn't consider them). I went with Henne since he has Marshall and a solid possession WR in Davone Bess and more job security... but just barely.
Round 11; Pick #208 - Eric Decker (WR)
- Honestly, had Alex Smith still been around I would've taken him here and just alternated between him and Henne, but he wasn't. Decker is another sleeper I wanted to make sure was on my team. I probably took him a tad early, but better safe than sorry (I likely should have adopted this strategy for QB). I think he could catch a good number of TDs this year.
Round 12; Pick #233 - Stevan Ridley (RB)
- Another sleeper, but only if Benjarvus Green-Ellis gets injured. He looked good in the preseason and the Patriots use the platoon RB strategy so he might have value.
Round 13; Pick #248 - Jabar Gaffney (WR)
- Just a best available pick. I would've taken Arrelious Benn, but he was taken at pick #243.
Round 14; Pick #273 - Vince Young (QB)
- This could payoff big. He's the back up to Vick in Philly, which means he'll probably play at least one game due to Vick being injured. He's looked solid in the preseason and now he's in Philly where they groom QBs.
Round 15; Pick #288 - Titans D/ST
- All that was left to do was pick a D/ST and a kicker. I really wanted the Broncos D/ST, but they were gone just pick before mine again (this was a recurring theme in this draft). I think they could be decent this year. At least they will get a lot of sacks with Elvis Dumervil (back from a season-ending injury) and rookie Von Miller. Anyway, I decided on the Titans D/ST. I think they will have a decent year.
Round 16; Pick #313 - Matt Prater (K)
- Nothing to really analyze here. He's a solid kicker and can hit some long kicks. No brainer.
So that's my team. I came out of the draft awful at QB, but solid everywhere else. I'm not a huge fan of Michael Turner so I started shopping him immediately for a QB. People constantly think they are being screwed over so pulling trades off is difficult. I wanted to trade for Stafford, but that owner is a moron; so I didn't even try. I ended up putting out two trades: Turner and Henne for Fitzpatrick and Beanie Wells, Turner and Henne for Colt McCoy and Vincent Jackson. I preferred the later. Of course, the Fitzpatrick/Wells trade is accepted. It's a fine trade. Fitzpatrick is a decent fantasy QB (better than Henne) and Wells is the hands down starter in Arizona so I'm ok with it. I should've waited for the McCoy/Jackson trade to be accepted or declined, but oh well.
Here's the link to my team if you'd like to check it out: Snitchin' Bubs (my team name is a Wire thing so if you haven't watched the show, you won't get it).
"Game Theory" - The Roots
Saturday, September 10, 2011
I Can't Think of Anything Clever to Title This Blog
It's been nearly a month since I wrote my last one. I suppose I haven't had much to write about lately. Things are much less interesting and active since I left Bloomington. I have far too much time on my hands.
I need an idea...
... and a job.
Edit:
I know what I can do with my next blog. I can talk about my fantasy football teams and why I drafted the players I did. Yeah, that might work.
- In Other News -
I went to see Contagion today. Damn good movie.
Eerie, suspenseful, and, most importantly, smart. If you go see it, which I strongly suggest you do, make note of how many times people cough during the movie. I can bet that barely anyone will. I heard only one cough throughout the entire film... and people cough all the time during movies! Whether to clear their throat or if they're sick (I'd suggest not seeing this movie while sick. I'm sure you'd get dirty looks).
Maybe I'm weird for noticing this, but I think it's interesting and kind of funny.
Edit:
I watched the 1st season of the HBO series How to Make it in America the other day. I had a good time watching it. I'll liken it to Entourage in that it plays up the late-twenties, party lifestyle, but from the perspective of people far less better off.
And Kid Cudi is in the cast, which is pretty cool.
"Tighten Up" - The Black Keys
I need an idea...
... and a job.
Edit:
I know what I can do with my next blog. I can talk about my fantasy football teams and why I drafted the players I did. Yeah, that might work.
- In Other News -
I went to see Contagion today. Damn good movie.
Eerie, suspenseful, and, most importantly, smart. If you go see it, which I strongly suggest you do, make note of how many times people cough during the movie. I can bet that barely anyone will. I heard only one cough throughout the entire film... and people cough all the time during movies! Whether to clear their throat or if they're sick (I'd suggest not seeing this movie while sick. I'm sure you'd get dirty looks).
Maybe I'm weird for noticing this, but I think it's interesting and kind of funny.
Edit:
I watched the 1st season of the HBO series How to Make it in America the other day. I had a good time watching it. I'll liken it to Entourage in that it plays up the late-twenties, party lifestyle, but from the perspective of people far less better off.
And Kid Cudi is in the cast, which is pretty cool.
"Tighten Up" - The Black Keys
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Mario Kart Drinking Game
I'm just coming up with this as I go.
You do a shot at the end of every race for every lap you did not finish in 1st place. So, while you may win the race, you could still end up doing a shot or two.
Yeah, I think that sounds good.
So this is meant to be done with friends, however, this can be done alone too (you better be playing on 150cc or Mirror though), but that's just kind of sad, if you ask me.
That's all I have right now. I'm going to come back and revise should a better idea reveal itself.
"Stronger" - Kayne West
You do a shot at the end of every race for every lap you did not finish in 1st place. So, while you may win the race, you could still end up doing a shot or two.
Yeah, I think that sounds good.
So this is meant to be done with friends, however, this can be done alone too (you better be playing on 150cc or Mirror though), but that's just kind of sad, if you ask me.
That's all I have right now. I'm going to come back and revise should a better idea reveal itself.
"Stronger" - Kayne West
Thursday, July 28, 2011
New Jersey
My mom and little bro are both on vacation in New Jersey at the moment and I am staying at her house watching my pooch. Mom has gone back to Jersey for her 35th high school reunion. While my little bro is there to visit his girlfriend during her birthday and meet her family.
I'm jealous they get to go back. I haven't been back since '03 when we lived there for a comically short, month and a half.
I was born in Connecticut. Lived in North Carolina, Maryland, New Hampshire, Florida, New Jersey (2), and Indiana (2).
But I always identify Jersey as my home.
I always wonder who I'd be if we hadn't move from there. I certainly wouldn't be the man I am today. I like to think my general sensibilities would still exist somewhere in me, but the details would most certainly be different.
One thing I know, if we didn't leave there, I wouldn't be sitting on the couch with my hairy best friend.
I'm jealous they get to go back. I haven't been back since '03 when we lived there for a comically short, month and a half.
I was born in Connecticut. Lived in North Carolina, Maryland, New Hampshire, Florida, New Jersey (2), and Indiana (2).
But I always identify Jersey as my home.
I always wonder who I'd be if we hadn't move from there. I certainly wouldn't be the man I am today. I like to think my general sensibilities would still exist somewhere in me, but the details would most certainly be different.
One thing I know, if we didn't leave there, I wouldn't be sitting on the couch with my hairy best friend.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Note to Self #3
You need to not kick drywall like it's a soccer ball. All you're going to end up with, shockingly, is a hole in the wall.
"All at Once" - The Fray
"All at Once" - The Fray
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Hrrrmmm...
Every once in a while I find myself wondering how it is I became such good friends with the people I'm close to. I'll look over the course of the friendship and think about how it is I came to be close to them. Obviously I'm weird for doing this, but I'm the kind of person that likes to figure things out.
I know. I have problems.
All I'm really getting at is this, it is funny how things work out and how you get close to others and lose touch with people you were close to. I just think it's bizarre how it is you end up with the people you end up with (you might want to read that sentence again. It confused me when I wrote it).
- In other news -
I started playing soccer again this week. I decided I needed to change up my workouts and playing soccer pretty much works all these muscles you never even realize are there. I still have the wicked bend on my shots (believe it or not I used to be a pretty damn good soccer player).
I came across this website, called Klout.com, which you link to your Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, and LinkedIn accounts. It gives you a numerical score from 1 to 100 (how much clout you have. Clout, get it?) and even determines what style of user you are based on how you use your accounts. I think it's pretty interesting; almost makes it into a game where you can compete with your friends to see who has more "klout."
"Fort Knox" - Goldfish
I know. I have problems.
All I'm really getting at is this, it is funny how things work out and how you get close to others and lose touch with people you were close to. I just think it's bizarre how it is you end up with the people you end up with (you might want to read that sentence again. It confused me when I wrote it).
- In other news -
I started playing soccer again this week. I decided I needed to change up my workouts and playing soccer pretty much works all these muscles you never even realize are there. I still have the wicked bend on my shots (believe it or not I used to be a pretty damn good soccer player).
I came across this website, called Klout.com, which you link to your Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, and LinkedIn accounts. It gives you a numerical score from 1 to 100 (how much clout you have. Clout, get it?) and even determines what style of user you are based on how you use your accounts. I think it's pretty interesting; almost makes it into a game where you can compete with your friends to see who has more "klout."
"Fort Knox" - Goldfish
Monday, July 4, 2011
Nerd Alert!
My brother and I are colossal nerds.
While I was home this past weekend, my little brother was packing shit up and searching for some things of his to take to his new apartment. As he was looking through boxes in the basement he found these pieces to an old collectible miniatures game we used to play, called Mage Knight.
We started playing it back in 2001 when my brother got a package of them at this little hobby shop in the mall near our grandparents house. Eventually I got some of my own. Then some of the kids we hung out with down there got into it too. Back home, we'd play it with friends of ours; staying up 'til the crack of dawn playing.
Well, dammit, we wanted to play some Mage Knight again.
It's similar to a role-playing card game, but there are no cards. All the information you need for each piece (including a point value) is on a dial that each character you play with stands on. You then build an army, add up all the point values of the pieces, and make sure that the total is under a certain point total.
The problem is we couldn't find my pieces. We even found the map we created to play on. So I searched and searched, but I couldn't find them. My mom even got in on the search. It was hilarious.
It became one of those searches where we had to find the damn things because it was so annoying we hadn't. The stupidest thing was that I had packed my little bro's boxes and they were far less organized than mine (which I packed too). So the likelihood that we'd have found his first was much lower.
Anyway, we found them eventually. In a box I had looked at like three times and determined each time was not a box of my things. Such is life sometimes.
So we got around to playing yesterday. It was just as much fun as I remember it. We had a good laugh at the fact that we were sitting on the carpet, playing a game we hadn't touched in years, and had started playing 10 years ago (actually it was just around this time too). My mom, especially, thought this was hilarious.
"Spaz" - N.E.R.D.
While I was home this past weekend, my little brother was packing shit up and searching for some things of his to take to his new apartment. As he was looking through boxes in the basement he found these pieces to an old collectible miniatures game we used to play, called Mage Knight.
We started playing it back in 2001 when my brother got a package of them at this little hobby shop in the mall near our grandparents house. Eventually I got some of my own. Then some of the kids we hung out with down there got into it too. Back home, we'd play it with friends of ours; staying up 'til the crack of dawn playing.
Well, dammit, we wanted to play some Mage Knight again.
It's similar to a role-playing card game, but there are no cards. All the information you need for each piece (including a point value) is on a dial that each character you play with stands on. You then build an army, add up all the point values of the pieces, and make sure that the total is under a certain point total.
The problem is we couldn't find my pieces. We even found the map we created to play on. So I searched and searched, but I couldn't find them. My mom even got in on the search. It was hilarious.
It became one of those searches where we had to find the damn things because it was so annoying we hadn't. The stupidest thing was that I had packed my little bro's boxes and they were far less organized than mine (which I packed too). So the likelihood that we'd have found his first was much lower.
Anyway, we found them eventually. In a box I had looked at like three times and determined each time was not a box of my things. Such is life sometimes.
So we got around to playing yesterday. It was just as much fun as I remember it. We had a good laugh at the fact that we were sitting on the carpet, playing a game we hadn't touched in years, and had started playing 10 years ago (actually it was just around this time too). My mom, especially, thought this was hilarious.
"Spaz" - N.E.R.D.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Vagabond
I do not have a home in the traditional sense of the word.
My mom and little bro both have lives they are living. I assume they like it when I am home. I know my mom does, but, realistically speaking, I am just a person that shows up for a couple of days, every few weeks. I'll bitch about how they have nothing to eat or drink, watch whatever shows my mom wants to watch on her DVR, do laundry (fold my mom's, if she has any), vacuum, go visit my grandma, and sleep on the couch.
I'm basically a vagabond.
A spectre that drifts into their lives intermittently. An image that's occasionally in focus.
I could go on with the metaphors all day.
As I think about it, the only reason I truly 'want' to come home is to see my dog. I adore the ever-loving shit out of that animal. He just turned twelve and that's on the good side of the bell curve for Labrador life-expectancy. He's getting really gray now; in the pads of his feet, on his belly a little, and even his eyebrows. More often than not, however, he still has that quizzical, puppy look on his face and that makes me happy.
In fact, no one is home right now and he is laying next to me on the couch, on his back, feet up in the air.
- In other news -
I really hope I am able to line up a job (read: career) soon. I found a couple of jobs I'm perfectly qualified for. So after a little more work on my portfolio, I'll apply to them. I would rather not be in Bloomington past this summer, but I can think of nowhere better to be should things not work out exactly as I intend.
I think they will though.
Remember: I'm an optimist now. Muaaahahahaha.
Also, June was a fairly good month in the blogging department. Nine blogs in total. That's around a blog every three days. I'm putting that kind of consistency in the win column... or at least the non-failure column.
"Vagabond" - Greenskeepers
My mom and little bro both have lives they are living. I assume they like it when I am home. I know my mom does, but, realistically speaking, I am just a person that shows up for a couple of days, every few weeks. I'll bitch about how they have nothing to eat or drink, watch whatever shows my mom wants to watch on her DVR, do laundry (fold my mom's, if she has any), vacuum, go visit my grandma, and sleep on the couch.
I'm basically a vagabond.
A spectre that drifts into their lives intermittently. An image that's occasionally in focus.
I could go on with the metaphors all day.
As I think about it, the only reason I truly 'want' to come home is to see my dog. I adore the ever-loving shit out of that animal. He just turned twelve and that's on the good side of the bell curve for Labrador life-expectancy. He's getting really gray now; in the pads of his feet, on his belly a little, and even his eyebrows. More often than not, however, he still has that quizzical, puppy look on his face and that makes me happy.
In fact, no one is home right now and he is laying next to me on the couch, on his back, feet up in the air.
- In other news -
I really hope I am able to line up a job (read: career) soon. I found a couple of jobs I'm perfectly qualified for. So after a little more work on my portfolio, I'll apply to them. I would rather not be in Bloomington past this summer, but I can think of nowhere better to be should things not work out exactly as I intend.
I think they will though.
Remember: I'm an optimist now. Muaaahahahaha.
Also, June was a fairly good month in the blogging department. Nine blogs in total. That's around a blog every three days. I'm putting that kind of consistency in the win column... or at least the non-failure column.
"Vagabond" - Greenskeepers
Monday, June 27, 2011
Whatever You Do, Don't Look Back!
This is a quote from the front of the Dante's Peak DVD.
Yes, I own Dante's Peak on DVD. I found it at a used DVD store after Andrea and I joked about wanting to watch in while in Colorado.
But why is it the title of this blog? I don't know. It seemed like an appropriate title for a blog entry about my birthday.
I tend to reflect on the past year in my life when my birthday comes around (as I imagine most people do). As I think about this past year I recognize how great a year it has been.
I made some great friends.
Lost a bunch of weight.
I finally made a plan (sort of) on how to get a legitimate job (read: career).
I even climbed above 13,000 ft.
I've also become sure of the things that I want most out of life. So I got that going for me... which is nice.
I guess this blog title is in conflict with this pattern of yearly reflection, but that is because I haven't made my point yet. The point I'd like to make is that while looking back is alright; it is easy to spend too much time in what has happened.
You might end missing what's 'happening.'
The past is a great reference point. And memories are wonderful things; especially when they give you that one-of-a-kind warm, fuzzy, tingly feeling. Like when someone just understands you or you accomplish something even outside the realm of your wildest dreams. But you can't let past experiences dictate present ones. Just because you've been burned before whether it be by people, or chances you've taken, you shouldn't let yourself be afraid of being burned again.
People, and life, will never cease to surprise you.
I suppose I've become an optimist. A frightening thought.
For my birthday I didn't do much of anything. I went canoeing on Griffy Lake with Andrea. It was really beautiful Saturday. The perfect weather for being outside. Later I made us nachos. I had really been craving nachos for a while now. So I grilled up some ground beef with cumin, threw that, some black beans, and cheese on top of tortilla chips and put it all in the oven.
It was quite tasty.
Probably the coolest thing I did though was the day before when I went with Andrea to her uncle's cabin. She had to pick up some stuff from her dad and they showed me all around the place. I even got to shoot a gun on the shooting range they have out there. I had never done that before. It was fun to finally knock that off my bucket list.
"Wonderful Night" - Fatboy Slim
Yes, I own Dante's Peak on DVD. I found it at a used DVD store after Andrea and I joked about wanting to watch in while in Colorado.
But why is it the title of this blog? I don't know. It seemed like an appropriate title for a blog entry about my birthday.
I tend to reflect on the past year in my life when my birthday comes around (as I imagine most people do). As I think about this past year I recognize how great a year it has been.
I made some great friends.
Lost a bunch of weight.
I finally made a plan (sort of) on how to get a legitimate job (read: career).
I even climbed above 13,000 ft.
I've also become sure of the things that I want most out of life. So I got that going for me... which is nice.
I guess this blog title is in conflict with this pattern of yearly reflection, but that is because I haven't made my point yet. The point I'd like to make is that while looking back is alright; it is easy to spend too much time in what has happened.
You might end missing what's 'happening.'
The past is a great reference point. And memories are wonderful things; especially when they give you that one-of-a-kind warm, fuzzy, tingly feeling. Like when someone just understands you or you accomplish something even outside the realm of your wildest dreams. But you can't let past experiences dictate present ones. Just because you've been burned before whether it be by people, or chances you've taken, you shouldn't let yourself be afraid of being burned again.
People, and life, will never cease to surprise you.
I suppose I've become an optimist. A frightening thought.
For my birthday I didn't do much of anything. I went canoeing on Griffy Lake with Andrea. It was really beautiful Saturday. The perfect weather for being outside. Later I made us nachos. I had really been craving nachos for a while now. So I grilled up some ground beef with cumin, threw that, some black beans, and cheese on top of tortilla chips and put it all in the oven.
It was quite tasty.
Probably the coolest thing I did though was the day before when I went with Andrea to her uncle's cabin. She had to pick up some stuff from her dad and they showed me all around the place. I even got to shoot a gun on the shooting range they have out there. I had never done that before. It was fun to finally knock that off my bucket list.
"Wonderful Night" - Fatboy Slim
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Note to Self
Running two hours after having donated plasma is not the brightest move. Especially when you've barely eaten.
"Tubthumping" - Chumbawumba
"Tubthumping" - Chumbawumba
Saturday, June 18, 2011
In Need of a Memory Wipe
Earlier I caught sight of, very briefly, a text from my mom to some guy. I wasn't snooping through her phone or creeping over her shoulder or anything. She was showing me how predictive text on her phone annoys her. Lets just say I'd rather not have seen the contents of this text.
I love my mom. She's had a tough few years. She hasn't had anyone to talk to for a long time now, so she deserves someone. I'd just rather not know about it...
...at all.
Ughhh. It's so unsettling.
And there's something weird, to me, about people above the age of 30 sending rather intimate texts.
Seems like an activity meant for young people. Of course, anyone I've mentioned this to has said it's not weird at all. Maybe I'm the weird one.
Probably, but that's cool.
- In other news -
I got around to playing Mass Effect 2 again (on the PS3 this time). It is by far my favorite game of this console generation. I think the greatest thing about the game is it's characters. The story of Mass Effect 2 is relatively simple; if the characters weren't written in a way that made deep and compelling it wouldn't be the same game.
I'll be 24 in a week. Doesn't feel like it though.
"Song 2" - Blur
I love my mom. She's had a tough few years. She hasn't had anyone to talk to for a long time now, so she deserves someone. I'd just rather not know about it...
...at all.
Ughhh. It's so unsettling.
And there's something weird, to me, about people above the age of 30 sending rather intimate texts.
Seems like an activity meant for young people. Of course, anyone I've mentioned this to has said it's not weird at all. Maybe I'm the weird one.
Probably, but that's cool.
- In other news -
I got around to playing Mass Effect 2 again (on the PS3 this time). It is by far my favorite game of this console generation. I think the greatest thing about the game is it's characters. The story of Mass Effect 2 is relatively simple; if the characters weren't written in a way that made deep and compelling it wouldn't be the same game.
I'll be 24 in a week. Doesn't feel like it though.
"Song 2" - Blur
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Scratch That
Holy crap was that last blog of mine atrocious. The epitome of awful. Just thinking about it makes me want to punch myself in the nards. You'll notice it is no longer there. That shit had to go.
- In other news -
Some plans of mine fell through on Sunday so I decided to surprise my mom by driving home. She isn't doing great. Completely overwhelmed with all the things she needs to do to take care of my grandma. It's enormously depressing.
I did finally get around to watching Game of Thrones while I was there though. That show is pretty damn awesome. I watched the first 8 episodes from like 10pm Sunday night to 6am the next morning. I'd finish one and say, "ok, just one more."
I couldn't help it. I was hooked. It makes me wish I had HBO still so I could see the final two episodes before I am home next. And True Blood is coming back in a couple a weeks too.
I also donated plasma on Tuesday. That was really cool. I wanted to get a little extra money and I remembered an old roommate of mine going to donate from time to time, so I thought I'd give it a try. It was interesting there and every employee was nice. It was strange seeing so many happy people working together (if that's not a comment on society, I don't know what is).
Finally here's a joke they sort of tell on an episode of How I Met Your Mother. It's really crass, but it made me laugh.
What's the difference between peanut butter and jam?
You can't peanut butter your dick up someone's ass.
"Where's Your Head At" - Basement Jaxx
- In other news -
Some plans of mine fell through on Sunday so I decided to surprise my mom by driving home. She isn't doing great. Completely overwhelmed with all the things she needs to do to take care of my grandma. It's enormously depressing.
I did finally get around to watching Game of Thrones while I was there though. That show is pretty damn awesome. I watched the first 8 episodes from like 10pm Sunday night to 6am the next morning. I'd finish one and say, "ok, just one more."
I couldn't help it. I was hooked. It makes me wish I had HBO still so I could see the final two episodes before I am home next. And True Blood is coming back in a couple a weeks too.
I also donated plasma on Tuesday. That was really cool. I wanted to get a little extra money and I remembered an old roommate of mine going to donate from time to time, so I thought I'd give it a try. It was interesting there and every employee was nice. It was strange seeing so many happy people working together (if that's not a comment on society, I don't know what is).
Finally here's a joke they sort of tell on an episode of How I Met Your Mother. It's really crass, but it made me laugh.
What's the difference between peanut butter and jam?
You can't peanut butter your dick up someone's ass.
"Where's Your Head At" - Basement Jaxx
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Things That Scare the Poop Out of Me
They include:
most spiders - spiders suck so much. Seriously, they are one of evolution's creepiest creations. Think about it. Tiny creatures that have poisonous fangs and can crawl out from the smallest of spaces.
Absolutely creepy.
swimming in murky ocean water - ... well, any murky water. Ughhh. It's mostly a shark thing. It's just very unnerving to be swimming in water where you can't see what is around you.
I think that's it. Nothing else comes to mind right now. I mean, sure, clowns are creepy, but I'm not scared of them. Sure, heights sucks, but only if all I have is a very small walking space and a steep drop on one or both sides.
- In other news -
I started working on my the story I started writing last summer. There's something about being alone in Btown during the summer that just puts me in a 'good' writing mood.
It is two weeks 'til my birthday. I don't really know what I'll do for it. My mom will want me to come home, but I'd rather just hang out alone in the wilderness for a while. She was asking me what I wanted for my birthday a few weeks ago and I said, "nothing". She was irked by this. The woman just sent me on a trip to Yellowstone and RMNP; that's more than enough. She tells me I'm spoiled sometimes and then she gets weird when I don't want anything.
I started watching LOST before I went on my trip and finished season 1 the other day. It is such a great show.
I've been running every day this week and holy crap has it been sweltering out. The hotter the better, however. There's nothing like a great sweat during (and after) a run. It almost always puts me in a good place.
"Danger Zone" - Chiddy Bang
most spiders - spiders suck so much. Seriously, they are one of evolution's creepiest creations. Think about it. Tiny creatures that have poisonous fangs and can crawl out from the smallest of spaces.
Absolutely creepy.
swimming in murky ocean water - ... well, any murky water. Ughhh. It's mostly a shark thing. It's just very unnerving to be swimming in water where you can't see what is around you.
I think that's it. Nothing else comes to mind right now. I mean, sure, clowns are creepy, but I'm not scared of them. Sure, heights sucks, but only if all I have is a very small walking space and a steep drop on one or both sides.
- In other news -
I started working on my the story I started writing last summer. There's something about being alone in Btown during the summer that just puts me in a 'good' writing mood.
It is two weeks 'til my birthday. I don't really know what I'll do for it. My mom will want me to come home, but I'd rather just hang out alone in the wilderness for a while. She was asking me what I wanted for my birthday a few weeks ago and I said, "nothing". She was irked by this. The woman just sent me on a trip to Yellowstone and RMNP; that's more than enough. She tells me I'm spoiled sometimes and then she gets weird when I don't want anything.
I started watching LOST before I went on my trip and finished season 1 the other day. It is such a great show.
I've been running every day this week and holy crap has it been sweltering out. The hotter the better, however. There's nothing like a great sweat during (and after) a run. It almost always puts me in a good place.
"Danger Zone" - Chiddy Bang
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Limbo
I'm in it and it sucks.
It is a weird feeling to see what the next step in your life is, but not know exactly how it is you are going to get there. I do know how to get there, but it'll only 'truly' become apparent as it is happening. It is remarkably moronic, I know.
And I'll be 24 in a little over two weeks.
That's right. 24.
I'm nearly halfway through my 20s. It is mind boggling to think about. Sort of like when you try to imagine how the universe began. You are only able to get so far before your brain hurts because what you cannot comprehend what comes next. Or, in the case of the universe analogy, before.
If that didn't make any sense, thinking about me being 24, when it feels like I was just freshmen in high school, hurts my brain.
It's just so strange to me. I don't even remotely look like a 24 year old. I could probably pass for 17. This will be a blessing when I'm 48 and look 40. It would really come in handy when picking up women. Lets be honest though. If I'm single at 48, I fucked up big time.
I suppose that may actually be one my fears (I don't really have many: big spiders, sharks... you know what? I'll just do a separate blog on that subject). That my particular brand of crazy (we're all a little crazy) doesn't have a counterpart. Or that I'll somehow alienate whomever gets close to me because, objectively speaking, I can be annoying as hell to be around.
I think I need to go hiking again.
"Mathematics" - Mos Def
It is a weird feeling to see what the next step in your life is, but not know exactly how it is you are going to get there. I do know how to get there, but it'll only 'truly' become apparent as it is happening. It is remarkably moronic, I know.
And I'll be 24 in a little over two weeks.
That's right. 24.
I'm nearly halfway through my 20s. It is mind boggling to think about. Sort of like when you try to imagine how the universe began. You are only able to get so far before your brain hurts because what you cannot comprehend what comes next. Or, in the case of the universe analogy, before.
If that didn't make any sense, thinking about me being 24, when it feels like I was just freshmen in high school, hurts my brain.
It's just so strange to me. I don't even remotely look like a 24 year old. I could probably pass for 17. This will be a blessing when I'm 48 and look 40. It would really come in handy when picking up women. Lets be honest though. If I'm single at 48, I fucked up big time.
I suppose that may actually be one my fears (I don't really have many: big spiders, sharks... you know what? I'll just do a separate blog on that subject). That my particular brand of crazy (we're all a little crazy) doesn't have a counterpart. Or that I'll somehow alienate whomever gets close to me because, objectively speaking, I can be annoying as hell to be around.
I think I need to go hiking again.
"Mathematics" - Mos Def
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Marvel Dammit!
I went to Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois with Andrea yesterday. Shawnee is a bad ass place with some great views and fun spots to do a little rock climbing. The forest sort of pops out of nowhere as you drive to it. Once you are exploring you'll find all this hidden depth because of the bizarre geological formations there.We were walking on massive boulders that looked out over part of the forest and eventually we were walking in down in the forest we were looking down at.
It was great.
Later in the day we came upon this steep, stone staircase that led into this little pathway between these huge slabs of rock. It was eerie and creepy down there, but incredibly cool. I was just waiting for a snake or baseball-size spider to appear at any moment.
I had a blast out there. At some points the trails were reminiscent of Rocky Mountain National Park. It made me happy to get some hiking in since I rarely get to when I'm not out west.
"Sympathy" - The Goo Goo Dolls
Friday, June 3, 2011
Is That True, Zach? Does Your Shit Run Deep?
I just caught the ending to 500 Days of Summer and it has me wondering, what should you do when you find yourself missing someone, whom may miss you too, but not as much as you do them?
This is a legitimate question. A good question.
I think there comes a point when you have to find out just how much they actually miss you. A time to see if what you thought was your 'constant' was really just a flutter. Call it a test of character or mental fortitude.
"Fresh Feeling" - Eels
This is a legitimate question. A good question.
I think there comes a point when you have to find out just how much they actually miss you. A time to see if what you thought was your 'constant' was really just a flutter. Call it a test of character or mental fortitude.
"Fresh Feeling" - Eels
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Are We Having Fun Yet? (or You Are a Runty, Little Puppy)
Day One: (Coloradoooo, here we come!)
I leave Btown at 8am to pick up Andrea at her home in Brazil, IN. And then we're off. There is lots of music. She pops Death Cab in early on in the drive. I'm lukewarm on it. We drive through Illinois, Iowa, and feel up Nebraska before stopping for the night in Gillette, South Dakota. We stopped there because it has a Cabela's. It is a little to the east of here where we see our first billboard for Wall Drug (more on that on Day Two). We ended up driving for around 15 hours. Her navigating, me driving.
I nearly forgot about the soulless little girl looking out her hotel room as we got out of the car. Oh. My. God. One of the creepiest things I've ever seen. Made even creepier by what happens the next morning.
Day Two: (Avalanche Zone)
We get up the next day and check out. As we are packing the car I look up and what do I see? The little girl soullessly staring down at us out the window. After getting the shit scared out of us we check out Cabela's. Lots of dead animals and fish in there. The fish were alive. Along the way we see numerous signs for Wall Drug; basically the only store in the city of Wall, South Dakota. They are truly random billboards. The one I remember best being:
"Wall Drug. You know you want it."
We made great time. Covering the rest of South Dakota and making it all the way to Cody, Wyoming well before sunset. I'm not usually one to ask strangers questions, but I decided to ask the woman at the gas station we stopped at about how crowded Yellowstone might be. This woman was like Yoda and so friendly too. She tells us that we can't even get into the park 'til 8pm because the road past the east entrance is closed due to avalanche warnings.
Yes. Avalanche warnings.
So we head west toward the east entrance and see a bunch of animals along the way. Being close to dusk, they were all coming out. We saw quite a few elk and bison; even a moose about five seconds after we entered the park. The coolest, though, had to be the mountain goats that we saw standing beside the road on the way into the park. They never moved a muscle. Not even a blink. Soulless goats they were.
Driving through the avalanche zone was awesome. At some points the snow against the road was well over 10 feet high. It was awe-inspiring. After the avalanche zone, Lake Yellowstone comes into view. It is huge... and frozen. I love it. In some spots the lake isn't frozen though with steam rising from these holes in the ice. So we reach Yellowstone in two days and even get a room in the same place we were going to stay already. The cabin we stay in is tiny with no TV, but cute. I knew that so I brought plenty of DVDs to watch on my laptop when we weren't out and about in the park.
Day Three: (Bison in the Road)
We get up the next morning and decide to head to the northern section of the park, Mammoth Hot Springs. We take the road north and find the road closed (I don't think we ever really found out why), but luckily the a park ranger tells us that the road should open soon and we should stop to see Upper and Lower Falls in the mean time. They are really cool. There is a swarm of Asian tourists and we hear a funny conversation about the three classifications of rocks. The road is open when we head back that way and we're off to Mammoth Hot Springs. Mammoth is awesome. There were some really great views of the steaming sulfur pits.
We drove south to the geyser basins where Old Faithful is next. There is a really cool, little general store here. We'd end up back here the next day (more on that later). We stop at Lower Geyser Basin on our way back north and check out the geysers there. The Asian tourists are back. On the way back we come upon some bison (6 or 7) walking in the opposite lane, blocking traffic for over a mile. A cop car ended up having to herd them along.
Before we get back we stop at the little general store by the lake. Just like the one at Old Faithful, but smaller. Andrea finds a raccoon fur Daniel Boone hat (complete with tail). Later that day we decide to grab some food at the hotel restaurant. We find out you need to make reservations to eat there so that's a no-go. That's when Andrea realizes she's not wearing her ring she got in the Dominican Republic. Not good. Not good at all...
...seriously.
Day Four: (We found it!?!)
The next morning we go to grab some food at the lake store. Andrea buys the raccoon hat. And then we go off in search of her ring. The only place where she thinks she could have lost it is the store near Old Faithful. So we head off in that direction. Unfortunately the shortest route to Old Faithful is closed.
Awesome.
So we head off in the other direction to Old Faithful. We get there and she looks by where we were parked yesterday.
There it is. Squished, but intact. It's basically a miracle.
The day gets decidedly better at this point. Eating breakfast pizza certainly helps. We check out Upper Geyser Basin next. There are some really colorful, deep hot springs here. We head back to the hotel after this.
At this point snow is sort of falling. It's really weird seeing snow fall in May. We make a reservation at the hotel for dinner. The food is delicious and the view out of the restaurant is quite pretty since it's still snowing. It's sort of awkward in there though. The waitress is a little stiff and she has a shadow for the evening. It's strange.
Day Five: (That took longer than I expected.)
We check out early and head south through Grand Teton towards Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. Grand Teton is stunning in spots and we drive through an elk refuge. Oddly enough this is the only place we don't see any elk. The drive ends up taking quite long and the route I planned takes us down this random, dilapidated gravel road, but we found the main road eventually. Northern Colorado kind of sucks. Very farmy, but it gets very pretty the closer you get to Steamboat Springs. There are a few more avalanche zones as we get higher up in the mountains.
By this time Andrea's played Death Cab for Cutie so many times that it's grown on me and I am actually beginning to like them.
The last leg of the drive to Estes Park is a windy road filled with houses lining mountain-sides. We even spot a monastery-like building right on the edge of a precipice in one of the valleys. I wish we had gotten a picture of it. A bit later we finally reach where we're staying in Estes Park. The room is awesome and just a few miles from one of the entrances to RMNP.
Day Six: (Steak Night)
This is the first day we'll get to go hiking. I'm in a funk though. Facebook is evil and reminds me of shit I'd rather not be reminded of. We hike from the Wild Basin Trailhead; farther south than I've hiked before. It has access to some lower elevation hikes that we could do given how snowy it still is higher up. We end up hiking probably over 3 miles. We'd have gone further into the trail, but the snow on it was pretty deep. It wasn't difficult, but it was a lot of fun and it is really beautiful out there. I walk my ear and shoulder right into a tree limb at one point. Holy shit did it hurt.
I thought it was a flimsy branch.
Andrea climbs a mountain on the way back. Wish I had a picture of that.
(At this point in the trip I've heard enough Death Cab that it's stuck in my head. Andrea loves this.)
After we get back, we head to downtown Estes Park, walk around, and check out some of the stores. I love it down there. It always seems like there is a cool breeze. It's just a good way to pass the time.
There is a really delicious pie shop in Estes Park and my dad wanted me to order him a pie. Well, the pie shop is no longer there. My dad was less than pleased when I told him this early that day. As we are walking downtown though we pass a little indoor shopping center and holy crap, there's the pie shop. It just moved. So I was able to order my dad's pie.
The place we're staying has a grill so we decided early in the trip that we're going to make steaks one night. So we go buy some steaks, potatoes, zucchini, and some other stuff. Oh, and scones. Scones are delicious and Andrea had never had one, so I had to buy them.
She ends up doing all the cooking. This does not bother me; especially since she did a great job.
Day Seven: (You don't look helpful.)
I make bacon and eggs for breakfast before we head off up the main road in RMNP. First we drive to a place called Bear Lake. At one point in the drive it went from drizzle to full-on snow. We could actually see it change. So cool. After Bear Lake we drive back and head up higher. The entire road through the park wasn't open yet because of larger than usual snow totals, so we can only get as far as a spot on the road called Rainbow Curve. It is quite windy up here and there is some light snow. No real picture opportunities so we drive back down.
There were dark clouds hanging up in the mountains so we decide not to go on the hike we planned on doing. We hang out watching Party Down for a long time before going to back downtown, doing some shopping for her, and eating at this awesome restaurant called Grubsteak.
I love Grubsteak. They have a bunch of different types of meats you can make a burger out of: elk, cow, buffalo, boar, yak. Yes, I wrote 'yak'.
What do you think I got? Of course I got the yak burger. It was delicious.
Andrea got the Gobbler; some type of chicken sandwich my brother got last year. And we both got frozen margaritas (or margs). Raspberry for her, Mango for me. Grubsteak even plays a bunch of awesome music so she loves it even more.
After Grubsteak we go pick up my dad's pie from the pie shop before driving to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory to buy some chocolate for Andrea's dad. We go in search of bighorn sheep one final time, but all we see is more elk. They were moving in a herd, which is cool, but they're no bighorn sheep.
We finish the rest of Party Down and watch some Arrested Development before watching Jurassic Park again; the movie of the trip.
Day Eight: (Well... we're back... in the car again.)
We leave Estes Park around 6am (MDT) to make the trip back to Indiana in one day. We decide to avoid the hell-hole that is Kansas and drive through Nebraska instead. Then Iowa for a bit, Missouri, Illinois, and finally Indiana. At one point Andrea is watching Dane Cook on her iPod and is quoting it word for word.
It is hysterical.
It is around St. Louis that I realize we are making great time and that I am an amazing road trip driver. We get back to her parent's house sometime around 2am... I think.
I can't remember exactly. I had been driving for well over half a day at this point. I get back to Btown at exactly 3am. That's 19 straight hours of driving when you factor in the time change. I know. I'm awesome, aren't I?
It was a great trip; probably the most fun I've had in a long, long time. I wish I were still there.
"Good Life" - OneRepublic
I leave Btown at 8am to pick up Andrea at her home in Brazil, IN. And then we're off. There is lots of music. She pops Death Cab in early on in the drive. I'm lukewarm on it. We drive through Illinois, Iowa, and feel up Nebraska before stopping for the night in Gillette, South Dakota. We stopped there because it has a Cabela's. It is a little to the east of here where we see our first billboard for Wall Drug (more on that on Day Two). We ended up driving for around 15 hours. Her navigating, me driving.
I nearly forgot about the soulless little girl looking out her hotel room as we got out of the car. Oh. My. God. One of the creepiest things I've ever seen. Made even creepier by what happens the next morning.
Day Two: (Avalanche Zone)
We get up the next day and check out. As we are packing the car I look up and what do I see? The little girl soullessly staring down at us out the window. After getting the shit scared out of us we check out Cabela's. Lots of dead animals and fish in there. The fish were alive. Along the way we see numerous signs for Wall Drug; basically the only store in the city of Wall, South Dakota. They are truly random billboards. The one I remember best being:
"Wall Drug. You know you want it."
We made great time. Covering the rest of South Dakota and making it all the way to Cody, Wyoming well before sunset. I'm not usually one to ask strangers questions, but I decided to ask the woman at the gas station we stopped at about how crowded Yellowstone might be. This woman was like Yoda and so friendly too. She tells us that we can't even get into the park 'til 8pm because the road past the east entrance is closed due to avalanche warnings.
Yes. Avalanche warnings.
 |
| Not the avalanche zone, but still cool. |
Driving through the avalanche zone was awesome. At some points the snow against the road was well over 10 feet high. It was awe-inspiring. After the avalanche zone, Lake Yellowstone comes into view. It is huge... and frozen. I love it. In some spots the lake isn't frozen though with steam rising from these holes in the ice. So we reach Yellowstone in two days and even get a room in the same place we were going to stay already. The cabin we stay in is tiny with no TV, but cute. I knew that so I brought plenty of DVDs to watch on my laptop when we weren't out and about in the park.
Day Three: (Bison in the Road)
We get up the next morning and decide to head to the northern section of the park, Mammoth Hot Springs. We take the road north and find the road closed (I don't think we ever really found out why), but luckily the a park ranger tells us that the road should open soon and we should stop to see Upper and Lower Falls in the mean time. They are really cool. There is a swarm of Asian tourists and we hear a funny conversation about the three classifications of rocks. The road is open when we head back that way and we're off to Mammoth Hot Springs. Mammoth is awesome. There were some really great views of the steaming sulfur pits.
We drove south to the geyser basins where Old Faithful is next. There is a really cool, little general store here. We'd end up back here the next day (more on that later). We stop at Lower Geyser Basin on our way back north and check out the geysers there. The Asian tourists are back. On the way back we come upon some bison (6 or 7) walking in the opposite lane, blocking traffic for over a mile. A cop car ended up having to herd them along.
Before we get back we stop at the little general store by the lake. Just like the one at Old Faithful, but smaller. Andrea finds a raccoon fur Daniel Boone hat (complete with tail). Later that day we decide to grab some food at the hotel restaurant. We find out you need to make reservations to eat there so that's a no-go. That's when Andrea realizes she's not wearing her ring she got in the Dominican Republic. Not good. Not good at all...
...seriously.
Day Four: (We found it!?!)
The next morning we go to grab some food at the lake store. Andrea buys the raccoon hat. And then we go off in search of her ring. The only place where she thinks she could have lost it is the store near Old Faithful. So we head off in that direction. Unfortunately the shortest route to Old Faithful is closed.
Awesome.
So we head off in the other direction to Old Faithful. We get there and she looks by where we were parked yesterday.
There it is. Squished, but intact. It's basically a miracle.
The day gets decidedly better at this point. Eating breakfast pizza certainly helps. We check out Upper Geyser Basin next. There are some really colorful, deep hot springs here. We head back to the hotel after this.
At this point snow is sort of falling. It's really weird seeing snow fall in May. We make a reservation at the hotel for dinner. The food is delicious and the view out of the restaurant is quite pretty since it's still snowing. It's sort of awkward in there though. The waitress is a little stiff and she has a shadow for the evening. It's strange.
 |
| Andrea with her raccoon hat (and Bugle finger). |
We check out early and head south through Grand Teton towards Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. Grand Teton is stunning in spots and we drive through an elk refuge. Oddly enough this is the only place we don't see any elk. The drive ends up taking quite long and the route I planned takes us down this random, dilapidated gravel road, but we found the main road eventually. Northern Colorado kind of sucks. Very farmy, but it gets very pretty the closer you get to Steamboat Springs. There are a few more avalanche zones as we get higher up in the mountains.
By this time Andrea's played Death Cab for Cutie so many times that it's grown on me and I am actually beginning to like them.
The last leg of the drive to Estes Park is a windy road filled with houses lining mountain-sides. We even spot a monastery-like building right on the edge of a precipice in one of the valleys. I wish we had gotten a picture of it. A bit later we finally reach where we're staying in Estes Park. The room is awesome and just a few miles from one of the entrances to RMNP.
 |
| The view outside our room. |
This is the first day we'll get to go hiking. I'm in a funk though. Facebook is evil and reminds me of shit I'd rather not be reminded of. We hike from the Wild Basin Trailhead; farther south than I've hiked before. It has access to some lower elevation hikes that we could do given how snowy it still is higher up. We end up hiking probably over 3 miles. We'd have gone further into the trail, but the snow on it was pretty deep. It wasn't difficult, but it was a lot of fun and it is really beautiful out there. I walk my ear and shoulder right into a tree limb at one point. Holy shit did it hurt.
I thought it was a flimsy branch.
Andrea climbs a mountain on the way back. Wish I had a picture of that.
(At this point in the trip I've heard enough Death Cab that it's stuck in my head. Andrea loves this.)
After we get back, we head to downtown Estes Park, walk around, and check out some of the stores. I love it down there. It always seems like there is a cool breeze. It's just a good way to pass the time.
There is a really delicious pie shop in Estes Park and my dad wanted me to order him a pie. Well, the pie shop is no longer there. My dad was less than pleased when I told him this early that day. As we are walking downtown though we pass a little indoor shopping center and holy crap, there's the pie shop. It just moved. So I was able to order my dad's pie.
The place we're staying has a grill so we decided early in the trip that we're going to make steaks one night. So we go buy some steaks, potatoes, zucchini, and some other stuff. Oh, and scones. Scones are delicious and Andrea had never had one, so I had to buy them.
She ends up doing all the cooking. This does not bother me; especially since she did a great job.
Day Seven: (You don't look helpful.)
I make bacon and eggs for breakfast before we head off up the main road in RMNP. First we drive to a place called Bear Lake. At one point in the drive it went from drizzle to full-on snow. We could actually see it change. So cool. After Bear Lake we drive back and head up higher. The entire road through the park wasn't open yet because of larger than usual snow totals, so we can only get as far as a spot on the road called Rainbow Curve. It is quite windy up here and there is some light snow. No real picture opportunities so we drive back down.
There were dark clouds hanging up in the mountains so we decide not to go on the hike we planned on doing. We hang out watching Party Down for a long time before going to back downtown, doing some shopping for her, and eating at this awesome restaurant called Grubsteak.
I love Grubsteak. They have a bunch of different types of meats you can make a burger out of: elk, cow, buffalo, boar, yak. Yes, I wrote 'yak'.
What do you think I got? Of course I got the yak burger. It was delicious.
Andrea got the Gobbler; some type of chicken sandwich my brother got last year. And we both got frozen margaritas (or margs). Raspberry for her, Mango for me. Grubsteak even plays a bunch of awesome music so she loves it even more.
After Grubsteak we go pick up my dad's pie from the pie shop before driving to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory to buy some chocolate for Andrea's dad. We go in search of bighorn sheep one final time, but all we see is more elk. They were moving in a herd, which is cool, but they're no bighorn sheep.
We finish the rest of Party Down and watch some Arrested Development before watching Jurassic Park again; the movie of the trip.
Day Eight: (Well... we're back... in the car again.)
We leave Estes Park around 6am (MDT) to make the trip back to Indiana in one day. We decide to avoid the hell-hole that is Kansas and drive through Nebraska instead. Then Iowa for a bit, Missouri, Illinois, and finally Indiana. At one point Andrea is watching Dane Cook on her iPod and is quoting it word for word.
It is hysterical.
It is around St. Louis that I realize we are making great time and that I am an amazing road trip driver. We get back to her parent's house sometime around 2am... I think.
I can't remember exactly. I had been driving for well over half a day at this point. I get back to Btown at exactly 3am. That's 19 straight hours of driving when you factor in the time change. I know. I'm awesome, aren't I?
It was a great trip; probably the most fun I've had in a long, long time. I wish I were still there.
"Good Life" - OneRepublic
Friday, May 20, 2011
Road Trip!
Tomorrow I am driving to Yellowstone NP.
A 25+ hour drive. I like to drive so that doesn't bother me.
And I get to knock some of the states off my "states I've never been to" list. Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Maybe Montana too.
But back to the important stuff, I am looking forward to exploring Yellowstone.
Really looking foward to it.
I won't be able to see all of the park since it'll still be covered in snow, but at least it'll make for some awesome pictures. Let's be honest though, I don't need snow to make a picture awesome. I could take an awesome picture with a pinhole camera. In fact, I have.
This does remind me that eventually I need to purchase a legitimate camera. Besides a badass tv, that will be the first thing I buy when I finally start a career.
Again, back to the important stuff, this trip should be great.
Yeah, I'm looking forward to Yellowstone, but after, however, I'll be visiting my favorite place on the planet, Rocky Mountain National Park.
I've never visited RMNP this early in the year before. There will still be snow on the ground. Actually, it may be snowing while I am there. The road that runs through the park, Trail Ridge Road, is still being plowed. It's currently under 20+ feet of snow. It may be opened the last day I am in the park. I am crossing my fingers on that.
I typically have been to RMNP during late July and early August. That's the best time to visit. The snow has all melted, minus the glaciers, and all the trails are open. Sadly, most of the trails will be untraversable because the areas above 8,500+ feet are covered in snow still. Luckily though, the weather outlook for when I'll be in there is great. I'm talking 60 and 70 degree highs. Which means, hopefully, I can do a decent amount of hiking.
It should be a stupendous time. One last hoorah before I join the 'real world'.
"What's Golden" - Jurassic 5
A 25+ hour drive. I like to drive so that doesn't bother me.
And I get to knock some of the states off my "states I've never been to" list. Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Maybe Montana too.
But back to the important stuff, I am looking forward to exploring Yellowstone.
Really looking foward to it.
I won't be able to see all of the park since it'll still be covered in snow, but at least it'll make for some awesome pictures. Let's be honest though, I don't need snow to make a picture awesome. I could take an awesome picture with a pinhole camera. In fact, I have.
This does remind me that eventually I need to purchase a legitimate camera. Besides a badass tv, that will be the first thing I buy when I finally start a career.
Again, back to the important stuff, this trip should be great.
Yeah, I'm looking forward to Yellowstone, but after, however, I'll be visiting my favorite place on the planet, Rocky Mountain National Park.
I've never visited RMNP this early in the year before. There will still be snow on the ground. Actually, it may be snowing while I am there. The road that runs through the park, Trail Ridge Road, is still being plowed. It's currently under 20+ feet of snow. It may be opened the last day I am in the park. I am crossing my fingers on that.
I typically have been to RMNP during late July and early August. That's the best time to visit. The snow has all melted, minus the glaciers, and all the trails are open. Sadly, most of the trails will be untraversable because the areas above 8,500+ feet are covered in snow still. Luckily though, the weather outlook for when I'll be in there is great. I'm talking 60 and 70 degree highs. Which means, hopefully, I can do a decent amount of hiking.
It should be a stupendous time. One last hoorah before I join the 'real world'.
 |
| Imagine this picture, but with snow. Awesome, right? |
Sunday, May 8, 2011
A Heightened Level of Stupidity
The right choice...
... and the wrong choice.
Have you ever identified what the wrong choice is and done it anyway?
I have.
And I seem to be doing it with increased frequency; not really sure why. Actually, that is crap. I know, but I've rationalized these choices in ways that I feel ok about... sometimes.
Call it a heightened level of stupidity.
It's actually worse than being completely oblivious to what the right and wrong thing are.
- In other news -
I've come to the painful realization that I can't 'save' everyone. Some people can't be helped. Sometimes people have to make their mistakes. Hopefully they're aware they're making the wrong choice though.
April was seriously lacking in the blog department.
And, finally, this time two weeks from now I'll be on the road to Yellowstone NP. Can't wait for that.
"Secrets" - OneRepublic
... and the wrong choice.
Have you ever identified what the wrong choice is and done it anyway?
I have.
And I seem to be doing it with increased frequency; not really sure why. Actually, that is crap. I know, but I've rationalized these choices in ways that I feel ok about... sometimes.
Call it a heightened level of stupidity.
It's actually worse than being completely oblivious to what the right and wrong thing are.
- In other news -
I've come to the painful realization that I can't 'save' everyone. Some people can't be helped. Sometimes people have to make their mistakes. Hopefully they're aware they're making the wrong choice though.
April was seriously lacking in the blog department.
And, finally, this time two weeks from now I'll be on the road to Yellowstone NP. Can't wait for that.
"Secrets" - OneRepublic
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Yum!
Scooby Snack: Malibu, Midori, half and half, and pineapple juice.
So good.
"It's Bigger Than Hip-Hop" - Dead Prez
So good.
"It's Bigger Than Hip-Hop" - Dead Prez
Sunday, April 3, 2011
The Thursday Portion of the Previous Entry
Where was I?
I know. Thursday.
So Thursday was quite hilarious. I go to Kilroy's with Andrea. There is a hot dog stand parked outside the bar. I remark that she should buy some hot dogs, minus the hot dogs. You know, to help soak up the soon to be consumed alcohol.
The phrase "two buns, please" is born.
We think it is hilarious.
Drinks are drunk. A friend of hers buys her something called an AMF. This blue cotton candy colored drink more or less spells her doom.
"I'm going to vom tonight," she says.
We decide to walk to Brother's next. It was eventful. Multiple groups of people in matching colored shirts. They were on a bar crawl of some sort. I suggest we cross the street so to avoid these hooligans.
Bad choice. Or good choice; since now I have a funny story to tell.
This side of the street contains some fool collecting money for some charity. I ignore him. I do not mind donating money to charities, but don't ask for my money at midnight.
You're not getting it.
This douchecanoe does not respond well to my ignoring of him and says, well I don't remember the first part, but ends with "or any acknowledgement at all."
Bad move, bud. Call me crazy, but I think antagonizing the person who just turned down your request for donations is not the best way to get them to reconsider their decision.
Andrea gives them a quarter. I nearly turned around to stop her. That's 1/3 of a Go Ape Polar Pop. But I digress.
Brother's is fun. We sit outside because it isn't that cold out. She gets up to pee a lot. We go back inside because she is cold. I think I see the girl I gave a fake name to a few weeks ago.
That would've been bad.
Before we leave she wants to do a shot of something. We look at the banner of shots above the stairs. Surfer on Acid. Something else. Something else. Scooby Snack.
We have a winner.
Nothing particularly funny happens the rest of the night, except when she nearly drops her box of breadsticks while trying to open the door to her apartment.
I've come under the opinion that Andrea does a fairly good job of hiding just how drunk she actually is. It's impressive. Of course I could just be inept at identifying levels of drunkenness.
I know. Thursday.
So Thursday was quite hilarious. I go to Kilroy's with Andrea. There is a hot dog stand parked outside the bar. I remark that she should buy some hot dogs, minus the hot dogs. You know, to help soak up the soon to be consumed alcohol.
The phrase "two buns, please" is born.
We think it is hilarious.
Drinks are drunk. A friend of hers buys her something called an AMF. This blue cotton candy colored drink more or less spells her doom.
"I'm going to vom tonight," she says.
We decide to walk to Brother's next. It was eventful. Multiple groups of people in matching colored shirts. They were on a bar crawl of some sort. I suggest we cross the street so to avoid these hooligans.
Bad choice. Or good choice; since now I have a funny story to tell.
This side of the street contains some fool collecting money for some charity. I ignore him. I do not mind donating money to charities, but don't ask for my money at midnight.
You're not getting it.
This douchecanoe does not respond well to my ignoring of him and says, well I don't remember the first part, but ends with "or any acknowledgement at all."
Bad move, bud. Call me crazy, but I think antagonizing the person who just turned down your request for donations is not the best way to get them to reconsider their decision.
Andrea gives them a quarter. I nearly turned around to stop her. That's 1/3 of a Go Ape Polar Pop. But I digress.
Brother's is fun. We sit outside because it isn't that cold out. She gets up to pee a lot. We go back inside because she is cold. I think I see the girl I gave a fake name to a few weeks ago.
That would've been bad.
Before we leave she wants to do a shot of something. We look at the banner of shots above the stairs. Surfer on Acid. Something else. Something else. Scooby Snack.
We have a winner.
Nothing particularly funny happens the rest of the night, except when she nearly drops her box of breadsticks while trying to open the door to her apartment.
I've come under the opinion that Andrea does a fairly good job of hiding just how drunk she actually is. It's impressive. Of course I could just be inept at identifying levels of drunkenness.
This Apple Wasn't Picked for Fun!
That title is not going to make an iota of sense to you unless your name is Andrea James or you read this stupidly long blog.
This week has been a pretty good week. It started on Sunday with a trip to Lake Monroe to help (read: annoy) my good friend, Andrea, with a photography project of hers. We decided to explore the roads south of the lake and, because I'm a moron sometimes, ended up in the wilderness of Central Indiana. Better known as butt-fuck nowhere.
It was bizarre down there.
A collection of poorly labeled gravel roads and dead ends. Incredible scenery, however.
Seriously, we were lucky to make it out. Every time we'd thought we'd found the road to civilization, it'd turn into another damn gravel road. At one point our car, yes car, was attacked by a pack of dogs, yes dogs, roaming outside of a dilapidated, yet inhabited, house.
I shit you not.
It was some Hills Have Eyes-type stuff.
That should have been a blog all to itself. Oh well.
Where was I?
I know. Thursday.
So Thursday was quite hilarious. I go to Kilroy's with Andrea. There is a hot dog stand parked outside the bar. I remark that she should buy some hot dogs, minus the hot dogs. You know, to help soak up the soon to be consumed alcohol.
The phrase "two buns, please" is born.
We think it is hilarious.
Drinks are drunk. A friend of hers buys her something called an AMF. This blue cotton candy colored drink more or less spells her doom.
"I'm going to vom tonight," she says.
We decide to walk to Brother's next. It was eventful. Multiple groups of people in matching colored shirts. They were on a bar crawl of some sort. I suggest we cross the street so to avoid these hooligans.
Bad choice. Or good choice; since now I have a funny story to tell.
This side of the street contains some fool collecting money for some charity. I ignore him. I do not mind donating money to charities, but don't ask for my money at midnight.
You're not getting it.
This douchecanoe does not respond well to my ignoring of him and says, well I don't remember the first part, but ends with "or any acknowledgement at all."
Bad move, bud. Call me crazy, but I think antagonizing the person who just turned down your request for donations is not the best way to get them to reconsider their decision.
Andrea gives them a quarter. I nearly turned around to stop her. That's 1/3 of a Go Ape Polar Pop. But I digress.
Brother's is fun. We sit outside because it isn't that cold out. She gets up to pee a lot. We go back inside because she is cold. I think I see the girl I gave a fake name to a few weeks ago.
That would've been bad.
Before we leave she wants to do a shot of something. We look at the banner of shots above the stairs. Surfer on Acid. Something else. Something else. Scooby Snack.
We have a winner.
Nothing particularly funny happens the rest of the night, except when she nearly drops her box of breadsticks while trying to open the door to her apartment.
I've come under the opinion that Andrea does a fairly good job of hiding just how drunk she actually is. It's impressive. Of course I could just be inept at identifying levels of drunkenness.
That should be a blog of it's own. I think I'll post it separately.
Then there's Friday. Friday is only worth mentioning because I got an A+ on a test I didn't study a second for. I actually laughed when I saw the score. I thought it was a joke.
And now we come to Saturday.
A road trip with Andrea to Attica, IN for some delicious Wolf's Chocolate.
I love road trips. I love them so much I want to take them behind the middle school and get them pregnant (30 Rock joke). Seriously, they're one of my favorite things to do. I don't even need a goal; just driving for a long time is enjoyable to me. Although, having some Go Ape on hand certainly helps.
So I leave for Attica around 11am in the morning. Andrea is at home for the weekend in Brazil, IN (Braezil to the natives), and it is on the way to Attica. I get stuck behind slow ass leisure drivers on the way there.
The road trip is fun as usual; filled with Go Ape and car-singing. Andrea has to pee before we get to Attica. I'm curious how many times this will happen on our road trip to the Estes Park, CO and Yellowstone NP this May. We arrive at Wolf's Chocolates and proceed to buy chocolate.
A lot of it. It's delectable.
She asks me where the McDonald's we usually stop at in Attica is. She has to pee again.
Yes, again. It has been at most 25 minutes. I find this humorous. She counters my laughing by telling me one of the few things a guy does not want to hear without having preparation first.
Well played, James. Well played.
We stop at McDonald's. She pees. I buy food. She notices a sign that reads, "Our apples are picked for fun". This is hilarious to us. We leave Attica. She is eating her fruit and walnut salad and I hear, "this apple wasn't picked for fun!". So. Damn. Funny. Andrea's like a walking quote machine.
And now you understand the blog title.
We stop at a place called Raccoon Lake, both sides of it, on the way back. It is ridiculously windy; like a tornado, surrounded by a windstorm, wrapped in a hurricane, all crammed into a wind tunnel.
We eat pastrami sandwiches. She has to pee again. There is a groundhog by the bathroom we stop at in the park. It disappears. We're pretty sure it was peeping her. Quite the awesome day.
Quite the awesome week.
Anxious to see what the final month of my college days hold.
"Hey Julie" - Fountains of Wayne
This week has been a pretty good week. It started on Sunday with a trip to Lake Monroe to help (read: annoy) my good friend, Andrea, with a photography project of hers. We decided to explore the roads south of the lake and, because I'm a moron sometimes, ended up in the wilderness of Central Indiana. Better known as butt-fuck nowhere.
It was bizarre down there.
A collection of poorly labeled gravel roads and dead ends. Incredible scenery, however.
 |
| A creek (crik) in the middle of nowhere. |
I shit you not.
It was some Hills Have Eyes-type stuff.
That should have been a blog all to itself. Oh well.
Where was I?
I know. Thursday.
So Thursday was quite hilarious. I go to Kilroy's with Andrea. There is a hot dog stand parked outside the bar. I remark that she should buy some hot dogs, minus the hot dogs. You know, to help soak up the soon to be consumed alcohol.
The phrase "two buns, please" is born.
We think it is hilarious.
Drinks are drunk. A friend of hers buys her something called an AMF. This blue cotton candy colored drink more or less spells her doom.
"I'm going to vom tonight," she says.
We decide to walk to Brother's next. It was eventful. Multiple groups of people in matching colored shirts. They were on a bar crawl of some sort. I suggest we cross the street so to avoid these hooligans.
Bad choice. Or good choice; since now I have a funny story to tell.
This side of the street contains some fool collecting money for some charity. I ignore him. I do not mind donating money to charities, but don't ask for my money at midnight.
You're not getting it.
This douchecanoe does not respond well to my ignoring of him and says, well I don't remember the first part, but ends with "or any acknowledgement at all."
Bad move, bud. Call me crazy, but I think antagonizing the person who just turned down your request for donations is not the best way to get them to reconsider their decision.
Andrea gives them a quarter. I nearly turned around to stop her. That's 1/3 of a Go Ape Polar Pop. But I digress.
Brother's is fun. We sit outside because it isn't that cold out. She gets up to pee a lot. We go back inside because she is cold. I think I see the girl I gave a fake name to a few weeks ago.
That would've been bad.
Before we leave she wants to do a shot of something. We look at the banner of shots above the stairs. Surfer on Acid. Something else. Something else. Scooby Snack.
We have a winner.
Nothing particularly funny happens the rest of the night, except when she nearly drops her box of breadsticks while trying to open the door to her apartment.
I've come under the opinion that Andrea does a fairly good job of hiding just how drunk she actually is. It's impressive. Of course I could just be inept at identifying levels of drunkenness.
That should be a blog of it's own. I think I'll post it separately.
Then there's Friday. Friday is only worth mentioning because I got an A+ on a test I didn't study a second for. I actually laughed when I saw the score. I thought it was a joke.
And now we come to Saturday.
A road trip with Andrea to Attica, IN for some delicious Wolf's Chocolate.
I love road trips. I love them so much I want to take them behind the middle school and get them pregnant (30 Rock joke). Seriously, they're one of my favorite things to do. I don't even need a goal; just driving for a long time is enjoyable to me. Although, having some Go Ape on hand certainly helps.
So I leave for Attica around 11am in the morning. Andrea is at home for the weekend in Brazil, IN (Braezil to the natives), and it is on the way to Attica. I get stuck behind slow ass leisure drivers on the way there.
The road trip is fun as usual; filled with Go Ape and car-singing. Andrea has to pee before we get to Attica. I'm curious how many times this will happen on our road trip to the Estes Park, CO and Yellowstone NP this May. We arrive at Wolf's Chocolates and proceed to buy chocolate.
A lot of it. It's delectable.
She asks me where the McDonald's we usually stop at in Attica is. She has to pee again.
Yes, again. It has been at most 25 minutes. I find this humorous. She counters my laughing by telling me one of the few things a guy does not want to hear without having preparation first.
Well played, James. Well played.
We stop at McDonald's. She pees. I buy food. She notices a sign that reads, "Our apples are picked for fun". This is hilarious to us. We leave Attica. She is eating her fruit and walnut salad and I hear, "this apple wasn't picked for fun!". So. Damn. Funny. Andrea's like a walking quote machine.
And now you understand the blog title.
We stop at a place called Raccoon Lake, both sides of it, on the way back. It is ridiculously windy; like a tornado, surrounded by a windstorm, wrapped in a hurricane, all crammed into a wind tunnel.
 |
| Damn wind. |
Quite the awesome week.
Anxious to see what the final month of my college days hold.
"Hey Julie" - Fountains of Wayne
Monday, March 21, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Something Different
I did something out of character the other night.
I went to a bar in Btown to watch UConn's first round NCAA tourney game. That wasn't the out of character thing. Although, I did go alone. I was lonely and bored and didn't want to sit in my apartment.
I suppose that is out of character.
But it is not the thing I was refering to.
No, while I was at the bar I actually struck up conversation with a couple of girls sitting near me.
If this were an earthquake, it would rate a 12 on the Richter scale. I've never done this before.
But anyway, when these girls ask my name I say, "I'm Matt."
You'll notice this is not my name.
I wanted to try something new and wanted to be someone else for a while. I even told them I was a Spanish major when the topic came up; even dropped a few spanish phrases. They ate that shit up.
It was bizarre.
Sort of an out of body experience. I was still my usual funny self, but at the same time I wasn't me. I wasn't worried about failing or looking stupid.
Then the icing on the cake was when they were getting up to go to another bar. I just went for broke and asked the one that seemed interested in me, Maggie, for her number.
I got that shit..... well, Matt, the Spanish major, got that shit.
Of course I had to toss the number and feel like a complete douche for lying to this girl, but the confidence I have gained from it is priceless.
"Coming Up" - Lupe Fiasco
I went to a bar in Btown to watch UConn's first round NCAA tourney game. That wasn't the out of character thing. Although, I did go alone. I was lonely and bored and didn't want to sit in my apartment.
I suppose that is out of character.
But it is not the thing I was refering to.
No, while I was at the bar I actually struck up conversation with a couple of girls sitting near me.
If this were an earthquake, it would rate a 12 on the Richter scale. I've never done this before.
But anyway, when these girls ask my name I say, "I'm Matt."
You'll notice this is not my name.
I wanted to try something new and wanted to be someone else for a while. I even told them I was a Spanish major when the topic came up; even dropped a few spanish phrases. They ate that shit up.
It was bizarre.
Sort of an out of body experience. I was still my usual funny self, but at the same time I wasn't me. I wasn't worried about failing or looking stupid.
Then the icing on the cake was when they were getting up to go to another bar. I just went for broke and asked the one that seemed interested in me, Maggie, for her number.
I got that shit..... well, Matt, the Spanish major, got that shit.
Of course I had to toss the number and feel like a complete douche for lying to this girl, but the confidence I have gained from it is priceless.
"Coming Up" - Lupe Fiasco
Sunday, March 13, 2011
The Pause Button
It feels like someone has hit the pause button on my life.
I had really been enjoying my life the past couple of weeks. I was having fun and looking forward to what the next several months of my life would hold. It was as if my life was a jigsaw puzzle and I had just put together a lovely chunk of it.
Now I'm on Spring Break at my mom's place.
I do not want to be here. The only thing that I enjoy about being here is that I get to spend time with my pooch.
It's like someone took that part of the jigsaw puzzle and now I'm supposed to complete the rest of it without it for the time being.
I feel disconnected from my life. My life isn't here.
The people I enjoy doing stuff with aren't here.
I love helping my mom, but she dumps everything on me since she has no one to talk to. And I feel constantly worse because of this.
Now where's that damn remote so I can hit that play button.
"Uncharted" - Sara Bareilles
(I found this quote yesterday. I kind of love it.)
"My heart only ever had one thought, one want. One need. Despite all, in spite of all...All my heart has ever wanted is you." - Stephanie Laurens
I had really been enjoying my life the past couple of weeks. I was having fun and looking forward to what the next several months of my life would hold. It was as if my life was a jigsaw puzzle and I had just put together a lovely chunk of it.
Now I'm on Spring Break at my mom's place.
I do not want to be here. The only thing that I enjoy about being here is that I get to spend time with my pooch.
It's like someone took that part of the jigsaw puzzle and now I'm supposed to complete the rest of it without it for the time being.
I feel disconnected from my life. My life isn't here.
The people I enjoy doing stuff with aren't here.
I love helping my mom, but she dumps everything on me since she has no one to talk to. And I feel constantly worse because of this.
Now where's that damn remote so I can hit that play button.
"Uncharted" - Sara Bareilles
(I found this quote yesterday. I kind of love it.)
"My heart only ever had one thought, one want. One need. Despite all, in spite of all...All my heart has ever wanted is you." - Stephanie Laurens
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Off the Beaten Path: Part Two
If you chose to investigate the house:
You are hopeful the house holds some supplies and, if nothing else, it should at least be a nice place to spend the night.
"Hopefully it's empty," you say aloud as you make your way down the moonlight-blotched driveway. Another breeze makes its way through the trees, scattering some fallen leaves in your path. They crunch under your feet.
You see no lights on inside the house, but the porch light tells you there is electricity. You glance around and notice a path on the fringe of the porch's light. It appears to lead to the back side of the house.
You explore the path around the house. It is made of circular cobblestone discs. When you're out of range of the porch light you pull your flashlight out. The backyard of the house is enclosed by a wooden fence. A giant oak tree stands alone in the corner of the yard.
Your flash light follows the path to its end. Surrounded by darkness is a cellar door.
Do you return to the porch and go in the front door or investigate the cellar?
If you chose to stay on the road:
You think it's best to keep moving and carrying more supplies would just weigh you down. You've been moving at a good pace for some time now and have yet to grow tired.
"The inviting home with the porch light is probably a trap anyway. Besides, when has anything good ever been kept at the end of a long driveway?"
You continue on down the road; into the dark, away from the (porch) light. Gravel is strewn on both sides of the road. It crunches with each step you take. The road ahead is poorly lit, but you can see trees crowding it on both sides. You pull out your flashlight and scan the trees.
Nothing.
Another fifty feet and your flashlight rolls over the back of a car. You approach it slowly and shine your flashlight inside. The car is empty; just like nearly every other car you've found.
The silence of the night is broken by footsteps in the trees behind you. You shut off your light instinctively.
Do you run further down the road or hide behind the car?
You are hopeful the house holds some supplies and, if nothing else, it should at least be a nice place to spend the night.
"Hopefully it's empty," you say aloud as you make your way down the moonlight-blotched driveway. Another breeze makes its way through the trees, scattering some fallen leaves in your path. They crunch under your feet.
You see no lights on inside the house, but the porch light tells you there is electricity. You glance around and notice a path on the fringe of the porch's light. It appears to lead to the back side of the house.
You explore the path around the house. It is made of circular cobblestone discs. When you're out of range of the porch light you pull your flashlight out. The backyard of the house is enclosed by a wooden fence. A giant oak tree stands alone in the corner of the yard.
Your flash light follows the path to its end. Surrounded by darkness is a cellar door.
Do you return to the porch and go in the front door or investigate the cellar?
If you chose to stay on the road:
You think it's best to keep moving and carrying more supplies would just weigh you down. You've been moving at a good pace for some time now and have yet to grow tired.
"The inviting home with the porch light is probably a trap anyway. Besides, when has anything good ever been kept at the end of a long driveway?"
You continue on down the road; into the dark, away from the (porch) light. Gravel is strewn on both sides of the road. It crunches with each step you take. The road ahead is poorly lit, but you can see trees crowding it on both sides. You pull out your flashlight and scan the trees.
Nothing.
Another fifty feet and your flashlight rolls over the back of a car. You approach it slowly and shine your flashlight inside. The car is empty; just like nearly every other car you've found.
The silence of the night is broken by footsteps in the trees behind you. You shut off your light instinctively.
Do you run further down the road or hide behind the car?
Friday, March 4, 2011
Off the Beaten Path: Part One
Off the Beaten Path
You are standing at the start of a long driveway. Oak and pine trees grow sporadically on each side of it. The asphalt is morphed in some spots; tree roots making their way beneath it.
You look up at the clear, midnight sky and see moonlight and stars between the tree limbs and leaves. At the end of the driveway, illuminated by a porch light, you see a garage and steps leading to a house.
A crisp fall breeze rustles the leaves and your body urges you to zip up your jacket. You grant its wish and adjust your backpack as well.
Do you investigate the house or continue on down the road you're on?
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Dreams
I love them.
Fun dreams. Scary dreams. Awkward dreams. Serious dreams. Recurring dreams. Wishful dreams. Hopeful dreams. Dreams that are really memories. What if? dreams. Daydreams...
...wet dreams. Hahaha. I'm an awkward. ("I'm an awkward" is an inside joke.)
I love waking up from a crazy dream and trying to remember what happened. If I can, then I try to piece together the dream. I've noticed that almost always my dreams are a melting pot of what I had experienced during the day.
It's interesting to go, "oh, that part of the dream is because of this and this part is because of that."
The worst dreams are the ones where it's a memory and what happens is what you would've liked to have happened in reality.
I have one where I don't lose my final high school soccer game. The worst part of that day was being taken out with 7 minutes to go for some underclassmen. I played my ass off and my piece of shit coach took me and a couple other seniors out, while leaving two others in (his favorites). I'll never forget that. Sometimes we don't tie the game up and win, but I always get to finish the game.
When I was a kid I used to have a dream where a T-rex was wreaking havoc in my neighborhood. Then velocipraptors would show up.
That was always a fun one. I haven't had it in a while though.
I think the earliest dream I can remember having is one where I get to the top of this impossibly tall wooden bridge. High above crashing waves and rocky shoreline. Then I'd fall. I don't think I ever hit the bottom. Maybe I did, but I haven't had that dream for some time either.
What if? dreams are the best, however.
What if I'd kissed the girl? What if we hadn't moved? What if I hadn't broken my leg? The soccer dream/memory is one of these. They are usually heart-breaking because nothing is worse than wondering, "what if?". Why are they the best then? Because you get to live in moments you'll never experience otherwise. A sad thought, but it is most definitely true.
I love dreams.
Daydreaming in class is what made me realize I should be a writer. (And it is funny, many of the stories I write have some aspect of them (large or small) that relate to dreams)
What if I wasn't a daydreamer?
"You Know What" - N.E.R.D.
Fun dreams. Scary dreams. Awkward dreams. Serious dreams. Recurring dreams. Wishful dreams. Hopeful dreams. Dreams that are really memories. What if? dreams. Daydreams...
...wet dreams. Hahaha. I'm an awkward. ("I'm an awkward" is an inside joke.)
I love waking up from a crazy dream and trying to remember what happened. If I can, then I try to piece together the dream. I've noticed that almost always my dreams are a melting pot of what I had experienced during the day.
It's interesting to go, "oh, that part of the dream is because of this and this part is because of that."
The worst dreams are the ones where it's a memory and what happens is what you would've liked to have happened in reality.
I have one where I don't lose my final high school soccer game. The worst part of that day was being taken out with 7 minutes to go for some underclassmen. I played my ass off and my piece of shit coach took me and a couple other seniors out, while leaving two others in (his favorites). I'll never forget that. Sometimes we don't tie the game up and win, but I always get to finish the game.
When I was a kid I used to have a dream where a T-rex was wreaking havoc in my neighborhood. Then velocipraptors would show up.
That was always a fun one. I haven't had it in a while though.
I think the earliest dream I can remember having is one where I get to the top of this impossibly tall wooden bridge. High above crashing waves and rocky shoreline. Then I'd fall. I don't think I ever hit the bottom. Maybe I did, but I haven't had that dream for some time either.
What if? dreams are the best, however.
What if I'd kissed the girl? What if we hadn't moved? What if I hadn't broken my leg? The soccer dream/memory is one of these. They are usually heart-breaking because nothing is worse than wondering, "what if?". Why are they the best then? Because you get to live in moments you'll never experience otherwise. A sad thought, but it is most definitely true.
I love dreams.
Daydreaming in class is what made me realize I should be a writer. (And it is funny, many of the stories I write have some aspect of them (large or small) that relate to dreams)
What if I wasn't a daydreamer?
"You Know What" - N.E.R.D.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Why I Hate February
#1 - The Weather:
It can never seem to make up its mind.
Like today, it was a torrential downpour outside and became progressively colder all day. It's twice as worse because, in Indiana, the weather already can't make up its mind.
#2 - Valentine's Day:
This holiday is crap.
When you care about, or love, someone you shouldn't need one random ass day in February to be the day to show it. Do it all the time. And it's not like you can avoid this made up holiday. It's always in your face.
#3 - It's the 2nd month of the year:
The luster of the new year has worn off.
And, chances are, there's someone in your neighborhood, maybe even in your home, that has yet to remove all their Christmas decorations. It's sad. Sad that the Holidays are gone and sad they're so lazy.
#4 - No more NFL:
I nearly forgot this one.
And how could I? This is may be #1 for others, but other sports can usually fill the void left by football for me. It's made worse by the fact that MLB starts to gear up around this time.
I hate, absolutely hate, baseball.
February is so crummy it can't even make up its mind on how many days it should have.
There are only two good things about this month.
My friend Andrea's birthday (the 5th)...
...and conversation hearts (they are delicious, especially the ones en espanol).
So, to summarize. February sucks.
"Unwell" - Matchbox Twenty
It can never seem to make up its mind.
Like today, it was a torrential downpour outside and became progressively colder all day. It's twice as worse because, in Indiana, the weather already can't make up its mind.
#2 - Valentine's Day:
This holiday is crap.
When you care about, or love, someone you shouldn't need one random ass day in February to be the day to show it. Do it all the time. And it's not like you can avoid this made up holiday. It's always in your face.
#3 - It's the 2nd month of the year:
The luster of the new year has worn off.
And, chances are, there's someone in your neighborhood, maybe even in your home, that has yet to remove all their Christmas decorations. It's sad. Sad that the Holidays are gone and sad they're so lazy.
#4 - No more NFL:
I nearly forgot this one.
And how could I? This is may be #1 for others, but other sports can usually fill the void left by football for me. It's made worse by the fact that MLB starts to gear up around this time.
I hate, absolutely hate, baseball.
February is so crummy it can't even make up its mind on how many days it should have.
There are only two good things about this month.
My friend Andrea's birthday (the 5th)...
...and conversation hearts (they are delicious, especially the ones en espanol).
So, to summarize. February sucks.
"Unwell" - Matchbox Twenty
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