Friday, August 20, 2004

Currently Playing
The Beatles 1
By The Beatles

Today I truly woke up around 7:05 am, and talked to my roommate about stuff for the dorm. I borrowed a towel from Chris in...358? After that Nikki and her parents picked me up and we went to lunch with Nikki's Aunt and Cousins. They're all real good people. After that I saw the apartment of Nikki's cousin Stacey. She's going to Pima, it looked like a comfortable place. Finally we went to Target. I'm a slow shopper, so I tried my best to hurry it up, I don't think they were too mad at waiting a little bit longer. Then they dropped me off and helped me carry my stuff into my dorm. Now that I think about it, it was incredibly nice of them to take me with them, considering I was a complete stranger to them. After that I talked with more people in the dorm and went out and got lost again. I also tried to go to church today, before my Dad informed me that it was Friday, I thought it was Saturday. This is embarrasing, I'm not sure how many people I told I was going to Mass today, now that I think about it, I probably got a lot of weird looks that I didn't notice today. Now I'm going to get dinner and see what's going on in that underground. I hope I grow out of this phase of posting about everything that happens in my college life, it is a waste of time for me.

Currently Playing
The Wall
By Pink Floyd

Be prepared, this is probably will be the longest entry I've ever written, maybe the longest I'll ever write, you probably don't even want to read it. Why the heck are you here anyway? Dang, I'm so enigmatic and brilliant, you don't even know!

Well, the past couple of days have been an experience that is not really unique, considering the number of college Freshman that walk into the hallowed planes of higher learning every year, but I will definitely remember the indescribable feeling that being on my own for the first time has given me.

Tuesday I said good bye to Colorado for four months and got on a plane to Phoenix. My brother picked me up at the airport, and when we got to his apartment I proceeded to watch Kill Bill, Volumes 1 & 2, for the first time. I liked the first one better than the second one, but I can't really say that I thought both movies were instant classic, I guess I'll reflect more on that another time.

On Wednesday I woke up at 5:30 am to help my brother and his girlfriend move their furnishings so that the painters could cover all the walls in their house...with paint of course. Then I waited at the apartment while my brother tied up some loose ends at work. After that he made me do the driving for our trek to Tucson. It was the first time I've ever driven in another state besides Colorado, and they don't have the left-lane law here, so I almost like it better, good scenery too. We got there around 12:30 pm or so (I can't really remember the times, my mental clock is screwed up or something) and I moved in. Then we drove to Target and I shopped for stuff, I think I did okay, but I'm still purchasing neccesities. Then my brother left, and I picked up my books. I still haven't cried, I have no clue what the deal is, I thought for sure I'd sobb like a gigantic wussie, maybe it'll come later or something.

Yesterday I woke up late because I pulled the, "Set two alarms, turn them both off, go back to bed" routine. I woke up because my roommate moved in, I'm sure I made a great first impression, with my groggy greeting and bedhead charm. Then I walked to Safeway, I went the right way this time, so I didn't get lost like Wednesday night. Along the way I picked up my Zona Zoo Pass, and I got a free t-shirt, it's red, I like it. I bought granola bars. I need to buy cereal, milk, bowls, and spoons. I think I spent more time wandering around looking for stuff, I can't really remember, must be the heat. I bought sandals, they're okay. I realize this is pretty boring, but I think I'm writing it for my own future reference, so "step off."

After all that stuff I went to hang out with my new best friend Nikki. Okay, I lied, she's not new, she's premium quality used, she has eighteen years of friendship on her in the climate of Bako...apparently. High recommendations from previous friends though, okay...I'm sorry that was too corny, I'll leave it anyway. We went and ate dinner at the Student Union, then we walked to her apartment complex, which is run by the school. It's a pretty nice place. Then we walked around on her floor meeting people with these two other guys who knocked on her door. We went around knocking on others' doors. It was fun. Then we left the building and walked...and walked...and kept on walking...no real destination in mind at all. We found a place called La Placita, where they play classic movies for free on Thursdays, we'll probably go next Thursday. We had two run-in's with crazy people, which of course made me uneasy. Then we walked back toward her apartment, and something occured that is going to make me rant right here, right now.

In fact, I get more and more angry everytime I think about what happened. I'll give you a hypothetical first, say that you're in a situation where there isn't really any accountability for your actions, you could do something without any consequences. How would you act? Would you act rude and vulgar, and thereby speak out to the world that you are inherently a jackass? I hope I wouldn't, because...no one likes realizing that they're a prick. Now let's say that the situation was you were riding in a car down a street with your friends, drunk as a skunk or not, and you decide to yell a sexist vulgarity at a woman as she's walking along the sidewalk to the going the opposite direction of the vehicle. Cat-calling, call me a fricking square, but I don't like it. The dumb ass coward doesn't even give Nikki a chance to use her excellent logic and sarcasm skills to fight back. I'm not sure if I believe in Karma or not, but I hope he gets his just desserts. I'll try not to linger on the subject in writing or in my mind any longer, but I wish I had the capability to create a paintball gun that shot exploding balls of mace, because I would have used it. Breathe out anger, breathe in calm...I guess, unless you have calm anger, in which case you need to see a Thoracic specialist, there might be something wrong with your lungs.

On a side-note about a topic I will discuss in further detail later, my roommate is from Sudan, he's one of "The Lost Boys."

http://www.redcross.org/news/in/africa/0108lostboyspage.html

Now I can't complain about anything, because he will say, "Oh yeah, so is that like walking thousands of miles to escape oppression and death?" Instantly my ability to whine is gone. It's a good thing, I complain too much anyway. I think we'll get along great, he has a great attitude about life.

Monday, August 16, 2004

Currently Playing
The Best of the Gipsy Kings
By The Gipsy Kings

I'm watching Slovenia versus Croatia in handball. If ever there was a sport I think I could be an olympic athlete at, handball would be it. I've played it before, not aware it was an actual sport, but it's a lot of fun. Wow, today is my last day home before I leave for college. It seems like the butterflies about college only come right before I fall asleep. I'm excited, everything will work out great. I guess I should pack my bags.

Thursday, August 12, 2004

Currently Reading
The Five Temptations of a CEO: A Leadership Fable
By Patrick M. Lencioni

I watched the Iraq-Portugal soccer game on MSNBC today, it was weird but I was cheering for Iraq, at least when the Iraq's athletes go back home this time they won't be tortured for their failures by a bunch of sadist lunatics.

Monday, August 09, 2004

Currently Reading
Rants
By DENNIS MILLER

I think I need to put down in type a definite list of stuff I need to do before and after I leave, so where better to make such a list than in a blog.

Things to do:

1.)  Clean my room.
2.)  Finish making a list of all the stuff I need to take to Arizona.
3.)  Pack stuff.
4.)  Buy a new laptop bag/backpack.
5.)  Learn to cook more than Poires au Vin Rouge and spaghetti.
6.)  Get the address to send the membership form to.
7.)  Coordinate on stuff with roommate.
8.)  Finish burning all those CD's.
9.)  Initiate workout program phase:  "Holy cow there's about a week left before I leave."
10.)  Learn how to do whatever html thing it is that enables you to put a line through text on the blog.
11.)  Buy a guitar.
12.)  Learn to play said guitar.
13.)  Pick up Zona Zoo pass thingamajig when I get there.
14.)  Do some more research on what exactly it is I'm getting into with this Arizona Blue Chip program.
15.)  Buy my books for the first semester.
16.)  Put money from my loans into a meal plan.
17.)  Ship stuff to my brother's place.
18.)  Implement Good Study habits "stat"!
19.)  Learn to speak an interesting language, maybe Russian or something.
20.)  Figure out a way to put all the music videos I've recorded onto a DVD.
21.)  Get watch fixed.
22.)  Figure out how I'm going to get my hockey equipment down there and where I'm going to store it.
23.)  Make the hockey team.
24.) Plan B:  Join a martial arts club or something and workout a whole lot at the campus rec.
25.)  Stop making Plan B's and believe in own ability to make said team.
26.)  Figure out where the buzzing sound in my room is coming from.

That's a pretty long list.  I guess some of that is more long-term "stuff" but it's a pretty good first draft of a list of things to do.  I think I'll get started tomorrow.  I watched a movie tonight called, "Where Eagles Dare," it was a WWII era film from 1969 starring Clint Eastwood.  It was a pretty good action picture by even today's standards, what with the spies and the intrigue and the dead-killed Nazis and things of that nature.

Cat People,

Dog People,

Exotic animal so foreign to this environment that it only takes it about three minutes before it decides it will kill its new owner when it gets the chance people.  You know, the kind of people who keep pet Siberian Tigers in a NYC apartment the size of a Cadillac Escalade.

Friday, August 06, 2004

Currently Watching
Easy Rider
By Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson

Today has been a-okay. Woke up at around 8:30 am, went to my follow-up for my wisdom teeth at 11:45 am. Then I went to Tower Records and finally used a gift card I had on a 96 disc holder and some sort of marker that erases permanent marker. Let the CD "Burnage" continue.

At around 3:00 pm I'm going to pick up my dog Giggles from the groomer, then I'm going to work 7:30pm to 10:30pm. After that I'll go and play hockey for a couple of hours. Then tomorrow is the UA ColoradoCats picnic shindig near DU, that should be fun.

Now this movie "Easy Rider" is making me think that living in the sixties would suck. It makes me glad that I'm living now, and that I'm not stuck obsessing over how great it would be to live in a certain lifetime other than mine. I don't know if that makes sense, but it doesn't really make a diference anyway since its not really an original idea, just one that makes sense to me. For some reason after watching this movie, tripping out on acid doesn't appeal to me at all.

There are four types of people in this world:

Those living,

Those dying,

Those hollow,

and those who watch that UPN show about the Amish or anything with that idiot Anna Nicole Smith,

because, seriously, why the heck would anyone watch anything so degrading to all humanity? I don't know, I expected that to be more meaningful, I guess it's like the Lotto, a ticket to an infinitesimal chance at deep thought expressed in writing, I'll try again next time.

Wednesday, August 04, 2004

Currently Watching
This Is Spinal Tap
By Rob Reiner, Michael McKean, Christopher Guest

It's raining hard while the sun is shining, I'm burning CD's on my new computer and watching Spinal Tap. Yesterday was fun, although I wish I had seen Harold and Kumar or the Village rather than the Manchurian Candidate, the original 1962 version was better. At least I didn't have to pay for my ticket this time.

This sort of brings up a funny story: one day in July this year, my Dad and Sister decide that they want to go see I, Robot (which wasn't that spectacular). So my Dad said, "Hey Dave, do you want to come?" "Sure," I said. So when we got there and get in line, he asks, "Did you bring your wallet?" "What!?!" I have to pay for my movies now? I was shocked because in the past "Pops" always paid for the movie if we went with him. It was part of his plan to shock me into adulthood. Apparently he did the same thing with my brothers. This plan also included my new computer.

I guess I'm just a whiner cheapskate, but it all ended well enough, we went to The Bourne Supremacy (which was pretty good) later in the month, and now the shock of fiscal responsiblity is weighing less heavily on my mind now.

I figured I'm going to try a continuing feature in all of my posts from now on, I might do more different ones if I like it.

It's called: Different Types of People.

Here it is...are you ready?





Are you sure? This might blow your mind and melt your face dude!?

Probably not, but ok.

"There are three different types of people in this world:

Creamy Peanut Butter,

Crunchy Peanut Butter,

and Vegemite,

because sometimes people just have weird taste (cough*Australians*cough), how else does anyone explain Kenny G?

EDIT: I know it "ain't" exactly authentically original, but if you're really craving originality from a person's blog, you'd probably also look for Penguins on the North Pole (that isn't original either, but I run a tight ship here).

Monday, August 02, 2004

Currently Watching
Slap Shot (25th Anniversary Special Edition)
By Paul Newman, Michael Ontkean

My mouth feels better, my flight is booked...and all of a sudden I have a little over two weeks left at home. I guess I'll have to prioritize.

Yesterday I watched "The Who's Tommy." It was very confusing and disturbing. I also watched "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." It was also very disturbing and gave me the distinct impression that living in the Eighties would suck. Good thing I only had to deal with three un-rememberable (I know it's a made up word) years of it. I need to find a "happy" movie to watch before I go to work, I think Slapshot will do.

Just checked the FedEx tracking and my computer left the Fedex ramp in Shanghai and should be here on Wednesday. I haven't found a better price on a computer yet, so right now I feel okay.