This photo from a Turkish newspaper won a local "photo of the year" award:

Have you been told, "Bitch, get the fuck out" one too many times? Have you been turned down time and again when all you wanted was a simple cuddle? Have you ever just really wanted to be held instead of making breakfast? Then we have just the product for you! Imported from Japan, this fine product will solve all your insecurities and worries of inadequacy. Click here for more!

Nick's done it again, the damned genius. Click here to hear the full preview of the new BT album "Emotional Technology." It's very much in the same vein as BT's most popular American release, Movement in Still Life. It's best to download that playlist file and open it up from your PC.

I got bored the other night and picked up my guitar. Then this morning, I did it again. It's been a lot of fun, surprisingly. It definitely feels like a challenge that can take a very long time to make progress with, and that's just what I've been needing for a while. I'm most surprised at my sudden ability to play and sing a few bars at the same time. I couldn't do that back in my Punk Band Phase of freshman year. I'm really getting into this music thing. Now I've just gotta find some piano music to play too and I'll have too much fun lined up for any time. The tips of my right fingers hurt like hell but it's definitely worth it.

Today's my last day at work. I was originally planning to work next week but I've decided it's time for a vacation. Four hours in the office to go and I'm done with this kind of work for good. I need something with more adventure, sorry.

Andie's made it! She'll soon be steering a whole generation of teenage girls in the right direction. Praise be. (Note that the reviews are written by one Andrea Grimes - that would be her.)

Tuesday morning: I disappeared to Oklahoma to see to my family. My grandmother was very close to dying, and my grandfather had just gotten out of the hospital (having gone under thinking she was getting better). The plug was pulled early in the afternoon, and I stayed that night with my brother.

Wednesday: I went to see my grandfather for the first time in a couple years. His house was a zoo with the presence of my whole family (my father the notable exception). I rushed back home to see to work matters.

Thursday: My last day of work. Afterwards, I'm headed back to Oklahoma and another night with my brother.

Friday: Grandmother's funeral, return home.

Friday night - weekend: Cover CPL as much as possible (if anyone wants to go to Dallas with me to visit, give me a ring) and meet a chick for coffee.

I'm posting from Oklahoma - so for those of you who can't see that I'm logged on from a mobile (*cough* EMILY AND AMIT *cough*) I still can't respond to your messages. I'm gone until further notice.

After a very comfortable summer, it's kind of unsettling experiencing stress once more. My father and his complete family is becoming a major source of this stress, and it's aggrevating. My stupid skank stepmom is walking all over my dad more and more every day to the point where he has no soul left. On top of that, both his parents are dying, so I'm probably headed to a funeral within the coming week should they choose to pull the plug. After that, poor old grandfather won't have anything left to live for. It's just bad timing. Normally I wouldn't mind these kinds of things, but it's all happening right as the end-of-last-summer insanity is picking up - the final parties with good friends, a leisurely visit from my brother, the easing-into-college things like camp. Between work and all these things, it's making me scared I'm going to miss something big, some kind of once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

I didn't think I'd find myself here, but I'm going to be scared to leave. When I graduated I just thought it'd be a fun-filled summer with the usual folks then off I go, and I'll see them again when I come home. But now it's different. That fun-filled summer became more fun than I expected. Now those usual folks are the closest friends and some of the best ones I could ask for. They say that you're not truly thankful until what you have is gone - but I was thankful to have these friends. I was thankful on nights when I was just surrounded by friends - nights after a lonely Christmas, the enormous gaming parties, the prom, the barbecues of summer. But now the end's in sight - and when I sit here in my office and think about how I could be wasting time playing Halo with everyone else it makes me depressed. But when I'm around the amigos it doesn't become a sob-fest like all those silly fake girls do around graduation time. It's just another night with the amigos. As if the group will always exist and there will always be a summer night to spend doing nothing useful but still just having fun. So I just wanted to say to you guys:

I'm going to miss all of you.

If you're coming along with me to Austin, I'm happy. Maybe you'll change, or I'll change, but it's not like people like us suddenly turn antagonistic or unfriendly. Maybe we won't see each other every night, or every week, for that matter. But at least we're still there. Maybe I'll make an appearance at one of the clubs you're in, or maybe you'll come see me sing, and the amigo-ness will just continue on, where every conversation picks up where it left off before.

If you're not coming with me, then that's where things get unpredictable. There's no doubt we'll all come home and get together on the first Thanksgiving and Christmas. And we'll all be amused with ourselves and each other but we'll all still have good times. But what about the second Christmas, the third? I can only hope the 'net keeps us all together, because even though they say high school friendships break down, we're different. We were all at the head of the class for a reason, and it's not always pure book smarts. It's because we see through things better than others. It's not like the groups of friends who have partying or sports in common can go from playing Nintendo to discussing the finer points of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance in a matter of seconds. It's that wisdom, that intangible connection, that permanently binds people. We have the unique potential of staying together since we're all such balanced people. Think of the possibilities - more friends, more networking, maybe someday we'll all interchange our friends and find significant others and become a 100-strong cast of Friends. Our time together is quickly coming to an end, and we've got to do something to fix it.

And if you think I neglect you or don't care about you because I don't IM you, please don't take offense or think you've been ditched. I'm just quiet at heart.

John Mayer's show was an absolutely great one. I had high expectations and even those were completely blown away. The man's just an insanely talented musician. I don't think I could ever hope to have his kind of skill or creativity. His new songs weren't disappointing at all, his guitar solo work was incredible, and his improvisation is just plain superior to everyone.

-He stopped "Come Back to Bed" to play some solos in the styles of different musicians. "Here's what BB King would play," he said, going into a bluesy sort of style. He stopped again. "Here's what Stevie Ray would play," as the blues became infused with a little more classic rock. "Here's what Jimi Hendrix would play" and he went completely apeshit on his fretboard, bending his strings inhumanly far. Then he went back to his cute little ballad.
-On the intro to "83" he played a few chords on the guitar then quickly switched to the keyboard and improvised on that. One man, two instruments. Just plain cool.
-At some point (don't remember where or what song) he improved in a way high falsetto - then he started playing high on the guitar in harmony with himself.
-On a new song in the encore he stopped and asked the crowd a favor. He asked them to join in singing him in this repeated line. He sang it a few times until the crowd caught on and kept going. He then sang on top of all of us, using the crowd as his backup.

I mean, damn. What a show, what a musician. Can't wait for him to come back through.

By that I mean Rockstar North, the studio behind the Grand Theft Auto series. This website is not what it appears. Here's the skinny on the game:

It's called Manhunt, and it's Grand Theft Auto gone survival horror. You're a criminal on death row and your lethal injection is faked (you're sedated instead of killed). When you wake up, you're in an abandoned slum called Carcer City, a city wholly owned by an extremely rich man who throws criminals in there for his sick entertainment. Like a reality show, cameras are everywhere. It's your job to survive and get the hell out. That said, this is not your teenage child's GTA. Rockstar North says they're making a serious game - and think about how the cartoonish violence of GTA had everyone up in arms. This game is aimed at seriously disturbing the player - and they'll most likely succeed. Here are some more differences from GTA:

-Stealth-focused gameplay - you have a noise meter
-Much darker color scheme
-The roughly 20 weapons are much more low-tech, mostly blades and blunt objects (and plastic bags). Guns are rare.
-Details on cars are unknown

This is exactly what the industry needs. It's GTA gone real, and this will force the industry to grow up and it'll force society to accept games as legitimate stand-alone entertainment. Expect some legislation to come out of this game (probably banning sales/rental of M-rated games to minors universally), but it'll be more than worth it.

And it was successful! We had 12 competitors and our final winner was Gus, who's on a 3-tournament championship streak if I remember correctly. Blowing everyone away in second place was John Martone, who ownerized with Dr. Mario all the way through the loser's bracket, took second place and $20, only to lose to me in the Grudge Match between us which will now exist forever and ever. Alex and I decided on the way home that we have indeed been passed up by the juniors, who we once owned early into the competitive history of the game.

Afterwards, there was coffee to be had with Michael's sister (yeah, Strange Michael - his sister's pretty smart) and her friend Sarah, who had my attention for a healthy part of the night. I never thought I'd end up meeting an interesting girl at Apex, much less on a tourney night, but hey - variety's a wonderful thing. This Sarah (not the previously mentioned one who got me into the swingin' sounds of Mr. Mayer) and I have the strangest things in common, particularly our tastes for music. We spent a lot of the night trading back and forth obscure artists and song names that typically no one else has heard of. For those who weren't there, this part will weird you out: she's taller than me.

On to more pressing issues, the John Mayer concert is in fact tonight, and I'm extremely excited. Rumor has it he's not feeling well, which means he'd play a short set, but we're hoping he's well enough to play for at least an hour. Hell, he could guitar solo for three hours for all I care, he's that damn good at it. It's off to prepare for concerting.

So I got a call from one of the wonderful folks at Apex yesterday. The next SSB tournament (probably the last major for us college-bound kids) is this Friday (two days from now), starting very early in the evening. They want to have the whole group registered into the game by 6:00 so that the first round can start at 6 sharp. So be there around 5:30. The entry fee is $5, and half the pot will go to the winner (Apex keeps the rest). Spread the word, post it on your own blog, do whatever you see fit. I'll be busy practicing anyway.

UPDATE: The reason for the early start is so the tourney can wrap up before the store closes at 9:00. I propose that we get a big group together and head out to dinner after the tournament, cause it'd be fun.

I've had several people ask me how to add comments to their blogs. Since my system isn't accepting new accounts, try this: Documentroot.com was advertised on this very site this morning and that's how I found the link. That link is an advertiser's link but it gives credit to Google so feel free to use it. I don't know anything about the system since you have to sign up for it first, nor am I able to help you install or maintain it, but if you're desperate for comments this may be a decent resort.

Today I caught some HardOCP headlines of interest and found my way to a press release from VIA pimping some new third-party cases that support the M10000 motherboard - their itty bitty integrated-ghetto-chip fanless board with DVD playback etc. etc.

So this gave me an idea: that's how I'll do my entertainment center. It'll be possible before long to build one of those boxes with a quality DVD drive for less than $500. Since the board has onboard MPEG2 decoding, it'd make a fine DVD/CD player with good sound output. Throw in a $75 PCI TV-tuner card and there's my TV access and a remote control for the system.

"But blake, why do all that when you could build it into your other system?"
It's too loud. When you're watching a DVD movie you don't want to be distracted by fan noise. So the media box will just sit on top of the gaming box and I'll be able to switch between Doom 3 (which will still be scary as hell several years from now on a projector) and movies without much trouble at all.

So here's my solution if I were to build it today:
-Used LCD projector + screen (ebay) with analog VGA / RCA / S-Video inputs
-Gaming box - outputs analog VGA and PC 5.1 surround (function: PC gaming)
-Media box - outputs analog VGA or S-Video with PC 5.1 surround (function: DVD movies, CD/MP3 music, TV)
-Consoles - output RCA audio and S-Video (function: console gaming)
-PC 5.1 speakers (wireless)

Assuming the gaming box and consoles are already in possession, then we're looking at $1000 for the projector and screen, $500 for the media box, and $300 for 5.1 speakers (this is in the future, don't forget) - $1800 for a complete home theater setup that moves easily from place to place. Compare that to someone else's setup:

Big-screen TV/HDTV - $2500 [though prices will fall in the future]
Home Theater in a Box (DVD/CD player, receiver, speakers) - $1000

That tops out at $3500 for a setup that's much harder to use and a total bitch to wire. Not exactly something you can keep in an apartment. And you've got frustrated people who have no idea how to turn the whole system on because you've got more components. My mom now has almost no clue how to switch her system from TV to DVD and back. It's with this in mind that I'm going to build a woman-friendly theater system that kicks ass and doesn't bust my poor Lib Arts wallet.

So you might have noticed that whenever I'm not on a computer, I show up on AIM with a little mobile icon. This means that any messages that get sent to me are forwarded to my cell as text messages. I'm just letting everyone know that I can't respond to these messages, but you can feel free to leave me messages or things of that nature. If I have your phone number and I'm available, I'll typically call you back to say hi and talk about whatever the message was.

Nick gave me a reminder last week of the hubbub about the Y2K bug and how it all turned out to be rubbish. In the computing context, he was right. Writing this Iraq essay, though, I realized that there was a Y2K bug, but it strangely didn't mess anything up right at midnight on Millenium Eve. No, instead it hit in a very specific time and place and machine: November, Florida, voting machines.

I think I'd do a really, really good job as Editor-in-Chief for a magazine. It could be anything: gaming, entertainment in general, alt-culture magazines, a general computer zine, or maybe even Popular Science.

So at work I get bored. Yes, I've been in the office for an hour on Monday morning, and I'm already bored. So when I do get bored, I start browsing LCD projectors on Ebay since that's an ongoing project here. And every time, it makes me think I need one. Seriously, you can find good ones for well under $1000 - that's better for the money than a big TV, if you've got either a screen or a large white wall.

So then I get to thinking about how I'm going to set up my entertainment center in my bachelor pad once I'm out of college (or at least done with dorm life). I want to put everything on one system - computer, TV, consoles, everything - so everything goes out onto the same screen and puts sound out through the same set of speakers. What's worse is I want to make it easy enough for a girlfriend to use, because I don't want to have to be asked twenty million times how to make it all play a DVD movie and then be exasperated when I get up and do it myself. My best guess is the trick is going to be getting an extremely good receiver with tons of inputs/outputs in every format imaginable. Who knows, maybe in the next four years someone will come up with a really good media control console that involves all that stuff. Cause hey, sitting on my super-comfy couch and playing Counter-Strike then switching to a DVD sounds really good to me right about now.

Scantily clad hot women, power tools, and Benny Benassi's club hit Satisfaction: what more could you need? Watch here, if you have Quicktime.

Drew is conducting an experiment he's calling the Internet Connection that tries to see if there's sex in the champagne room - I mean, if there is love to be found online. At this point in the writing, he's basically just chatting with some local ho and I personally think it's hilarious. I'm excited to see where he goes with this, so everyone keep an eye on it.

So the John Mayer concert is next weekend and I'm starting to get pretty damn excited. I watched a video yesterday of a behind-the-scenes on the road kinda thing with John, which was incredibly funny and very well shot and wrapped with a live recording of City Love with a great guitar solo. This guy's just plain good. What's got me more excited is his upcoming album which is out early September (I'm going to be a VERY poor college boy between that and Half-Life 2 all coming out in the same month) which has only 10 tracks (frowny), most if not all of which are songs that he already plays live, but it has absolutely the coolest cover I've ever seen. It's a two-tone cover in a shade of dark blue or turquoise with just a picture of Mayer standing tall, arms down to his sides, guitar slung around his neck. It was almost like how I saw myself - especially since he's wearing cargos, a t-shirt and sneakers in the picture. It's called Heavier Things, which I guess fits the whole cover theme. I'm very, very excited to hear this album - his studio tracks are my favorite songs to listen to.

This past week, you may feel old to find out that the NES turned twenty years old. Yeah. 20. The system we all adored as little kids is just a little bit older than we thought. I got mine at the age of 5, which was thirteen years ago, which means the system had already been out for seven years. And it still sold like hotcakes when Super Mario Brothers 3 broke every game sale record up to that point.

And! I get my car back today. At last! I've been missing it for about the last week. Of course, nothing will compare to the dream I had where I acquired a 323Ci convertible and everyone loved it. But at this point I'm just happy to get the Camry of Serious Hardcore Action back in my life. And I'm still waiting for TRD to produce suspension mods for the current-gen Camrys, because dammit, it needs it.

So I sent a nice little email to my roommate Tim Allen (cue manly barking sound) introducing myself only to find that his email address doesn't exist. I wonder if he's able to get UT email at all. So I figured his email username 'moredakka' might have been an alias. Enter Google, search engine of the gods. Searching for his alias got exactly two results: both hits on a high school robotics competition forum. Turns out he's a robotics guy from Houston (verified by one of his posts) and that's all we know at this point.

I've felt a lack of things to post lately. Life is moving really quickly - I have two weeks of work left before the August vacationfest leaves me exhaused just in time to move down to Austin permanently. I'm working on two writings: one is for a Plan2 essay contest (write a retrospective on Iraq from the year 2013) and the other is a short story about revolutionaries. I'll post #1 after the deadline (late September) and #2 when it's done.

I just got a photo collection from Nathalie that's nostalgia supreme. There's lots of fun mixed with lots of emotion and it altogether makes me wish I had the foresight to spend a year or two at LHS, because it would have done me a *lot* of good. Pictures from the recent parties plus graduation, which I'm sad I missed.

I got my room assignment stuff in the mail - my roommate's name is Tim Allen.

Plan for the rest of summer:
-work two more weeks
-attend the *69 pre-Quakecon lan to play alongside Daler (read: play Halo on Rob's HDTV)
-attend Camp Texas the day after the lan
-attend Quakecon the day after Camp Texas
-four day break
-move to Austin with Kris

I had no clue it would all go by this fast.

My buddy, local gamer and mod god mic crispy is selling a pretty cool toy. If you've got three open 5.25" bays in your computer and want to fill those slots with an LCD screen (modified from the Gamecube portable LCD) then send Tim an email here. He needs to free up the bays pronto so he wants to sell it today for $75. He's local so it wouldn't be hard to go pick up. Someone buy from this man!

update: SOLD to the brown man!

For all of the 4 people that care, I got my dorm assignment online (you can grab it in UT Direct early, letters are arriving this week). And the verdict is:

Blanton 009.

So I'm on the first floor of the *only* honors dorm that doesn't have a sink in the room. Go fig. You don't get your roommate info online, that has to come in the mail, but at least you'll know where you is.

Here's the requisite AP scores post:

Physics B 3 (WTF??)
English Lit 3 (sigh)
Spanish Language 4
Calculus BC ---

See those dashes? I didn't get a score back for Calc BC. None. As if I hadn't taken it. Philip, a guy from my class at Oakridge, didn't get his BC score either. So, Oakridge fucked up hardcore and as a result I lost a semester of Calculus, as did 3 other people. Physics B and Lit are useless - I got the credit for the exact same UT classes by getting a 710 on SAT II Physics last year and 3 on English Language, respectively. Spanish Language got me out of the two intro semesters, but a 5 would have gotten me 16 hours instead of 10. All in all, I'm going into UT with 41 hours and sophomore standing.

what's your cowboy bebop theme song?

Matrix Reloaded has nothing on this.

Yes! Consider it fair warning, kids. Tomorrow (July 11th, or 7/11) is Free Slurpee Day at 7-11 stores nationwide. Just to make sure I've gotten the point across...

snagger64 (5:46:21 PM): tomorrow is free slurpee day
Cheetah200 (5:55:06 PM): werd, where at?
snagger64 (5:55:25 PM): where does one go to get a slurpee, aroon?

snagger64: why, its free slurpee day!
oh holy stars: where?
snagger64: the place where you usually get slurpees..

snagger64 (5:47:03 PM): tomorrow is free slurpee day
indigoreeds (5:49:42 PM): where?
snagger64 (5:50:12 PM): where does one get slurpees, thomas?

GO TO 7-11 FUCKTARDS. GET SLURPEE. PAY ZERO DOLLARS.

So I'll steal a survey from a friend of a friend. She doesn't know I exist, which makes it all that much cooler.

01. Kissed your cousin: Nope. If I had a hot one I might though.
02. Ran away: No, they end up coming home anyway
03. Pictured your crush naked: Oh Lord yes.
04. Actually seen your crush naked: Sure.
05. Broken someone's heart: Yeah, wish I hadn't.
06. Been in love: Without a doubt.
07. Cried when someone died: Once, very long ago..
08. Wanted someone you knew you couldn't have: Yeah, but thinking about Michelle still makes me happy.
09. Broken a bone: I broke my toe once..
10. Drank alcohol: Yeah, talk about overrated shite..
11. Lied: no (as Blake tells yet another lie)
12. Cried in school: Negative.

WHICH IS BETTER

13. Coke or Pepsi: They're both really kinda 'meh'
14. Sprite or 7UP: 7up.
15. Girls or Guys: Gotta represent the fellas.
16. Flowers or candy: Girl question?
17. Scruff or Clean shaven: I know I'm cuter clean shaven, but GOD do I dislike shaving..
18. Quiet or Loud: How about we start quiet and move up to loud? :D
19. Blondes or Brunettes: Brunettes are so much more sophisticated.
20. Bitchy or Slutty: Christ.. dealing with neither one is fun. Slutty, they're easier to keep at a distance.
21. Tall or Short: We need some short chicas up in herrre.
22. Pants or Shorts: Shorts, but long comfy ones.

WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX:

23. What do you notice first: The usual cliche'd smile/eyes crap.
24. Last person you slow danced with: I can't remember. Were there slow dances at prom?
25. Worst Question To Ask: Anything that starts with "Can I ask you a serious question?" - that's the signal for "I'm psychotic" - if you've got a serious question, just ask it, woman!

THE LAST TIME:

26. Showered: last night - how can you people go to bed without showering?!
27. Had Sex: Let's just say last night, and chances are good your mother was involved. "But blake, my mother's dead!" Well, it made things much easier on my part.
28. Had a great time with the opposite sex: Probably some late night watching stand-up with Soph.
29. Your Good Luck Charm: The Chap Stick, baby.
30. Person You Hate Most: Funny how everyone knows the answer to the question except for the person who is the answer.
31. The Best Thing That Has Happened To You: I drove home from Austin and it finally hit me that my own future is in my hands, and my hands only, and I started to become happy about that future. Oh, and that whole thing where a boy and a girl really like each other, that's kinda cool too.

FAVORITE

32. Color: broo.
33. Movie: See the right.
34. Subject in school: Anything, its all about the teacher.
35. Juices: Twister all the motherfucking way.
36. Cars: For a daily driver, a 330Ci. On the track, a supercharged Miata. For a very nice compromise, a 350Z.
37. Ice Cream: Chocolate! The richer the better.
39. Season: Anything except spring, which sucks.
40. Breakfast Food: pancakes <--right on, girl who wrote this out before me.

WHO / WHAT?

43. Makes you laugh the Most: South Park. There's just no comparison.
44. Makes you smile: A girl who can smile back.
45. Can make you feel better no matter what: A really well-written song.

WHO?

46. who Has had A Crush On You: I'd be curious to know..
47. have you ever had a Crush On Someone: Me? That's crazy talk.
49. Has it easier guys or girls: "I can't trust something that bleeds for five days and doesn't die" - Mr. Garrison
50. Gives you A Funny Feeling When You See Them: An ex, that's for sure. You don't even have to see them - just hearing them mentioned is enough.

DO YOU EVER:

50. Sit by the phone waiting for a phone call all night: Yeah. I try to find something to take my mind away, like Nintendo, but I still end up sitting by the phone.
51. Save AOL conversations: Every convo I have is automatically logged.
52. Save Emails: Not really.
53. Wish you were someone else: I'll joke about it, but I already started this life, why would I want to switch before the good part comes? <--very well put, chica.
54. Wish you were a member of the opposite sex: for one day <--agreed

BEST

56. Cologne: Nautica, I love this stuff.
57. Perfume: Dunno.
58. Kiss: A close call between Abby and Stephanie..
59. Romantic memory: Staying in her doorway for what feels like hours because you just don't want to leave
60. Most recent advice given to you: Don't major in Journalism - you can still go to grad school.

HAVE YOU

61. Fallen for your best friend?: That's how I get by.
62. Made out with just a friend?: Yeah, and it's fun as hell.
63. Been Rejected?: Of course
64. Been in love?: See above.
65. Been in lust?: 5 days a week.
66. Used someone?: Only in a mutual-usage agreement
67. Been used: See above
68. Cheated on someone?: Absolutely not.
69. Been cheated on?: Absolutely.
70. Been kissed?: Isn't this the same quiz that asks if you've had sex and with your cousin/child/best friend? Isn't it a given that you've at least kissed?
71. Done something you regret?: Sure.

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON..

72. You touched?: Physically? Mom. Last one who counts? Erm, Soph?
73. You talked to?: Multitasking several people right now.
74. You hugged?: Mommy.
75. You instant messaged?: See above.
76. You kissed?: Samantha, and that'll be the last time that happens
77. You had sex with?: Did I mention I found someone with the nickname "muppetfucker"? Isn't that cool?
78. You yelled at?: Alan, that stupid haxing sophomore. He picked up his shit and left *real* fast, but not out of intimidation. I tried to hump his ear.
79. You laughed with?: Everyone who saw those little dustballs in Spirited Away.
80. Who broke your heart?: not naming any names. They know who they are. <--agreed, Stephanie (the name of the girl who wrote this out)
81. Who told you they loved you?: My pathetic father. Last one who counts? Claire.

DO YOU..

82. Color your hair?: Why, yes.
83. Have tattoos?: nein.
84. Have piercings?: nein.
85. Have a boyfriend/girlfriend/both?: I have a both. No, I'm appreciating being single.
86. Own a webcam?: negative.
87. Own a thong?: yeah . . . don't got much of anything else. <--once more agreed with previous writer Stephanie
88. Ever get off the damn computer?: Only when I physically can't use it.
89. Sprechen Sie Deutsch?: Nein.
90. Habla espanol?: Si, senor!
91. Quack?: ...And the loveli telephone system...

Check his new post here. I had been tossing around this idea for a while. I just figure doing some crazy driving in the SE when I get it back would make me feel better, especially on the safety of a track. What's better, my driving's getting way too aggressive so it would be good to get all that out on a track and sort of leave the adrenaline behind when it comes to driving around town safely. Then I can join UAS when I get to Austin (I'm already speaking in acronyms, sigh - UAS = University Auto Sport) and be like, cool and everything. So yes, everyone go read his propaganda to join SCCA and we'll all go helmet shopping this weekend or something.

that Michelle Branch's new album is a huge, huge disappointment. So is the look that the label's giving her. This sick/sad/dark/Evanescence shit ain't right for a girl with that much natural beauty.

I've been diagnosed with Nintendonitis - tendonitis in the lower wrist. I'm able to be online with the help of Advil, but surviving 6 hours of work is first and foremost. More soon - gotta go pop some more pills.

Thomas and Alex must be stopped.

blake - short day says:
im content with rubber duckie myself [note: rubber duckie is my MSN buddy icon]

Chr1s says:
you're the one

Chr1s says:
you make bathtime so much fun!

blake - short day says:
i'm awfully fond of you!

Chr1s says:
you're a freaking stupid jew

Chr1s says:
THATS NOT HOW IT GOES

Yes, kids, the 4th is right around the corner. We've all been running around making our little underground plans. Well, here's the final list and plan, just hope someone on bigger sites will pick this up. I'm leaving town Thursday afternoon for Oklahoma. I'll have my cell, but I won't have internet access. I come back Friday afternoon, at which point I hope we have a plan.

The whole shebang is still up in the air, since we have nowhere to put it all right now. Last I talked to Thomas, he was going to look into volunteering his place, but I haven't heard back. Here is what we've got so far.

Friday afternoon: set up at someone's house. Play. Cook out some good food. Swim (if there is a pool wherever we end up). Storm Aroon's house last-minute to watch the Ballpark fireworks from his roof. Go continue playing all night long until the early morning hours, as usual. The name of the game will be the original Return to Castle Wolfenstein, which we'll have copies of handy.

Here's the list, as it is currently. Siblings are invited, as well:

Blake
Aroon (to arrive late)
Thomas
Wodarski
Alex
Cameron
Chris
AJ
Drew

For those wondering, Nick will be out of town. If there's anyone missing from the list, feel free to invite them. If you see this, and you're not on the list but want to be, then you can assume you've been added.

Since I'm out of town for the time during which this needs to be planned, I'm putting Wodarski, Cameron, Alex and Aroon in charge. You'll all be working together and if something doesn't come together by the time I'm back (Friday early evening, 6:00-7:00) then no shindig for any of us. Good luck to all of us.

RJetta8V: theres absolutely no reason not to buy american luxury
RJetta8V: first, its cheap
RJetta8V: and second, its got an aura to it
snagger64: yeah, the aura comes from the way the light bounces off the old guy's bald head
snagger64: drive through, please.

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It's been a full six months since Steph and I have been over. There are times when I feel a little (I guess) nostalgic for those times when I was happy with her. Eventually, that nostalgia hit a crescendo and on some huge trip down Memory Lane I started to recall the little things we liked. Then those little things turned into bigger parts of my life. My appreciation for John Mayer first came from her - I learned "No Such Thing" from the old acoustic version of the song in the hope that I'd eventually sing it for her. That never happened, but I came to appreciate the song for myself, and not just as an extension of the relationship. Now I'm a huge fan of the guy, he influences my singing, he's even made me wish I had become a songwriter. I know all the songs that used to just be in the background when I'd be at her house.

That's cute and all, but it gets a little deeper. I used to hate hate hate Coldplay for "Yellow," easily one of the ten most annoying songs ever written. Then after the breakup, the band came up in any of the short, awkward conversations that we had. She loved the guys, song quotes in her profile, ranting on and on about their live show - the girl was obviously in a Coldplay phase. I don't even remember how it happened anymore, but I happened across "The Scientist." Maybe I heard it on the radio and recognized the singer's voice, that or Sarah helped me find it (are we seeing a pattern here with her involvement?). At the end of the song, I was totally blown away. Suddenly the shitty pop band had the capacity for emotion and songwriting without gimmicks. As Soph once made me aware, that's the very epitome of a sophomore record. That song more than makes up for "Yellow," so I eventually had to drop the grudge.

I guess what makes it weird for me is that everything's happened so much later. She's had an influence on my musical taste, but it didn't work itself out until long after that lonely Christmas. Today, still after all the bad blood and awkward conversations, I have to admit I'm thankful for her - she did me some good.