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Monday, January 2nd, 2006
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Though New Year's itself is a highly overrated holiday, it still somehow comes packaged with a glimmer of inherent poignancy. People have overblown party expectations (New Year's is really just another night at the bar, I mean really), and most of us make detailed lists of resolutions with the purpose of bettering our lives (of which no one actuallys follows beyond the second week of "not eating Taco Bell"). But I do believe that there is something to be said for this cosmic feeling that maybe things will be better in the new year. For as cynical as our generation is, there is deeply-rooted optimism buried in all of us; as great or as shitty as the previous year was, everyone, I believe, hopes for more - hopes for there to be one less natural disaster, one more democrat in congress, one more win for their favorite team, one less lb. on their body, one more breezy day of sunshine to roll down the windows for and blast Siamese Dream out of your stereo. Those few days when one chapter comes to an end, and another begins, often throw us into a tizzy of frantic self-evaluation and self-critique.
Today a dear friend asked me "Are you happy, Jon?" I always stop for a second and ponder when someone asks me a question like that, no doubt psycho-analyzing and preparing some pseudo-scholarly response in my head, but this time the answer came quickly, unabated.
[Overall...? I would say I'm unhappy with the current direction my life has taken, probably since the beginning of college. I'm unhappy in how my college career has not been what I imagined. I'm unhappy in how relationships began and ended over those years. Because I know the potential still exists inside me to do anything I want, and to have made anything I had wanted out of that college career. But I also know that forces beyond my control worked against me...things I never realized would affect me affected me and I've had to work through many demons within my own life and family life...so I also give myself that it wasn't set up for me to be easy. But I'm also happy that I'm still here. I'm happy I never quit school, or flunked out, or simply gave up when the going got particularly tough. I'm happy that at least I still have the opportunities that I started with, in a sense, and I haven't totally pushed those beyond reach. And I'm happy at all the positive relationships I've forged - the things I've learned both about life and academically. I'm happy because I think I've had the wonderful chance to meet so many dynamic and spectacular and fabulous people in my life - moreso than most I think, and for that I'm lucky. I don't wake up in the morning and think to myself how happy I am, but I don't wake up despairing either. I'm simply content right now - content to exist in this sort of liminal stage where I can feel the advent of something new approaching closely, and that I'm finally about to put this last long, happy, sad phase behind me.]
I'm not trying to infuse this entry with some kind of didactic moralizing...but for all my sarcasm and cynicism, it often strikes me how much hope I have in life, and how much optimism I generally have in the ability of the world to eventually right itself, in spite of how much shit we always seem to be swimming in. Was this, in a sense, some sort of backwards and sideways New Year's resolution? Nah, I don't do resolutions. Except for maybe hating on indie kids more, or not robbing a bank, or dipping more things in ranch. Gotta keep those goals small and easily achieved ;)
I'll try and make my next entry more angry and jaded.
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Comments: Read 11 or Add Your Own.
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Here is my usual "once every 5 months or so" update oh fickle livejournal audience...
Sometimes you just sit, and you realize you have all these things to say, observations to make, but you can't quite articulate them to even yourself, let alone an audience, though an audience is what you want sometimes. Do you ever get those feelings when you want to do five different things, but yet at the same time you don't want to do those very five same things? Where you have nothing to do, yet loathe the idea of conceding and going to bed. Writing in fragments. It's a paralyzing feeling when you didn't plan on sitting in your room all night, but yet find yourself doing so. Tonight, in a sort of mental tidal wave, I unofficially renounced nearly every summer plan I had. I really don't think I'm going to go to Intonation--something just doesn't feel right about it. And if I have been waging this mental battle for this long about going or not, maybe I really shouldn't go. I wanted it to be a trip with only a good friend(s), and to spend some time in Chicago, quality time with myself and maybe someone else (or two). But if it's any other way, I shouldn't force it. Bridget hasn't gotten back to me about 'up-north,' so I've all but scrapped that possibility. I don't know why people can't just take the time to make a phone call or send an e-mail just saying yay or nay, so I can stop sitting here in suspense. I'm also probably going to have to tell Melinda that I'm not going to be able to go down to Tennessee with her, because I would have to pay for half of the plane ticket back, and it falls so close to you coming home, that I can't afford to pay for [portions of] two plane tickets in like a week's time. So there goes like everything. I'm disappointed, but in a way I feel like it was meant to be. I want to make sure I have money for when you come home, and to keep the possibility open that I could still make it to Chicago or somewhere cool sometime during the summer.
I've run out of things to say I think. I feel like I don't talk as much as I used to when I was younger. I guess I feel like everything that could be said has been said already, in a million different ways, and I don't like to hear myself saying something that anyone else could say when I could just think it in my head in a more creative and inarticulably unique way. Sometimes I wanna say something, but I just stop myself because I don't wanna sound like someone else. I think I like talking to you most because I feel like the least amount of words are wasted on you. Do you understand what I mean? Even looking at it in a scientific sense, I think every word I speak directed at you has more inherent (and interpreted) value than for any other person I would talk to. That's gotta mean something, you know? Sometimes words and conversation are just so pointless with people, even with your good friends.
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Comments: Read 2 or Add Your Own.
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Sunday, January 30th, 2005
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Dear Livejournal Community & Cyber Voyeurs,
After finishing my tri-monthly check-up on LJ goings-on, excitement boiled in my veins to shake the cyber journal cobwebs to flex my [narcissistic] need to self-examine my life through random anecdotes, memories and jokes that probably mean nothing to those that weren't directly a part of them, and observations that may offend some, but champion others.
One thing that strikes me right away is the amount of people who give the cheesiest shout-outs ever to their boyfriend or girlfriend. I mean, it's one thing to say "[Madonna] and I went to the movies and then to a party." Very non-offensive, right? Then you get those that are like, "AND I JUST WANNA SAY HEY TO THE LOVE OF MY LIFE WHO MAKES EVERY DAY WORTH LIVING! I LOVE YOU [JAKE]! WITHOUT YOU I'D BE A LOST ROSE IN A FIELD OF DANDELIONS, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S BEEN A YEAR!" I mean, who does that?! Does it really prove anything to you or I about the strength of your relationship? Newsflash, nobody gives a shit, and if you have to force yourself to explain how supposedly great your significant other is, you're probably not gonna last through the next changing of the seasons.
Secondly, I feel that I need to address the issue of The Fiery Furnaces and The Arcade Fire. For those of you out there who have had the rare luck to [not] hear about these two phenomenons, they are both relatively new bands that have been adopted into the "new, hot, "it"-thing" status in the oh-so-fickle world of new indie bands. They've also got the backing of the infamous pitchforkmedia.com crew, which means droves of mindless indie kids also subscribe to their gospel based on the "9.4" or whatever divine edict rating was given to them. To all those still unfortunately hanging from these bands' nutsacks: Be Free! For I will be the light that shines forth, like Gandalf in Return of the King true playas, The Fiery Furnaces and The Arcade Fire are OVERRATED. The Pitchforkmedia assassins will be on my trail by daybreak, so I have but little time. Before you all howl out in rage at my heresy, I will admit a few things: yes, I have albums by these bands; yes, there are songs by the both of them, especially The Arcade Fire, that I absolutely adore; and yes, the other day at a party, I danced my booty off to "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)" by The Arcade Fire, quite possibly one of the best jams of the year. But it's my job to pop the bubble and ask you all...will anyone remember the psyched-out 9 minute-long chemistry experiments of Blueberry Boat 4 or 5 years from now? No way in hell. It's a drop in the water, whose ripple is soon to fade. But will we remember Yankee Foxtrot Hotel? Of course we will. I guess The Arcade Fire would have had the best 'e.p.' of the year if they would have cut out the 5 or so shitty songs they decided to put on the record and kept the remaining few cool ones. BRING IT No-Limit Pitchfork Scenesters.
Phew. Those were sitting in my gut, festering. But after 4 cups of coffee mixed with 8 tablespoons of hazelnut flavored laxative, I got them out.
Does anyone ever feel depressed after eating Taco Bell? I mean a distinct psychological response after downing a mexican pizza and a nachos supreme. I feel tired, run-down, sad even. I need to stop eating Taco Bell. It's like a drug--you get so excited and pumped to get it, then after you eat it, it's like the come-down, leaving you a shell of your former pre-Taco Bell self.
Soulseek continues to donate about 20-30 new cds a month to the TribeCalledJon fund--more if I was actually home more. It's the best thing to happen to file-sharing since legendary Napster 5 years ago in the dorms. Brand-new Daft Punk, here we come. CDs I can't get enough right now:
Annie ~ Anniemal
The Uncut ~ Those Who Were Hung Hang Here
Pinback ~ Summer In Abaddon
MF Doom ~ MM..Food
Daddy G (of Massive Attack) ~ DJ Kicks
Erlend Oye (of Kings of Convenience) ~ DJ Kicks
Sasha ~ Involver
M83 ~ Before the Dawn Heals Us
Ghostface [Killah] ~ The Pretty Toney Album
Ok, egotistical music dropping moment passed. My love for comic books/graphic novels, and Final Fantasy has been returning with a vengeance. My inner-nerd is reaching out...but I guess it feeds the addiction when I'm taking a senior seminar on graphic narratives. Super senior seminar.
I'm also on the lookout for anyone who wants to move out to Boston with me in the fall this year. And, someone to sublet a place with in Ann Arbor for the summer. (For those of you who didn't already know the bad news, the parents made me move back home to good 'ol Garden Rock City for my glorious 5th year of school, and I'm commuting in my shiny new dark red Corolla, who I've temporarily dubbed Lil Bernard Sumner. Annnnnnd, I was thinking about what my wedding would be like, and who would come. Would YOU like to come, whoever is reading this, and if you would like to come, do you think you'd be deserving of being in the wedding party? Drop a message yay'ing or nay'ing :)
Thanks for reading if you've made it this far. I think I've also retaken my title of having longest entries. I need to make my bed and watch Arrested Development.
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Comments: Read 12 or Add Your Own.
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Monday, November 1st, 2004
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Central/Western Weekend rocked my world, as it has a tendency to do. So did Michigan's comeback against State, though I was an idiot and stopped watching when UofM was getting killed. My "dead graduate slash Caesar's assassination" costume came out better than expected, and what party isn't complete without playing Candyland at like 4am? My brain is just kind of oozing along right now, though, because I accidentally got up an hour early this morning. And this is for all those haters that think I never post. Well.....you're right.
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Aight, the "Better Letter Than Never Birthday PARTY for Jon/GT/Ann but Right On Time For Jesse Knight" is officially set for this coming Saturday, the 12th. Hopefully that notice isn't too late.
It's at my place in Ann Arbor at 802 East Kingsley, the corner of Kingsley and Thayer (only a block off of State St.). If you need directions, use protection and call me, otherwise someone who you'd be going with should know.
This is to celebrate the mid-May birthdays of yours truly, GT, and Ann, and the June 11th birthday of one known as Jesse Knight. If I like you, or if I like any of your friends, you should come. E-mail me at jonalexa@umich.edu if you have questions, comments, or concerns., or if you're unsure on whether I like you or not.
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Comments: Read 6 or Add Your Own.
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Saturday, January 17th, 2004
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Further evidence that I should continue modeling my pathetic life in his image:
Good. You know your music. You should be able to
work at Championship Vinyl with Rob, Dick and
Barry
Do You Know Your Music (Sorry MTV Generation I Doubt You Can Handle This One)
brought to you by Quizilla
I don't even know why I posted; we'll call it an attempt to reach out. I met a half-Japanese girl yesterday via Jonah and it was rockin...finally someone who understands the plight of the ragin half-Asian. The asian on this episode of Dismissed I watched yesterday lost, and he was a DJ no less! She was nuttin but a trick-ass cracka anyway.
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Comments: Read 2 or Add Your Own.
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Wednesday, December 31st, 2003
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I finally decided to update to pass the word on a huge New Year's bash at where else but Jonah's house (Ann Arbor).
Blah blah blah, anyone who is undecided on plans should come, if anything to witness people (i.e. girls) jello wrestle in a kiddie pool, dance to that hot new Kanye West single "Through the Wire," and Kelis' "Milkshake," and get belligerent.
His house is 903 East Huron, corner house on East Huron and N. Ingalls.
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Sunday, August 17th, 2003
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Standing on the top of the mountain
Staring at the blue sky
Dreaming of the ocean
And the days I had with you
The days I had with you
The days I had with you
Walking in the crowded street
Looking for somebody
Stare at all the faces
Making up the crowd
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Comments: Read 3 or Add Your Own.
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Monday, August 11th, 2003
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Willard Street was the place to be last night. Jamie and Laura's housewarming party was in full effect, and it was also a bonus that their party didn't get broken up, unlike the one down the street (also on Willard) with the slip'n'slide. Jonah and I were the last ones to leave, which is either really admirable or really pathetic, but I'll stick with the former. I was nice enough to help them finish off their box of white zinfandel.
I found a history class that I'd like to kick off my newfound desire to manifest my love for history. It's going to cause a ruckus in my fall schedule though, but then again, what is a fat man without food in his gut? Hmm, English 313: Topics in Utopian Lit should be a fun ride.
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Just returned from a whirlwind weekend of camping in Muskegon right on Lake Michigan. As in I wake up in my tent, get out, and walk about 150 feet to miles of sandy beach. Friday night we saw American Wedding at some big theatre in Muskegon, since all campers go into town to see movies. Saturday we tapped Grand Haven in what could possibly be the busiest day of the year for that small beachside town. I didn't find out till a few days ago that Grand Haven was the town that the American Pie-ers were supposed to be at in American Pie part 2, who would have thunk? Anyway, it was the Coast Guard Festival, so the entire downtown was shut down and replaced with a huge crazy ass carnival with full out rides like in the middle of the street. I think I uttered the words 'skank' and 'slut' during that one day than in any year. Oh, and I brought back my liberal use of the phrase 'fatty-fat-fat.' As in: "I wish there were more campers here our age instead of all these fatty-fat-fats." The fireworks in Grand Haven are spectacular though, I was amazed throughout. They were bigger and better than the Detroit fireworks by far. Once again who would have thunk?
Sunday we left the good ol campsite behind and went to a Whitecaps/Luggnutz minor league baseball game in Grand Rapids, then we decided to invade downtown Grand Rapids and find a bar. What we learned was that Grand Rapids is basically a ghost town on Sunday, and there is not a living human being to be found, but we did find a cool sports bar that was open called "Taps."
Once again, I'll provide a shameless plug for the new Appleseed Cast cd...it's amazing, and just like their low level volume cds, sets a new bar for extremely well-produced music. Five record stores later and I finally found it in Dearborn, at the stormy abode of one very fat, white cat who is extremely pettable and I think is the only cat I actually like. Last week also picked up an excellent electronic compilation from the born and bred Ann Arbor electronic label Ghostly International. Couldn't recommend anything they put out highly enough.
Alright, I'm out of shit to say, hopefully this entry wasn't too long for people to read. And Aleta (and Carrie), I wanna chizzill with the both of you sometime soon. For some reason I just really felt the urge to say your names. Maybe I should have fabricated a fake story featuring you guys, like the time when Aleta and I got reallllllllly drunk and tried to cook........
jay kay.
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Comments: Read 5 or Add Your Own.
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OK, so it was either disco stu or the fat comic book store owner, and though I used to be a huge nerd and collected comics, I knew exactly where those answers were leading me, so I went with my second choice answers on some. (Who wants to be the fat comic guy anyway? I'm already a hip, hot, well-muscled comic book guy in real life...) But I would have gotten Disco Stu had not so many comic-related answers been on there. Look at me make excuses for an online quiz...my life is so meaningless.
What lesser-known Simpsons character are you?
Brought to you by the good folks at sacwriters.com.
Off to Best Buy...
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Comments: Read 1 or Add Your Own.
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Spent a most bomb-ass weekend in Leland, Suttons Bay, North Port, Traverse City area. Went with Jonah, stayed at my friend Becca's beautiful home, tapped beaches, dunes, bonfires, fireworks, played with misfiring mortars and TNT, and a near-death head-on car crash. Put on Braid: Lucky To be Alive in my honor cause I seriously probably shouldn't even be here now. Such a welcome break and a breath of fresh lake air. The sky is amazing, it's filled with hundreds of densely packed stars, so numerous that specific constellations cannot even be identified. One of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I'm a city boy at heart though, and I'm happy to be home. And alive.
P.S. The Livonia music scene is gonna reprezent in a major way on Saturday, July 12th. If I don't go to D.C., I'm fo sho gonna be rockin out. One of the tops shows of the year.
"http://www.chriskempa.com/fly.html"
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A lot of people really like this band called The Weakerthans. I can't really get into them, but I like one song of theirs and it's really good. And what happened to TNN? One day they are showing the country music equivalent of TRL, the next day it's the all men's channel, showing some Playboy party, the cartoon Striperella, and unedited Ren & Stimpy episodes.
If anyone ever tries to impress you and says that they "Don't listen to crap on the radio, they only listen to underground music" laugh in their faces and declare their "tool" status publicly.
If Israelis and Palestinians had to play a game of basketball against each other who would win? And who would have the most fouls? Or would the Palestinians just blow up the bus transporting the Israeli players? oh, snap.
I used to think that the only people who joined the Peace Corps were: a.) chumps, b.) those that think that getting a $6000 check after two years of servitude is "a lot of money," and c.) those that get off on living in worse conditions than the poverty stricken people you are helping. But I'm starting to come around and see the merits. Who knew?
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Comments: Read 5 or Add Your Own.
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Saturday, June 28th, 2003
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| Subject: | fuck |
| Time: | 12:42 am. |
| Mood: |  sad. | | Music: | some fucking radiohead stuff I put on. |
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What do you do when your girlfriend likes to mack on guys at the bar? I like to walk home without telling anyone and press silence when she tries to call me. The guy she was talking to must have had to use the bathroom.
Sometimes life tries to trick you into not wanting to live it. I'm not fooled, but I hate trying. Was that philosophical? I'm concentrating really hard on the keys that are being pushed. I called someone on the way home to keep me company while I walked, and that was person was watching a movie by themself that I really hate.
All my idiosyncracies have outlived themselves...so I'm gonna pass out by myself and ponder what my future holds. On nights that life intrudes itself on me, I go to sleep, cause at least I'll wake up at soime point.
fuck.
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Comments: Read 13 or Add Your Own.
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Thursday, June 26th, 2003
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The ice cream quiz brought me out of my retirement. I found it enjoyable. Quizmakers need to start making their quizzes with at least 10 questions though so it can give a more accurate judgement. Haha, I can be "quite salty." That was the clincher.
you are chunky monkey !!!
sometimes your sweet and other times your quite
salty
but you always know whats what!
What Ben and Jerrys ice cream flavor are you ?
brought to you by Quizilla
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Comments: Read 3 or Add Your Own.
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...the second entry in about 4 months or so. This is breakneck pace for me.
It's spring, school has been over for weeks. I haven't lifted a finger in order to acquire some type of job, so instead of complaining over my unemployment like many do, instead I rejoice over all my free time I have to catch up on tv and video games. Though that portrays me as some fat, lazy-ass piece of shit, it's actually much more endearing than originally thought. Think about what your life was like during high school, or even before--what your hobbies were. Think about your hobbies during college. You might see a depressing pattern forming: the gradual deterioration of any real hobbies replaced by "not studying," drinking beer, and being force-fed supposed classical literature. But not having classes anymore, even not working for the time being, has allowed me to just stop and rediscover other things that used to occupy my time. To stop and simply not think for a second. To sit on my couch and watch Jeopardy, Family Feud, 5th Wheel, repeats of Daria, and Adult Swim (and Aqua Teen Hunger Force licks my balls, it is a waste of someone's life to watch that shit). Hey, I'm just trying to undo the damage three years of UofM has wreaked.
The big 21st is only a mere week away but for some reason I'm not that excited. I'm not even working, which means I don't have any kind of money to go to the bar with (my prostitution ring idea never left the ground). More importantly, I don't have some vast group of 21-yr-old friends to go out with in some huge orgy of a birthday night. I have more than a handful of really close 21yr friends, but it's the kind of thing where they are all scattered and independent of each other. If assembled into a group, they would probably all destroy one another. So next Friday could prove to be either really chill, really crazy and fun, or really crazy and dramatic. I don't know which I'd prefer.
Have you ever ate too much of a certain snack food at once, and then later on your tongue and roof of your mouth is like burned to a cinder? Well, that recently happened when I went nuts on one of those big jugs of cheese balls that are super cheap at Target. I just kept eating and eating them, until like an hour later, everything I ate burned, like the saltiness torched all the taste buds from my tongue. That used to happen a lot with sweet tarts when I was a kid. I'm finally recovering though, and I should be able to commence eating cheese balls and salt & vinegar chips by tomorrow afternoon. But hey, at least I'm not shooting friends, running over small children, and getting girls pregnant. Pot-smokers do enough of that.
Five light bulbs are burned out in my apartment, the latest (and most important) one being the kitchen light. That was my attempt at stating quite possibly the most useless, stupid piece of information ever, which no one should ever give a shit about, giving way to the question of why I said it in the first place, and even further, why I am writing all of this bullshit that is merely psycho-analyzing said useless statement.
Now, those that spend around 2-7 hours with me daily (there are a couple people out there) will know (and now the rest of you will know) that I love Jeopardy. Crowning achievement today was guessing the valence of oxygen quicker than the subsequent wrong answer supplied by my beautiful pre-med roommate who has had organic chemistry and regular chemistry here. Guess you had to be there. But the 12:30pm Jeopardies lately have been the tournament of champions or whatever, so they've been hard as hell and pretty discouraging to try to play along to. Oh, and high stakes Strip Trivial Pursuit is on the rise...watch for it in your town. You'd be surprised how many intellectual pursuits can be augmented by beer.
I haven't figured out why I wrote all of this, maybe because I like to hear myself talk, or maybe to prove I'm not dead, or maybe to make myself tired enough to go to bed and sleep through the bad French techno coming through my window from a raging party across the street. Whatever makes you feel better I guess.
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Comments: Read 5 or Add Your Own.
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I can't stand this bullshit any longer, so I'm coming out of my self-imposed LJ exile for a New York minute in order to drop some proverbial bombs on my critics.
I mean, this has and will continue to be beaten to death, but oh well...it's unfortunate that it has come to war, and that we've come along this far, but I place more blame on the incompetency of this administration's propaghanda to promote and/or justify this war to the American people rather than on the actual morality of the war itself. It's Bush's failure to articulate the assumed "need" for this war that has fueled the anti-war fire. Along with that, it's people and groups like Anti-War Action here at the university that gives protestors a bad name...Anti War Action promotes misused and skewed presentations of data and also biased, partisan lectures and talks about why Bush is "so evil," and why war is "so wrong." What began as a decent sized minority of radical anti-war sentiment has now snowballed into a few anti-war zealots followed by legions of uninformed followers (i.e. sheep) whose best argument against the war is to snap off some "oh so witty" remark about Bush's vocabulary, when they could be better using their time reading a newspaper or informing themselves of the issues and the politics involved in this particular situation. This isn't Vietnam, it's Iraq.
Personally, I myself am on the fence on this issue, and have not yet decided if I'm going to support this inevitable war once it starts or denounce our "evil" administration as so many others have been so quick to do. It's my belief that the world needs a proactive U.S., but in that capacity we need an administration that can rally both widespread support abroad, and domestically. The Bush administration is not that government, and I find it unfortunate that it provides the American people and our generation with so much fodder for critique. I personally am friends with many anti-war leaders who are informed, intelligent, and provide rousing denials of this war, but am simultaneuously disgusted by the hordes of followers who don't seem to want to inform themselves of everything at stake. For many, it's just simply trendy to be anti-war these days. It's akin to those days in high school when you were afraid to admit you were atheist. People are afraid to think that there might actually be a legitimate argument that could be mounted for the war, but since that argument has not been sufficiently made in the public eye (blame Bush), it's much easier to simply go along with the growing majority now.
This is my question: Would the anti-war movement be nearly this strong if Clinton were still our president? The answer is no. "If" Clinton were propagating this war, he would have the world, and the American people believing in the righteousness of war based on rousing speeches and subtle diplomacy. This is the same president whom we all loved even AFTER finding out that he cheated on his wife by having an intern suck his dick in office. Oh, and where was Anti-War Action and other protest groups years ago when we launched a strategic bombing campaign against Iraqi military targets? It is not some self-supposed belief in passivity or moral right that caused the anti-war movement to gain so much momentum so quickly and spurred these ultra-liberal individuals to new heights of activism; it is rather our generation's communal dislike (read: hatred for most) of Bush, the propensity of a largely ignorant public to follow those smarter than them (i.e. many students at this university), and the lack of a powerful presidential figure in Bush to provide convincing and eloquent rhetoric for the war.
My thoughts on Wednesday's nationwide collegiate protests, skipping of classes, and our own university's day of "Books, Not Bombs?" Maybe we would have been all a bit better off going to class and learning something, rather than reinforcing Anti-War Action's idea of "books" by taking part in biased and partisan lectures about why war is wrong.
I'm not pro-war, and I'm not anti-war. I'm simply pro-informing myself, and anti-misinformation and sensationalistic exploitation of anti-war sentiment.
ON A SIDE NOTE, I bought some beautiful cds today, including the new Joan of Arc, The Postal Service, and the new one from Erland Oye (the frontman dude of Kings of Convenience). ON ANOTHER NOTE, The Dirty Sweepers are back to bring broomball doom to the world of UofM intramurals, and we've already annihilated our first opposition 8-1 on Tuesday night. AND ON ANOTHER NOTE, party at Jonah's house Friday night (tonight you fools!) on the corner of Huron and N. Ingalls...complete with bands and beer. Because what else is there really. Everyone should come, seriously.
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Comments: Read 4 or Add Your Own.
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Thursday, August 29th, 2002
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I've been to the Ann Arbor Best Buy literally every other day for the past week or so. And each time, my disgust with their utterly incompetent staff of workers increases. Why do they even bother having a staff? They're all lazy fat sacks who think they specialize in whatever section they work in, but only serve to get in our way while we traverse the aisles, and force us to spit out a polite, "No thanks...just browsing." I think this was the first time though that I actually didn't buy anything...though NFL 2K3 looked mighty promising. I have to scale back the purchases though as Jesse and I need to acquire ourselves a TV of at least 27". And with an S-video input. Word, geek talk. I be like, "Sup suga, we gots 27 inches back at the phat farm waitin fo you to play wit..." and she be like "You go boyyyyyyyy!"
Been catching up on Thieves & Kings lately...best comic out there right now, no joke. If I could live out the rest of my life publishing my own indie comic, then I would die a happy asshole. Wait, I would also need a doctor (or engineer I guess) wife whose paychecks are rounded to 6 significant figs. Both conditions being true=happy death. I met a freshman dude named Ben from West Quad who chilled wit me and Anne and Jamie...he's an english major too...but talking to him only made me realize how little I have actually read in the department of like actual good literature. I have some catching up to do. My only plan for this fall is to sit in my apartment...just to simply sit...and play video games...and read. I'll actually have a place to do homework...this is amazing...there will be like...a kitchen table...or the living room...or my room. Whoa. This compared to my last two years in the dorms where not even my desk had enough room to open a notebook. Maybe that's why not much work got done...this could be like the best thing for me since HBO announced the new season of The Sopranos. I'll also be working quite a bit at the double-J...at both the Packard and South U stores. I'll be doing deliveries for the first time for Packard baby...hello driving in my sporty Tracer, blasting Tribe, and dropping off Turkey Toms to drunk-ass hoes at Markley. They'd better tip well.
I move in three days. Michigan plays Washington in two days. This game means a lot to me...and so does the rest of the year.
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Comments: Read 4 or Add Your Own.
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Monday, August 26th, 2002
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Yesterday was an exercise in fate, and culminated in a really sweaty, danky Harvard t-shirt. But that just meant I had a lot of fun. I worked like all day at the double-J, then as I sat outside in the beautiful weather waiting for Ann to meet me for food and to watch the rest of our Sopranos episodes, I ran into Anne, Jamie, and Stormie going to Leo's. So everyone stuffed their faces Greek style and then we walked to the Asian market to buy apple sodas, but it was closed. Yadda yadda yadda, we abducted Brent from West Quad and introduced him to the girls, and RA, of second Cooley. Well, actually just Anne and Jamie, and the ever unaware Seth. Jamie amazed us with her 1600 song playlist, while Brent and I quite possibly played the stupidest, most idiot-prone game of euchre ever against the girls. Suffice it to say, we lost the Championship of the Universe. Then Brent and I played frisbee in the hall, then volleyball in their room (which ended after nearly breaking a computer, mirror, and various other fragilities), then football in the hall. Then we replayed the World Cup and in a stunning game, I prevailed 17-15. I even gave him a free penalty shot at the very end to send it into another double-overtime, but my face saved the day and I blocked it with 1 part hand, 9 parts face. Laughter is the best medicine...I forgot how awesome it was to hang out with my best friend and get into adventures. Unfortunately we probably won't be able to have as heated a game of hall soccer as we did last night after everyone moves in.
I want an Alienware computer, cause they're cutting edge and designed with the gamer in mind. I wish girls were designed with the gamer in mind. On a similar note, this female english GSI that Stan gave a glowing recommendation to me for e-mailed me back and "wants to meet with me in person," to talk about me, her, and her class that I might sit in on. Yeaaaahh baby. Now is my chance to accomplish a short-term goal. I always accomplish my goals. Oh yeah, and Jesse and I need to shop till we drop.
The Orbital greatest hits could be god's gift to man. Well, if I believed in god...so we'll just say they're my gift to mankind. Electronic anthems is an understatement. Desert island cd what?
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Comments: Read 2 or Add Your Own.
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Thursday, August 22nd, 2002
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this will be short and sweet like the sausage I have been cultivating in my terrarium for 20 years.
First of all, I hope Warped Tour was worth the $35 bucks or so for all those that went, because I have heard from like 90% of the people I have talked to about it that it was a horrible experience and they'll never go to another warped tour again. On the other hand, I heard Thursday played well. Should have listened to me and stayed home. We could have listened to all the bands that played for 30 minutes each, and I wouldn't have ran out of water, or made people mosh in a narrow walkway just to get through.
Second of all, Signs. Never have I seen a movie so hyped up before in recent memory, with that Shamalyan dude getting a cover on Time or one of those magazines with the headline "...the next Spielberg?" Gimme a fuckin break. Let's review his resume: Sixth Sense--good, but not nearly as good as everyone said it was, and everything that was good about it was based on a clever plot alone and not the movie as a whole; Unbreakable--haven't seen, so can't comment...loooks pretty decent. Now Signs...........not only was it not as good as everyone said it was, I will go on to say that it was a bad movie. It wasn't that suspenseful (the entire premise of the movie) and the alien invasion storyline was cheesy, including how blatantly obvious the aliens were. There could have been a lot to gain from ambiguity, but instead we see the stereotypical looking aliens right away. There were two scenes I thoroughly enjoyed around the climax of the movie, and I had hope that the rest would be better, but then it went downhill again. I just couldn't get over how cheesy the whole thing was.
And last, or maybe second to last, I saw Rainer Maria last night. They were beautiful. And earlier that day I tapped bitch-ass Harmony House's 40% off sale, cause they suck too many balls to stay in business.
Oh, right, and LASTly, I am now an English major. fuckin rock.
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Comments: Read 8 or Add Your Own.
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djjonum's journal
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