Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Recent Ramblings
I've had a few things floating around in my brain over the last few days and I just want to get them out. So here you go.
***
From the drive back on Sunday: "We're almost traveling against our will. Home is back that way and is drawing us back with the allure of safety, security, and the sensuality of homemade food. College is up that way and is drawing is forward with assignments to (in some cases begrudgingly) complete and late nights perched over laptops with our energy drinks of choice (tea, coffee, energy drinks). The only thing keeping us awake is the promise of warm lodgings and microwaved food up ahead, along with the consistent glare of the lampposts along the side of the highway."
***
From the mailroom earlier today: "Huh. A job/internship prep meeting thing in a coffee house type setting on campus. Nice, nice. Wait, pizza and soda will be served? ... Pizza and soda in a coffee house?! What happened to bringing your laptop and other equipment and material into a coffee house, ordering your mocha frapp latte and blueberry muffin, and getting to work on whatever it is you set out to work on?! I mean ... geez ... pizza and soda in a coffee house ... what has the world come to?"
***
See you all after this work-stress-reading-writing-editing period. Which should be about 2 weeks.
Allons-y, Alonso!
***
From the drive back on Sunday: "We're almost traveling against our will. Home is back that way and is drawing us back with the allure of safety, security, and the sensuality of homemade food. College is up that way and is drawing is forward with assignments to (in some cases begrudgingly) complete and late nights perched over laptops with our energy drinks of choice (tea, coffee, energy drinks). The only thing keeping us awake is the promise of warm lodgings and microwaved food up ahead, along with the consistent glare of the lampposts along the side of the highway."
***
From the mailroom earlier today: "Huh. A job/internship prep meeting thing in a coffee house type setting on campus. Nice, nice. Wait, pizza and soda will be served? ... Pizza and soda in a coffee house?! What happened to bringing your laptop and other equipment and material into a coffee house, ordering your mocha frapp latte and blueberry muffin, and getting to work on whatever it is you set out to work on?! I mean ... geez ... pizza and soda in a coffee house ... what has the world come to?"
***
See you all after this work-stress-reading-writing-editing period. Which should be about 2 weeks.
Allons-y, Alonso!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
On ... Stuff (Bob Dylan, Harry Potter and Traveling)
Well ... hi. I realize that my posts here have been few and far between, with the exception of the photos. I mean, last month, you got 5 posts, apart from the photos. This is the third for this month. ... Eh, I can do better. Which is kinda why I'm writing this. Let's start with the Bob Dylan concert.
***
Bob Dylan. What more is there to say? He's Bob Dylan. And ... I was expecting more.
A week and a half after Harvey ended, Bob Dylan showed up on campus to play a gig and ... it was okay. My expectations there a bit too high. He was great and all ... but he would've been better if I recognized a few more of the songs in the fifteen song concert. And of the five or so that I DID recognize, I only was able to by picking out phrases from the mumble-y, raspy voice of the now faded raconteur. But I still enjoyed myself.
***
After Dylan, I needed my Potter fix, which I most definitely got at midnight in one of six out of nine filled auditoriums.
To start the night off, I ordered my ticket earlier in the day online. Yes, I know, quit giving me that look. I had been planning on ordering it, but I kept putting it off. ... ANYWAYS, I hitched a ride with my friend Stephanie (who I learned is a big fan of Jasper Fforde (I had a copy of Shades of Grey.), in addition to being a big fan of the new Doctor Who) and her friends and brother. We got to the theater and were sent to Theater 5, but we went with Theater 9 because of better seating. We took our seats and chilled for a bit before the manager walked around dressed as Bellatrix, a food trolley came around for a trivia contest (I won a coupon for a small popcorn because I correctly identified what sugar quills are), and a local radio personality did more trivia stuff in a turkey outfit with an iPad (Sadly, I messed up with the names of the Defense Against the Dark Arts profs).
I proceeded to walk around to the other auditoriums to see if I recognized anyone. I saw my friends Jordan, Rachel, Kim, Noora, Brian, and a few others. Oddly enough, I didn't see Heather. But I discovered that Brian is more or less an unofficial Nerdfighter and a major fan of Charlie McDonnell.
After the trailers (my theater laughed at the trailer for Cowboys and Aliens and also saw an impressive new trailer for The Green Hornet), the penultimate Harry Potter movie began and I wasn't disappointed. Yes, it's been three years since I read the 7th book, but Yates and everyone involved did a fantastic job, despite a few faults here and there.
***
And yesterday, I drove home. Well, I didn't DRIVE ... but I was a passenger of Sam, a family friend. The ride went smoothly. I read about half of Markus Zusak's I Am The Messenger. We stopped in a small town called Cobleskill for a quick bite from McDonald's. The town itself appeared to be a quaint place with only one movie theater. It was showing Deathly Hallows, Part 1. The McDonald's on the other hand ... was okay. I got a McSnack Wrap which was lukewarm and had American cheese. Cheap fast food = mediocre quality. And one of the singles we got back had "red boner" scrawled on the back.
Afterwards, we continued to Albany to pick up a friend of Sam's and we continued on our way, passing The Egg while the GPS was redirecting us. I arrived home around 5:30, said hi to everyone, dropped my stuff off, and joined my family for dinner at a family friend's house. And that was most of the rest of the evening.
*phew*
Hrm ... I think I'll save NaNoWriMo and The Walking Dead for the next post, which should come before Finals Week.
Until next post! Allons-y, Alonso!
***
Bob Dylan. What more is there to say? He's Bob Dylan. And ... I was expecting more.
A week and a half after Harvey ended, Bob Dylan showed up on campus to play a gig and ... it was okay. My expectations there a bit too high. He was great and all ... but he would've been better if I recognized a few more of the songs in the fifteen song concert. And of the five or so that I DID recognize, I only was able to by picking out phrases from the mumble-y, raspy voice of the now faded raconteur. But I still enjoyed myself.
***
After Dylan, I needed my Potter fix, which I most definitely got at midnight in one of six out of nine filled auditoriums.
To start the night off, I ordered my ticket earlier in the day online. Yes, I know, quit giving me that look. I had been planning on ordering it, but I kept putting it off. ... ANYWAYS, I hitched a ride with my friend Stephanie (who I learned is a big fan of Jasper Fforde (I had a copy of Shades of Grey.), in addition to being a big fan of the new Doctor Who) and her friends and brother. We got to the theater and were sent to Theater 5, but we went with Theater 9 because of better seating. We took our seats and chilled for a bit before the manager walked around dressed as Bellatrix, a food trolley came around for a trivia contest (I won a coupon for a small popcorn because I correctly identified what sugar quills are), and a local radio personality did more trivia stuff in a turkey outfit with an iPad (Sadly, I messed up with the names of the Defense Against the Dark Arts profs).
I proceeded to walk around to the other auditoriums to see if I recognized anyone. I saw my friends Jordan, Rachel, Kim, Noora, Brian, and a few others. Oddly enough, I didn't see Heather. But I discovered that Brian is more or less an unofficial Nerdfighter and a major fan of Charlie McDonnell.
After the trailers (my theater laughed at the trailer for Cowboys and Aliens and also saw an impressive new trailer for The Green Hornet), the penultimate Harry Potter movie began and I wasn't disappointed. Yes, it's been three years since I read the 7th book, but Yates and everyone involved did a fantastic job, despite a few faults here and there.
***
And yesterday, I drove home. Well, I didn't DRIVE ... but I was a passenger of Sam, a family friend. The ride went smoothly. I read about half of Markus Zusak's I Am The Messenger. We stopped in a small town called Cobleskill for a quick bite from McDonald's. The town itself appeared to be a quaint place with only one movie theater. It was showing Deathly Hallows, Part 1. The McDonald's on the other hand ... was okay. I got a McSnack Wrap which was lukewarm and had American cheese. Cheap fast food = mediocre quality. And one of the singles we got back had "red boner" scrawled on the back.
Afterwards, we continued to Albany to pick up a friend of Sam's and we continued on our way, passing The Egg while the GPS was redirecting us. I arrived home around 5:30, said hi to everyone, dropped my stuff off, and joined my family for dinner at a family friend's house. And that was most of the rest of the evening.
*phew*
Hrm ... I think I'll save NaNoWriMo and The Walking Dead for the next post, which should come before Finals Week.
Until next post! Allons-y, Alonso!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
6 Hours on a Bus + A Rockin' Night
Yesterday morning, I woke at what seemed like (and probably was) the crack of dawn to get ready for what was to be a fair portion of my traveling for that day. An early bus was waiting for me to go home. I needed a new lower retainer, so the orthodontist had an appointment, which I claimed and during which I got a new impression of my lower teeth. While on the bus down and back, I noticed a fair amount of things that I want to share.
Down:
- Outside the bus at the terminal, I see a grandfather, his son, and his grandson and granddaughter. The grandson has curly/wavy brown hair and is wearing an orange jacket. The granddaughter has a black bob cut and is in a purple jacket. The children are doing the "Let's jump in the air while holding onto your hands so you can hold us up for a few seconds" thing. All very cute.
- I engaged a nice older woman (wearing a burgundy/magenta sweater/vest) in a short conversation. When she got I, I saw that she was reading Let Me In/Let The Right One In. I waited to ask her about it until her adult daughter moved up to take the seat next to me when the girl sitting in it got off. The elder woman said that while she is liking the novel, it's quite gory enough and probably won't be seeing either film adaptation. She then asked if I had read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, to which I replied that I started it and then put it off to the side, determined to get back to it. She proceeded to mention something she heard about the planned American adaptation: that it would be less realistic than the original film.
Up:
- My travel buddy was a nice guy named Dan, a micro-science major (if my memory serves me) in grad school up in Ithaca. We traded college basics (major, etc.).
- The driver was very protective of his bus. He stopped twice. The first time was a guy talked a bit loudly on his cell phone (I didn't hear because I had my headphones on.), so the driver stopped, pulled over, and walked back to him and asked strongly if he could quiet his conversation. What happened to courteous phone calls? The second time was a guy in the way back who had been smoking on the bus. I had smelled smoke, but I thought that somebody had smoked before getting on the bus ... and I realized after the guy had been kicked off that there were no stops where people got on after the halfway stop. Smoking on a bus? Really?
***
When I returned in the evening, I made my way down to campus to assist with stuff for the band show that the music group I'm a part of. There were four bands playing, one of which I'd heard of and seen twice prior. I'd heard of and heard a bit of one of the other groups. The first two groups, A Fire With Friends and Swear & Shake, were pretty cool. The third group, Secret Beach (a local group), was alright. And the fourth and final group, River City Extension, really heated up the place, as the windows in the room fogged over and flannel shirts and t-shirts were removed. They blew the house down with seven high energy tracks from their album, along with a few new tracks, that had the crowd dancing along in a mosh pit of sorts.
After that gig, I went downstairs to check out a Neutral Milk Hotel cover group called Neutral Uke Hotel, made up of members of Golden Bloom and The Motion Sick. Apart from played "In An Aeroplace Over The Sea", the trio played versions of some songs from their respective groups, along with another Neutral Milk song. Overall, they were pretty cool. And a bit geeky, too. :)
Until next time! Allons-y, Alonso!
Down:
- Outside the bus at the terminal, I see a grandfather, his son, and his grandson and granddaughter. The grandson has curly/wavy brown hair and is wearing an orange jacket. The granddaughter has a black bob cut and is in a purple jacket. The children are doing the "Let's jump in the air while holding onto your hands so you can hold us up for a few seconds" thing. All very cute.
- I engaged a nice older woman (wearing a burgundy/magenta sweater/vest) in a short conversation. When she got I, I saw that she was reading Let Me In/Let The Right One In. I waited to ask her about it until her adult daughter moved up to take the seat next to me when the girl sitting in it got off. The elder woman said that while she is liking the novel, it's quite gory enough and probably won't be seeing either film adaptation. She then asked if I had read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, to which I replied that I started it and then put it off to the side, determined to get back to it. She proceeded to mention something she heard about the planned American adaptation: that it would be less realistic than the original film.
Up:
- My travel buddy was a nice guy named Dan, a micro-science major (if my memory serves me) in grad school up in Ithaca. We traded college basics (major, etc.).
- The driver was very protective of his bus. He stopped twice. The first time was a guy talked a bit loudly on his cell phone (I didn't hear because I had my headphones on.), so the driver stopped, pulled over, and walked back to him and asked strongly if he could quiet his conversation. What happened to courteous phone calls? The second time was a guy in the way back who had been smoking on the bus. I had smelled smoke, but I thought that somebody had smoked before getting on the bus ... and I realized after the guy had been kicked off that there were no stops where people got on after the halfway stop. Smoking on a bus? Really?
***
When I returned in the evening, I made my way down to campus to assist with stuff for the band show that the music group I'm a part of. There were four bands playing, one of which I'd heard of and seen twice prior. I'd heard of and heard a bit of one of the other groups. The first two groups, A Fire With Friends and Swear & Shake, were pretty cool. The third group, Secret Beach (a local group), was alright. And the fourth and final group, River City Extension, really heated up the place, as the windows in the room fogged over and flannel shirts and t-shirts were removed. They blew the house down with seven high energy tracks from their album, along with a few new tracks, that had the crowd dancing along in a mosh pit of sorts.
After that gig, I went downstairs to check out a Neutral Milk Hotel cover group called Neutral Uke Hotel, made up of members of Golden Bloom and The Motion Sick. Apart from played "In An Aeroplace Over The Sea", the trio played versions of some songs from their respective groups, along with another Neutral Milk song. Overall, they were pretty cool. And a bit geeky, too. :)
Until next time! Allons-y, Alonso!
Friday, November 12, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Monday, November 08, 2010
Sunday, November 07, 2010
Saturday, November 06, 2010
Friday, November 05, 2010
Thursday, November 04, 2010
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
A Stereotypical College Student
Today has been ... a good day. And I felt like a stereotypical college student. Why? Let me tell you.
***
I slept in way past my alarm, but I woke in time to squeeze in a quick shower, grab a granola bar, and catch the bus to make my Teen Lit course, which I was a touch late to, but the prof didn't mind. And I learned that we'll only have 4 grades in the class. So I may or may not write the next paper. We'll see how busy I am with Harvey and other things this weekend.
I registered and got into 3 out of the 4 classes I was hoping to get in to. I swung by the English office and got a petition form for it. I walked back to the apartment for a lunch break and filmed a quick ranty kinda video before heading back down. I met with the professor of the course I'm trying to petition into and I found out that I couldn't petition in to the course, but that I should keep checking the registration site for people dropping the course. Before heading to hand in my Brit Lit assignment, I realized that I forgot it back at the apartment, so I spent a hell of a long time waiting for someone printing 145 pages on the double-sided printer for my assignment to print.
We viewed a few videos by Michael Olenick in my Video class and discussed human behavior in apocalyptic situations and such in my Zombie class, which was quite interesting. Dinner with my Zombie classmate (and radio apprentice) Tom went well. We discussed the group project we'll be working on for the end of the semester. We're thinking about an escape plan video, involving HVZ players. ^_^
And the second tech run is going quite smoothly.
Oh, and I didn't doze off in any of my classes today. I guess I should aim for 8 and a half or so hours of sleep more often. :)
Until next time! Allons-y, Alonso!
***
I slept in way past my alarm, but I woke in time to squeeze in a quick shower, grab a granola bar, and catch the bus to make my Teen Lit course, which I was a touch late to, but the prof didn't mind. And I learned that we'll only have 4 grades in the class. So I may or may not write the next paper. We'll see how busy I am with Harvey and other things this weekend.
I registered and got into 3 out of the 4 classes I was hoping to get in to. I swung by the English office and got a petition form for it. I walked back to the apartment for a lunch break and filmed a quick ranty kinda video before heading back down. I met with the professor of the course I'm trying to petition into and I found out that I couldn't petition in to the course, but that I should keep checking the registration site for people dropping the course. Before heading to hand in my Brit Lit assignment, I realized that I forgot it back at the apartment, so I spent a hell of a long time waiting for someone printing 145 pages on the double-sided printer for my assignment to print.
We viewed a few videos by Michael Olenick in my Video class and discussed human behavior in apocalyptic situations and such in my Zombie class, which was quite interesting. Dinner with my Zombie classmate (and radio apprentice) Tom went well. We discussed the group project we'll be working on for the end of the semester. We're thinking about an escape plan video, involving HVZ players. ^_^
And the second tech run is going quite smoothly.
Oh, and I didn't doze off in any of my classes today. I guess I should aim for 8 and a half or so hours of sleep more often. :)
Until next time! Allons-y, Alonso!
Monday, November 01, 2010
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