Sunday, March 5, 2006

Classic songs with a long history, southern boys just like you and me. R.E.M.!
Friday night my sister's car broke down an hour and a half out as she was on her way to visit a friend in Kansas City. So my dad and I drove out to try to fix it. It was a long night, lol.

We got to the side of the highway where she was, talked to the police officer who was waiting with her, did Car Stuff to see what the problem was, and eventually had to tow it into Salina with the Suburban, which was fortunately only about four miles away. When we got into town and pulled into a gas station parking lot, we did more Car Stuff for quite a while, weren't able to fix it, and went into a Fazoli's to have dinner before we towed it back home.

Fazoli's was an event in itself, lol. I was looking at the menu, and a girl comes up to me and says, "Excuse me..." I assumed she just wanted to get by to the bathroom behind me, so I started to move aside, and a sort of short, very confused dance ensued until she told me that she needed me for something. This just confused me more, of course, but apparently I look exactly like her younger brother, and she wanted to take a picture of me with her phone. XD

Her mom also came up and said something about it, and so after we had ordered our food, my dad, gratingly gregarious as always, went over to their table to talk to them, and ended up sitting down with them to eat. >_<

Eventually (when talking about my dad, the word "eventually" will get used a lot), the chick came over to my sister's and my table to let her mom and my dad talk about who-the-fuck-cares-what. She was a pretty fun person, and I remarked to my sister that she reminded me of the entire forensics team at Ottawa, heh.

Another hour or more of small talk, but we did eventually (see? And I'm even holding off on it) get out of that damn place, look at the car one more time, and finally get it home by the reasonable hour of 2 AM. (We left around six, if that provides any frame of reference.)

Fun... ish... night, I guess. lol

---

Liam: XD Yeah, I like the little machine well enough. And there are indeed games for OSX if you know where to look, and what to settle for. :P

Alan: You mean I can wear that shirt pointfully? *makes note to try it*

Kevin: *breaks out the vodka*
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Thursday, March 2, 2006

Pictures!
I got around to hooking up the ol' digital camera to the compy today.







My sister thought we weren't able to because the installation disk was Windows-only. I finally got around to trying it, and I just imported through iPhoto instead.







We didn't need their smelly software after all!







I should probably be doing homework, though.







Or catching up on my babies.







In other news, I picked up The Fury of the Aquabats by The Aquabats and Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain by Pavement when I was in Salina at the mall the other day. I'll post reviews on deadFORUM when I listen them both up proper.







That's all.
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Saturday, February 25, 2006

That's telekinesis, Kyle.
First things first, tell me how I can finally fix this:





I don't know exactly what about it I don't like, but there's something about it; something about the center part, really. If I could get some advice, that'd be cool.

Don't worry about the absence of background. My teacher doesn't really mind for this project, and I didn't really make this thinking of it as an art piece, so I was more focusing on just the robot rather than the whole area. I may add something of a background in my free time, anyway. (Also, ignore that the paintbrush is in front of his hand. ¬¬) If I like the finally-finished product enough, and I probably won't, I may submit it to Threadless just for giggles. Although I doubt I'd wear it even if it went into print. XP

Anyway, no news to report, other than that I finally picked up the study book for my driver's permit (I think I went into why I don't have it yet before, lol), so I'll have to be stuyding that this weekend to take the test... sometime. For now, though, links.

~ Chewbacca's blog. OMG.
~ Superman is a dick.

---

Mimmi: XP Not quite, in my opinion, but I'll take the compliment gladly. ^_^ *hugs*

Aleia: Those fascist pigs. We'll show them by starting and indie band and being really angry about stuff! That always works. >:O

Liam: *elaborates* Humorous Solo is one of the acting events you can enter into in a Forensics tournament. Basically, you find a 7-10 minute piece of acting, literature, or monologue (a humorous one, obviously), memorize it, and perform it by yourself in front of the judge. You can't use props, but you're allowed one chair, which can be used as almost anything you want it to be, heh. It's especially effective on the judges if you get a piece with more than one character. More difficult, but far more entertaining.

I'm going from Humorous Solo to Prose, though, because my piece happens to be well suited to both events. The only important thing to know about Prose right now is that I don't have to memorize it because I get to hold it right in front of me in a dandy little binder. :D

---

EDIT: This guy totally and uttery stole that from a cartoon I drew in Biology. Low.
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Friday, February 17, 2006

Don stepped outside...
Whew.











...Whew.










Just got back from my first Forensics tournament of the season. It were not good. Not good at all.

I wouldn't have gone on this one, since I didn't have my piece ready, but my dad really pressured me into it, since I hadn't been to one yet and such. One thing that should be known about Forensics, by the way, is that no matter how well you can perform your piece outside of a tournament, it reflects absolutely nothing on how well you can do it in one.

So, quick rundown of how Forensics tournaments work: the team gets to the hosting school, goes to find their designated table in whatever commons area is provided, and waits around until the first round starts (or hurries into the first round as soon as their stuff is on the table, depending on how early or late you get there). During the round, you're assigned a room with a judge to go to to perform in. You'll usually end up waiting around with everyone else assigned to that room so everyone can perform. After you do, you go back to the table and hang out for the next hour/hour-and-a-half until the end of the round. Ballots are counted, scores are recorded, and into the next round. Rinse and repeat for however many rounds there are (in this case, only two). All in all, it's very relaxed.

During the first round, I came to remember the truth of that law of Forensics I related earlier. I absolutely bombed, lol. I spewed out my hastily put together introduction, stuttered, skipped, and mangled my way through the first half of my piece, then took about a full thirty seconds at the very lowest point of it all to go through and weigh the options that were available to me: keep on until I finish, or take what dignity I had left, and respectfully bow out of the room. I had managed to skip around and cut up so much of the story, not to mention the horrors I bestowed upon the characters (or, at that point, lack thereof), that if I had kept going, no matter how pristinely I had performed the rest of it, it was already at a point of no return such that I would still have been digging it into the ground further. So, to my own staggering amazement, I apologized to the judge, thanked him, and took my leave.

Trust me, my description doesn't fit how awful it was. Leaving the room truly was the better option, even in hindsight. I've never seen nor performed anything nearly that horrible before in my life, lol.

All I could think about while I was going back down the hall was that I was going to be in the same situation in the next round. The thought terrified me, but I suppose it hit some kind of animalistic backed-into-a-corner instinct, and I spent the rest of my time before round two started in intense study. And, again to my staggering amazement, I was able to actually pull it off to some degree. My performance was still a very bad one, even in the best of lights, but it was leagues ahead of the one that had been spilled out only an hour before. I got through it all, there were zero pauses, and the character's voices and actions didn't mesh together into one new character that sounded and acted exactly like an incredibly nervous, frantic me. In fact, I daresay I was proud of the pathetic drivel that it nevertheless was. It was awful and I knew it, but I also knew how much better I had done in only an hour's time.

But still. No more tournaments for me until I know my damn piece, regardless of outside influence. It should become easier in the future, since I think I'll be doing it as a prose instead of a humorous solo (unmemorized events = yes, please).

Oh yeah, for some reason, we're having a five day weekend starting yesterday. My school takes so many breaks it's absurd.
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Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Thursday's coming. Did you bring your coat?
Most videos you can find on the internet aren't worthy of a blog post of their own. There's exceptions, of course. This one, which I had seen years ago but was only just now reminded of, is probably the biggest one of them all. I mean... wow. I had forgotten how much I love this video.

---

Lea: Yes, it is absolutely fantastic. ^____^

Alan: Spot-on. Youth groups, as a generally safe assumption, are the dictionary definition of shallow.
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Sunday, February 12, 2006

Move on this
My youth group had some kind of progressive dinner last night, where you have an appetizer at one host's house, then move to the next for the main course, then another for dessert. Wouldn't you know it, my dad volunteered our house for the main course. Yep. So we spent the latter part of last week cleaning every nook and cranny of the house in preparation for them to come over.

If I haven't mentioned it before, I can't stand my youth group. All the youth are either middle schoolers or high schoolers who act like middle schoolers, and all the staff are obsessive. They asked my sister and me to sign some absurd medical forms for youth activities the first time we visited the damn church. They're like human tractor beams.

So I was kinda miffed when I had to prepare for them to come over and dare set foot in my house. The gall, I say.

But hey, at least my Threadless shirt came in, which made me sufficiently happy. :3
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Tuesday, February 7, 2006

Who the hell's Jehu, anyway?
Yesterday I ordered this shirt from Threadless. Pretty damn funny if you ask me, lol.

I've also been procrastinating something awful on Illustrator stuff :( I'm working on three different projects right now, and none of them will be done any time soon, heh.

First one's something I actually started weeks ago, heh. It'll end up being a centaur, but right now everything in that shot is out of proportion, and I won't call it finished until I can get it all to look exactly like I want it to. And for this piece, I've got pretty high standards for how I want it to look, considering that all I'm using is basic lines for the entire thing. (Those pics on the left are just there for reference, by the way.)

This one's something I'm doing for my Graphic Design class. The assignment is to make a piece of art for some national contest, though we can choose whether or not we feel like submitting it. The theme we had to use was "art leads to innovation", so mine is going to be a robot sort of... painting himself together...? Most of it is just an outline right now, and I'm not sure how much I'll like the red by the time I'm through with him.

I started this one yesterday, and although it's only a half-done (and still ugly) Maglite so far, it'll end up being carried by a bunch of mice in army helmets, who are holding it like some sort of artillery. I got the idea from hearing a flashlight referred to as a "handheld electric photon cannon". XD

---

Alan: I found an unblocked port, but I tried 80 anyway. Didn't work for some reason. Thanks for the link, though, I'll bookmark it in case I ever need it.

Liam: Sorry, impulse. :X
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Wednesday, February 1, 2006

Set you back
I should have updated a while ago, I know, but there's really not much new to report from the brave frontiers of my life. Forensics is in full gear, and I won't have my piece ready in time for the first tournament, but I'd much rather that than for me to go to a tournament with it not perfected at all, and totally bomb. I'm still working on it, though, and it's coming along ok.

However, I still have to have a second piece in addition to this one. =X I think I'll go with Prose for my other event, because I can easily get ahold of a good piece for that, and I don't want to be responsible for memorizing anything else, heh. (Prose is a non-memorized event.)

*thinks*

English is first hour for me, on Gold days at least (clarification: our school schedule is split up into two alternating days, called Maroon and Gold, each with their own separate schedule), and either I or my sister or both of us slept in the Gold day before last, so I missed English that day. Apparently, we were given an assignment then to bring a paper bag with five things in it that represent us, and we'd explain it next class. Since I didn't know about the assignment, I spent the presentation time on that day on thinking about what I was going to put in my bag to make it up next time. You could probably guess that I'd think to put a Twilight Zone DVD in there, heh, and right as that exact thought was crossing my mind, the girl that was presenting her bag at the time pulled out just that. My brain isn't built to handle such wonderful coincidences, I guess, and so it started sputtering, and left my mouth to search my vocabulary, completely without my permission (although I would have granted it if asked), for the words it saw fit to use in this situation. It made its selection, formed them into a sentence, and hastened them out of my lips and across the room: "I love you."

The class got a kick out of it, anyway. :P

---

Maybe this is becoming a habit. ¬¬

Ghoti Hook - At the Zoo The chorus, just so you know, is saying "Christian got mauled at the zoo", referring to one of the band members. Self-degrading songs are the best.

Pavement - Old to Begin Apparently, there's a band called Pavement, and I enjoy their music. What news~!

Muse - Overdue

---

Mimmi: =D

Lea: XD! Doot, indeed. :3

Liam *jumps headfirst into computer screen*


...


*rubs head and curses the internet*
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Monday, January 23, 2006

Steal the rhythm while you can.
After however many weeks, I started going insane wondering what Sara was using to change her available messages so frequently, so, ingenious problem-solver that I am, I asked her. In response, I got the name of a chat client called Adium that I had never heard of before, and I immediately installed it and got iChat out of my dock as quick as my mouse hand could manage. I feel like a new person with it. :3

One of my favorite features (besides the appearance being customizable and skinnable as all get out) is the Xtras it has, which are analogous to extensions in Firefox. I'm not sure if other clients like GAIM and Trillian have an equivalent of these (not that it matters, because I can't use them anyway. Argh.), but they're crazy-cool. I've got one that'll spout a random phobia, one for a random Googlism on any specified word, and one, as you can see in this sexy piece of screencap, that puts the title and artist of whatever song I'm listening to in my available message. I've got a total of three people on my buddy list who use clients that support available messages, but it's cool anway. ¬¬

*almost forgot for the umpteenth time* Oh, Adium also rejected my old screenname for some reason, so I had to get a new one, which was long overdue anyway. If I haven't told you yet, I'll be on no futurist from now on. Now, onto a rare glimpse into my life:

---

1. ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET IT?
I don't have any within my own line of vision. >_>

2. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR ROOM?
A full-size, framed print of Café Terrace At Night by van Gogh. I believe that's all.

3. WHAT DOES YOUR CELL PHONE LOOK LIKE?
*hasn't one*

4. WHAT MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?
A little bit of underground rap, a little less electronic, and pretty much anything you can call rock. Reggae is one of the few popular genres I've never liked.

5. DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN?
Around 11:30 AM, I think.

6. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW?
To find a port number that hasn't been blocked so I can use AIM during school >>;;

7. WHAT DO YOU MISS?
The great hamburgers we used to make at the restaurant.

8. WHAT IS YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION/S?
Hm. Maybe my papasan chair.

9. WHAT IS YOUR ZODIAC SIGN?
Damned if I know, lol.

10. DO YOU GET CLAUSTROPHOBIC?
Not at all

11. DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DARK?
Nope

12. THE LAST PERSON TO MAKE YOU CRY?
Oh, I can't remember the last time I cried.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOGNE/ PERFUME?
I've never liked scents, heh.

14. WHAT KIND OF HAIR/EYE COLOR DO YOU LIKE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX?
No preference, but if I had to choose, I'd say redhead.

15. WHERE CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF BEING PROPOSED TO?
I don't... really see myself being proposed to at all, lol.

16. COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINK?
Neither. :)

17. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPING?
Canadian bacon

18. IF YOU CAN EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Steak, definintely.

19. WHO IS THE LAST PERSON YOU MADE MAD?
Oh great, now I'm stuck on the idea of accidentally making people mad. >_>

21. WHAT WAS THE FIRST GIFT SOMEONE EVER GAVE YOU?
I don't remember, actually.

22. DO YOU LIKE ANYBODY?
Nah, no variety around here. :P

23. ARE YOU DOUBLE JOINTED?
In my thumbs, yes.

24. FAVORITE CLOTHING BRAND?
If I had to say, I'd say Old Navy. I won't buy jeans from anywhere else because they're comfortable, ultra-durable, and not pricy at all.

25. WHAT'S YOUR DREAM CAR?
One that's hydrogen-fueled. >:D

26. DO YOU HAVE A PET RIGHT NOW?
Yes, and she's better than yours.

27. WHAT KIND IS IT?
Ah, she's just a mutt. :P We never figured out what she was a mix of, lol.

28. WOULD YOU FALL IN LOVE KNOWING THAT THE PERSON IS LEAVING?
Not something that's up to me, really.

29. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO TELL SOMEONE HOW MUCH THEY MEAN TO YOU?
A hug. :3

30. SAY A NUMBER FROM ONE TO A HUNDRED:
LXXVI

31. BLONDES OR BRUNETTES?
No preference

32. WHAT IS THE ONE NUMBER YOU CALL OFTEN?
Phones suck. >:P

33. WHAT ANGERS YOU MOST?
Racism, probably

34. HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF THE USA?
No. I'd jump at the opportunity, though.

35. YOUR WEAKNESSES?
Lack of emotion, steak, stealth attacks

37. FIRST JOB?
Dishwasher/food prep

38. EVER DONE A PRANK CALL?
*grin*

40. IF YOU COULD GET PLASTIC SURGERY WHAT WOULD IT BE?
What would it be? Shallow.

41. WHY DID YOU FILL OUT THIS SURVEY?
Because I saw some questions on it that I didn't hate. :P

42. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST?
My intelligence, unextraordinary though it be.

43. WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF ALCOHOL BECAME ILLEGAL?
Laugh. A lot, and really really hard.

44. WHAT WHO DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY?
Good question. I don't really want too much right now, but maybe a guitar tuner?

45. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT?
Only one, ideally, but I'd be open to more.

46. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Not to my knowledge.

47. DO YOU WISH ON STARS?
I'm not outside enough to look at the stars. :P

48. WHAT DID YOU DO THIS MORNING?
I have vague memories of what happened when I got up, all I know is that I ended up at school, where I now am.

49. WHAT DID YOU LAST EAT?
Some crackers, sausage, and cheese last night.

50. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
No, but I don't dislike it as much as I enjoy seeing others try to read it. :)

51. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Turkey, smoked preferably.

52. ANY BAD HABITS?
I have an almost OCD habit of not stepping on cracks. @_@

53. WHAT IS YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING CD ON THE SHELF?
Collide, by Skillet. I picked it up a year or two ago, because I saw it in a store, and I was like, "Hey, Skillet's still around!" so I got it. Skillet was a Christian band in the early-mid '90s that was, quite amazingly, able to make great grunge music. Skillet is, apparently, four 30-somethings trying to impersonate Linkin Park. Oh, how time can change a band. :'(

54. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Maybe. What kind of person are we saying I am? :d

55. HAVE YOU EVER TOLD A SECRET YOU SWORE NOT TO TELL?
Nope

56. DO LOOKS REALLY MATTER?
Dealing with humans as a whole? Yeah, to some degree at least.

57. HOW DO YOU RELEASE ANGER?
I usually don't.

58. WHERE IS YOUR SECOND HOME?
My private villa in Spain.

59. WTF?
OMG

60. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD?
I went through toys pretty rapidly, lol.

61. HOW MANY NUMBERS ARE IN YOUR CELL PHONE?
None

63. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
Awkwardly. >_>

64. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN A MOSH PIT?
Yes. Everyone should take the opportunity at least once.

65. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY/GIRL?
Actually, I'm pretty happy to say that I'm getting to the point where looks don't even matter to me, so I'd say just a nice personality. Quietness can be good or bad, a sense of humor (even a lame one :P) is a must (scratch that, especially a lame one), and strong but not abrasive standings on issues.

66. WHAT ARE YOUR NICKNAMEs?
Fortunately, I've got none.

70. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?
Hmm, I don't have one. French vanilla, maybe?

72. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE COLOR(S)?
Maroon

73. WHO DO YOU MISS MOST RIGHT NOW?
Nobody, really.

74. HOW MANY WISDOM TEETH DO YOU HAVE?
None, so far.

75. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?
I don't really care either way. =)

76. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO?
Soundgarden - Outshined

77. LAST THING YOU DRANK?
*is drinking a Mountain Dew*

78. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Huh, I can't remember. It wasn't a real conversation though, heh.

79. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE IN THE OPPOSITE SEX?
Hair

80. FAVORITE THOUGHT PROVOKING SONG?
Either The Impression That I Get or Let's Face It, by the Bosstones

81. FAVORITE THING TO HATE?
People who confront you with their coding problems, using random jargon that you know nothing about.

82. FAVORITE DRINK(S)?
Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper

83. FAVORITE ZODIAC SIGN:
Since they all mean so much to me. XP

84. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SPORT?
I don't like playing sports, or really watching them either, but if I had to say, I'd say soccer > basketball > baseball > football, with hockey thrown in there somewhere on the left side of that expression, and football being the outlier by far. All professional sports, however, suck.

85. WHAT IS YOUR HAIR COLOR?
Blonde

86. EYE COLOR?
Blue

87. HEIGHT?
6'0"

88. FAVORITE ANIMALS?
Cats

89. FAVORITE MONTH?
I can't say I'm very partial to any of them, lol.

90. YOU LIKE SUSHI?
Sushi's fantastic. Really, really great stuff.

91. LAST THING YOU WATCHED?
A flash video that I don't remember the name of.

92. FAVORITE DAYS OF THE YEAR?
None

93. ARE YOU TOO SHY TO ASK SOMEONE OUT?
Probably. ¬¬

94. SUMMER OR WINTER?
omg Winter

95. KISSES OR HUGS?
Hugs

96. RELATIONSHIPS OR ONE NIGHT STANDS?
Just who would answer that as one night stands? lol

97. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU BOUGHT?
The aforementioned Mountain Dew

98. WHO IS THE LEAST LIKELY TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?
Probably everyone, heh.

99. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING?
I just found out my English class is going to be reading To Kill A Mockingbird, which I had to read last year too. =( I think I've explained before why I hate that book so much, so I won't go back into it.

100. ANYONE IN LOVE WITH YOU?
If I knew, I'd tell you. :P
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Saturday, January 21, 2006

Monchichi
Shin was gracious enough to send me an album from Apocalypse Hoboken a few days ago, even though his connection was running at 13kbps. =)

I'd been wanting to give them a listen for a while now, since Tony and Alan both seem to hold them in such high esteem. It was harder music than I usually listen to, but it was still pretty great; I guess I could describe it as Fugazi meets heavy punk. Every time I listen to it, I want to be in a mosh pit really bad, lol.

Oh, and in case you're like me and somehow missed out on it, The Ultimate Showdown.
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