The Yuletide season is over. You can tell because we just took all the Christmas decorations up to the attic. It was a very secular design theme this year. A tree, nutcrackers, a few woodland elf things and some lights. I think my complete disinterest in religion is wearing off on my parents. We did go to St. Matthew’s Cathedral in D.C. for midnight mass (so that my parents wouldn’t feel like total lapsed Catholics). The service was beautiful. The choir and the architecture made me want to believe, which hasn’t happened in a long time. Huge spaces that make you feel small but safe are probably the best places to find God.
Beyond that the gifts were good. I got some new clothes, a few gift certificates, a couple books and this really weird stress ball that you have to see to believe. I would post a picture of it but… you know… I’m entirely inept at computer stuff. Of the wish list from a post ago, I got my 4.0 which I think may be a mistake. If it is then I hope they don’t catch it, if it isn’t: sweet! Paris is a possibility still but we don’t know yet, and while financial solvency is still distant I’m way better off after Jesus’ b-day than I was before.
New Year’s was spent in Baltimore. That was an adventure that would require an intire post in and of itself. Let’s just say that I saw women on cop cars getting their photo taken by the cop in various stages of undress, a three headed stag costume worn by a drum beating crazy person and the leftovers of a bar brawl. I love Hamden…
Work is kicking my ass but I get a little bored when I leave. I’m sure this is only because I need near-constant stimulation and working at a hedge fund provides an overload of it. School is starting back up soon. By the end of January I’ll be back to UMD and trying to balance my roles as employee, student, boyfriend, friend and son. I’m taking some cool classes but I’ll let you know about those when I’ve actually taken a few of them.
In my media reviewing I’ve been very busy. Lot’s to share. Nando lent me the Showtime series Dexter on DVD and I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s about a serial killer. That alone makes for an interesting concept but they way the whole thing is done puts it on another level. The writing isn’t always amazing but its shot in Miami so there’s a lot of Michael Bay style bad-ass-lens/filter use. My favorite! I bought my dad Studio 60 and promptly stole it from him. I forgot how much I love that show. Sorkin is so good. In movie news Juno is amazing. I also got the pleasure of watching Short Circuit 2. If you don’t remember this movie its an 80’s robot flick that will blow your mind. I now understand why Nando lists it as his favorite movie of all time. Nightwatch was also quite good. I’ve been catching up on older movies lately so much of this may be news to no one.
Music has been sweet. Riot by Paramore, the Cut Off Your Hands EP, and the newest Les Savy Fav album are in heavy rotation.
That’s about it. Happy belated holidays to anyone who I haven’t already said it to.
Sunday, January 6
Wednesday, December 19
Get Lucky
Three quick things:
1.) I’m done! Hell yeah! I get grades on Jan. 2nd but I think everything went well.
2.) I Am Legend was really good, as was The Golden Compass and Margot At The Wedding
3.) Spending your break working harder than you did at school is not cool…
More soon. I may have more time to do this when I take a whole week off work and school. In other words, I’ll be bored and have nothing to do. That always makes me want to complain…
Things that top my Christmas list:
A trip to Paris
A raise
A 4.0 GPA
Financial solvency
Strangely the most likely is the first…
Listening to “Amylase” by Cajun Dance Party (Check them out, its worth it)
1.) I’m done! Hell yeah! I get grades on Jan. 2nd but I think everything went well.
2.) I Am Legend was really good, as was The Golden Compass and Margot At The Wedding
3.) Spending your break working harder than you did at school is not cool…
More soon. I may have more time to do this when I take a whole week off work and school. In other words, I’ll be bored and have nothing to do. That always makes me want to complain…
Things that top my Christmas list:
A trip to Paris
A raise
A 4.0 GPA
Financial solvency
Strangely the most likely is the first…
Listening to “Amylase” by Cajun Dance Party (Check them out, its worth it)
Monday, December 10
Misery Business
Things to do in the next two weeks, in chronological order:
1.) Go to last Medieval History class
2.) Go to last Cinema & Colonialism Class
3.) Have birthday dinner with my mom (pt. 1)
4.) Research French History Paper
5.) Meet with T.A.
6.) Write French History Paper
7.) Have Birthday dinner with my mom (pt. 2)
8.) Write Law Exam Final Paper
9.) Proofread French History Paper
10.) – 15.) Study for Exams
16.) Sleep at some point
17.) Take French History Exam and turn in paper
18.) Take Medieval History Exam with notes…again.
19.) Try and enjoy the weekend!
20.) Have a crappy weekend studying for Cinema & Colonialism class
21.) Take Cinema & Colonialism Exam
22.) Finish my semester without having a nervous breakdown (fingers crossed)
23.) Be abandoned by my girlfriend for two weeks
24.) Work my tail off for three days at the office
25.) Breath a sigh of relief when Friday comes and I get a whole week off to do absolutely nothing.
26.) Realize that the week I thought I had to do nothing will in fact be spent fighting the hordes of shoppers who have also left their present buying for the last minute.
Bah-fucking-humbug! I hate Christmas! Sure there’s stuff which is great but I don’t need any of it. There’s family, but I don’t really like mine. And of course the wonderful feeling of goodwill and peace towards men, which actually makes me feel like a hypocrite for being an asshole the rest of the year and is almost entirely a load of shit anyway. Plus I’m always sick of Christmas carols a month before the 25th since it seems to be the law that everyone put up decorations and “get into the spirit” (of consumerism) by mid November. I heard on the radio that the stress men feel shopping during the holidays is akin to the stress a police officer feels while working crowd control during a full scale riot. I think that’s why I feel this way. Maybe I should try doing my shopping online this year…
Merry Christmas to all my readers! I’ll try and post something else soon that has a nicer slant to it.
And yes, the title of this post is a Paramore song. What? You wanna fight about it?!?
1.) Go to last Medieval History class
2.) Go to last Cinema & Colonialism Class
3.) Have birthday dinner with my mom (pt. 1)
4.) Research French History Paper
5.) Meet with T.A.
6.) Write French History Paper
7.) Have Birthday dinner with my mom (pt. 2)
8.) Write Law Exam Final Paper
9.) Proofread French History Paper
10.) – 15.) Study for Exams
16.) Sleep at some point
17.) Take French History Exam and turn in paper
18.) Take Medieval History Exam with notes…again.
19.) Try and enjoy the weekend!
20.) Have a crappy weekend studying for Cinema & Colonialism class
21.) Take Cinema & Colonialism Exam
22.) Finish my semester without having a nervous breakdown (fingers crossed)
23.) Be abandoned by my girlfriend for two weeks
24.) Work my tail off for three days at the office
25.) Breath a sigh of relief when Friday comes and I get a whole week off to do absolutely nothing.
26.) Realize that the week I thought I had to do nothing will in fact be spent fighting the hordes of shoppers who have also left their present buying for the last minute.
Bah-fucking-humbug! I hate Christmas! Sure there’s stuff which is great but I don’t need any of it. There’s family, but I don’t really like mine. And of course the wonderful feeling of goodwill and peace towards men, which actually makes me feel like a hypocrite for being an asshole the rest of the year and is almost entirely a load of shit anyway. Plus I’m always sick of Christmas carols a month before the 25th since it seems to be the law that everyone put up decorations and “get into the spirit” (of consumerism) by mid November. I heard on the radio that the stress men feel shopping during the holidays is akin to the stress a police officer feels while working crowd control during a full scale riot. I think that’s why I feel this way. Maybe I should try doing my shopping online this year…
Merry Christmas to all my readers! I’ll try and post something else soon that has a nicer slant to it.
And yes, the title of this post is a Paramore song. What? You wanna fight about it?!?
Monday, November 26
Let's Dance To Joy Division
I should be writing a paper but instead I thought that I would talk at ether. How is everyone? Did you have a nice Thanksgiving? I did. There was a chance of Hippy-inflected tofurkey but I dodged the bullet and made it through Thursday full and soy-free. I got to sit next to my aunt's nephew (which would be me but its the other side of the family). He's a philosophy doctoral student at City College in New York. I was enthralled/babbling to him most of the night. He was nice to me, when I misspoke about analytic philosophy he didn't correct me. I thought that was decent of him.
Anyway, Friday I went down to Salisbury to visit the Grandparents an the horde of people I'm technically related to. It was surprisingly painless. I actually had a good time. My cousins are all in their teens now, mostly in high school. I'm able to carry on conversations with them. Like I had an hour conversation with on about the merits of California weed versus East Coast. With another I got to talk Second wave Ska, which wierded me out. He even had the Two-Tone comp, which I thought would impress him. More proof that I was inherently lame in high school. I thought people got cool once the went off the college. Eh... Then I had a thirty minute lecture from the eldest cousin, now going to school in New York, about absurdist theater and the benefit one can derive from reading Becket while tripping. They are all a lot more interesting than I am.
There was also Guitar Hero III. More on that in a moment. We wet to see the Mist at about 10:30, which I thought was a little late, and only served as more proof that I'm a geezer. The movie was good. I thought Thank-You-For-Smoking-guy and Mystic-River-lady did great jobs. The ending was a little predictable and the monsters all looked like 3D Jim Henson puppets from The Dark Crystal but all in all I would recommend it to Stephen King fans. We left a day early and got back in the early evening on Saturday. I got to hang with Nando for a bit that night and watch his favorite show-- Dexter, a Showtime (I think) series on a serial killer. Its honestly one of the more interesting shows on T.V. I've seen this season (even if I am watching last season's episodes). The protagonist is a serial killer, and you manage to empathize with him. Its sort of a bizarre felling to root for the homicidal maniac but it works. Another "Greg-recommended" production.
I bought Guitar Hero 3 a little while back. I have been playing less routinely that when I purchased the others, mainly because of papers and whatnot at school, but it is a great game. I have a few complaints about the changes in look but on the whole its a solid release from the Guitar Hero franchise. The characters you can choose from are a bit of a let down. My favorite, Pandora, a white belt-wearing, leather jumpsuit clad, hardcore indie chick was dropped from the game. And Johnny Napalm, the punk guitarist, now looks like a Casualties casualty. Not that he didn't before but it’s accentuated by the lack of shirt and Mohawk-to-body ratio that exceeds the bonding properties of even the toughest mouse. Aside from a few graphic missteps the songs are top notch. Getting to play "Bulls On Parade" by Rage Against The Machine, "My Name Is Jonas" by Weezer, "Anarchy In The U.K." as re-recorded by the remaining Sex Pistols (since the master tape has been lost) are only a few of the highlights. I could go on and on but I'll shift gears a little now.
Not a lot mind you... I need to get an XBox 360, or barring that a PS3. I don't really want either of these systems, they aren't bad but I have lots of friends who have the XBox and from everything I've heard the PS3 is not a great console, but I still need to buy one. "Why," you ask? Because of a little game called Rock Band. The makers of the original Guitar Hero teamed up with MTV to create a full band experience, with drums, bass and guitar and karaoke vocals. It comes out for PS2, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't get released for my console of choice until December 11th or something. I can wait. Don't think I'm that childish. My main reason for wanting the XBox 360 version is the downloadable content. You can actually download full albums to play in the game. The two that kick off the Rock Band release are Nevermind by Nirvana and The Who's Next by the Who. I love Nirvana but being able to play every track of The Who's Next would be... well, to put it plainly, kick ass.
Since my last post I've had a one year anniversary. Elizabeth and I are great, for those who dot know. I think she, Shah and Nando are the only ones who read this, its really only you Shah, since she knows and Nando gets told most everything important. While assembling her anniversary mix-tape (mix-CD, whatever, tape sounds better) I happened upon a couple of new bands worth checking out. Cut Off Your Hands, The Wombats and The Moths! top my list of new favorites. The Wombats, in particular, are in heavy rotation. I'll cut this short, since I really do have to get this paper done but I want to leave you with what might be the greatest summation of what I fell like every time I think my life is going horribly awry. Or at least once someone stops me from hyperventilating and cracks a joke about how silly I'm being. At that point this is the song that should be playing in the movie version of my life:
I'm back in Liverpool
and everything seems the same
but I worked something out last night
that changed this little boy's brain
a small piece of advice that took 22 years in the make
and i will break it for you now
please learn from my mistakes
please learn from my mistakes
let's dance to joy division
and celebrate the irony
everything is going wrong
but we're so happy
let's dance to joy division
and raise our glass to the ceiling
'cos this could all go so wrong
but we're just so happy
yeah, we're so happy
so if you're ever feeling down
grab your purse and take a taxi
to the darkest side of town
that's where we'll be
and we will wait for you
and lead you through the dancefloor
up to the dj booth
you know what to ask for
you know what to ask for
go ask for joy division
and celebrate the irony
everything is going wrong
but we're so happy
go ask for joy divison
and raise your glass to the ceiling
cos this could all go so wrong
but we're so happy
so happy
so let the love tear us apart
I found the cure for a broken heart
let it tear us apart
let it tear us apart
let's dance to joy division
and raise our glass to the ceiling
cos this could all go so wrong
but we're so happy
yeah, we're so happy
so happy, yeah, we're so happy
so happy, yeah, we're so happy
- "Let's Dance To Joy Division"
by The Wombats
Anyway, Friday I went down to Salisbury to visit the Grandparents an the horde of people I'm technically related to. It was surprisingly painless. I actually had a good time. My cousins are all in their teens now, mostly in high school. I'm able to carry on conversations with them. Like I had an hour conversation with on about the merits of California weed versus East Coast. With another I got to talk Second wave Ska, which wierded me out. He even had the Two-Tone comp, which I thought would impress him. More proof that I was inherently lame in high school. I thought people got cool once the went off the college. Eh... Then I had a thirty minute lecture from the eldest cousin, now going to school in New York, about absurdist theater and the benefit one can derive from reading Becket while tripping. They are all a lot more interesting than I am.
There was also Guitar Hero III. More on that in a moment. We wet to see the Mist at about 10:30, which I thought was a little late, and only served as more proof that I'm a geezer. The movie was good. I thought Thank-You-For-Smoking-guy and Mystic-River-lady did great jobs. The ending was a little predictable and the monsters all looked like 3D Jim Henson puppets from The Dark Crystal but all in all I would recommend it to Stephen King fans. We left a day early and got back in the early evening on Saturday. I got to hang with Nando for a bit that night and watch his favorite show-- Dexter, a Showtime (I think) series on a serial killer. Its honestly one of the more interesting shows on T.V. I've seen this season (even if I am watching last season's episodes). The protagonist is a serial killer, and you manage to empathize with him. Its sort of a bizarre felling to root for the homicidal maniac but it works. Another "Greg-recommended" production.
I bought Guitar Hero 3 a little while back. I have been playing less routinely that when I purchased the others, mainly because of papers and whatnot at school, but it is a great game. I have a few complaints about the changes in look but on the whole its a solid release from the Guitar Hero franchise. The characters you can choose from are a bit of a let down. My favorite, Pandora, a white belt-wearing, leather jumpsuit clad, hardcore indie chick was dropped from the game. And Johnny Napalm, the punk guitarist, now looks like a Casualties casualty. Not that he didn't before but it’s accentuated by the lack of shirt and Mohawk-to-body ratio that exceeds the bonding properties of even the toughest mouse. Aside from a few graphic missteps the songs are top notch. Getting to play "Bulls On Parade" by Rage Against The Machine, "My Name Is Jonas" by Weezer, "Anarchy In The U.K." as re-recorded by the remaining Sex Pistols (since the master tape has been lost) are only a few of the highlights. I could go on and on but I'll shift gears a little now.
Not a lot mind you... I need to get an XBox 360, or barring that a PS3. I don't really want either of these systems, they aren't bad but I have lots of friends who have the XBox and from everything I've heard the PS3 is not a great console, but I still need to buy one. "Why," you ask? Because of a little game called Rock Band. The makers of the original Guitar Hero teamed up with MTV to create a full band experience, with drums, bass and guitar and karaoke vocals. It comes out for PS2, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't get released for my console of choice until December 11th or something. I can wait. Don't think I'm that childish. My main reason for wanting the XBox 360 version is the downloadable content. You can actually download full albums to play in the game. The two that kick off the Rock Band release are Nevermind by Nirvana and The Who's Next by the Who. I love Nirvana but being able to play every track of The Who's Next would be... well, to put it plainly, kick ass.
Since my last post I've had a one year anniversary. Elizabeth and I are great, for those who dot know. I think she, Shah and Nando are the only ones who read this, its really only you Shah, since she knows and Nando gets told most everything important. While assembling her anniversary mix-tape (mix-CD, whatever, tape sounds better) I happened upon a couple of new bands worth checking out. Cut Off Your Hands, The Wombats and The Moths! top my list of new favorites. The Wombats, in particular, are in heavy rotation. I'll cut this short, since I really do have to get this paper done but I want to leave you with what might be the greatest summation of what I fell like every time I think my life is going horribly awry. Or at least once someone stops me from hyperventilating and cracks a joke about how silly I'm being. At that point this is the song that should be playing in the movie version of my life:
I'm back in Liverpool
and everything seems the same
but I worked something out last night
that changed this little boy's brain
a small piece of advice that took 22 years in the make
and i will break it for you now
please learn from my mistakes
please learn from my mistakes
let's dance to joy division
and celebrate the irony
everything is going wrong
but we're so happy
let's dance to joy division
and raise our glass to the ceiling
'cos this could all go so wrong
but we're just so happy
yeah, we're so happy
so if you're ever feeling down
grab your purse and take a taxi
to the darkest side of town
that's where we'll be
and we will wait for you
and lead you through the dancefloor
up to the dj booth
you know what to ask for
you know what to ask for
go ask for joy division
and celebrate the irony
everything is going wrong
but we're so happy
go ask for joy divison
and raise your glass to the ceiling
cos this could all go so wrong
but we're so happy
so happy
so let the love tear us apart
I found the cure for a broken heart
let it tear us apart
let it tear us apart
let's dance to joy division
and raise our glass to the ceiling
cos this could all go so wrong
but we're so happy
yeah, we're so happy
so happy, yeah, we're so happy
so happy, yeah, we're so happy
- "Let's Dance To Joy Division"
by The Wombats
Monday, November 5
Big Casino
If I were an ancient Roman I would be siked right now. While walking to class this morning I passed by a hawk feeding of a pigeon. It was right there on the grass, maybe four feet from the path. The Roman loved their omens and I don’t think they would have passed up the chance to read way too much into this. They would either be siked or terrified about the coming week. I’m not superstitious but I really hope I’m the hawk.
Midterms went well. I mean, I’ve only gotten one back but it was good. I’m judging the rest on this standard. Well see how that pans out. In other life affirming news I found my glasses. Back to being a hipster douche bag. Hooray!
My weekend was nice. Elizabeth was in Miami so I had it to myself for the most part. Boring school stuff on Friday, then out for a bit with Nando. Saturday was Panos’ belated birthday party at Clyde’s in Tower Oaks. I had oysters and Blue Moon. Both were satisfactory. My parents were away this weekend so I took care of the muppet. She survived, even though when they’re away she wont eat anything…
The new Jimmy Eat World Album is really good. I would say as good as the last one, which is not quite as good as "Bleed America" and three rungs down from "Clarity." Or at least that's my scientific opinion.
I need to get out to Baltimore and see people, and St. Mary’s. I also need to write three papers and clone myself. Maybe next week?
Until then I’ll leave you with this:
“Aquila fortuna iuvat”
-Fortune favors the hawks.
Midterms went well. I mean, I’ve only gotten one back but it was good. I’m judging the rest on this standard. Well see how that pans out. In other life affirming news I found my glasses. Back to being a hipster douche bag. Hooray!
My weekend was nice. Elizabeth was in Miami so I had it to myself for the most part. Boring school stuff on Friday, then out for a bit with Nando. Saturday was Panos’ belated birthday party at Clyde’s in Tower Oaks. I had oysters and Blue Moon. Both were satisfactory. My parents were away this weekend so I took care of the muppet. She survived, even though when they’re away she wont eat anything…
The new Jimmy Eat World Album is really good. I would say as good as the last one, which is not quite as good as "Bleed America" and three rungs down from "Clarity." Or at least that's my scientific opinion.
I need to get out to Baltimore and see people, and St. Mary’s. I also need to write three papers and clone myself. Maybe next week?
Until then I’ll leave you with this:
“Aquila fortuna iuvat”
-Fortune favors the hawks.
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