Saturday, November 26, 2005

Thanks to be Given…

Hottie of the Moment:  Kate Bosworth playing Lois Lane[Dave/Scott]
Exceeding Expectations. Jack’s helped me out a lot lately, especially after the whole car accident on Saturday night. He really didn’t have to, especially that night when the game between GT and Miami was quickly coming to a close with Georgia Tech actually on top. Two days later he drove me down to the shop to pick my car up during rush hour despite his hate for slow moving traffic. I have to say my respect for him has gone up a notch. It was pretty high already because I admire his choice to be self-sufficient despite the fact he could probably chose an easier life due to his family being relatively well off.

The Afternoon at the Symphony. I went with Christine to the Atlanta Symphony on Sunday so that I could write my last concert report. It was an all-Beethoven concert, so I knew it couldn’t be that bad. I felt rather tacky taking MARTA in a suit, but the signal lights on the car weren’t functioning and I didn’t feel safe driving that heap in the condition that it was in on Peachtree. The concert began with a piano concerto which I zoned out during. After the intermission the conductor came out, quickly bowed to the audience, leaped up to his stand and the symphony orchestra quickly began Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, which was great.

Thanksgiving in Augusta. After my car accident I originally intended to stay in Atlanta and work, but the auto repair shop made the fixes far quicker than I had expected, lightening my mood. Jessie calls that same day offering to take me up to Augusta to have Thanksgiving with her family and friends. I decide to be their “charity case” this year and rode up with her on Wednesday afternoon. I figured that since Jessie was sort of a prude that I would have a peaceful environment to do work at. Boy, was I wrong.

That night Jessie’s friends wanted to go barhopping, and I was dragged along. We barely stayed in any one place long enough to start a tab, yet I still managed to spend around $50 in alcohol. The last bar we stopped in was of the Jazz variety and I had to use the restroom in there. Came back to find a big black guy with dreads trying to hit on Jessie and her friend Shari. I figured a little flirting never hurt anyone and was only concerned with being able to get back to my seat. He looks back and asks me something along the lines of, “Are you in charge of this group?” Not entirely sure of what he asked, I said, “Um, sure.” The guy then just walks off and I sit down somewhat confused and finish off another beer. The following morning the story is relayed to Jessie’s mom who then says I should always have to go to bars and clubs with Jessie and her girlfriends.

After Thanksgiving dinner the next day Jessie’s friends decided to go to a party, dragging me along as usual. It was pretty low key and most of the partygoers were navy guys. Jessie wasn’t very fond of smokers, so she spent most of that night with an annoyed look on her face while sitting at one of the couches. One of the guys there comes up to her, takes her hand and kisses it. I’m sitting there trying not to laugh while the poor sod was making no headway with the annoyed girl. On the way home Jessie yells at her friend, Sarah, whom she’s known since for a long time, for the first time in their friendship from what I was told later. I zoned out most of the conversation during the drive and when we finally got to Jessie’s house, both were uncomfortably silent. To try to break the ice I said something against my better judgment, which was, “We’re still going to the club tomorrow, right?” Both said yes pretty quickly because of their enjoyment of dancing while I was repeating the word “fuck” within my head knowing that I was going to be dragged to a club the next night.

I haven’t been to a club in a while, so I decided to take a couple shots and drink some beers before going out that night to avoid being a prick that refused to step onto the dance floor. The cover charge was $15 for guys, which pissed me off, especially with better clubs in Atlanta costing less to get in. The objective here was not to make an ass of myself, so I decided to keep things simple. Luckily for me one of the girls that Sarah was nice enough to dance with me for a while and provide me with something cover for my lack of skill in dancing. I guess in the end the experience was fun, despite the ringing ears and being rather drunk.

The next morning before we left to go back to Tech, Jessie’s mom asked me to go answer the door because she saw two girls who she thought to be Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses. I open the door to see two cute girls probably around the age of 18 give or take a couple years and said, “Hiiiiii, my name’s David. You two are?” I guess the way I delivered the introduction put them off but they quickly gathered some composure and began reading me verses and letting me know that we should be wary of Satan. I interrupted them while they were talking about the Devil and asked in a joking manner, “Well, who do you think you’re addressing?” I saw that they were confused so I followed through with, “Well, I guess it’s hard to see now that I’ve filed away the horns this morning, but anyways.” I got a slight laugh out of that and they handed me some pamphlets and headed on their way. Jessie’s father was watching through the window and told me that it looked like they were talking about me on the way to the next house. Jessie was like, “Mom, why’d you make David talk to those girls?” Her mother freaked, asking if I would’ve been mean or something. Jessie decides to be an idiot and say that I was going to going to ask them to join my “hooker brigade.” What the hell? I have a hooker brigade? Why wasn’t I told of this?

All in all, the time in Augusta was fun and the company was very welcoming of despite me being a stranger. I wasn’t expecting all of the craziness that transpired on those few days though.

It’s a Bird? It’s a Plane? It’s a Teaser? I’m pretty skeptical with how Bryan Singer’s doing Superman Returns, I’m not going to lie, especially after how good Batman Begins was. The fact that he’s using the first two movies as a rough continuity for this newest one seems like a step backward. The teaser went online a couple days ago and it did what it was supposed to do: tease the viewer without revealing too much. There was one shot at the end where I thought perhaps this new movie wasn’t going to be too horrible. It was like something out of an Alex Ross painting, with Superman hovering in orbit with his eyes closed, listening to find where he was needed, his eyes opening a second before he begins a quick atmospheric reentry.
♪…SO YOU BRING THIS POOR DOG IN FROM THE RAIN
THOUGH HE JUST WANTS RIGHT BACK OUT AGAIN

AND I CRY TO THE ALLEYWAY
CONFESS ALL TO THE RAIN
BUT I LIE, LIE STRAIGHT TO THE MIRROR
THE ONE I’VE BROKEN TO MATCH MY FACE…♪
Song of the Moment: “Low Man’s Lyric” by Metallica

Sunday, November 20, 2005

God’s Personal Cat-Toy [Commentary Added]

Old scars...[Dave/Scott]
I guess from the point of view of a couple people, I’ve been having quite the time the past couple months. This last summer gave me the experience of trying to stop my car, which was going downhill, without the use of brakes. My laptop’s screen refused to function less than two days before a test which required the study of about a dozen chapters found electronically online, forcing me to purchase a new computer. The registrar recently tried to shaft me one last time over two free elective credit hours that they neglected to tell me I was missing after they gave me the stamp of approval on my degree petition to graduate this December. Saturday night involved a car accident where I stopped at a red light and began turning right (which is legal) after seeing that traffic to my left was not yet in motion, which resulted in me bumping the SUV’s right rear door, knocking off most of my (plastic) bumper, and shorted out the signal lights on my vehicle. I also received my first traffic ticket ever, which was kind of neat in a weird kind of way for me. Luckily Jack was able to come and help me duct tape my bumper to a point where it wouldn't drag and I could drive back home.

Despite all this BS that’s been happening, I won’t whine like other people because I know it could’ve been a lot worse. Hell, Rob, one of my better friends, told me today that his mother was working in the JC Penney of the mall where some crazy bastard decided to open fire on shoppers and shop workers today.
[ As my Dad would always say, nothing gets done crying about anything. Better to get off of your ass and do something about it. ]
♪I WON’T GO AWAY
RIGHT HERE I’LL STAY

STAND SILENT IN FLAMES
STAND TALL ‘TILL IT FADES

SHOOT ME AGAIN
I AIN’T DEAD YET…♪
Song of the Moment: “Shoot Me Again” by Metallica

Thursday, November 10, 2005

Gearing Up for War

Gearing up for War[Dave/Scott]
This semester seems to have no end of crap to throw at me. I found out a couple days while checking our online school system to check my transcript, only to find that I am now two hours short of free electives to be eligible for graduation. Almost two months ago it said that the petition was “ok.” I haven’t dropped any classes, so this really doesn’t make any sense. I would’ve loved a warning at the beginning of the semester so that I could’ve signed up for an extra class, but no, my petition wasn’t set to ok until about mid-semester, which doesn’t help anyone. Regardless, I’ve gone back to check my transcript and added up the hours (8 times on separate pieces of paper in case of error) and I’ve actually got one credit hour more than is required. Also, I think it’s too late to petition to graduate next semester, so I really have no idea how this is going to turn out. No need to pull punches with something this important.
♪…GOD IT FEELS LIKE IT ONLY RAINS ON ME...♪
Song of the Moment: “My World” by Metallica

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

The Downfall of Civilization

Picture of the Moment:  Ultimate Hulk vs. Wolverine[Dave/Scott]
The 15-Kegger and Moondogs. Decided to hang out with Chien and Mike and go some random party purportedly serving 15 kegs on Saturday night. Unfortunately the planning and logistics behind the thing were rather poor, with more than two hundred people crowded around two or three kegs at one time. It took an hour for me and Mike to get two beers, for God’s sake. Soon after the cops came and broke the party up, so we got in Chien’s 4-Runner and spent the rest of the night drinking at Moondog’s.

Selling my Soul to Civilization IV. Wow. I really hate to say it, but maybe Matt and Jack was right. I was avoiding confrontation in Sid Meier’s latest installment, focusing on expansionist doctrine to stifle my neighboring civilizations’ growth early on, leading to my populating most of Europe while limiting Rome and Greece to their small peninsulas and islands. Later on I sought victory in the game via diplomacy in winning a major election in the United Nations. Unfortunately the vote was split between me (the Germans) and my closest (yet not close at all) competitors, the Chinese. All the while Jack (drunk) and Matt (sober) were constantly telling me to go to war with the other civilizations only to be rebuffed. After about 12 years and multiple reattempts to be elected, I determined democracy was getting in the way. I started then by bribing the other civilizations into invoking trade embargos on China, whom I soon later declared war on. The states who would originally constantly abstain in the elections (despite my best efforts) then voted in my favor, allowing me to finally win the election.
“The great masses of the people… will more easily fall for victims to a great lie than a small one.”
Game of the Moment: Sid Meier’s Civilization IV

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Stench Averted, Movie Onslaught, and Other Ravings [Commentary Added]

Ich moechte eine Bier, bitte![Dave/Scott]
Stinky Spuds. I found a bag of sprouting potatoes in the cupboard. Luckily there wasn’t much moisture in that area for it to start smelling really bad. I threw it out with the fruit in the refrigerator we also neglected to consume in a timely fashion. Wow, this brought back memories of that sack of potatoes that spoiled under the kitchen sink of my old apartment.
[ I've lived in Korea, where many areas just smell putrid, but those smells still don't come close to being as bad as potatoes sprouting in a diseased under a kitchen over the course of a semester. ]

So many Movies, so little time. Netflix is great. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been able to watch a bunch of movies that I never cared to go to the theaters for, but was always interested in seeing. Some notable ones in my mind were A Beautiful Mind, Hotel Rwanda, and Find Neverland. That last movie really struck a chord with me. I must really like movies where children are tragically forced to grow up fast.
[ Hotel Rwanda would've been more apalling had I not taken my International Affairs Ethics class. It's still something to see for the uninformed. ]

The King of Horror joins forces with Marvel. Stephen King’s writing some Dark Tower thing for Marvel Comics, or at least that’s what was formally announced a couple days ago. At least they’ve got a decent artist (Jae Lee) penciling the series.
[ Popular authors penning comic books is actually a trend that has been occuring for a number of years. ]

The Best Halloween Costume, EVER! Katie Meagher in a Bavarian beer-maid costume?! Don’t I wish I was at UCF for that Halloween party. Ich moechte ein Bier, bitte!
[ It's funny, page loads on this weblog doubled the day that this was posted. ]
“Young boys should never be sent to bed, they always wake up a day older.”
Movie of the Moment: Finding Neverland

web site hit counter