A Place To Call My Own

2003-03-22T03:49:00.000-06:00

There's absolutly no better TV I have ever seen than this war. You want reality TV? They've got your reality TV right here. The difference is, this stuff is actually real. Allowing journalists to embed with troops is absolutely spendid. The US definitely did not have to allow this, but I think we're all thankful they did.

Of course, this is giving me access to the most horrible of events. People die because of what we're watching. But whether I read it in tomorrow's paper or I see it live on TV, it still happens.

CNN has been the absolute kings of the videophone. Yesterday evening, I was introducted to this when reporter Walter Roberts rolled with the 3-7th Cavalry. Some dull moments while choppers and tanks refueled, but when those tanks got rolling, unopposed, splendid TV. Not to mention Aaron Brown's commentary. It welcomed us to the war. The show had started.

This evening, Walter Roberts was back with his videophone, further into Iraq. But tonight's "episode" had more tense moments, as they were minorly fired upon by a pocket of Iraqi resistance.

And now, late night on CNN, Martin Savidge has been absolutely amazing, taking me on a splendid trip. Marines blowing up abandoned Iraqi tanks (I think) were fired upon by Iraqis. Marines secured the area while others tried to finish the demolition job. Exploding tanks, a mysterious fuel-powered grenade, and an imminent scent of danger. They soon abandoned, and that's where the story is right now. It's been an epic tale, and there are many other such epic tales that CNN isn't covering currently in favor of this one.

Say what you will about there being too much media coverage, and how I shouldn't be enjoying such a horrible event, but it is entertaining. I'm so sick of Friends and I'm A Celebrity and Joe Millionaire. This is real. The choppy video does seem SOOOOO '90s, but this is stuff that's never been done before. This is amazing. I've probably been watching this war way too much, as anytime I'm not sleeping, I'm watching or listening to this war, but I watch it for things like this. Absolutely splendid.

2003-02-16T02:13:00.000-06:00

So Google bought Blogger. Who would have guessed it?

Surely, this will bring on changes. I'm very optimistic that it'll be good changes, because I've always looked upon Google as a good company (say what you will about cookies or whatnot; I don't care if they know what I'm looking at, because I'd volunteer the information to them if they asked for it anyway). I have a feeling Pyrads are involved somehow. Google is probably looking to improve their paid ads on the sides of web searches. I'm also envisioning a Blogger tab at Google.com with some kind of blog search, which would be very cool. This, to me, can only mean good things. I'm very excited.

And to tell you the truth, I'm only blogging about this because all the other bloggers will. But why not?

2003-02-13T00:43:00.000-06:00

When a story about a murdered convience store clerk in Northeast Minneapolis appears below the virtual fold at the Strib, that's a sign of the times.

Yeah, the Strib is the only thing that keeps me coming back here. I'm bad, but I'll try to get better, I promise.

2003-02-03T23:22:00.000-06:00

I've been critical of the order of importance of the stories on the Strib's front page. Hell, I've been critical of the stories themselves. But I must thank them for leaving the shuttle coverage, now heading into it's fourth day, to just a small box, no bigger than any of the other stories sections. And, unusually for a Tuesday, they have a ton of really interesting feature stories. The kind they save for Sundays. I'm glad they're being bold and stepping away from the shuttle story; yes, it's a national tragedy, and yes, it's more important than anything else right now (yes, even Iraq and North Korea). But it's just damned depressing. And when NASA is him-hawing between what caused it, it's not that interesting anyway. Naturally, by the end of the week, we'll all be sick and tired of the word "tile."

So while it is still basically the only thing going on right now, I'm glad the Strib realizes that while this is an event that shocks the world, it does not stop the world. The Wolves continue to play; buildings continue to get built; movies no one would hear of otherwise still premiere (and frankly, I've never seen a movie at the U Film Society, but I think I'm going to try and make my way to this one). The reason why I wasn't as tramatized by the imagry of debris and whatnot is probably because I spent the weekend getting my mind off of it; the events we had planned and the tragedy happened to coincide with each other, but either way, it was getting my mind off of it. September 11th was on a whole different level, of course, and it was so shocking that we did want to cuddle up with the news and reflect on our brave new world, with such people in it. But maybe I would have ultimately been better off had I figured out a way to do something else (a bit tougher of a feat then, because the whole world essentially did stop). Maybe I would have missed a new angle on the disaster; apparently, there's one of the astronaut's arm patch that is one of the more powerful images to come out of this, but I haven't seen it yet. I'm regretting not seeing it yet, but that says something about our nature during these events.

May the seven killed abord Columbia forever live with God.

2003-01-21T00:03:00.000-06:00

So, my lowly website has turned one year old. It's already outlasted any of my other website ventures, so why not keep it going, eh?

For one week and one week only, I return to the original site design. Because I'm an over-celebratory geek and because I can, that's why. Yeah, I hate it too, and I still think it looks too MTV-ish, but what are ya gonna do?

2003-01-13T19:31:00.000-06:00

Anyone else noticing all the technology errors on the American Music Awards? I thought the Osbournes were swearing and they were cutting the audio, but clearly that's not the case. They made Matchbox Twenty sound horrible, and it seems like their tech room is a mess. Don't they practice these things enough so that these things aren't likely to happen? Go figure.

2003-01-10T21:45:00.000-06:00

I hate the local news. KMSP thinks they've come across a Big Major Exclusive Story™. You see, there's these commercials that are in efforts to stop smoking. One of them has a woman, apparently on a home video to her son in the future, singing to her son. She has cancer from smoking, you see. At the end, it says she died, and tells people to stop smoking.

Along comes KMSP, and they find out that, lo and behold, she's an actress! Oh-ho! Oh dear! God forbid there's ever actresses in commercials! Jesus Christ, what is this country coming to?! When will the terrorists strike again!?

I knew someone who thought they stumbled upon something big when it was revealed that the Apple "Switch" commercials had actors and actresses. As if these "personal" commercials should be set on different guidelines as the others. Well, of course it's an actress, and if you're just figuring this out now, you're a bit slow. If you think this is a Big Major Exclusive Story™, maybe you should save your minute or two and give it to the police shooting that happened today.

Remember folks, you heard it at this Minneapolis blog FIRST!

2003-01-07T22:36:00.000-06:00

Last night I had a dream that we got my math grades, and they were so phenominal, so through-the-roof that they suggested raising me to the highest math level. Clearly, writing is my forte long before math ever will be, so when I reminded myself of this dream this morning, I thought to myself, jokingly, "in your dreams."

Later on, my mom tells me to check my e-mail because she forwarded my latest math grades to me (snail mail ... what was I thinking?!). I look, and they're absolutly horrible.

In my dreams indeed.

2002-12-31T01:37:00.000-06:00

Quite often people ask me what my favorite song is. Being a true music enthusist, I can never quite give an answer. So I decided I should rank my top 100 songs over this Winter Break.

Nominee Round One had few rules. All I did was select any song I figured might make the top 100. No limit to the number of songs I pick. I wound up with 227 songs total.

Nominee Round Two was where I took away 127 of those 227, giving me 100 songs left. This round was very tough and took a lot of thinking.

I then spent four days listening to the 100 songs that made the cut. Then yesterday I ranked the 100, and now today, New Years Eve, I'm releasing the list. So, without further adieu, here are my top 100 songs of all time:

100. Chemical Brothers | The Test
99. Calla | Fear Of Fireflies
98. The Beatles | Rocky Racoon
97. John Denver | Take Me Home Country Roads
96. Guns 'N' Roses | Patience
95. Course Of Nature | Caught In The Sun
94. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes | Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard
93. Red Hot Chili Peppers | Give It Away
92. Weezer | Say It Ain't So
91. Simon and Garfunkel | The Boxer
90. Coldplay | Shiver
89. Kara's Flowers | Everyday Goodbyes
88. Cake | Love You Madly
87. J. J. Jackson | But It's Alright
86. Nirvana | In Bloom
85. Bush | Comedown (Acoustic)
84. Collective Soul | The World I Know
83. Dave Matthews Band | When The World Ends
82. The Beatles | Back In The USSR
81. Santana | Put Your Lights On (with Everlast)
80. Creedence Clearwater Revival | Up Around The Bend
79. Stereophonics | Step On My Old Size Nines
78. Green Day | Basket Case
77. Marvin Gaye | What's Goin' On
76. Counting Crows | Colorblind
75. Neil Young | Keep On Rocking In The Free World
74. Eric Clapton | While My Guitar Gently Weeps (with George Harrison)
73. Bob Marley | Redemtion Song
72. The Beatles | Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da
71. Bob Dylan | Shelter From The Storm
70. Radiohead | Creep
69. George Michael | Freedom '90
68. Blues Traveler | But Anyways
67. Eric Clapton | Wonderful Tonight
66. Bob Dylan | Tangled Up In Blue
65. Pearl Jam | I Am A Patriot
64. Paul Simon | Kodachrome
63. The Beatles | I Feel Fine
62. The Rolling Stones | Brown Sugar
61. Bob Dylan | Subterranean Homesick Blues
60. Foo Fighters | There Goes My Hero
59. Coldplay | Yellow
58. The Beatles | Drive My Car
57. Dave Matthews Band | Grace Is Gone
56. John Lennon | Imagine
55. Simon and Garfunkel | Mrs. Robinson
54. The Beatles | Michelle
53. Chuck Berry | Brown-Eyed Handsome Man
52. The Beatles | Ticket To Ride
51. Van Morrison | Brown Eyed Girl
50. George Harrison | I've Got My Mind Set On You
49. Simon and Garfunkel | Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard
48. The Beatles | Revolution
47. Creedence Clearwater Revival | Fortunate Son
46. Lifehouse | Quasimodo
45. The Beatles | In My Life
44. Tom Petty | Mary Jane's Last Dance
43. The Offspring | Pay The Man/Pretty Fly For A White Guy (Spanish)
42. The Beatles | Good Day Sunshine
41. U2 | Stay (Far Away, So Close) (Remix)
40. Beastie Boys | (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party)
39. The Beatles | Hello Goodbye
38. Radiohead | Paranoid Android
37. Bruce Springsteen | Born To Run
36. Billy Joel | Piano Man
35. Led Zeppelin | Stairway To Heaven
34. Van Morrison | I'll Be Your Lover Too
33. The Beatles | Yesterday
32. The Rolling Stones | You Can't Always Get What You Want
31. Bob Dylan | The Times They Are A-Changin'
30. American Hi-Fi | Another Perfect Day
29. Barry McGuire | Eve Of Destruction
28. Beach Boys | Good Vibrations
27. Elton John | Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
26. Aerosmith | Mama Kin
25. James Taylor | Fire And Rain
24. Paul McCartney | Maybe I'm Amazed
23. The Beatles | Lady Madonna
22. The Who | My Generation
21. The Beatles | Blackbird
20. Counting Crows | Mr. Jones
19. Jimi Hendrix | Little Wing
18. Paul McCartney | Band On The Run (with Wings)
17. Elton John | Your Song
16. Jimi Hendrix | Wait Until Tomorrow
15. Aerosmith | Dream On
14. Pink Floyd | Wish You Were Here
13. The Rolling Stones | (Can't Get No) Satisfaction
12. The Beatles | Daytripper
11. AC/DC | Shook Me All Night Long
10. The Beatles | Here Comes The Sun
9. Led Zeppelin | Ramble On
8. Prince | Purple Rain
7. Otis Redding | Sitting By The Dock Of The Bay
6. The Beatles | Let It Be
5. The Beatles | Hey Jude
4. U2 | One (Accoustic)
3. Queen | Bohemian Rhapsidy
2. The Who | Won't Get Fooled Again
1. Don McLean | American Pie

So there you have it. Don McLean's "American Pie" just barely beats out The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again," and this one was close. In fact, I placed "American Pie" second, but then changed my mind. All 100 are great songs, and I recommend you get any and all of them, either legally or otherwise.

2002-12-19T22:23:00.000-06:00

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! Or not. It's been hard to get into the Christmas spirit without any snow around here. I'm in Minnesota! I expect a white Christmas! No, I expect six feet of white Christmas! Granted, it did snow today, but the roads were too warm to hold it, so it's only on the grass. Barely a dusting. I need more.

Fell in love with a girl. And it's about damn time. Of course, I've been analyzing the situation between me and her for about four months now, but now I'm absolutly sure. No, we're not dating yet; if you read this site, you should have gathered that I'm far too shy for that yet. But it seems like she might make the first move, which would be great. Indeed, things are looking up.

So long until the Twins season opens up. I look at the calender and see that it's just about two months away until the first day of Spring Training, but then I total up the days, and I can't stand it. So. Very. Long.

Of course, it'll come quicker than I think, and soon I'll have visions of championship rings dancing in my head instead of these god damn sugarplums.

2002-12-06T20:37:00.000-06:00

Since leaving Marcy, and consequently Jay, the Wunder-Social Studies Teacher, I just haven't cared much for current events. I follow them, I know what they're about, but I just don't care much. Maybe it's because Jay was just so damned fun to listen to on these issues, unlike the news. Meh.

Not much going on in my life. A lot of homework, a lot of nothing. I've felt a little empty since the end of the Twins season. I go to the Twins site every day, hoping just to get some new stories to feed my hunger. But it's only about 130 days until Spring Training begins!

... So very long.

2002-11-20T17:08:00.000-06:00

Sunday, Monday and Tuesday of last week all were bad days. Wednesday, as noted here, was a good day. Then Thursday was good. Then Friday was good as well. Which left Saturday the deciding day in if that week was to be good or bad. Saturday was good. So, for the first time in my life's history, Good has battled back from being down 3-0 to win the week. Huzzah.

Lots and lots of tests this week. And last week. And the week before. But at least I'm doing good on them.

Hump day, hump day, I hate hump day. Long boring Wednesday. But it's the end of the week now, and that's always nice.

Can you tell I have nothing to say? Good. Gives me an excuse for a lame ending.

2002-11-13T16:54:00.000-06:00

A good day, for a change of pace. Despite a rocky start this morning with waking up late and rushing, once I got on the bus, I had this odd feeling that today would be a good day. Maybe it was when the bus driver greeted everyone that got on the bus with a cheery greeting, maybe it was that he had gotten all the windows closed so that it'd actually be warm in the bus. I just knew it would be a good day. Which I really needed, because I haven't had a good day since before my grandpa died.

Math was simple, which put me in good spirits either. Civics was still slow and boring, but not overwhelmingly bad or boring. French was good because the most I ever had to do was watch other kids do a presentation. And the school chicken sandwich was actually cooked how I like it, instead of horribly undercooked or not crispy enough for my liking! Huzzah!

The best part of the day came in English class, even though through most of it, we were taking grammar notes. But at the end, we had a "Longest Sentence" competition, and if you've been reading this site for a while, I'm sure you know that my ears perked up at the sound of that. Yes, I can write some long sentences, and without them being run-on sentences either. For those of you who just yelled out "Commas and semi-colons!," commas yes (as I love to use them), semi-colons no (as I just didn't feel like putting any in, nor did I really have a place to). So my sentence was 73 words long, well over the next highest, 39. I could have easily gotten over 100, but class was ending and I knew that the current best was 39, so I just wrapped it up, knowing I had the prize won. My prize? A plastic/rubber/glue/God knows what's in this thing Halloween "Scream" tie. I wore it, giving me the so-often-used "insanity" look that so many wear at my high school. Very cool. And don't ask me to write the sentence here; the teacher has it, and I'll be damned if I can remember it. It started out with "Initially,".

The rest of the day was easy easy easy too. So, even though there's still a few hours left in this day, CNN is projecting Good the winner of this day in a landslide victory over Bad.

Or something.

2002-11-12T00:05:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was Veteran's Day. It came and went with little fanfare. I wouldn't have known if it weren't for my Simpsons 365-Day Calender alerting me of it. Considering I just had a veteran grandfather die, I thought I would do something, but I never could figure out something to do. But from what I can tell, Veteran's Day is for the veterans still alive, and Memorial Day is for those who have died. So then, Memorial Day I'll do something.

Rough Monday. Bout with sickness, the typical for November. Cough, runny nose. It's time to get the ol' humidifier up and running again. I have no beef with Winter; you have to learn to love it to stay sane around here. Minneapolis has a very cool parade every holiday season, and neighboring St. Paul has a great Winter Carnival that helps us all stay in good spirits. I'll be sick of it by February, of course. Sick of the constant white, the cold nipping at my nose. I've lived too many years here not to know that. But right now, it's not too bad. I'm just sick. The first snowfall will be fun. It always is. No matter how many snowfalls I've lived through, it's still a new feel every Winter when the first flakes actually stick to the ground and accumulate. It becomes old hat within the week, but still.

School, home, school, home, and so on for four more days. I'm already sick of this week. I was really cheated this weekend. But all I can do is go onward. Towards the weekend. Always keep your mind on the weekend. Bed now. Onward to Tuesday!

Oy.

2002-11-04T02:49:00.000-06:00

Not dead, not dead! My lengthy absense isn't without excuse this time. This time, I've been in Montana for my grandfather's funeral. A touching service, that was. They had a color guard and firing squad, as he was a war veteran, both World War II and the Korean War. I had never been too proud of my grandfather, because he drank and smoked way too much, and he had a large collection of porn, which we had known for a while, but didn't learn the expanse of it until we cleaned out his trailer. But during the service, I gained a lot of respect for him. He may have had his faults (which ultimately ended his life quicker), but all in all he was a good guy, as I learned from those who spoke of him there. I was very sad throughout the whole service, but the line that got the waterworks flowing was when the war veteran leading the color guard took the flag, handed it to my dad and said "On the behalf of the United States Government, we present you with the colors of our nation, which your father proudly served." Those words will always stick with me, those words will be what I remember most. The way the veteran said it, the way he handed it, the look on my father's face. It said everything, and can still bring me to tears now. It was a very simple service, and my grandpa would have liked it that way. Rest in peace, Papa Dean.

I'm thinking of adding a little more umph! to the site, maybe beginning with a new witty (I hope) tagline every week. My commitment to that will at least keep me coming here. Also, I'll probably add a weekly top twenty-five songs list thing, just so that it's known what I'm jiving on. Or something. The main thing is that I need to keep posting. Because I really do want this place to thrive, even though this site's purpose is just to give me writing practice. It's fun to have an audience. What's the point of writing if you're not writing to anyone?

2002-10-17T01:57:00.000-05:00

Just read my entire archives. Man, was some of my stuff bad. Oh well. Shows improvement, and that's a good thing.

And so, the disclaimer: Feel free to browse the archives, but don't hold me against anything I've said back there. I disagree with parts of it.

I also noticed a few different apperances of the Anaheim Angels, such as way back in Spring Training, when I noted that they were the only team in the AL better than the Twins in Spring Training. Weird wild wacky stuff.

Saw "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" on Saturday. Brilliant movie. Funniest movie I've ever seen. So many gags, so many jokes. You're laughing every minute, and it's appropriate for all ages (though the younger lads probably would get bored with it), including the senior citizens of America, who can be offended easily: My grandparents recommended it. I didn't even know they went to movies anymore. And those who are scared of it because N'Sync's Joey Fatone is in it: He has about three lines, and stays out of the way for the rest. It doesn't ruin the movie. He's used more as a prop than a character. Now excuse me while I try some Windex on this rash.

Oh, what else? There's a sniper on the loose; news-worthy. But what am I going to say about it? I think it's bad. So does everyone else.

Vikings are as good as dead. Timberwolves seem to be doing alright in the pre-season, but it's the pre-season. Just wait until round one of the NBA Playoffs. The Wild were undefeated in pre-season, but, once again, pre-season. I think the NHL regular season has started. I think I'll find my way to a Wild game this season; I'd really love to see the Xcel Energy Center, and an actual NHL game. I don't care much for hockey, but I'm Minnesotan, so I have to go to at least one game in my childhood. Or else I'm evil, or something. Now can I wear my Wild t-shirt, or should I bring a sweater? Yeah, I'm new to this.

Tired, tired, but four day weekend, so no bed for a while. Plus, my sister conviently fell asleep in my bed. Oy. That means I get to face her wrath waking her up. She doesn't wake easy.

AND CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME IF BOB BARKER DIED OR NOT?!

It's been a long day. Long, confusing day.

2002-10-14T00:31:00.000-05:00

There once was a land named Whosville. The Whos in Whosville were hard-working, fun-loving people, who loved to earn their money and then spend it on the various attractions around Whosville. Except one. The Whosville Whos, the local baseball team. The Whosville Whos, you see, were not playing very good baseball, and the Whos of Whosville didn't feel like seeing the Whosville Whos lose all the time. But in a Whodollar dominated game, with no Whos attending the games, that meant the Whosville Whos couldn't get good players to help the team improve. But the Whosville Whos developed a strong farm system, and with a lot of hard work, they had developed a good, home-grown baseball team. One season, the Whosville Whos started to win. Some of the Whos in Whosville caught on, and attended games. Things were looking promising for the Whosville Whos, but they just missed the playoffs.

Just after the World Series, two evil Grinches, one the commissioner of baseball, and the other the Whosville Whos owner, decided they'd ruin the hopes and dreams of the Whosville Whos of ever becoming, once again, a Championship baseball team. Aghast at the news, all the Whos in Whosville started to protest the idea. There were rallies and protests. There were web sites made by Whos in Whosville pleading with the Grinches. And, most importantly, some of the Whos in Whosville took the matter to the Whosville courts, and won. The Whosville Whos would last at least one more season. The Whosville Whos all rejoiced at the news, as they liked playing in Whosville and knew they could go much further this season.

And thus began the long road. It started far south of Whosville, in another town, in a whole 'nother state, a whole 'nother land, with a very different climate. There, the Whosville Whos could prepare without battling the cold weather of Whosville. April 1st came, and the Whosville Whos played their first of 162 (or more!) games that they could not have been playing if the Grinches plans wouldn't have been blocked. And they won. And through the months they went, going to many different towns to face many different other teams, and they continued to pile on wins, and stay ahead of the other teams. After many moons, the Whosville Whos clinched a playoff spot, and not only did the Whosville Whos rejoice, but so did all the Whos in Whosville.

The Whosville Whos entered the playoffs facing a team that seemed much bigger and much stronger and ultimately much better than them. But the small Whosville Whos managed to beat such an ominous team and move onward in the playoffs.

Their next opponents, however, were built much like them. Almost as if they were ... Twins or some kind of self-reflective guardian Angels. The Whosville Whos thought they were very unique from all the other teams in the playoffs, but this was not so. This other team had been built nearly identically, and they even had to face a "Goliath" of an opponent previous to this round. The Whosville Whos were quite good at defying odds against bigger competition, but how would they fare when they were even with a team?

Unfortunately for the Whos in Whosville, they didn't fare well at all, and were ultimately defeated. And somewhere, the Grinches smirked. But they will not smirk for long, because while their cold hearts of evil may freeze especially cold on this day, in just a few months, the same team of Whosville Whos will be at it again, and perhaps this time, the Grinches will be defeated by the Whosville Whos and the people they represent.

A very big thanks and congratulations to the Minnesota Twins, reigning a love for baseball, and especially Twins baseball, into Minnesota. Especially since the Vikings suck this season. Five games in 2001, six games in 2002, so I'll be shooting for seven in 2003. Hopefully I'll get to see a few in Kansas City or Chicago or even Boston or New York (all have been mentioned by my parents for next season). But the Grinches have taught me a lesson, and I don't see how, win or lose, I can ever lose my interest in the Twins ever again. Baseball will always be my first love. Here's to a restful off-season and an excellent, hopefully less worrisome 2003 Season!

2002-09-18T21:59:00.000-05:00

I laughed when I typed in my username and password and then checked the "Remember Me" button. Yeah, I'm back. Didn't go anywhere, really, and that was the problem. I was stuck at home all summer, leaving me with nothing of any interest to write. Nevermind that I've been in school for two weeks now. I knocked down the walls with my own laziness, and now it's time for me to build them back up.

That's not to say I haven't thought about this place. All summer I've thought of things to post here. But I didn't, and I'm really not sure why. I thought about coming back on September 11th, but decided ultimately against it, for no real concrete reason. But then I decided to post today, for just the same reason: no reason. Because, really, what Blogger has a reason for doing this? We don't make much, if anything, from it. We aren't exactly getting a whole lot of fame from it either. It won't land me a cameo on Friends or an interview on Entertainment Tonight. We do this because we want to.

I'm back now. I have the want again. I just hope the fans (hah!) still want me.

2002-07-19T04:29:00.000-05:00

I creep down the stairs to go to the bathroom, unable to hold it in any longer. I must be quieter than I've ever been; quieter than all those times my paranoid brain thought there was an intruder in the house. Just as quiet as all those moments of silence I've participated in (quite a few, really. Most of them at baseball games.) The 4:00 hour is weird. If it were 3:00, my parents would know I was up on the computer, and figure it's summer and not care much. If it were 5:00, they'd think I was sleeping in my bed and woke up and had to go, which would be perfectly acceptable. 4:00 is the inbetween hour, the Korean de-militarized zone of the witching hours (what the hell did I just say?). If I were caught now, my parents would know I was up on the computer and would yell because it was far too late.

I made it down and in safe and sound. Did my business (a term saved for the dog), took a whiff and figured I'd take my chances and flush. Safe. Washed hands. Looked up at the mirror. And that's when the thought donned on me.

Now, I've never considered myself "sexy", nor do I think anyone else has. I have a good personality, intelligence on a multitude of levels, a premium blend when it comes to what's on the inside. But it doesn't come in a good package. Oh well.

That said, I looked up at the mirror, looked at my face and thought "Damn, do I look sexy tonight."

Not sexy enough to be a movie star or male model or something, just generally good looking. Better than normal.

Must be a night time thing. Carpe diem (Jesus, I hope that was the right Latin phrase).

2002-07-19T03:37:00.000-05:00

New template. Not because I was tired of the old one, though. Because the old one encountered an error I didn't know how to fix. So new template. Just as well, I suppose.

News sites have been the bulk of my web surfing lately (if my parents knew this, they wouldn't regard my web surfing so pointless, but whatever), but I'm just as clueless as the next person about it all. Whatever. I know the stock market is unstable and that kids all over the US are going missing and we're about to go into Iraq again and all that. Okay then. I'll continue to live in a little state of bliss. Save your news for the fall and the return of Social Studies. Summer is a time of relatives and home improvements and wasting my time on my ass. And enjoying every bit of it.

See what kind of stuff I can work out late at night? I mean, that sounded GOOD. It sounded intelligent despite being utter crap. That's why I think I'd make a good columnist (though Lileks is god).

The truth of the matter is every clock around me says 3:33, I just replaced my boring Windows shell with one from LiteStep, and Hootie and the Blowfish is playing on the built-in Winamp player. And I just put up a new template that accidentally covers up the BlogSpot ads. All hail late night.

2002-07-14T22:01:00.000-05:00

Random thoughts. The All-Star Game ended in a tie. Normally, I'd be pissed off as all hell at this. And I am. But it's not so bad, because it made Bud Selig be booed in his own home town, which made me smile. Good times.

If anyone should be glad the game ended in a tie, it's recording artist (questionable) Anastsia, who sang the National Anthem before the game. She botched two lines, and would have made the highlight reel and been the talk of water coolers across the US if the game hadn't ended in a tie. "And the rockets gave glare!" Come on.

Saw Men In Black Two. It wasn't bad, but it certainly isn't memorable. If you're out of movies to see, see it. If you liked the first, see it. Otherwise, avoid it. It went by way too quick, and really wasn't entertaining. Certainly not as good as the first, as it loses all the charm of the first. But it wasn't bad.

2002-07-04T16:01:00.000-05:00

Horrible disturbing feeling. True, I said I'd ignore the story until tomorrow. But that doesn't mean the TV won't be left on. I just had a horrible feeling. Earlier the TV said one dead. I looked at the computer, looked up later. Two dead. And I just looked up at the TV again, and it said three dead. It's a horrible feeling.

2002-07-04T15:43:00.000-05:00

[Music| Artists For Life - What's Going On]

I just finished my America playlist. I open up a new Internet Explorer window, and see a headline saying someone was shot at the Los Angeles Airport. Well.

I turn on CNN and click the link, but then mute the TV and leave the page. I'd rather enjoy America than wallow in sadness on this Fourth. And I'll ignore the story until I read it in tomorrow's paper.

2002-07-03T16:51:00.000-05:00

[Music| Weezer - Island In The Sun]

I haven't had a thing to say for a while now, and then all of a sudden I get a lot to say.

There's some times when nothing on TV is better than PBS. Last night (late last night, of course. Like four AM.) was one of those moments. I flipped past PBS, and they had American Scientific Explorers or whatever it's called on. I stopped and watched. I actually like that show the few times I catch it. If nothing else, I can laugh at Alan Alda. They had a thing about memory, and then a thing about an astronaut who was on Mir, and then a thing about mountain climbing sickness. It wasn't all that entertaining, but it was better than my choice of two Richard Simmons infomercials.

After that, PBS got better. British comedies. I've flipped past many of these, and even stopped to watch for a bit, but I always turn away within a couple minutes, even though I knew British comedy was supposed to be very good. So I watched an entire one this time. It was called "Waiting For God", about, basically, a nursing home. Didn't sound great, didn't sound bad.

They had a lady, Diana, who made fun of everyone. One of the best characters I've ever seen on a TV show. She was hilarious. That said, the whole show was hilarious. Certainly worth looking into.

Prior to "Waiting For God", they showed a commercial for "The Boss", another British comedy. The commercial really made me want to see it, but, alas, the commercial said it aired at 10:00 PM. Damn. But after "Waiting For God", they showed "The Boss". I was happy.

I was even more happy after I saw the show. T'was brilliant, with excellent characters. And for me, new to the show, they make the show quite easy to hop into. I plan on watching tonight at 10:00. Yes, both shows had jokes that would be far funnier to Brits, but they do just fine in America. I don't see any reason for me to watch an American comedy ever again. Really.

9:30 AM. Up and at 'em. Grandma, visiting from Florida in her motorhome, wanted me to direct her to Fort Snelling National Cemetary. I know how to get to nearly anything in the Minneapolis area, and if I don't know exactly how, I can make one hell of a guess. No problem getting her there. We went to the cemetary, payed our respects, and then Grandma noted that she wanted to go buy flowers. I'm not all that familiar with the Bloomington area, so I didn't know where to go. So we drove. Eventually, we found shopping mecca: The Mall of America. "Let's try there" said Grandma. Alright. Of course, we go inside and didn't find any flowers anywhere. Though when she's only willing to go down one side of the mall, you can't expect to find anything.

What surprised me was how many new stores there were in there. It had only been about three months since I was there last. We go quite a bit, seeing how it's close. But in just one side of the building, two of the four levels, there were about seven new stores. When my uncle gets to town in a couple weeks we'll go to the Mall of America, and a further examination will be done. But how there could be that many new stores in just three months was astounding.

Unfortunately, a cosistant stop at the Mall, The Drug Store, is gone. Replaced by Ocean Store. The Drug Store had 69 cent cans of pop! And now it's gone!

Then again, Met Stadium was demolished for the Mall of America. Ch-ch-ch-changes.

We took side roads home, and it was less stressful than taking the highway. Which made me realize that highways suck. When I get my license, I won't do much highway driving. The side roads are for me.

We stopped at The Diner for lunch, and had a greasy Philly Melt. I love Philly Melts. I didn't love that one. Horrible thing.

Found our way home via Downtown. Downtown Minneapolis has to be my favorite place in the whole world. I've yet to see a skyline more beautiful than the grand yet modest skyline of Minneapolis. And on the ground it's nice too. In the winter, you don't have to take a single step outside, and in the summer there's benches and tables and all sorts of places you can just sit and enjoy summer. Nicollet Mall is the best idea this city has ever had. And Downtown is the home of the Minnesota Twins, and there's nothing like a drive with the windows down through the vibrant Saturday Minneapolis streets, right down Hennipen, after a Twins win. Nothing like it. I am truly blessed to live in such a wonderful city, such a wonderful state, such a wonderful country.

Happy Fourth. Love your city, state and country as much as I do mine, because you could have it a lot worse.

2002-06-26T14:58:00.000-05:00

Reverend Jerry Falwell is an idiot. I'm watching CNN's Talk Back Live (which I probably should have watch more often) as I heard that "under God" was removed from the Pledge Of Alligence, which excited me. Regardless of my religious views (frankly, I'm in the middle), to uphold the Constitution, God shouldn't be mentioned at all in the Pledge Of Alligence. And when Falwell and others say that it shouldn't be removed because it's unpatriotic to do so, what about the patriotism that comes in upholding the Constitution, which grants us all freedom of speech and freedom of religion? Frankly, I find the Constitution far more patroitic than the Pledge Of Alligence.

I have never, ever said the Pledge Of Alligence. Not because I've chosen not to; we haven't done it. It's simply not done in Minneapolis Public Schools. If we were to do it, I don't think I would. I would choose to sit it out, perferably outside of the room. When it came to choosing high schools, one of the lesser pros I had towards the public high school I'll be going to over the private high school my parents wanted me to go to is that they say the Pledge there. When I toured the private high school, I was quite uncomfortable when they all said it. The point people are bringing up is that people can just sit it out if they want; it's not that easy. When your peers and most teachers are up there saying it, and you're one of the few, if not the only, sitting it out, it's not a good feeling. I felt it when I toured the private school, and if it was excruciating once, imagine the kids who go through that every day.

And really, with grades faltering across the nation, shouldn't making kids feel comfortable at school be the number one goal?

2002-06-26T06:53:00.000-05:00

[Music| None]

Shamelessly plugging my own projects. Because I can. And my blog, frequented by people who love the work I do (hah!) are the perfect target audience for a site that contains me and the work I do (hah!) in a blog format. Yeah, I got this demographic thing all figured out.

Attic Salt. What more needs to be said? Well, a lot of stuff really, such as a description of the site. Regardless, I stand by my question. Just click the damn link.

2002-06-23T15:25:00.000-05:00

[Music| None]

You know, I said I don't go to many movies a while back, and since saying that, I've seen more movies than I usually do in a year. That said, I don't win many contests either [crosses fingers].

Yesterday I saw "The Bourne Idenity". It sucked. It was just another stupid action movie that involved people running from the law. I thought it might redeem itself towards the end by having us figure out some big conspiracy theory or have the law kill Matt Damon (or both), but it didn't. Instead, it ended with the law dead and Matt Damon getting the girl (who was hot, and the only way I could stand this movie). Horrible dialogue, horrible acting, horrible movie. It was just plain boring.

But I don't think Minority Report would have been much better.

2002-06-18T21:00:00.000-05:00

[Music| Good Charlotte - Walk By]

So. Summer has started for me now.

So. That means I won't really do much anymore.

So. That means this blog will become a bit more political, more concerned with the news.

So. I added a new commenting system. Use it. Please.

So. That's about it. I wish I had something more exciting planned for this summer (suggestions are welcome (but only if you suggest it in the commenting system)), but I don't.

2002-06-17T21:37:00.000-05:00

Bet'cha didn't know I just went on a trip to Wisconsin, did'ja? No, you didn't. Unless you did. Anyway, I'm back now, with all the juicy details. Or something. Oh, and if you read my topic at the PA!Forums, it's just the same thing as over there. I'm lazy. So sue me.

Day One: A LaCrosse By Any Other Name

We, uhhh, got on the road. And drove. About halfway between Minneapolis and LaCrosse, I turned on my MP3 player. And then we got to LaCrosse. We explored the area around our hotel by foot (seeing how we got the best parking spot at the hotel and didn't want to give it up), and then my mom and sister parted ways with me and my dad to go to the O-Town concert. I played Nintendo 64 in the hotel for an hour (mostly Mario Tennis, which rocks, and Super Smash Brothers, which sucks). We then ordered the Internet (they had a WebTV type setup), but, alas, it didn't work. So I grabbed a magazine about the LaCrosse area, and found a zoo about six or so blocks from the hotel. We go down the elevator, and I hear my sister and her loud voice carrying down the hall. A few seconds later, there she and my mom are. We discuss our plans for the evening, they discuss O-Town, we leave. Off we walk. And walk. And walk. We come across a cemetary. That lasts six blocks. Before breaking for a county road. And then continues. At that point, we had walked enough, and turned back. Once we finally get to the block our hotel is on, there's my sister and mom again, fresh off eating dinner. We part ways quicker this time, because me and my dad are starving. We were going to eat at Buffalo Bill's Flying Carp Cafe, but there was a 30 minute wait. We went across the street to The Ringside. Ate. After that, we saw the LaCrosse trolley coming down the street, so we hopped on. We saw the sights (what few there are) of LaCrosse for only a dollar. We then ate ice cream (I had the very odd cotton candy ice cream in a waffle cone, while I think my dad had vanilla or chocolate or something), and went back to the hotel. In the hotel room, we had a sock fight until my mom and sister came back. Then we slept. Oh. And of the signs and what have you in LaCrosse, more of them said LaCrosse rather than La Crosse, although it was close.

Day Two: Boring, Nothing Day

We checked out of the hotel and went to a resturant, where, upon getting out of the van, I slammed the door on my sister's face. Good times.

Anyway, we drove the van the exact route we took when we walked to the zoo. 7.2 miles. In 50 minutes. Not bad, no? We then actually went to the zoo, which was pretty nice. We then headed out of town for Milwaukee. Got there around 6:30. Got to our friends' house. Promptly learned their computer was on the fritz. Oh well. Turned on the Twins/Brewers game. Twins lost, alas. Went out to get custard, the Milwaukee specialty. Very good, 'cept my first cone broke and got all over my pants and my dad's back (I shouldn't have tried to save it, but, rather, let it drop). Sleep. On the floor. So not really sleep.

Day Three: Exploring Milwaukee, Miller Park

Woke up. Breakfast, cooked by my parents' friend, Mike, on their deck outside. Nice scrambled egg/hamburger/onion/cheese thing. And rolls. We then went to the Milwaukee Art Festival down by Lake Michigan, which was nice except it rained the night before so the ground was all mud. The art was meh. Back to the house to regroup. My dad and Mike went out to buy food for the tailgating party before the game. Steaks. Big, fifteen dollar steaks. And corn on the cob. And chicken salad. And coleslaw. And pasta salad. All of it was excellent. We ate and ate and then went from the parking lot to the stadium. There were probably more Twins fans than Brewer fans at the game, which meant more people went home happy as the Twins won. And the stadium? A beauty. Puts the Metrodome to shame. And when they opened the roof? Pure baseball ecstacy. Does Minnesota need an outdoor stadium? God yes.

Day Four: Baseball, Redux and Leaving Milwaukee

I wanted to go back to Miller Park. I had to. I offered to pay for the tickets myself. I got my way. Just me and my dad this time. I bought the best seats in the house. $35 a ticket, but well worth every penny. We sat in section 115, row 14 (which is like row one at the Dome). 115 is like looking right down the left field line. Great seats. Dome open. Wonderful day for baseball. Twins won, making them 2-1 in the series (and, thus, winning the series). In the last half inning, it started to rain. After the game, we (and most every Twins fan, but no Brewers fans) watched the dome close, which was cooler than it sounds. All the Brewers fans walked to their cars in the rain. When we got out of the stadium, the rain had passed. Oh. And I got a Olympian Ben Sheets Bobblehead, which is very cool.

We got back to the house, packed up and left for Madison, Wisconsin, where we'd stay the night. In Madison, we ate at a place called Ella's Deli. This place was amazing. It was covered from head to toe with toys that'd move and do all kinds of things. Our table had a train inside of it that ran around it's track. And the food was good too. Found a hotel. Sleep.

Day Five: Home Again

Checked out of the hotel, onto the highway. Drove to the Wisconsin Dells, our final stop on our magical mystery Wisconsin tour (or something). Went to the Wax Museum of the Stars!, which we had skipped on a previous Dells trip a couple years back. It should have stayed skipped. Most of the wax sculptures were bad. We then went over to a Go-Kart racing place and did some Go-Kart racing. Good times.

And then we drove home. Yeah. That's about it. Not a great trip, certainly not our best ever, but fun none the less. And the Twins won. So it's all good.

2002-06-12T00:11:00.000-05:00

[Music| Green Day - Time Of Your Life]

Perhaps the most emotional day of my life.

For what it was worth, it was worth all the while. Today I graduated from 8th grade.

Already I can see the people whining that there shouldn't be an 8th grade graduation; it means nothing. They're wrong, as was proved to me many times today. It's quite possible that my 8th grade graduation will be far better than high school or college. Because it marks the beginning. It marks an end, yes; you have no idea how much I'll miss my school. I felt at peace there. It was my home away from home, and I was lucky enough to go there every day for eight years. And while there were some bad moments, I had the time of my life. But it marks a very big beginning. I have the rest of my life to live. From these basic building blocks, I build up with what I want. Much like a house; every house needs a foundation, but you can choose the features from there on up (and, of course, some features cost more than others). It marked the beginning of my life.

The thought that I won't see some of my best friends ever again, however, is quite scary. For years we were together; now, we go our seperate ways. It's scary enough thinking that I'll be without some friends from the lower grades for a few years until they come up and probably go to my high school.

At the ceremony, people cried. And even I was so overcome when I entered the room that I shed a tear or two. It was tears of sadness and fear, but also of excitedness and pure joy. It was a truly amazing thing. Perhaps what sticks in my mind the most is that I won't be taught by the wonderful group of teachers. Shaking their hands, saying one final goodbye, it was hard. No one knew who to thank; I owe the teachers so much, yet they're congradulating me.

From here on out, it's all really unpredictable, but in the end it'll be right. At Marcy Open, I had the time of my life.

2002-05-31T16:40:00.000-05:00

[Music| Aerosmith - Dream On]

Yeah, so it's a new weekend, and I'm going to talk about last weekend. So what?

Memorial Day Weekend was, well, memorable. Saturday we went to a far off farmer's market/antique show. It would have pleased Lileks, filled with nostalgia from years long since past. And I'm into that kind of thing myself, so it was really cool. If I know Lileks (which I don't aside from what he's written at his site), he would have beamed over the box of comic books. And, best yet, it was relatively small, so once I was bored with the place, we were done. After that, we went to the movie theater like I said in my previous blog, and saw "Changing Lanes". Once more, an excellent movie.

Sunday, I slept. And that was about it.

Memorial Day was great. We went to the horse track, parents won money, a good time was had by all. And I ate a lot. Good food there this year. Canterberry Park has really stepped up from last year in all departments, with some very great, very noticiable changes. I await going back, which I've never said before.

We then headed down to Harriet Island in St. Paul for the Memorial Day celebration, which has been advertized endlessly, touting the biggest fireworks display in state history. Considering we've had the fourth largest display in the country last year, that's very impressive.

It wasn't. They were basic fireworks. There was music to go along with the fireworks, and the two didn't match up well until the end. Throw in some very corny September 11th tie-ins, including THREE Bush speech clips, and it just wasn't good. But the finale was superb, which I suppose makes up for a lackluster beginning. And the band they hired to play before the fireworks was excellent, doing some great covers. The highlight had to have been their cover of Eminem's "Without Me," which I hate. But actually love. It totally surprized everyone, and it was excellently done.

Got home post-Midnight. Slept right away.

What's up for this weekend? Why, it's the church carnival at the church across the street (which just happens to be the church I go to). The carnival has always marked the beginning of summer for me. There's no feeling like the one I get seeing everything all set up across the street there and know good times are coming. And indeed they are.

2002-05-25T21:29:00.000-05:00

[Music| Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody]

As I've noted before, I don't see many movies. So when I actually do see one, it's a big deal. And when I see one that's actually good, well, I'm a very happy man.

I just got back from seeing a movie, and it was very good. Changing Lanes. If you haven't seen it, see it. If you can't see it in the theaters, wait for it on video. If you've seen it already, see it again. Amid all the Spiderman and Star Wars and what have you, Changing Lanes was an unlikely choice of a movie to go see, but I'm not complaining now. This movie is so brilliant, so stunning, so original. This movie is unlike anything I've ever seen. This movie takes you on a trip of the American mind, and doesn't push the deep thoughts on you. They let it come to you. But they do come. And they are astounding. See this movie. I don't care when or where, just do it. You owe it to yourself.

Irony insued when we all rolled our eyes at the guy who left his cell phone on, AND TALKED TO THE GUY WHO CALLED HIM DURING THE MOVIE!

2002-05-23T17:07:00.000-05:00

[Music| Radiohead - Paranoid Android]

Twins Game #2 yesterday. T'was a day game, a field trip granted to us by the school as a thanks for spending another year in Daycare Advanced (sure, I like school, but that doesn't mean I think it can't be improved upon greatly). Twins lost to the Texas Rangers, alas, 6-5. But free ice cream outside Gate F after the game! Huzzah!

I had the option of going back to school after about one inning of baseball with a few of the teachers to catch the school bus, or stay for the whole game and be responcible for my own safety and transportation. Naturally I chose the whole game option, but my parents' schdules were uncertain. So into Downtown I walked to catch a *gasp* City Bus! Why, the very thought of little Ryan taking a city bus all alone would be insane to my grandparents. Whimps.

I live just two miles away, but I rarely go Downtown. Maybe once, twice, thrice a month. But there's been a steady decline in Downtown visits recently, especially since September 11th (*suddenly wields another thousand hits via Google*). So I hadn't been downtown for a while, and this was the first time I've been downtown all alone. I know I'm just paranoid, but every person with a backpack, briefcase, purse was a terrorist to me. The man wearing a big coat outside City Hall as I walked by? Boom. And that guy frantically crossing the street before the light changed carrying his briefcase? Boom.

No actual exploding happened, of course. As they passed by me, I reminded myself that it's just paranoia. And then things got eerie.

I got to the Nicolett Mall, where I was supposed to catch the bus. But Nicolett was closed due to construction. And so the power was out down the Mall, and busses were moved to Hennipen Avenue. So I walked down Nicolett a bit, and between the power to the lights being out and the clouds covering up the sun, everything was grey. A few people wandering down the street. Flashback to images of September 11th near Ground Zero. Just blocks away from the IDS Building, largest building in Minneapolis. Felt like I was just blocks away from the World Trade Center.

Is homeland terrorism a real threat anymore? Yes. God yes.

2002-05-15T23:04:00.000-05:00

[Music| Edwin Starr - War]

Star Wars. With the mention of those two words, Googlers have no doubt come running. Good. Sit down. Stay for a while. Can I get you anything?

Of course, the movie is about to start for the first time over on the East Coast now. The first set of die-hard fans will poor into the theaters from Boston on down to Miami in five minutes, and if you're in the group of people doing just that, you'll no doubt see it tomorrow as well. And the day after that twice. And again on Sunday. And of course you'll buy the DVD, and the VHS as a backup. And then you'll hook up two TVs in your living room and watch the DVD and the VHS at the same time and point out the differences on your Star Wars Geocities website.

Eh. I kinda went off there, didn't I? Anyway.

I don't plan to see this movie; I'm not big on movies. Actually, no. I am big on movies. I just don't see many. Will I see Episode Two? Unlikely. If I see any movies, I want to see "Sum Of All Fears" first. The commercial looks cooler than any other movie commercial. "Spiderman" (I refuse to put in the hyphen. No one put in the hyphen before the movie.) comes second. Not big on superheroes, but I figure if I don't see it, I will be forever outcast by society, shunned off until I regain another chance when the next uber-movie comes out. Which I won't see either. Then comes Episode Two.

I'm not big on Star Wars, no. I think it's far too over-hyped, and far too commercialized, even for a movie. I mean, between Return Of The Jedi and Episode One, what was it living on? Re-releases and video games. Endless video games. And other assorted crap. And it's not even a good movie.

Anyway, for all you Star Wars fans who did come via Google, thanks for staying. If you really sat through my rant, you deserve some goodies:

Instant poll: Will you see 'Episode II' on Day One?
Review: 'Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones' leaves us hanging

Y'all come back now, ya hear?

2002-05-14T21:32:00.000-05:00

A visit to StarTribune.com and an unlikely story for me to click on gives me something to actually say tonight. The link: Electronic bingo bill is unplugged.

Now they haven't voted on this yet, and it won't be voted on this year, in favor of more important issues with just a week left in the legislative session here in the gopher state. But I found the arguments against this bill pretty stupid.

The House already had voted to approve "linked bingo," but senators raised concerns about the possible size of pots and feared that people might be inclined to spend more than they normally would to win the cash.

"It just seems to me this is just going to entice people to play bingo," said Sen. Charlie Berg, R-Chokio. "It's designed to relieve more people of their money."

Oh, yes. Damned is the day that a bingo hall makes money. The thing that I notice far too often about politicians is that they have no faith in the American public. Of course, yes, there will be a few people in a bingo hall that go overboard and go into debt because they dream a little too big. But there'll be those people anyway. If not in bingo halls, but in casinos or online. Unless you're going to ban gambling all together, there's no way to solve that problem, and certainly no way for the government to. So do I support casino halls to link together? I'm indifferent. Why, I can't even go in one. If it's passed, I shrug. If it's not, I shrug. But if they don't decide to pass it next year, they had better have come up with a better reason than that.

2002-05-14T21:10:00.000-05:00

[Music| None]

It's a sunshine day today. Which means, of course, I was in the house all day. Sick. Stomach ache, head ache, dizzy. And I still am sick, so I don't expect I'll be in school tomorrow either. My sister is sick as well, and she went to the doctor yesterday, so I suppose whatever verdict he comes to when the test results come back will be the same for me. The forcast for tomorrow is good. I expect to be in bed until 11:00.

2002-05-13T16:03:00.000-05:00

[Music| Ryan Adams - When The Stars Go Blue]

Yesterday I whined about the cloudy, rainy weather. So today I get a bit of a mix: It's completely sunny right now, but it's been raining off and on all day. And I had a bit of small hail five minutes ago. But at least it's sunny and warm.

Correction from yesterday: I said I was getting a permission slip to Twins/Angels. I didn't. I got a permission slip to Twins/Texas Rangers. Just as well. I've been trying to see the Twins play teams I've never seen before. The Yankees were one, and Texas is another. A-Rod and I-Rod? And Carl Everett? I can't wait. Next Wednesday.

2002-05-12T21:51:00.000-05:00

[Music| Goo Goo Dolls - Name]

There is something missing. I don't know what. But I haven't had much enthusiasm lately. True; it's been raining and cloudy for a week or so now. But beyond that, there's a lot of great things coming up, but they're just a tad out of reach. Twins game field trip, school dance, 8th grade lock-in, Valley Fair trip, graduation, summer vacation. Just weeks away. The problem is getting through those weeks.

So tonight I'm bored. Tired with the Internet, tired with life. What I need now is a change. A vacation. But my next vacation lies the day after graduation. Well.

I went to the Twins/Yankees game last night. People booed the Yankees; no surprize there. I probably would too if I were 21, stupid and drunk. Doug Mientkiewicz and Torii Hunter Gold Glove presentation ceremony before the game, which was great. Their defense last season was brilliant, and the number one reason I tuned in every night to the Twins games. It was a great game until the top of the 9th, when Eddie Guardado gave up the game-winning home run. 4-2 Yankees. Oh well. It's just one game I went to; I plan on going to at least six this season. I have tickets to the Twins and Milwaukee in Milwaukee (hence my trip after graduation), which will be excellent, since not only will I tally on another Twins game, but I'll get to tally on a new ballpark I've been to. Tomorrow I'll get a permission slip to Twins/Anihiem. I also have a plethora of free tickets from Applebee's promotions and TwinsFest. Am I worried that I won't make my goal of six? No.

Side note: Crowd of 43,000 out of 52,000 at the Dome last night, which made me a very happy person. Contract a team that can nearly sell out their ballpark? Sorry, Mr. Selig. You wanna be looking in that direction. *Points to Tampa Bay*

2002-05-07T17:29:00.000-05:00

[Music| The Doors - Light My Fire]

Dark, damp, dreary day. Very ugly today, but that's the way things go. This is Spring weather, and that means Summer (and the end of the school year) is not far off.

Anyway, while waiting for the school bus to arrive at the school (it was late ten minutes), a kid was either selling drugs or just showing drugs to another student. Right in front of the school. Yes, I plan on telling on them tomorrow; there's no reason to have drugs, let alone have them at school, let alone be selling them to people.

2002-05-06T14:52:00.000-05:00

[Music| Goldfinger - 99 Red Balloons]

I apologize for the lack of posts recently. I don't really have an excuse, although it was mid-trimester week, which meant I had projects to do. Also, I had a lack of topics, so yeah.

Saturday: It was my dad's birthday, so it was mildly celebrated. We don't give dad as much respect as we should, and barely notice his birthday. Which is really unjust, since he supports our family immensly. Three cheers for dad. I also had advanced standing tests to take; a three page essay AND an outline in an hour? Thank god the teacher was understanding and gave me an extra 20 minutes. I'd have no problem if I were typing it, but I cannot say that I write fast.

Sunday: I did yard work, and then my mom offered to play catch as a reward. As soon as we had the ball and gloves, it rained. Well.

Hopfully I'll get back on a post every day schdule. As long as I have something to talk about.

2002-05-01T21:51:00.000-05:00

[Music| Terry Cashman - Talkin' Baseball (Minnesota Twins Version)]

Lets talk baseball. All-star online ballots opened today at MLB.com. So do your patriotic duty and vote! Like last year, MLB is allowing 25 ballots per person (or per e-mail address). Accuse me of ballot-box stuffing, but I plan on using all 25, and I also plan on voting only for Twins and Expos players. Why, they're my favorite teams, and it's perfectly allowed. I know some people hate me, and say that's not what the voting is about, but I don't care. I know that there are better players than *chokes words out* AJ Pierzynski, but I also know that he won't make it either.

*Glances at TV, watches Guardado strike out Tampa Bay batter* Twins win!!

And I'll leave you with that.

2002-04-26T15:28:00.000-05:00

[Music| Phantom Planet - So I Fall Again]

According to my Simpsons 2002 Day-By-Day Calender, today is Arbor Day. There's a wood chipper outside my house, hastily chopping up discarded sticks. I saw someone throwing out a beautiful wood table on the bus ride. Kids were trying to knock the branches off trees today at recess. Happy Arbor Day.

When I was in second or third grade, five or six years ago, a kid stuck his head out a bus window to yell at some friends who just got off the bus. The bus driver didn't notice, and started to drive off from the stop. The boy's head hit a tree and detatched. Just days later, it was ordered that every tree in bus loading zones at public schools would be chopped down. My school has a big, beautiful oak tree in front of it. I remember sitting in circle, looking out the window, and seeing these workers prepare to chop it down. A couple kids in my class wanted to go out there and protest. There were already a few lonely protesters from the middle school outside protesting, but the number of protesters was equal to the number of workers. Soon, more and more middle schoolers came out and made signs and put them on the tree and whatnot. The news stations were called to come over. My teacher said that we couldn't go out there, but then Dawn, who was the principal at the time, got on the PA system and told everyone to go outside. The workers were rather dumbfounded. Soon, a good part of the lower portion of the tree was covered with signs and kids were surrounding the tree. Other kids were yelling at the workers, but staying peaceful. After a bit of this, the workers gave up and left. The tree was saved.

Call my school a "group of tree-huggers" (and people did) if you wish (even though the majority of the kids who were really protesting are long-gone), but chopping down trees doesn't keep kids from sticking their heads out windows. And at what point does it stop? Note that the kid who was decapitated stuck his head out the window at a stop, not in front of a school. I have always wondered, if they did chop down the trees in front of the school, when do they get to chopping down the No Parking signs that plauge the neighborhood?

Well, in the end they came up with a new plan of creating a new bus rule, extending the nine rules to ten: Bus windows may not be open over halfway. Most busses got a little red line inbetween the windows so kids could know how far half was (which is really quite a statement about the intelligence of America's youth, but sla). But I look up at this rule on the list of bus rules now, and wonder why it was nessicary. No, there haven't been any more decapitated kids. But there already was a rule meant to prevent kids from getting hurt by sticking body parts out the window: Do not stick your head, arms, legs or any other body part out the window. Of course, this rule was looked at, and some people pinned the blame on the bus driver for not realizing the kid had his head out the window. This was shortly before that one girl jumped out the emergency door because she had missed her stop, and she killed herself when she hit the road going at such speeds, and that brought even more bus driver blaming. But personally, in both situations, I pin the blame on the kids for being an idiots.

2002-04-25T15:14:00.000-05:00

[Music| John Mayer - Love Soon]

Well. I went on a field trip today to the Festival of Nations, an educational event in neighborhing St. Paul revolving around teaching foolish American kids new cultures and experiences. Mind you that the group I was with consisted a Bosnian and a Somali, but anyway. Disappointment ensued as I went to the Israeli booth and asked the people there their opinions on the Palestinians and they responded that they could not answer those kinds of questions. Even more disappointment ensued when I realized that there was, indeed, no Afghanistan booth. There was a Pakistan booth, but I decided not to interrogate them on the topic of terrorism.

But why can't they answer Palestinian questions? It is a pressing current issue, and the point of this festival is for people to be educated. We're learning about it in school from teachers who no doubt have their own opinion on the incident, which just might be sent into our heads, thus biasing us to one side, but we can't learn it from someone who is very familiar with the situation? Are they not allowed to speak of it because the people who run this event don't want the kids biased to the Israeli side? Is there that little faith in the students that we can think for ourselves? Alas, apparently so. The only acceptable questions were what kind of government they have or what money they use. Wow, amazingly educational. Except I already know what kind of government they have. I haven't, however, had much exposure to opinions of Israeli's face-to-face. Oh well. I just wish I would have quizzed China on that whole US plane incident a year ago.

2002-04-24T16:33:00.000-05:00

[Music| Me First And The Gimme Gimmes - Fire And Rain]

Today was special. One middle school teacher down, four more to go. I've spent three years in the middle school, the most you can spend at my school. During my three years, there is one teacher who has taught me more than any other teacher. Jay, the Social Studies teacher. His class has always been my favorite, even if things didn't start well in his class. My first middle school class ever was a class that was team-taught by him and John, the English teacher, and it lasted two hours instead of the standard one hour. This also ment there were fifty-something kids in the room instead of 25 or so. I had come to class a bit late, and the only spot left was on the big bleachers Jay has in his room. Okay. Fine. I was actually planning on sitting there in the first place (in the other times I've peeked in the room before I had thought how cool those bleachers were). However, I had gotten the bottom step of a "corner" piece of bleacher (the bleachers are split into five or six different triangular parts, and the corner pieces are the smallest of them all. The bottom step of a corner piece is a wedge of wood the size of a full-grown man's hand). Pleasent. Two hours of having my knees up to my chest and my bum aching like never before. From that day on, I vowed that the plastic chairs were the way to go. Sure, the couch is great, but it's not me. The plastic chairs are me.

And now I look back on those first few classes and realize how new I was to it all. Jay always put selected news stories on the board, and would have a news quiz every week. He would bullet the news items with a >. In my first class, however, I thought they were little 7's, referring to the day of the month the story occured on. It took me about two weeks to figure it out.

As I mentioned that today's class was my last class with him and that I think I held the record for most classes with him (11), he said "Oh dear, what have I done to you? You've been exposed to dangerous levels of me!" What has he done to me? *Points to the title of this site* This is what. Jay, thank you for making me culturally and politically aware. And it doesn't stop at this site. Probably half the MP3s on my playlist wouldn't be on there if it weren't for Jay. Have you changed me? You have no idea.

*Sings* Oh I've seen fire and I've seen rain, I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end. I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend, but I always thought I'd see you again ...

2002-04-23T23:47:00.000-05:00

Oh, I can finally feel proud of my little site here. I ... Have ... A ... COMMENTING SYSTEM! Hooray!

Of course, it'll be a good five minutes wasted if no one ever comments, but sla.

2002-04-23T00:02:00.000-05:00

School brought in the orchestra today. It's become a tradition over the years I've been at my school. And while the music was probably better than ever, behavior was at an all time low. They had the room filled with kindergardners up to third graders or so, and then the entire middle school. You get two guesses to which group was behaving better, and it's not the eldest group. One thing I had noticed while scanning the audience was if I looked diagonal-down from me (we were on elevated bleachers), there were three totally different things going on:

Furthest down-diagonal from me was a first or second grader, having fun with the music and pretending he was a conductor.
In the middle was a group of middle school girls aware of what was going on, but paying minimal attention.
Nearest to me was a boy SLEEPING!!

And, as unfortunate as this is, the kid who was sleeping was the least disruptive out of the middle schoolers. Why is this? Why must any music without lyrics "suck"? Why must the death of Dave Thomas, a self-proclaimed burger flipper, be avenged more than former Beatle George Harrison? Why must anything unenjoyable be "gay"? Why must homosexuals be the scum of the Earth?

Frankly, I don't know the answer to any of these. I know of some things that cause this, yes, but why is it so effective? Anyone who knows the answer, please tell me before my head explodes trying to come up with an answer.

2002-04-21T23:49:00.000-05:00

Not much time tonight; it's far past my bedtime.

It snowed today. After it was 92 degrees a week ago. Lileks has more on it.

Twins swept the Indians; The Minnesota Twins Website has more on that.

The Icon: Aerosmith special was excellent, except for one performance. Papa Roach did "Sweet Emotion". It started horrible, got a little better, and then fell right into the depths of song covering hell. You know the parts where Steven Tyler stops singing and the music plays loud and fast in "Sweet Emotion"? And Steven Tyler dances around with his microphone? The lead singer screwed up every moment like that. First of all, he didn't dance around at all. You have to do that. It's a must. But, perhaps worst of all, he sang through that part! And it wasn't even understandable. You don't do that. You let the music do the talking. I never did like Papa Roach anyway.

2002-04-16T17:19:00.000-05:00

People with absolutely no life may notice that I removed the link to "Sounds Like A Plan" over there on the side bar. I still read this site, yes, but I can't say I feel comfortable supporting it, not as long as a certain Charles Brumley is still making conservative Republican-supporting comments and is against gun control. I do, however, like Steve over there, him being a good friend of mine and all. Steve will be asking Charles to stop, and if he does, then perhaps I shall put the link back up.

2002-04-16T15:14:00.000-05:00

[Music| Aerosmith - Dream On]

Hot. As a hair dryer in my face. Hot. As a hand bag, a can of mace. Hit 91 degrees yesterday in Minneapolis, breaking the old record of 82 set way back in 1915. It's mid-April. It should not be that hot.

It's been in the 70s today, and was in the 70s all weekend. We had three days of warmth after a long, cold, whiney Winter, and already people are complaining about the heat. Welcome to Minnesota.

Programming Note: Tomorrow on MTV is the Aerosmith Icon special. It should be an excellent tribute to an excellent band.

Baseball Note: Tonight the Twins play Kansas City at the Metrodome. Chuck Knoblauch was traded to Kansas City. Will it be last year's three game series with the Yanks all over again? If it does happen again, should we really feel sorry for Chuck? The answer to both is probably no. Twins fans, and Minnesotans in general, are nice people. I can't explain what happened on that Wednesday last season, other than it was Dollar Hot Dog night, and it was also one of the Salute To Education nights. High school students get cheap tickets in left field and cheap hot dogs. Throw an enemy in left field, and something is bound to be thrown. Will it happen again? No. If it were to happen again, should we feel sorry for Chuck Knoblauch, who wanted to be traded to a "team who could contend"? No.

2002-04-14T23:06:00.000-05:00

[Music| The Grateful Dead - Wish You Were Here]

Well, it's over. I finished the 1000 MP3 project just after midnight Saturday. Hooray for me, even though it did take me nearly a week more than I was planning on it taking, and around five times the total amount of time it could have taken me if I listened non-stop. But oh well. It's done, and I'm never doing it again.

It's a sign of the times when you visit CNN.com before bed to see if anything has erupted in the Middle East. And, as of right now, nothing has. But a plane crashed in South Korea. Pleasent. I'm off to watch CNN. Not to await some kind of news of a Middle East attack, but, rather, to see if they have any breaking news on the plane crash, or if they're continuing coverage of the Middle East conflict. And I'll fall asleep during the commercial.

2002-04-12T16:36:00.000-05:00

[Music| Victor Wooten - Bass Solo]

Thank God it's Friday. Long week? You have no idea. Today matched the ongoing theme this week, but is now turning itself around nicely.

Rainy in Minneapolis for the last couple days. Haven't seen the sun since Tuesday. It wasn't exactly cold. I've seen my breath at the bus stop every morning, but coats were optional by recess. But it's been rainy and cloudy and grey. But rain is better than snow, I guess. Because I'm sick and tired of shoveling. This year has been especially hard, since I've had to shovel my grandparent's sidewalk as well, after my grandpa's heart attack.

Woke up this morning, looked out the window. Overwhelmed by grey. Well then. I was tired, I was sick, I was not in any mood to go to school. So I asked for extra chocolate milk and griped on. Went to school. Relaxing bus ride. Relaxing, but not relaxing enough for my tired body. Got off the bus even more tired after my failed attempts at sleeping on the bus. Trudged up the stairs, did the latest set of nothing in morning homeroom, trudged down the stairs to art, worked on my collage, trudged back up the stairs, and met substitute #1 in math class. We did busy work, but it was justified because we had a sub. Went to French and met substitute #2. We watched the same video we had watched three times before, and did a completely different packet from the other three we've done on that video. I don't know how that worked, four different work sheets on the same video, but it made it easy because by now I've memorized their every line.

Lunch and recess came. I looked out the big windows in the lunch room, and noticed that, huzzah! It's sunny again! The sun didn't dim out forever! Went outside for recess, and enjoyed the warmth. For five minutes. Then recess was over and I trudged back up the stairs.

English. I had a speech to present. I didn't want to present it. Sure enough, I was one of the few who presented it today. Oh well. Now it's off my shoulders, and it's one less thing to worry about this weekend. Afternoon homeroom, and we had casual school pictures taken, and then went outside. It was nice. Very nice. Put me in a good mood. Got on the bus, opened the windows, and let the wind hit my face.

Got home, and took the dog for a walk. Took my MP3 player along. Sang loudly. It was cleansing, it was fun, it was the best thing I could have done.

My sister woke up this morning and did the same thing I did: Looked out the window, saw grey, felt sick. She gave up on the day though. She stayed home from school. And now the 'rents wont let her out of the house to enjoy the day. She says she's feeling better now. No doubt she felt better when the sun came out. But too bad for her. Loser.

Tomorrow, I go to a birthday party, and make more out of this already fine weekend. Good, 'cause I need a good weekend after a week like this.

2002-04-08T17:47:00.000-05:00

[Music| Smashing Pumpkins - 1979]

I went to a convention yesterday. Sister didn't want to go, she stayed home. So it was just dad, mom and I, and we took the truck for a change. The truck: A 1993 Dodge Dakota, all payed for, in excellent condition. And it's mine in three years. Three LONG years.

Dad had his oldies station playing. A year ago, I would've complained. Whined for the poppy KDWB. Now I've broken free and enjoy what made music what it is today: the oldies. Parents sang, however, which was bad. They sang to Rolling Stones - Start Me Up, which was kinda funny, in a sense, and oddly enjoyable. The song, not my parents singing it.

Then that song that goes "Your momma don't dance and your daddy don't rock and roll" came on. Parents sang EVERY - SINGLE - WORD.

Last night I was up just a few minutes later than the freshly-imposed-earlier-that-afternoon bedtime at 10:00. Father got very angry. And it's all because my momma don't dance and my daddy don't rock and roll.

I was watching CNN's NEW! Crossfire. They got on the topic of Jesse Ventura. One of the hosts then had the guts to say that he wouldn't be in office if it weren't for the "drunken Minnesotans". Absolutely uncalled for to say that Minnesotans are drunk when they vote. They are no more intoxicated at any time than people from any other state! My father voted for Ventura, and he most certainly was not drunk! So I haven't been watching CNN from my bed. I've switched back to MTV2. Bareable, but barely.

2002-04-07T22:52:00.000-05:00

[Music| Semisonic - Jet]

Re-designed the site after a friend pointed out some problems that I couldn't fix. After much retooling and computer tango, it looks pretty darn good. I'm never changing the site around again.

I had stuff to say, but I'll say it tomorrow. Bed now. And no, I didn't reach 1000.

2002-04-04T23:46:00.000-06:00

[Music| Naughty By Nature - OPP]

The 1000 MP3 Project is way behind schdule. Who would've know I'd actually do things other than being on my computer this Spring Break? I just broke the halfway point. Damn. Well, even if I don't finish before April 8th, I'll still listen to all 1000, because you don't go this far and then give up.

Checked everyone's friend Alex Beam's page at the Boston Globe site. Just as I had suspected, a whole new topic. Wuss.

Went to Blockbuster Video today. Couldn't help but think that if I were in Israel, there'd be two security guards at the door. Thank you, Tal G.'s blog. You've filled my brain with thoughts of how Minneapolis would be different if it were Jerusalem.

Rented The Simpsons Road Rage for my Gamecube. Took it home, popped it in, got an error. The Gamecube couldn't read the disc. Damn. Cleaned the disk with every disc cleaning thing I had in the house, still didn't work. Took the game back, rented a different one, this time it was SSX Tricky. Sla.

I did some other stuff today as well, such as going to De La Salle High School and deciding once again that it was not right for me after touring it. Well then. Life goes on. And I hope I get to the Beatles MP3s sometime before I go insane.

2002-04-03T20:41:00.000-06:00

[Music| Me First And The Gimme Gimmes - Science Fiction Double Feature]

I redesigned the site. You can read that as I went to Blog Skins, found something I liked, and tooled with it just a tad. I don't do any actual designing. If you came to the site in the last five minutes, I apoligize.

And that's all I have for right now. Sla.

2002-04-02T20:58:00.000-06:00

[Music| Kingsmen - Louie Louie]

I'm sure this has been floating around the blogging community all day today. But I just have to link to it, since it's pissed me off. The link: In The World Of Web Logs, Talk Is Cheap

I knew that was coming when I read it. Being an avid reader of James Lileks' blog, I knew it was coming from yesterday's (which is actually dated today) Bleat. But Alex Beam's stupidity amazed me. I've never read Alex Beam before, so I can only hope he's typically more on the ball, but I doubt it.

First of all, why complain about blogs? The only reason I can see Beam having is that they're threatening the Newspaper industry. Is that it? Is that why he doesn't like blogs? Bah.

He complains that no one actually reads blogs. Funny. I read James Lileks every Sunday-Thursday night, just before bed (he tends to update around 10 PM). I check out what the Instapundit has to offer every few days. And I'm always clicking on a link or two for blogs that were just updated on the Blogger.com main page, hoping to find something good. But, alas, no. No one reads blogs. Idiot.

Alex Beam should join the blogging community before he says a damn thing about blogs. I know before I started this blog up, before I started to read blogs regularly, I somewhat frowned upon blogs. Now I have a better understanding of what they are, and why they're one of the best things to read online. Alex Beam conducted a couple interviews, and decided that he'll just not like blogs. Well, blog you, Alex Beam. Blog you.

2002-04-02T03:28:00.000-06:00

[Music| J.J. Jackson - But It's Alright]

Heh heh. I had about two things to say in that last post, my complaint about the Winamp disturbance, and baseball. And, yes, I did mention baseball, but I forgot the main thing I was going to say. So here it is.

I've been watching abnormal (for me) amounts of TV today, and throughout the TV shows I heard a common complaint: Baseball games are too long. Bull-plop! People just need to learn to appreciate a good pitchers duel, and not watch baseball for the touch-the-stars-kill-the-moon Home Runs. The home runs are nice, yes, and the sheer display of power is reason enough to watch the game, however, the best part of the game is watching what a pitcher does in a given situation. There's nothing better than the power struggle between batter and pitcher when the bases are loaded and there's two outs. It's exciting either way. If the batter brings the pitcher to 3-0, it's fun watching the pitcher sweat and slime hoping not to do the worst and walk the batter, pushing in a free run. If the pitcher works it to 0-2, it's great watching the pitcher carefully select and choose and then attempt to perform, and, at the same time, it's fun watching the batter work hard to not do the worst and strike out. It's what makes baseball fun. You can take your flashy offense! Give me a team with all Gold Glovers and a fine starting rotation, and I'll buy a ticket no matter what the price.

And now you know why I stick with the Twins.

2002-04-02T02:59:00.000-06:00

[Music| Incubus - Pardon Me]

Internet Explorer decided to die on me. So, suddenly browser-less, I turn to the already-open Winamp and their mini-browser. I get to the James Lileks page (conviently linked below for your clicking pleasure), and in today's bleat he links to a blog by an Israeli, which he found via Instapundit (which is not conviently linked below, but it probably will be sometime soon). I'm reading an entery by the Israeli about security in Jerusalem, as the song changes, and Winamp automaticly directs me to a page about this song. I'm immediately disturbed by this. The name of the song: "Pardon Me". Oh, the irony. Pardon Me!!! While I burst! ... Into your page!!

Watched baseball today. ESPN/2 had a plethora of baseball games today for me to choose from, none of them the games I wanted to see. Natural, since the games they were showing were NL games, and I like the AL. Actually, I don't like the AL. Too many "juggernaut" teams, and the pitcher doesn't bat. I like the NL better. But, I care about the AL, because that's where my favorite team exists. And, of course, I watched the Twins take on the Royals today, and rejoiced when they won. It's the start of the season. 1 game down, 161 more to go. At least. I hope. Playoff, ho!!

Another April Fools Day comes and goes. People play pranks on me, I play none back. I'm once again prankless. I thought about installing some prank software on my sister's computer, but I never got around to it, and she was at a friends house all day. Sla. Maybe in another 365 days.

Oh. And it SNOWED today. April Showers? Hah. They were frozen today. At this rate, the May Flowers will appear just in time for my August 2nd birthday.

And, since I didn't say it yesterday, happy Easter to everyone. I hope yours was better than my very mild one. I went to church, felt sick, went home (my church is on the other end of the block from my house), got better, and then waited for a while to go out to eat for lunch. Went to a nearby bar, Gabbys. It's a Nordeast Minneapolis bar on steroids. Nice dock overlooking the river, dismal bar, and a mediocre dining area. They had an overpriced buffet set up. They could have chopped $2 off the price, but they had a giant carved ice bunny to pay for. But what can I complain? The bacon was damn good. Anyway, I was there with my parents and sister, my parent's friend Grace, my grandparents and my great-aunt. Great. Grandparents yelled at each other over beer, and my great-aunt made me hug her. And then I got $10 from her, so it wasn't all that bad.

And that's all from me for today. I'm going back to the Israeli blog, and then backtrack back to Lileks.com. And probably tripping over Winamp-generated pages all the way there.

2002-03-30T01:37:00.000-06:00

[Music| Disturbed - Down With The Sickness]

I'm hard at work. If you can call sitting on my bum listening to music "hard at work". Yesterday I started listening to all 1000 of my MP3s in alphabetical order by artist. Over three days of music. Just figured I'd let you people know.

2002-03-28T16:47:00.000-06:00

[Music| Average White Band - Pick Up The Pieces]

Checked the site stats. I'm going global. A while back I got a Brazilian visitor. Now I have a Canadian visitor and a British visitor. So welcome, Brazilians, Canadians and Britishians! And tell your friends!

2002-03-28T16:37:00.000-06:00

[Music| American Hi-Fi - Another Perfect Day]

I swear this place won't die. I've just been a little busy recently. But now I'm on Spring Break, so I can return to posting little thoughts of mine and whatnot. And return to not having anybody actually caring.

I've been sick the last three days. Tired, dizzy, head ache, sore throat, stomach ache ... The whole enchilada. However, the good thing about this sickness (other than it extending my Spring Break by a day and a half) is that it's the last sickness of the winter. One last huge battle between my immune system and the Virus Terrorists (Al-Sneeza), and then it's done. Now a breif Spring comes, and then Minnesotans go back to complaining, this time about the heat. Minnesotans are nice folks, aren't very high-maintainence, but we complain all the time about the weather.

Went to McDo on Friday. One that we haven't gone to before. In Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. We were in a hurry. We got in there, waited in line (around 5 minutes) ordered (around 1 minute) and waited for our food (around 24 minutes). Come on. 30 minutes just to get food at McDonalds?! I've never had horrible service at McDonalds until last Friday, so I know this isn't too common, but still, someone could be in a hurry to catch the 8 PM showing of "Lord Of The Rings", dammit!

Which tells you why we were in a hurry. Saw "Lord Of The Rings" on Friday night, at one of those Super-Uper-Duper-Mega-Ultra-Beta-Plexes. 20 screens, and it's just over the river from my house. And allow me to mention that the place looks like a casino from the outside. And, Huzzah!, free Chocolate Cookie Dough Bites with the purchase of two large drinks and a popcorn! We got our assorted foodstuffs (despite just eating at McDonalds), and sat down just in time for the movie. Screw the previews ... Who needs 'em?! My brain was fully locked on to the movie when my dad opened the free box of Cookie Dough Bites and handed me one. I ate it, and nearly threw up. Horrible things, they are. No wonder they were giving them out for free.

Sat through "Lord Of The Rings". Checked my watch numorous times. The time kept getting later, yet the movie never seemed to age. By the end of the movie, I was, in one sense, wanting it to end so I could go home, and in another sense wanted it to keep going on because it was a good movie. Teaches me for going to the 8 PM showing.

Of course, now I'm obligated to seeing both sequels. Despite never seeing the sequels to Star Wars. Sla.

2002-03-15T16:36:00.000-06:00

[Music| Moby - Across The Universe]

Today: Snow Gripe. Snowed in the Twin Cities. Not unusual. Happens quite a bit from late October through early March. But it is a little more rare for it to snow THIS hard in the Cities. Around a foot.

Snow day, right? That's what I was saying all day yesterday. Snow day. I played out the scenarios, and figured out that it's most likely that I'll have a snow day. My first in five years. Let me remind you that I live in Minnesota.

This morning: Mom wakes me up at 6:30. I look at the clock, and then ask, inquizitively, "Snow day?" The responce: "No."

God damn Minneapolis Public Schools. Foot of snow, no sight of plows all night long, and they STILL send us to school. St. Paul got the day off. I trudged downstairs, ate breakfast (consisting of a S'mores Pop Tart and chocolate milk), and got ready for school, always keeping an eye on the school closings on the TV. School was still open. Damn. Went outside. No bus. No bus. No bus. Dad comes out to shovel. No bus. No bus. No bus. Dad says that if the bus doesn't come by the time he's done shoveling, he'll let us stay home. No bus. No bus. No bus. Dad's almost done, me and my sister go inside the house. Dad takes the last shovel full of snow. Bus. God dammit.

I angerily trudge onto the bus. Five others climb on the bus at their assorted stops. Five. Got to school 42 minutes late. School had enough people to run normally, yet it was a notoriously absent day. Turned in work, did more work, took test, went home. St. Paul kids didn't go to school. We did. My school is about, oh, five, ten miles from St. Paul. St. Paul probably got less snow than Minneapolis. We still went to school. And the five years without a snow day continues. Damn.

2002-03-12T23:48:00.000-06:00

[Music| Blink-182 - Story Of A Lonely Guy]

The Link: 'Tribute Of Light'. It stays up until April 13th. However, as the sun rises on April 14th, New York viewers will no doubt watch these two towers of light come crashing down, never to return, like they saw with the original towers that stood at the site. They say they need a tribute for the attacks. Well, why not keep the lights up forever? It's a simple tribute, and it gives New York it's two towers that touched the sky back. It's a fitting tribute. In fact, some might say that it'd symbolize the innocent bodies in the building floating up to Heaven. Personally, I think that looks really cool, and think it'd be the best idea for a tribute. Nothing too complicated, just a simple yet meaningful tribute.

2002-03-10T01:07:00.000-06:00

[Music| U2 - I Will Follow]

I hate the Backstreet Boys, Nsync and Britney Spears. However, despite my hatred towards these manufactured teenage scream enducers, this site goes too far. From the site:

Many a parent has breathed a sigh of relief, hearing the sound of The Backstreet Boys, N'Sync or Britney Spears "blaring" from their children's stereo. "Thank God, they're not listening to Marilyn Manson, or some other ‘hellion' but sweet ‘love songs’". We'll, mom, I’ve got some sad news — it's not all sweet 'love songs' – in fact, some are — nasty "lust songs". Carnal lust that would probably make Marilyn Manson proud. Words "etched" into your impressionable young son or daughters minds — that would make any sane mom or dad "go ballistic".

Okay. So far so good. This guy does seem to have a legitimate point. But continuing on, he adds religion into the mix (as if you couldn't tell he wouldn't from that first paragraph).

Somehow, we've bought the "lie" that the adolescent or teenage years of "foolishness" bears no lasting scars. We've gotten the idea our young people are somehow "magically" protected in their early "rebellious" years. You’ve heard the line, "they’ll grow out of it". Let them have a good time; you're only young once; let them "sow their wild oats" — they're only kids – they’ll grow out of it.

But that’s not what the Lord says . . .

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. Galatians 6:7-8

". . .for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. . ." — that certainly includes young people. The proof. . . Our prisons are "ringing" with the "cries" of deceived young people that believed they would NOT "reap what they sowed". Over 100,000 abortions a year, are the "crops" of deceived young girls "murdering" their little babies because they "reaped what they sowed". Being young, foolish, and easily deceived — they believed they would "get away with it". It's just innocent fun. After all, everybody else does it — and they get away with it. . .

*Is confused* ... So this guy is saying that thousands of abortions each year are caused because the Backstreet Boys sing a song about falling in love? Peculiar. I could have sworn that it's because kids are stupid and run off and have unprotected sex. Not to mention the numorous rape cases. Peculiar indeed. Moving on ...

Job chapter 20:11 carries a stern warning to this foolish philosophy of "they’re just kids. . . they’ll grow out if it. . . it’s just adolescent rebellion". Job warns, "His bones are full of the sin of HIS YOUTH. . ."

"His bones are full of the SIN of his YOUTH, which shall lie down with him in the dust." Job 20:11

Who that saw and heard the "horrors" of Columbine or Mississippi, or numerous "teenage killing fields"; splattered with the slaughtered blood of America's young people — murdered by another "innocent" young person – a "deceived, cold-blooded-killer". No. They don’t always grow out of it. . .

I don't think this guy has his accusations right. I would not be surprized if he thought that "Accutane Boy" flew his plane into a Tampa skyscraper with Nsync's "Gone" blaring from the plane's radio. As far as the news accusations go, the Columbine killers played too much violent computer games (which I don't buy for a second, mind you, but it's the rumor), not because they downloaded a Britney Spears MP3. Further still ...

Knowing the importance of those early foundational years — should we blindly "close our eyes" to the "puppy-love" music of the Backstreet Boys, et al. and hope everything turns out ok? Or should we obey our Lord?

The Lord very clearly commands us to ". . .prove ALL things. . ."

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 1 Thess. 5:22

Prove ALL things — ALL would certainly include the Backstreet Boys, N’Sync, Britney Spears and Co.

Uhh ... Prove what? AJ admitted to being an alcoholic, N'Sync has a member in his 30s ... That leaves the Britney breast debate, I suppose.

And The Bible recognizes the seriousness of these teenage years. The Bible commands the young person to "…Flee also youthful lusts…"

"Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 2 Timothy 2:22

The Backstreet Boys, N’Sysnc, Britney Spears, Spice Girls, and such music is specifically "aimed" toward direct, disobedience to 2 Timothy 2:22. Instead of "fleeing youthful lusts" their whole purpose is to create literally a "fleshly feeding frenzy" of "youthful lusts".

Hold on a second ... I didn't pay the best attention in Sunday School, but I'm fairly certain that The Bible was written long before Britney Spears was even born, let alone putting a daze on youths across America. Yet this page suggests that the Bible was written with boy bands in mind.

At this point, the writer goes into quoting song lyrics, begining with the Backstreet Boys.

The BackStreet Boys sing in "Lay Down Beside Me": ...

P.S. It’s common knowledge the word "lay" is a slang for fornication. (American Slang, Robert L. Chapman, p.262)

P.S. It's common knowledge the word "lay" is verb, meaning to place in or bring to a particular state or position (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language). Come on now. If your wife were to say "I'm going to lay the baby in the crib," would you immediately claim that she enjoyed sexual relations with children? I would certainly hope not.

By the way, how many of you "old-fogies" can remember the outcry over Bob Dylan's "openly-sexually-titled", "Lay, Lady, Lay" — many radio stations refused to play it, simply because of the name! Everyone knows what "Lay Down Beside Me" means.

Ever since TV shows showed adults sleeping in the same bed, people have been complaining about too much sex in the media. Just because Homer and Marge sleep in the same bed doesn't mean they have sex every night (although there are a few episodes that are based around Homer and Marge's "love" for each other). I certainly hope that when I get married, my lady will lay, lay across my big brass bed, just as I hope that at the same time she shall lay down beside me.

To get a clear documented picture of just how serious and real this "sexual awakening" among the "tweens" is, according to a study published in the Pediatrics journal, most girls show signs of puberty [sexual maturity] at age 10, but get this – according to Pediatrics, at the turn of the 20th century the age was 15!

Uh huh. Okay. Yeah. My sister's body started to change the first time she watched MTV. Bullplop. I would certainly hope the author of this site knows that puberty starts at different ages for different people, not the first time they hear Nick Carter scream the lyric "Am I sexual?!".

So what was the kicker that sent me running for Blogger? Why, this little bit here:

After all this "youthful lusts", now here’s a "goodie" — Smash Hits Magazine claims the "boys" have a "ritual prayer" before they take the stage!

"What do the lads do before they go on stage? They all have a ritual prayer!" (The Backstreet Boys Tell Us Everything..., Smash Hits - August 1998)

I got some enlightening news for the "boys". . . If they are praying to the Holy God of the Bible – they’re wasting their time!

Quote of the year, baby.

One final quote from the page (you can check out the rest yourself):

In the song, "I’m Crazy for You," N’Sync sings, "I wanna rock with you".

I wanna, I wanna rock with you
I'm gonna, I'm gonna make it true
I wanna, I wanna rock with you
I'm crazy for you

By the way, in case you didn’t know, "rock" is a euphemism for fornication.(Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, p. 474)

*Sings* I ... Wanna rock and roll all night!

2002-03-09T00:18:00.000-06:00

[Music| The Beatles - Hello Goodbye]

Note to self: Always read The Star Tribune site before posting a pointless post at Blogger. Indeed, I have found something to talk and think about at my local newspaper's site. The link: 7 nations named in US nuke plan.

Chilling. The term "surprising military developments" is especially scary.

*Turns on Dave Matthews Band - When The World Ends*

It's a scary thought. Unless we deter it somehow, the sun will one day explode, like all stars, and we'll all be dead. Earth will be a faint memory. But. That's a good five billion years away at least. Their problem. What would be horrible is if us humans hate each other so much that they end it's life five billion years too soon, give or take a year. Think footage of the World Trade Center collapsing was bad? Imagine a new nuclear attack on NYC. When the world ends. The buildings of Chicago, blasted, gone. When the world ends. LA. Gone. When the world ends. Oh, hell, Minneapolis, those beautiful skyscrapers I look out upon every day, gone. When the world ends.

Come on people. Can't we get along for a mere five billion years?

2002-03-08T23:56:00.000-06:00

[Music| Anger Turned Inward - New Day]

High school. The debate as to which path I choose continues. I have my choice, my parents have theirs. I have a feeling this will never end. Ever.

I have nothing else to say. This week has been yet another long, boring week with mind-numbingly simple school and little to think about. Here's to next week.

2002-03-05T15:52:00.000-06:00

[Music| The Beatles - Help From My Friends]

Just a quick update for now. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I love baseball. Absolutely love it. And, as it's getting warmer and the year is progressing (despite the inch or so of snow that fell today), I'm getting more and more excited for the upcoming season.

Even more exciting is that the Twins, my favorite team, the only team I really care about, did not get contracted in the offseason. Eat that, Selig!

So I was at MLB.com, checking out the Spring Training standings, and was delighted at the sights. The Twins, at 5-3, are the second best in the AL (second only to the 3-1 Anaheim Angels), and the Montreal Expos, who were slated to be the Twins' contraction mates, are on top of the NL with a 4-1 record. Eat THAT, Selig! Hoo-HAH!

If the Twins and Expos are in the World Series this season, well, I'll be in heaven.

2002-03-02T21:53:00.000-06:00

[Music| Billy Joel - Piano Man]

I may have just helped set a world record. It's an amazing feeling, thinking that you may have just helped set a little chunk of history. And I had so much fun doing it, which is what world record breaking should be about.

The Heights Theater in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis (but it's really much like Northeast Minneapolis), is attempting to break the world record for movie watching (50 hours, 55 minutes). 27 movies, all classics in their own right, varying from Jaws to The Birds to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to Rebal Without A Cause to Mrs. Doubtfire, and so many more, and it all ends tomorrow afternoon with Casablanca.

With the Heights Theater being so very close to my home, we decided we couldn't pass this oppertunity to be history. We caught "2010" (however, they were running an hour early, so we only saw about half of it) and "Raiders of the Lost Arc". Both movies were great, and the theater was magnificent (it's a historic theater, built in the 1920s, recently renovated to look as it did in the 1920s). Better still, it was only five bucks to see as many movies as you wanted, and free popcorn and refills on soda!! Hooray! Better yet, they don't mind one bit if you bring in snacks from home! Huzzah! This is how a movie theater should be! Of course, the free popcorn is only for this event, however, the free refills and the policy on snacks from home stay the same no matter what they're doing. Huzzah!

Of course, we're not sure if they'll break the record. If something goes wrong, they could be out of it. I'll keep you all updated.

2002-03-02T02:42:00.000-06:00

[Music| Will Jacobs - Crackers And Wine]

If the site ever gets big and lasts for at least two years, I'm making a Music From A Place To Call My Own CD. After all, the Late Show with David Letterman has a CD of music from their show. If it works for them, it would only have to work better for me.

More stats. Because I'm in a mood to slouch over my monitor, consistantly copying and pasting and typing and talking. And slouch over stats. Because it's 2:26 AM and no one is on AIM to talk to.

First: My favorite graph, the time zone graph. Central and Eastern are tied for most visitors. Oh, what a battle. It'll probably end up the equivalent of the over-hyped US vs. Canada Olympic Gold Medal Hockey Game.

But, what's this? Why, I now have my first visitor from a location that is definitly not from the United States! Hoo-ray! Hello, person viewing my site from Brazil or Greenland!

And I'll assume the one Pacific Time Zone visitor is from California, so hello to my one friend in California.

According to the language tracker, the one person from Greenland or Brazil speaks English, along with the 10 other visitors. Well then.

The OS battle is a very boring one for me, since I don't care much about what's deep down inside of my computer as long as it works (which it hasn't been, but sla). But, since I like to assume that there are others reading this site, and that those others actually do care about what precentage of people use Windows 98 as opposed to Windows Millennium Edition who visit my site:

Windows 98: 83.33%
Windows ME: 16.67%

Roadrunner leads the domain tracking chart, but all 33.33% is probably me. Mediaone.net is in second with a quarter of the pie. After that comes assorted domains with assorted colors of the pie, all tied with 8.33%

Bad news for Netscape: No one who's visited my site has used Netscape. *Watches Netscape stock plummet as I announce that VERY piviotal stat to the world*

I love sarcasm.

The stat gods at sitemeter.com have predicted that I'll get, based on the average number of hits per day, 60 visitors per month. Oh. Wow. Okay.

Looking at the list of where you people came from, apparently the first out-of-US visitor is from Brazil. I'll bet five bucks that it's Osama bin Laden.

In the off chance that my social studies teacher is visiting the site, I certainly hope you got that last joke.

Five people came here through Blogger. Well then. Good to know there's people other than me who just click on the most recently updated blogs.

I'm done boring you now. Check back later, when I wake up from a long slumber. Perhaps I'll have thought of something good and entertaining to write by then.

2002-03-01T19:14:00.000-06:00

Just saw a commercial for Mystic Lake Casino. All the Minnesotan visitors (if there are any to speak of) have seen these. At Mystic Lake Casino, there are lights on the roof of the building that all point up and inward, making a "light pyramid". Of course, Mystic Lake, like all casinos in Minnesota, is on an Indian Reservation. Yeah, nothing like reminding the people going to the casino that they're on an Indian Reservation than a giant light teepee.

2002-03-01T19:07:00.000-06:00

Checking out the visitors to this site and ... Holy crap! 10 visitors! As the theme song goes, I'm moving on up!

Interesting stats:

Five of the 10 come from the Eastern Time Zone, while four come from Central (in which I am in, by the way), and just one comes from the Pacific. I'm still yet to get a visitor out of the United States (although I'm just assuming none of those visitors are from Canada or Mexico or one of those South American countries.).

100% of the visitors speak English (which would make sense with just one glance at my site).

And ... Uhh ... The page stopped working. Damn. Oh well.

Been thinking of something to do like I said in my most recent update. What I'll probably end up doing is listening to my numorous MP3s in order, rather than random play like I normally do. When you have over 840 MP3s and somewhere around 50 hours of music, that's not such an easy task. We'll see.

2002-02-28T22:33:00.000-06:00

[Music| Kenny Loggins with Jim Messina - Danny's Song]

People smile and tell me I'm a lucky one. Actually, they don't. I just couldn't think of anything to start this update with. So I revert to my music, and the opening lyric to the song that's playing. It worked, didn't it? Of course it did.

Blogging is a facinating culture. Quite an odd one at that. I'm glad to have joined it, although I think I may be an odd-man-out. Not like I haven't been one all my life. But in the morning, when I rise, it brings a tear of joy to my eyes.

Not really, of course. Just more lyrics. Got caught up in the song.

I think what I should do to make this site sucsessful is to do some sort of project with which I can advertize the site. Like watching MTV for 24 hours straight. Something stupid yet intellectual like that. I'll look into it.

2002-02-28T21:54:00.000-06:00

[Music| Joan Jett and The Blackhearts - Bad Reputation]

Just letting you all know I get a fill of punk. And that I don't give a damn about my bad reputation. I'm never gonna care about my bad reputation. Oh no (no no no no no no). Not me (me me me me me me).

Or something.

Been checking out other's blogs. They all seem to suck. Not just saying that to be mean (I'm trying to save my reputation here! Oh, the irony!), but they do. Perhaps I'll manage to stumble upon something good. Maybe.

2002-02-28T18:40:00.000-06:00

[Music| Jimmy Eat World - She's Perfect]

I was going to talk about the girl I like. I've reconsidered, just in case anyone from school happens to stumble upon this page and stays long enough to read it (yeah right). Perhaps, should I ever date her, I'll reveal her first name. Not yet. But if you talk to me, you should know it already, so it doesn't really matter.

But. I have something else to talk about that fits the above song well. The link: http://www.firehotquotes.com/

Girls are confusing, odd, and hard to understand. As are most people, regardless of their gender, however, most girls don't use these three characteristics to their benefit. Or something. What I'm trying to get at is that 9 out of 10 girls like the Boy Band of the Month, and seem to give no attention to their education or future. This site caters specificly to this demographic, with providing "witty", "genius" quotes from assorted sources for pubecent girls to use in their MSN Messenger names. I know this from observing my sister and her friends use the Microsoft-made program (which says something in itself), including quotes from the Mary Tyler Moore show, to speak nothing of their conversations (talking about both the abbriviations for everything and the meaningless-by-next-week transcript).

What kind of quotes does this site have, you ask? Well, lets look at a few examples, shall we?

"Should I smile, Cuz ur my friend, Or cry..Cuz that's all we'll ever be?" Be sure to note the short-hand variation of "because" and that it's needlessly capitolized, as well as the short-hand version of "your". Of course, in the target demographic of this site, this is as close to deep thought and philosophy as it gets. I believe I've seen my sister with this one more than once.

"No guy is worth your tears & when you find one that is, he won't make you cry." Confusious say one who thinks hard uses this quote here little!

"Sometimes I wish I was a little kid again....skinned knees are easier to fix than broken hearts!" ... Of course, in my studies, I've seen that broken hearts among pubecent girls tend to fix within the hour, while skinned knees can last for days.

"Everyone says you only fall in love once but thats not true, everytime I hear your voice I fall in love all over again." Are you sure that's the same voice? Lesse ... Hanson, Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, NSync, O-Town ... Oh wait. That's right. They're all the same. Nevermind.

And I'm sure you get the idea. Girls, ah, they are such odd things.

2002-02-27T23:07:00.000-06:00

Just noticed something while seeing the actual sports segment (what I saw earlier was just a preview). They were covering the T-Wolves/Lakers game (I like the Wolves almost as much as I do the Twins), and they showed Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura (I've typed those four words three times today, a personal record!) watching the game. I immediately thought of the headline story of late last week, where the Minnesota legislators couldn't find James Janos -- errr ... -- Jesse Ventura to give him the new budget bill to sign after looking at the Capitol, the Governors Mansion and his house in Maplewood. He actually was at his house, but the guards had told the legislators that he wasn't there. He later said he didn't know why they said that he wasn't home ... He was just watching "some TV". Cute, Jesse. Very cute.

Anyway, I immediately thought of that: Hey! Legislators! Next time Jesse is playing a game of Cat-And-Mouse, watch the Wolves game! He'll be there!!

Speaking of our beloved governor, his time in office is running out. Oh, dear, it seems like just yesterday when he appeared on "The Late Show with David Letterman", fresh off a surprizing victory, making comments about the St. Paul Street/Drunken Irish Streetlayer connection. I just realized this when I saw the first of the *Blankedy Blank Blank* for Governor commercials (name removed because he doesn't mention his party affiliation at all). And in case you're reading this Jesse (as opposed to running/at a Timberwolves game/watching TV, thinking about how cute you are, but not in those exact words, of course), run for President. You'll have a better chance. Won't win Minnesota, might get some of the other states. Because, as the Who song goes, "we won't be fooled again".

2002-02-27T22:52:00.000-06:00

[Watching| The News]
[Wishing| I were listening to The Beatles - Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da]

Ob-la-di. Ob-la-da.

Note the lack in enthusiasm. No, I'm not sad. I've had a hell of a day. From learning that I was accepted to the high school of my choice to reading about the first game of Spring Training for the Twins and the 13-0 win against Cincinnati. Hell of a day. Haven't had this good of a day for a while. Ah, but The News always gets me down. Not the newspaper, not news websites, not even CNN, but The News. It's all bad news. Budget fights, shootings, kidnappings and the national stories.

What part of the news can bring me back? Why, the sports, of course. Yes, they just rolled the most inspiring thing they can for me. Hilights of today's Twins game. If there is any one anti-depressant that works the best for me, it would have to be baseball.

And it all feels so good. Just the thought that, for at least one more season, Christian Guzman can speed around those bases, that Torii Hunter can rob some lonely hitter of a wall-scraper home run, that Doug Mientkiewicz can S-T-R-E-T-C-H!! out and get to the ball before the batter can get to the base, it's refreshing. Bud Selig (who is NOT my Bud, as my T-Shirt so diligently states) has lost.

I knew he'd lose. He had to lose after September 11th. Remember folks: Don't contract, or the terrorists will win!!

2002-02-24T00:14:00.000-06:00

[Music| The Beatles - Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da]

*Sings* Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, Life goes on, yeah! La la la la life goes on!

Haven't posted for a month. Ob-La-Di.
Haven't done much for a month. Ob-La-Da.
Haven't had much time for a month. Life goes on.

I'm back now though. Really. No more letting the site sit and rot. Oh no no no. The show must go on. Or something.

But. Changes will be made. I started this site with a certain idea for what it should be, and let it slip. It turned from a Personal Journal-esque blog into a debating and topic-related blog. This probably started when I invited others to post here. Thus, the others are fired. The place to call my own is once again my own and nothing more. Perhaps I'll start a topic-related blog later, since I do like talking about topics. And, of course, I won't drop talking about assorted news topics and whatnot here, it'll just be less frequent. This'll become much more of a James Lileks blog than a Tim Blair blog. So there.

I'll probably retool how the site looks and all that. Because I want to. And this is my site now.

2002-01-25T19:20:00.000-06:00

You prefer living amongst the prostitutes and the drug-dealers? You have strange tastes, Ryan. =P

I can agree to hate the country life. It never clicked for me. I like the feel of human development.

I'm glad you learned your lesson about stereotyping. Now go to your room. =P

2002-01-25T19:14:00.000-06:00

You know, I'm sorry for stereotyping the suburbs. I know better than that. I know of a few families personally who live in the suburbs and aren't very much like my stereotype at all. However, there are many families that fit the stereotype I mentioned perfectly, and they seem to be predominant in the suburbs, and that's the kind I don't like, and that's why I'll never choose to live in the suburbs, and will never like the suburbs (among other reasons). No where will ever be perfect (which is a good thing), so you have to pick what's important to you and pick what place is the best for what you like. I can put up with the people that fill your stereotype of the city (although I don't see a lot of that here in Minneapolis, but I'm sure it's more plentiful in other cities), and so I don't mind living among it.

However, no amount of debating over this will ever get me to like the suburbs, and I'd imagine the same is true for you when it comes to liking the city, so, shall we just agree to hate country life? =P

2002-01-25T19:03:00.000-06:00

In all seriousness, I don't think you have the faintest idea what it's like out here in the 'burbs. Of course we have crime, but suburb crime isn't high profile like city crime is. And Ryan, you don't have to be "associated with crime" to be robbed, assaulted, or raped. You're right, cities have been cleaned up, but I think they'll always be worse off in the crime department.

Ryan, you stereotype suburbanites, and that's unfortunate, because I can stereotype, too. You want to talk about the preppy MTV-watching girls, the troubled boys, the dot-com fathers, and the gossipy mothers, I'll talk about the prostitute girls, drug-addict boys, dead-beat dads, and homeless mothers. The city is no golden paradise of idyllic families. But not all city families are as dysfunctional as that, and not all suburbanites are as fucked-up as you seem to think. We're not all preppies, and there's plenty of people with decent jobs. I find it hard to believe that suburbanites are the only MTV addicts. Give them time, Ryan, and I'm sure you'll see plenty of ditzy valley girls pop up. Sure, we've got them here. Sure, they're annoying, but they're like bacteria, they're everywhere.

Oh, and by the way, you may want to start scoping out real estate, because your neighborhood sounds a hell of a lot like my happy little corner of suburbia.

2002-01-25T18:50:00.000-06:00

Yes, Jason, you know where I live, but you do NOT know where I live. You know my address, but not what it's like here. Not at all. If I thought my neighborhood was anything at ALL like the suburbs, I'd urge my parents to move. I suppose what I said earlier was misleading. My neighborhood has crime. Oh, most certainly yes. But the suburbs have crime too. And the crime here hasn't bothered me, or anyone I know. In fact, the last person I know of around here who was a victim of a crime lives in *gasp* the suburbs! I'm not sure if things are different in Boston or any other city, but I know here in Minneapolis, things are rather safe. Of course, like all cities, it's not completely safe, but like I said, I don't worry about crime. Probably because you rarely are a victim of crime in the city if you aren't associated with crime in any way.

But, when I said what I said a couple days ago about the suburbs, crime was really the last topic I'd ever mention about the suburbs. I was talking about the way of life. The preppy MTV-watching girls, the troubled boys, the dot-com cubicle father and the grocery store gossiping mother. Most certainly not crime.

2002-01-25T18:33:00.000-06:00

*The following comments do not necessarily represent the opinions of a sane, sober individual. Proceed with caution*

You may live in the "Big City", but your section of the city (and never forget, I know where you live...) is more like a suburb than true Big City Life. That's a damn good set-up, and you're a spoiled brat for it. You're too good for the suburbs, Mr. Hot Shot City Boy. Well, I have only two words to say to you: Uck-fay Ou-yay.

Let's kindle the flames of anger, kids! Rant! Rave! Scream curse words at teachers! (*You didn't hear that here.*)

Now we wait and see if I've pissed him off. :-P

2002-01-25T18:19:00.000-06:00

"What exactly is bad about having bigger houses? At least I have a backyard out here. Suburbs may have preppies and athletes (lord knows I hate them) but the city has steet gangs. They bust a cap in yo' ass, foo'. We don't get that shit around here. Big cities are fun, hell, I love going into Boston, but I would never, ever want to live there. Ever."

Hah! Not only do I have a backyard, and a rather spacious one at that, but I also have a frontyard! And so does everyone in my neighborhood. Beyond that, my mom has lived in the same neighborhood here in Minneapolis all her life, and has never had a problem with crime. Yes, we lock our doors at night, but I don't worry about crime. Most certainly not. I ride my bike after 7:00 PM.

And that's my rant for the day.

2002-01-25T18:08:00.000-06:00

There's nothing wrong with a slutty Britney Spears, and the more naked the better. N'Sync, however, sucks. They suck major ass. There's also nothing wrong with the suburbs. What exactly is bad about having bigger houses? At least I have a backyard out here. Suburbs may have preppies and athletes (lord knows I hate them) but the city has steet gangs. They bust a cap in yo' ass, foo'. We don't get that shit around here. Big cities are fun, hell, I love going into Boston, but I would never, ever want to live there. Ever.

So, I've been playing Return to Castle Wolfenstein recently. It comes highly recommended, if only for the sheer pleasure of blowing some Nazi brains out with a sniper rifle. Ah, I love killing Nazis...you feel no remorse. The zombies is RtCW are just creepy, however. They burst out of the walls and the floors and fall from the ceiling and try to eat my brains. Plus, they're a hell of a lot harder to kill than the puny Nazis. The only good thing is they're just as apt to masticate some Nazi cerebrum. Yes, even 1000 year old rotten corpses enjoy killing Nazis.

You can all go back to your porn, you sick perverts, I'm all done here.

2002-01-23T18:15:00.000-06:00

I utterly disagree with Keith's post there. Sla. Abortion isn't my favorite topic.

No, I dropped by today to talk about Chili's commercials. Chili's now has 'N Sync (or Satan multiplyed by five and given a record deal) doing commercials. And I thought having a slutty Britney Spears dancing around a Pepsi bottling plant was bad! It doesn't get worse than 'N Sync on an island of some sort singing about Baby Back Ribs.

Sla. That went no where. But I have nothing today. Try again tomorrow.

2002-01-22T19:55:00.000-06:00

Hello. I'm Keith Hi Keith, and I have a problem Well that's the first step. Admitting the problem. My problem
is with abortion. Well, don't we all have a problem with it? No, not everyone does, yet they should. That's what
I'm here to talk about today. Today happens to be the 29th aniversary of the Roe VS Wade case. The case that legalized
abortion. Why is it legalized? It's murder. Just because it isn't out of the womb yet, doesn't mean that it isn't killing.
You never know what that baby could/could have turned out to be. It could be the next Einstein, the next Da Vincii, the next
George W. Bush. Wait, that baby might deserve to be hurt. :P Just kidding. The baby is innocent. It hasn't done anything to
deserve to be killed.Well, what about rape? That's what adoption centers are for. If you think you can't take care of
the child, then you should atleast let it be given to those people who can.Abortion is murder, no matter how you think of it.
Well, it's the woman's body, you should let her do what she wants with it. But the body INSIDE her is not. If she can
kill an innocent baby, then I'll kill a guilty person. What? It's not legal? Why not? Because it's an adult? Oh that's bullshit.

That's where I'll leave you for today. I might put a little commentary on Cop Killers, mainly Mumia Abu Jamal, that son of a
bitch.

2002-01-22T19:43:00.000-06:00

Oooh. People like my site. I guess. Because I just got another person to come and post things like our friend Jason will be doing (or else!). Please welcome Keith. Unlike Jason, I don't think he's a person, but please welcome him all the same!!

2002-01-22T16:57:00.000-06:00

Day two of the website, and I actually have something entertaining to say today (well, entertainment is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose. Just read it.).

So I had the day off of school today. One of those "Let's say it's a staff day, but then just sit on our bums and do nothing, getting a pay check, and letting the kids have fun" days. My mom, trying to be nice, took the day off of work. I appreciate the gesture, but it would have been a lot more fun with her at work. My sister had fun. She got to do what she loves: Go shopping. It was hell for me. Hell. Shopping isn't THAT bad when I have money. I'm broke. It was hell. And we didn't even go to a good mall (as if there were such a thing). Oh, no, we went straight into the heart of Suburbia. I am a city boy, through and through. I hate the suburbs, with their preppy girls and their athletic/troubled boys. Big homes, SUVs, father going off to the city every day working in a cubicle doing whatever odd job he does for some dot com company or whatever, mother cleaning and going grocery shopping at huge Cub Foods stores with doctors offices built in. I hate the suburbs. I hate every time I go into the suburbs, and it puts me in a horrible mood when I come out. I will NEVER live in the suburbs.

Anyways, the majority of the day was spent looking at girls clothes, because our group was predominately female (my mom and sister and me). Stores like: Hot Topic, Claires, Vanity Do-Hicky, Regurgitated Crap ...

I hate it. I've never seen so much glitter, so much false patriotism, so much stuff for girls to waste their money on. Oh. And they only waste their money on it because they're programmed to.

There's lots of problems in this world, and I know I can't change many of them, but then I sure as hell can complain about them. I'm sure I'll complain about the suburbs for a long time to come.

2002-01-21T19:40:00.000-06:00

Swiss Seek to Stop Bin Laden Label

Okay. Look ... Binladin, in a post-September 11th world, no one will buy Binladin boxer shorts. The Swiss can let him keep his Trademark if they want, or they can take it away. It doesn't matter. No one will buy it. That's all for now. Maybe I'll say more later.

2002-01-21T17:07:00.000-06:00

Changed the template. Jason didn't agree with the template. I tried editing a different one, and realized that I have no idea how to do anything related to making my own templates. So, I'll use the one that Jason hates. 'Cause I like it. Besides, I bet once Jason gets used to it, he'll like it more and more. Or something.

2002-01-21T15:47:00.000-06:00

Hello, all of you out there in Internet land. This is Jason, the aforementioned "person". It's nice to see I've finally gotten that promotion up from "sub-human life form". While this is quite the opportunity for me to rant and rave and generally be seventy times more incomprehensible than Ryan, I don't think it's quite the best thing since slice bread. That award must go to Free Internet Porn. Can I say that, or do we have to keep this "PG"?

Well, maybe I should tell you a little about myself. My name is Jason. You knew that already, but consider it a public service announcement for those of you with short-term memory problems. All other information is Classified. If I told you, I'd have to kill you, and that would make us both very, very sad.

Well, good-bye for now. Unfortunately for you, I'll be back soon.

2002-01-21T15:32:00.000-06:00

So I showed this page to all my friends. Some said "Oh, that's cool." Others shunned it off. One person, however, seemed to enjoy it. Or something. Anyways, I suggested to him that he could post things from time to time on my site, and he thought that was the best idea since sliced bread. Or something. So, I suppose he's joining the team now. Jason should drop by from time to time to say stuff. Or something.

2002-01-21T03:14:00.000-06:00

I know I said I was going to bed. But, as you definitly know if you're my parents (which you're not, thankfully), "now", in my terms, means sometime in the next hour or so.

http://m.doubleclick.net/viewad/711807/JimBeam_468x60_final.gif

I just found that hilarious, and undeniably true. So many artists crawl up inside a bottle, or, perhaps, had some alcohol while writing their songs. Ironicly, right now Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tamborine Man" is playing randomly from my MP3 playlist. I swear, Dylan was either on drugs or drunk when he wrote this.

2002-01-21T02:54:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I lied. I lied for good reason though. I lied so that I could make this page look better. In the Internet, there is no time. Just because I go to bed doesn't mean that millions of people (optimism) who read the page later will recognize that, even if I say I went to bed. It's just one stream of words, and other than the time posted at the bottom of each one of these, the only element of time here are the days displayed above these posts. So rather than go to bed and then post this later today, pretending it's tomorrow, I'll just post it today and not post anything when I wake up. Or maybe I will. I don't know.

Anyways, I came back to talk about Martin Luther King, Jr. He's a great man. That's pretty obvious to most of us. However, with today being Martin Luther King, Jr. day, millions of kids across America get a day off of school. And how many know why, or, to word it better, remember why? It's safe to say that most every child enrolled in a school knows about Martin Luther King, Jr. They know what he brought to America, why he was important. And at one time, they no doubt learned why they have Martin Luther King, Jr. day off of school. However, there's no guarentee that they remember what they learned on Martin Luther King, Jr. day. No, most kids run off and play, thinking this day is just one of those days where the schools decide they need some time off. People say there's problems with America's youth, and while they're definitly right when they stay vauge like that, when they try to diagnose just what these problems are, they tend to be horribly wrong. Sorry, but adults cannot figure out this tangled mess most of my peers have gotten themselves into. The problem with America's youth is that they don't know what they're doing. I know. I've been there. I damn TV for it. Of course, to contradict that statement, I watched earlier today. The Simpsons (which I've come to find is the ONLY acceptable TV show to watch now), The Chamber and an old repeat of Greed on Game Show Network. Everything but The Simpsons was mindless. I seem to remind myself of that whenever I watch a TV show. Basically, I think children are stupid. Stupid, and easily brainwashed. Should I ever turn evil, I think the way to brainwash all the children into my evil plan to take over the world is through TV. Get some fuzzy character with a machine gun who can kill a huge monster to hand out subliminal messages. And then worry it'd be cancelled by some other show just like it in six months.

If all that sounded drunken or stupid, it's because I'm tired. Or am a child. I need some sleep to help me decide.

2002-01-21T02:20:00.000-06:00

Last post of the night. I promise. Actually, I don't, because I know if I promise that, I'll just go off and post one more. However, if I don't promise, I know I'll just go to bed. Ironic, no?

Anyways, I just changed some settings around. Changed the date and time settings so that they'd look like every other site on the web, yet far from American. I love America, I don't love how they deal with basic things like dates and time. I also changed it to this style because my watch is screwed up and I don't know how to fix it.

2002-01-21T02:07:00.000-06:00

Just looked at my site. Realized it looks like something you'd find at MTV.com. I hate MTV. I love that template. Man, my life is confusing.

2002-01-21T02:05:00.000-06:00

So. It's come to here. Just a few hours after signing up at a horrible site for this kind of thing, I abandon it after stumbling upon this. One thing's for sure: This place is just plain better than that other one. You may notice that I haven't mentioned this place yet. It's not that I don't like promoting other places, but, like many others, I don't promote things I don't like. It's like Britney Spears asking for Cokes on the set of her Pepsi commercial. And I don't like Britney Spears, no matter how huge her breasts are. Sorry, Britney, but your cup size means nothing to me if your brain size is the size of a pea.

Wow. I'm doing better here than I did at the other place already: I've said something interesting in my first post. Rather revolutionary, if I do say so myself.

Over at that other site I said I didn't like introducing myself if no one will read it. While I'm sure no one will read this at first, I'm sure someone will in due time. But, come to think of it, I still don't like introducing myself. You'll get the hang of my thoughts sooner or later.

It's two in the morning. I'm tired as all hell. I need some sleep. I'll talk more to the people who aren't here yet but hopefully will be soon tomorrow. I need sleep now. Contrary to what my parents think, 13-year old boys who are addicted to their computer need sleep too. Really.