You people should know better than to read this stuff...
Here are a few interesting observations about being a college radio DJ... well, I can't guarantee that they'll be interesting, but I have to dump this stuff somewhere! lol
College radio is fun. Getting to speak on the air and knowing that it is being broadcasted in the cars and dorms of students all over campus is exciting. Hanging out with the other DJs, talking and laughing while listening to music I haven't heard is fun. Struggling to sound serious on the air right after a new inside joke has been born, is fun. Having suprisingly deep conversations that unfold for unknown reasons, is fun.
College radio is an interesting experience. There's nothing quite like it. Sitting in a booth speaking into a microphone and addressing an invisible audience is not something you do every day. When I speak into a microphone on stage, I can see my audience. I know that someone is listening. Paying attention? Maybe not. But at least their ears are hearing the dialouge, comprehension aside. So in some ways, it tests confidence. It makes you wonder if there's anyone out there listening. Makes you wonder if anyone would care if you just started saying whatever you want. For instance:
Asher Roth's song "I Love College" is disgustingly stereotypical, and very frustrating to hard-working college students (the ones who actually care about their education). And poorly performed to boot. (in my opinion). It's impressive how many of the DJs hate it. But should I say that on the air? No, probably not. It goes against station policy. So instead I practice a little civil disobedience and skip it if it's on my rotation. Would anybody notice? I'm not sure. I'm guessing yes though.
Well, that's about all for today kids. This is James Brown, and you're listening to WTTU 88.5, Tech Radio, Cookeville, TN... We are your ONLY alternative! :)
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Little Cream Soda...
Happy Spring break all you school folks! So today has been a rather long day. A good, but long day. My mind is on the move again. Spring break is full of movement.
I'm hopefully about to get a part-time job, which will be nice, and may very well result in a blog post or two. I'm looking forward to having a somewhat steady income again, which progresses me in my quest for eventual independence and self-sufficiency. lol
My part-time rock band with my cousins is going to be performing next month, which will be lots of fun, but will require alot of time and practice. I'll send you a CD when we release it. lol This need for time and the ability to focus on one thing makes the past seem slightly more desirable, since I had much fewer responsibilities at that time.
I'm going to a wedding this weekend, which will inevitably set my mind to thinking about my own relationship and marriage that will hopefully someday take place. More on this in later posts I'm sure, assuming things turn out okay.
And I've been working in construction again this week, which is a very nice release from the pressure and constant stress of school and homework. Nice to beat on something and see your progress. I see visible results instead of slowly plugging away at 4 years of education.
So this week is full of contrast. Push and pull factors, some making me want to look ahead to the future and get there faster, some making me see that maybe things are moving and changing quite nicely whether I want them to get here faster or wait patiently for them. Somewhat hard to decipher, because the future is looking very very good, but the past is also easier to manage in many ways, simpler.
I'm not complaining, I'm mostly just thinking through writing. This Spring Break is not a crossroads for me, but it seems to be serving as a bit of a mile-marker, just helping me to realize that I've made it this far, so keep truckin', and realize there are big things ahead. And not all that far away either.
Check out the song entitled "Little Cream Soda" by the White Stripes. Listening to it inspired this post. lol
I'm hopefully about to get a part-time job, which will be nice, and may very well result in a blog post or two. I'm looking forward to having a somewhat steady income again, which progresses me in my quest for eventual independence and self-sufficiency. lol
My part-time rock band with my cousins is going to be performing next month, which will be lots of fun, but will require alot of time and practice. I'll send you a CD when we release it. lol This need for time and the ability to focus on one thing makes the past seem slightly more desirable, since I had much fewer responsibilities at that time.
I'm going to a wedding this weekend, which will inevitably set my mind to thinking about my own relationship and marriage that will hopefully someday take place. More on this in later posts I'm sure, assuming things turn out okay.
And I've been working in construction again this week, which is a very nice release from the pressure and constant stress of school and homework. Nice to beat on something and see your progress. I see visible results instead of slowly plugging away at 4 years of education.
So this week is full of contrast. Push and pull factors, some making me want to look ahead to the future and get there faster, some making me see that maybe things are moving and changing quite nicely whether I want them to get here faster or wait patiently for them. Somewhat hard to decipher, because the future is looking very very good, but the past is also easier to manage in many ways, simpler.
I'm not complaining, I'm mostly just thinking through writing. This Spring Break is not a crossroads for me, but it seems to be serving as a bit of a mile-marker, just helping me to realize that I've made it this far, so keep truckin', and realize there are big things ahead. And not all that far away either.
Check out the song entitled "Little Cream Soda" by the White Stripes. Listening to it inspired this post. lol
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Jesus Lover of my Soul...
This started out as a comment on this note by Caleb Brewer: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1315553855#/note.php?note_id=62999691521
It ended up just being a note-sized response. lol
I do think that our problems can become highly addictive, mostly because of a feeling that if we let go of the controls, things will get worse. So even if we are crashing, at least we are in "control" of the crash.
That may just be my warped perspective, but it's true for me I know. I think that knowing that we have a problem, or knowing that things aren't going to turn out like we planned often feels safer than letting go, because in our simple human minds we hold to what we think we "KNOW". Even if it's bad. Better to crash while gripping the reins then to let go and give it over to God, who can stop the crash, who can stop the hurt if we let Him. Why is that? Because we "know" how we will stop the crash. It requires very little risk to calculate the best way to run yourself into a brick wall. At least you know what's going to happen, right? However, we percieve giving control to God as a great risk, and why? Because we don't know how He will alter or avoid the crash all together. We do know that He will do something different than our way, which is horrifying! Uncertainty about the direction of our future is most definately worse than knowing which wall we're about to clobber, right? Our problems are just that! But they become so very precious to us because even though we know we have them, even though we know we need to get rid of them, the risk of redemption, the risk of letting go, is percieved by us as being too great. At least we can confront them on our own terms. CRASH. BOOM.
If you think anywhere along the same lines as me, you've probably concluded that this is not the right way to deal with our addictive problems. If you feel like me, you know you should probably just let go. I can't guarentee there will be no pain, in fact, quite the opposite. Letting go hurts like hell at first. Like a leg cramp that actually feels better after you straighten it out, the fear of losing control is almost paralyzing at first. But I can say that you'll feel a good deal better about where you're headed once you do.
It ended up just being a note-sized response. lol
I do think that our problems can become highly addictive, mostly because of a feeling that if we let go of the controls, things will get worse. So even if we are crashing, at least we are in "control" of the crash.
That may just be my warped perspective, but it's true for me I know. I think that knowing that we have a problem, or knowing that things aren't going to turn out like we planned often feels safer than letting go, because in our simple human minds we hold to what we think we "KNOW". Even if it's bad. Better to crash while gripping the reins then to let go and give it over to God, who can stop the crash, who can stop the hurt if we let Him. Why is that? Because we "know" how we will stop the crash. It requires very little risk to calculate the best way to run yourself into a brick wall. At least you know what's going to happen, right? However, we percieve giving control to God as a great risk, and why? Because we don't know how He will alter or avoid the crash all together. We do know that He will do something different than our way, which is horrifying! Uncertainty about the direction of our future is most definately worse than knowing which wall we're about to clobber, right? Our problems are just that! But they become so very precious to us because even though we know we have them, even though we know we need to get rid of them, the risk of redemption, the risk of letting go, is percieved by us as being too great. At least we can confront them on our own terms. CRASH. BOOM.
If you think anywhere along the same lines as me, you've probably concluded that this is not the right way to deal with our addictive problems. If you feel like me, you know you should probably just let go. I can't guarentee there will be no pain, in fact, quite the opposite. Letting go hurts like hell at first. Like a leg cramp that actually feels better after you straighten it out, the fear of losing control is almost paralyzing at first. But I can say that you'll feel a good deal better about where you're headed once you do.
Monday, February 2, 2009
The Greeks Don't Want No Freaks...
Howdy to any and all weary listeners that had the misfortune of passing this way. lol
My British Literature class recently read Beowulf, and as part of our homework, we had to write a poem in the Anglo-Saxon form, using the traditional rhythm and a technique know as alliteration. The reader should pause at the commas when reading this one. Professor Saga paired us with partners and it was up to us to write as much as we could. One thing that the Lord most definately gave me was the gift of gab, so I came up with all but about two lines of the following poem.
Notice the contrast of moods, the happiness of the pilgrims salvation as opposed to their former gripings and grievings. My professors only comments upon my recital was, "Oh how true!"
One more note I might add is that poems like this are not supposed to rhyme, so don't be thinking, "This doesn't rhyme!" Oh, and anybody who should be so foolish as to plagarize will be lynched. Here we go....
A Trip To Wal-Mart (or, White Salvation)
By James L. Brown and Daniel Parkins
With family feuding, and coffee frothing
In ghastly guzzler, of gasoline fumes
We rambled rowdily, to roust parking
With fleet feet, the brakes flashed
The illiterate idiot, took illegal spaces
We finally found, a space in the front
We vacate vehicle, with vehement ventings
And toward terror, of Wally-world traversed
The doomful doors, stood daunting before
They slid seductively, by sensor of motion
The greeting granny, our party greeted
With ancient wisdom, she asked answers
In driven day, how did we?
No feelings felt, by fastlane fools
We ran her over, with rambling run
Now onto other, more outstanding matters
In dauntless drove, with driven gate
We stalked toward, the sacred Section
Of White Salvation, the worshipped Wonder
Its regal rolls, we dearly required
With joyful hearts, took happy hostages
Our laughter erupted, our longings lost
The ringing registers, we approached rapidly
A well-aged helper, with hair-sprayed hair
The white bags, did brilliantly bulge
Our beautiful Bounty, the back-side Savior
Our total totalled, and dollars tallyed
We walked away, from Wally's wonder
Our future rekindled, our relations renewed
No longer afraid, our laughter lingered
Now entered guzzler, of gasoline grand
Towards sunset speeding, our SUV sped
How terrific triumphant, with toilet paper
Now comes complete, our clever account
Until we return, within two weeks
For fragile eggs, and fresh milk
And sadly said, say The End
Oh, and one more thing I thought I might add just in case you weren't sure about where the line between fact and fiction stands on this post, this one is 100% true, right down to the words of Professor Saga. I recited this in class, and actually recieved applause! lol
Hope you enjoyed it too.
My British Literature class recently read Beowulf, and as part of our homework, we had to write a poem in the Anglo-Saxon form, using the traditional rhythm and a technique know as alliteration. The reader should pause at the commas when reading this one. Professor Saga paired us with partners and it was up to us to write as much as we could. One thing that the Lord most definately gave me was the gift of gab, so I came up with all but about two lines of the following poem.
Notice the contrast of moods, the happiness of the pilgrims salvation as opposed to their former gripings and grievings. My professors only comments upon my recital was, "Oh how true!"
One more note I might add is that poems like this are not supposed to rhyme, so don't be thinking, "This doesn't rhyme!" Oh, and anybody who should be so foolish as to plagarize will be lynched. Here we go....
A Trip To Wal-Mart (or, White Salvation)
By James L. Brown and Daniel Parkins
With family feuding, and coffee frothing
In ghastly guzzler, of gasoline fumes
We rambled rowdily, to roust parking
With fleet feet, the brakes flashed
The illiterate idiot, took illegal spaces
We finally found, a space in the front
We vacate vehicle, with vehement ventings
And toward terror, of Wally-world traversed
The doomful doors, stood daunting before
They slid seductively, by sensor of motion
The greeting granny, our party greeted
With ancient wisdom, she asked answers
In driven day, how did we?
No feelings felt, by fastlane fools
We ran her over, with rambling run
Now onto other, more outstanding matters
In dauntless drove, with driven gate
We stalked toward, the sacred Section
Of White Salvation, the worshipped Wonder
Its regal rolls, we dearly required
With joyful hearts, took happy hostages
Our laughter erupted, our longings lost
The ringing registers, we approached rapidly
A well-aged helper, with hair-sprayed hair
The white bags, did brilliantly bulge
Our beautiful Bounty, the back-side Savior
Our total totalled, and dollars tallyed
We walked away, from Wally's wonder
Our future rekindled, our relations renewed
No longer afraid, our laughter lingered
Now entered guzzler, of gasoline grand
Towards sunset speeding, our SUV sped
How terrific triumphant, with toilet paper
Now comes complete, our clever account
Until we return, within two weeks
For fragile eggs, and fresh milk
And sadly said, say The End
Oh, and one more thing I thought I might add just in case you weren't sure about where the line between fact and fiction stands on this post, this one is 100% true, right down to the words of Professor Saga. I recited this in class, and actually recieved applause! lol
Hope you enjoyed it too.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Play the Game...
Hello fellow hooligans! This is one of those survey things from facebook and I figured since it was in my notes, I might as well put it here too.
This is the exclusive Life's Been Good version, which has several key differences, such as... well, okay so the only difference is I'm typing this up in front of it, but oh well. lol
Hither we go...
1. I go by both James and Lucas. This started about a year ago, and I like both names equally. So you can call me either one, or even both.
2. Don't make me mad. I am usually very laid back and easy going, so it's really hard to get me mad. But boy when I do... it is NOT pretty. lol
3. I don't really like to talk about myself.
4. I like to win, but I don't have to. I want to do my best, and I don't like losing, but I refuse to get all worked up over a friendly game of whatever-it-may-be. :) lol
5. I think music makes everything better. I love music, but i especially love sad songs. I'm not emo, I just like sad stuff. Sad things usually mean more.
6. I like to stretch my brain out about a problem or a topic or just a question. I enjoy thinking about things. However, I often think about things too much. Just ask Deidra or Lydia about how long it takes me to evaluate a teacher. lol
7. I play the guitar, drums, and bass. I can play a little bit of piano, mandolin, dobro, and (here come the eggs and tomatoes) the dreaded banjo! lol
8. I HATE cold weather! I love the Spring and Summer! I will take 100 over 40 any day.
9. It therefore stands to reason that I love to be outside! I love to hike, hunt, rock-climb, fish, go to the lake, play sports... I love the great outdoors. :)
10. I don't like most new music. Mostly commercial stuff that has very little to do with art. It's not music for the sake of music anymore! Grrrr. (This is one of my soap-boxes, lol)
11. I love to hang out with my friends. They are awesome. I can spend loads of time just talking or goofing off or whatever.
12. Football is my favorite sport. I am a huge Titans fan! However, in spite of my zeal I try to keep an open mind about other teams and players. I think it makes a person look stupid to put down other teams in an illogical way, or not complement their talents just because they are beating you.
13. I have a bazillion things I want to try and do for a living. I want to try to make several of them a reality over the course of my lifetime.
14. I've been accused of being good with kids. I can neither confirm nor deny this statement. I do like them though. :)
15. The only bands I've ever played in in public have been bluegrass bands, but my favorite type of music is Classic Rock (1969-1982).
16. I will eat almost anything, besides turnip greens, boiled eggs, and a few othe nasty things.
17. I like finding ways to teach things to people. Everybody learns different.
18. I'm running out of ideas...
19. If you know me at all, I cannot lie to you. I don't make a practice of lying anyway, but I really can't lie to people who know me. Sometimes I can keep a straight face long enough to pull somebody's leg though. :)
20. I love a challenge! I like doing things that require more concentration and dedication, and are just plain harder to do, like bow-hunting, playing games on hard difficulty levels, or learning really hard guitar solos. I think it comes from the sense of accomplishment when you finally get it right.
21. I have slept on my back, side or stomach all of my life. ;) lol
22. I like to shoot guns, especially rifles.
23. I just got glasses this week. Can't read road signs and power-point presentations.
24. I talk in my sleep alot, or at least I am told. This probably comes from the fact that I dream vividly almost every night.
25. This took a long time for me to fill out.
Fin.
This is the exclusive Life's Been Good version, which has several key differences, such as... well, okay so the only difference is I'm typing this up in front of it, but oh well. lol
Hither we go...
1. I go by both James and Lucas. This started about a year ago, and I like both names equally. So you can call me either one, or even both.
2. Don't make me mad. I am usually very laid back and easy going, so it's really hard to get me mad. But boy when I do... it is NOT pretty. lol
3. I don't really like to talk about myself.
4. I like to win, but I don't have to. I want to do my best, and I don't like losing, but I refuse to get all worked up over a friendly game of whatever-it-may-be. :) lol
5. I think music makes everything better. I love music, but i especially love sad songs. I'm not emo, I just like sad stuff. Sad things usually mean more.
6. I like to stretch my brain out about a problem or a topic or just a question. I enjoy thinking about things. However, I often think about things too much. Just ask Deidra or Lydia about how long it takes me to evaluate a teacher. lol
7. I play the guitar, drums, and bass. I can play a little bit of piano, mandolin, dobro, and (here come the eggs and tomatoes) the dreaded banjo! lol
8. I HATE cold weather! I love the Spring and Summer! I will take 100 over 40 any day.
9. It therefore stands to reason that I love to be outside! I love to hike, hunt, rock-climb, fish, go to the lake, play sports... I love the great outdoors. :)
10. I don't like most new music. Mostly commercial stuff that has very little to do with art. It's not music for the sake of music anymore! Grrrr. (This is one of my soap-boxes, lol)
11. I love to hang out with my friends. They are awesome. I can spend loads of time just talking or goofing off or whatever.
12. Football is my favorite sport. I am a huge Titans fan! However, in spite of my zeal I try to keep an open mind about other teams and players. I think it makes a person look stupid to put down other teams in an illogical way, or not complement their talents just because they are beating you.
13. I have a bazillion things I want to try and do for a living. I want to try to make several of them a reality over the course of my lifetime.
14. I've been accused of being good with kids. I can neither confirm nor deny this statement. I do like them though. :)
15. The only bands I've ever played in in public have been bluegrass bands, but my favorite type of music is Classic Rock (1969-1982).
16. I will eat almost anything, besides turnip greens, boiled eggs, and a few othe nasty things.
17. I like finding ways to teach things to people. Everybody learns different.
18. I'm running out of ideas...
19. If you know me at all, I cannot lie to you. I don't make a practice of lying anyway, but I really can't lie to people who know me. Sometimes I can keep a straight face long enough to pull somebody's leg though. :)
20. I love a challenge! I like doing things that require more concentration and dedication, and are just plain harder to do, like bow-hunting, playing games on hard difficulty levels, or learning really hard guitar solos. I think it comes from the sense of accomplishment when you finally get it right.
21. I have slept on my back, side or stomach all of my life. ;) lol
22. I like to shoot guns, especially rifles.
23. I just got glasses this week. Can't read road signs and power-point presentations.
24. I talk in my sleep alot, or at least I am told. This probably comes from the fact that I dream vividly almost every night.
25. This took a long time for me to fill out.
Fin.
Friday, January 23, 2009
School Day...
Well, in celebration of surviving my first full week back in school, I think it may be time for me to regale my readers with the tale of my first day back at school....
Whether it is or not, I'm going to. lol The majority of this was written on paper on my actual first day of school (1/15/09), while sitting in my truck between classes. So without further ado....
Okay, so today was my first day of school... I was aware of that. What I didn't know was that it was also the beginning of the next Ice Age! I first arose prepared to meet the day at 6:30... it was then I realized that it was -7 Million degrees outside. To help myself to cope with the situation, I hit the snooze button and hopped back in bed. I was reawaked nine minutes later to the sound of Alan Jackson offering me a ride in his truck or something like that... I'm not too sure, it's a little fuzzy now. Regardless though, I told him no thank you and turned the alarm off.
I then proceeded to get up and take a shower. This process went very well, until I ran out of hot water! What followed was an atrocity that my senses will never forget, nor forgive me for. After thawing my near-paralyzed limbs and brushing the flecks of ice from my hair, I got dressed.
On my way out of the door I grabbed a bagel and a Pepsi. I was headed out! Oh the joys of education! Oh the thrill of learning! However, in my haste I failed to notice that I took the wrong door. But this minor detail escaped my attention, and I must admit that, at first, I was fooled into thinking that it was still dark outside. But after searching for my truck for ten minutes by the light of a cell-phone and tripping over multiple brooms (multiple times mind you), I determined I had better go back inside... or back where I came from at least. I emerged from the frigid elements only to be greeted by my mother, who looked rather puzzled. By this time I had realized my error, so I said without hesitation, "I was just getting a broom for school..." and left it at that. I quickly turned to door number 2, which was in fact, the correct door.
Despite all of these setbacks, I was still so very excited about the joys of education! Oh the thrill of enlightenment! Such was my joy that I did not even flinch when I learned that my doors were frozen closed, a sheen of ice that was 2" thick covering and filling every crack. A little bit of Pepsi and a whole lot of leverage solved my problem within a few moments. And I was off!
Off to the races, I should say, seeing as how my ramblings and rumblings had caused me to be running slighty late. The Tennessee Tech campus is approximately 15 miles from my house. I reached it in approximately 8 minutes. As I wheeled into campus, my first class was beginning, but I had no fear. I knew of secret hiding places from my first semester! I quickly found one of these and sneakily parked my truck in it.
My first class was Biology 1020, a continuation of Biology 1010. Since it was the first day of class, most of the time in class was spent in reviewing the syllabus, which usually results in the classes being over very quickly. I crept in to hear the very scientific voice of Mr. Brown (no relation) telling all the students something about attendance and grade scales... I couldn't really listen, I was focused on creeping. I stealthily stole into vacant seat in the back. But no sooner had I begun to set myself down, whem I heard the Professor exclaim: "That will be all! I'll see you on Friday!" A stampede erupted as zippers were zipped, texts were texted, mutterings muttered, and students... ummm... gee, students... students started walking. No illiteration there I'm afraid. I quickly blended in with the crowd and left as stealthily as I went in.
Since I had a moment before my next class, I decided to look for a parking place closer to the next building I would be in. However, I soon discovered that I had been betrayed! A pretty piece of pink paper had been prostrated upon my windshield! And on it a note, convicting me of parking in a bad place. My secret parking place had been ratted out, and could no longer be considered safe. But it is a long standing tradition among Techies that we never pay our first parking ticket, so I crumpled it up and drove away.
My second class was British Literature. I found another, more secret parking place this time, and headed off to class. It was there that I met Professor Saga, a fine man, who spoke with conviction and feeling no matter what the topic. I shall never forget his first words to the class, so full of passion and emotion:
"My dear students! Thank you for coming to class! It grieves me to inform you that I have to cancel class because of a terrible case of food poisoning... my bowels grind like the evils of Grendal himself. If you would please... (pause, deep breathing)... please excuse me....I will see you... (more of the same).... Tomorrow...."
And with that he bolted out of the room! What passion! Just as I was beginning to get up, he gave the students even more reason for excitement! "MONDAY!!!" he screamed in a shrill voice from down the hall. "MAKE IT MONDAY!.... OH SHEEEEP!!!" A door slammed. What a man.
As I walked back to my truck, I noticed two new bits of pinkness on my windshield. These were also parking tickets. But similar to the first, it is a well known tradition among Techies that the second and third parking tickets are ignored as well. I drove away, leaving what looked like two pink snowballs lying on the ground.
My third class was to be a computer class. I felt as though I would have very little to worry about here, seeing as how my technological skills had gotten me accepted into a technological university! My teachers name was Dr. Ball, a nice lady with glasses and OCD.
"Now class, we will log in to our computer lab accounts and do a few short excercises."
The only trouble with this was that my computer seemed to be frozen, or on vacation, I'm not sure which. I raised my hand and mentioned to her that my computer seemed to be messed up.
"Oh, that's alright", she said. "Since all the other computers are full, I'll just get you the logorithms and algorithms and some paper, and you can log in manually today!"
After class, I managed to somehow bring my mind back out of self-destruct mode and walk away from the building. I'm not saying I would never attempt such a feat again, but I would first attept to seduce, maim, or murder Mrs. Ball, and use her computer instead.
Because of the long amount of time spent in my third class, I decided to walk straight to my fourth and final class of the day, American History. My teacher in this class was to be Mr. Dollar, a man that reminds many students of Bill O'Reilly. A very straightforward man, not afraid to ask any question. At one student he threw the question: "Why do you think your proffesors are stupid?"
To which the shriveled-up student responded: "I don't think they're stupid!"
To which Mr. Dollar concluded: "You're dead wrong!" This class was going to be interesting, I could already tell. After reviewing the syllabus and going through some debate drills, we were dismissed.
My first day of classes had been a success! Oh the joy of education! As I walked back to my truck, there was a spring in my step and a smile on my face. College was going to be grand, I was so excited to be back for the second semester!
But where was my truck??? All I could see was a group of policemen and... and... was that a TOW-TRUCK?!?!?!
Well, that's about as far as I'm gonna go for now. I suppose I could tell you how I talked my way out of getting my truck towed... well, okay, so I actually didn't talk my way out of it, I just paid the tickets.
I'm not sure where alot of this came from. The true parts are that it was cold, and ummm... well, I'm not too sure about the rest, that's probably just about it. Anyways, hope you got a little enjoyment out of it, assuming you read the whole thing. I will try to keep everyone posted with updates throughout the semester.
P.S.-The post title comes from the Chuck Berry song.
Whether it is or not, I'm going to. lol The majority of this was written on paper on my actual first day of school (1/15/09), while sitting in my truck between classes. So without further ado....
Okay, so today was my first day of school... I was aware of that. What I didn't know was that it was also the beginning of the next Ice Age! I first arose prepared to meet the day at 6:30... it was then I realized that it was -7 Million degrees outside. To help myself to cope with the situation, I hit the snooze button and hopped back in bed. I was reawaked nine minutes later to the sound of Alan Jackson offering me a ride in his truck or something like that... I'm not too sure, it's a little fuzzy now. Regardless though, I told him no thank you and turned the alarm off.
I then proceeded to get up and take a shower. This process went very well, until I ran out of hot water! What followed was an atrocity that my senses will never forget, nor forgive me for. After thawing my near-paralyzed limbs and brushing the flecks of ice from my hair, I got dressed.
On my way out of the door I grabbed a bagel and a Pepsi. I was headed out! Oh the joys of education! Oh the thrill of learning! However, in my haste I failed to notice that I took the wrong door. But this minor detail escaped my attention, and I must admit that, at first, I was fooled into thinking that it was still dark outside. But after searching for my truck for ten minutes by the light of a cell-phone and tripping over multiple brooms (multiple times mind you), I determined I had better go back inside... or back where I came from at least. I emerged from the frigid elements only to be greeted by my mother, who looked rather puzzled. By this time I had realized my error, so I said without hesitation, "I was just getting a broom for school..." and left it at that. I quickly turned to door number 2, which was in fact, the correct door.
Despite all of these setbacks, I was still so very excited about the joys of education! Oh the thrill of enlightenment! Such was my joy that I did not even flinch when I learned that my doors were frozen closed, a sheen of ice that was 2" thick covering and filling every crack. A little bit of Pepsi and a whole lot of leverage solved my problem within a few moments. And I was off!
Off to the races, I should say, seeing as how my ramblings and rumblings had caused me to be running slighty late. The Tennessee Tech campus is approximately 15 miles from my house. I reached it in approximately 8 minutes. As I wheeled into campus, my first class was beginning, but I had no fear. I knew of secret hiding places from my first semester! I quickly found one of these and sneakily parked my truck in it.
My first class was Biology 1020, a continuation of Biology 1010. Since it was the first day of class, most of the time in class was spent in reviewing the syllabus, which usually results in the classes being over very quickly. I crept in to hear the very scientific voice of Mr. Brown (no relation) telling all the students something about attendance and grade scales... I couldn't really listen, I was focused on creeping. I stealthily stole into vacant seat in the back. But no sooner had I begun to set myself down, whem I heard the Professor exclaim: "That will be all! I'll see you on Friday!" A stampede erupted as zippers were zipped, texts were texted, mutterings muttered, and students... ummm... gee, students... students started walking. No illiteration there I'm afraid. I quickly blended in with the crowd and left as stealthily as I went in.
Since I had a moment before my next class, I decided to look for a parking place closer to the next building I would be in. However, I soon discovered that I had been betrayed! A pretty piece of pink paper had been prostrated upon my windshield! And on it a note, convicting me of parking in a bad place. My secret parking place had been ratted out, and could no longer be considered safe. But it is a long standing tradition among Techies that we never pay our first parking ticket, so I crumpled it up and drove away.
My second class was British Literature. I found another, more secret parking place this time, and headed off to class. It was there that I met Professor Saga, a fine man, who spoke with conviction and feeling no matter what the topic. I shall never forget his first words to the class, so full of passion and emotion:
"My dear students! Thank you for coming to class! It grieves me to inform you that I have to cancel class because of a terrible case of food poisoning... my bowels grind like the evils of Grendal himself. If you would please... (pause, deep breathing)... please excuse me....I will see you... (more of the same).... Tomorrow...."
And with that he bolted out of the room! What passion! Just as I was beginning to get up, he gave the students even more reason for excitement! "MONDAY!!!" he screamed in a shrill voice from down the hall. "MAKE IT MONDAY!.... OH SHEEEEP!!!" A door slammed. What a man.
As I walked back to my truck, I noticed two new bits of pinkness on my windshield. These were also parking tickets. But similar to the first, it is a well known tradition among Techies that the second and third parking tickets are ignored as well. I drove away, leaving what looked like two pink snowballs lying on the ground.
My third class was to be a computer class. I felt as though I would have very little to worry about here, seeing as how my technological skills had gotten me accepted into a technological university! My teachers name was Dr. Ball, a nice lady with glasses and OCD.
"Now class, we will log in to our computer lab accounts and do a few short excercises."
The only trouble with this was that my computer seemed to be frozen, or on vacation, I'm not sure which. I raised my hand and mentioned to her that my computer seemed to be messed up.
"Oh, that's alright", she said. "Since all the other computers are full, I'll just get you the logorithms and algorithms and some paper, and you can log in manually today!"
After class, I managed to somehow bring my mind back out of self-destruct mode and walk away from the building. I'm not saying I would never attempt such a feat again, but I would first attept to seduce, maim, or murder Mrs. Ball, and use her computer instead.
Because of the long amount of time spent in my third class, I decided to walk straight to my fourth and final class of the day, American History. My teacher in this class was to be Mr. Dollar, a man that reminds many students of Bill O'Reilly. A very straightforward man, not afraid to ask any question. At one student he threw the question: "Why do you think your proffesors are stupid?"
To which the shriveled-up student responded: "I don't think they're stupid!"
To which Mr. Dollar concluded: "You're dead wrong!" This class was going to be interesting, I could already tell. After reviewing the syllabus and going through some debate drills, we were dismissed.
My first day of classes had been a success! Oh the joy of education! As I walked back to my truck, there was a spring in my step and a smile on my face. College was going to be grand, I was so excited to be back for the second semester!
But where was my truck??? All I could see was a group of policemen and... and... was that a TOW-TRUCK?!?!?!
Well, that's about as far as I'm gonna go for now. I suppose I could tell you how I talked my way out of getting my truck towed... well, okay, so I actually didn't talk my way out of it, I just paid the tickets.
I'm not sure where alot of this came from. The true parts are that it was cold, and ummm... well, I'm not too sure about the rest, that's probably just about it. Anyways, hope you got a little enjoyment out of it, assuming you read the whole thing. I will try to keep everyone posted with updates throughout the semester.
P.S.-The post title comes from the Chuck Berry song.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Keep On The Sunny Side....
Greetings to whoever actually takes the time to read this. It's rainy. Very rainy. It's been this way for the last couple of days. The local Indians are doing a drought dance. Frogs are drowning. No sunshine. This has me wishing for warmer, sunnier times. Times when I can get outside and ammuse myself, whether it be with a gun, a chainsaw, a volleyball... anything that doesn't require rain! Times spent on the lake, or rock-climbing. Good times, bad times.... SUNSHINE!!! lol
So I decided to go on a quest for sunshine. This decision was not easily made, and took much deliberation. I counted and recounted the risk, like outdated Floridian paper ballots. In the end that ended up, I ended up deciding that the risks were justified. So I gathered my equipment... a cell phone, a clean pair of socks and some Axe body spray.
The first step was the simplest. I applied a liberal amount of the body spray to my, umm, body, and proceeded to the second step. I changed my socks. This didn't make much sense to me either, but I just figured I really couldn't hurt my chances of finding some sunshine by changing them.... and I was already going to change them before the beginning of Operation Sunshine (that's what I decided to title the operation... I just now came up with it... pretty cool huh?).
Now came the most precarious part of the operation... I picked up the cell phone. I for one have never been big on prank phone calls, and while this was not intended to take the position of one, many of my readers might have considered it to be very similar. My gut told me that Fate itself would lead me to sunshine, if I would only place myself fully in its hands and allow it to work its magic. So I closed my eyes. This was a big step that would test my faith in the powers of Fate, because after closing my eyes I attempted to open the phone, but it was upside down, and I dropped it on the floor. I wondered for a moment if this was a twist of Fate, trying to push me in a particular direction, or perhaps simply test my determination. Regardless, I had placed my quest in the hands of Fate, so I couldn't simply open my eyes and pick up the phone....
13 minutes later, I had found the phone. It would have been much quicker, had it not broken apart when I dropped it. So the battery obviously had decided that it felt cramped and smothered by the closeness of the casing, and needed to take some time alone to think about where the relationship was headed. In the end they were reunited in a tearful embrace... or at least, they were together again.
Now that the phone was whole again, I opened it up once more, eyes still closed, and began to dial. The quest for sunshine was underway. I followed no pattern, besides to push the first 10 keys that fate led me to. After listening to the sound of my call ringing through to somewhere... I heard a voice! The voice of- of a MAN!??! This caught me slightly off guard, but not for long. I realized that Fate had led me here, and that I should be grateful. I was just somehow expecting the voice of sunshine to be that of a woman, but maybe not. So instead of becoming discouraged, I quickly became an analytical machine, processing each individual word as he spoke it. I would have to pay attention to this messanger of sunshine.
"I'm." Ah! This man felt comfortable enough to use his name around me, the same thing he called himself around his friends no doubt.
"Sorry." Already, I could tell that this man cared about my lack of sunshine. With only his second word of the conversation, he was declaring his concern and sorrow over my predicament. This reassured me. Fate had not let me down!
"Your." Wow! I was taken somewhat aback by his straightforward approach. Already he felt comfortable enough talking to me on a personal level.
"Call." Ah, now to the heart of the matter! My call, and it's importance. I thought quite highly of this guy already. Friendly, personal, but efficient too.
"Cannot be." What's this?? Negative words? What can't my call be?But I was getting ahead of myself. Listen to what the man has to say Lucas.
"Completed." Cannot be completed? NO!! Why not?!?! What is your problem? What is this, pretending to be my friend? This fellow seemed quite nice up till this point, but suddenly he was transformed in my mind from an angel of the sunshine to a demon of the rain.
"As dialed." It was at this point that I got fed up. Not only had this friendship gone sour, he was now declaring that it was my fault! What was wrong with my dialing? It has always been my experience that there are two sides to every problem, and I found his approach to be quite hurtful and unfair. But I was willing to fight for our friendship. In my mind, a part of it still rested on the laurels of my first impression of him.
"Please hang up." This was the final blow. His contempt was only thinly veiled by the use of "please." I understood what he was saying. Hang up. But I wanted to get a word in edge-wise before the line was disconnected.
"And try again." Taunting! The demon was taunting me, just daring me to try and resurrect our friendship from the ashes of a fire that he had set himself! It was at this point that I began to sob. I became but a withered form of my usual self, and teardrops fell like the rain that seemed to have temporarily slackened.
Just as I took a breath to try and talk things over with the man, and at the very least give him a healthy piece of my mind, I heard that cruelest of sounds known to the telephone world. The click of a call that was no more. The signal of death for a relationship, a friendship that could never be renewed. I cursed Fate. It had betrayed me. Operation Sunshine had failed miserably. I had attempted to find sunshine in the best way I knew how, and that hadn't gotten me anywhere.
It was then that I opened my eyes and looked at the floor. My light deprived eyes burned. I looked around for a symbol of hope, some reassurance that the sun would shine again. But none could be found. My eyes drifted again to the floor and began tracing the shadow caused by my body... WAIT A SECOND!!! shadows??? I turned around to the window to be greeted by the glorious warmth and light of the sun. The teardrops on my cheeks began to dry as they glistened in the sunshine. I got a text on my phone. Could it be from some Sunshine in womanly form? Who knows. All I knew was that it was sunny again. And life looked better. Much better.
For the record, I had no idea where this was going as I wrote it. I just rambled my way through. lol A strong 96% of it is fiction, with the true bits being about the rain (which is still here actually), and some other minor details. I hope you enjoyed it, I have no real way to explain it.
If you've just read this, but it's still rainy at your house, or at the very least, in your head, here's something that I found that should cheer you up. I'm a a pretty optimistic kind of guy, so in my quest to find the positive in life, I got on YouTube. lol These are pretty funny, and I hope they help you to remember that things could always be worse. Maybe you are a loser, but at least nobody caught it on tape. ;) lol
So I decided to go on a quest for sunshine. This decision was not easily made, and took much deliberation. I counted and recounted the risk, like outdated Floridian paper ballots. In the end that ended up, I ended up deciding that the risks were justified. So I gathered my equipment... a cell phone, a clean pair of socks and some Axe body spray.
The first step was the simplest. I applied a liberal amount of the body spray to my, umm, body, and proceeded to the second step. I changed my socks. This didn't make much sense to me either, but I just figured I really couldn't hurt my chances of finding some sunshine by changing them.... and I was already going to change them before the beginning of Operation Sunshine (that's what I decided to title the operation... I just now came up with it... pretty cool huh?).
Now came the most precarious part of the operation... I picked up the cell phone. I for one have never been big on prank phone calls, and while this was not intended to take the position of one, many of my readers might have considered it to be very similar. My gut told me that Fate itself would lead me to sunshine, if I would only place myself fully in its hands and allow it to work its magic. So I closed my eyes. This was a big step that would test my faith in the powers of Fate, because after closing my eyes I attempted to open the phone, but it was upside down, and I dropped it on the floor. I wondered for a moment if this was a twist of Fate, trying to push me in a particular direction, or perhaps simply test my determination. Regardless, I had placed my quest in the hands of Fate, so I couldn't simply open my eyes and pick up the phone....
13 minutes later, I had found the phone. It would have been much quicker, had it not broken apart when I dropped it. So the battery obviously had decided that it felt cramped and smothered by the closeness of the casing, and needed to take some time alone to think about where the relationship was headed. In the end they were reunited in a tearful embrace... or at least, they were together again.
Now that the phone was whole again, I opened it up once more, eyes still closed, and began to dial. The quest for sunshine was underway. I followed no pattern, besides to push the first 10 keys that fate led me to. After listening to the sound of my call ringing through to somewhere... I heard a voice! The voice of- of a MAN!??! This caught me slightly off guard, but not for long. I realized that Fate had led me here, and that I should be grateful. I was just somehow expecting the voice of sunshine to be that of a woman, but maybe not. So instead of becoming discouraged, I quickly became an analytical machine, processing each individual word as he spoke it. I would have to pay attention to this messanger of sunshine.
"I'm." Ah! This man felt comfortable enough to use his name around me, the same thing he called himself around his friends no doubt.
"Sorry." Already, I could tell that this man cared about my lack of sunshine. With only his second word of the conversation, he was declaring his concern and sorrow over my predicament. This reassured me. Fate had not let me down!
"Your." Wow! I was taken somewhat aback by his straightforward approach. Already he felt comfortable enough talking to me on a personal level.
"Call." Ah, now to the heart of the matter! My call, and it's importance. I thought quite highly of this guy already. Friendly, personal, but efficient too.
"Cannot be." What's this?? Negative words? What can't my call be?But I was getting ahead of myself. Listen to what the man has to say Lucas.
"Completed." Cannot be completed? NO!! Why not?!?! What is your problem? What is this, pretending to be my friend? This fellow seemed quite nice up till this point, but suddenly he was transformed in my mind from an angel of the sunshine to a demon of the rain.
"As dialed." It was at this point that I got fed up. Not only had this friendship gone sour, he was now declaring that it was my fault! What was wrong with my dialing? It has always been my experience that there are two sides to every problem, and I found his approach to be quite hurtful and unfair. But I was willing to fight for our friendship. In my mind, a part of it still rested on the laurels of my first impression of him.
"Please hang up." This was the final blow. His contempt was only thinly veiled by the use of "please." I understood what he was saying. Hang up. But I wanted to get a word in edge-wise before the line was disconnected.
"And try again." Taunting! The demon was taunting me, just daring me to try and resurrect our friendship from the ashes of a fire that he had set himself! It was at this point that I began to sob. I became but a withered form of my usual self, and teardrops fell like the rain that seemed to have temporarily slackened.
Just as I took a breath to try and talk things over with the man, and at the very least give him a healthy piece of my mind, I heard that cruelest of sounds known to the telephone world. The click of a call that was no more. The signal of death for a relationship, a friendship that could never be renewed. I cursed Fate. It had betrayed me. Operation Sunshine had failed miserably. I had attempted to find sunshine in the best way I knew how, and that hadn't gotten me anywhere.
It was then that I opened my eyes and looked at the floor. My light deprived eyes burned. I looked around for a symbol of hope, some reassurance that the sun would shine again. But none could be found. My eyes drifted again to the floor and began tracing the shadow caused by my body... WAIT A SECOND!!! shadows??? I turned around to the window to be greeted by the glorious warmth and light of the sun. The teardrops on my cheeks began to dry as they glistened in the sunshine. I got a text on my phone. Could it be from some Sunshine in womanly form? Who knows. All I knew was that it was sunny again. And life looked better. Much better.
For the record, I had no idea where this was going as I wrote it. I just rambled my way through. lol A strong 96% of it is fiction, with the true bits being about the rain (which is still here actually), and some other minor details. I hope you enjoyed it, I have no real way to explain it.
If you've just read this, but it's still rainy at your house, or at the very least, in your head, here's something that I found that should cheer you up. I'm a a pretty optimistic kind of guy, so in my quest to find the positive in life, I got on YouTube. lol These are pretty funny, and I hope they help you to remember that things could always be worse. Maybe you are a loser, but at least nobody caught it on tape. ;) lol
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Auld Lang Syne...
I'd like to begin by wishing everyone a happy New Year! 2009 promises to be a real doozy! I am neither a prophet, nor the son of a prophet, but I think things make get a little shook up this year.
On a national scale: America will inaugurate it's first black President. Change is the what has been offered... what kind of change remains to be seen. Not only that, his family will adopt a pet. This is almost as important as the presidency! What kind of dog will they end up with?
One of the oldest, most succesful motor companies in the country is expected to declare bankruptcy and possibly shut down for good. Will Chevy trucks become a thing of the past? Will Nissan rule the world?
Along those same lines, the nations economy is expected to hit a major recession. Investors are losing faith in the value of the dollar. How long will this go on? What are the implications for our grandchildren?
And the Pro Bowl has been moved to Florida (?!?!?!). And it will be played BEFORE the Super Bowl??? This is heresy and madness! lol
On a more personal level: My life has gone crazy! Things are gonna be great, but they may get a little interesting at times too.
I'll start my second semester at Tennessee Tech on January 16th. I have found a school that fits me and my personality very well.
My singlness might possibly come to an end (this is merely speculation, lol ). I fear it may be too early to say much about anything, but life is looking up. All I know for sure is that it's out of my control. And that's a good thing... I think.
It is with all this in mind that I post this awesome video of the Eagles... I think the song is relevant to the new year and all... plus it's just a cool live video. lol
Enjoy... :)
On a national scale: America will inaugurate it's first black President. Change is the what has been offered... what kind of change remains to be seen. Not only that, his family will adopt a pet. This is almost as important as the presidency! What kind of dog will they end up with?
One of the oldest, most succesful motor companies in the country is expected to declare bankruptcy and possibly shut down for good. Will Chevy trucks become a thing of the past? Will Nissan rule the world?
Along those same lines, the nations economy is expected to hit a major recession. Investors are losing faith in the value of the dollar. How long will this go on? What are the implications for our grandchildren?
And the Pro Bowl has been moved to Florida (?!?!?!). And it will be played BEFORE the Super Bowl??? This is heresy and madness! lol
On a more personal level: My life has gone crazy! Things are gonna be great, but they may get a little interesting at times too.
I'll start my second semester at Tennessee Tech on January 16th. I have found a school that fits me and my personality very well.
My singlness might possibly come to an end (this is merely speculation, lol ). I fear it may be too early to say much about anything, but life is looking up. All I know for sure is that it's out of my control. And that's a good thing... I think.
It is with all this in mind that I post this awesome video of the Eagles... I think the song is relevant to the new year and all... plus it's just a cool live video. lol
Enjoy... :)
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