My Mark on Facebook

I'd like to start an internet phenomenon, and I think I've got an idea that will achieve this AND make people's lives better at the same time. We're all familiar with the depressing, often attention-seeking Facebook status updates, the ones that often reveal things that should REALLY be kept private. Well, I'd like to start a policy where people comment on those with a link to the music video for Hoppipolla by Sigur Ros. It is a great song, and I have never met anyone who didn't crack a smile watching the video. It always makes me feel better when I'm upset. That, and the video of the Men's swimming 4x100 freestyle relay from the Beijing Olympics.

It's not gonna happen, but it would be cool.

The 2nd Annual Fishin' Magician Trip: I WAS ON A BOAT!

Woke up at 2:15 am to go to Algoma for a charter fishing trip on Lake Michigan, same as last year. Caught the first fish at 4:30 am, first line in. Then got horribly seasick for an hour before the Dramamine kicked in. I still kinda feel like I'M ON A BOAT. Desperately wanted to yell that, but considering the audience, decided against it. Final fish tally: 7 King Salmon, 1 Steelhead Salmon, 1 Lake Trout. Not as many or as big of fish as last year, but still a fun time.

Shuffle!

Stole this from the Onion where they do it to famous people. That's probably the only reason it's interesting, but it's still kinda cool.

The Rules: Queue up every song on your mp3 player and put it on shuffle. Record the first 5 songs that play. NO SKIPPING! Write down your reactions/thoughts like this.

1. Please Don't Go - KC & the Sunshine Band
My junior year of high school we used to play this in the guys dressing room during shows all the time as part of the KC-only mandate that was strictly enforced. It was dedicated to Mike Sherman because it was his last year. I preferred "Keep it Comin' Love," which required everybody to dance at all times when it was playing. It wasn't as gay as it sounds.

2. Can't Let it Go - The Goo Goo Dolls
Are the Goo Goo Dolls an acceptable band for a college-age male to listen to? I've never really understood if they are a chick-rock band like Snow Patrol or the Fray. Johnny Rzeznik has a great voice and they write catchy songs. This is probably my favorite song off this album.

3. Monks Chant/He Is Not Dead Yet - Monty Python's Spamalot
I've actually never seen this show, but I have heard it's hysterical. A couple of years ago I probably could have quoted every line in Holy Grail. I'm probably at about 45% now. Incidentally, the song "Find Your Grail" from this show has some crazy impressive vocals by Sara Ramirez (of Grey's Anatomy) as the Lady of the Lake.

4. Sames and Opposites - Demetri Martin
Man, two somewhat gag tracks in a row. Don't I have any other real music on this thing? Well, at least this a good comedy track. Probably one of the best from Demetri Martin, who is kinda hit-or-miss. Still, I'm not a fan of when comedians play instruments. I don't really like gag songs and that kind of thing. Either tell some jokes or play some tunes. Don't half-ass them both so you can do them at the same time.

5. Supermarkets - Jerry Seinfeld
What the hell!?!? Where is the MUSIC?!?! I don't even listen to these comedy tracks that much! Well, at least it's Seinfeld, and this is one of the best tracks off "I'm Telling You For the Last Time." Say what you will about his observational humor style, he does it better than anyone else. When he talks about drinking milk the day after the expiration date, I always lose it.

Maybe I should try this again another time and limit it to MUSIC ONLY.

On Roundabouts

There is a big 2-lane roundabout going in on the East end of the new College Avenue Bridge (which won't be done for another year or two at least) in Appleton, and the city engineers are already in panic mode. I suppose they have good reason: a bunch of roundabouts went up in a few nearby towns and the populace freaked out. Now it's starting here. People are writing into the paper and showing up at meetings to complain about the things. The city gave a little informational meeting about how to use the thing to all city employees who drive on public roads. We also got a PAMPHLET. It was very helpful. It explained that "the main difference between a multi-lane roundabout and a single-lane roundabout is that there is more than one lane running around the center of a multi-lane roundabout." REALLY!?!?! THIS SHATTERS ALL MY PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS OF THE WORLD!!!!

Anyway, as I was saying, people are starting to freak out about these things. Driving is one skill that people seem to think is just a natural thing that never changes and that you should never have to work on. Again, personal responsibility has disappeared from most parts of this world. Here is a quick stat-shot on those people who complain about roundabouts:

Avgerage Age: 68
Preferred Internet Service Provider: AOL
Preferred Car Make: Buick
Average Dinner Reservation Time: 4:45 pm
Most Popular Reminiscing Topic: The Good Ol' Days

How can you legitimately argue against roundabouts? They save huge amounts of gas and time, require less maintenance, look nicer, and people DON'T DIE IN ROUNDABOUTS. That last reason alone seems like it should convince everybody.

HP Lies, or One Man's Quest to Get His Defective Computer Fixed: Aug. 3rd, 2009

Over the weekend I find out that a class action lawsuit has been in the making for a few months now, but can't proceed until the court certifies that a class actually exists. I post a reply on the hplies forum asking if there has been any progress on this matter. In addition, hplies lists a number of service order numbers that were given free repairs in the last few months. These orders correspond to model numbers not included in the enhanced warranty, inlcuding mine. Therefore I can conclusively say that it is possible for my computer to be repaired free of charge. I also investigate the official HP support forums, which according to hplies have been subjected to scrutiny and censorship by HP moderators who delete most posts regarding this matter on the grounds they are, "irrelevant." I find multiple threads full of people posting system information about computers that have failed due to this problem and yet are not covered under the enhanced warranty. HP's information page about the enhanced warranty also contains info about the BIOS update released in November 2007, which caused the heatsink fan to run continuously in order to slow the progression of the problem. This had the convenient effect of stalling most peoples' eventual system failures until after their warranties had expired. Armed with this and other information, I call David back to continue my efforts. Unfortunately, David is unavailable for reasons unknown (lunchbreak, out of the office are given as possible excuses). I leave a message to have him call me back (still waiting on that). That is where I currently stand.

HP Lies, or One Man's Quest to Get His Defective Computer Fixed: July 31st, 2009

July 31st, I start down the long, dark, winding road that is HP Customer Support. Bypassing the bottom level tech support line (which, via e-mail, has suggested I try using my computer in a cooler spot, hard rebooting, restarting in safe mode, and changing my BIOS power settings) entirely, I call the HP Executive Care Line and explain my situation. The lady repeatedly tells me I am 400+ days out of warranty, which I know. She asks what I would like her to do. I tell her, "Arrange for my computer to be repaired or connect me with a case manager who can handle getting my computer repaired." She connects me with a case manager named David (1-877-917-4380, ext. 08). I explain my problem to David, who tells me that unfortunately his computer will not allow him to set up a diagnostic/repair service for my computer. I ask him what his computer will allow him to do for me, and why he has a computer in front of him which openly refuses to perform the tasks he is assigned to complete. He tells me his hands are tied because my computer is not included in the enhanced warranty despite displaying the same symptoms as those that were included. I ask him why my computer was not included despite containing the same defective hardware. He tells me he doesn't know, that he just gets this warranty information from the warranty department. I explain that my roommate Andy's computer wasn't covered under the enhanced warranty and yet he was able to get his computer repaired 2 months ago. He tells me that while it may have been possible 2 months ago, HP has since changed their policy and will no longer repair these broken systems. I ask why the policy was changed (he doesn't know) and ask to speak to the person who made this change. David tells me that's a question for the warranty people, who he is unable to connect me with. I ask how I should go about getting in contact with these people, and David suggests I call back the Executive Care Line and ask to speak to the appropriate person. I tell David I will do this, get his contact information, and hang up. Day one comes to an end.

HP Lies, or One Man's Quest to Get His Defective Computer Fixed: July 30, 2009

Here's where I get involved. July 30th, my computer is once again running very hot while the fan screams in an attempt to cool it down. I leave the computer open on a low power setting in order to hopefully cool it down while I am away at work. I come back later that day to discover that it has become completely unresponsive, the fan has shut down, and the display is distorted in multiple places. Reddish lines chop up the lower half of the screen, and a small checkerboard-box pattern follows my mouse cursor as I move it around (this was the only input my computer recognized, although clicking was not functional). Never having seen distortion like this on my computer before, I attempt to fix the problem with a hard reboot and drain the capacitors by removing the battery and AC adapter before restarting the system. Upon powering on, my computer displays a grayish-black screen split by a few random lines, and lit up by an irregular white blob in the upper left corner. It does not proceed past this point. Mouse clicks are useless, no keystrokes are recognized, and multiple restarts produce the same screen each time. I consult the online forum/database www.hplies.com, which is dedicated entirely to this problem. It contains a list of 10 symptoms conclusively identified as hallmarks of the defective chip issue. I have experienced 8 of them, including the final "Unresponsive black distorted screen." At this point I am convinced that my motherboard has indeed been fried as I knew would happen sooner or later, and that I have a long road ahead of me. Did I ever.

HP Lies, or One Man's Quest to Get His Defective Computer Fixed: An Introduction

In late May/early June 2007, I purchased an HP Pavilion dv9000t laptop which included an nVidia GeForce Go 7600 video card chipset. I was very happy with this laptop for the first year and a half, until I started experiencing some minor problems in early 2009: freezing, distorted display, wireless connectivity loss, extreme heat/fan usage, etc. It just so happened my roommate Andy had the same computer model and was also experiencing these problems. In fact, his were significantly worse than mine, and got much worse over about a month, until soon his computer was unusuable. He discovered that our computers, specifically these nVidia chipsets, were defective, and were essentially burning out our motherboards. His was pretty much toast, and mine was definitely on its way, though for the time being, still functional. So Andy set about dealing with HP to get his fixed. As it turns out, HP had known about this problem and the defective video cards since November 2007 at the latest, and established an Enhanced Warranty Service for a small subset of the computers which had shipped with these defective parts. What benchmark HP used to determine which defective computers out of the thousands shipped would be eligible for this Enhanced Warranty remains a mystery. Not surprisingly, Andy's did not qualify, despite displaying the exact same symptoms and defective hardware as those systems that were repaired! So, after about 5 hours on the phone with different support people, he was able to secure a new motherboard for half of the original repair price. Keep in mind, this means that Andy paid out of his own pocket to repair a computer that had died due to defective hardware that was included when the computer was built. This was in June 2009. At this time, my computer was gradually worsening, a herald of things to come...

A Revolutionary Idea to Solve Every Problem. Ever.

Let's bring back personal responsibility. Seriously. No more taxing the rich to support the poor. No more stealing from the healthy to take care of the sick. No more robbing the smart to bail out the incredibly moronic. Nothing against the poor, sick, or moronic (well, maybe a little against the morons), but I've had it with people relying on others to fix their problems for them. The government is not your safety net. Discrimination on the basis of income, health, or intelligence is still discrimination. What did all the smart, successful, healthy people do to deserve this general disdain from the majority of the world? They're supposed to bankroll the entire country because they worked hard and stayed fit? DOESN'T ANYBODY REALIZE HOW RIDICULOUS THAT SOUNDS?

You know what is not helping, but nobody seems to realize? Explaining the problems with society that are causing all these crises with broad, meaningless buzzwords. Everyone feels like an expert because they realize that our society is obsessed with instant gratification or some other social-ill. Guess what! Society, as it turns out, is made up of people! Could it possibly be that it's problems with people that are making things so difficult?

So maybe if we put people's fates back in their own hands, they'll take care of themselves. And maybe, when everyone concerns themselves with securing their own future, we'll all discover that it's a hell of a lot cheaper and easier to look out for #1 first. And that's NOT SELFISH. IT'S RESPONSIBLE. Selfish is watching TV and eating take-out while your gastric bypass and utility bills are paid for by the guy who studied his ass of in college to earn a comfortable living.

Now for the requisite bullet-point list that explains how to fix EVERYTHING. EVER.

Health Care: Get rid of insurance. Seriously! No, I'm seriously not joking around. Just get rid of it completely. No government-sponsored plan. No private insurance. No nothing. Just watch how fast people start taking better care of themselves when it becomes way cheaper to do so. It'll happen. And you know what? You don't even have to forcibly get rid of it. Just stop giving it away. There's this not-so-secret secret that a small number of people have caught on to: You don't have to pay a lot of money for health insurance if you stay healthy. Sure, it may be required for drastic, unforseeable health crises, but you would be amazed how fast people will clean up their act when it becomes financially neccessary.

Retirement, Social Security: Get rid of it. Completely. Scrap the whole system when it runs out of money, which is going to happen soon. Stop supporting people who refused to support themselves when they were younger. Stop it! Seriously, knock it off! What if everybody put all of the money that was being taken from them to give to other people into a savings account, or invested it intelligently. You know what would happen? People would have a lot more money. Like, seriously, a lot more. And the economy would be in better shape. And people would have a reason to work hard and not waste their money and ensure that they have a secure future. They would be supporting themselves first, and you know what would happen then? They would help out the little guy. They really would! They would volunteer, or donate, or something. They really, honestly would, because it feels good to take care of people who are struggling. And you know what would happen then? Those people who got help would help others in return. You'd have the same system in place as right now, except it would be voluntary. Oh, and people would be wealthier. And happier. And just generally better human beings.

Education: Eliminate public education. Dump it in the river. Starting to see a pattern? You should be. People heard about these school vouchers, or the No Child Left Behind program, or anything that threatened to take money away from schools, and they FLIPPED. They went absolutely berserk, because the idea that schools should be held to certain standards or face legitimate consequences seemed downright evil. But as it turns out, without any motivation to provide a quality service, businesses grow stagnant. They have no reason to do a good job, because they're not invested in the product they create. Well, this time the product is CHILDREN. And our schools are, at times, shipping out some pretty crappy children. There are tons of people to blame for this one. The black-hearted monopoly that is the Teacher's Union, spineless administrators, uninvolved parents. SO LET'S START BLAMING THEM! Huh? That's mean? That's responsible! If a company sold cars that burst into flames at the 1,300 mile mark, would you want to pay to support it? What? You would? You seriously read this far and your answer is yes? Wow. Well, for those of you who wouldn't want to bankroll a company provide a crappy product, you guys yank your funding. Give your hard-earned (hopefully) dollars to the company one town over that builds cars with good gas-mileage, high safety ratings, plenty of horsepower, and a sweet voice-activated navigation system. Then watch when another company takes up the spot left over by the now-defunct explosive car manufacturer and starts charging 15% less for the same quality product. Now guess who's driving the continual improvment of goods and services? Can you guess? Yep, it's you! Congratulations! The only problem with this one is that yanking your funding will get you locked up for tax-evasion. That sound right to you? I didn't think so. Why don't you tell your kid's principal so, or maybe your state representative, or hell, how about your next-door neighbor? Start making trouble for the people who are making trouble.

OK, so that's not really every problem ever. But you can extrapolate. It's not a complicated idea, and if you read this far, I'm sure you're capable. People will say, as they always do: "It's just not that simple." And while I will admit these examples are drastic, they all play off of the idea that people who are forced to rely on nobody but themselves will invariably do so or face the consequences. So let's take the ball out of society's court, and put it back into yours and mine. Society had it's shot, and apparently it couldn't handle it. Maybe you and I can, on our own, for once.

twitter

Now I'm conflicted. I made a twitter account, which for most people carries a very bad connotation, but I actually like it a lot. Especially since there is a very nice iPod Touch app for updating it. Its a fun thing to use for "micro-blogging," which is what I want to do a lot of the time if I don't have enough to say to justify posting in this thing. And that has certainly been the case the last few weeks. Not because I haven't been busy as hell, but because the stuff I've been doing has been the same over and over again. And it looks to continue for another 2 weeks before I get a break. Man is that going to be nice.

Disorganization

I am normally a very clean person. I kind of learned to be this way because my allergies used to be really bad and I had to keep my room very clean to keep from getting sick all the time. So I'm usually very organized, I like to keep desks, closets, dressers pretty much clear all the time, just because I feel like I have more room that way.

But if you look at my room right now, it is an absolute disaster. There is so much stuff all over the place, covering every surface available. And it's not just from one thing, either. There's school stuff on the desk, Hatters publicity stuff on the dresser, more school stuff and personal junk in the closet, everything is just everywhere. It's driving me crazy, and as a result I spend most of my time out of my room these days. I don't expect it to get much better until at least after the Hatters show, when I can finally put away all the publicity stuff and find some time to clean up the rest of the crap. I'm really excited for the show, but I'm also really excited for it to be over. I could use some time to focus on just one thing at a time.

Time Management

In the past, I have often claimed to be very busy at times. Those times were lies compared to now. Hence the complete disregard of this blog.

I now have a twitter. www.twitter.com/syncbot. Sinkbot was taken.

Unwarranted Self Importance

I just got caught in the rain walking home from MadHatters practice, and I found myself on a dark part of the street except for one street light, and I was totally drenched looking up sideways at the light with water running down my face, and I thought to myself, "I bet I look at least a little badass right now."

NO, FAST!!

Well, the day has come to an end, and with it ends the snowboarding season for me. Loveland last Sunday, then Copper on Monday, break day on Tuesday (thank God!), Copper again on Wednesday, and Steamboat today. Steamboat is a great mountain, but the conditions were far less than ideal. I suppose I really can't complain about the weather, since it has been almost 50 degrees with no wind every single day, but it was so warm and sunny at Steamboat that the runs were turning into waterfalls. It was like riding through mashed potatoes at times. Still, that mountain would be so sick on a powder day.

Absolutely nothing beats staying in a condo right on a mountain. The ease and accessability is so awesome. The hardest part of Colorado ski trips has always been the drive to and from the mountain. There is no need to even get in a car when you're staying on the mountain. It's totally worth the price.

I tried some park riding for the first time on Wednesday, which was actually really fun. I just did a pair of small kickers, and I was so exhilarated (surprised) that I landed it smoothly that I didn't really do much off the second one. Its incredible how much of a difference there is between a clean, well-made jump in a terrain park and a little improvised kicker on the edge of another run. The approach is flat and wide, the ramp is flat, the landing is clear and at the correct angle. It makes all the difference.

Anyway, great week of spring skiing, much better than last year. Can't wait for next spring break to come back out and do the whole thing again.

Finish Him!

3 exams in 24 hours. Way behind in publicity for the MadHatters show. A realization that I have agreed to help with more things than I can effectively make time for. A horrible sore throat, exhaustion, systemic soreness, fever, and headache. Poor results in chemistry lab. Poor score on chemisty lab report. Confirmation that I will be spending my entire summer working and sleeping for the third consecutive year. I'd say my spirit is officially broken, and it's only Tuesday.

Colorado....Colorado....Colorado....

Enviromental Law, I think...

Just finished my nvironmental Law exam. I have never felt the same way about another exam as I did about this one. The typical thing to be concerned about going into an exam is that you don't know the material as well as you should. You may have studied everything but just feel like you don't know it all by heart. This was not the case for my Environmental Law exam. I flat out did not know what this exam was going to be asking me. I didn't know the format, I didn't know what would be emphasized in class, I didn't know what we were expected to know from the readings, nothing! I didn't really feel nervous, because the material is actually very easy. It's almost laughable how little I have done for that class. And all in all, it was a pretty easy exam. Weirdest feeling ever. I guess it beats knowing the topics but being way behind in knowing the material, as is the case for my biochemistry exam. Damn, best get back to work.

Colorado....Colorado....Colorado....

Bathroom Ceiling

So Kevin, Andy, Jeff, and I were playing Starcraft last night (don't judge me, that game is sweet), and we weren't paying attention to our surroundings very closely. Tyler came home and walked to the bathroom, and noticed that there was water POURING FROM THE CEILING IN OUR BATHROOM. Literally, there was a steady stream of water pouring out of the sprinkler head, and a line of leaking plaster above the countertop. Eventually it even started leaking from the doorframe too. So we called the emergency maintenance line and they sent a guy over to check it out and try to at least stop the leaking. While we were waiting, we went to the apartment upstairs to see if there were people there whose bathroom was leaking too, or if theirs was flooded and leaking through to our ceiling. No answer at their place, but we could hear what sounded like running water. So the maintenance guy got there, and he freaked out because it was leaking harder than he expected, and he ran around and fucked with some shit, and eventually he had to go into the apartment above ours. And what does he find but a passed-out, piss-drunk d-bag laying sideways in the bathtub, which is completely full and overflowing, covering their entire bathroom floor in water, soaking most of the carpet around their bathroom, and just generally fucking shit up. Maintenance man woke him up and found out that he had passed out while trying to take a bath, and what's more, he didn't even live there.

So the end result is that the people in the apartment above us are going to have to pay for thousands of dollars worth of repairs, and they're probably going to go after this drunken bum who totally ruined half their apartment. I hope that guy's night was awesome, because he's going to be paying for it for a couple of months now. Ah, college.

The near future

I have 4 exams and 2 lab reports due in the next two weeks. Talk about piling it on before spring break. It's gonna be a rough stretch, but at least it will make COLORADO all the sweeter.

Please oh please oh please

I want a Big Friend. It will stay by my side through anything, and we will create memories that last forever. The only true friend. Big Friend.

Oh Hell

Have you ever walked into an exam, test, or whatever just knowing you were going to fail it? That is exactly how I feel about my biochemistry test in an hour. I prepared for all the wrong material, I have no idea how to use two equations that are of primary importance, and there is no way in hell I could identify 15 of the 20 natural amino acids. I'm completely fucked, and the worst part is that I consciously chose to prepare very little for this test and now I am going to pay. Severely.

Meanwhile, I did way worse on my first Immunology exam than I expected, my first two Organic Chemistry Lab Reports were veritable disasters, and I have absolutely no idea what we talked about in my Environmental Law class on Monday.

I think I should be more worried than I currently am.

Consider This

The University of North Carolina Men's Basketball Team is now 2-0 on days when Brett Favre retires.

Photoshop

Ok, so everyone can agree that Photoshop is a pretty awesome program. After all, it enables people to make things like this.

The problem is, it is one of the least intuitive programs ever invented. I don't mean with all the complicated features. After all, there is so much shit you can do in Photoshop, it's ridiculous to expect to be able to just jump in and do everything right away.

Unfortunately, even the simplest things are difficult to pull off without any problems. I can't just stick in a text box and type in it with an automatically sized font. I can't just drag and drop a picture on top of another one. I can't just make a gradient that goes from black to transparent. I know for a fact that all of these things are possible, but change one setting and there's no way it's gonna happen. There needs to be an easy way to do easy things.

The Magic Man

This morning, on the way to my biochemistry class, I witnessed magic. At least, that's the best explanation I have yet come up with for what happened. So, this dude is standing in front of me listening to his iPod, and a girl, relatively attractive, walks up next to him. He glances at her, takes out his headphones, and says something. They talk for a few seconds before introducing themselves (initiated by him). The light turns green, and we all start walking across University, me behind them as they continue talking. We reach the other side, and they stop, and SHE GIVES HIM HER NUMBER. WHAT!?!? In the time it took to cross University, this guy procures her phone number!?!?! That has got to be the fastest introduction to potential date turnover time I have ever seen. Magic. That's the only reasonable explanation.

Anyway, SO to that guy. Very impressive. Hope things work out so you can tell the story to your kids about how you two met and started dating under 30 seconds later.

How bout this weather we're having? Hm Hm Hm Hm?

It's 35 in Rice Lake, WI! The UW-Barron County gig won't be the coldest thing I've ever done this year! Alright!

25

From Facebook:

1. I hope that the people I tag in this note realize how much they really do mean to me. Sometimes I develop a dynamic with people that masks how important they really are to me. I am at least a bit embarrassed in saying that. There are plenty of people I didn't tag, for various reasons, that mean a lot to me as well.

2. I went to a different middle school than all my elementary school friends, and I felt like almost all of them abandoned me during that time, to the point that I wanted (and tried) to open-enroll at a different High School. Dombrock didn’t, and he remains one of my best friends.

3. College is really easy for me. I feel like if I really applied myself, I could get straight A’s. I just can’t get myself to do the work.

4. I used to compulsively lie a lot, and still do to some extent.

5. I have often wished I was born a year earlier than I was.

6. I feel like I have a much better relationship with my parents and extended family than most people. 

7. I usually feel very uncomfortable in nursing homes.

8. I hate funerals. I do not ever want to go to another funeral in my life, but I know I will.

9. I feel completely confident in my belief that there is no God, no afterlife, and no existential human soul. That being said, I have never held someone else’s beliefs against them.

10. I like dressing well, even if I don’t usually know how to do it.

11. Clay is probably the best match for my sense of humor, and can make me laugh better than anyone else.

12. I have always looked up to my cousin, no matter what he does.

13. I have always felt like somewhat of an outsider in the groups I belong to.

14. I am uncomfortable being around people who are making fun of others, and will often step in to stop it.

15. I can’t stay angry at people. I have never been able to. It’s hard enough for me to get angry at them in the first place.

16. I rarely cry. I have never been able to summon the emotion to do it, even in situations where it would be expected.

17. I think it is better to live humbly for a cause than die nobly for one (that’s one of my favorite quotes).

18. The MadHatters might be the greatest thing to ever happen to me.

19. There are a handful of moments in my life that I wish I could relive and change. These are moments in which I strongly believe I made a bad decision that cost me something great.

20. There are very few things I enjoy doing more than laying on a couch in front of a fire with a couple of friends talking about books, philosophy, movies, science (yes, science), and other stuff.

21. I don’t enjoy hearing about other peoples’ sexual conquests. Maybe it’s because I don’t have any such stories of my own. I feel (worry?) I won’t have such a story for some time, and it kind of disappoints me that I will likely be chastised for it.

22. I feel like I am more sensitive to being yelled at than most people. Guilt seems to hit me harder than most.

23. I legitimately enjoy writing in my blog, and wish more people would read it and write their own.

24. I am worried that I have made these points more personal than this thing is supposed to be. As such, I have revised a couple of them before publishing it.

25. I am a cat person.

The Almost Super Bowl

One of the best football games I've seen in a long time, and certainly the best Super Bowl I've ever seen. This game had so many great plays and turning points. The fourth quarter was potentially the best 15 minutes of football ever played. Larry Fitzgerald's 65-odd yard touchdown catch was pure excitement. Santonio Holmes's game-winning touchdown catch was perfect. Everything was fantastic.

Until the last 5 seconds.

The Cardinals's last play should have been reviewed. It should have been scrutinized at least as much as any of the other plays that had been challenged during the game. Not only that, but it should have been overturned. I think it was clear to anyone that Kurt Warner's arm was moving forward just before the ball was knocked loose. I don't think the ball would have taken the trajectory it did if he hadn't been in the act of throwing it.

It was such a good game, and the Cardinals did so much to stick it to everyone who thought they were hopelessly overmatched, that they deserved one last chance to shock the world. Just think of what an incredibly epic ending we could have had if the officials hadn't given it away! Kurt Warner, the old veteran quarterback, launches a ball from close to midfield into the endzone, where Larry Fitzgerald and probably the best recieving corps in the nation have one last chance to pull down the winning touchdown against the best defense in the nation. Can you imagine that? The play would have been incredible no matter what happened. It would have firmly cemented this as the greatest Super Bowl ever. We might have talked about the Cardinals two epic comebacks, including a hail-mary to eclipse even Flutie's, for years to come. We might have talked about Larry Fitzgerald, at the beginning of the 4th quarter, declaring that he'd had enough of Pittsburgh, and that this Super Bowl now belonged to him.

Or we might have talked about Ben's near flawless winning drive with only minutes remaining. We could have talked about his evasion of one Cardinal lineman after another before delivering a perfect throw downfield for a new set of downs. We could have talked about his receivers finding every hole in the Cardinals' defense and stretching every play the extra yard. And we could have talked about Santonio Holmes's mind-blowing fade route touchdown, his tip-toes, his hands, his LeBron-esque celebration. We could have talked about James Harrison's signature, record-setting interception return. Then we would have talked about how Pittsburgh's steel curtain of a defense pulled through for them one last time, when it mattered most, with a game-ending explosion of the Cardinals' hail-mary attempt.

But instead, we will talk about how Kurt Warner's arm might have been moving forward, how the ball might have come loose before the motion began, how the officals never undertook a formal review process on the play, how the game ended before anyone really realized what had happened, how the last thing to take place on the field in Tampa Bay was a lackluster victory-formation kneel-down by Ben Roethlisberger. 

It was still an incredible game, but in the last 5 seconds, when the knockout punch for the ages should have been delivered, we instead watched 11 relieved men kneel down in front of 11 incredulous men. And the kneelers won.

Surrender

I finally did homework for the first time this year yesterday. I had to do an Ochem assignment and read some stuff for environmental law. You know what? It only took about 2 hours to do everything. Still, it was a concession that the school year is officially in full swing, which was tough to admit. Hell, 14 days ago this minute I was still in Cancun.

Edumacation - Learn Me A Book

I am officially a Medical Microbiology & Immunology undergraduate. Well, sorta. I still have to complete a major declaration form, but I got accepted in any case. Now what changes? Nothing, really. Other than serious bragging potential. Yeah.

Do you remember when I was a bird and you were a map?

I really like Panic at the Disco's new CD, Pretty. Odd (the one they released since dropping the "!"). "Mad as Rabbits" and "When the Day Met the Night" are two of the best songs.

Also, check out the MadHatters new YouTube channel to keep up on all thing UW MadHatters, including concert announcements, backstage footage, and any other stuff we can think up!

Digging a Ditch

By some sort of funny conincidence, or fate, or some other mysterious force, I find myself wanting to listen to the song "Digging a Ditch" by Dave Matthews Band. So I go to my computer and search for it in WMP. No results. I open up DMB's albums and look for it, thinking it must be mislabeled or something. Nothing. The song is from the album "Busted Stuff." I have the entire album...except for track 9. For some reason, when I put that album on my computer, I chose not to rip that song. And now, probably 6 years later, I find myself wanting to listen to it and learn how to play it and know what it is about.

There are certain things I miss from the last few years of my life a lot more than others. I remembered a couple of them today. That song is one of them. But it seems that then, like now, I didn't really know what I had until I lost it. There is a song about that, it says something about paradise and a parking lot too. I can't think of a parking lot that I really miss, but I can remember a paradise. I wonder if I'll find another one like it. I can only hope.

The Beauty of Independence

You know the best thing about college? You live and die by nobody's hands but your own. Almost all of the classes that I am taking this semester include problem sets, homework, and discussion sections. But you know what? They are all optional. These professors know that people will learn as much as they want; no more, no less. There is no more high school busy work, because there are no more idiotic high school kids who have to be ordered just to wake up in the morning. It's incredibly refreshing.

That being said, I guarantee I'm gonna have to summon all of my willpower to attend the optional discussion section for my Immunology class on Monday nights. Damn this freedom!

A Barack Comment

Today America celebrated a great milestone in its history. A black man was sworn in as the President of the United States for the first time. Many hailed it as a triumph for the country, proof that racism, prejudice, and hate were defeated at last. No more, they said, would the color of a person's skin dictate the heights he could achieve. The American people spoke as one, and they proudly declared that the evils of our past ended here and now.

I disagree with these people.

There remain those who claim that President Obama was elected largely because he was black. Invariably, these people are labeled as racists, bigots, and any manner of terms leveled at those who factor race into a decision regarding another person. People will applaud President Obama's political prowess, his dedication to his message, his firm view on the direction for our country. But the end word will always fall on race. It is inevitable.

This is because racism and prejudice cannot be eliminated by a champion of any color. The very acknowledgement of a person's race is undeniably a categorization. Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun said, "In order to get beyond racism, we must first take account of race. There is no other way. And in order to treat some persons equally, we must treat them differently." Blackmun makes this claim on the same bench from which Separate but Equal was torn down. How can he believe that the way to end racism is to embrace any variance in the treatment of an individual based on race? Any distinction in treatment is an admittance of distinction in person. There is no way around this. Not while Americans insist on discussing accomplishments in terms of race. Leontyne Price, one of the greatest opera singers of the 20th century, perhaps said it best: "Accomplishments have no color."

Until Americans are judged solely on the merits of their character and actions, our nation will never be able to fully wash it hands of its intolerant past. Its people must no longer be seen as a palette if we are to achieve what President Obama and his supporters claim to have wrought.

The Code Genie Does Not Sleep

Samurize is a crazy awesome program. I have spent all weekend creating my own desktop, complete with expanding/collapsing menus and system resource monitoring meters. Check it out if you have some time to kill and want to completely customize your computer interface.

Pool Bar!

There is no way I will be able to do justice to the last week in words. Plus, I'm operating on battery power, and my computer will likely die in about 26 minutes, so I'm going to try and get down some of the highlights from each day.

Thursday, Jan. 8: Flying most of the day, took it easy that night so as to be ready for the rest of the week.

Friday, Jan. 9: The first pool bar experience. Certain to go down in legend. Volleyball.

Saturday, Jan 10: Day trip to Tulum Ruins. Iguana Rumble.

Sunday, Jan. 11: Catamaran Sailing to Isla Muheres. Snorkeling through swarms of fish. Snorkel Bong. First performance. First encounter with Allison and Natalie.

Monday, Jan. 12: Volleyball continues. Pool Bar as well. Heavy drinking with Canadians, Allison, and Natalie.

Tuesday: Jan. 13: Even more volleyball. Brazilian restaurant with food served on large metal spikes. Continued fraternization with Allison and Natalie.

Wednesday, Jan. 14: 15!?!?

Thursday, Jan. 15: Flying home. Cold as fuck. Want to go back.

There is so much more to be said, but I can't remember all of it. It was just unbelievable.

15!?!

Greatest. Week. Of. My. Life.

More to come...

The Apartment to Myself

I've spent the last 24 hours by myself in my apartment. Is that healthy? Eh, well, in 10 hours I'll be on my way to Cancun.

Slumdog Millionaire

In the words of Jim Rome: Spec-tacular, Phe-nomenal, Count Chocula.

This movie was fanstastic. Awesome cinematography, creative original story, well acted, good twists, and the most beautiful woman in the entire world. I also had no idea Danny Boyle directed it. Clearly the movie was in good hands.

I won't reveal any of the plot or anything, since it is so new, but this movie is well worth paying to see in theaters. Not just because it looks great on a big screen, but because the sooner you see it, the better.

What the...?

Boston College beat North Carolina by 7? Denny Green does radio color commentary? The Knicks beat the Celtics by double digits? What the hell happened today?

DaJuan vs. DeJuan

In the only regular season meeting of the D(a/e)Juans this year, Pitt pulls out the win behind DeJuan Blair's 20 points and 17 rebounds, while DaJuan Summers leads the defeated Hoyas with 22 points. Don't be surprised to see another meeting between the D'Juans in the Big East Tournament later this year.

Fonduenation

We did Fonduenation on Thursday with a new crowd because the original members all flaked out (most of them had viable excuses, but that has never prevented criticism before, so why now?). It was a good time. We had way too much meat (is there such a thing?) and the cooking oil wasn't being very cooperative, but fun was had by all.