Excited

So there's lots of stuff going on right now which is kind of exciting. I'm about to head off on an adventure with Jed and Em's for the next few days and for once I'm finally starting to feel a little bit better. I wrestled with my computer for a little bit the other night and decided that I hate Windows. I hate itunes too. Let's just say I hat most established OS and their parts. I just want something easy. That's when I found the gOS. I just found out about it, so I don't know lots, but I think that I will be looking into it and finding out more. Whoever reads this will probably know a lot more about it than they ever wanted to by the time I'm done. I missed out on the OLPC, and I don't particularly care for the ASUS, but there's a new microcomputer on the horizon. A green one, with the gOS. It even has a cool name, the CloudBook. Who doesn't want a computer called a CLoudBook? YOu knwo what MY computer is called. An Inspiron. It inspires Ron. NOT Jeremy. Stupid laptop. Here's some pics. One is of me the last time I had a haircut, and the other is of Wall-E. If you don't know who Wall-E is, than you're incredibly uncool and should look it up. He's gonna be the hottest thing since sliced bread.

Christmas I

This Christmas season started off with a bang on the 22nd. I woke up at 4 am and went into work. At 4 pm I attended Jed's father's winter solstice celebration. There was much pagan fun had by all. We ate butternut squash soup and cast seeds over our shoulder in hopes the sun would return for a new year. As the sun was obscured by clouds, we toasted its replica scepter with our glasses of champagne (with delicious raspberrys floating within). Jed and I left that party and went to starbucks to unwind with some coffee and smokes. Then we went and got Em's to go to Anna's Christmas party. We ate lots of delicious food and drank some good coffee. I got some awesome presents and laughed and almost cried and generally had a pretty great christmas. Emily did not expect one present she got and that made me happy. Jed was officially inducted into the family and is one of us forever. Tonight (christmas eve) Em's and I went down to Asheboro to see mama and ate more food and drank good coffee and I re-discovered my amazing tape collection. I have included in this post some pics of presents I made for other people. I talked about them in earlier blogs, but couldn't put up photos or people might see them. One is a wood burning I made of two quail for my mom's fiance. The other is a prototype tin can lamp I made for Jed.

So Much Happening!

There's been so much going on that I don't think there's room in the world to write about all of it. I've been feeling a little under the weather, so this probably wont go for to long, but I'll try to add more to it later.
First. Jed graduated. Hurrah!!! I drove up to Raleigh and met up with him and his mother before the two smaller graduation ceremonies. It was all quite moving and I was almost as proud of him as his family was. Jed made a very handsome graduater and here are some pics to prove it. I snapped one of him in his fancy clothes, one in his gown (which sort of didn't come out so well, so I "touched it up" to make it seem old timey instead of just blurry), a photo of his montage that was on the big screen when he walked (or really, ran out of the audience and snatched up the paper), before fleeing back to the audience. The last picture is of the view from Jed's desk in the studio. If he ever misses it he can see it here (I doubt he will). I know I should write about Christmas, but I think that may wait until tomorrow. There are lots of pictures and plenty of stories right around the corner, but I need some sleep.

And Then It Was Cold

Hello all! Sorry it's been so long since I've written anything, but I've been super busy with the ending of school and work. The mall has been pretty hellish, and any loss of business due to the closeness of a recent gang shooting has NOT been noticed. I managed to do pretty well in school, with my lowest grade being a B- in English, which I was disappointed with but KNOW that I earned. I worked my butt of for that class. My most exciting piece of news is that my favorite author, Bruce Sterling, read my final history paper. I wrote it on his short story "Kiosk" and he said it was "hilarious." I suppose that's pretty good. Maybe that's why I got a B- (sigh). But you cannot imagine my joy at checking my email and seeing his name. I made some cool meals and finally have gotten kick started into my plan for better health. This comes from a depressing conversation with my doctor about my lifestyle. More on all of that later. I took some pics of our little kitchen on one of its rare clean days. I just thought it looked nice. Also there's a picture of the fateful day that Bruce Sterling wrote me. Lately I've really been wanting to get back into playing the guitar and writing music. Its an outlet that I feel has been gone for to long in my life. On ebay I found these cool Stella guitars that are 3/4 or 1/2 size. My wrist doesn't really let me play full sized guitars, but I haven't tried anything smaller besides the uke. The uke doesn't seem to bother the wrist unless I do it for a really long time, so maybe I should check into the smaller guitars. I managed to finally get some stuff checked off of my TO DO list, adn sold some ebay crap. Most of it went for a pretty fair price, but it is depressing how you never make back what you spent. Emily wrapped a lot of our Christmas presents today after we went shopping. I found some pretty neat stuff for people. We had a delicious dinner of black bean burritos. After dinner (and before, when we were cooking) I worked on my Mom's boyfriend's present. It really cmae out pretty well, and I'm excited to see if he liked it. It's one of my more successful homemade gifts.

Why's It So Warm?

I found this delightful image on a t-shirt website and saved it as a reminder. I frequently get into conversations with people in public and begin talking about my blog. As soon as I say the word "blog," which is usually prefaced with "I have..." their eyes go bland and they start mindlessly nodding. Em's certainly wont talk about it with me (except to tell me specifically what I cannot put on my blog...there were some issues) and I don't really have anyone else. I even found myself referencing it in a paper I wrote for today. I guess I really am a ginormous nerd. But this image here should remind me to keep it to myself! I turned in my final piece of English work for this semester today and I am certainly glad that at least one class is finished. Since Em's has been working 2 jobs and I have been going to school full time and working the house has slowly degenerated from its standard messiness to a place that I can only call disgusting. My goal this break is to get it neat, clean, and streamlined for next semester. Today I cleaned the kitchen and bathroom (yuck) and plan on working on the hall and living room tomorrow. I have big computer news, but wont get into that right now as I am unexpectadly sleepy. I actually had a busy and full day today with lots of fun highlights that I might write about later. This blog has gotten sort of compulsive, and I feel weird if I don't write in it every few days.

I think I'm addicted.

Eulogy for the Zire 71

This week a dear friend passed away. Back in the days when Em's was in college, she decided that she needed something more than a planner ot organize her life. So she hunted around and found the best little pda she could afford. It was a Palm Zire 71, a sweet little machine with a blue chrome finish and a brushed metallic backside. As soon as Em's gradeeated, she decided that she no longer needed this pda. And that's when the love affair began. As usual I get all of EM's cast off techy devices, mostly because I'm cheap (frugal) and don't feel like things should be wasted. One incredible aspect of this device was that it slid up and became a really cool camera. I never used it for anything else. The pictures were not that great, but you always seemed to capture that something you were wanting to remember. The pictures could be blurry or shaky, and it didn't have a flash, but somehow they had more heart. I dearly loved that little device. Some of my greatest memories, starting college (again), moving (twice), climbing mountains (sort of), visiting strange and faraway places (the mountains, the coast), and just relaxing at home with my favorite people. Loads of the pictures on this page were taken with it. But sadly, this week I broke it. When I turned on my faithful little buddy, all that showed was his cracked little screen. Em's offered to get me another for Christmas, but that wouldn't be the same. I leave you with a selection of some of the favorite pictures that the zire took. (Please hum Bobby Darin's "Beyond the Sea" as you enjoy them, it would make me happy, the Zire happy, and enrich your own experience. I'll get you started: "Somewhere, hmmm hmmmm hmmmm hmmmm huh, beyond the sea...")

The Candy Incident

Oh, Cookies and Candy Cookbook, you have led me down a hard and winding path. As everyone who knows me is aware of, I am one cheap (although I prefer the term frugal) S.O.B. Especially this year, when I'm managing to save a whole 35 cents (I just stared at the keyboard for at least 2 or 3 minutes trying to find the cents key. You know, the little c with a line through it? I can't find it. I'm sure it's on here, but I'm pretty sure my computer didn't come with one) a paycheck. So this Christmas people WILL be getting some homemade presents. I've plumbed the depths of the internet for ideas, and I suck at all of them. Finally i decided that if I combined some crappy ideas into a "gift basket/box" format they wouldn't look so suck. In this vein I decided that I would try to make some candy for my dear family and friends, who luckily number less than ten. So I looked all over the internet for a candy that I thought my sweet, sweet loved ones would enjoy. Finally I found it. English Almond Toffee. Where on the great and vast internet did you find this recipe you ask. I didn't find it on the internet. I found it in a sweet (ha ha, punny) cookbook that I had collected from a church basement book sale last summer (or was it fall? I'm not sure and it doesn't really matter or have any relevance whatsoever). This book had a (seemingly) easy recipe to follow that sounded absolutely delicious. So this evening Em's and I went to our friendly neighborhood grocer and picked up the required items. We went home and began to prepare, greasing pans and smashing nuts. I carefully followed every direction the recipe gave, and all went fine until.....SMOKE!!! HUge billowing clouds of stinking sulfurous smoke, as if the mouth of Hell had opened in out kitchen. Thick strings of carmalized suger bubbled and burped all over everything. As I wept in the fetal position on the floor, Em's said, "Oh, don't worry. Maybe it will taste fine." SO we finished the recipe and let it cool. As we gently cracked the candy and prepared ourselves to try the sample pieces, our eyes locked and we silently knew what the other person was thinking. That thought was, "Did you just fart, or is that the candy?" I do not believe I have ever had anything so foul in my whole life. Neither of us could stop laughing at the others disgusted faces. As Em's and I staggered around the kitchen, gagging and crying for our mothers, water, and the sweet blessing of death from God, I seriously debated just giving it to my family anyway. How amazing would that be if I got to watch them curl up and retch on a peaceful Christmas day. I'd say, "There's some consumerism there for ya! Ha! Consume that!" And of course THOSE thoughts led me to thinking that I should give it to my customers at the mall. Needless to say though the candy was thrown away. To illustrate the drama Emily and I re-enacted the event and took photos.

More interesting news:

-Today was assisted shopping day at the mall, which is always delightful. I did not however clog any toilets this year.
-Cigs you roll yourself taste horrid, but are infinitely more satisfying.
-I might get to have a new job come January!
-Emily is getting a full time job, which oddly means I will get to see more of her. I have mixed feelings about this.
-I'm trying to sell all my crap on ebay so I can get the XO-1.
-I do NOT want to do anything else for school, even though I have almost a whole week of exams. AAAAGGGHHHH!!!!!
-Ian writes some really funny blogs and peeps that check mine out should read his.
-Deep Roots Market is cool.
-I have WAY too much stuff.

So Tired

It's 1:25 Am on Wed. as I begin this post. I've been smashing my head against the brick wall that is my next to last Eng. assignment. I don't think I have EVER had such a hard time writing a paper. My back (which I'll write all about as soon as I have time) was starting to feel a little better before this marathon session in the old computer chair. Someday if I get rich I will buy a nice comfortable computer chair. Right now I just wish that I was done with this semester. I keep plugging along and hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow when this paper is turned in. I wont say it's the worst paper I've ever written, but it is close. Green ginger tea is a life saver. Someone told me it might snow soon. That makes me happy.

Sweet Evening

It was a pretty nice day today. I had to go to my Hist. class which I really like. It was nice because last class I had issues staying awake. The professor is really interesting but I was sick. After class I went to the comic shop and canceled a bunch of titles because Em's and I need to save money. She just wants me to quit smoking. I think that I am ready, but I dread doing it. I hate doing things that are hard. Unless they are totally pointless, in which case I relish it. I worked tonight with a great crew. It was really fun. The picture is of the building where I have my history class. I also have my math class in it. Remember if you have any ideas for the 10,000th day goals let me know.

Oh God...

This public service announcement freaks me out. Sweet Jesus.

Waiting for Something

Sorry that the last post kind of degenerated into a rant. I am really in a much better mood today. It was beautiful outside earlier and I took photos of the trees off of the "porch," a tiny landing that tops the stairs Em's and I enter the house through. I also added a picture of our laundry room. That may be weird, but I always think it looks so pretty when it is sunny outside. I started this blog much earlier in the day but it was a little moody, so I deleted it. I've added a new goal to the 10,000th Day campaign; in addition to simplify, and graduate from college, I'm also going to try and be more positive. I think that is something I really need to work on. Life always seems so much easier if you look for what is good around you. I added a picture of my landlord's van that I wrote about last time. It's parked next to my Cavalier. That van looks so good to me. I miss the minivan I used to have. Also, I finally bought a new coat. Em's always gives me grief for the coat I have, which was purchased for me in 2000 by my then girlfriend. I don't think that the whole girlfriend thing bothered her as much as the faded, stained, (I'll admit it) kind of stinky old coat. We had been looking for me a coat for almost two years, but a combination of my ginormous size and incredible cheapness contributed to failure all around. But yesterday I found this sweet coat at Rugged Warehouse marked down to $60 from $200. I couldn't pass it up. The fact that it is Roca Wear only serves to make it better as it still kind of embarrasses Em's. HA!!! Here's a really cool site that compares the merits of the XO-1 to the Asus EEE PC. I've been reading a Mother Earth News Almanac from 1973 and enjoying every minute of it. It really inspires a DIY work ethic in me. So everyone get ready, cause Christmas will bring lots of homemade gifts. Maybe soon I can post some pics of my recent projects. I turned in my third school study today, so there's only one more education assignment left. I think that I'm beginning to see the light at the end of this semester's tunnel. Em's and I were discussing some cool ideas of things we could do in the future. I kept thinking about the Kerouac novel Big Sur. Isn't that the one where he stays up on the mountain as a fire/smoke watchy person? I think that would be cool to do. Head out there into the wilderness and just vibe. If anyone know if you can still do this, or if the modern techno world has replaced it let me know. One last thing. At work today I had a great conversation with an employee who had worked in the past for Operation Smile. The stories h told really inspired me to want to do more with my life. It really got me excited.

Simple

It has been a pretty good day. That's pretty surprising because I woke up this morning feeling like I had been hit by a truck. As I stumbled into the bathroom, hacking up copious amounts of phlegm (pretty right?), I realized Emily had finally passed her sickness on. She of course was finally feeling better after a month of being sick. It was kind of hard to listen to her prancing around the apartment whistling like some daft princess out of a Disney cartoon. I barely stayed awake in my History class, which is a shame because I really enjoy it. But I stared at the teacher today, stunned, barely able to keep my eyes closed. Sigh. I came home and started feeling a little better, watching the latest episode of Heroes on YouTube (that's right, screw you nbc.com--Your video streaming sucks!). Heroes has gotten pretty good. I know I said that I was sick of it, but the last few episodes have bee watched on the internet with "limited commercial interruption." Speaking of watching TV, tonight I was watching the Fit channel (looking for inspiration, but mostly to see the Namaste Yoga chicks...SWEET JESUS!) and realized who its target demographic was. On a commercial break the commercials were for 1. chocolate, 2. botox, 3. a dating website. What the hell?! Don't get me wrong, I love chocolate but to have that on a fitness oreinted channel? Maybe they were just trying to make sure they kept their viewers. I always want to scream "Here comes the bocculism!" anytime someone talks about botox, but usually I'm in public, so tonight I DID yell. It was magical. Okay, back to describing my day. After my Education class in which we had a fantastic talk from Adrian Israel (I hope I spelled that right but I'm to lazy to look it up right now) I cam home and had some chili. Now I know that all of you are saying "WHAT! Chili when your sick? That's crazy!"
But really it is fantastic. Here is my "Oh Shit I'm Sick and Need to Get Well Now" chili recipe:
1 can of Hormel turkey and bean chili
1/2 a bottle of Tabasco
1 quick squirt of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 of a finely chopped onion
Combine all ingredients in a pot and heat till bubbly. Dump in bowl and sprinkle with pepper flakes, pepper, and top with a few oyster crackers. You WILL either die (thus being out of your misery) or get better.
After this hearty meal I set out for my math class. It was boring. I came home and whined for a while to Ems about how sick I was, she went and got me a samich, I watched TV, she brought me medicine and beverages, she went to bed and here I am at the present.
I'm a little logy right now from all the medicine so I'm gonna hit the hay. Tomorrow I have to work like crazy on all my homework and

End of November

I can't believe that there's another month under my belt. Geez, I just keep getting older. One thing that me and my buddy Jed were talking about before turkey day was about how many days we'd been alive. We decided that we should have a celebration on our 10,000th days. As of today, Nov. 26th 2007, I have 784 days until my 10,000th. I know that seems like it's a long way away, but it is really just a little over 2 years! I am not sure what all I will want to do before then, but I think I want to change lots of stuff. Whatever I end up doing it still would be cool to celebrate it. I just feel like it's a good idea to have some weird future date to look at and say "By then..." Maybe thats silly but I don't care. If you look at the bottom of the page you will see that I added a countdown clock for my ten thousandth day. My first goal is: graduate from college. Sweet. As December kicks off I think that I have some new focus in life. Mostly though I'm procrastinating doing my homework. I was shocked this afternoon to realize just how little time there is left in this semester. It wont be long before I'm workin' full time and hangin' out with my (soon to be) re-Greensboro-ized bud Jed. This coming semester will hopefully be a little less stressful (and hopefully I'll get better financial aid!). I will be taking some really fun sounding courses. In the blog previous to this one I embedded a video for the XO-1 featuring Masi Oka (check out his wiki to see how crazy this guy is!). I don't think that OLPC could have chosen a better representative. Masi Oka gets huge props. Hopefully he donated his time. This post I've included some photos that I would like to share. The top photo is super sexy me from our beach trip earlier in the year. I just thought i looked good, so everyone should see it (those ARE Playboy brand sunglasses, I IS a Playboy!). The next pic is a really cool puzzle that Em. put together on that same beach trip. Scrolling through some pictures in my computer that survived the great computer migration of '07, these two just stood out. The only birthday pics left from this Sept. that survived are the ones on the blog so I thought these two would kind of be safe here. The third photo is my sweet new Ubuntu set up on the old computer. This computer was pretty good, but I really wanted to see what Ubuntu was like. Unfortunately, it will not recognize my wireless network (or if it does I'm too dumb to figure it out). From what I can tell though Ubuntu is great and I think I would rather have that then Windows (especially Vista), unfortunately Windows is pretty ubiquitous. The final picture is from the time three of my robots went back in time to capture a stegosaurus (see background). Pretty sweet.

I've included here the most amazing and inspiring commercial of all time. Watch multiple times and enjoy.

End of November

I can't believe that there's another month under my belt. Geez, I just keep getting older. One thing that me and my buddy Jed were talking about before turkey day was about how many days we'd been alive. We decided that we should have a celebration on our 10,000th days. As of today, Nov. 26th 2007, I have 784 days until my 10,000th. I know that seems like it's a long way away, but it is really just a little over 2 years! I am not sure what all I will want to do before then, but I think I want to change lots of stuff. Whatever I end up doing it still would be cool to celebrate it.