Dan's Magical Land of Candy Canes and Lollipops

Viewers Like You

2006-01-16T09:27:00.000-05:00

Well it has been quite a while since I have written anything here.
It's probably been so long that I no longer even have any "viewing audience" to even read what I am writing. So this one is to myself. Hello self.
If anyone else is listening in on my conversation, welcome and we now return you to the program already in progress.

In the words of Kelly Clarkson, "since you've been gone," many things have happened. I have a job at a Half Price Books store about 20 minutes from my home, I am in a LONG-distance relationship, and Eddie is gone. He no longer shares the same the same roof as me and is off galavanting along the west coast.

I will try to maintain this site more regularly than once every 4 months.

See you then.

Back for the Attack

2005-08-25T07:44:00.000-04:00

Alive & Well
Well, dear friends, I've returned safely from the land of funny toilets and canned Herring in tomato sauce. Yes, that's right ... Europa.
It was a thrilling 3 weeks, to say the least. Full of life, legumes, and yes, even love.
I travelled with Richard Murdoch's family (sans Richard, oddly enough) along with a significant amount of other Canadians.
I'll give you a basic rundown on some of the experiences, but I won't go TOO far into detail, because this would take FOREVER.

Rome
The trip began in Rome. Pastagelatovino goodness ensued. 'Nuff said.
Strangely enough, I ran into two Knights of the Holy Queen, Michael and Sunny (aka Reuben) when I was in St. Maria Magiore church. Now how fitting is that that 3 guys with devotions to Our Blessed Mother should meet up in her church in Rome? Pretty awesome.

Medjugorje / Bosnia-Hercegovina
After Italy we took a ferry across from Italy to Split, Croatia and bussed down to Medjugorje from there. There I was able to just soak in the peace of that place and talked with a priest about my vocation. This somewhat centered the entire trip for me and really brought its purpose to focus. I was in Europe to draw closer to the Lord and figure out which path (be it priesthood or marriage or something else) I am supposed to follow.
As mentioned before I met up with my two friends (more or less) from that area, and went to Maja's house in the city of Mostar. There I had one of the best meals of my trip. Maja's family lives in the city, but they still have an enormous garden on the hill behind their house, I mean, we're talking rows and rows of fruits and vegetables. So, everything we ate that night, from the potato and pork stew to the tomato and cucumber salad to the roasted peppers to the amazing "cibatta style" bread to the thick strips of bacon and sausage to the white wine was all from her garden / livestock. Oh man. To die for.

Köln
The next stop was the last one. The beautiful city of Köln, Germany. Here it was a whirlwind of crowds, bikes, and modern catholic cultrue manifest through youth. Weltjugendtag. At times it was absolute mania. The metro system was nuts. By the end of the week, Kenny (Richard's brother and I) had pretty much given up riding the metro and took to napping under trees instead.
Example:
GROUP MEMBER: "Hey the pope is going to drive thru downtown today, let's go."
DAN & KENNY: "Yeahhh ... I think we're just going to stay in this 1/2 KM radius."
Ah yes, but here in this city is where I, dear readers found love. I'm not ashamed to tell you, but I would prefer to tell the story to anyone personally rather then cheapen it by posting it on some online journal.
But you heard me right ... love.

So that is more or less the summation of the trip. I wrote many songs along the way (mostly co-written with the magnificent Hrvoje ... which sounds strangely like some Croatian magician) that hopefully some of you will hear. Also, Kenny and I decided to do a "multi-track" by mail album that will hopefully ... well ... happen ... and again, you will hopefully hear.
Tata, dear ones.

P.S. Sorry about the lack of linkage but my computer is acting up like a teething child.

Greetings

2005-08-13T08:31:00.000-04:00

Hello friends, I am blogging from Bosnia-Hercegovina with only 8 minutes left on my prepaid internet thing. So this is just a quick "Hello and Stay Tuned." I can only imagine that "Fart Faced Turd Bird" is Eddie. Hahaha.
Any way, things are happening, friends ... good things. I am going right now to see my friend Maja from Mostar and my friend Aleksandra from Crnoj Gori. I already saw Jelena here in Međugorje (who I think some of you know). Good times.
Hvala Bogul je petak! Vidimose.

False Alarm

2005-08-02T12:11:00.000-04:00

So, I guess my Uncle Harry wont be getting the transplant yet. I woke up this morning and saw this note from Clare.
Please continue to pray. Thanks!
Love,
Dan

Blahhhg

2005-08-01T23:26:00.000-04:00

Inspiring Bathroom Reading
While I was on "the throne" at Aidan's house, I was reading some Rainer Maria Rilke that he had in the bathroom. It was great, so I decide to go pick some up at the library. Here's something from "Selected Poetry":

Imaginary Career
At first a childhood, limitless and free
of any goals. Ah, sweet unconsciousness.
Then sudden terror, schoolrooms, slavery,
the plunge into temptation and deep loss.

Defiance. The child bent becomes the bender,
inflicts on others what he once went through.
Loved, feared, rescuer, wrestler, victor,
he takes his vengeance, blow by blow.

And now in vast, cold, empty space, alone.
Yet hidden deep within the grown-up heart,
a longing for the first world, the ancient one...

Then, from His place of ambush, God leapt out.

Eh? Eh?

Holy Moses!
Tonight was a very strange night. First, I picked up a 6 of Great Lakes' White Ale called "Holy Moses". It is is an ever-so-tasty beer honoring Moses Cleaveland, the man who founded the city of Cleveland (and who just so happens to be an ancestor of mine!). I then fell asleep at 5:00pm, woke up at 7:00, ate dinner, fell back asleep at 8:30, was awakened at 9:45 by a phone call from the great Tim Hurley (who may soon join the blogging world!), then decided that now would be a good time to blog. I feel very ... discombobulated.

Postcard Plays Online
A couple of years ago, I did something with my friend Aurora called the Postcard Plays. It was a month long project where 6 writers wrote 1 play the size of a postcard, each day, for 30 days. Everyone would send them to Aurora and she would resend them to the other writers so everyone could read each other's work.
WELL! ...
My friend Ja called me today and proposed that we start them up again only this time it is an ongoing project open to anyone, and when we receive the postcards in the mail, we will then post them on to a "Postcard Play Blog" so that everyone can see they're (and everyone else's) plays. Great, huh? I'll keep y'all posted.

Today in the Life of Uncle Harry
I have potentially great news. The prayers have almost completely paid off. Today they found a liver for Uncle Harry. After months of waiting for this transplant, he finally will be able to go thru with the surgery. However, I ask you to continue to pray for him as it will be difficult for him to get thru the transplant in his current health conditions. Thank you, friends.

We've Got a Letter

2005-07-31T07:28:00.000-04:00

Mail Call
Yesterday I received two (count 'em), two care packages! Yeah! I'm not trying to brag, I just want the world to share in my excitement. Total number of CDs received: 8. I crap you negative ... 8 CDs (4 mixes, 4 copies). One of the packages was from Robert and one was from Francesca. So much love, many thanks, and mad props to both. Francesca also took a sweet poloroid self-portrait.
Beyond that, nothing really happened yesterday. I mowed two (count 'em), two lawns, read my mail, then worked for my Grandma from 5:00pm to 6:00am. And now I'm awake, and someone (Peter) is asleep in my bed, so I thought I would blog. Well happy Sunday to all.
Thanks for the prayers for Harry.

For my dear readers ... Francesca and Aidan

2005-07-30T01:20:00.000-04:00

End of Week, Bike Camp is Over
I don't even think I mentioned it on this blog before, but this past week I've been volunteering off and on at Bike Camp at the Co-Op, and today was the last day. We had a pizza party at Lorenzo's pizzeria. Yeah! "Pizza, guys!"
I fixed up this sweet Bike that I found in the Bike Graveyard, named it "Birdfriend," and took it home. I love it, but I think "Ping" is jealous. Uhhh, I'm a freak.

Uncle Harry Giles Vincent III
I missed Bike Camp one day this week because my Uncle Harry is in the hospital and I went to visit him. Uncle Harry, who also happens to be my godfather, has had an incredible track record of health problems since he was 20 years old. He has skin cancer, has had two kidney transplants, and currently desperately needs a liver transplant. He was always able to overcome his health troubles and even took a cross-country bike trip once.
But I've never seen his health this bad before so please pray for him.
Uncle Harry is a big time Democrat, and has never missed a chance to Bush-bash, so I thought I would draw this little charicature (sp?) for the front of the card I gave him, while trying to remain as politically moderate as possible.

We Jam Econo
I drove to Detroit tonight with Aidan and Noah to see a documentary called "We Jam Econo" about one of my favorite bands of all time, the Minutemen. It was a really fun time; not only did the movie have great footage of some rare live performances and plenty of bassist Mike Watt spittin' spiel & waxin poetic, but the 2 hour drive each way made for some great time for me, Noah, and Aidan to reminisce, catch up, and laugh our asses off.

Dear Francesca and Aidan,
Also, I realized that this whole blogspace I have is somewhat absurd. I write about my life so that two people can read about it, and one of them experiences all these things with me, so he already knows about them! Pretty dang funny when you think about it.

Oh my! I'm ... Repressed!

2005-07-26T14:54:00.000-04:00

Psychological Self-Evaluation As Overseen by Dr. Max Lüscher
Following the instructions from his book, "Color Test," Dr. Lüscher and I have concluded these cliche-pop-pshychological findings (about me) according to the order of colors I selected:

Table I: Desired Objectives - "Discriminating Control"
Needs a peaceful environment. Wants release from stress, and freedom from conflicts or disagreement. Takes pains to control the situation and its problems by proceeding cautiously. Has sensitivity of feeling and a fine eye for detail.
(Oh, Lüschy! Stop! You're makin me blush! ...)

Table II: The Existing Situation - "Thirst for Adventure"
Imaginative and sensitive (Lüschy!), seeking an outlet for those qualities - especially in the company of someone equally sensitive. Interest and enthusiasm are readily aroused by the unusual or the adventurous.

Table III: Chracteristics Under Restraint - "Dramatization"
Circumstances are restrictive and hampering, forcing him to forgo all joys and pleasures for the time being.
(I'm gonna have to restrain you, Lüscher.)

Table IV: Rejected or Suppressed Characteristics - "Depletion"
The existing situation is disagreeable (Do you agree?). Has an unsatisfied need to ally himself with others whose standards are as high as his own, and to stand out form the common herd. His control of the sensual instincts restricts his ability to give himself, but the resulting isolation leads to the urge to surrender and allow himself to merge with another (Oh my!). This disturbs him (Oh my!), as such instincts are regarded as weakness to be overcome; he feels that only by continued self-restraint can he hope to maintain his attitude of individual superiority. Wants to be loved and admired for himself alone; needs attention, recognition and the esteem of others.
(Yes, Lüscher, tell me more about ... me.)

Table V: The Actual Problem - "An Interval of Tranquility"
Needs to acheive a stable and peaceful condition enabling him to free himself of the worry that he may be prevented from acheiving all the things he wants.
(All that I want ... is another baby ... I'm gone tomorrow. Thanks for joining us, Dr. Lüscher. I'm Dan D'Ag. Goodnight, America).

P.S. Best band ever.

A Slob's Life

2005-07-23T13:28:00.000-04:00

Harry Potter
I have never read any of the Harry Potter books. For this reason, when the new one came out, it did not affect my life at all ... until I was forced into "the Harry Potter World" by a boy of about 10.
The story you are about to read is true, only the character names have been omitted to protect the innocent that have not yet finished reading the book (and because I don't know any characters from Harry Potter so I have no idea what names this kid said anyway).
SCENE
I was waiting at the checkout desk at the library, when I heard a voice beside me ...
BOY: Hello.
When I turned to the boy, he was looking away, which made me uncomfortable and uncertain whether or not he was actually speaking to me, so did not acknowledge his "Hello."
BOY: I finished the new Harry Potter book.
DAN: Oh yeah?
BOY: (Nods his head) [Character 1] dies.
DAN: Uh, really?
BOY: Yeah, [Character 2] kills him.
DAN: You know, I've never actually read any of the Harry Potter books.
BOY: You are weird ...
The End.

Jug O Juice
Yesterday, after Eddie got off work, he and I took a picnic of Burger King cheeseburgers, and a big ol jug o Tops' Orange Flavored "Drink," down to the beach. It was hilarious. Eddie and I looked like total slobs, sitting on the beach with burger king and synthetic juice, listening to the Indians game on the portable radio we brought down. We then made a half-assed attempt at wading in the Lake and looked totally ridiculous.

The Spits
Last night I saw a band called the Spits. They were AWESOME. They had costumes (including one Robot costume made out of silver spray-painted cardboard), onstage fireworks, and synthesized robotic noises. They claim their influences to be the Ramones, Devo, and alchohol.

Whining Like a Big 'Ol Baby

2005-07-22T07:07:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Sucked
Yesterday was one of those days when everything goes wrong. Yesterday was one of those days when you reach for the King Size M&Ms rather then the regular, so your over-the-counter seratonin boost can be doubled from its regular daily value. Yesterday is one of those days when you trip on the steps of your porch and knock over like 3 plants. Yeah, that was yesterday.

Bewitched Negative
So when I saw the Bewitched movie, my reaction to it was that it had a weak beginning and end, but a stronger and more entertaining middle. Yesterday's events were kind of the opposite of that. Starting with a long bike ride with some pals, the day seemed to have promise, but then it just got crappy. As mentioned before, crappy middle, yada yada yada. Towards the end of the day, after eating my chicken patty with my head in my hand to visably show my family (as if they already didn't know) that I was having a rough day, I got a really touching email from Francesca and a really funny one from Richard's Brother Kenny. I then watched a Gene Hackman / James Coburn western from the 70's called "Bite the Bullet." So it wasn't a bad day after all.

Rated PG for mild suggestive language

2005-07-20T02:38:00.000-04:00

Miracles
Yesterday, a kid named Jimmy, who frequents the Bike Co-op, said of the design of the bike frame, "You know, it's kind of a miracle that someone turned two triangles into a mode of transportation." Normally Jimmy drives me crazy (cause he's a little bastard) but I actually really enjoyed that comment.
As for me, I think a watermelon is kind of a miracle.

YOU bastard!
I recently stumbled across some material online that was written (indirectly) about me by a girl whose heart (I think) I broke ... if not broke, maybe bruised ... like a banana mistaken for a football.
So last semester, I had something that kind of almost sort of really did happen with a this girl. Yes, readers. Any way, mutual interest was shown, but the timing was terrible. I was about to graduate and leave in less then a week and there didn't look like much of a real possibility in the relationship. Neverthelss, I allowed myself to get mildly involved involved. Then when I realized that we were starting to get somewhat attached, I used my STUPID defense mechinism, first developed by Paleolithic Cavemen, known as "run and hide." Leaving this poor girl confused and ostrasized.
At any rate, I feel terrible about the whole ordeal and would like to apologize publicly on this forum both to the girl and to you readers ... I have ... let you down. Say it ain't so. If you know me well, make sure I don't do this again. It's kind of a terd move.
Yours truly,
Bastard Dan

Me & Ping

2005-07-17T23:56:00.000-04:00

I Love My Bike ...
... really. His name is Ping and he is made by Free Spirit Bicycles.
Today, he and I went on a 20 mile ride through rural Ohio. It was great.

2005-07-16T14:43:00.000-04:00

I have the Power! (Radio-Control Super-power, in Stereo)
So, it wasn't until I was driving by myself to Detroit at one A.M. a couple weeks ago that I remebered a super-power I possess.
I was on my way to the Detroit airport and desperately felt the desire to hear Coldplay's new song. I tuned into an NPR station, got a feeling and said to myself, "Self, wait for it ..." Now, if anybody else had been in the car with me, I am sure they would have doubted my judgement at this point. It was the middle of the night and the NPR station was playing some pretty damn obscure songs from a variety of genres (including one song by the Ditty Bops (sp?) who are quickly becoming my new love) ... my chances were slim that this station would play a "radio hit" by one of England's biggest bands. Sure enough ... there it was. "Speed of Sound."
Since then I have used this power on several occasions to make the radio play things like Maroon 5, a No Doubt song that I am EXTREMELY embarressed to admit I like but here I am, that slow jam "I Wanna Be Your Man", and a Prince song that I didn't think a restaurant could legally play in the middle of the day.

Chahley an'na Chahk'lit Fac'ry
Oh my goodness. Oh my gracious. Tim Burton, once again you have made me proud. See it, friends, see it.

More DIY
Last night I saw a punk show at someone's house (R.T.A. and Robotjet) while Eddie worked at our local bookstore for the Harry Potter Midnight release party. Eddie cracks me up. Constantly. I mean, just LOOK at that picture I linked! Hilarious.

What DID ever happen to Keith Partridge?

2005-07-14T14:35:00.000-04:00

Keith Partridge
So, apparently Francesca has taken to comparing me to Keith Partridge. While being very flattering, I can't say that I am not more than a little confused. But I'll take it!

The Band
So, apparently the band that is currently being formed to go on tour consists of 3 members ... and we will sound like Tears for Fears and cover at least 1 Carpenters song nightly. I'm getting pumped already. If anyone else wants to join the band, just leave your name/musical-instrument/super-power/direction-you'd-like-the-band-to-take in the "comments" section. I'm sure we'll be no Maurice Starr concoction, but maybe we'll get a hit or two out there.

Netflix
I have to admit, after resisting for a while, I am beginning to LOVE Netflix. How else could Eddie and have the opportunity to see great movies like "Crimewave" (also known as "The XYZ Murders")? Thanks Netflix!

At the Drive-In

2005-07-13T13:56:00.000-04:00

Aut-o-Rama
Eddie, Aidan and I went to the Drive-In on Monday. It was great. We saw Fantastic 4 (which was disappointing) and Herbie: Fully Loaded (which was great).

Double Nickels on the Dime
Seeing Joel (and his band) on Sunday was really great. They were so talented and had alot of fun when they played. Joel talked with me on the drive back to Oberlin about touring. It was inspiring the way he talked about how to set up a DIY-style tour. Makes me want to get on the road and rock the country.
Anyone out there that wants to start a band and go on tour, let me know.

2005-07-10T08:39:00.000-04:00

"Art"
Just wanted to share an "art-piece" I made yesterday entitled:
"My Heart is Angry Because There is a Comet Storm on the Bike-Path"
by Dan D'Ag.

Beachland Ballroom
Tonight I am going to see some friends' bands play at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland. One of those friends is Joel from Philadelphia. Oh and if Francesca is reading this, that band consists of (I think) 3 of the "studs" you posted on your site that one time. They're called "The Perfectionists."

Is anybody out there?

2005-05-09T10:12:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm here.
And when I think of something to say, I'll let you know.

... Umm ...

... I thought of something. I took the dogs [Chico, Seamus, and Scruffy] for a walk two nights ago, and the trees were FILLED with Lightning Bugs (or Fireflies, if you will). It was beautiful.

A Long Awaited Abyss of Vast Nothingness

2005-04-13T09:41:00.000-04:00

Going deeper
Thanks to an inspiring post by Sean, I feel driven to write more insightful and vivid transmutations from thought to post. I've too often just listed my days events and haven't really included my more inner-feelings.

Continuing further
Well, I wrote that paragraph above two days ago, and despite my resolutions to become a more sagacious blogger (thank you thesaurus.com), I have fallen into a lull. I want to write more astutely, but between school and sickness, I just don't have the time or energy.

Reporting former
I'll say this much. In the time that I was away, I celebrated my 23rd day-of-birth commemoration (as Evan Baker said, "Oh you're non-trad now!"). Gorby, Sean, Ja, Patrick, Black Diamond, etc. took me out for my birthday to (no surprise if Gorb's is in the mix) Buffulo Wild Wings where celebration meant beer, wings, Cavs game, and karaoke (as Jessica Murdoch said, "Ahh, the classic American birthday.") My family also came down on the Saturday to celebrate and we went to eat at Puerto Vallarta with Patrick and Richard & Eileen (who also visited). Richard and Eileen announced that Eileen is "preggers" with the baby due in September. Very exciting.

Trying harder
Well, here's as much "insight" as is going to seep from my syrupy slow brain. I am a single man. It brings me great joy however to hear about good things happening in friends lives with members of the opposite sex. I was talking with a friend last night who had been on a date earlier in the evening and her excitement over the situation flooded me with peace and joy.
Hang on. This is supposed to be insightful? This is just cheesily typical meaningless fluff! My brain is like a dried up clam. Oh well, it is how I felt ... so regardless of my sappy shallowness ... you, dear reader, have witnessed me at the height of my vulnerability, exposed and uninhibited, truthful and embarresed ... you've witnessed the real me.

April's Not So Foolish

2005-04-05T19:29:00.000-04:00

Well I'm finally posting again. And boy ... what a week.

I'm going to start by telling about Thursday. Eddie and I saw that Praxis was playing a concert in Columbus and so a while ago we bought tickets for it. This was especially exciting for us because it was the only show I knew of that they were playing in all of North America this year, and Bill Laswell, legendary space-bassist, very rarely puts on concerts. So Thursday was the night that the show was scheduled for, so I returned to the Wexner Center once again (after seeing Wilco there a couple months prior). The difference between this experience and the Wilco experience was proximity, however. The Wilco show was assigned seats so the only one that me & the "Sweetheart Crew" could have possibly afforded was so far back that Jeff Tweedy was about the size of a pillbug. Because the Praxis show was "general admission" we were able to show up early and stand right in the front of the stage, just below Bill Laswell. It was amazing.
The show ended at about 9:45 p.m. (early right?) and Eddie and I drove down to Athens, Ohio which was about an hour and a half away.
Our friend John works at the Athena Movie theater, in Athens. As it was Thursday, March 31, The Athena had just received the shipment reels for Sin City that day, and John told us about an invite-only screening that would start at around 12:30 or 1:00 a.m., unbeknownst to his boss. A visually amazing movie, so closely recreating the pages of Frank Miller's original comic series that Robert Rodriguez supposedly threatened to take his name off of the project if the studio would not allow Frank Miller to receive equal "director" billing for drawing the comics that Rodriguez treated like a storyboard. Anyway, if you've ever read the comic, you know what to expect, but if you haven't, be warned ... it's brutal.
After the movie ended and I prepared to leave, it got to be about 4:30 a.m. Driving home was equally brutal, and I arrived in Steubenville at about 7:30 a.m. All of this made for a very interesting Friday.

Saturday was excellent because Richard had arrived in town and we spent the day hanging around. The Knights of the Holy Queen put on a coffeehouse (sort of a talent showcase fundraiser) that night and Richard and I performed a 3 song medley (that didn't really "med" as much as we had hoped) that we had written that afternoon. Anyway, it was alot of fun.

The next day we went to mass, watched the Cavs whoop the Mavs, and then Richard left. Alright that's it for now.

Holiday Hullabaloo

2005-03-30T13:52:00.000-05:00

Taking time to enrich emotions
Well. It's been a week since my last time haunting these blogging halls. The echo of my footsteps along this metaphorical corridor reminds me of the solitude a baboon finds when bathing in the warm springs of a cold mountainous region.
Ahhhh.

Party like it's 1989
In the past week, holidays celebrations ensued ... and there was much rejoicing. During the week, it was my friend Megan's birthday and I went with my friend John to Cross Creek Tavern to celebrate. Good times. Then on Good Friday, I woke up at 4 a.m., took Sam to the airport and went to Oberlin. Then I brought Eddie down to school that night, arriving at 4 a.m ... helluva 24-hour day. Good times. We shot some footage for "The Fuzz" and Eddie celebrated Easter with me, Patrick, etc. Eddie and I had a pretty sweet time at the Easter Vigil. It was a 4-hour-long service and we were pretty delirious about an hour of the way into it. I thought that the lector was telling a joke about chariots, with the punch line being "The Word of the Lord," and I was momentarily offended by this blasphemy until I realized that it was just the third reading. We also realized how thirsty we were as the musicians sang about deer searching for running streams. Good times. Then on Easter, Eddie and feasted like nobody's business. We hit two
parties (Eddie also hit a restaurant beforehand) and we ate hella food.

The Burgh
Last night Eddie and I went to Pittsburgh to visit our friend Peter. We ate bean burritos and brownies. Mmmm. It was really good to see Peter and it was fun hangin with his roommates and pals. Eddie and I also went to Best Buy where Eddie got the new Mars Volta and the new Queens of the Stone Age CDs. Very exciting.

Well that's all for now. More to come. Same bat time ... blah.
P.S. Happy Birthday Vincent Van Gogh and special thanks to Google for daily educating our idiot culture. Put that in your blog and smoke it.

A Quick One

2005-03-22T12:37:00.000-05:00

More lame Sports blogging.
Today I am pissed. After the great things he has done for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cavs' coach Paul Silas was fired. This leaves me absolutely befuddled. How could the Cavs just dropped this man, so full of love and emotion, who has done so much for this team, just like that? I should be writing my paper that is due in one hour, but I am so charged with emotion that I have to let this out. Today ... I am pissed.

McDonalds Saved Me For the First Time in My Life
The one saving grace from this crappy day has been going to eat Sausage Biscuits with Jim.

World Water Day
Today has been declared as World Water day for the 12th year in a row to promote water conservation. To celebrate, I will not be showering today. If you happen to see me, pardon my odor ... I'm trying to save the world here, okay?!

The Weekend Update

2005-03-21T13:00:00.000-05:00

About this blog
I'm feeling tired. I'm feeling very tired. Jim woke me up this morning at 5:45 this morning to ask if I could take his girlfriend to the hospital. I was going to fix that last sentence I just wrote from saying, "this morning" twice, but I thought it would be more honest to explain how I feel right now if I left it. Jim and I stayed up with Robert until 2:00 last night, so I did not welcome this welcome this awakening in full form. To cut a long story short (like the Spandau Ballet song), I probably won't write much today, because it is exhausting.

Retreating to Middle Ohio
I went on retreat with Foot of the Cross this weekend. After a weekend in a sweet cabin in Loudonville, OH, complete with "bull riding," and 5th-grade-style pillow beatings. We finished the retreat on Sunday by going to my roommate Sean's hometown, visiting along the way: (Gorby's fave) Buffulo Wild Wings, The World's Largest Basket, and of course, White Castle. By the way, that link I found for "White Castle" ... I'm 98% sure it was drawn by this girl I knew from Oberlin. It was my favorite picture on the google image search, and I only realized after I had linked it that I knew the artist. Weird.

14% Man of the Year
Last night I participated with 6 of my peers in a Franciscan University competition called "Man of the Year." After a snowsuit competition and talent display, it came elimination time and I was the first "voted off the island" if you will. Probably because I was so nervous when I played the "Hail Mary/Magnificat" song in front of the audience on accordian, I was shaking like Michael J. Fox on speed.

On a trgically amzing note:
Last night the Cavs lost in Toronto to the Raptors ... but LeBron James scored 56 points. Fifty ... six ... points. He is the youngest player in NBA history to break 50. How is it that he does this and the Cavs still manage to lose? Only in Cleveland ...
LBJ said, "I played well, probably the best game of my life," Like anyone could know that, LeBron.

I've caught the disease that Francesca had and this time it wasn't from eating a mono sandwich.

2005-03-17T10:35:00.000-05:00

Blog Cliff's Notes
Well, I had a post all lined up and sure enough, when I clicked "Publish Post" the whole thing vanished like a devout protestant caught up in the Rapture. Anyway, no sense in re-writing, so here's the summary of things you should know:
1. My post was very schizophrenic, so I linked a great Wesley Willis article.
2. I talked about my pavlovian association on St. Patrick's Day for my mom's Shamrock Cookies.
3. Both my basketball team and the Cavs lost.

A Wild Evening

2005-03-16T12:36:00.000-05:00

Fat noises
As I was walking up to Gorby's rehersal this morning, I was thinking about what I was going to write on my blog while I was munching on a breakfast of half a bag of Canadian Doritos that I found in the trunk of my car. As I was making my way up the hill, I noticed that I started making "fat noises." Maybe my nose was stuffed up but I was walking, eating, and breathing heavily thru my mouth, like this: "Hrrugh, Hfah, Hruh, Hruh, Snugh." I kind of grossed myself out.

Buzzer-beater
I am not good at basketball. Actually I suck at sports in general. But this semester I've been playing on a team with Patrick and some other chums. We only won one game in "regular season" but we somehow made it in the playoffs anyway. Our first playoff game was last night and we dominated the other team. However, my big moment came in the last few seconds. I was put in for the last 5 minutes because we basically had the game in the bag, and we were inbounding the ball with 8 seconds left on the clock. Now, I had never scored a single basket in our games, in fact I played street ball over the summer, and never made a shot thru the whole summer. But today I felt lucky. Tyler stood out of bounds looking for someone to passed to. Suddenly I was free. I clapped for the ball. Tyler threw it to me. The clock ticked down as I dribbled the ball up. I stopped at the three-point line set up my shot and released. The buzzer went off ... and the shot went in. A victory for dorks and losers everywhere.

Drinking alone
Over spring break, my roommate Sean went over to Austria to visit his (now) fiance. I talked to him about his trip and he told me some great stories, particularly about meeting the sister and daughter of St. Gianna Berreta Molla while he was in Magenta, Italy. Dang. He also brought me back some Chio Tortilla Chips and a Kaiser Beer, a homebrew from the area he was in and a beer I enjoy very much. I was so excited to be drinking Kaiser again that I drank it alone in my room, while eating my tortilla chips.

Operation Totem Pole
The big story of the night, however, began last night at 11:30 p.m. My friends Robert and Sam were planning a mission and decided to let me in on it. The objective of "Operation Totem Pole" was this: go in right before closing, hide, and spend the night in Franciscan University's John Paul II Library. Sam and I pushed two desks together and crouched behind them in a corner of the second floor while Robert hid on top of a bookshelf. We stayed like that for 45 minutes. Sam and I prayed a decade of the rosary while we stayed the crammed like sardines, our muscles spasming from time to time. Finally Robert came to get us and said, "I think we're golden." We very cautiously crept out of our spots and did a final checkof the place to make sure we were safe. We were laughing and began making a video of the event. Robert brought Martinelli's Sparkiling Cider and popcorn to commemorate the occasion. We messed around some more and Sam went to bed at about 1:45 while Robert and I stayed up a little longer. At 2:00 a.m. we began listening to Francesca's birlliant Girl Scout Cookies story online, when suddenly we heard a noise downstairs. We froze, and sure enough a Jefferon Security guard soon appeared behind us. He said, "What's going on, boys?" We replied, "Just hangin out." After this he took a more stern tone, told us we couldn't be here and that we had to leave. He collected our I.D.s told us that Student Life would deal with us and escorted us out. As it was a partially successful mission, Robert and Sam decided they would get celebratory bowl cuts. It was a wild evening.

Jocking Gorby's Style

2005-03-15T10:29:00.000-05:00

Papa's got a brand new Blog
So here I am. Copying off Gorby. The man is such a genius and I realized that the title-within-a-title format he uses is brilliant. It's organized, clear, and funky. So I'm going to parrot the master of all blogs.

Feeling like a bluegill in loan-shark infested waters
I've recently found out that I have five loans (funny that I should find out about loans I took out) totalling somewhere around $40,000. Two of them are federal loans and three are private. One of the private loans (for $3,500) has an interest rate of 9.2%! That means (for all you non-economics/math people) that each month that loan will grow roughly $315 larger. Yikes. I talked to this guy on the phone for a half hour trying to make sense of how these things work (consolidation, interest, etc.) and I think I'm more confused than I was before I talked to him.

Goin out with a bang
Despite my recent depression as a result of "financial awareness," I am thinking of taking out yet another loan. I know, I know. I should quit while I'm ... behind ... but this summer I plan to make the most of the end of my freedom. I plan on going to World Youth Day in Germany (after making week-long stops in Rome and Medjugorje) with the Murdoch family and even though I don't have the money, I want to make this happen. I talked to Richard's sister Jessica for over an hour the other night, and it got me really pumped for the trip. She's going on a tour with her Drum Core group and they're actually coming to Oberlin August 2! Yeah. After that, we would then head up to Toronto on August 5 to meet up with the rest of the family and leave for Europe. Richard might come too, which would be the best thing ever. Any ideas on fundraisers so I don't have to take out another loan? Anyone?

Meg's Miniature Munchies (alliteration ... like Gorby ... yet another rip-off)
Last night I met up with my friend Meg who recently got back from Belize. She read me some of her journal entries (entrys?) from the trip. They were really funny, particularly one in which she discovered that by splitting a peanut and putting a raisin between the two halves she could make miniature hamburgers. Hahaha. Brilliant. I also sold her two Lisa Loeb CDs which reminds me!: I'm planning on selling everything I own for half price of what I originally bought it for so if anyone is interested in buying some stuff, let me know. I first am going to filter everything thru my brother Eddie to see what he wants, but then everythings open market. I will probably advertise all my things here (or on friendster) after Eddie's picked thru it.

Anyway, life trudges on.