Well, I definitely took a bit of a hiatus these last few days, but everyone needs one sometimes. I don't feel like giving a huge report but I will give you a nice little rundown. Friday I went to Chicago for the third time in a week to see the Push Stars. They played a great set with a lot more new stuff than they did last time. I enjoyed it. I also spent some more time with Kara's sister Holly. She's always fun to hang out with. I had lunch with mom in the morning, got my car washed and came back to Madtown. This weekend was WSUM's Party in the Park. Lots of bands and DJs and a whole bunch of people. It was a blast and I got to see the White Stripes, who are one of the rockingist bands I have ever seen in my life. I always liked them but seeing them live increased my appreciation tenfold. Then at night I went to, yes, another concert. I saw the Flying Luttenbachers, Cheer Accident and a trio of Chicago jazz improv musicians. To the casual listener this was probably frightening, but I just thought this was one of the most fun shows I had ever been to. I had never seen the Flying Luttenbachers and they were amazing to see. I would go into intense detail but I don't feel like it right now. I am going to watch Double Jeopardy right now.

Oh man, do I have a story to tell you.

Yesterday during design class #2 Jenny was like,

"I want to go to Chicago."
and I responded, "Let's go."
"You mean now? During class?"
"Sure." [jokingly]
"Uh, how about after class, I really want to go."
[confused now] "Uh, sure. why not."

After some more discussion we decided that instead of seeing Drums and Tuba we would go to the Music Box (movie theatre) and see Memento. The deal was done and we were to leave at 4pm.

After class I head home and make a few phone calls, gather some CDs and jump in the car to begin the most spontaneous action I have done in a while. The ride there was brimming with excitement and anticipation. Both of us just wanted to head out and have some fun for a day. The ride, and trip, was enhanced by my polaroid and 35mm cameras, which I brought along just for that reason. In fact, we will have a joint "Chicago Road Trip essay" coming soon. So we took pictures of everything. On the way there we started with The Pharcyde and then went power pop and listened to Material Issue, Superdrag and Jason Falkner. All great driving discs. The highlight of the trip down had to be when we saw this yellow Xterra with the license plate "BQRIBS." That alone is funny, but it gets better. When we drove by we saw this slightly overweight man with beard and 'stache with the world's most stoic look. He was just staring into space. Again, this alone is funny, but this old, overweight, stoic-looking man in a bright yellow Xterra brought Jenny and I to hysterics. Around 6:45 we arrived in the Chicago area near my house in Riverwoods. Since we weren't going to make the 7:25 movie, we decided to stop in and freak out my family. My sister was indeed freaked but I missed my mom (yoga). After a 10 minute tour we continued on to the city.

Upon arrival we parked near the Music Box and walked around for a while taking pictures of various things and people. I made a point to buy a Streetwise, the paper created by Chicago homeless people, since I don't always and I had some cash on me. Before the movie we ate at Hi Ricky's Noodles on Southport. It was amazingly good as usual. I have eaten there only a handful of times but it has yet to disappoint. Although this time I nearly lost my life as a grease fire errupted in the kitchen area. You could definitely feel the heat. Finally, on to the movie. I'm guessing most of you have not visited the Music Box Theatre, but I would suggest you click that link and take a look because it is beautiful, although the site does not provide the best pictures. And on the weekends they often have people playing the organ before the movies.

So the movie. Momento was so interesting. I think it was probably the most innovative film I have seen in a very long time. If you don't know the story, it is about this man who has a disease that causes him to have no short term memory. He cannot create new memories, but he can remember most things that happened before his wife was killed. The plot is following him try to investigate the murder of his wife. This alone is pretty interesting, but the way that the plot is ordered is totally amazing. The movie is linear, but fragmented at the same time. I have no concrete way to explain it. I just think you should go see it and find out what I'm talking about. Also, the site is pretty damn hot.

After the movie we hopped in the car and headed home. I have to say this was one of the best nights I had in a while. There was adventure, spontaneity, and silliness. The only downer was that I got a speeding ticket on the way home, but it didn't affect my overall view of the evening. And the capper of the whole day was that before we left I got digits from this girl who I had a big crush on a year or so ago and then stopped seeing around campus. So wish me luck.

Last night I was lucky enough to get a spoonful. By that I mean I got to see one of my favorite new acts, Spoon. They were playing at Union South and they were awesome. They only played a few songs from the new album but it was fine by me. Although this was fine, I do think that their newer stuff is a lot better. The songs are much more mature. At the show I bought one of their older albums and although it is also very good, it just doesn't have the same quality of songwriting the new album has. But I loved the show.

So just now, for the first time in a few years, I answered a call from a solicitor. I never answer calls and usually just hang up before they say anything, but this time they responded quickly so I listened. I think the reason I said 'ok' is because they were from Epson. My computer nerd persona came out and thought, "OOH! I can contribute to the improvement of their products!" Ok, so it was actually just the nerd in me. So I asked the guy how long the survey would take and he said "Uh, I don't know. Your answers could make it longer." Still, I said 'fine.' So the guy was very slow and it was clear why he was doing phone surveys, but a part of me thought it was kind of cute. So he asked me a bunch of questions about my scanner and I gave him answers he liked because it's a good scanner. My favorite part was when he said, "How would your friends rate your knowledge of printers and computers in general?" I smiled and answered '9' because I didn't want to seem like a know-it-all. Then, before I knew it the survey was over. We parted ways. It was a tough thing to do. I had sort of grown attached to him and his questions (but I did want to ask him a few questions that ended in a number between 1 and 10). Either way, here I am and I think I might talk to the guy/girl next time they call. Or maybe I'll just play tricks on them, which would be much more fun.

guy: Hello, I am with--
me: hold on a sec, ok?
guy: ok
me: [walk away from phone and continue with what I'm doing]
five minutes pass
guy: [click. boooooooooooooooooo...]

Yes, I will play tricks next time.

I am beginning to think that Malcolm in the Middle is one hell of a show. I have been catching it last couple weeks and I am really enjoying it. All of the characters have a lot of depth and the plots are actually somewhat refreshing. So I think you should check it out next week or let me know if you'd like to watch it with me.

Guster fans' median age has gone down to about 16. It used to be up in the 18-19 range, so when I went to shows I was usually one of the younger people there. This is not the case anymore. Now this doesn't affect my enjoyment of the music or the concert, but it is just odd to have people there who are literaly half my age.

About the concert... I ended up missing Joe, Marc's Brother, which wasn't so horrible but made the $25 ticket harder to swallow. The show was pretty mediocre as far as Guster shows go. They just weren't into it, even though this was their biggest show outside of the eastcoast, ever. The one really cool thing that happened was a guy and girl went up on stage to play the shakers on Mona Lisa. This is not that cool, but it got cooler. The boys stopped about 6 bars in and the guy who came on stage started talking to his girlfriend. He said how he loves her so much and then he got down on one knee to propose. The whole audience erupted in Awws and applause. They kissed/hugged and then Guster actually played Mona Lisa. It was a very nice moment. Although the show was just alright, the evening was fun. I spent it with Holly, Kara's sister, and some of Holly's friends. Oh, and Holly I went to the Salt and Pepper diner near Wrigley Field, which is one of my favorite places to eat in Chicago. It is your typical diner, but it is just cute and quaint when compared to the rest of the stuff in the area. So overall the night was a good time. I also got to sleep at home last night. Even though my bed at school is more comfortable, my bed at home is still my bed. You know what I'm talking about. The whole thing was capped by a very pleasant drive back to Madison. The 2 hours just flew by. Sometimes the drive can be tough, but this time I was sailing along.

Next week I have the Push Stars show at Schuba's in Chicago and Holly will be joining me then as well. I really can't wait for that show. The Push Stars are steadily moving their way up in the ranks of my favorite bands. They have always been high, but they are looking to move in at #3. This coming show may cement the deal. And now I am going to see my friend Steve perform as Jim S. Mahaffy, his country alter-ego.

If you are in the Madison area, go the RADIOHEAD listening party this coming thursday at 8pm in the Memorial Union. The album is going to be sweet. You should be pumped, because I am. Also, I need the support, so bring your friends.

And now I am going to Chicago to see guster and Joe, Marc's Brother. The latter is sooooo good. I am pumped for both, but I have seen Guster a million times (or 9). So, I'll chat with you later friends.

I have another site you are required to check out. It is a 3 minute stick figure kung fu Flash movie. Basically, it is a stick figure kicking the crap out of other stick figures and it is so damn cool. You're going to have to see it to believe it.

Check it.

Listen to this. If you don't know, tuesdays and thursdays are design days (since I have both my design classes these days). Today while in class one of my professors, Don, asked Jenny and I what we were doing this summer. Then he went on to tell us that he had something he wanted to ask us but couldn't until the end of the semester since he legally cannot combine his teaching and his business. Basically, he wants to hire us and that rocks. Then, he mentioned that he would be willing to consult us on this big project we're starting called The Underture Project. This will get its own post later, don't worry. You'd think that this would be enough on its own, but no, there is more. Suzy, our other professor, is going to be doing a directed study with us next semester. We are going to be working on scripting (PHP, ASP, database stuff) and doing a research project. The research project examines peoples biases toward material on the web versus printed or oral material. This is great on its own, but what makes it better is that Suzy is working a similar research project and she has a grant. So, we are going to be doing research for her and getting paid! I will get paid to learn about the internet and improve my skills. Who can complain? I can't, that's for sure. So this was a good thing.

And now I am getting ice cream followed by a meeting.

The Daily Show is in reruns all this week. And that's a load of crap. Don't get me wrong, I'm still watching it right now. Daily Show reruns are better than just about any other show when it is new. Although, in the last hour or so I have seen a lot of good tv. At 11:30 the Drew Carey Show was on and I must say, it was thoroughly entertaining. One thing they do that I think is great is incorporating musical (dramatic) pieces in their show. I love the idea of TV and movie musicals because when you see a stage production the singing/dancing is more predictable. On a screen it seems to come out of nowhere and is thus cooler. Imagine going to library and asking help for research. Then...

Librarian: Hey everybody, he wants help!"
Everybody: "Help? Let's do it!"
[singing] "We'll show you where the books are and we'll show microfiche,
we'll take you through the motions because we are here to teach.
Online will prove a resource, almost as much as we,
so get on doing research and tell us what you need!"

I would love for that to happen. So they had a musical number in the show and it just made things so much better. If you are a CEO at a major TV network and reading this, please note that people love musical numbers.

Then at midnight "That's My Bush!" came on. I hadn't seen it yet but I think this show is brilliant. Basically it just takes the average sitcom format and modifies it for our president. You just have to see it. In this episode Bush learns from a psychic that someone close to him is going to kill him. The show is also about gun control and whether or not he will ban guns. He wants to and then Charlton Heston comes in to try and stop him. He cannot convince him but Georgey has his secret service men (who are dressed as Bobbie's, English police) wisk him away. In the end GW has a dinner with his fam, best friends and Heston. He is dressed in chain mail to protect himself. I won't tell you how it ends but you can see how funny this is.

Next was the Daily Show and I don't need to explain it because you know what that's about. So instead I will point you to an amazing site. You'll need Flash 5 and a speedy processor will make it much more interesting. So here is the Swift.3D Devlab project. It is a site that displays a program called Swift.3D that allows you to create 3D items in Flash. It is pretty damn hot. Check it out.

I have reached the point in the semester when I no longer care that much. This phase will last another week and half, at which point I will realize I only have a week and a half of classes left and have fallen horribly behind. This will lead to me scrambling to find the book that I lost the second week of the semester, and never bothered to pick up, so that I can skim 9 chapters in 3 hours one Saturday afternoon. I will also write the 3 7-page papers that are due in two days. I will not write them with much heart or mind, just enough umph to get me a B, if I'm lucky and I remember enough from lecture. After 5 days of scrambling and writing I will relax slightly and begin making a mix of the best stuff I bought that semester. I will spend an absurd amount of time creating a beautiful album design so that I can be pleased when I see the album sitting in my CD rack. Once finished I will notice that I have a final the next morning and haven't begun studying. I then cram as much knowledge into my head as possible and take the exam on 3 hours of sleep. Then I spend the entire next day doing a take home essay and get no sleep. I turn it in, sleep the whole day, cram the whole night and take my last two exams.

In the meantime, I will continue to redesign this page.

A long time ago I mentioned a polaroid essay I was working on putting up on the page. Well, it now exists here.

Joey Ramone -- Dead at 49 Yes, Joey Ramone passed away today. It may not seem like a big deal, but he is a legend and should be remembered that way. Check out these sites for more on his passing: Official Site Sonicnet Rolling Stone CDNow There are tons more all over the internet.

I often forgot how much I like sports. I just turned on NBC and there was a timberwolves v. jazz game on and I just smiled. I don't know much about the players in any sport, even for the Cubs in baseball. Still, there is something about going to a game or turning the TV on and watching people compete. There is something relaxing about it. Now going to a game is more than just relaxing. That is an experience my friends. That is just plain fun. I know some people may not be into sports, but these people have never been to Wrigley Field. I have never met a person who went to a Cubs game and didn't love it. Have you? Think about that one.

Although I do enjoy it a lot, I recommend enjoying it in moderation. It is really amusing to watch people get obsessed with players and stats. They will remember how many rebounds John Starks had in the second quarter of road games before they would remember their parents' anniversary. This is too much. Do you want to be that person? If you do, please click here. And on the other sign of the coin, if you know nothing about sports you should try to learn. It is worth knowing a little bit at least to aide you in conversation. If you're a guy and you don't know sports then you may not be trusted and if you're a girl and you know some sports you may seem more appealing. I realize that this would hopefully not be something you are worried about for friends, but if you are in the workplace or stuck at a stuffy coctail party, it wouldn't hurt to have that in your utility belt. Also, you might be missing out on something that you could really enjoy.

In conclusion: I love sports.

Last night I was trying to update this and my computer fritzed. It made me nervous since it's new. Anyway...yesterday: a damn good birthday. Here's the rundown.

So I woke up at 11 and finished cleaning my apartment for my family's arrival. They came in around 1, we hugged/kissed and then went to Radical Rye for lunch. It was wonderful by the way. Then we went to look at my apartment for next year, which I like more and more every time I see it (only twice now). I can't wait. I'll post a floor plan sometime soon you can see what I'm talking about. Moving on, after the apartment my mom, sister and I walked around the city a little as my dad and gramma went back to the hotel. We got some ice cream, did some shopping and then went back to the hotel to get ready. Then we went to The Opera House for dinner with Kara, Jannelle and Jenny. It was damn good. My salmon was out of this world. It was also nice for my parents and friends to meet. I like my parents to meet my friends and vice versa. It's a nice thing for them to know each other. So after dinner we ditched the family and headed out to The Karaoke Kid, a karaoke bar on campus. Now that was a fun place to celebrate the birthday. I sang some "California Dreamin" and some Backstreet Boys, but I brought down the house with "Baby Got Back." It was damn good, I gotta say. I ain't one to toot my own horn, but I had some flow. So after that Kara, Steve and Jenny came back to my place for pizza and watched Bottle Rocket, a birthday gift. All in all, a wonderful birthday.

There are two kind of people in this world: those who accept handbills and those who don't. I, typically, am in the latter column. I don't like grabbing stuff from people because I feel that by not grabbing a handbill I will singlehandedly bring down Capitalism. Today though, I was on the other side of the window. I was giving out handbills. Let me tell you, it felt great. See, I was giving out postcards and stickers for the Coldplay album outside of the David Gray show, and people just snatched them up. I had nothing left by the time everyone had filled out. Why are people so eager to grab a piece of paper that says a band's name? I'm guessing most ended up in the garbage, but at least I did my job. The moral of the story is...sometimes it's a better decision to grab handbills. They may provide useful information or help me to get rid of all the swag sitting around my apartment.

It's official. My week next semester begins at 9:30am on tuesday and ends at 2:15pm on thursday. Yes, I have class less days than I have off. I will have plenty of time for nothing next semester, that's for sure. Here is a list of things I could do next semester on my 4 day weekend:

1. Go on a road trip
2. Watch about 40 movies back to back to back to....
3. Build a fully functional 767 airplane
4. Brush my teeth
5. Reorganize my CDs by the 4th letter in the last name (or band name)
6. Cook a 7 course meal for 50 of my closest friends in my little kitchen
7. Sleep

I plan to do all of these things next semester. If you'd like to join me or you have other ideas as to how to use my time, drop me a line.

I am currently writing this message on my new computer. It is working nicely (and moves way too quickly). I couldn't imagine growing out of this machine (for at least another couple weeks). I am going to get back to installing more programs, but I just thought I would share my joy.

I just read about 70 pages in my book and I enjoyed it very much, even if it was a law book concerning the psychological implications in a murder of a young woman. There's something about law I just find very compelling. I think it is my moral nature kicking in. Law is a way for me to examine human nature through the lens of a civilized society. Maybe I just like it because there are rules and rules are fun. I do like programming and that has a lot of rules, so that is why. Done.

My parents are coming to town this weekend for my birthday. I love seeing the 'rents and it will be a good opportunity to get a free dinner. See, the way to a man's (my) heart is through my stomach. This will also be the first time a lot of my friends are meeting the parents so I am excited about that too. Anyway, I am actually studying today so I should get back to it before I lose my momentum. May the force be with you.

1. Jenny has redesigned her site. It looks hot. Now I have to redesign mine too. For real.

2. I was looking over my guestbook and the current tally is girls: 16, boys: 4. Not to mention that one guy posted twice and another guy was me.

3. I have returned from Seattle.

I just got back from the Experience Music Project (henceforth referred to as EMP). I saw Chris (Ballew), Robb, Jason and Rusty. These were four singer songwriters and they each had a set by themselves (5-7 songs) and then all played together. It was a really cool way to do things. I have to say, it was amazing to see Mr. Ballew live in person. I have been a big PUSA fan for a long time and never got to see them perform so this was a nice attempt at a substitue. Also, all his songs were about insects, which is no different than PUSA's stuff.

When I got there my uncle and I realized it was 21+. If you don't know, my bday is a week from today (saturday) so this was kind of annoying. But, we decided to give him my ID and see what happens. I give it to him, he looks for a while and he says, "OH WOW! You guys go ahead and have fun." I thought that was really cool of a bouncer. God knows that in Madison they would have laughed at me and given me a hot foot, or something. Seattle is cool.

I am going back to the EMP (see, the note above was useful) tomorrow morning to actually experience the museum. From what I saw today, I am very excited. It seems like a really interesting museum. I'll give you the report tomorrow.

Yeah, I didn't mention I was going I don't think. I am here for my cousin's bar mitzvah, which just happened today. It was well done, but a touch long. I think it was 2.5 hours or so. That is too much bar mitzvah for me. Although while I'm here I'm planning on going to the Experience Music Project, which is the music museum that just opened up here. It is supposed to be pretty cool. Also, I think I am going to see Chris Ballew (from Presidents of the USA) tonight there, but I'm not sure. I would really like to but I may have a prior obligation (dinner w/fam). Okay, I have nothing much to say.

Oh, and if you have time check out this site I am working on and please tell me what you think.

Well, I was half right. My international friend from New Zealand is just visiting. It's still cool though.

Although Puff Dad...er, P. Diddy is amusing, his existence does not trouble me. 2Pac's existence (or lack thereof) is what really bothers me. He has just released his fourth (yes fourth) posthumous album and it debuted at #1 on the Billboard Chart (read here"). Now the article gives some explaination as to how he has enough material to release FOUR albums after he dies, but I just can't buy it. I mean, this last album is a double CD! It's time for some conspiracy theory. 2Pac has to be alive. There is no doubt in mind that he is. A Sonicnet article, I think this one, said he has 150 unreleased songs. Not B-sides, not alternate cuts--150 unreleased songs. I can see it now--2Pac is sitting in some beach house on a private island in the Canary Islands sipping gin and freshly squeezed juice.

2Pac: [yawn] Jeeves, bring me my slippers, I'm going to lay some tracks down.
Jeeves: Yessir. Right away sir.
2Pac: Thanks J-Dog. I'll be waiting here in the jacuzzi, just blow gently in my ear when things are prepared.
Jeeves: Of course sir.

Yes, this is happening right now, as I type. Hey 2Pac, tell Biggie and Big Pun I say hi.

Oh, and I noticed that someone from New Zealand has been checking out my page, as well as some other random countries whose internet suffix I could not decipher. Thanks for reading the page my international friends.

I love that yesterday's New York Times' Living Arts section had two articles I really was excited about. How often do you pick up a section of a paper and have two or more articles you are dying to read? They had an article on this play, "Stones in their Pockets," that began in London and is now in NYC. I saw this play last summer in London and it was so amazing. The reviewer just thought it was good. He's dead wrong. Then they had this great article on this conference for web/graphic arts people where they create a product for the computer/web and the best one wins. There was an awesome hand-cranked modem. The faster you cranked it the faster the page loaded. There was other great stuff too.

I turned a design project today that kept me up until 2:45 yesterday. I should never be doing homework that late. It turned out pretty well though so I can move on.

I seriously need to redesign this site. I am already bored of it.