It seems like someone else agrees with me at Flak Magazine. Check out their article about the Bush rebate. They write better than I do.

Yesterday I recieved $300 in the mail from the Dept. of Treasury. It is the money that George W. has given to me from the trillion dollar tax cut. I want to use the money (and I will) but I feel bad doing it. I was, and am still, strongly opposed to huge tax cuts. It feels nice to get an extra $X in the mail, but everyone would have survived without it. We could have done many better things with the trillion+ dollars.

Ah well. Now I can buy a Lomo.

I have found the best answer yet to the quagmire that is the end of Planet of the Apes. Read it here at the Slate.

Brian won Big Brother UK. I know that everyone hates Big Brother2 here in the states, and I haven't even seen it, but Big Brother abroad kept me entertained with its daily broadcasts. I'm quite glad that Brian won because he was definitely the nicest and most deserving of the prize. Yep.

Oh, and Big Brother is on the best channel in all of Europe, and possibly the world, Channel 4.

Whenever I sit in front of the computer to blog I can't think of all the things I wanted to blog about. If I had a better memory I would have better blogs. Ah well.

South Haven was a blast. I loved spending time with Jena and Jo. I am reminded why they are two of my best friends. While we were up there the weather was worthless so we did a whole lot of nothing. We lounged around the house and ate until we couldn't eat any more. Then I weighed myself. I weigh 170 lbs. That seems like a lot, doesn't it? If you've seen me then you know it does. Well, food is good and I don't look overweight, so I think I just need to do some consistent exercise and I should be all right.

I saw Planet of the Apes tonight and I enjoyed it, unlike most people. That is, I enjoyed it if you seperate the ending from the rest of the film. It didn't make any sense whatsoever. I really want it to because it's Tim Burton and all, but it just doesn't. If you have an idea as to the ending's meaning PLEASE let me know.

I remembered one of the things I wanted to mention. This is a conversation I had with my sister a few hours ago:

Jessi: Are you still a virgin?
Me: Yes.
Jessi: Waiting for mariage?
Me: No.
Jessi: So basically you're a loser.
Me: Yeah.

Yeah, all that info is true and it was damn funny when it happened. And I pretty much am a loser. Ah well.

In 25 minutes I will be on my way to South Haven, Michigan for a day or so. Jena's family has a place there and I am going to go hang out with her. She has been spending the summer at school in Ohio but decided to come this weekend for her birthday. It was great timing since I have just returned from Britainia. Her birthday was yesterday but we went out on Friday night since she turned 21 at midnight. This was the first time she would really be drinking. It was a somewhat odd experience for me since she had always been the person during college who "still didn't drink" with me. I wasn't uncofortable, but deep down it made me wonder what happened to all of us? I guess when high school ended a lot of us didn't drink because we were scared to or because we didn't really have access when I thought we weren't drinking because that was the right thing to do. Jena was definitely the one who followed most closely to that belief and I do understand why she is drinking now, but it still makes me yearn for my innocence. While I was in London I saw a comedian named Daniel Kitson whose act was incredibly raunchy. Still, his big theme was about preserving your innocence. I don't know if this is naive or brilliant, but it still sounds like a very appealing option.

Well that certainly turned introspective. See ya monday afternoon.

Oh, and why is Elizabeth complaining about people not signing her guestbook? I mean, I always want more but she has over 400 signings. I am at a paltry 30-something. I guess I just have to put it in perspective. One day I will have that many and will be upset as well. Actually I will not since I am only mildly interesting, relatively speaking.

This goes out to JP. I've been bad at updating lately. It always happens when I go home for the summer. It was a bit different while I was in London as I wanted to keep everyone posted on my life, but now that I'm home I slack once again.

So last thursday I went up to Madison to see all my favorite peeps, most notably JP and nelly. It was a fantastic experience. Nelly nearly cried/really cried when I talked to her once I got there. It was funny. We spent the time eating, hanging, mocking the Owls, eating and then watching Blind Date, their favorite show in the world. It was just what we would normally be doing and it was wonderful. I can't wait to go back to school for good. My new apartment is going to be rad. Really rad.

So next week I am going to sort through all of my digital photos. I have a feeling they are going to be a lot less exciting than I remember them being but you will be able to decide that on your own. Next week I am going to go to Madison and I think I am going to bring up my computer so I'll have something to do while I am there. Otherwise, I will have no source of entertainment aside from my friends, who work most of the time anyway. It will give me some good time to get working on websites that need work and projects I have been planning on finishing. I also have a new web project I plan on unveiling in the fall alongside school but I'm still ironing out the details. The only thing I will tell you is that it will be a weblog of some kind. Stay tuned.

I received my IKEA catalogue this week. Nelly and I are going to be making a run there in August some time. It's so much fun leafing through it and picking out all the things that would be fun to get. My favorite part is looking at the shelving units and adding up how much the perfect unit would be from all of the individual prices. Wow, after typing that sentence I truly realized how much of a nerd I am. Who enjoys adding up components to a shelving unit besides me? God help us if you're out there. Nonetheless, I still need to get some new CD storage, another desk for my room, and shelves for the den. That reminds me, Nelly and I are thinking about using our den as a conceptual art gallery. Every now and then we would fingerpaint crazy shapes on cheap art from those huge art conventions where art is only $30 and hang it up so that people think it is art. Or just take construction paper and write words like "sleaze" and "lust" in the center and tack it up with gum. Now that is art. It could be a lot of fun if you ask me. Go ahead, ask me. I'll tell you what I think and it will revolve around the word fun.

Okay, now it is time to go to sleep. I am starting to get delirious. Check out Amplified to Rock--she's in the middle of a 24 hour blog-a-thon.

Jet Lag.

Sleep...

Cubs win. They are three games ahead still and sammy leads the NL in RBIs.

My cousins are in town. They are 5 and 2.5. They are both really cute. Daniel (older one) and I are playing Playstation right now but I thought I would do a qwick update. So all is well. Bye.

So I'll give you the lowdown on yesterday. Kara and I got to the plane without any problems. We were there early and the plane left on time, no problems. We fly seven and a half hours without any problems. We get above Lake Michigan, which I know because I am watching the big screen that shows where we are on the planet and all that other information, and I notice we start to turn around. "Hmm." That is never a good thing. And to confirm my fears the captain gets on and says "Yeah, there seems to be some bad storms in Chicago so we'll have to circle here for about 15 minutes until we can get a runway." Okay, that sounds reasonable; do what you gotta do pilot man. Twenty minutes pass and I notice that we're still circling. As we're circling I notice that as we're heading on the west leg, away from Chicago, we start angling southeast. "Hmm." "Yeah, this is your captain. Unfortunately we don't have enough fuel to continue holding so we'll have to divert to Indianapolis for fuel." Click. There was a collective sigh. So we diverted and landed. Now if we had just refueled and left, it would have been fine. But, we had to wait for a customs agent to oversee the refueling. I mean, there are always tons of illegal aliens climbing out of the fuel tanks so I completely understand. It took two and a half hours for this guy to come. It was hellish especially because we couldn't get off the plane. After waiting (and waiting) we arrived in Chicago around 9:15, five hours late. It was not a pleasant end to the trip, but I did make it home.

So that's the story and I'm stickin' to it.

My flight was delayed 5 hours.
I went to see friends still.
It feels like it's 7:50am.
I am going to sleep.

Tomorrow at this time I will be on a plane destined for Chicago, IL. And, to say goodbye to this great city I bought a bunch of clothes today. I figured it's the only real way to say goodbye. (small tear...)

Last weekend when I went to France I picked up a USA Today. (Don't worry, it was free. Paying for that is like buying porn.) Everyone knows that USA Today is not exactly a 'credible news source,' but this copy was a cut below even their standards. The headline on the top fold was, "Americans confused by Stem Cell Debate: 59% need more information." Now a normal paper would provide this information so the reader wouldn't be confused. The USA Today just tells us what we already know and joins the rank of regular joe. Although this is bad, it gets worse. Their big story of the weekend was about packaging and how it has become increasingly harder to open. The first line of the story was...

"Why is stuff so hard to open?"

I kid you not. On the next page there was a 14 step guide to opening a CD case. Kara and I laughed for hours.

Well, time is running out on the card and I am running out of things to say. I'll type to you stateside.

In half an hour I will be getting a nice lunch courtesy of my bosses. A farewell lunch. I always look forward to a free lunch with people I like. I am also looking forward to the true farewell: an evening at Barfly with the band Keane tomorrow. I really like them and I'm glad this show was sprung upon me. I'll have to give you the report when I get back home because after tomorrow afternoon I will have no access to the internet untill Sunday night. You can wait, don't worry.

Now I will go before I lose this post due to being ousted.

I haven't bought any today but I bought way too many yesterday on my big going out party. I figured I would make one more big run to HMV and buy a bunch of sale CDs and things I can't get at home. I didn't realize I would buy 8 CDs though. Oops. Well, here is the famed list (I don't know all the album titles)...

Elbow (only album)
Ruth - Harrison
Super Furry Animals - Spaced Out
Super Furry Animals - (a middle one)
Ash - Nu-clear Sounds
Ash - 1977
Ed Harcourt - Here Be Monsters
Beta Band - Hot Shots II

Now I know I could have gotten Beta Band at home but I didn't know it was out in the US until today. Either way, I was very happy with my selections and it was a good end to a summer of CD buying.

I will be home in less than 72 hours. I can't believe I am leaving so soon but I am also pretty glad to be getting home/away. Today at work when my boss was pissing me off I was getting even more excited and just kept saying to myself, "One more day of work, One more day of work..." The first thing I am going to do when I get home is go to Michael's. I can't wait to eat a chicago hot dog and get some cheese fries. Mmmm. I love you Chicago. Oops, gotta go. Time is running out.

According to The Spark I am a woman. Is anyone surprised? I didn't think so.

Every time I go there I am shocked by how good the music is. I know there is someone responsible for it but I really don't want to know who it is. I am frightened by their ability to mix music together. It is too good for a human. I think that might be the last time I am going there, which is sad. I love that place.

I am 26% gay according to The Spark. This is 12% less than the average male. Oh, they also have learned that 26 is the gayest age. I just think that is a funny sentence/comment.

Just 3 days left and then I'll be on my way home. It's kind of weird but I am still super excited. It will be incredibly nice to be home in the comfort of my home and have a kitchen. Yes, I have a kitchen here but my roommates (most) don't understand how to 'clean.' It's tough, I know. Time to take more tests on The Spark. You should too.

A week ago monday I went to see Tahiti 80 at Spitz. It was a pretty good show, but that's not why I'm mentioning it. The exciting bit is that when I arrived and got in line to enter the show I started chatting with this 'bloke' from London who works for a small music magazine. He was only about a year older than me and had just finished university. The interesting thing is that he had never really spoken to an American before. The first thing we discussed was just music in general. He wondered if the Strokes got as much hype in the states as they got in the UK, if nu-metal is a term created by NME and how popular Travis and Coldplay really are stateside. I told him the truth and happily recited all my new favorite british bands. It got really interesting when he asked me if all Americans carry guns around with them. I couldn't help but laugh a little bit becuase of the absurdity of the idea, but at the same time I was a bit concerned that young Brits are scared to come to the US since we are all gun toting nutcases. I mean, I may sell guns, but I certainly don't use them.

Even though I was a bit confused by how little he knew about the US I still had fun chatting with him and mocking the first two bands. Now, work is over and I am going to go and make my last round of CD buying.

Raise your hand if you liked Blue/Orange as much as I did. Yeah, so Blue/Orange is the play that I went to see last night. I was originally planning on going to see some Shakespeare at the Globe Theatre with all of the traditional British glory involved, but it was raining and since the Globe has quite the sunroof I decided to pass it up. And, it's a good thing I did because Blue/Orange is the best play I've seen since I've been here. It is set in a training mental hospital and only has three characters: a senior consultant, a trainee and a patient. The play takes place during the last two days of the patient's stay and the main plot point follows the two doctors' disagreement concerning their assessment of the patient. It may sound boring but it was really amazing. It brought in concepts of racism, sociology, seniority, ego and tons of other things. You were engaged in the arguments the whole time but the play allowed you to release some of your nervous energy through some really funny writing. I wish I could explain this a lot better but it is just quite hard to do. If you're ever in London go check out Blue/Orange.

In terms of the road trip it seems like the people I would be visiting are very excited by the idea of the trip but people I would be leaving are not. I guess that is good for my self confidence but still leaves me in a bit of a pickle. It's all right for now though since I wouldn't be leaving until august anyway.

If you get a chance check out the new Bran Van 3000 album. It's excellent.

I know that I am still in Europe and shouldn't be thinking about another trip, but I just have this urge to go on a road trip. I am thinking I'll spend a week in Chicago, a week in Madison and then hit the road for the east coast. I don't know how much time I'll spend there, but I want to go. I may have to cut down the amounts of time spent elsewhere but I just have this urge to do a little roadtrip. My only dilemma is that I really want to spend some time with Jannelle and JP. I don't know what to do about that yet. I don't have enough time to do everything I'd like. I'll have to sit down and do some planning for everything. More than anything else I'll have to plan what my road trip would consist of since that would affect when I can squeeze it in. I think these are the main reasons I'd like to go.

1. I want to see some people I haven't seen in a year or so.
2. I want to do a road trip on my own. I think this is something that gives you a little perspective.
3. I love road trips under any pretense.

I'll have to talk to my dad though to see if he minds me putting a couple thousand miles on my car. We'll have to see what he says about that idea. What do you think about the whole idea?

In other news, I didn't do much of anything yesterday and it looks like I will be doing a lot of nothing again today. I know it's not much of a way to spend my remaining days in London but I just want to. Last night I went to see Shrek again. That is a brilliant movie. I would say it is my favorite of this year easily. Between Shrek and Harry Potter I have become a true afficionado of children's entertainment. When I see 'adult' movies I never get the kind of smile on my face that I get when I watch kids movies. I think you know what I'm talking about.

On an indie rock note, I love the Low+Dirty Three disc. I also really am looking forward to buying the new Cake album. Man, I love Cake. They may not be evolving but they never cease to release wonderful music.

Enough paragraphs.

I'm back from the land of berets and croissants and I've lived to tell about it. So as I said, lots of rain early on in Paris, but it wasn't too horrible. The highlight of those first two days was definitely the dinners. They were so good and the second place was really well designed on the inside. I guess the designer is some famous guy, but I don't remember his name and he is probably only famous to people who pay attention to interior design (ie not me). The funny thing about both dinners was that we ran into this same couple at both restaurants. On Saturday night they sat down right next to us, which was just super surprising. It goes back to me seeing the same random people twice in a row that I mentioned a few posts ago. So on Sunday we went to the modern art museum and spent about 3 hours there. It was really amazing. They had great exhibits on Alfred Hitchcock and Raymond Hains (I think that's his name). The Hitchcock exhibit was really amazing. It showed a whole lot of art and how it related to or inspired Hitchcock. Also the exhibit was split up by the different themes in Hitchcock's films (terror, voyeurism, idolatry, etc.). The other exhibit was equally amazing. The artist does a lot of art with subway posters ripped on top of one another. It is quite an amazing thing to see. I tried to find an example online but no dice. After that we went to the park and watched people make out, another highly french activity. We returned with little effort last night.

Enough about France though. That country smells anyway. The whole time was good though. I enjoyed hanging out and relaxing with mommy and her friend Sylvia. It just gave me some time to recharge. Oh, I also managed to finish off the last Harry Potter book. Now I have to wait until 2002 for the next book. At least I have the movie coming in the fall, which should be really good based on the trailer. I think that I will reread the books once I get home. Man, I have problems. Moving on, I think the best part about the whole thing was staying in the Four Seasons on thursday night at my mom's hotel. Kara and I hung out in the robes and slippers and watched cable. It was great. You gotta love nice beds and relaxation. And now it's time for lunch. Bye.

I am in france and the keyboard is wonky, so this will be brief. All is well, although it has rained here almost all of today and most of yesterday. Today we went to the Museè D'Orsey and it was not my cup of tea. It was mostly impressionists, and I like the post modern stuff. Okay, this is too difficult. I will update in london. bonse-wah.

Ellen (i.e. mum or mom) arrived this morning around 11:30 and is enjoying herself in the chilly/rainy environment of London. Unfortunately she couldn't get into her hotel room until 3pm because of all the people staying later for Wimbledon. Instead she's doing a little bus tour. It will be relaxing and mom will be happy. Although if you check out my guestbook you'll see that my mom was not happy I didn't tell her about this site. I thought she knew about it, but I guess she didn't know that I would be documenting my travels on the site. Oh well. She's here now so no big deal.

So back to Wimbledon. Yesterday's final was so exciting, if you didn't get to check it out. It went 5 sets and Ivanisevich won the last set 9-7 after double faulting twice on championship point. It was definitely a nail biter. I listened to the game on the radio, which was a first for me. It is a very different experience listening to sports on the radio because you're not really sure when to respond to what's going on. Since you're not sure exactly what's going on you don't really know when to jump up with excitement and you can't really get mad about a ball that was inches from being out. It takes some of the fun out of it but lets you use your imagination a bit. I could just feel the tension that must have been mounting in Ivanisevich's head. Having lost in the finals three times and being on championship point up 8 games to 7. Uh, I was dying so I could only imagine his pain. When I did see the highlights it was clear that it was an unbelievable relief for him to finally win.

On another note, I think it is interesting how Nanette from Amplified to Rock is quite similar to our friend JP. We've had similar comparisons in the past, but both of them celebrated their birthdays (that are only 5 days off mind you) by going bowling with all their friends. This may seem like a small thing on its own, but if you know JP or you read Amplified then you would know what I'm talking about. Oh, and if you want Nanette to send you a letter just go here and she'll take care of you.

Time to finish work so I can see mommy! Ya gotta love mommies.

She says, "it means really old ugly people are attracted to you." Yes Jessi, this is a possibility. Hmm. But the problem is that the first set of people were young and attractive, not old and ugly. So I think I need a new explanation.

In the last two days I have had people who were on my tube train follow me to my destination. Yesterday I got food with kara at a pub and this couple who I stared at for a bit ended up at the same place. Today, I noticed some lady come on to the train who looked cute from a far, but ended up being old and not so cute. Now she is sitting two computers down from me. Do you know what this means? Can you tell me?

I saw them again on thursday night and they just plain blew me away. I also found out that they have been together for about 8 years now. I knew they were a band before but I didn't know they had been together for so long. On thursday they had a pretty similar set to last time but they were just much tighter. They sounded so crisp and just really playing off each other. Also the lead singer was a lot more talkative and in his element. The highlight of the show was their cover of Paperback Writer. It was amazing. I am usually not one for covers, but they just nailed it and really rocked it out. I wish you could have been there.

Man, I should start writing down things I want to blog about since I don't have immediate access to a computer anymore. I have all these things bouncing around in my head and then they just get lost. Ah well.

So I am pumped that my friends are becoming almost as big an online dork as I am. Jenny and Jannelle have been up to some serious nerdiness and I love it. You should check them out, if you know what I'm sayin'. He he.

Well, my mind's gone ablank. This week should be good though. Mommy's in town and I get to go to Paris.

I know that yesterday was the day of independence in the U.S. of A., but that doesn't mean that people don't have to update their webpages this morning. Go to Buddy Head. It's funny.

Yes, I now have two of my best friends blogging right along side me in this digitial world. Hats off to Jannelle and her new website.

I've found that if I want to get to sleep before midnight I have to turn off the television before 10pm. Last night I was sitting and reading Harry Potter and suddenly School Ties came on. "Oh. No." It's not even so much that it was School Ties, it's more about the fact that pretty much every night there is a great movie on British TV that comes on around 11pm. How do these blokes expect me to sleep if they keep putting on good movies around my bedtime? I think I'm going to give the BBC a call.

All Bar One was a really cool pub. I think I am going to take my mom there for lunch.

I am jealous of JP because she is getting tons of hits to her site thanks to The Obscure Store. Go JP.

So I have been speaking a bit about the Harry Potter. Well, I started reading the books a couple weekends ago when I went to Brussels with Kara and her family. It began as something harmless, as all books do. It was just something to keep me from having to look out the window at the same landscape for three hours. But, I was sucked in. I became completely immersed in the world of Harry, Hermione and Ron. They have such fun adventures it is impossible not to love it. And so, I have now finished three of the four books in about 2 weeks. 'Woh' you say? Yes, indeed it is worthy of a woh. I know these books are not providing me with any kind of true insight into life or a way to lose 10 pounds in 10 minutes, but they are much like any good adventure series (see: Indiana Jones, Die Hard, etc.)--it is a way to keep everything light hearted and keep yourself enthralled in something. It is an exercise in attention span. When it comes down to it, it is more entertaining than tv and is good exercise for my eyes.

Yesterday when I was walking home during lunch to pick up a notebook, this white unmarked van pulls up right next to me. The guy sticks his head out the window and says "....." I couldn't hear him since I had my headphones on. I took them off and began trying to sell me speakers. He explained that he was installing speakers and he had seven extra pairs he had to get off his hands. They ran £1800 a pair. Quite steep. I tried hard to excape and managed to a couple minutes of badgering. The question that this event raises is why me? Granted I was wearing headphones, but does that mean I love music and can afford 7 pairs of £1800 speakers? No sir, it does not. What this event says is that people involved in illegal activities are drawn to me and my name. If you are unfamiliar with my gun running saga, I suggest you take a look (that takes you to the first post in the saga), it will show you what I mean. I guess I am just destined for evil. I'll turn in the sheriff's badge in the morning.

I have more stories to tell, but this is too expensive right now. I will save them for some other time.

I'll give you the run down.

Friday Night
The night began with a trip to Quinn's, mine and Kara's favorite pub. It is bright yellow on the outside, but very typical on the inside. It is run by Mr. and Mrs. Quinn (as we call them) and they are super nice. While there we ordered food, as usual. When Kara ordered Mrs. Quinn put her hand on her shoulder and said, "how are you dear?" in a nice motherly tone. So awesome. I ordered my usual Shepards Pie (when in Rome...) and it was fantastic. This is the only Shepard's Pie I know, but it is still great. Although the food is wonderful, what elevates this pub is the music. The play lots of cool contemporary stuff as well as a lot of 80s hair bands. How they got this music in the order it is is beyond me because I know the Quinns didn't pick it out. Anyway, it was wonderful. The rest of the evening was just all right as went to this cheesy Mexican-themed club in Picadilly that had a high cover and was pretty boring. But, I was with good people.

Saturday
I woke and went imediately to the grocery, which was successful. After hangin' around for a while I went on a mission. I had found a corduroy jacket at French Connection I loved, but they didn't have my size. I spent 2 hours in 4 of their stores finding it. Still, I found it. I also got the new Daft Punk album, which I love. I wanted to hate this album, but I just couldn't. That deserves its own post though. After returning from a day of shopping I went to Wagamama again with Jamie, a roommate. Waga never dissapoints. The highlight of the evening though was my return to the Notting Hill Arts Club. It is this uber-cool club in Notting Hill that Kara and I saw Birdie at. We went back since we liked their DJs a lot, and they didn't disappoint. The place was pretty packed with scenesters. The only thing that was missing is all of my friends from home. They all would have loved the place and it would have made it so much more fun. But Kara and I managed to gather the strength the dance for an hour. It rocked. Oh, and Yishai's house next year will be called Notting Hill.

Sunday (today)
Today Kara and I got up relatively early and headed to Brighton. It is a city on the ocean and it is beautiful. We spent most of the day lounging in the sun. I got burnt, I won't lie, but it's the price you pay sometimes. We also got ice cream and a good meal. On top of that, I picked up a pair of Campers (shoes) and a new shirt. I good shopping day I do say. I think this will be the end of my shopping til mommy comes, as she will probably buy me stuff.

And now, I am here. The good weekend is nearly over, but I will savor every last moment. Ah, that was an especially good moment. Mmm.