It frightens me on so many levels.

System of a Down's song "Chop Suey!" is awesome and I know these boys know what I'm talking about. Here are the lyrics because I feel like it.

Chop Suey!

Wake up,
Grab a brush and put a little (makeup),
Grab a brush and put a little,
Hide the scars to fade away the (shakeup)
Hide the scars to fade away the,
Why'd you leave the keys upon the table?
Here you go create another fable

You wanted to,
Grab a brush and put a little makeup,
You wanted to,
Hide the scars to fade away the shakeup,
You wanted to,
Why'd you leave the keys upon the table,
You wanted to,

I don't think you trust,
In, my, self righteous suicide,
I, cry, when angels deserve to die, Die,

Wake up,
Grab a brush and put a little (makeup),
Grab a brush and put a little,
Hide the scars to fade away the (shakeup)
Hide the scars to fade away the,
Why'd you leave the keys upon the table?
Here you go create another fable

You wanted to,
Grab a brush and put a little makeup,
You wanted to,
Hide the scars to fade away the shakeup,
You wanted to,
Why'd you leave the keys upon the table,
You wanted to,

I don't think you trust,
In, my, self righteous suicide,
I, cry, when angels deserve to die
In my, self righteous suicide,
I, cry, when angels deserve to die

Father, Father, Father, Father,
Father/ Into your hands/I/commend my spirit,
Father, into your hands,

Why have you forsaken me,
In your eyes forsaken me,
In your thoughts forsaken me,
In your heart forsaken, me oh,

Trust in my self righteous suicide,
I, cry, when angels deserve to die,
In my self righteous suicide,
I, cry, when angels deserve to die.

Last night around this time Will, my sister and I headed to see Zoolander. It was hillarious. It got a mixed bag of reviews, but I think it was a wonderful brainless movie. Roger Ebert criticized the movie for having a plot concerning the assassination of the Malaysian president because he wants to eradicate child labor. The reason it is funny is because it is so absurd. Maybe Rog is affected by the recent tragedies, but it is still a ludicrous idea that shouldn't be taken seriously. Bottomline, is that it made me laugh a lot and that's good enough for me.

Later that night we made it to the "Cube Club" and it was fun. The games ruled and looked awesome. I followed it all up with a nice long chat with my friend Ali. It was nice, even though I stayed up way too late. This morning I had a freakin' optomotrist appointment at 9am, and it was boring but necessary.

Then the Cubs game. Every time I go to the Cubs game I have an awesome time. It's not just watching my favorite team; it's all the people around me and how much fun I have. People at the games have always been friendly and talkative, especially after a few beers. It's just a great thing, and I only had to pay $20 for parking.

And I'm also the replacement captain for Team Jaundice this Sunday. Sunday sunday sunday!!! Yeah.

And that's why you love me. Actually, I just got a bunch of new beauty enhancement items/services.

1. I got a haircut today. My hair is smooth and fresh and short.

2. I got clothes. I got a new pair of jeans from French Connection and a sweater from Banana Republic. I am going to have to head back to FCUK in a few weeks as the sales lady told me that they are getting tons of new stuff in.

3. Surprisingly, I got a new pair of glasses. I decided to check out some new glasses in the usual place I go. I was trying them on and I found a cool new pair. I had been meaning to get a new pair as I've had my current ones for more than two years. So my new glasses are gray in the front and a little brown on the sides. The shape is a quite different from my current ones, but still plastic frames. I like them on me. So does the lady who sold them to me. Then again, she would like just about anything on me. I'm happy though.

So that's what I got. Now I'm going to see Zoolander and then head to a Nintendo Gamecube cube club, where you can play the gamecube, which doesn't come out 'til november. I'm pumped. Time to get ready!

It seems as though a law was just passed banning amateur photographers from taking pictures around the World Trade Center site. They claim that people are profiting from the pictures they take--treating it as a tourist site. Okay, so that's evil. What bothers me is that this is an amazing/horrible time in the world and it should be documented. Who's to say that professional news photographers can do it better than an amateur? I think it is utterly bogus because I know if I was in NYC I would want to be taking pictures right now.

I have noticed and heard some comments about the obsurdity of fasting for Yom Kippur. If you read the FAQ, it explains that Yom Kippur is the day of atonement. It is a chance to be forgiven for all your sins between you and God, not between you and others. For me, this is not about closing my eyes and thinking, "Dear God, I am so sorry for being jealous of my friend's talents and not exercising. Can you please forgive me?!?" Judaism sets the groundwork for my belief system and this day is a time for me to think about all the ways I have faltered from my image of the perfect Matty. Even though I do believe in God, I have a different vision than typical Jewish thought, but that's another story all together.

About the fasting. The idea behind it is that you should not be working, playing or doing anything aside from thinking about how you can improve in the eyes of God, by a textbook definition. For me it is less about that, as not eating just distracts me and makes it difficult to just sit and think. Yom Kippur is about how I can better myself so that I can better my society and those around me. Now I don't expect to change the world, but it is these problems and hardships that inspired to fast this year. It is both a remembrance of those who have died or suffered from these hardships and also a reminder of my own mortality. I have never fasted the entire day, and when I was young my family used to get hot dogs after erev-Yom Kippur services, Kol Nidre. I don't think I'll make it all the way through this time either, but it just seems that with everything going on in our country and world right now I should take some time and think about my own and everybody's mortality. So Yom Kippur has a dual purpose for me; working on my faults and remembering those who suffer.

I hope that gives some explanation as to why I am fasting.

I probably don't have as much to do as some people, but it is all coming down on me at once. I think I need to skip services tonight for Yom Kippur and go tomorrow. I just don't have time tonight. I have to write a paper and read an assload of other stuff. I don't know. It's driving me a little nuts to be honest. That's ok though, I'm sure everything will work out just fine. Also, I am thinking that I maybe shouldn't go to the Cubs game on Saturday. I should probably come back here and work on things. Argh. I should just stop ranting now.

Okay. I have nothing else to say since I can't think straight at the moment.

I found the most moving photo essay yet. It is a series of pictures of the outside of American Embasies [sp?] and other forms of international support. It is the most moving thing I have seen. I am crying.

This will make you cry too.

This day in the life photo essay makes me wish I spent more time trying to be creative. I also wish I had this guy's house. It is really awesome. I actually just want to have a house where I can paint the walls and really fix it up. I would love that. Well, some day soon.

So about the wedding. It was an amazing wedding. The ceremony was on the beach and was amazingly beautiful. Here is the view:

It was an amazing site, that's for sure. Then I got to take some more pictures on the beach and in the surrounding area later. See:

Yep, good times. The party was funny and I got to boogie. I like to boogie. I spent way too much in photoshop just now playing with other photos so the post will end here and now I will sleep.

I'm back from Boston, Martha's Vineyard actually, and I had an awesome time. Today is homework day though, so you can expect a post later tonight about all my fun times and crazy escapades. Yee how.

Well, kind of, there will only be one car. It turns out I will be driving to Boston tomorrow with the family for my uncle's wedding. They got on the plane today, sat down, and then my sister and mom freaked out. So, they got off. Now I am driving home tonight so that we can leave bright and early tomorrow morning. Woohee. I will definitely be bringing the digital camera for the trip and the wedding. I can't wait.

This is probably goodbye for now as I have to pack. Adieu.

Sometimes, in fact usually, I don't mind rain. But today it just doesn't sit well with me. It is incredibly depressing.

On another note, Savage Love has done the right thing and published a column this week that is entirely related to the tragedies. I was worried than Dan Savage was going to write about sex this week, and I'm glad he didn't. He makes some good points but also discusses how we shouldn't be praying to God since He has done nothing for us and didn't stop these tragedies. His thoughts are valid and very relevant, but it still rubs me the wrong way. I don't know, you can read for yourself.

I sure as hell wouldn't. As I've discussed in the past, there is a part of me that thinks I could be a good soldier, but there is an big enough part of me that is way to scared to be of any use. Aside from that, until our military plan of action is unveiled, I don't think I would be able to support our country with all my heart. I think that if Vietnam soldiers knew then what they know now they wouldn't have gone over there. The war was poorly planned and they were doing no good. Yes, I know, they had no idea at the time, but now we have the perspective as children of the late 20th century and should take advantage of our viewpoint. Still, it comes down to the fact that I don't think I could point a gun at someone and rip off part of their body or end their life. I have enough trouble thinking about animals being slaughtered.

Would I flee the country? It would depend on a lot of things. Firstly, I don't support a military draft, even as a last resort. If I don't want to risk my life then I shouldn't have to risk my life, period. It may be a law and I may have signed my draft card, but that doesn't mean I agree. I will just have to stay in school for as long as this war goes on. Aside from exile from the draft, I will be able to take in all of the information that is around me. If it were a last resort, I would flee to Canada. The only problem would be my family. I wouldn't want to leave them. It's a tough decision and thankfully it isn't one I have to make at this moment.

Salon.com has surveyed a viewpoint on the draft as well.

I have been spouting out my opinion about the current crisis, but I definitely don't have the perspective needed to understand the situation. An Afghan-American wrote an article at salon.com about his take on the whole thing. It is truly a unique and unbelievably valid perspective. Some excerpts:

"You can't bomb us back into the Stone Age. We're already there. But you can start a new world war, and that's exactly what Osama bin Laden wants."

"We're flirting with a world war between Islam and the West. And guess what: That's bin Laden's program. That's exactly what he wants. That's why he did this."

The story as a whole is even more powerful. It is something you should read and think about as you watch the news these next few weeks/months.

Baseball returned yesterday, but the Cubs return today. Currently they're up 4-3 in the 8th, and they are looking good right now. Nothing like baseball to keep your mind off of everything else.

More good news: I will be able to fly to Boston this weekend for my uncle's wedding. I was worried I might not be able to, but it worked out just fine. I'm on the same flight and everything. I'm a little nervous to get on the plane. Too bad I don't drink otherwise I would just get wasted before flying so I wouldn't have to think about it. It gives me the heebie-jeebies.

I have mentioned this before, but I love being on a major intersection. When my window is open I get to hear a smattering of different music from cars below as well as the people in the car singing along. It is like bite-sized karaoke. Too bad I can't see their faces. When people are in their cars, especially on the highway, they often forget there are other people around them watching their ridiculous singing. I love scrunchy singing faces.

Happy New Year to all my jewish friends in the year of 5762. I just came back from services and they were not like home. I think it is because I usually go the second day. Well, I will also be going tomorrow so I'll make up for today's confusion.

Now I am going to go and finish the book Celebration, as I have to/want to.

I never thought I would be so sore from kickball. It's not just my legs either. I think this is a strong sign that I am horribly out of shape.

Today I played my first games of kickball for the season. It is supposed to only last until the end of September, but we'll see about that. It was a ton of fun. I had a stellar game in the field and a fairly mediocre one batting/kicking. The best part was the team spirit though--it added to the ambiance of the whole event. The next best thing was having Will here.

Will is my best friend from home and I don't see him as often as I'd like. I see him during the summers, but, in the past, I rarely saw him during school because when he came to madison he visited his (now ex) girlfriend. So, if he came to see me even for a few hours she would freak out. Now that they are no longer an item, he can come here over the weekend and it just matty/willy time. This weekend was easily his best visit ever.

As I said, today we had kickball, which ruled. Yesterday we spent most of the day hanging around the house playing video games when I wasn't working on webpages or other stuff. Then I was having an ice cream social for all my LeaderShape friends and it was awesome. I have way to much ice cream though and roomie loves/hates it. After the good times, we went out more with some of the girls, Laura, Danielle and Maija, to a few bars. It was an awesome time as we just relaxed and I watched people drink while we all had good conversation. The day before, on friday, we went to Maija's party at her house and it was a lot more fun than either of us expected. I was a bit worried 'cuz I didn't know anyone there except for Maija and Will knew nobody but me. Nonetheless, we kicked it and danced to everything. We followed everything up with video games. Will and I love video games, but you already know I do.

So that was the weekend. The only downer was having Dog Eat Dog be closed today. I was looking forward to a Chicago-style dog. You can't have it all though. This weekend was such a welcomed break from all the tragedy in this country right now. It is still tough to do work but this weekend definitely gave me some balance.

Here is a link that refutes the Nostradamus warnings I spoke of earlier. It explains how some of the verses are made up and how others were either poorly translated or scraped together from random writings of his. Basically, it's all bogus. Aside from being informative, the article is very interesting. It gives some tidbits about Nostradamus and the role he has played in other disasters.

As important as all of this is, I think I need to try and seperate myself from it for just a little bit. I need some time to recharge.

Here's the link though. This page brings you a list of sites with graphics or photos concerning the tragedies. A lot of really interesting stuff there.

Madisonian reactions to the terrorist events.

Ok, so Michael Moore isn't so radical, but his viewpoint definitely does not go with the grain. Check out Moore's viewpoint, which is on his website. It's interesting. It makes me think about the discussion I had today in my Constitutional Law class. It was great. I'm tired now, but tomorrow I'll give you all the details of the discussion.

I got this emailed to me by a friend. It was read by Bryant Gumbel on TV. I don't know if I believe in it, but it freaks me out anyway.

According to Nostradamus, the first two anti-Christs were extremely evil, and history has shown this to be so; however, Nostradamus speaks of a third anti-Christ who is more hideous than all the others combined. Some say Sadaam Hussein, the dictator from Iraq, could be this evil tyrant. Others say that he has not yet appeared. What does Nostradamus say about this third anti-Christ? First, Nostradamus tells us he will come from the Middle East.

When those of the Northern Pole are united,
In the East will be great fear and dread...
One day the two great leaders will be friends;
Their great powers will be seen to grow.
The New Land will be at the height of its power:
To the man of blood the number is reported.

The new land was a common term used by Nostradamus to refer to what we now call America. The countries of the northern pole could be Russia and the United States. We have recently seen the breakdown of Communism in Russia and an increasing friendship between Russia and the U.S. (Reader's Digest 515).

Thanks to dotComments. So you can leave your mark here when you feel like it.

NY Daily News Photo Essay -- one of the best ones thus far.

Ultra Radio Photo Essay -- another awesome one.

Scripting News has been the best consistent source of news on the events I have read yet. Lots of quotes from readers and important people as well as links to relevant sites and news stories.

Metafilter has a lot of running posts with a lot of links and personal stories.

BBC Online is an amazing general source of news and for a slightly international perspective.

Blogger's search page for the words "World Trade" on all the blogs through their site.

In regards to his visit to the Pentagon this evening President Bush said "Coming here makes me sad, it also makes me angry."

Did I say $700,000? I meant $1.5 million.

Amazon.com has already collected nearly $700,000 for American Red Cross. That is amazing.

Click this link to send donations to the Red Cross' Disaster Relief Fund. Please.

How fucked up is it that I posted this only two days before today's events. I don't think God read the last paragraph.

I still can't make much of this mess. One thing I found especially disturbing was when Fox News flashed "Exec Producer of Frasier Dead" across the screen. I am very sorry for his family but why should he be discussed while thousands of others who have died go undiscussed? Our perspective on celebrity is grosser still in times like these.

No matter how many times I watch the footage I keep cringing. Still, it is all so surreal.

This has been the craziest day of my life. Thank God, my family is all accounted for and safe. I was nervous early on, but now I'm feeling a bit better, not too much though. The two scariest things my mom told me was that...

1. My uncle jon had a meeting today at the World Trade Towers. He was running late and missed his meeting and saved his life.
2. My uncle mike missed his first ferry from Staten Island. If he had made it he would have been under the towers when they exploded.

That is the main reason I am still shaken up, since I just found out about that less than an hour ago. Only one of my classes was cancelled and in one we talked about it the whole time. That was really nice to do. It allowed me to discuss the events in a rational, not emotional, matter with people I respect. We talked about how this will probably immediately turn into a defensive situation that must be responded to immediately. This makes sense, but people have to think of the greater meaning. As horrible as today was, every single American will have a new perspective on the United States and their role as a citizen. We have been the global bully for too long now and I think people will start to realize this. Or people will just get angry and defensive about it and hate everyone else even more. I think we do need to respond but this should be a learning experience as well--about ourselves and our nation.

"We're going to find out who did this and we're going after the bastards." Senator Orin Hatch.

I just hope that we don't do something that isn't in the world's best interest.

Porn is often funny, bug fangs are the best. Read what I got in my mailbox today.

Have you been looking for a really good set of fangs? Are you trying to achieve a certain look, be it from your favorite movie, or your worst nightmare? Your search is over! Each set of our fangs meet standards of quality as well as aesthetic appearance and will offer you that special "look" you want. We offer custom fit, custom colored, and hand carved fangs tailored to your specifications.

Monday: Boston Public
Tuesday: nuthin'
Wednesday: Ed, Law & Order
Thursday: Will and Grace, Popstars 2
Friday: Law & Order: SVU
Saturday: nuthin'
Sunday: Law & Order: Criminal Intent

Check it out and tell me what you think.

I just found out that nelly knows the entire theme song to Passions. I couldn't speak from fear as she started singing, especially because the song sounded like Natalie Imbruglia and nelly would normally vomit from similar music. Breathe in, breathe out.

I just finished watching the first installment of Band of Brothers, the 10 part mini-series on HBO created by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg about World War II. I thought it was awesome. There was very little focus on actual battle (see Jannelle?). Most of the focuse was on the relationships that come out of war and the type of character it takes to survive a war. I know, that sounds like most other war movies (Saving Private Ryan, et al) and it is like them, but I still like it a lot.

I have a fascination with war movies. I think it is because being a product of no war, and alive during one that was unaffecting, I cannot fathom what it might have been like to live through WWII and I would like to be able to. It is an instance in our history that changed people's lives and the nation's conscience forever and I want to understand that. Also, as sad as this sounds, I think it must have given some people some meaning in their lives and at a time of transition like the one I'm in, it sounds appealing. No, I don't want to die in battle and I don't want to suffer or watch others suffer, but it would be amazing to watch a nation band together. I would also like to see myself in battle. Veterans always say that you never really know if you're courageous until you are out there with a rifle in your hand waiting for the enemy. I wonder if I would have the courage or if I would just sit there crying in a bunker. I guess I won't know.

In reality, I wouldn't like to experience war, but I think it can tell you a lot about yourself and those around you. It is a time in life where everything is on the line and your true persona comes out. So if you know of a way I can experience that without threatening my life or others' then please let me know.

Let's Bowl. It's on Comedy Central and it is a combination of a talk show and bowling. The contestants are two people who have a disagreement and they settle it with a bowling match. What makes the show though is its ambiance and the hosts. They are quite funny, usually. Also, Manplanet was on the first show playing a bunch of songs and that is a good thing.

The 'rents are here and it's nice to see 'em. My dad hadn't seen the place and he has handy-man-know-how. The biggest benefit of parents coming up is the groceries. No matter what your family's economic situation is, they will always buy you groceries when they visit you at school. So this morning they took me to the farmer's market and I stocked up on fruits and veggies.

Tonight, after some Monty-licious dinner and my parents' departure, I will indeed be seeing Rock Star. Damn the reviews, I'm ready for some fun.

...and rarin' to go. Good things.

Mom and Dad are in town for the day. It's nice to have them. More news at 11.

This ad makes sense to me, now, after an hour of looking at it, but there is just something wrong about it. Don't ya think? Maybe it's the picture of the naked baby with the glasses. I don't know.

...and this is my funky bunch. Despite some poor reviews, I plan to partake in the new Mark Wahlberg movie, Rock Star. I think it is going to be a fun time. Any movie about hair bands has to be entertaining.

Last year I thought I saw a lot of cell phones, but now they have invaded the classroom. You don't hear too many ringing, but you do hear a whole lot of the messages coming in and the subsequent "boop boop." It is mostly annoying but partly amusing. I couldn't imagine being the professor when one goes off. I think if I were a prof I would wait til a phone rang for the first time and then insist on answering it. I would instruct the caller to never call "Joe" between 11:00 and 12:15 on tuesday and thursday since he is in an incredibly important class. Not only would it be amusing, but I don't think anyone would let there phone ring from then on.

I thought I'd let you know that if you're getting here through mattyjacobs.com right now, it ain't gonna last for much longer. It's being disconnect seeing as I never had to pay for it and the company didn't like that plan anymore. Just thought you should be informed.

The Inconvenience is goin' places. They claim they sucked, but I thought they were pretty darn good for their first show. I will attend all subsequent shows.

On other notes, ukazu has a great find in their blog about the wall street journal and their pixel-y art. It's about chest shaving and they have the pixel-y art posted. You gotta check it out. And I agree with them, that art is part of the great amusement of reading the Wall Street Journal.

I forgot to mention, yesterday in my Comm Arts class, the great speakers one, when we all sat down my professor wrote on the board, "Microbiology 960" and told us that if we were in the wrong class we should get up and leave. That was funny, but it was even funnier when someone got up to leave. This little Asian lady stood up and then she told her this was really Comm Arts 270, which made her sit back down until she realized that was also the wrong class. It was very funny.

"Hey, let's go to the gay bar and fuck with some homos." "Nah, not tonight." Oh, good thing. Tuesday nights are always bad for gay bashing anyway. All the annoying flamboyant ones come out on the weekends. It's times like that when I question the future of society.

Mission unaccomplished. I forgot one step and I can't do anything about it until my web server gets back to me. Ah well.

It's nice to feel a sense of accomplishment. I finally got dotComments working and I am proud, so leave some comments if something tickles yr fancy. And now something to start the tickling.

As I mentioned, my classes today were good, very good, but the highlight of the day was my Great Speakers and Speeches class. This guy who was sitting next to me kept having those internal belches. You know, the ones where you try to hold it in but it just backfires. Once would be fine because it happens to the best of us, but this guy did it four times. Four times. It was a bit much. Oh, and even better was when the prof was asking for examples of great speakers and someone said Calista Flockhart because she did a monologue in the Vagina Monologues. I think the VMs are great, and Ally McBeal is only slightly annoying, but this was absurd. Not only was this not a speech, but she gave one of the fluffiest actresses on TV today as an example. The list was like this:

+ MLK Jr.
+ Malcolm X
+ FDR
+ Maya Angelou
+ Calista Flockhart

Which of these things is different than the other? Hmm.

I'm trying to get dotComments to work but I'm having a buttload of trouble. Darg. I think it may require some serious recoding on my part. Damn.

Since the server was down I didn't bother posting this weekend. Now that it's up I'm too busy to post. I have classes from 9:30 til 5 today, so when I get home I'll type up a nice long post about the weekend and my classes fer ya.

Check out this song using a speech about Apple computers as a sample. Sweet.

It is September. I had an amazing time while I was on the retreat. All of the people there were fantastic and I am very glad I went. It was a nice break in my life and a good recharge before school starts. Also, my friend Jeremy came up yesterday somewhat unexpectedly. It was really nice to see him especially since he is going away to London for the semester.

I don't have much else to say right now but I'm sure I'll have some more to tell you once the Cubs aren't on the TV.