“This far underground, her cell phone had no dial tone.”

Think about that sentence for a minute. … Now, when is the last time you remember hearing a dial tone on a cell phone? This is a line from Angels & Demons by Dan Brown. It just struck me as odd because some of his details are so meticulous yet this seems to be a pretty blatant mistake. Unless there’s something different about cell phones in Europe that I don’t know about…Despite the error (?) I’m loving the book so far. Not quite as hard to put down as The Da Vinci Code (at least not yet).

Anyway, back to things of more importance. Almost everyone is back and classes start today. Well, for most people. I start tomorrow so today is my day of errands to make sure I’m completely ready to start the semester. My list includes a buying a laptop bag, getting a haircut, picking up last minute school supplies, and working on some web stuff for Jillian. Should be a busy day, but still the least busiest day of my week. Funny how that works out.

The good news is that most of my apprehension about this semester has drained away. Once everyone actually got here I started feeling better for the most part. On the one hand, I’m starting to feel old for the halls. I really hope I don’t end up being that creepy guy who just won’t leave. But at the same time there are a lot of fresh faces and plenty of new friends to make. I’m trying to get back to two years ago where I knew over half the people in the building/complex and it was a blast. Last year has been wiped away and things are starting off well. It feels odd how my anxiety is basically gone. There are struggles with the desks and a few other things, but I’m willing to accept those things as inevitabilities. Wow that word took me too long to type. Must about time to wrap it up. I leave you with some Maroon 5. They need to come out with another album.

Currently Playing: Maroon 5 – Secret

I know I don’t know you
But I want you so bad
Everyone has a secret
But can they keep it
Oh no they can’t

This has been one extremely long day. The last several have started pretty early and today wasn’t much of an exception. I went from one job to another to another all in the same day. People are starting to flood back into Manhattan and things are hectic. I’d like to say I’m handling it all well and all, but that’s not quite true. Some things are frustrating, some things are happy, some are indifferent. ARH Exec Board stuff is going great so far and I hope it stays that way. CA stuff is off to a rocky start (pretty much to be expected). My RA is cool and that’s a good thing. I’m bored with being busy. Sounds strange.

I’m ready for a somewhat normal kind of routine. Summer has had pretty much none, and although I like to be spontaneous at times a routine of sorts will make things easier. I really will have to mellow out to survive the next few days though. I’ve got desk shifts, mail training, MIS Club move-in stuff, more desk shifts, delivering mail, helping out our new CAs, answering computer related (and other) questions, not to mention helping move people in. Busy busy. Things might be a little slow on here for a while. Hopefully I won’t die. Don’t worry.

Oh yeah…new CD. First in a long time. And it’s good. One Day Remains by Alter Bridge (the three members from Creed who had the talent, plus a new singer).

Currently Playing: Alter Bridge – Open Your Eyes

I love the way you feel today
Now I know the sun will fade
Darker days seem to be
What will always live in me
But still I run
It’s hard to walk this path alone
Hard to know which way to go
Will I ever stay the same, will it ever change?

Is it just more or does the idea of cloning a cat seem really out there? Well it is apparently now a reality. I guess when Dolly the sheep was successfully cloned back…whenever it was…that fact didn’t ever really sink in with me. A sheep is just another animal, but a cat is something people can identify with. It gives Re-Pet (a company from the futuristic Ahnold movie The Sixth Day) a whole new meaning. Genetic Savings and Clone (holy crap, how corny can you get?) actually wants to clone people’s pets. And at a mere $50,000 a pop, who wouldn’t want to?
…
Makes you wonder at what speed cloning research will continue to move. Will we have to worry about human cloning in my lifetime? It’s not just for the movies anymore…a scary thought. They point out in that article that their clones are “unique newborn copies, not full grown exact replicas.” Somehow that doesn’t comfort me much.

Currently Playing Watching: Family Guy – Love Thy Trophy

[After shooting down a white dove with a parade theme attached to its leg…]
Charlton Heston: And the Harvest Festival Parade theme is: “The Episode of Who’s the Boss Where Tony Sees Angela Naked in the Shower?”
Peter: Yes! That’s mine! Un-freakin’-believable. [Dances]

Most of my morning was spent helping with a presentation on recognition for the new RAMA staff. As the NRHH OTM Committee Chair this year, I was asked to help with the presentation and talk about the national OTM Database. I didn’t really know exactly what I would talk about, but I was willing and eager to help. NRHH is one of those organizations that some people know about, but they don’t really understand what we do. This is one way I’d be able to let more people know about the organization and how they can be a part of an ideal. So I did it. There were three rotations and I explained to each group what OTMs are and how the database works. I encouraged all of them to create an account on the site even though I know that realistically many of them won’t.

I’ll be honest. This is not about the presentation I did this morning. Frankly, I doubt anyone cares. This is about what it was like, how hard it was to stand there talking to this group of people (most of whom are younger than me with less experience in the halls) and feeling in my heart that I belonged in a seat beside them and not standing in front of them. Had that been the case, someone else would obviously have given the presentation, and though I am the logical choice as the OTM Committee Chair I gladly would have traded places with someone if it meant I could be going through training as a RAMA. I’m not saying that there are any of them who don’t deserve to be there. But I truly feel that I deserve to be there just as much as they do. And I’m not. And I still don’t understand why that’s the case.

I stood in front of each group and told them why recognition is so important and how easy it is to write an OTM to do just that. I explained what it feels like to have an OTM written for you and how it can really make someone’s day. I tried to convey how good it could make you feel to recognize someone else even if they don’t win. But at the same time, I feel like I have not been recognized. Not in the way I really wanted. I’ve given plenty in the last two years to this place and the people here, yet I have gotten very little in return. Perhaps my intentions have been misunderstood on more than one occasion. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that I really do love this place and the people. Even if/when they don’t love me, I will continue to do the best I can for them. That is who I am.

Dammit.

Currently Playing: Stroke 9 – Down

Call out my name, speak to me
And say that it’s alright to be on the wrong track

As my long day of work is drawing to a close I stumbled upon this site of poorly-drawn cartoons inspired by actual spam subject lines. Some aren’t that great, but some had my rolling.

This is incredible. Extreme unicyclists.

Check it out…my very own bar code!

Pong with a twist. It’s not as easy as you’d think.

This just in: Spam Reality Checklist.

Well I thought I might end up with a few more links, but my shift is ending and I’m headed back to my room. It’s been a long day.

Currently Playing: Something Corporate – Down

But I need some echo in the emptiness
All I want, but you can’t change this loneliness
Look at what you’ve found, I’m falling down

I just read Michael‘s latest post and he brings up an interesting thing he noticed his last trip to the movie theater. During a trailer for the movie Friday Night Lights, he spotted something that looked familiar. Poyntz Avenue in downtown Manhattan, KS. At least it looks like it. A lot like it. My guess is that they only used it for the trailer as a convenient backdrop for those words at the beginning, but I could be wrong. Still, I don’t remember hearing anything about a movie being filmed here recently, so I’m guessing if it is in there it’s just a brief glimpse. Think it’s really Poyntz or just a coincidence? Nice use of the song Until the Day I Die by Story of the Year in there as well.

Currently Playing: Story of the Year – Until the Day I Die

Should I bite my tongue?
Until blood soaks my shirt
We’ll never fall apart
Tell me why this hurts so much
My hands are at your throat
And I think I hate you
But still we’ll say, “remember when”
Just like we always do
Just like we always do

I don’t often remember my dreams, but when I do they’re usually pretty random with people I don’t know. Occasionally I’ll dream about a celebrity or something and those dreams just make me laugh. Even less frequently though I have a dream about someone I know. A few nights ago it happened for the first time in a long time. The dream didn’t last long, but I was with a girl I know and I remember waking up and thinking it was odd. Let’s just say we were “close” (not that close). Still, in the dream I could tell I felt things that I don’t feel when I’m awake. Or is it that I don’t realize I feel it?

Sometimes I wonder if these types of dreams don’t mean something because they happen so infrequently. It seems like when I do dream about someone I know it comes completely at random. It’s usually not any of my close friends or whatever girl I think I have a crush on at the time. It ends up being that person that is around, but I’m not overly close to. This is actually the second time I’ve had this type of dream. It’s strange, but it’s the kind of thing I can’t get out of my head. What do you think? Does it mean anything or was it just random? Leave me comments…and don’t bother asking who it was 🙂

As I started writing this, my sister pointed me to this site about John Kerry’s time in Vietnam. Interesting to say the least. Sadly, it helps to reaffirm my thought that there is no good candidate for President.

Currently Playing Watching: Home Improvement then Everybody Loves Raymond

Though I’m sure I have far more interesting things to post about, I simply wanted to share this image I happened across a minute ago:

I have to work at 7am and I really need to be in bed instead of wasting time on the internet. Those other interesting things will follow. Sometime.

This just gives me a warm fuzzy: Family Guy will be aired on Fox for the first time in three years! Trying to get people back into the swing of things before the new season next summer? Oh yeah 🙂

Currently Playing Reading: The Da Vinci Code …It has me hooked. Besides, I’m at home and I don’t have much music around.

Oh, and notice the Save the iPod link on the right. Go there. Help fight for the iPod and other things we all know and love.

Another group speaking out about liberties taken by Michael Moore for the sake of his stupid movie. Apparently he doesn’t like a president with an agenda, but he doesn’t mind misrepresenting the news. How ironic.

Currently Playing: Home Improvement