posted 2005/03/29 at 15:33
Okay, it's been a whlie since the last time I did a lyrics thing here, and hopefully all my new friends can help me to make sure that this time I actually get some answers this time.
So here's the deal: below are lyrics from ten songs. You are, without aid of an Internet search engine, to identify both the artist and the name of the song. People reading this on the .org should post their answers in the .forum; people reading this on LJ can just reply to this message.
1. Only twenty-four hours in a day, only twelve notes a man can play.
2. And he placed her, unclothed, long long long-legged, on top of the family tree.
3. Some say it's like a beautiful flower, some say it is a terrible power.
4. Maybe I'm just the horizon you run to when she has left you and me here alone on the floor.
5. You were the brightest light that burned too soon in vain.
6. Hey, there's Carol Fango before she sliced her wrists.
7. I want to be brave, I want to live without fear, but it's hard to navigate when I can't even hear.
8. And the bouncer is a sumo wrestler, creampuff casper milquetoast, and the owner is a mental midget with the IQ of a fencepost.
9. I use public toilets and I piss on the seat, I walk around in the summertime saying "How about this heat?"
10. I wish I was someone else, then it'd be harder to hurt myself.
You have until next Tuesday to answer. Good luck.
posted 2005/03/28 at 16:45
I finally played DDR again last night, although I had to quit after about an hour because I was getting too short of breath and I was coughing like crazy. I'm not going to give up so easily, though, as I'll be hitting up the arcade after class tonight. Even if I have to stick to a fairly low-intensity workout, I want to keep playing here at least so I can hopefully get some of my accuracy back.
For the most part the symptoms of this cold have gone away, but now I'm left in the same state I was in before this bug really hit me hard: I have next no to energy and it's a struggle just to get from building to building here on campus. I spent the weekend getting caught up on the homework and stuff I missed while I was sick, but I still have this one paper I have to do (it was due nearly two weeks ago but I got an extension) and so help me I just can't seem to get anything done on it. Thankfully my professors are tolerant about this sort of thing, for the most part, but there's one of them I've been having to avoid for the past week or so as I've been trying to get back on track here. I have a meeting with her tomorrow, though, so I'd better get in a good night's work here tonight.
Nominations for next year's Spectrum officers will be this Thursday, and I haven't told anyone I plan on running for President yet. I honestly don't know how people will take it; everyone seems to think I've got all the brainpower qualities needed to run the group (especially those who were here when I was last President and saw me in action), but given how little social interaction I've had with members this year I wonder if that many people will be eager for me to take charge of the group again. It kind of feels like being in charge of the group is the only way I can be a useful part of it, though, so hopefully next week's elections will go well and I can take the reins of power again this summer and plan out another great year like we had last year.
posted 2005/03/26 at 22:39
I'm not making much progress shaking this cold off. I'd been hoping to start playing DDR again today, but it just wasn't going to happen, especially after I started coughing again after my early evening shopping trip. (I picked up Sega Classics Collection for PS2 -- why can't Sega just include the arcade-original titles in their collections and not force us to play the so-called "enhanced" versions? Sorry, but I'd give anything for an arcade-perfect version of Space Harrier, and Sega's still keeping me waiting on that.) Hopefully I'll be able to DDR tomorrow. Hopefully.
Speaking of DDR, my income tax refund came in earlier this week. The plan was for me to use that money to buy a Japanese PS2 and the Japanese version of DDR Extreme, but I've been kind of hesitant to make the purchases. (Not the least of which because The Rage is out of both items.) I mean, in terms of being able to play a whole lot of songs that will likely never able to make it to US releases, it's a good purchase, and I can probably find other Japanese PS2 releases to make the purchase worth my while, but for some reason I'm really second-guessing whether or not the purchase will be worth it. I think I'm getting responsible in my old age, and it disgusts me.
Oh, and for those of you reading this on the LJ feed, I'd like to invite you to the bulletin board on my Website, the .forum. I created the .forum in the hopes of facilitating more free-flowing discussion from my readers and myself, but it's been pretty slow for a couple of years there, and I could use some new blood (and new posts) to kick-start things over there.
posted 2005/03/25 at 23:53
This cold just will not go away; the recovery process seems to be two steps forward, two steps back. At this rate I still don't feel comfortable playing DDR, and it's driving me insane. I've at least gotten to a point where I'm not coughing all night, but since I've given this bug to everyone in the family now their coughing is keeping me up at night. Sigh.
I've had stuff I've wanted to write up here these past few days, but eventually I decided against posting it. It was going to be all this really vitriolic stuff against UT -- my professors, Spectrum people, other stuff -- but in the end I tried to keep it under wraps. Not that I don't have some issues in those areas, because I do, but the cold was making me even more crabby than usual and I didn't want to post something I'd regret later. Hopefully I can fill you all in on the details later.
At least now people are coming onto messenger for me to talk to while I try to nurse myself out of this mess. Still, even online I'm starting to realize how little conversation skills I have; I just want to talk and talk with people, but I haven't the slightest clue how to carry a conversation. Online I'm a little better, just because I can backspace over stuff before sending it, but all in all I'm just a total klutz socially, and nothing I've tried has seemed to help me.
posted 2005/03/22 at 15:35
I've been back on campus these past couple of days. The cold bug is mostly gone, but I've still got a bit of rattling in my chest that I suppose is more of an annoyance than anything. Unfortuantely, as long as my breathing isn't 100%, I'm not going to feel comfortable getting back into exercise. I think I may have actually lost weight during this bug -- I'm only now starting to regain an appetite -- but all the same I'm not going to be feeling healthy again until I can get back to my regular DDR schedule.
Parking hasn't exactly been a problem on campus; I'd guess that the garages are running at 80% of their usual capacity, probably less. Even on the bulletin boards my father goes to relating to the rendering work he does, people are talking about how bad this bug is. Hopefully now that we're moving into warmer weather and such, being sick like this won't be a problem in the future, although given how much time I spend at arcades these days it's kind of hard not to be around illnesses and such. Anyone wanna give me $8,500 so I can buy my own DDR machine and not have to go to the arcade any longer? Had to ask.
So yeah, while I was sick I was watching a lot of TV, and I heard a whole lot about the whole Terry Schiavo case. To be honest, I'm not sure exactly whose side I'm on in all of this, but I do have to say that the level of interest the government is taking in the case is kind of disconcerting. I don't think it's a liberal/conservative thing either; it just feels so invasive overall that it kind of bothers me.
Not much else to say, except will someone please show up on messenger here soon? None of my friends have been online these past few days, and in addition to just selfishly wanting someone to chat with while I'm still recovering from this bug, I'm worrying that things have happened to my friends that I'm unaware of.
posted 2005/03/20 at 20:51
So now that I'm starting to kick this bug, the rest of the family is coming down with it, and I swear I have never heard the members of my family coughing up stuff like I am right now. I can only imagine what I must have been like when I was in the worst of this. Although some of my symptoms are clearing up, this appears to be primarily a respiratory bug (I usually get sinus infections), and there's no way I can get back to DDR until I know I can exercise without coughing up a lung. It's now been over a week since I've played DDR, and it's driving me insane.
Anyway, I am feeling well enough to go to school tomorrow, and that means spending the rest of tonight catching up on all the homework I missed last week while I was out. Groan ...
posted 2005/03/19 at 22:01
Had I not become sick earlier this week, right now I'd be in Bowling Green for a lock-in and DDR tournament. Instead, I'll be spending tonight like I've been spending most of the past few days: watching TV, bouncing around the Internet, and just doing what I can to distract myself from how lousy I feel from this bug. The worst of the bug has passed, but I'm still in no condition to be out and about or anything like that. Hopefully that will change by Monday, because it's fallen upon me to purchase my father's birthday present this year.
Speaking of birthdays, my own birthday booty included a boxed set of all three of Margaret Cho's stand-up DVDs (which would have been nice had I not already owned two of them), and a gift card from Best Buy. I know what I'll be purchasing with that card, but that will have to wait until I get better so I can fully appreciate what I'll be buying. Honestly, though, the birthday card I got from Christina and Milena while I was in Cincinnati is still making me feel all humble and stuff.
I just wish I hadn't gotten sick right after Penny decided to take a couple of weeks off of the Internet, because while I'm down like this, I can't think of a way I'd rather spend my time than exchanging IMs with her. I'd call her, but this bug's done a number on my throat and talking seems to make all my symptoms flare up even more. I just hope she's doing okay, because I know she's going through an awful lot of change in her life and I want to be there for her, but right now I've got my hands full just trying to get myself back up to health here.
posted 2005/03/17 at 23:06
It seemed to have become a tradition these past few years for me to get sick over Spring Break, but thankfully that didn't happen this year what with all the trips I was making all over the place. So, of course, I have to get sick after break is over, and now all my birthday festivities are screwed up. Granted, better to put off a party at the arcade than all those trips I made over break, but still, this bug has really sucked the life out of me.
If I were to guess, I probably got sick thanks to playing In The Groove when I went to Westland. The whole idea of adding hands to DDR was quite novel, but it's not exactly sanitary to be slapping your palms on dance pads that are used to enduring dozens of dirty shoes every day. My hands went from touching those pads to touching the nozzle on my water bottle, and that's not exactly what I would call sanitary. I'd meant to buy gloves before playing ITG, and you can be sure I will before I go to Westland again.
So yeah, everyone update your journals or something to keep me entertained here while I'm so sick, will ya?
posted 2005/03/15 at 15:44
Yesterday was interesting. I woke up kind of late, so I knew I'd miss my first class but still make it to my second class in plenty of time. After I woke up I journaled and showered and ate, and then I started getting ready for class but then every muscle in my body was like, "LAY DOWN NOW!" I wound up spending pretty much the entire day in bed, doing as little as possible. Thank Goddess for TNT doing Law and Order marathons Monday nights. (I know, how ironic is it for me to be deliberately watching TNT on Monday night?)
I'd heard other people talk about how tiring long-distance driving can be, but I had no idea it was that bad. I think it was a combination of that, my recent lack of sleep, and just my body relaxing after all the fear I felt after being lost in Cincy for over an hour. I know that missing a day of school like that won't kill me, but I'm still such a perfectionist that I felt really bad about it. As it is, I'm still catching up on schoolwork I should have been doing over Spring Break but never got around to. (Bad, bad Sean!)
Still, I don't have regrets over the trip, even if some aspects of it didn't turn out like I'd hoped for. In fact, I've come to a realization about my own life over break that I'll have to write up here soon just to get it out of my system. For now, I'm just hoping that once I'm done with this semester and I have some real time to myself here, I can go back down there and visit with all my new friends again. (Christina and Milena likely can't come all the way up here due to family obligations, but I'm hoping I can talk Penny into coming up here a few times.)
For now, though, it's back to the books with me.
posted 2005/03/14 at 03:15
How my twenty-year old car survived all those hours on the road, let alone how I stayed awake through it all despite so little sleep the past two nights, is beyond me. Of course, it probably says something that instead of crashing on my bed here like I should, I'm coming online to write about it all instead.
Anyway, Cincinnati has been conquered, even if between my two appointments I got lost for over an hour and actually wound up in Kentucky for a brief period of time. (However, getting lost resulted in me driving past Paul Brown Stadium, so now I've seen where my beloved Bengals play.) Details of the second appointment will be kept private for good reason -- those of you who knew what I was up to can IM me for the details -- but my first appointment, my lunch date with all my wonderful new SW Ohio/N Kentucky friends, was unquestionably the highlight of my break. And I'm gushing so much that instead of sending thank-you e-mails or phone calls, I'm going to post my gratitude for all the world to see.
Christina -- You were every bit as wonderful as I thought you'd be, just as tender and caring as I imagined. You have an incredible wonder-full view of the world, and I hope to Goddess you write stories or poetry because I can tell you'd be fantastic at it. Don't worry about Milena teasing you about the odd things you say; she's just jealous that she can't see the world through your eyes. :)
Milena -- Please don't hurt me for saying that. :) I understand the anti-social thing (that's how I feel a lot of the time even around my friends here in Toledo), but underneath that tough southern dyke exterior I could tell you're quite the charmer, and you could well have me in your spell the next time we meet. Oh, and you owe me a birthday spanking. :D
Penny -- Oh, Penny. Like I told you, you're even more adorable in person. The whole time I was sitting next to you, I just wanted to put my arms around you and let your aura wash over me. I'm even going to dig out my old M:tG cards here and learn to play again just for you. (Just don't ask me to start buying new cards, okay? My DDR addiction's taking up too much of my money as it is, if I start going crazy on booster packs here I'll never move out of parents' house!) Rest assured I will try my hardest to come down to see you again soon, and you're more than welcome to come up to Toledo any time; I have friends who can put you up overnight if need be. (How about coming up Saturday afternoon for my birthday party? :D )
I've turned my alarm off, and if I miss classes tomorrow then so be it. Between the Westland trip on Friday and the Cincinnati trip today, I think I'm entitled to a day of recovery here. (I know, weren't these trips supposed to be my recovery from all those weeks of schoolwork? Meh.)
posted 2005/03/12 at 20:45
Okay, the valerian root tea is steeping now, and with any luck I'll be knocked off my ass in an hour or so, then wake up in the morning fresh and ready to head to Cincinnati.
My car is twenty years old, and considering it has the original tape deck in it I doubt that the head can read those CD player converters. So while I was out shopping earlier today I picked up cassette tapes -- remember those? -- so I could dub some stuff to listen to on the way down. The only problem with that was that not only did my stereo decide it didn't want to record anything to cassette earlier tonight, but the record deck first ate one of the blank tapes, and now the door to it won't shut so I've got it held closed with Scotch tape right now. Guess I'd better hope public radio plays good stuff on the ride to and from Cincy tomorrow.
I've pretty much got everything packed for the trip that I can pack for now; I'll need some stuff when I get up in the morning, so I can't get everything around, but I've got CDs and books for Christina and Milena and Penny to take a listen to or look at. (Hope one of them brings a stereo, because mine is out of batteries.) I'm dead tired right now as it is, but my heart is racing a million miles an hour right now because I'm just so excited about this trip. Provided I get a good night's sleep, wake up on time, my car makes it to and from Cincy in one piece and I don't make an ass of myself while I'm down there, this could be the most fun I've had in years.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go brush my teeth before the tea kicks in here. I'll try to post something before I leave tomorrow, but don't count on it.
posted at 13:49
The last time I went down to Cincinnati, I didn't get any sleep for the two nights before the trip. True to form, despite being incredibly tired upon returning from Westland last night, I didn't get any sleep just now. Last time this wasn't a problem because I was Greyhounding it down to Cincinnati, but this time I'm driving and it will most certainly be a problem if I start nodding off on my way down I-75. I have sleeping pills and valerian root tea, and I won't be afraid to use them tonight; tomorrow I'll be off of my diet thanks to the trip anyway, so I'll be sure to stock up on Red Bull while I'm out shopping later today for Sunday.
These past two Fridays I've taken the two longest road trips of my driving lifetime, and of course Sunday will blow both of those trips combined out of the water. On the way home from my two previous trips I've definitely had problems with my right foot as I've spent all that time driving, and I'm worried that my foot may get even worse with all the driving I'll be doing tomorrow. Granted, there won't be time for DDR tomorrow so my legs will get a breather in that respect at least, but come Monday I'm going to be walking around campus again and I'd like to not be limping that much. Anyone have any tips for withstanding the assault those long drives put on your accelerator foot? (No, my car doesn't have cruise control.)
posted 2005/03/11 at 09:27
Don't get me wrong here, I'm really looking forward to meeting Jessi today, then meeting Christina and Milena and Penny on Sunday. Seriously, I know I'm going to have a great time. But one of my normal indulgences over break is being able to sleep in until way late in the afternoon, and in order to make all of these appointments over the next few days I'm actually having to get up even earlier than I normally do when school is in session. Seriously, I don't know how anyone can be awake, much less at work and fully functioning, before ten in the morning.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a pencil-and-paper journal I need to write in here before I can really start my day ... more later.
posted 2005/03/09 at 15:13
Hard to believe Spring Break is already half over. Then again, there's really not much going on in until I get to Friday anyway; the past couple of days I've just been cleaning my room, and hopefully soon I'll start getting to school stuff.
Plans for Friday have changed again -- now everyone's going to Westland in the afternoon, then Ann Arbor and Pinball Pete's in the evening. Given time and money constraints, though, I should probably only go to one of those places. I can't decide where to go, though; I want to go back to Pinball Pete's just because the last time I was there I didn't get a chance to play any of the classic games they had there, plus I've been to Pinball Pete's before so I know how to get there, which I can't say about Westland. On the other hand, Westland has In The Groove, free parking, and the possibility of running into Lady Yuna. I don't know, maybe if I get a good head-start on my school stuff today and tomorrow I can try to hit both places.
Of course, Sunday is the big day, as I'm heading down to Cincinatti. Christina and I finally worked out a game plan yesterday, and it sounds like Penny will be able to join us. I can't help but worry about all the x-factors here -- whether or not my twenty-year-old car can make the drive, whether or not I'll have to drive through snow (it's been forecast on and off for Sunday the past few days) -- but I'm trying to stay positive here. Provided I get down there in one piece and don't proceed to immediately make an ass of myself, this is probably going to be the most fun I've had in several months.
I'm making a checklist of all the stuff I'll need to bring down to my trip -- money for gas and food, appropriate CDs (early Delerium, Portishead, Jill Tracy, Recoil), Red Bull (it's going to be a long day) -- but of course I can't tell you all about the most interesting stuff. *wink*
posted 2005/03/08 at 16:15
No snow last night, but the temperature must have dropped twenty degrees between the time I left the house yesterday and when I got back five hours later. I needed a couple of days here at home to take care of things anyway. I've already started some much-needed spring cleaning, and soon I'll be tackling all those big projects I'll have to have done by the end of the semester.
Yggdrasil has a voice once more, as Sunday night I bought Logitech X-230 speakers and got them installed. Even with the subwoofer turned off on my system, though, I'm getting way too much bass and not enough treble for my liking, even when I play a CD through them and not MP3s. That being said, they're good speakers, and even though I didn't want to shell out that much cash for speakers for my computer, at least now I've got a decent sound system on my computer again. On a related note, I've been giving some thought to signing up to MusicMatch On Demand so I can gain high-quality access to their new age radio stations. That feels so geeky, though, and not even the good kind of geeky, either.
Speaking of music stuff and things to do over break, I finally gave Sarah McLachlan's Afterglow a listen today, and of course now I'm kicking myself for not listening to it earlier. Of course you should have a copy. As I was listening, though, I was realizing how consistent Sarah's songs are, but how she doesn't have that many songs that really hook me the way other artists do. I mean, if you asked me to name three Björk songs I couldn't live without, I'd come back with "Bachelorette," "Hyperballad," and "Harm of Will" without a second thought; likewise with Tori, I don't even have to think: "Hey Jupiter," "Here in My Head," and "1,000 Oceans." With Sarah, though, I don't know; other than the piano solo version of "Hold On" from The Freedom Sessions, nothing really springs to mind. Maybe "Steaming," I don't know. Of course there's "I Will Remember You" and "Angel," but those seem different somehow because everyone loves those. I don't know what's up with that.
posted 2005/03/07 at 17:11
My birthday is a week from this Friday, and as usual I'm not going to make an Amazon wishlist or anything like that. Instead, I'd rather you get something for yourself (or a friend/loved one/whomever) at Amazon.com through my affiliate link so I get a small percentage of the sale in Amazon.com gift certificates. Unlike previous years, this year I'm going to make recommendations for you as to cool stuff you can get that you might not already have. (All of the links below include my affiliate tag, so you can order directly from them and I'll get a bit of the sale.)
Jill Tracy's Diabolical Streak -- Hearts of Space did a show devoted to macabre music last year, and played some of Jill Tracy's work even though it doesn't really fit in the usual milieu of new age. I fell in love instantly, and even if you don't have as healthy of a dark side as I have, I highly encourage you to buy this CD just to have it around for those special occasions like Halloween and such.
DDR Max 2 and a good starter dance pad for Playstation 2. Max 2 was the game I first learned DDR on, and it's still the best home version to learn DDR on. Great for you or for a spouse. (Remember Naomi, Don's birthday is coming up soon!)
Empowering Education: Critical Teaching for Social Change by Ira Shor -- With all the work I've been doing on maloneysbaloney.org this past half-year, I thought you all might be interested in a book that explains my own teaching philosophy and helps to shoot down some of the arguments right-wingers make about education.
Oh My Goddess! OVA volume 1 -- Oh My Goddess! is not just the greatest anime ever, it's also the greatest story ever told. The real emotional pull comes from the episodes in volume 2, but I fell in love with the episodes in Volume 1, and you won't find a better way to spend your DVD money.
Oh, and the trip to Pinball Pete's has been moved up to Friday night, so if any recently-AAed-Max-300-Heavy players in Michigan care to join me and the other Toledo players there, please do so. ^.^
posted 2005/03/06 at 16:36
Right now it's fifty-five degrees out and sunny. The last little mounds of snow are finally starting to melt away. Of course, we're getting snowed on again Monday night, but I'll take advantage of the good weather while it's here.
I will not, however, be heading to Ann Arbor today as I thought I might have been. One of the local DDR players will be heading up there Saturday night to celebrate his 21st birthday, so I'll join him and other local players for DDR early that night, then when they head off to the bars, I'll head home to get rested for my trip to Cincinatti the next night.
So yeah, basically from Thursday night forward my life has been just one frustration after the other. Hopefully that pattern gets broken today.
posted 2005/03/05 at 23:18
A couple of weeks ago the speakers on Yggdrasil (my computer) started acting funny -- the left speaker would fade out unless I tweaked the volume controls a bunch -- so while I was out shopping earlier today I bought new speakers, and not only are they crap, but one of the speakers has this annoying blue light right in the front that's so bright that it's hard to focus on the monitor. I've actually had to turn the speakers off just to be able to really work on here. The worst part is that while I was out shopping, I was thinking to myself, "Oh, I don't really need good speakers," but of course I was forgetting that I've been sampling MusicMatch Radio's new age channels, and they're at least playing a wider variety of songs there than Music Choice's Soundscapes channel. I guess I'll be buying new speakers again tomorrow ...
While I was out I also picked up ESPN NHL 2k5 for PS2. I won't be able to do much with it for now because I also need to pick up a new memory card for my PS2, but rest assured I'll still get plenty of practice in before the upcoming Stanley Cup Finals between my Red Wings and Don's Islanders.
posted 2005/03/04 at 23:05
First of all, for people reading this on LJ: I have no idea why some of my most recent posts became truncated on LJ. To read the full posts (either the back ones or any future ones that come up), just click on the link to seanshannon.org at the top of the entry and you'll be taken to the full text on my Website.
So, I had a post I wrote here just before the tournament to remind you all to send me good vibes, but Blogger wouldn't upload it for some reason. As I just posted to the diet log, I wound up getting last place in Standard, wasting an eight-dollar entry fee and an awful lot of driving time and such, and to make matters worse someone just posted on a messageboard in regards to the tournament, "P.S. That shemale was f'ing freaky."
You know, no matter how often I get this reaction from people, it still makes me upset a bit, and especially after doing so poorly in the tournament I'm like, "I don't need this shit right now." I mean, I have plenty of friends I DDR with who accept and appreciate me for who I am -- and not just my fellow DDR players in Spectrum -- but at this point I don't know if I want to go to the arcade for a while.
So yeah, that's a pretty fucking shitty way to start spring break. I think I'm just going to go to bed here before anything worse can happen to me tonight.
posted 2005/03/03 at 17:16
I had entirely too much soda last night at Mark's birthday party, and thanks to all the caffeine running through my system I had a hard time getting good sleep last night. I came into campus just now for support group, and honestly I don't know if I'm going to stick around for the Spectrum meeting or not. I actually brought my DDR stuff with me just in case I decide to duck out, so I can hit the arcade tonight; even though the sleep dep will put my PA to shit, I'd probably better get in at least a bit of DDR today before the tournament tomorrow.
The tournament will be nice, but I'm really looking forward to Cincinnati a lot more. I need to talk to Christina and Milena just to get plans settled, and for that matter I still haven't talked to Penny to see if she can join us as well. I have to come into campus over break for work-type stuff, so I'm hoping that since I'll already be here some days, I can get started on all the end-of-term papers I'll have (one for each class, each a minimum of ten pages). Still, between the tournament and Cincinatti I have to get some more fun in there somewhere. I may head up to Ann Arbor on Sunday to play DDR at Pinball Pete's again. (Jessi, any chance you might be there?)
The new flat panel, like I said last time, is freaking awesome, but I still need to get a better computer desk in my room so I can actually sit in a real chair while I work on it, instead of sitting on the edge of my bed. (Because that usually leads to me laying down to work on stuff at some point, and then I get all tired and can't work.) To do that, though, I'm going to have to move one of my bookshelves out (when I currently need more space for books and stuff), and with Mark and Heather taking up more and more space in the house with all of their stuff, that could prove quite difficult.
Maybe I'd better have my snack now, just to see if the food will help make me more alert here. Later.
posted 2005/03/02 at 22:03
My new flat panel came in while I was at school today, and holy crap what a difference. I knew my old 15" Gateway monitor was getting kind of old, but I had no idea how blurry and burned-out it was. I can actually see those tiny three-pixel-high letters people put in their avatars now, I've bumped up to 1280 × 1024 resolution, I can switch between windows without going to the taskbar ... wow. I mean, I've used flat panels at school before (though I don't have one in my office ...), but I can really tell the difference here in the dark confines of my room.
Mark's first birthday in America was tonight (something I forgot about until I was ready to leave today), and since he's a bit of a book nut I got him Poppy Z. Brite's Lost Souls and Wormwood. Hope he enjoys them. Unfortunately the birthday festivities put a crimp on my diet tonight, but I'll live.
posted 2005/03/01 at 23:08
Right now Soundscapes is playing Catherine Marie Charlton's "Shenandoah." I'm typing this here mainly so I can remember to look up her albums later, because this song is one of the loveliest piano solos I've heard in quite some time. Unfortunately, it's gotten me to a point where all I want to do is lay down and go to sleep, but I still have a couple of essays to read for one of tomorrow's classes.
I've been known to do the reading just before class, but I've been trying to avoid doing that lately because I remember stuff a lot better if I read it the night before we go over it in class than if I read it an hour beforehand. The problem this causes is that it usually leaves me with two and a half hours between classes where I have basically nothing to do on campus. Hence my flurry of afternoon posts recently: I don't have much else to do in my office on campus than bounce around online, and occasionally post something here or on the few messageboards I visit. Last year I would have gone up to the Spectrum office and chilled there, but for one thing our office now has a TV with cable that always seems to be tuned to something stupid on MTV or Comedy Central, and for another thing no one who's in the office while I'm up there seems to want to talk to me.
My class on Thursday has been cancelled for this week, so the only reasons I have for going to campus that day are the support group I go to, and the Spectrum meeting. To be honest, I'm not sure I even want to go to the Spectrum meeting; I'm at a point right now where I'm feeling extremely disconnected from most of the people in Spectrum, and I don't know how to bridge that gap. I mean, I'm up here all alone in my bedroom right now listening to new age music, while I know lots of people from Spectrum are at a bar in downtown Bowling Green for their GLBT night, drinking their brains out, watching (bad, bad) drag queens perform, dancing (without even having arrows in front of them!), and all of that stuff. It just doesn't seem like I'd get much of a reaction if I invited those people over here for a night of home cooking and playing chess, you know?
At the same time that I love new age music and chess, though, I love DDR, and I'm, for lack of better words, kinky as all fuck. I know that we should respect and appreciate these kinds of contrary aspects about people -- especially ourselves -- but there are times like tonight when I feel like I somehow need to reconcile these differences within myself, because I'm not even sure I understand them. And if I can't understand myself, how can I expect other people to understand me, let alone like me?
Now if you'll excuse me, those essays aren't going to read themselves ...
copyright © 2008 Sean Shannon