Facial Hair February

So the guys at the front desk tell me it’s Facial Hair February. And what, pray tell, is this ‘facial hair February’? Well, they says, all the guys at the front desk are going to grow out beards. Oh. Well let’s give it try. We put up a sign saying Facial Hair Feb. brought to you buy the men of the Drackett Tower front desk. And we start growing our beards.

SHHHHHHHHH!!! Do you hear that!?! Listen real hard. That is the sound of my beard growing.

Now I’m getting kinda excited about this. I’m going to be rugged. Clint Eastwood is rugged, Bruce Willis is rugged. I’m going to be a real man’s man. So I go four days without shaving. I had some mixed reviews, some told me I was looking good, others told me it just kinda looked dirty. My faithful sidekick (read: roommate) told me to hang in there, once it gets a little longer I’ll like it better. So I hang in there. Then a few days ago I wake up at 1:30 in the morning and touched my face.

Nope that’s the end of that game. I immediately get up and go shave. Screw that. So I kinda sheepishly go down to work later that night, knowing I’m going to have to come up with a good reason for my silky smooth face. So I tell the guys:

“It’s not the size of the beard on the outside; it’s the size of the beard on the inside that counts.”

The End

Work sucks...

Tuesdays are the worst days of the week for me. I have to get up early, (8:15) so I can get a bowl cereal in before i go to work. Today's bowl was Apple jacks. Then i go to work for four hours. I know you can't really call it work, today i studied for a midterm while listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. When i get off of work at 1, I head off to my first class at 1:30. I am in class from 1:30-3:18, and then from 3:30-5:18. So you add it up, my day is 9-5:30. That's 8 hours, plus a half hour for lunch. (except my half hour is taken up by walking to class) I dread this day, above all other days in the week. Tuesday is the worst. And there are people out there who do this five days a week. How do these people do it? All i can say is that working...having a full time J-O-B... It's not for me. Maybe i can skip it and go straight to retirement. That would be nice...

Here's to those unfortunate souls that have to put in 40 hours a week. I be sure to catch a few extra hours of sleep just for you.

Movie time...

Let me tell you all about a little movie called Pan’s Labyrinth. It was made in spain, so it’s all in Spanish speak. But don’t hold that against it. The film is amazing. It is wonderfully shot and acted, and the special effects were pretty cool too.

The movie is about a little girl who, in the midst of the 1940 Spanish civil war, leaves the city and travels with her pregnant mother to an old mill in the middle of nowhere, so they can live with some mean tyrannical captain who is trying to put down a rogue group of rebels. With all this going on around her, the girl still finds time to visit this creepy/beautiful world of magic and danger, inhabited by fairies and fauns.

The movie is crazy good. I give it 8-1/2 out of 11. Go see it.

So here’s what I’m thinkin’…

Have you ever heard of an art therapist? Or a music therapist? I’m thinking maybe that might be what I want to do when I graduate. I know. It sounds like I hippie job to me too, but hear me out.

I really like my psych classes that I’m taking especially the ones for clinical and counseling psych. Those are the most interesting ones. You get to look at all the weird sick-os in the world, and then you try to help them. Challenging, fun, and interesting. Then you get to teach them how to paint, or find out which kinds of music they should listen to, or show them fun uplifting movies.

And I get to take fun classes. Like painting 101, or learn to draw, and then art education. Or basic music theory (aka help with my guitar). How cool is that? I mean, the things I do for fun, I get to take classes for. Honestly. It’d almost be like not going to school. I’d get a degree for finger-painting.

Then I’d get a job in a field that is growing at a “faster then average rate,” whatever that means. And I get to work for fun places. Like get a nice cushy job working for a government funded hospital, or at a hospice or a nursing home (maybe not there, old people creep me out.) or a prison. I’ve seen enough prison movies to know that prison folk are good natured, honest people, who just need a little more direction in their lives. I’d be the guy showing them how to paint those pictures of flying birds and stuff. Like that old man from “Escape from Alcatraz.” You know the one who cut off his fingers in the workshop? I’d be hanging out with people like him.

The opposite of terrorism...

I spent two hours of my life yesterday streaming the keynote from the Macworld conference. Two whole hours. watching Steve Jobs do his powerpoint thing. Now the thing that kept my eyes glued to the computer screen was a little something you have probably heard of by now, the i-phone. But contrary to how it might seem, unveiling the most advanced, breathtakingly awesome piece of techno-wizardry I think i have ever seen, was not the highlight of the two hour video stream. the last ten minutes. Those were ten minutes that changed the way i think of apple inc. forever. John Mayer comes out and preforms a couple of songs. In itself it wasn't all that odd, he has performed at the last 3 Macworld conferences. It was what was said in between the song "Gravity" and "Waiting on the world to change."

this is what was said:

"You know i was sitting backstage watching the whole presentation like i have for the last few years, and i realized something. You guys, Steve Jobs, and the whole Apple Inc. You make the world happier. You're Like the Opposite of terrorism. When I'm Around you, I'm at threat level green. It's amazing."

I don't know, i thought it was funny. and john mayer rocks, I get to see him on Feb. 23rd. WOO-HOO, Excitement.

I said it before, and I'll say it again...

Steve McQueen is the coolest guy EVER!

It started out with my hat. Actually, it didn’t start with my hat, because when it started, I didn’t have my hat. It really started when I couldn’t find my hat. I could have sworn that I had put it in my laundry basket when I had moved back to college after break. I haven’t seen it since. Which is a total shame, because I loved that hat. It met every important hat qualification. It was warm, it covered my ears, and it didn’t make my obscenely large head look bigger then it actually is.

So when the cold front came through, my poor widdle ears damn near froze off. So I made the 25 minute trek over to the nearest Target store (I prefer the French pronunciation, it sounds more classy.) with a laundry list of needed supplies, on top of which was an awesome hat. It took some time, but I finally found a hat I kinda liked. (at least it covered my ears and matched my coat.) Unfortunately I had to buy the stupid Hat/scarf Combo, even though I already have a green scarf that I liked better, but it was on sale and at least I would have a hat. I grabbed the milk and munchies that made up the rest of my list, and on the way toward the check out line, I spy the electronics department.

I know I shouldn’t. I know I don’t want to spend the extra cash , but there’s no harm in looking, right? I’m a compulsive DVD and CD buyer, I know this, but I can see what they have and enjoy looking. I don’t have to buy anything. My will power is strong enough, right?

WRONG!!!

I had almost finished my perusing the DVD Isles when I spotted it. The sale sign was practically glowing. It was heaven sent. I was like an archeologist who had just deciphered the hieroglyphics informing me that below these words was some slumbering king incased in his gilded sarcophagus of glory. In short: It was the find of my life. The sign read as follows:

Film Classics: 2 Disc Collectors Sets, Newly Remastered $10.00

I took it like a blow to the gut! Aarrgghhh!!!! I know I don’t spend the extra cash, but…but…MOVIES!!! SALE!!! ONE TIME ONLY!!! I wish there was a 12 step program for people like me. In the end, the movies “Bullitt” and Rebel without a Cause found themselves in the company of a ½ gallon of milk and my hat inside of a plastic target bag.

So I get to work last night, and I check to make sure I’m caught up with my readings and homework, (homework yes; readings almost), and I stick the movie “Bullitt” into my laptop. (what kinda of crazy awesome job lets you watch movies on the clock? Mine.)

The movie is really good. But more importantly Steve McQueen is sooooooooo Cool!

Everything he does, I want to emulate. I want the Steve McQueen Hair cut, I want the hot girl who drives the Porsche. I want the dark green Mustang that I can tear through the streets of San Francisco with. I want the tight blue turtle neck and a brown plaid jacket with the nifty leather patches over the elbows.

McQueen is so cool, that he doesn’t need his gun. He’s chasing armed perps with his gun in his crazy upside-down, quickdraw holster just under his left arm. Any lesser man have his gun out at the ready, if not when chasing an armed suspect, then surely after the second or third time the suspect shot at you. But not Steve McQueen. Steve is so cool that when he misses a turn while filming that famous car chase, and he slams the ‘tang into reverse and then peels out down the correct road, they keep that in the movie. When a major Hollywood film company wants to cut loose and use the word “bullshit” for the first time ever…they get Steve McQueen to do it.

You get the idea? He’s too cool for school. He is completely awesome. Heck, he could take Chuck Norris. I looked up the definition of Bad Ass in the Dictionary, there was a picture of Steve.

And I want to be just like him.

WTFuck,

I don’t what to say. I’m flabbergasted, astonished, disappointed, despondent, despaired, and other words that end in ‘des.’

I give it up to Florida, I mean they played hard, they played well, and deserved the win. I just wish I could say the same about us. It was a shitty game on our part. I mean, we had 51 days between the last game of the season and the bowl game, which apparently is just long enough for JT (oh Jim Tressel) to forget how to play football. Florida tore up our zone defense, why didn’t we adjust and go man to man? Pittman tore up on the carries, why didn’t we screw the passing game when we knew that every receiver was going to be covered, and that their blitz is going to get around Troy Smiths blockers, and start handing off to Pittman? Why couldn’t we play good solid football like we did the first 8 or 9 games of our season? Prolly cause we’re a bunch of cocky bastards who thought we could get away with playing like crap.

But campus sucks today. I look around at the faces as they head off to class, they’re all sad and downtrodden. My prediction for class is that there will be a 20 % attendance rate and a 50% hangover rate of those that do go. People have already come back with their class having been canceled. Nobody on campus cares. It is sad and depressed. And so am I.

All I can say is WTFuck, man. WTFuck.

Theaterhound

Since I’m on the confession kick, I’ll divulge my other addiction.

Wait for it….

MOVIES!!!!

I love movies. I love the theater. I love just about everything about the theater, The huge screen, the trailers, those moments right before the lights dim, when the lights dim. I love being a part of the movie watching community, I love everything. The Salty Snacks, the Loud surround sound, everything…I am a theaterhound. I’ll go to the movies cause I miss the theater, even if nothing good is playing. I really like the atmosphere of the movie theater.

But I also love the movies. new movies, old movies, all kinds of movies. Anything that will transport me into another world. And here is the latest. Children of Men. The best damn movie I’ve seen in a good long while.

In the future, humans lose the ability to reproduce. This means it’s the end of the world. It’s a slow tortured death that people have to sit and watch as the human population steadily decreases with no new members to replenish the dead. The world goes to shit. What’s the point of abiding by society’s laws when in a few decades nothing will matter? Factions of people are warring, and fighting and killing. In the midst of all this, a miracle happens. The world’s only pregnant woman stubbles into the collective laps of Clive Owen and Julianne Moore. It is up to them to get her to the Human Project, A collection of the world greatest minds who are working to fix the infertility problem.

Alfonso Cuaron Has created one of the best movies In theater today. It is Beautifully and masterfully crafted, the actors give genuine performances and the whole movie just works. The story line, to the casting to every last detail. And the best part. Towards the end of the movie, there was one take, it was one of the greatest takes ever. It had to have been five minutes long. One long continuous shot, no edits, just the camera following Clive Owen through war torn streets and through a building being shredded by gunfire. The must have been 100 people in and out of this one shot. Things were exploding, the camera kept panning around, making sure you saw all of the ugly details of humanities worst. It was awesome. Go out and see it. Now. Right this very instant. Trust me. The theaterhound knows his movies.

Music-holic

I’ve been gone for a while, but hey, it was the holidays, and who can blame me for not wanting to put that on hold for a just for a new post? But now I’m back at college. Classes have started, (I’ve had one), and I’m back working at the front desk again. One paragraph into the post and three people have asked for help. One person didn’t know where a class room building was, so we looked it up on the internet and found the wrong building numbered 26. So I sent her off in the wrong direction (oops.). Then someone wanted an envelope (we don’t have any), and someone wanted to know when the floor meeting is (I don’t live on your floor, and it is up to the RA to make sure everyone knows when the meetings are). So needless to say, I’m 0 for 3. Damn. I feel worthless. Maybe round two will see me do a little better.

I have a confession to make, and a blog is as good a place as any. So here it goes.

My name is Adam, and I’m a music-holic. That’s right. I compulsively buy CDs to feed my addiction, I-Tunes robs me of my money on what seems to be a daily basis, even my TV rarely leaves MTVU (the MTV for college kids. It plays almost only music videos with a few sprinkles of MTVU news and clips from college kids around the nation.) from the time I wake up in the morning until I go to bed, my TV plays music videos. I’ll even listen to my own music, with the music videos on mute. That is not an uncommon sight in my dorm room. As I type I am giddy as a school girl, because my new i-pod should arrive today, because my old one is full and I have no place to put my new music. I’m in a constant search for more music, good music, and new favorites.

That being said, let me introduce you to my latest CD purchase. The Best of Faces: Good Boys When They’re Sleeping. Having not heard of the band Faces before, When my cousin recommended the band to me, I went right out and bought the greatest hits album. (remember: addicted to new music) Faces is a good old rock n’ roll band. You take the band Small Faces, and you add Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood. That’s how you get faces. This was the band back in the day. After they broke up, Rod Stewart had his brilliant solo career. Ron Wood joined the stones. The ROLLING STONES! Kenny Jones, the drummer joined the Who after their Keith Moon Died. I mean, seriously, could the band get any bigger. The whole CD is quality, but if nothing else, do yourself a favor and get a hold of the following songs: Maybe I’m Amazed, Ooh La La, and Three Button Hand Me Down