I've stared straight into the sun

wrapped up

2008-05-07T11:00:00.002-05:00

Well spring is here and I remembered that I had a blog. Prior to forgetting about the blog I believe I had material to write about. It has been over a year since my last update so here is how I have spent my time.

....

Nothing comes to my head immediately but once it does it will make for AWESOME CONTENT.

-DAVE

Podcasting

2007-03-01T12:34:00.000-06:00

For Christmis Laurie gave a me an iPod to use while I was at work. At first I would just listen to music as the nights went by, but as I was searching for more music content, I found podcasts. Podcasts had been out for a while but I never gave it the time of day until I realized they were free. I tried it out, and ended up really enjoying the vast amount of content you can download for free off itunes and other websites. I've found some really sweet and really awful podcasts. Here's my run down.

1up.com : A video game web site with a host of different pod casts to download, but all end with a bunch of sad endless talk about the difference between one format of media over another. It would be a great podcast if they trimed the content down to 30 seconds from an hour of nerd bitchin.

Adam Carolla podcast: Adam has a radio show in L.A. now with Danny Bonoduci (spelling?) and some other women. He's a great funny host with great content, but who ever transfers the radio show to the pod cast is on meth. The audio quality is poor, but there's plenty of content right now to download.

American Public Media: "A Praire Home Companion": Garrison Keillor's stories from Lake Wobegon continue on through podcasts. Every cast is a 17 min edited segment that leaves me wanting more. Highly recomended.

APM:The Writer's Almanac: Keillor voices a daily podcast giving quips about two famous peoples b-days. He talks about their lives and how they came to success and or downfalls. The segments end with a poem. 4 out 4 stars.

National Public Radio's "Fresh Air": A great podcast about pop culture. If you only listen to one podcast let it be Fresh Air. Our host interviews a new guest and curent news and culture daily, about an hour long podcast.

There's a short list of what you can find on my iPod. I usually download NBC's Nightly News and Comedy Centrals stand up comedy. Alot of content out there and once again it's free! Download itunes and go to Podcast to find new content like Kevin Smith's new podcast "smodcast".

Heat

2007-02-25T13:51:00.000-06:00

The movie "Heat" was on T.V. today. Pretty good. Jim Gaffigan had a comic routine where he was out of touch with being "cool" when it came to being in the know of the latest movies. It went something like "Yeah so I saw the movie Heat yesterday." "Heat?" the other says, "Heat? Didn't that come out like 15 years ago?". Yes had to be there to get the humor out of that skit....

Working non-stop lately. I work two jobs, I teach during the day and work "logistics" another term for unloading trucks and and stocking a warehouse at night. Time seems to go by before me. I have a day once in a while to catch up to see what week it is. Caffeine and a lax-a-dasical experience of sleep is what I live on. My relationships are stretched. Distances have grown longer. I do what I can. I know I'm not alone. Millions do what I do if not more. Hopefully one day it will pay off before I burn out or alienate those who I like to be around.

St. Cloud State swept the Gophers this weekend! There's nothing better then SCSU Hockey. SCSU never gets the fair coverage so It's great when you defeat the supposed "big dog".

I'm going to go drink a Mt. Dew now.

James Plays First Ave.

2007-02-04T12:17:00.000-06:00

On Feb 3rd, my little brother was on stage at First Ave. He and his very talented Band Members played a great show. Delighting a full crowd at first ave. James gyrated like Elvis with confusing looks on my moms face who was next to me, "I didn't know he could move like that." Here are some pictures from the show, he's the one in the middle showing the skin.

2006-11-15T17:29:00.000-06:00

MySpace Music

2006-07-22T12:29:00.000-05:00

MySpace, the eclectic attention whore of our youth, has become useful to me. It's great adding your friends, but listening to your companions music on their page has become a past time as of late. I've found some new music I know I would have never encountered had it been for their myspace. Not only well known music affections, but the lesser known or even local has become more apparent since this dawn of myspace music. My little brother jumped on the bandwagon a while ago, sharing his music with his friends and making new ones, music ones, in the process, talking to and learning and sharing with other musicians. It's interesting to see the true music nature of your friends too. Like I said before, it's turned me on to many new forms, but at the same time other types of music has forced me to never speak to my myspace friends again and calling the IRS to audit them asap....

You can view my own myspace @ http://www.myspace.com/monkeyfart70

My commute

2006-07-17T20:21:00.000-05:00

This is my commute. It takes about 1 hour to travel 30 or so miles. This graph represents my emotions during my commute. I don't care for peoples driving abilities.

Election '08, let the coverage begin!

2006-06-04T00:43:00.000-05:00

It's now the summer of 2006, the election for the new President of the United States of America is a year and a half away and it is still unclear at the moment who our candidates are. The speculated contenders: Hillary Clinton (D) and John McCain (R)have been in the public eye for the past couple months, not declaring their candidacy, but not denying it as well when scrutinized by the press during senate campaign events.

My question today for the prospective candidates form around Hillary Clinton. My biggest question or concern about the possibility of Hillary becoming President is the fact of the creation of a string of family members controlling the White House.
I found it very odd when Bush Jr. took office. It's almost like an aristocracy forming right before us, as we slowly form into the power we despised a little over 300 years ago. It's not like I haven't realized that the rich or so called "noble" class control the government, but never before has it been so prevalent, or pushed right into our face on the news.

The opportunity for new ideas almost cancels itself. I understand that each party has a certain agenda that they bring to the table, but ideas for new policy, or governance seem to die as have seen in the past 6 years with the lineage of the Bush name continue on. Every politician speaks of "change" when they campaign. No matter if they actually have a plan for "change" or not, they won't hesitate to use that magic word. I just don't know what new "change" Hillary can bring to us that we haven't seen since '92. You might be able to reverse some of the mistakes in the past years, but yippidy do da if you can't bring anything new to the table.

In 2008 I am looking for a fresh, smart, and open minded candidate. Will I or we as a people get this? Most likely not, but I can dream. We have to learn still who our candidates are. If it is Mrs. Clinton, I would like to find out more about her and her agenda for the people. I'm looking forward to this upcoming debacle.

Clinton Video link: CNN

Quotes

Witty Quotes Haven: Clever Quotes
1. Give a man a match, and he'll be warm for a minute, but set him on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
2. The real trouble with reality is that there's no background music.
3. Everyone is entitled to be stupid, but some abuse the privilege.
4. War doesn't determine who's right. War determines who's left.
5. Sarcasm helps keep you from telling people what you really think of them.
6. If pro is opposite of con, then what is the opposite of progress?
7. If you think things can't get worse it's probably only because you lack sufficient imagination.
8. It's your god. They're your rules. *You* go to hell.
9. Parents spend the first part of our lives teaching us to walk and talk, and the rest of it telling us to sit down and shut up.
10. You can't be late until you show up.
11. A train station is where the train stops. A bus station is where the bus stops. On my desk, I have a work station...
12. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.
13. The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources
14. Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are good is like expecting the bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian.
15. Knowledge is realizing that the street is one-way, wisdom is looking both directions anyway
16. I once prayed to god for a bike, but quickly found out he didn't work that way...so I stole a bike and prayed for his forgiveness
17. As Long As There Are Tests, There Will Be Prayer In Public Schools.
18. Books have knowledge, knowledge is power, power corrupts, corruption is a crime, and crime doesn't pay..so if you keep reading, you'll go broke
19. Advice for the day: If you have a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle: Take two, and KEEP AWAY FROM CHILDREN.
20. A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.

post 100

2006-06-02T02:14:00.000-05:00

News stories of note:

Published on Thursday, June 1, 2006 by the Independent / UK
An Immovable Obstacle to Action on Climate Change

"At a time of soaring petrol prices and growing public anger over the cost of filling up cars and trucks, ExxonMobil is not only making money hand over fist at an increasing rate - it is actually making more money than any other oil company in the world."

New 'Iraq massacre' tape emerges

"The BBC has uncovered new video evidence that US forces may have been responsible for the deliberate killing of 11 innocent Iraqi civilians."

HAhahah it's been over a month and I still have nothing.

2006-05-31T00:54:00.000-05:00

Here's a new comic my cousin introduced to me:

White Ninja Comics:

www.whiteninjacomics.com

Tom Green Channel

2006-04-21T14:48:00.000-05:00

Tom Green has a channel on the internet. Go to www.tomgreen.com, it's a good way to kill some time.

-dw

Red Hot Chili Peppers Coming to Minneapolis!

2006-04-04T11:47:00.000-05:00

No official date set yet, but the North American tour has been announced with Minneapolis as one of the stops!

Red Hot Chili Peppers North American tour pre sale calendar:

May 7-8 reserved exclusively for RedHotChiliPeppers.com Silver and Gold Fan Club members

May 13 Public onsale www.redhotchilipeppers.com

RHCP's first single off of their new album Stadium Arcadium due May 9th was released, and the video premiere will happen tonight on MTV and following on overdrive.mtv.com following the debut.

Here is " Dani California " Windows Media 100kbs

Quicktime 128kbs

-dave

What 250 Billion Will Get You

2006-04-02T23:50:00.000-05:00

SomethingAwful.com posted a hilarious what if the other day. What we could of done with the 250 billion we have spent on the war and defer it on to other stuff. Pretty funny, but sad at the same time now that I realize I could of had my own 23'' LCD TV.

SA:
"I'm not going to lecture all of you on why the Iraq war is stupid, and you are stupid, and your mom is stupid, and your brother is stupid. We've been through all that before and, yes, I know I'm a lieberal faggot who needs to be punched in the face. But all this talk of lost treasure got me to thinking about just what we might have done with that 250 billion dollars instead of blow up half of a country, throw it into civil war and get a few thousand arms and legs blown off. The answer is that we could have done a lot, an awesome lot."

"250 billion dollars is such a vast amount of money that most people, including myself, have difficulty even really comprehending it. You get to about a million dollars and people like me just see this huge cloud floating off in the sky that rains prizes from the Price is Right. I could buy anything I could imagine with 250 billion dollars. Even magic! Listing a bunch of random things I can imagine buying with nearly unlimited amounts of money doesn't really help anyone get a grip on the staggering 250 billion figure, so let me put it in terms that will help you visualize all of that squandered treasure. I like to call it The Awesome Deferred."

SA Article link

3rd Audioslave record releasing in June?

In the words of Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello, the rock and roll group's forthcoming third opus is an "ass-kicker."As fans might expect, the still-untitled LP (Morello said the band's toying with the idea of naming it Revelations) is
if bursting at the seams with the kind of brutal riff rock that's become Audioslave's trademark. But at the same time, they've woven deep '70s funk and soul grooves with heavy guitars, "and it's a pretty potent combination," he said.When the album drops (Morello dispelled reports that it will surface in June), expect the end result to be "really unique" and "as hard-rockin' an album as we've ever made," the guitarist said."If you want your ass kicked, you've come to the right place," he added. "And you may have the opportunity to shake that ass too."Three weeks ago, Audioslave Morello, frontman Chris Cornell, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk finished tracking the disc with producer Brendan O'Brien. O'Brien mixed 2005's Out of Exile; Soundgarden's 1994 disc, Superunknown; and produced Rage Against the Machine's Evil Empire and The Battle of Los Angeles.Most of the 20 tracks the bandmembers brought into the studio "were written before we went on the last U.S. tour, so we had about two months of touring to play some of these songs in front of arenas and to go over them during a number of soundchecks."Audioslave took "the momentum of playing some of the best shows of our lives, as well as working out the kinks of some of these songs in front of a live audience, seeing what worked and didn't work," and recorded 16 tracks over the course of three weeks, Morello said. The "fast and furious pace," as he described it, was imposed by O'Brien because he wanted to capture "the intensity of the performance Â the four of us, in a room, rocking the jam, top to bottom, to get the sweatiest, most intense take."For his part, Morello said he experimented with overdubs and worked with different guitars and amps "to create different colors." The end result, he said, is a record that "sounds like Led Zeppelin meets Earth, Wind & Fire."One of Morello's favorite tracks is a tune called "Original Fire." Like most Audioslave songs, it began with a single idea -- a riff he'd been tinkering with for years. "The songwriting process is tremendously democratic," he explained. "No matter where the initial idea for a song comes from, it goes into the Audioslave killing-machine grinder, and at the end of the day comes out something unique that you might not have expected."As Morello continued to sculpt the riff, he started to imagine what the finished track would sound like. Turns out he was way off-base. "It doesn't feel remotely like what I thought it would be when I came up with it on the guitar," he said. "Brad put sort of a double-time soul beat to it, and Tim had this super chocolate-thunder bass lick that went with it, and it turned out much better than I thought it would. Tim and Brad are just a ferociously funky rhythm section."Most of the ideas that were brought to the table ended up making it to tape because "we have confidence we can turn it into an Audioslave song we're going to love."Audioslave get overtly political on this album, with the song "Wide Awake.""It's the most political song Audioslave's ever written, and it's a scathing condemnation of the Bush administration's failures in the wake of Hurricane Katrina," Morello said. "It's a sad, powerful and angry song."There are a number of other tracks Morello's confident will make the final cut: the haunting and beautiful "Until We Fall"; "Moth," which was "the last song we wrote for this record, and it's a kick-ass, anthemic, 'Hammer of the Gods' riff-rock jam that will probably close the record"; "Revelations"; "One in the Same"; "Sound of a Gun"; "Until We Fall"; "Shape of Things to Come"; and "Broken City," which "is kind of Audioslave-plays-[War's] 'Low Rider.' "
This report is from MTV News.

10 Best 80's Music Videos

2006-03-30T01:53:00.000-06:00

Ahh the 80's, full of experimental synthesized music, power ballads, and shitty hair. Like Huey Lewis, I too wish I could bring back the 80's. Now we can revisit it for a bit with the top 10 80's music videos (based upon 80's movies which makes for great cameos). The funniest one I saw was the video from the movie "Short Circuit", in which pretty much the whole cast makes an appearance in the video minus Steven Guttenberg. They just have a cardboard cut out of him. WTF Guttenberg, where have you gone to?

-80's Video Link

Clerks 2

2006-03-29T00:31:00.000-06:00

About time. Teaser Trailor -Link

www.clerks2.com

-dave

Farkin Peeps

2006-03-28T13:26:00.000-06:00

Google Earth. The new program from Google that allows you to circumnavigate the world at the click of your mouse. Basically if you have used Google's satellite map program along with any other map quest you get the gist of Google Earth minus the "hotness" that is Google Earth's "cool" factor.... I'm a huge "loser".

What makes this cool is the "virtual" way you can travel the globe, as if you took a plane from one destination to another, or were catapulted from your destination because your girlfriend got sick of you spending countless hours searching google earth. You can then zoom in on most areas up the point of seeing, in my case, my backyard basketball court. Once you've come into the area your searching you can then click on different options to locate certain places, like roads, hospitals, or the pub. These will appear on the screen with a little icon that will give you the address, phone, and website if applicable. It's a great way to plan a trip, or vast in awe of Mother Earth's great majesty...

Check out Google Earth and download it free at: http://earth.google.com/

Peeps to St.Paul City Hall -"Suck It"

This story made Fark.com with the headline: "Three brigades of Peeps deployed to St. Paul City Hall in the ongoing War on Easter"

From the St. Cloud Times, LINK.

Great Resource

2006-03-24T23:42:00.000-06:00

I've been searching for reference photos recently for an upcoming painting. In high school and in college I've referenced National Geographic Magazine. Since I don't subscribe any more I decided to check out National geographic.com. If you are looking for some wallpapers for your desktop, or to admire some unbelievable photography along with various submissions from great novices as well as some great articles it's a site I highly recommend to kill some time.

www.nationalgeographic.com

Blurbs, Larry King style or something

2006-03-21T19:32:00.000-06:00

The Vikings are looking better and better as they update their roster for the 2006 season. Richardson and Hutchinson have been added as of late. - link

I haven't been following the T-wolves due to I stopped caring after a few games from the Celtic trade.

The Twins look healthy in spring training, they'll be contenders, but who can stop the White Sox?

Lately I've been enjoying Einstein Bagels made available at the super target near my house.

A man was shot in uptown a few days ago and has died from his wounds earlier Mon. The 25 year old man was shot in the head for no reason or altercation after two men robbed his mother that he was escorting and took off. My girlfriend works a block away from this incident. link

Spring is here and the snow is melting away. I went to home depot and purchased some seeds to plant indoors for now, to grow and be ready for the deck come May.

that is all, good day, -Dave

Jack Nachos

2006-03-19T01:04:00.000-06:00

Nachos... enough said. Here's the movie website.

St. Cloud State Tops Minnesota 8-7 in ot!

2006-03-18T12:26:00.000-06:00

HA HAAAA! Man that felt good, and if you missed that spectacular game last night of the mens semi-finals whca game I'm sorry, because it was awesome. One of the biggest shoot outs I've ever seen resulting with one of the biggest emotion jerkers of all time with the Huskies ahead of the Gophers 7-5 and then within the final minutes scoring one and then to tie it up with 20 seconds to go knocked the wind right out of me. But redemtion came with Hartman scoring at 9:14 in ot to knock out the Gophers.

It feels good because all you ever hear about is the Gophers, and the Huskies usually get the second hand scraps of media coverage. Doug Woog's facial expression was great, he wasn't happy at all. Minnesota college hockey isn't just the U of M, there's 4 or more great divsion one hockey teams in the state that never get enough coverage....

Suck it Gophers.

Good luck to SCSU tonight againt NDSU @ 7:37

Game article

Top Ten Worst SNL cast members of all time

2006-03-12T00:01:00.000-06:00

Found this off of Fark.com, as a tribute to the 10 worst SNL cast members of all time. I agree with them all except for Horatio Sanz, I believe he's funny, maybe not such a wide range of funny, but enough for me to shoot milk out of my nose on to the coffee table. It's a good list, it will bring back memories of those skits that stole ten minutes here and there of your life that you will never get back.

http://www.thephatphree.com/features.asp?StoryID=2246&SectionID=3&amp;LayoutType=1

I'll see you again someday, but not yet.

2006-03-10T15:03:00.000-06:00

I was very close with my grandfather. Learning of his passing struck me with a lot of grief. The past couple of days have been odd just thinking about him and what happens when you leave. I was very distraught for a day or so, and I'm sure I will be again in the next couple of days, but for the moment I can find some peace in reflecting on his life. He survived many "chalenges" in life; the great depression, WWII, and raising a family and eventually me. I've had it pretty good in my life time, as far as complications coming along like not being drafted or dealing with the day to day situations of the great depression. The odds were stacked against an individual I believe more so back then. So to survive all of that, and conitinue to have a very productive life while knowing he has moved on to that next step, I can't help but celebrate a man who has accomplished so much.

I miss you, but I'll see you again,
David

The St. Cloud Times had published an article about my grandfather.

http://www.sctimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060310/NEWS01/103100025/1009/NEWS01

I've been away

2006-02-27T23:46:00.000-06:00

I haven't updated in some time, due to I have no idea what to post and I've been to busy. So here's some material.

I've been sick lately, so now I have time to dangle around the computer.

While sitting in front of the computer for hours on end, I have found a new source of amusment. Comedy Central's Mother Load, in particular the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. A "Mother Load" of clips can be streamed instantly and the funny doesn't end.

So that's that.

-dave

Jim Gaffigan: My Favorite Comedian

2006-02-01T23:11:00.000-06:00

"Isn't it strange, when you're single, all you see is couples, but when you're part of a couple, all you see are hookers?"

"Whenever I'm out of town for at least a week, I feel like I should write a postcard or something, but you can be a genius, you try and write a postcard you come across like a moron anyway: 'This city's got big buildings. I like food. Bye'."

Jim Gaffigan has to be the funniest comedian I've seen in a long time. His style to me is hard to explain. If you take Conan O'Brien's humor where he mocks himself and then mix that into a 3rd person sub-conscious speaking back to himself after he tells a joke then you got Gaffigan. I don't think that made any sense.

I was introduced to his stuff on TV a few years ago, and then my friend Luke bought one of his CD's. Just hilarious stuff, from talking about how dumb we are for buying bottled water to how dumb we are for buying Hot Pockets.

You can catch him on TV this week with the advent of his new CD coming out Feb. 7th "Beyond the Pale".

Here are some clips of Gaffigan from Comedy Central: Gaffigan
Clips

Conan's Endorsement

2006-01-15T03:22:00.000-06:00

A few years back the movie "Dirty Dancing" was brought back to the big screen after 20 years or so from it's early 80's release. It wasn't some Hollywood big wig's bright idea to bring it back for a 20 year anniversary or some other ploy. It was Conan O'Brien's. If I recall, O'Brien constantly promoted the movie at his own expense to generate some comedy sketch, or to kill time. Either way after a few weeks of begging on his show Late Night, paramount or who ever owns the rights to the movie, Dirty Dancing was re-released to the silver screen once again.

As soon as the news hit Conan's ears about the re-release of "Dirty Dancing" he pulled a 180 and I believe called it one of the worse movies of all time or something to that extent, but totally back stabbing the movie... It was hilarious.

People listen to him, and or his writing staff. This time Finland is listening.

"HELSINKI, Finland - Finland's president finds her traditional support among women and the Social Democratic Party base, but lately to the surprise of many Finns Â and her opponents in Sunday's election Â she has gotten an endorsement of a different sort.

The redheaded late-night talk show host Conan O'Brien has been promoting President Tarja Halonen's re-election bid as part of a long-running joke about their supposed physical similarities.

"Why do I support Tarja Halonen? Because she's got the total package: a dynamic personality, a quick mind, and most importantly Â my good looks," the comedian, whose show is broadcast on cable in Finland, said in a statement to The Associated Press." -By KARL RITTER, Associated Press Writer

The election I believe is today in Finland. I'll post any reports from the race tomorrow to see if Conan had any pull what so ever.

The article from: Yahoo! Associated Press

Readers' List: Best acting performances by athletes
ESPN.com Page 2 report

A funny top 10 list from Farve to Andre the Giant...

"10. Andre the Giant in "The Princess Bride" (23 letters)
If you are going to include wrestlers such as The Rock, then you can't overlook the brilliant performance of Andre the Giant in "The Princess Bride."

No other person on earth could have played the gentle giant Fezzik as well as Andre did. The single best line of the film is when he says to Mandy Patinkin, "Indigo. (Yes, Fezzik) I hope we win."

Leaving him off the list? Inconceivable!
Marty
California "

The List

Video clip of the day: "Big screen version"

Damn it

2006-01-13T01:32:00.000-06:00

I've been searching for jobs constantly over the in internet classifieds since I graduated. To be honest I don't have any coherent thought to any particular job I see and more self doubt in myself when I find a job that looks interesting. I literally don't know what to do with myself as far as looking for a job that is supposed to support me with an average income and benefits and everything else that people keep shoving down my throat as to how my life should be. I'm frustrated if not angry....

As I was searching the startribune.com's job search, I ran across a news article that had just been published a few minutes ago today (Jan 13th, 2006 @ 1:18 am).
"2004 Minnesota Teacher of the Year dies in car crash". I glanced at it at least 3 times trying comprehend in my mind as to who this was. I knew who it was. I just didn't believe it. I had never met Tom Keating, but the 2004 teacher of the year spook to us future teachers at St. Cloud State University only last Nov. during a student teacher conference. He was our keynote speaker, and a damn good one. Keating taught at Turning Point, a school for "at risk students" in the Monticello area. I'll never forget what he said to us at the teacher conference. "Make that connection with the student", referring to how you can build trust and respect from a student by simply trying to get to know them. It sounds like the easiest thing in the world to do, and it is, but how often do people take the time to ask you how your day was, or what your family is up too... If you can build that connection with a student you have more of an opportunity to plug into that student to help them learn. That lesson I believe applies to everyday life. Take the time with your own family, friends, friends you haven't talked too in a while, co-workers, etc... To build those connections, get to know somebody. That's the kind of guy I believe he was from his speech. He believed in people. He took the time to get to know that "at risk" student who was labeled and then got to know who the real person who was behind that label. He was a motivating force, who I could tell enjoyed what he was doing in life, at that was teaching, and above all living life to its fullest by making sure other peoples lives around him where as great as his.

I'm saddened by a loss of such a great person, and my heart goes out to his family and everyone else out there he inspired. It makes me angry that we have to loose such a good guy, and I can't really make much sense out of it now. What I can do now is live for today. Make it the best day I can with what means I have while taking the time for the people in my life and maybe get to know them a bit better.

The article from the Startribune.com

Your college is not a technical school

2006-01-12T02:31:00.000-06:00

I found a great article about college, and those "ideals" you cherish as to life after college. A must read for future and current college grads.

"Your college is not a technical school" -Ramit

Movie Review: Transporter 2

2006-01-12T01:59:00.000-06:00

If life were a video game... you would assume that everything in the movie "Transporter 2" was real. In reality, Transporter 2 is a great action packed movie that delivers stunts that defy all rational thought on physics and or of Gods own earthly creations.

I don't feel like writing the synopsis of the story, so I took it from an earlier movie review.

"In The Transporter 2, a group of kidnappers are interested in what Frank Martin (Jason Statham) is transporting: Jack Billings (Hunter Clary in his debut role), the six-years old son of the head of the United States Narcotics Agency. Jack is kidnapped and injected with a virus that is intended to infect JackÂs father, Mr. Billings (Matthew Modine), as well as the attendees of an important conference in Miami, Florida. Whoever comes into contact with the little boy would die within hours.

The kidnappers are lead by the Italian villain Gianni (Alessandro Gassman, son of the legendary Vittorio Gassman), and his minimally clothed girlfriend Lola (Kate Nauta), who wears mountain-high heels shoes, very thick mascara, and shoots two huge guns.

Frank becomes an immediate suspect of the childÂs kidnapping. Driven by the promise not to let anyone hurt Jack and by the desire to clear his name, Frank decides to conduct his own investigation and fight the kidnappers. Only two people believe in FrankÂs innocence: his French buddy Tarconi (Francoise Berleand) who is detained at the police station shortly after his arrival from France to Miami, and Audrey Billings (Amber Valletta), Mr. BillingsÂ neglected wife. " -By Ester Molayeme
Special to the Epoch Times.

If you have seen the movie "Man on Fire" with Denzel Washington, with a similar story line of a guardian who has his child who he is protecting kidnapped, who then goes out to find the missing child and smite revenge on those who created the fiasco, then you mightdisappointednted with story the moves through Transporter 2 in comparison. If you take Transporter 2 for what it is and nothing more then a highly intense action film, that delivers all of the goods plus more cake then you could ever swallow. You will walk away impressed. The story moves fast enough to bring through to the next creative fight or driving sequence. 3 out of 4 stars in my book.

13 ft of snow

2006-01-09T01:20:00.000-06:00

Video from Japan where they have 13 + feet of snow - Video

Added links:

Doug's Blog: I work with Doug, we talk about different things, but this blog mainly pertains to politics.

Black Marks on Wooden Pulp: I used to work with Cdub, I can't remember what we talked about during our tenure at funcoland, but I'm sure it was interesting, just like his blog.

Letterman to O’Reilly: 60% of what you say is crap

2006-01-04T13:43:00.000-06:00

"In arguably one of the angriest (and possibly most notable) moments of David Letterman’s television career — during a heated exchange with guest Bill O’Reilly on Tuesday’s Late Show — Letterman let rip on the Iraq War:" -hammer of truth.com

Video: Windows format

Quick Links

2005-12-22T11:28:00.000-06:00

"Narnia Rap" - SNL clip, very funny

Ever yelled at a video game before? Not like this tard. "Cryot's Rage"

The movie "A Christmas Story" re-done- "Christmasgory"

Top 100 Cities with the Largest Percentage of Females (pop. 2000+) - Guess which city!

Not much else is new. Going to spend the rest of the day rapping up presents and cleaning up for x-mas. -dave

Photos from Florida/ Spring Break 2005

2005-12-21T14:04:00.000-06:00

Minnesota Twins Spring Training/ Lecroy hitting a dinger.

Laurie @ Mini Putt

Put it in it's home

Love.

St. Pats parade in Naples, FL.

Sunset off the Gulf of Mexico, Naples, FL.

Holiday Get Aways (from the family)

2005-12-20T21:30:00.000-06:00

Events happening this week in the Twin Cities:

Tuesday, Dec. 27 at 8pm The ONION, Legends Bar and Grill, and Newcastle Brown Ale want to give you free advanced passes to see Grandma's Boy!

The latest comedy from Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions, Grandma's Boy features gamers and grannies, sex and partying, bong vases and footie pajamas...and even a Tae Kwan Do master chimpanzee (don't call him a monkey). Allen Covert ("The Longest Yard") takes on the title role as Alex, the world's oldest video game tester who is forced to move in with his grandma and her two 80-year-old friends. Alex hits rock bottom when a jealous nerdboy swipes a hot video game that Alex has been developing, and tries to pass it off as his own. But help is on the way from Grandma, who is now a master gamer.

To win free advanced passes to this film, go to Legends Bar and Grill on Tuesday Dec. 27 at 8pm and buy a $2 pint of Newcastle Brown Ale. Upon your delightful visit, you will receive a pair of tickets to see Grandma's Boy on Thursday, Jan. 5 at 7:30pm at the AMC Southdale 16. Get a pint. Get a pass. Everyone wins.

Grandma's Boy opens in theaters nationwide on Friday, January 6th.

Legends Bar and Grill
825 Hennepin Ave.
Minnapolis
(612) 331-8781

Summit Brewing Company and The ONION Present: The Wild Pub Challenge at Billy's on Grand!

Are you the king biscuit at trivia about the Minnesota Wild? For some reason do you memorize the Onion's headlines? Do you practice shooting hockey pucks into your patio hockey net? Well perhaps you'd be a contender to win some Minnesota Wild tickets! Billy's on Grand can give you tickets to see the Wild, but only if you have a true spirit...

And by true spirit we mean answering trivia about the Minnesota Wild, Summit Brewing Company, and The Onion. Anyone can sign up to answer questions throughout the night and the winner goes on...until there is one man/woman standing. The winners get to attend the final Shootout Challenge on Billy's patio, and a chance to shoot the puck into the goal for the ultimate prize...4 Club Level Tickets to see the Wild!

If not for the tickets, then why not for the $3 Summits?

The Wild Pub Challenge at Billy's on Grand will take place:

Dec. 22 at 9pm - 11pm
Dec. 29 at 9pm - 11pm

Billy's on Grand
857 Grand Avenue
St. Paul
(651) 292-9140

Bryant Lake Bowl, Magers and Quinn Booksellers, and the ONION presents: Books & Bars!

Books & Bars is not your typical book club. We provide an atmosphere for lively discussion of lesser known authors, fun people, good food and drinks. You're welcome even if you haven't read the book.

The next event is right around the corner, mark your calendars. Upcoming Books & Bars events include:
Jan. 3: Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman
Feb. 7: Children of God Go Bowling by Shannon Olson

For more information, email events@booksandbars.com, or visit the Books & Bars website.

Bryant Lake Bowl
810 West Lake Street
Minneapolis
(612) 825-3737

Happy Holidays,

Dave

St. Cloud Times SCSU Commencement Photos

2005-12-18T21:35:00.000-06:00

St. Cloud Times.com has posted scsu commencement photographs on their website. I was lucky enough to find my family in one and myself in another.

Laurie, Rachel, and Eric.

I'm in the bottom left corner.

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye

2005-12-18T15:28:00.000-06:00

"Has it hit you yet Dave?""Can you believe you completed college?"... These and many other similar questions have circulated around me by family and friends in the past week. I graduated college.

My first comment will go to those, (who probably don't even view this site) that can't see the merit of graduating college, let alone a public university such as state. To those I salute you with a go burn in hell.

Secondly, I think it will take some time for me to soak up the fact that I am no longer in college. To reflect on the ups and downs of my college career. There have been many positive and many negative aspects to undergrad life, but looking back, all the negatives turned into a positive learning experience.

Right now I feel excited. More possibilities have opened up for me, just by having this degree. Now that I have it, nobody can take it away from me. That is my first realization I have concluded to.

The rest of December looks to be very relaxing for me. I'm in the Twin Cities now, with plans to just enjoy the holidays. I'll take this time to relax and contemplate my next move.

I found a recent article titled "Are colleges failing?" A brief look at the lesson plans of higher education. I suppose you argue they are failing, since I graduated :)

Evolution of My Life (as of late)(mostly in comparison to the movie "Old School")

2005-11-06T11:38:00.000-06:00

I'm 24 years old. I have a great girlfriend, and I student teach art for high school students. Everything is going swell. I'm seeing subtle changes and very large changes in my life everyday. All of them for the best for my own future, but I can't help think about what I'm leaving behind, and that would be College.

Excepting the fact that your not that 19 year old poured freshly into the bath tub wop that is college. Saying goodbye, maybe not forever, to friends you used to hang out with everyday, taking shots prior to class while mounting your plan on how your going to make to Garvey in the 30 below temp. with 6 feet of snow, knowing that you'll poop out what you ate in 30 minutes. Good ol' Garvey.

All of sudden your friends start dropping like flys. The guy who helped you out of ditch after falling down after to much at the carpet is now at the alter. You turn around one day and you realize most of your college friends have moved away. Those of your friends you still talk to live at least a half an hour away but schedules are now complicated with work and or children.

Then you wake up one day in amazement and confusion and realize it has happened to you.Your weekends are now spent going to IKEA or the HomeDepot or the Bed Bath and Beyond if your lucky. You talk about patterns for the shades or bed covers. I don't mind looking for this stuff, I get to spend time with my girlfriend, but in comparison to what I was doing two years ago, you might ask how did it all change so quickly.

Then on whim one night you and your friends decide to get together and relive all of your college glory in the one night you have time for. Your no longer 19, you can't handle your liquor and you get tired at 10. You wake up with a minor hangover, and then round up your crew to go to perkins. Topics change from how wasted you got last to how much your back hurts and how you will pay your tip.

It's a very weird trip, I guess words can't really explain how I feel about this all. This journal wasn't really of much help to anyone now that I think of it. Sorry. I began thinking it could be informative to those younger then I. Watch the movie Old School, that might do a better job then I did trying to explain what ever it was I was talking about. I have to go now. Going to the Mall of America, going to look at IKEA, maybe eat at Applebees, If we have time maybe Linens and Things, I don't know, I don't know if we'll have time...

World's Greatest Art Thefts

2005-10-23T12:10:00.000-05:00

by Anthony Haden

Forbe's Lists the World's Greatest Art Thefts, this knowledge will help you when you appear on Jeopardy!

"The 1911 theft of the "Mona Lisa," when the self-styled Marques Eduardo de Valfierno paid three men to steal it from the Louvre in Paris, is usually seen as the first great art heist of the 20th century. Since that time, countless thousands of works of major and minor art have been stolen, whether by professional thieves or as the result of war. The extraordinary thing is not how many pieces have been stolen but how many have been recovered. "

Forbes.com

Pics from my cell phone

2005-10-21T15:43:00.000-05:00

My cell phone has filled up with pics. Time to unload them on you.

Sarah

Rachel

Luke

Daisy

Me at old apt.

Trip to Naples

Trip to Walker

Trip to Chicago

Trip to Chicago

Trip to Chicago

Trip to Chicago

St. John's Chapel

Things of interest

2005-10-20T22:01:00.000-05:00

Cdub wrote a great tale of the many Euro beers he recieved for his b-day. It's a great article that will make your thirsty!

Black Marks on Wooden Pulp- "So much for light beer"

Today I picked up the new Quake 4 for the pc, giving it a try, so far so good on the 1st player, going to try out the Multiplayer tonight. I also picked up Capcom Arcade Classics and love every "bit" of it.... hahahahaha get it, "bit", IT'S A JOKE YOUR SUPPOSED TO LAUGH.. damnit. because it's a video game, bits are memory in a video game... shit.

lets combust

2005-10-16T17:38:00.000-05:00

com·bust ( P ) Pronunciation Key (km-bst)
v. com·bust·ed, com·bust·ing, com·busts
v. intr.

To catch fire; burst into flame: The fire started when a pile of oily rags spontaneously combusted.
To undergo combustion; burn: As the fuels were combusting they gave off noxious vapors.
To become suddenly angry or agitated: The defendant combusted when he heard the verdict.

v. tr.
To cause to burn; ignite.
To cause to become angry or violent: riots that are combusting whole provinces.

I'm not going to rant about how bad the Vikings have become. Instead I'm going to to look at it positively. Every time Daunte gets sacked, or throws an interception, I'll cheer. Cause he's good at that. Great job defending him offensive line, you earned you mill and another trip on the love boat. Thanks vikings for another great sunday!

The Office

2005-10-04T21:34:00.000-05:00

The Office is my new favorite broadcast TV show. That's weird for me to say, because I've hated all network tv shows for the past decade. They were all filled with suck. The Office though is filled with a tasty cream filling of lude humor and witty morality. The basis of the show takes place in an office believe it or not from the perspective of a reality film crews camera. While it's not reality TV, the actors don't make me want to throw the TV out the window like when I watch the real world or any MTV show for that matter. Blah. Catch The Office 8:30 central, it'll make you laugh, and will make up for the time you spent watching those other reality shows, that stole hours off your life, that you can never get back.... Never.

8:30, Tue. Night NBC

Greatest Music Video

2005-09-27T19:11:00.000-05:00

Audioslave: Doesn't Remind Me

Music can move in different ways. Music can present us with a story. Watch a movie, a video, a clip... turn the volume on mute. Add Chris Cornell's voice along with Audioslave's musical accompaniment and you have moving sequence of sound and vision so grand it rivals that of drinking nector out of Zeus' mouth. Damnit, Sorry, James Lipton just hacked my blog.

I loved the song when I bought the album. Now I found the video "Doesn't Remind Me".
I think it's just great, to put it simply. A clear message that I'm sure will be taken many ways, while you get lost in the lyrics as you follow a boy living his life while his father is away.

You can't link directly to the video, so here are 2 links to Audioslaves front page:
Click on "Doesn't Remind Me".

Yahoo Music: Audioslave

MTV.com: Audioslave

enjoy

Post Reminders; Concerts of Note

2005-09-27T18:44:00.000-05:00

Oct 2, 2005 - Saint Paul, MN - Xcel Arena
With: Weezer
On Sale Now through Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, the Xcel Energy Center box office, charge by phone at (651) 989-5151

93X BUTTERBALL (White Meat)'s Upcoming Concerts:
Saturday 11/12 Doors at 6:30pm Roy Wilkins Auditorium Starring AUDIOSLAVE ... SEETHER and 30 SECONDS TO MARS All Ages $38.75

"JINGLE ALL THE WAY"

2005-09-22T16:39:00.000-05:00

So I've started working out. It's been a while, and it's going to take a lot of work to get back into condition. Wed. my brother and I stopped into the new Gold's Gym in town. I had no interest, just along for the ride. Before I knew it I was signed up. Today was my first day. I focused just on my chest area when we lifted. Mostly working on the bench press. I don't feel any burn because I can't feel my arms at all. I can't feel myself typing right now either. I then did the elliptical for about 15 minutes. I hadn't felt like this since I began lifting in High School; the feeling of vomit just about to come out of you for working out to hard or if it's your first time in a while. MMMMM.

I think when ever you start something, like working out, you paint a picture of what you will be like in a few months or a year. Who knows. If I keep it up, the next time you see me you might run for cover, screaming SASQUASH has come out of the woods! Run!! Or if I follow Arnold's path I'll be govenor of MN in no time.

Music Video Codes By VideoCodeZone.com

cent beer

2005-09-22T16:31:00.000-05:00

LAST CHANCE TO SIGN UP!!!TONIGHT 8 p.m. - Pints of Moosehead for a Penny!
You have been invited to THE HAPPIEST HOUR tonight at Stub & Herb's, from your friends at The ONION & Moosehead Lager! Yes, that's right, starting at 8 p.m. tonight (Thursday, Sept. 22) you can come down to this Stadium Village hangout and gulp down pints of yummy Moosehead beer for merely a penny each! Do the math - if you have a dollar, you can drink 100 beers, just make sure you tip your server properly.You, and only you, are on the super special Onion guest list for the event. If you want a friend or two to join us tonight, simply have them send an e-mail to twincitiespromo@theonion.com with "RSVP HAPPIEST HOUR" in the subject field, and we'll include them on the list. No e-mail, no Penny Pints. Got it? Good. See you there.Thanks,The ONION, America's Finest News SourceP.S. - It's B.Y.O.P...Bring Your Own Pennies.

Stub&Herb's227 Oak St.
SE Minneapolis
(612) 379-1880

TGS 2005: Miyamoto unveils Nintendo's Revolution controller

2005-09-17T13:31:00.000-05:00

I was set back at first, for about 3 seconds, before I realized this is going to be great! Watch the video demo of the Rev. Controller. Finnally some inovation.

link

SA > Pay Pal

2005-09-06T17:16:00.000-05:00

Pay Pal recently screwed over SomethingAwful.com. SA raised over $30,000 for relief aid for the New Orleans area. Apparently Pay Pal pulled the rug right from underneath them and froze their account with out notice.

Go to SomethingAwful.com for the full story. You can still donate to the fund when you purchase T-Shirts and stuff.

I guess I'm never using Pay Pal again, screw you e-bay.

KANYE WEST TIRADE
Kanye West goes off on President Bush at the Concert for Hurricane Relief...check out how uncomfortable Mike Myers is. -93x.com

.mov file, takes a while to load

Minnesota Vikings Blog

For the latest info on cuts and the upcoming game visit the StarTribune's Vikings Blog.

Japanese Web Cam Action

Kill time with these live web cams in the land of the rising sun.

You may need to download Java

restaurant

street corner

quicky mart

Robert

2005-09-01T22:10:00.000-05:00

St. Cloud, the Steans County seat, granite country some might say. If you have ever been to St. Cloud, (the mecca of Central Minnesota) you have probably visited it for the following reasons:

Number One: You probably had your finger or arm sucked into the combine at the farm and had to be air lifted to the St. Cloud Hospital.

Number Two: You needed supplies and decided Hwy 23 (Division St.) was the best route to take into the city along with everybody else in the tri-county area creating a long strip of road, with gaudy architecture resembling what hell would probably look like if it emerged on earth.

Number Three: You attend or visited St. Cloud State University. One of a couple public Universities in Minnesota, SCSU has a lot to offer for those looking for expanding there education among many other experiences.

Those are the Three main reasons to visit St. Cloud, MN. In addition to reason number three, SCSU, you can now visit the Robert H. Wick Science Building on the Campus of SCSU. The name on the building is synonymous with my own last name. My Grandpa, Robert Wick, was honored today with the re-dedication of the Math and Science Building to the Robert H. Wick Science Building.

Robert served as President at SCSU during the 60's and early 70's, a very crazy time in American Culture. Culture and Family aside, I am very proud of him and feel very honored for our whole family for this dedication. It really means a lot to me and especially of course to my Grandpa. I tend to make a lot of jokes about the city of St.Cloud and SCSU in general. In all seriousness though, I love St. Cloud and SCSU. It has given me so much in my life and especially in the last couple of years of attending SCSU. My main support though and reason for being in St. Cloud is my family and especially my Grandpa and Grandma Wick. I don't know where I would be if It wasn't for them, especially if they had never met, then my dad wouldn't of been born and I would cease to exist.... we'll save that paradox for another day.

SCSU Robert H. Wick Science Building (WSB)Web Page

Side note: I'll be in St.Cloud Fri. night and Sat. if anyone's around give me a call.

Amano

2005-08-25T00:25:00.000-05:00

I have many different inspirations in my artwork. One of these I would like to share with is Amano. His work is gratifying to me because it reminds you to be free and loose. There is a craft to it, but the flow of his brush strokes and the vibrant use of color whisper to you to draw out side your boundaries.

Many of you are familiar with him from his work on the Final Fantasy series. His artwork though spans further beyond into other cultures as well. Take a look at his web site, the U.S. and the Japanese site (Japanese version is better) and enjoy one of greatest artists of our generation.

visit - Amano's World

Quick Blog Notes:

Auto Blog: 2005 Mustang Convertible GT: In the Autoblog Garage Day 3
A review of the 2005 Mustang GT

Family Guy Clip: Peter gets hurt. Real Media Format: - Clip

2005-08-23T23:55:00.000-05:00

So I was searching the web for Will Ferrell clips and I fell upon this little treasure. It's Ferrell as Pres. Bush, but it's not an SNL clip. It was made by some activist group called "ACT" or something, to get you out and vote. Very funny clip, but it may take a while to download or stream. It's .MOV or QuickTime file, so be patient.

Will Ferrell as Bush movie

Fantasy Football: The season just upon us and we are looking for teams for this years Fantasy Football league, contact me if interested, or leave a comment below.

2005-08-23T02:37:00.000-05:00

Conan/Walker Texas Ranger out takes: I found these searching yahoo video.
Classic clips including the Walker out take where the Man lets the Child fall.

Clip One

Clip Two

and finally, Conan O'Brien's address to the Harvard class of 2000 - hilarious

Music Video Codes By VideoCodeZone

2005-08-20T01:24:00.000-05:00

Foo Fighters comin to town! Opening with Weezer!

OCT 02 - SAINT PAUL, MN - XCEL ENERGY CENTER

Internet Presale:
Thursday, Aug 18 @ 10am - Friday, Aug 19 @ 10pm (Local Time)
LINK: http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/06003B0FA0FC9BB8
PASSWORD: litebrite

Public Onsale:
Saturday, Aug 20 @ 10am Local Time through ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, the Xcel Energy Center box office and charge by phone at (651) 989-5151

In other news:

I'll be in St. Paul this weekend for a wedding. It's going to be a great time, we're staying at the St. Paul Hotel where the reception is being held.

Summer school is over with. Next on the list is teacher workshops and orientation starting the 29th.

As you can see I've updated my site, but haven't had time to add links. Be sure to visit Corey's Blog "Black Marks on Wooden Pulp" for some good 'ol readin.

Need some ink? Visit Adam's tattoo site for some ideas and then stop on by and tell 'em Dave sent ya. The Inktailor

Hugh Jackman says no

2005-08-15T19:55:00.000-05:00

James Bond Casting Update #897: Hugh Jackman says no
Posted Aug 15, 2005, 7:31 PM ET by Karina Longworth
Filed under: Action & Adventure, Casting, Classics

Dark Horizons and Moviehole are reporting that Hugh Jackman has been offered the role of James Bond, but has declined. There are three theories as to why Jackson might have said no:

The three picture deal the studio wanted to sign him to would leave little time for other projects.
Jackman -- a singing-dancing-acting sometime Broadway star -- doesn't want to get typecast as 007.
His wife wouldn't let him.
At this point, these reasons are simply not good enough. Please, Hugh -- please, reconsider. I don't care who plays James Bond, but for the love of God -- somebody take the freaking role already. This has gone on long enough.

-http://www.cinematical.com/2005/08/15/james-bond-casting-updat-897-hugh-jackman-says-no/

One Final Speech

2005-08-14T18:35:00.000-05:00

Summer school is almost over with. The 18th is my last day of class, with a final. Tuesday brings me to my final speech in the class. I am re-taking this speech class this summer to make up for a grade needed to graduate in my major. It has taught me more then the talents of speech, but how one can grow in a matter of couple of years. The first time around was the beginning of the second year of college for me.
I was an anxiety ridden wreck. I finished with C- in that class. I had no real idea of my major at that point either. So 2 years later when I took upon my education major, the speech class was long forgotten. I had also begun to take college more seriously since then, changing C's into A's, knowing that one day I would have to leave my cocoon known as SCSU and enter the real world.

So now I find myself in the same position I was as a sophmore, only now a senior of sorts, with experience behind him. It's an absolutely amazing change for me. Public speaking is not something your born with, I'm proof of that. It only comes with practice. I'm excited to get this class over with, but also proud of myself for becomming more confident then I thought I would of.

Broken Flowers review

2005-08-13T14:19:00.000-05:00

"No actor is better than Bill Murray as doing nothing at all, and being fascinating while not doing it. Buster Keaton had the same gift for contemplating astonishing developments with absolute calm. Buster surrounded himself with slapstick, and in "Broken Flowers" Jim Jarmusch surrounds Murray with a parade of formidable women." -Roger Ebert

Read his review.

Vikings Kickoff

2005-08-12T14:56:00.000-05:00

It's a new year, a new owner, and a new team in a sense. Tonight the Vikings host the Chiefs in their first pre-season game. I'll be there, but here's where you can watch it.

When: 7 tonight, Metrodome

TV, Radio: Ch. 5, 1130-AM, 107.9-FM

Here's an overview of tonight's game- startribune.com

Here's to a great pre-season!

My life as of late.

2005-08-05T00:44:00.000-05:00

"God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny." -Garrison Keillor

I've been meeting a lot of new people lately. Not new friends, just new people. I've been working in a deli a couple miles from my house, and have been commuting to St. Cloud, MN to attend a class during the summer to meet graduation requirements. During this time, approx. a month or so I have come across many new and amazing people.

There has been the Police Officer on Hwy 10; who likes to pull me over between Becker and Big Lake.

The man in the silver Accord who likes to flip me off while passing me, using his other hand to hold his cell phone.

There's the woman in the red mini van who drives 45 in the left hand lane, never to move to the right.

We can't forget the "W in 2004" woman in the GMC Denali who will ride my ass until I move into the right hand lane, only to merge infront of me 7 mph slower then before.

From my commute back and forth from St. Cloud I come back home, only to leave once again to go to work in the deli. I have met a truffle of new people at the deli counter.

There's the women who can't remember how to read so will point and say "that", "ME WANT THAT". Then will look at me like I'm stupid because I can't understand her.

The customer who's on the go, when 45 seconds of waiting in line has destroyed all of her chances to make it home in time to let her husband yell at her.

The environmentalists who's job it is to find out the ingredients in honey smoked turkey, that probably gave her dad the cancer.

And finally there's the customer who will second guess or question the obvious. Customer:"You'll out of the rotiserieiey Chicken?" Me: Yes, we are all out of the rotisserie chicken for the night. Customer:"you sure?" Me: "Yes." Customer: "You sure you don't have any back there, or any coming out sometime soon?" Me: "Let me check.... NOPE, WE ARE STILL OUT OF THE rotisserie chicken. Thank you."

In other news, lowtax of somethingawful.com created a Guide: "Mastering Battlefield 2". Pretty informative... Enjoy!

Chris meets A-ha

2005-07-30T20:20:00.000-05:00

I'm still laughing... this has to be the greatest short I've ever seen in my life.

Click here for funny.

July 29th

2005-07-29T13:27:00.000-05:00

Found this on TheOnion.com

Video-Game Character Wondering Why Heartless God Always Chooses 'Continue'

for more: theonion.com

In other news: Finished some rough sketches of what I'll be painting for this art show. Ready to paint finally.

Passing along the news

2005-07-28T23:13:00.000-05:00

I'm a member of the NEA. As a member we advocate for the arts. This is a letter I received regarding funding for the arts. I would like to pass it along to make people more aware of arts funding and some of the programs it offers.

July 28, 2005

Dear David,

Congress has completed the final conference report for the FY 2006 Interior Appropriations bill, reconciling differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. We are pleased to report that funding increases for both the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) are included in this bill. Prior to applying an across-the-board rescission of 0.476 percent to all programs within the Interior bill, both cultural agencies received increases of $5 million each for next year.

A comparison of federal funding between FY05 and FY06 follows:

National Endowment for the Arts
FY 2005: $121.26 million
FY 2006: $125.66 million = ($121.26 million + $5 million) x .476 percent rescission
Net Increase: $4.4 million

National Endowment for the Humanities
FY 2005: $138.05 million
FY 2006: $142.37 million = ($138.05 million + $5 million) x .476 percent rescission
Net Increase: $4.3 million

The conference report specifies that approximately $3 million of the NEA increase will restore funding to the popular Challenge America program, providing arts grants to under-served communities, which the President's budget had originally cut by $6.5 million. The remaining $2 million of the NEA increase will fund the new American Masterpieces program, which sponsors presentations of great American works across all art forms.

The House of Representatives passed the conference report this afternoon and Senate passage is expected by the end of the week. The President has indicated that he will sign the bill into law.

Given the current national budget deficit and the administrationÂs proposed overall flat funding for the NEA and NEH, we consider these increases a victory for the arts. ItÂs clear that the strong support of grassroots advocates like you can make a difference in Washington. Thank you for your continued efforts.

Congress will recess in August and will come back to an aggressive legislative schedule after Labor Day. Please keep checking back to the Americans for the Arts E-Advocacy Center for the latest on other congressional actions impacting the arts, including funding for arts education, museums and libraries, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

###

We encourage you to forward this alert to friends or colleagues that may be interested in this issue. If you have any questions, please contact Justin Beland, Government Affairs and Grassroots Manager, at jbeland@artsusa.org, or 202.371.2830.

5 days, 5 paintings

2005-07-28T14:11:00.000-05:00

I recieved a call from my friend Luke about an art gallery looking for art work. The only thing it's short notice. The show is under a week. So I'll handle it like I would any art final. Pump out a painting a day. I'll post my progress in the days to come. -wick

2005-07-27T16:04:00.000-05:00

Recently Corey created a list of himself, a list spanning 100 or so descriptions. So in good taste, I will use his list and basicly "borrow it" to make it my own. If your looking for a deep list coming from an intelligent person, you can view Corey's. Here's mine in comparison.

1. I'm 23
2. I was born in St. Cloud, I currently live in Blaine, but I spend most of my time still in St. Cloud
3. I went to school to be a teacher. Still in progress
4. I attend St. Cloud State University.
5. I'm aboot 6'2'' and don't like to see myself in pictures.
6. I can't recognize the distinct smell of an ethanol plant.
7. No time for assholes
8. I enjoy baseball... if I'm intoxicated.
9. I never read Moneyball by Michael Lewis.
10. I plan on going back to school to get my masters in painting. I hope it works.
11. My favorite type of food is Mexican/italian.
12. My favorite movie is Forrest Gump.
13. My second favorite movie is High Fidelity.
14. My third favorite movie is Tombstone.
15. My dog’s names are Ruby and Daisy.
16. I have not visited the site where Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered in 1170.
17. My favorite vacation spot, in the United States, is Big Sur, Cal.
18. Second was any where from St. Cloud.
19. I am not married.
20. I have not yet experienced my honeymoon.
21. i HAVE beaten every super mario game, even mario 64. 120 stars.
22. I've never been in a band. I was the roady for Air Supply back in the day.
23. I hate airports
24. I’ve never understood, and probably never will, what the big deal was about The Ramones. They’re not good. I agree with Corey.
25. I read a lot.
26. I received my drivers license when I was 16.
27. Frankly, I hate talking about politics with republicans.
28. I do enjoy reading about it...
29. I do not have a friend that lives in Ireland, and chances are (if you’re from the States) you don’t.
30. I was once a starting forward for the Roosevelt Middle School basketball team.
31. My favorite band is the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
32. I’ve always thought about getting a tattoo of the RHCP logo, but I’ve never had the guts to do it. Or the money.
33. I liked News Radio a lot while it was still on television.
34. I’ve witnessed at least FOUR of my friends (or pairs of friends) get married, yet I’ve never been a groomsman (I will be next oct.)
35. I was never a Chicago Bulls fan.
36. I enjoy karaoke too much.
37. Even though I “slung” video games for the first three years of my working career, I bought more than three games a year. In fact, I bought more games before I had any sort of employee discount.
38.I never fancied myself a “football” fan, in the European sense of the word. I found later that I knew nothing about it; therefore I was not a very good fan.
39. However, I still consider myself a Liverpool fan, and I have zero jerseys in my closet.
40.

ahhhh this list goes on for ever,. I'll finish it later. - wick

41. I really prefer either Grain Belt or Pabst, though, to give the illusion that, in some way, I’m “keeping it real.”
42. I’m a vegetarian that eats fish.
43. I’m oblivious to the allure of Vin Diesel.
44. I took Spanish for two years in high school, but can remember none of it.
45. I almost took French in college and then stopped myself before it was too late.
46. I enjoy certain Hugh Grant movies.
47. I didn’t start playing Hold ‘em poker until it was the popular thing to do…
48. …and I’m better at it than I should be.
49. Olives make me retch.
50. I don’t like “big box” bookstores like Barnes and Noble and Borders, though I’m not afraid to shop there and buy the books elsewhere.
51. I actually like Fat Tire beer, and I don’t just drink it because it’s “cool.”
52. I’ve interviewed for teaching jobs in three states – and was never hired.
53. Aside from teaching jobs, however, I’ve never been denied a job I’ve interviewed for.
54. I had over 50 cover letters on file from teaching jobs that never bothered to even send a rejection letter.
55. If I could have dinner with five dead authors (and watch how this takes up five spots!) they would be: Geoffrey Chaucer
56. Aldous Huxley
57. Winston Churchill (which is kind of cheating, I know, but he is an author.)
58. Arthur Conan Doyle
59. Mark Twain
60. I secretly enjoy “Prairie Home Companion.”
61. I talk about sports too much.
62. I used to watch professional wrestling. A lot.
63. I actually created my own professional wrestling simulation league and included all of my friends.
64. My favorite wrestler was Chris Benoit.
65. I don’t get visual art.
66. The first real concert I ever went to was Metallica at the Sioux Falls Arena.
67. In saying this, I don’t count my first Sioux Empire Fair concert: The Monkees and Herman’s Hermits.
68. The first professional sports game I ever attended (that I remember) was a Chicago Bulls game (at the Target Center against the expansion Minnesota Timberwolves.)
69. However, I do know that I went to numerous Cincinnati Reds games when I was very young.
70. I used to tell people I was from a small Canadian city that I had made up. Many believed it.
71. This spawned one of my friends’ band name: Three Sisters, Manitoba.
72. I’ve created three websites in the past. None still exist.
73. It took me a long time, but I have finally come to the conclusion that Bill Murray is the greatest comedic mind of our generation.
74. I’ve been to England and France, but I had never stepped foot in North Dakota until two weeks ago.
75. I’ve never been in a car accident.
76. I have, though, been in two bicycling accidents.
77. One of these bike accidents left me with a scar on my chin that my beard won’t grow over.
78. I have no respect for certain types of media: tabloids…
79. …Fox News…
80. …and reality shows on cable.
81. I believe in brand loyalty.
82. For example: Sirius over XM
83. I vote Democrat, though I did vote for Nader.
84. I’ve only voted for one winning President: Bill Clinton, in 1996.
85. I was 18 when I first remember seeing Star Wars, though I’m sure I saw it as a child.
86. I used to have problems with my eye, requiring me to wear an eye patch to help ease the problems. I don’t remember what the problem was, but I remember the patch.
87. I spent every summer for many years in Jackson, Wyoming, and I don’t care how touristy it has become – I still love it.
88. I believe radio is better than cable.
89. I think Nick Hornby books make the best movies.
90. I still contend that giving college players money to play college sports is pretty stupid, so it should never be considered. Please – don’t give me the “athletes should be paid because they bring money into the school,” or the “interns are paid when they train for their jobs.” First of all, interns are paid very little – and they’re actually working, not playing a game. Second, the universities are making money on the bookworms too by hyping their school’s testing scores and alumnus – you’re no different just because you’re an athlete. If you’re good, you’ll get yours soon enough. I hardly think the life of a college athlete is that hard.
91. Sometimes I get worked up over miniscule things.
92. I buy my clothes on the clearance racks of expensive stores.
93. My first car was a Volkswagen Beetle.
94. My first CD was the Wayne’s World soundtrack.
95. I’m a cherry-cola drinker
96. I’ve only worked in the food business once, and it was a sub shop in the bar district.
97. I hated that job at the time, but I look back fondly at it now.
98. My favorite part of London was the subway.
99. I don’t understand poetry very well.
100. This post took seven days to complete (off and on).

FOO FIGHTERS AND WEEZER UNITE

2005-07-22T14:55:00.000-05:00

Foo Fighters and Weezer have just announced a North American Co-Headlining tour! The first confirmed dates are:

Sept 08 - Atlanta, GA - Gwinnett Arena
Sept 10 - Sunrise, FL - Office Depot Center
Sept 11 - Tampa, FL - St. Petersburg Times Forum
Sept 13 - Houston, TX - Woodlands Arena
Sept 14 - Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center
Sept 15 - Dallas, TX - Smirnoff Center

It would be great too if they would come to Minneapolis, and by Minneapolis I don't mean Chicago.

Audioslave: some of those who want forces are the same that want crosses

2005-07-22T14:25:00.000-05:00

LIVE 8 is over with, but you can view footage of it via AOL. On note, Audioslave played with many of the band members previous "hit" songs prior to forming Audioslave. Some Rage and some Soundgarden. Acoustic renditions to "Black Hole Sun" and Cornell lead singing in "Killing in the Name Of". -video

On further note: You can catch Audioslave on FUSE this month.

100% Audioslave
Wednesday July 27th @ 9:30pm EST
Thursday July 28th @ 3pm EST
Friday July 29th @ 7am EST
Saturday July 30th @ 3:30pm EST
Sunday July 31st @ 9pm EST

Audioslave: Live in Cuba
Friday July 22nd @ 12am EST
Saturday July 21st @ 9:30pm EST
Wednesday July 27th @ 9pm EST
Sunday July 31st @ 9:30pm EST

'Musicapolis'

2005-07-22T12:38:00.000-05:00

40 years of the Minneapolis music scene in photographs.

Musicapolis: Scene and Seen, 1965-2005

• What: Exhibit of 200-plus music photos -- from the Beatles to Babes in Toyland -- shot by Minnesotans • Where: Minnesota Center for Photography, 165 13th Av. NE., Mpls. • When: Sat. through Sept. 3 • Tickets: $10 for Saturday's opening event with live music, 4-9 p.m. Thereafter $3. 612-824-5500 • Website: www.mncp.org.

Brief synopsis of the show through the trib. Slideshow included!

I'm in St. Cloud Today, July 20th 2005

2005-07-20T12:30:00.000-05:00

I'm spending the whole day up in St. Cloud. I have some papers to write and prep for a presentation tomorrow. Let me know if your in town. Beer will probably be involved later.

Back to School

2005-07-18T01:21:00.000-05:00

Back to school today. I'll be at St. Cloud State from now - Aug. 18th for summer school. Of course I won't be living there. I'll commute an hour back and forth, which will suck. So if your in the St. Cloud area and want to do something let me know. I have speech class from 10 - 12 mon - thur. Yea!

Bill Murray

2005-07-17T01:40:00.000-05:00

Bill Murray is back in
Broken Flowers. Murray is apparently a Don Juan of sorts and decides to find all the bastard children he has created, or only one of them. You decide from the movie trailer. Looks pretty good.

Garrison Keillor: When we were cool

2005-07-15T03:15:00.000-05:00

"The mansion on Lowry Hill whose backyard the Guthrie sits on did not last long either. Thomas Lowry arrived in town after the Civil War and made his fortune in the wake of the crash of 1873 when he snapped up real estate at bargain prices and then came the boom and suddenly he had a mansion on a hill that was named for him. He was the president of the Soo Line railroad and a staunch Republican who bought and restored the railroad car that carried Abraham Lincoln's coffin from Washington to Springfield in 1865. Lowry died in 1909 and two years later the Lincoln car, which was kept at the Soo Line yards in Columbia Heights, went up in flames." -Garrison Keillor, Star Tribune July 15 2005

For more about Lowry Hill and the Walker Art Center Click Here

USA Cup

2005-07-14T23:53:00.000-05:00

Soccer. America's greatest past time. Full of fast paced action and non stop scoring. In my mind, the greatest thing man has ever created. Thus he has bestowed upon us the U.S.A. Cup. A cup like no other that drips the nectar of the Gods.

The tournament of tournaments sits at no other then the National Sports Center in Blaine, MN. Some have compared it to the roman coliseum, some haven't. 14,000 global warriors will compete for all the glory, that is, the U.S.A. Cup.

Why the hell you would choose to hold any global soccer tournament any where in the United States of America is beyond me. All of you freaks who believe in conspiracy theories try to figure that one out. Here is my only explanation. The city of Blaine, MN used to be the land of sod fields. Sod fields that went on for days. You would believe the world is flat if you lived in the center of Blaine. So some genius decided to buy up the sod fields and convert them all into soccer fields by simply placing two goals on a lot. 20 some odd years later you have the largest soccer tournament in the country. Go figure.

Why do I care? I don't. Except for the fact that from July 15th,-25th my town will be invaded by even more crazy soccer moms, foreigners, and soccer fanatics, i.e. hooligans. Nothing against foreigners though, but when I have to serve you and you don't speak my language things get testy after the 500th French customer.

I just don't want to deal with the congestion it brings. Soccer is an alright sport, I just wish we had something cooler in Blaine. Our next big event will be the 3M senior classic golf tour at the TPC right next to my house. I can't wait for that one. I couldn't even drive my own car down my street without being stopped by a cop asking where I lived. Given I have respect for how difficult golf can get, but to be honest it's a god awful sport. I dig the concept, but the attitude golf brings just makes me want to vomit. Maybe that's what I'll do, every time a cop stops me I'll stick my finger down my throat and vomit all over them. I'll probably shoot golf balls off my roof too, just to throw them off. -USA Cup link

Last Days

2005-07-14T01:03:00.000-05:00

Last Days is a fictional meditation on the inner turmoil that engulfs a brilliant, but troubled musician in the final hours of his life.

I just found out about Last Days today. It comes out on the 22nd. Besides it taking a stab at Kurt's actual final hours, I find the whole idea of how people perceive suicide and depression very interesting. I myself have experienced such, and have met many people since who share the same. In discussion of it since, many friends have even spoken to me about it. It can be a very taboo subject to many, which I find very frustrating but understandable. I'm not sure how this movie will portray his last days, but maybe it'll bring the topic of depression more to the fore front. - movie preview

Summer Night Special

2005-07-13T02:10:00.000-05:00

It's happening again. Mid-summer boredom. I don't know why I'm complaining though. In less then a week I'll be re-taking a class at SCSU because the grade wasn't satisfactory enough for them. A C- instead of a C. So it's back to speech class for me. By the time that class is overwith, my student teaching will begin. I have a part-time job at a deli, it's a job, it pays the bills. Maybe I'm just bored with life right now. Nothing really happens around here. Nothing fun that is. I rarely get to see Laurie who lives on the other side of town. All of my friends from my hometown no longer live here. My college friends still live in St. Cloud.

I had a great time with them last weekend though. I guess I just want more. Just bored. I can't even do anything creative my head is so numb and full of nothingness.

I'm sick of a lot of things too. #1 on my list: SCSU. Just let me graduate. If I get my application for graduation back again saying I haven't completed the following I think I'll just combust on spot. #2 People. The more I interact with people at my job the more I lose respect for them. Common sense is at an all time low. All that goes through my mind is I wish I could win the powerball and get out of this hell hole I call work.

I need motivation, initiative to do something... I have none of this right now.

Another list, another rebuttal:Top 13 Most Overrated Songs

2005-07-07T07:44:00.000-05:00

Time to take a look at another list of songs to kill some time. This time it's the Top 13 Most Overrated Songs off of some blog. After viewing the list I would agree with 75% of it myself. That is I may be partial to one song but agree with the overratedness (if that's a word) only 25%.

The only one I agree with 100% was #5. “Pour Some Sugar On Me” - Def Leppard. Almost every "glam rock" song that came out of the 80's I believe fits this category for me. The rest of the songs I can live with. Stop fucking moaning if you hate it so much and go produce your own record. - list

Behind the fake hype

2005-07-03T03:39:00.000-05:00

View some great video and images created by an artist who fooled us in believing what were the first shots of the Nintendo Revolution. The artist has some really great stuff. Take a look.

Congrats to Godwin

2005-07-02T06:34:00.000-05:00

Analysa Adachi Alaike. 6 lbs 3oz, Born 5:13 AM to this proud father.
Congratulations on your new family Godwin.

God Bless America

2005-07-02T06:26:00.000-05:00

John Daker - Weird Singing Man, would like to wish you a happy 4th of July!

Video One Video Two

July 1st 2005

2005-07-01T00:02:00.000-05:00

"God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny."
-Garrison Keillor

Stories of note:

Movie preview: King Kong, Dec. '05

Half-Life 2 Aftermath Q&A - The Skinny on Aftermath - Gamespot

Fishermen in northern Thailand have caught the biggest catfish on record -- a 646-pound - yahoo/Reuters

The rebirth of McCarthyism - The Seattle Times

Bored? Read this dissertation on the Daily Show critiqued by some asshat art phd

I don't why I found this so amusing.

The Power Of Blogs

2005-06-29T21:12:00.000-05:00

Korean Netizens Attack Dog-Shit-Girl

"It began in a subway train with a girl whose dog made a mess on the train floor. When nearby elders told her to clean up the mess, she basically told them to fuck off. A nearby enraged netizen then took pictures of her and posted it, without any masking, on a popular website which started a nationwide witchhunt." - link

Moonlight Graham

2005-06-29T19:45:00.000-05:00

A movie that might have inspired us all and gave Kevin Costner one good film to his credit was "Field Of Dreams". I have taken the pilgrimage out to that field. It's nothing much to look at. The baseball field is actually on two separate pieces of land, so there are two shops to buy from, from the two families that own the land. That kind of took away from the whole mystique of the baseball field, but I did walk through the corn field, and subsequently ended up in heaven but was kicked out shortly. In the movie Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones go up to the iron range in MN. There they look for Archie Graham.

At first they find this old doctor, Doc Graham. As they return to Iowa they meet up with Doc Graham as a kid on the side of the road hitch hiking, then he gets to play baseball again, yada yada yada.

Anyway, today the Twins honor Doc Graham for his one game stint in major league baseball. I think it's a great accomplishment. I think anyone who is a fan of baseball would like to say they have been in the majors, if only for one game or one at bat. One of my friends Dad was from Chisholm, MN and had Doc Graham as his well, as his Doctor. He never knew though of his baseball career until the movie came out in '87. -related link

Fricken Sweet: Quake goes Mobile

2005-06-28T23:27:00.000-05:00

id games are planning a version of Quake that will run on the new generation of 3D-enabled mobile phones that are slated for release next year.

The mobile Quake will be faithful to the 1996 original (a direct port we are guessing) which was the first shooter to make use of true 3D and went on to spawn a run of sequels, as well as inspiring games such as Half Life and Unreal.

id CEO, Todd Hollenshead, said: "Quake [mobile] takes all of the action, game play, and atmosphere of the groundbreaking original and puts it right in the palm of your hands. Quake pushes the envelope of today's mobile handsets, and offers gamers a fun and addictive on-the-go entertainment experience. We're already looking forward to the first mobile deathmatch."

It is anticipated that Quake will be built into the first set of 3D phones. -techsmec.com

Lake Wobegon = Stearns County, around Freeport or North W. of St. Cloud, or some where in Central MN

2005-06-28T00:17:00.000-05:00

"And then the cosmos peters out, and you emerge from hell and come into paradise, rural Minnesota." - Garrison Keillor on when you leave Division St., Saint Cloud, MN

I've spent a good part of my life in Central Minnesota. I was born in St. Cloud, and would stay there for the next 6 years. We moved to Blaine, MN, a suburb of the twin cities 60 minutes South on HWY 10. We would return to St. Cloud in the following 12 years for family events and holidays. After graduating High School I took the big leap back to St. Cloud to attend the State College. 5 years and 140 some odd credits later, I find myself back in Blaine. I am not yet done with college, with only student teaching left which will be done in another suburb, but I find myself with a longing to be once again inside of Stearns County.

If you were to take a map of the world and take a red marker to the places I've been to, (imagine the Indiana Jones movies when he takes a plane and it shows a red line following the plane) you would see a few streaks jutting out of the state of Minnesota, but mainly a big thick red line going back and forth between Blaine and St. Cloud on Hwy 10. That has been my life. This 60 mile radius. I think of people who have lived and died in the same town, my Grandpa was one of these people. I used to regard these people as close minded, or no fun. I now know the beauty of these people. The ones who stay. They are as if not more unique then your Jet Setter. They make up a town or community, or in this case the stories of Lake Wobegon. If I were to die tomorrow, you would look back on my life, and you could say the same thing. He lived and died in the same town. My town being the twin cities to St. Cloud tri county surrounding area, but it is forever my town.

I plan to live a long life. In this life I want to travel as much as possible, but I will always know where home is. My home, as it is to many others have been made into fictional stories by Garrison Keillor. My first introduction to Keillor came in the form of his radio show on Saturday nights. "A Prairie Home Companion" came on as we left Saturday Night Mass from St. Timothy's on the car ride home. I don't think I realized the significance of the area he was speaking of, but I like the humor. It's an odd humor, with the sweet spoken words of Keillor making them feel more of fact then fiction. There's an episode of the Simpson's where the family is watching TV. Homer is watching Garrison Kiellor, and the television audience laughs. Homer responds with something "What the hell is this? Why are they laughing?" It was that kind of comedy.

The whole point of this boring dissertation is to remark on the movie "Prairie Home Companion" being filmed in St. Paul. Read the linked article to find out more about the movie, but It's about the closing of 30 year old radio show similar to Keillors. It's bringing in A list actors and some other actors like Lohan. Maybe this role will prove her abilities. I'm really looking forward to this movie because it sounds like it has some substance to it or an actual story. Here's the article about the Movie. - Movie Link

Other links I would recomend related to this:

National Geographic: "In Search of Lake Wobegon"

A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor, homepage

Photoshop Phriday: "Sensationalized News Stories"

2005-06-27T23:47:00.000-05:00

Something Awful's Photoshop Phridays was really good last week. It depicted the news on tv and all the hilarities that ensue. One of my favorites had the headline "Breaking News: Scientists announce that pretty much anything can kill you." It reminds you to LIGHTEN UP FOR CHRIST'S SAKE. The next time somebody tells me I'm going to get cancer from eating or doing something or not to eat something cause my heart will blow up I swear to god I will go on a rampage and none of you will be safe. WICK SMASH! -Link

Today's Lyrics Brought to you by the Letter "a"

2005-06-27T13:43:00.000-05:00

The things that I’ve loved the things that I’ve lost
The things I’ve held sacred that I’ve dropped
I won’t lie no more you can bet
I don’t want to learn what I’ll need to forget

I like throwing my voice and breaking guitars
Cause it doesn’t remind me of anything
I like playing in the sand what’s mine is ours
If it doesn’t remind me of anything

Audioslave Out of exile Doesn't remind me

Sweet Soccer tricks movie

2005-06-26T01:43:00.000-05:00

"Great for any soccer fan, dribbling made into an art form " - Movie

Wierd Zelda Flash Movie

2005-06-25T01:23:00.000-05:00

I guess this is what happened in between zelda one and two. -Link

My Love of 2-D Fighters

2005-06-25T00:08:00.000-05:00

My inspiration for writing today's column comes from gamespot.com's review of "Capcom Fighter Evolution" for the XBOX, and is also brought to by the "Number 2". "Capcom Fighter Evolution" received a 6.5 out of 10 from gamespot.com, the same people who write EGM magazine. As any boy obsessed with video games from the age of birth, I've been reading EGM and the online site for some time. The editors there have a love for Street Fighter and other 2D fighters as well as platformers like I do. So when the rating of 6.5 for great 2D fighter emerged it appeared to me as a sign.

It was the 5th grade field trip to Cheap Skate when I first laid my eyes on it. I had to shuffle my way with skates through the arcade filled with kids who couldn't skate and didn't dare leave the arcade to the roller rink. There were was an audience surrounding the machine, as I got closer I got a glimpse and heard "yoga flame". "Jesus, that guy just spit out fire from his mouth!" And then I was hooked.
It took me a while to get a turn to play. Kids in front of me had laid down quarters on the machine marking their turn.

The next three days I couldn't get the game off my mind. After hours of persuasion my Dad brought me to Funcoland to buy Street Fighter 2 for the SNES. I remember the next day I brought the game manual and box to my school to show off. During this time my friends and neighbors would come over to play Street Fighter for hours. We would challenged each other. The winner would stay until somebody beat him, while the challengers would rotate equally. Eventually sequels came out and I would pounce on them like a hooker to crack. Every time my parents went to the mall, I would tag along just to get to the arcade to play SF. I really enjoyed playing at the arcade because every once in a while somebody would try to challenge you. I can't say I won them all, but my percentage of winning was higher then losing. My friend Godwin and I would go sometimes and then when somebody would challenge me he would become my cheerleader. It was great, although this proves that I am a total nerd. The funniest experience was when I played this younger kid, he was probably 12 and I was 15. He walked up the machine I was playing and said "are you ready for a beat down?" I just looked at him with a stupid face. My friend Nick Lingren was with me and his face could be best described as WTF? So the kid puts his quarters in and we play. 2 rounds later his player is dead. His little brother walks over, and asks if he won. I shit you not, he backed his hand up and bitched slapped his little brother. I didn't know whether to laugh or feel sorry for his brother.

The game was a way of escape for me. It would relieve stress, kill time, and actually let me think. There would be times where I would blank out while playing and think about something else and then realize I fought and match and won. I do this while shooting hoops sometimes. So to see a 2D fighting game receive a 6.5 is a show of the times. Although anybody who disregards a 2D fighter as being old or lame was either born after 1992 or is really into Dungeons and Dragons. Every time I see an old Street Fighter 2 arcade machine I'll stop what I'm doing and give it a play. I hope to one day own a Street Fighter arcade machine and put it in my basement. My girlfriend laughs at me when I say this when we are looking at houses. All I have to say to her in response is you wouldn't be able to rip away the arcade machine from my COLD DEAD HANDS. And then the rest of the day is awkward and silent. She'll probably be leaving me now, but that makes more time for street fighter! HURRAH FOR LONELINESS!

I am gandolf lord of the orcs

2005-06-24T03:57:00.000-05:00

Leeroy!
Guys playing a MMORPG are forced to deal with a loose cannon.
They get the power up and win the game. -Video

6 Ways to Ruin a Wedding

2005-06-23T15:58:00.000-05:00

I've been to a lot of weddings recently, and more to come. I'm at the age where my peers decide that it's cool to go find a "life partner" and live with this "life partner" for "life". So because of this new found trend, I've been going to many weddings in the past year or so.

Something Awful's latest post involves 6 ways to ruin a wedding. It's just another thought you can use if you find yourself in the same predications. Kudos to the newlyweds. - link

Nintendo Revolution games set to retail at $60

2005-06-21T23:39:00.000-05:00

"GameStop (Video game retailer) has listed Mario Revolution, Super Smash Bros. Revolution, Zelda Revolution, and Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Revolution for Nintendo Revolution at a retail price of $59.99.
The $60 price tag follows the footsteps of rival Microsoft's Xbox 360 games, all of which have been set at $59.99 reports Punch Jump.
Nintendo has not confirmed the retail pricing of the Revolution or games, but the system is expected to cost less than Xbox 360 and Sony's Playstation 3." -ployer.com

Dear lord that's a lot of money. Can you just sell me the game with out the instruction booklet and the game case for fitty instead? I don't buy as many games as I used to. Honestly there aren't that many console games that appeal to me anymore. I think I bought "Street Fighter 2" for the SNES back in the day for $60 at funcoland when it first came out and everyone was going crazy for it. It was worth all that money because I spent a lot of time playing it. I'm not going to pay 59.99 for a three star game though. I like the way some of the games have been selling at 20 bucks, like the 2k series. I guess if you really want the next big title game, they can easily get that extra ten bucks from you and if you purchase it at comestible you'll probably spend another 10 on a gameinformer sub and then another 5 to reserve the sequel to the game you just bought and then you'll want to get the 1 year extended warranty for your XBOX 360 and spend another 20, and another 200.00 to file a restraining order against the game advisor who won't get off your back from buying useless crap you will never need. YOU HEARD ME ANDY MACNEANMENAREA, editor and chief of GI. The only reason you have the top selling gaming magazine is because idiots buy it up after a game advisor gives you high pressure sell and some lame excuse into signing into a sub. -fin

DDR Playa

2005-06-21T18:18:00.000-05:00

I found a video on the net that reminded me of this guy I used to work at Funcoland with, Eric something or another. Enjoy - Video

Politicians

2005-06-21T16:32:00.000-05:00

If you don't know, I'm an Art Education Major at SCSU. Since I've joined the bandwagon known as the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), I take part in lobbying and notifying representatives about the arts. I wrote to my local Rep. Mark Kennedy a few month ago regarding certain upcoming amendments. Today I received a response from Kennedy, which to be honest was very nice to get. It was a very nicely written letter regarding the letter I wrote to him. I have no gripes with his reponse, because it comes with no surprise. He does mention he enjoys the arts, which is great, and has looked into a way to help support the arts. It's not the full support of which I was looking for, but like other Republican representatives I wasn't expecting it to go all the way.
My letter entailed support for the NEA by $15 million. That did pass, but by a voiced vote. This means no record of who voted for it will be taken. He didn't mention if he voted for it or not. I think republicans who do vote for things like the arts or education are afraid to let those opinions known to their core voters. That's my opinion, and if I'm right, it's a sad state of affairs. I'm not going to complain more about the Republicans in office, or give my opinion right now of them, but I would like to hear yours. This is the letter I received today from Rep. Mark Kennedy. Let me know what you think.

June 21, 2005

Mr. David Wick

Blaine, Minnesota 55449-7905

Dear Mr. Wick:

Thank you for contacting me with your support for increased funding for
the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). I appreciate hearing from
you.

As you may know, last year Congress passed the Omnibus Appropriations
Act for FY 2005, which included $122 million for the NEA. I believe
that with a budget deficit projected to exceed $400 billion this year
alone, this amount represents a noteworthy accomplishment at a time when it
is crucial that all government spending be carefully scrutinized.

You specifically mentioned your support for an amendment to H.R. 2361,
the Department of the Interior Appropriations Act for FY2006, to
increase funding for the NEA by $15 million. You will be pleased to know
that this amendment passed by voice vote and was included in the final
version of the bill passed by the House. H.R. 2361 is now before the
Senate for its consideration. This funding is in addition to the
substantial funding the NEA receives from private donations and membership. In
fact, in 2003, the NEA received $1.5 million in donations.

As a fond admirer of the talents few people possess to make truly
beautiful art, I believe that there are other ways in which we can help
encourage the arts. That's why I have cosponsored H.R. 1120, the Artists'
Contribution to American Heritage Act of 2005, introduced by my
colleague Representative Jim Ramstad. This bill would allow artists,
musicians, authors, and scholars to take a fair market value tax deduction for
contributions of their work, the copyrights to their work, or both to
certain tax-exempt organizations. H.R. 1120 will help museums and
galleries with limited financial resources acquire new works of art, and
help give artists more financial freedom. This bill is currently under
review in the House Ways and Means Committee.

I want you to know that your thoughts and concerns are an important
part of my decision making process, and I value your opinions. Again,
thank you for taking the time to contact me. I hope you will continue to
do so whenever there is anything I can do for you.
Sincerely,

Mark Kennedy
Member of Congress

Play 20 Q. with Darth Vador

2005-06-20T20:38:00.000-05:00

This was freakin sweet! Darth try's to guess an object you have in your hand in 20 questions or so. I had a backscratcher and it guessed it after a few trys. Simply amazing. Give it a try. - Link

Swimming in the Streets

2005-06-20T19:48:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is the beginning of Summer, hopefully a dryer season over spring. Rain is good, but today it felt like God decided to dowse us one more time like a water balloon hitting you unexpectedly.

"A powerful system of thunderstorms carrying winds up to 60 mph swept through Minnesota today, downing trees and knocking out power. At one point, rain was falling at an estimated rate of two inches per hour." -StarTrib

Gallery of Storms Path, pretty cool.

Spin magazine named Radiohead's "OK Computer" the top album of the past 20 years

2005-06-20T17:24:00.000-05:00

I've enjoyed some songs off "OK Computer", but I wouldn't call it revolutionary nor my favorite album in the past 20 years. These articles are fun to read once they come out, and as usual the only people who will agree will be the devout fans of the artist. It was funny because at the end of the article, the art staff @ Spin threw a tantrum because they left out some of my favorite band of all time, the Red Hot Chili Peppers material. - Article Link

Battlefield 2 Updated Q&A

2005-06-19T13:48:00.000-05:00

Locked and Loaded and Ready to Go, Battlefield 2 ships Monday. Gamespot.com interviews the BF2 with a Q.&A. -Link

Bush visits Maple Grove, MN

2005-06-17T16:28:00.000-05:00

President Bush arrived in Minnesota today to promote a new medicare drug plan. "Bush made no mention of his controversial plan to overhaul Social Security but crowds of demonstrators the private gathering used his visit to protest the Social Security plan, which is drawing low ratings in polls." -StarTrib

On the topic of Social Security, I think protesters have lost the connection of what SS is... or was. Socal Security was created to help people who were falling into the cracks, not a retirement fund. I think people need to become more realistic about the whole idea. Clinton offered up some of the same ideas, he knew there was a problem, but now that it's Bush, people get all defensive. And rightly so, but this time I think people should listen, even if he doesn't have the right idea. He's trying to generate some and people should help. You would have to be retarded not to consider investing for the future and your retirement, even if you get SS 30-40 years from now, I doubt it will get you by or if you run into hard times it most likely will not support you, and your family. -Article: StarTribune

Battlefield 2 Preview

2005-06-17T03:01:00.000-05:00

1up.com's preview

In the Year 2000

2005-06-16T20:48:00.000-05:00

Citizen’s paper-thin digital clock
Posted Jun 16, 2005, 1:40 PM ET by Donald Melanson
Related entries: Misc. Gadgets

Citizen Watch recently unveiled a digital clock that’s as thin as a piece of paper and fully flexible. The clock uses E Ink Imaging Film, which doesn’t require a backlight and consumes about 1/100th the power of traditional displays. It also apparently has an inherently stable “memory effect”, requiring no power to maintain an image. No word yet on how much it’ll cost, but Citizen plans to market the clock in Japan sometime this year, with a possible international release to follow. -article

The Greatest Albums Ever Suck

2005-06-16T01:27:00.000-05:00

SomethingAwful.com has a segment, "Your Band Sucks,_______" enter band name. This past week they took a look at Top 100 albums. It's an encouraging look some of the top albums of all time. It's a refreshing review of albums with that you know you loved at one point or still do, and the bitter reality of the lie that is your life. The author makes good points about the albums but his opinions get old. Kinda like SomethingAwful.com. It's like one of those things that are great at first (like back in '98) but lose its luster over time. -Article SA.com

Driving with the Stereo Turned Off & the Future Of Television

2005-06-16T00:18:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday I came to my car after parking it overnight on a side street off Hennepen in Minneapolis. The doors where unlocked and the passenger door was open ajar. My car console was ripped out and clutter was all over my car. Given my car was messy before, but now the mess was not in the order I had left it. My car stereo was gone. I'm not sure what was going on in my head when it happened. I think my first thought was very odd. I almost felt commended.
As if I had joined an exclusive club of people who had been the victims of car theft. When you listen to people tell you their car had been broken into recently, your usual response is oh man I'm sorry, that really sucks. You try to have remorse for them, but you don't know how to help them, because you really can't. So going through it yourself gives you a better realization of their story.

I called the Minneapolis Police and made a report. The officer on duty was extremely nice and optimistic about the whole situation. I know the Minneapolis Police get a lot of crap and rightly so in some cases, but in this case my hat goes off to that officer. So for the past couple of days I've been driving around with out a car stereo. It was very hard at first. I always have something playing while I drive. I need some sort of noise or human voice to keep me company while I drive, even if I'm driving with someone the car stereo is on, maybe muted a bit, but on. So to get to my point, I've been weaned off the car radio, and now, now I enjoy the quiet or sounds of the road.

Perhaps my brain is only capable of doing two things at once. Because now without listening to the car radio, I began to think about things while I'm driving. Not that I couldn't think prior with music, I'm only Mildly Retarded (medically proven),but I've been thinking with deeper thoughts. I also am able to hear my car engine. Which shows how loud I usually listen. That brings up another point. Have you ever gotten into your car and turned it on with the radio so loud you where like what the hell, how was I ever listening to this that loud? Anyways, if you where like me, try turning your car stereo off for a bit. Take in the drive. Relax and think about other things, like the jackass infront of you going 45 in the left hand lane on i94.

The Future of Television
I read this article online a couple of weeks ago. I recently read it again in an old News Week. Conan O'Brien gives his insight on the future of television. Very funny and thought provoking

Meanwhile, computers will continue to be used more and more to watch digital streaming video, eventually turning them into televisions. With no computers available to solve complex math problems, people will have no choice but to return to the abacus. Within a few months, this ancient device will be abandoned when it's realized that there is no good way to make "abacus porn."

- Article: The Future of Television: By Conan O'Brien