{ uh yeah whatever }

VoaL 2010!

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 03:52:33 GMT

Please pardon the hastily put together (for posting purposes), un-detailed plan. Here's where to catch me, because allegedly, I'm already on this trip. Oh, Vacation of a Lifetime 2010...

{uyw} #20100828a

I'm keeping this simple. This is all for your information. I'd go into detail... if I knew any of them. I would have posted this earlier, if I had time. Trust me, you know I would have. I'll have to tell you about today's fire later.

Friday, August 27
7:59pm- leave Champaign (Amtrak)
10:45pm- arrive Chicago
Hillside residence

Saturday, August 28
11:30am- Elgin for cousin's wedding shower
5:00pm- Oak Park for aunt's wedding anniversary party

Sunday, August 29
6:45am- flight from O'Hare to Washington, DC
1:35pm- baseball game (Cardinals-Nationals)

Monday, August 30
9:30am- leave DC (Megabus)
1:50pm- arrive New York

Tuesday, August 31
1:30am- leave New York
5:45am- arrive Boston

Thursday, September 2
11:35am- flights BOS-LGA-ORD-CMI
Friday, September 3
work day?!
evening: annual SG observed dinner-mini golf-movie day

Saturday, September 4
Arthur Cheese Festival

Sunday, September 5
brunch with family in Chicago
4:00pm- wedding at high school in Aurora

Monday, September 6
5:00pm- Baseball game in Joliet (you should all go!)

Tuesday, September 7
back at work. gee whiz.

Why Subway (@subwayfreshbuzz) Made Me Sad

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:34:23 GMT

I haven't decided if Subway's on the list as of yet. But I totally thought I was following the rules of the coupon! Oh, welcome back, students!

{uyw} #20100823a

"Free Breakfast Sandwich" screamed the little coupon for Subway. "Purchase any regular six-inch sub and get a breakfast sandwich or flatbread for FREE." Okay, first thing's first: the disclaimers... Valid at participating Central Illinois SUBWAY restaurants. (check!) No cash value. Not for sale. (fine.) One coupon per customer per visit. (check!) Additional charges for Extras. (okay.) May not be combined with coupon offers or discount cards. (check.) Prices, participation and sandwiches may vary by restaurant. (okay; a different coupon from the same sheet was used yesterday, so I should be good.) Plus tax if applicable. (of course.) Coupon must be surrendered with purchase. (understandable.) Excludes Premium subs. (fine.) Expires 8/28/2010. (great.)

So, this morning, I thought to myself, are they requiring me to buy two breakfast items? The coupon does not state it so, and, when Subway normally say "regular six-inch" sub, I presume they mean any of their regular, ol' subs, as in nothing crazy like that Philly Cheesesteak awesomeness that comes with double cheese by default. So, I ordered a 6-inch Ham (extra cheese), and a Double Bacon-Egg-Chese flatbread (but was told they were out of flatbread, but as a 6-inch was similar, or at least priced together on the menu board, I switched to 6-inch). I picked up a chocolate milk and a Diet Coke, and I thought, well, what a lovely breakfast and lunch I have. Well, needless to say, an argument ensued. First, I was told that I needed to have two breakfast sandwiches, and when it said "Free Breakfast Sandwich", I needed to buy one first, and I disputed that the coupon did not say that was the case. Then I was told I needed to buy a drink, and while, admittedly, I did not purchase a 21 oz. drink, it clearly didn't say so on the coupon. Frustrated, and on my way to work, I opted to just pay for the items (and the coupon was taken as if it was used until I said "but I didn't use the coupon" and I was handed it back).

And so, now I am upset. This reminds me of when, over ten years ago, Subway discontinued its Sub Club. I didn't go back to Subway for years. But, that was just disappointment. That's fine. And while the advent of any sort of email contact was new back then, and I was disappointed that Subway'd collected my email address on those little business-card sized cards, maybe they might send out a courtesy email to say "hey, we're not going to do this anymore", I'm just upset at how this worked out.

So, do I blow the remaining few dollars on my pretty, personalized Subway gift card and go on a "break" like Ross and Rachel did? Such is life. And, I can't believe I'm bothering to write this, when I haven't blogged about anything else in over a month!

Oh, by the way, welcome back, students, to campus. The world, at least, the part that's immediately around me, seems so much more full of life once again. And for everyone out there, I posted on Facebook about 3 weeks ago that I'm going on a Vacation of a Lifetime! So, if you're not my "friend", I'll go into the details of it shortly. It's so nice to be back, and I'm sure you're thrilled to see that I'm writing again, too.

The Sound of Random, Unmusical Notes… Like SNL and Diet Coke

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 04:50:04 GMT

No rhubarb news today. For some reason, though, I have the need to discuss random things like SNL and Diet Coke instead.

{uyw} #20100702a

And even more unrelated, I just stumbled upon the movie "Masterminds" (1997). I haven't seen that movie in forever... and I can't tear myself away from it!

Do you remember that one time when I ran away to New York this past year? No, not the time when I went to see that NIT Illini basketball game at Stony Brook in March, but rather, the other time... back in October? It was when I ran off with Beth to attend a taping of Saturday Night Live? Well, that very episode will be tomorrow night's rerun, so you can relive the experience of sitting around and wondering if you'll see me all over again. The advantage is... since it's not live, now I can tell you that you definitely won't see me. We all know that. But... you can hear me and my laugh. So, watch it and pretend like we're enjoying it together, shall we?

Today, I finished the last of a six-pack of 20-ounce bottles of Diet Coke that lived in my refrigerator since December.

I know absolutely nothing about Twilight, but I do have my first Twilight game piece from Burger King. It's one of those scratch-offs where you choose between two selections, one of which is a winner, and the other is a loser. And, I'm betting if I choose correctly, I'll win some small food item (because the odds of it being a major prize is highly unlikely) and I shall be proclaimed a "ganador". That's where you come in. For the purposes of this game, shall I choose "Team Edward" or "Team Jacob"? ("Team Bella" isn't an option. La sigh.) If I don't win, I'm holding all of you responsible, so choose wisely.

I may have one or two extra tickets for Wednesday night's Minor League Baseball game at Wrigley Field. Interested in hanging out? Let me know, and I'll let you know.

In case you don't hear from me again soon, have a wonderful holiday weekend out there, and don't eat more hot dogs (or other food items) than you should. Let's not give back to the community in _that_ way, okay?

The Beginning of the Rest of My Life

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 04:56:42 GMT

The biggest news story of my recent history has to do with rhubarbs? What's that all about?

{uyw} #20100701a

The usual: for a multitude of reasons, I have not updated this. It's complicated? Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? My decreased web log presence did not mean the world wasn't completely unaware about what it was to which I was doing. If you're my facebook friend or follow my tweets on the twitter, then you've seen bits and pieces of all that's been going on, and a few of you out there got the details updates about, well, that thing... and the other thing... and that other thing, too.

I'll try. I promise. And I've been changing my facebook profile picture once a week, now, too, though I suppose that only matters if you're on facebook. And my tweets aren't totally ridiculous, either.

This leads me to rhubarbs. I don't update my facebook status much these days, leaving random thoughts to twitter, and on occasion, that other twitter account (and my "celebrity fan page" on facebook). And with my rare status appearance (and concurrently, on twitter), I declared that I had consumed my first ever known instance of rhubarb. This bizarre post, in a one-day-ish period garnered 5 "likes" and 6 comments. It must be a slow social news day... or perhaps people just have a thing for rhubarbs and their unique tartiness? Well, I guess this sort of thing happens when I say random things like "oh, I don't believe in rhubarbs" and then off-handedly saying I'd eat them. And, you guessed it... now others are suggesting I try some new things, or, at least... different things. Like figs. I've had Fig Newtons before... but actual figs? Hey, I make no promises. But I've got to draw the line somewhere. No macaroni and cheese. Something's got to stay on that magical list of foods I've never had! More random food stories... and travel stories... and random somesuchiness to come. With photos.

I've missed you all, too. And, theoretically, you've missed my writing. And, sometimes, that revelation baffles me, too.

What Happens In Pittsburgh, or, Vegas Is Why I'm Fat

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 18:29:30 GMT

Between New York on the east coast and San Diego on the west coast lies four days of fun. Yeah, I'm going to be on both coasts during spring break... how awesome is that?

{uyw} #20100323a

So, what do you do if you find you have four hours in Pittsburgh? Arriving Thursday night just before eight and waiting for that midnight train to not-Georgia, I thought what I normally think if I hadn't explored a city before. Is there a Hard Rock Cafe here? There's always the ongoing "collect HRC pins for mom and shot glasses for sister" project. Sadly, there really wasn't any helpful tourist information at the train station, so I left the building and entered the closest hotel I could find. Sure enough, they had what it was for which I was looking: one of those touristy mini-guide book things that are really glorified ad books containing maps highlighting places of interest. And on said map was the Hard Rock. It was over the river... one of them. There are three rivers in the area, after all. Now that I was armed with a map, I was ready to go. The city wasn't too terribly unfamiliar to me; I'd seen a baseball game at PNC Park with Kevin and Tim back in 2006, and we parked almost as far away from the stadium as the Hard Rock was from my current location. And with the map, I was also able to reorient my self, so my internal compass was reset. The stroll through the heart of the city wasn't that interesting; I mean, hey, it's a city. When you finally reach a river and see where it meets the other two, and you see the bridges that dot the bottom of the skyline that connects everything together that you can stop and go "Well, there you go. That's Pittsburgh." After a quick dinner and the required purchases were made, I took a short stroll west to Point State Park. It really was a short stroll, or, at least maybe it was for me, having grown up in the Chicago area. Just a few blocks. Now, this park. It's not very well lit. And there were areas closed for construction. So, when you're entering walking through there at ten at night, you should be concerned about your safety. I know I was. It's this dark area nestled between two rivers and isolated from the rest of the city because of ramps, bridges, and highways. Seriously, you won't feel comfortable if you're walking this alone. Or even with a plus-one. Regardless, being there leads you to one of the cool places to see where the rivers converge. Again, however, I'm sure it would have looked prettier in daylight. I continued walking along the north bank of the river, just past PNC park before returning to the train station. It could be the lack of people wandering around at that hour made it seem solitary. It appeared as if the area was without activity. Maybe that's the case... or maybe people just don't wander around Pittsburgh at 10pm.

The overnight train was without incident. I managed to have my adjacent seat be empty, so I was able to lounge about whilst in slumber. Arrival in Chicago was earlier than scheduled, so I spent some time with Chris showing off my Stony Brook pictures and reclaiming the clothes I'd planned on using for the rest of Spring Break that I'd left behind before going to New York. He dropped me off at my dentist; I was there to repair the top of a tooth that'd broken off, and it was to be quite simple. Upon further examination, a crack was found, so I think he removed a former filling and fixed it all up. He's great. Of course, I wonder how long it will take for the state to pay him. After meeting up with my aunt for lunch, I found Dyanna and was taken to Joliet for a quiet, low-key weekend. And a bunch of cookies. Sydney was there, and for a while, she didn't know who I was, but that quickly changed, and good times were had by all. Sunday, I was back at Union Station, having a late lunch (a burger from Robinson's Ribs), I hopped onto a train north, and took off from Milwaukee to my next destination: Las Vegas!

What can I say... I've been to Las Vegas several times before, so there really wasn't anything I'd wanted to see or do while there. It's just one night. It's off the strip. I was going to be staying at the Orleans Hotel and Casino, which is about a mile or so west of the strip on Tropicana. I was there for a few nights as a part of Vacation of a Lifetime 2008B, where my mom's college global reunion took place. I'd signed up for the gambler's card, and, in the fall, they sent me a postcard offering a free 2-night stay. Why not? Now, instead of taking one of those private shuttle buses from the airport... the ones that charge $6-$10 to take you to your casino, I opted to make my way to "Level Zero" to the city bus stop. For $5, I purchased a 24-hour pass, so, now I could go anywhere the buses (excluding the Deuce) went. Anyways, the hotel room was larger that most typical rooms. Internet access wasn't free, but staying at a place so cheaply, I didn't mind. I discovered there was a Fuddruckers on site, so I knew what I had to do. My dinner meal, occurring at 11pm, was yet another burger. And it was delicious. I also discovered it was open 24 hours a day, so I returned ten hours later to have the Sunrise Burger (burger, bacon, egg, cheese) off the breakfast menu. It was at this point that I realized how I'd gone three straight meals eating a hamburger. I decided, at that point, that I should just spend the rest of the day eating things I wouldn't normally find at home. After checking out of the hotel and spending almost two hours at the Pinball Hall of Fame, I walked to the nearby In-N-Out Burger. A 4x4 was consumed. I had to. I walked a very small portion of it off as I explored the adjacent UNLV campus. It's very pretty, and I noted that a lot of the stairwells for the buildings were outdoors. Then again, it's nice out and hardly ever rains, so why not? A short walk north of campus, and I ran into what is probably any Philippine kid's dream, assuming you grew up in the Philippines, which I didn't. But I do enjoy eating fast food, so I was good. There was a Jollibee, Red Ribbon, and Chowking all located next to each other! Those are businesses that exist in the Philippines; Red Ribbon is a bakery of sorts, and Jollibee and Chowking are restaurants; Jollibee is like the McDonald's of Philippines, and it's more popular than McDonald's, too. Again, you know what I had to do. Note that this is where my burger streak ends: a 5pm breakfast entree from Jollibee (tocino, with egg and rice) followed by a mango shake from Chowking. I'd picked up something from Red Ribbon to eat at the airport while waiting for my 8pm flight to San Diego. That was pretty much it for Las Vegas. These businesses were located along Maryland, and, conveniently, the 109A bus travels south along Maryland and heads straight to the airport. Winner is me! Interestingly, I spent no time on the strip (other than crossing it twice while on the bus) and no money was ever gambled. See? You don't have to attempt to win a new pair of shoes while there!

Former roommate Michelle picked me up from the airport in San Diego. After a game of Sorry!, we called it a night. And now, I'm catching up on life, typing this out, and sitting on her apartment's little balcony, overlooking the downtown area from the east. It is fantastic.

My Love Is Like A Stony Brook Story

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:42:00 GMT

East coast memories. So, I went to Stony Brook, New York.

{uyw} #20100322a

And this was written during the train ride to Pittsburgh from New York. This is obviously posted well after I wrote it. Yeah, cause I'm in Las Vegas right now.

Now that you've had a chance to read through the Spring Break of a Lifetime itinerary, let me say that not all vacations are incredibly ridiculous. There is something to be said for not doing things, too. What I'm trying to say is that not all vacations are the same, either in content or for different people. That having been said, as wild as it may seem, there is some down time, as evidenced by my actually having some time to write this. And by getting some sleep in, today, too. Experience has taught me that while I may not have technically scheduled sleep or down time into the schedule, I've got to be able to manage to get it in sometime. (A nice trip through the scenic mountains, valleys, and countryside of Pennsylvania with little distraction does that sort of thing.) In fact, I knew I'd be exhausted at this point. Barely sleeping on the ride to Chicago, the flight to New York, and minimally sleeping last night at Brad's was expected, so my nap lasting from Philadelphia and Elizabethtown was no surprise. A part of these crazy travel excursions also involves, um, "power" management. Making sure I can keep my cell phone, camera, and laptop charged so I can use them when needed... and knowing when and where one can get that done is helpful, too. And, since I'm making multiple visits to the Chicago area, I have the added convenience of not having to bring all my stuff for the entire trip with me, um, for the entire trip. Okay, enough rambling over all the things I consider when I make outlandish plans. In summary, I'm having a good time and am enjoying the chance to get away. Oh, and no matter how scheduled it may seem, I do have lots in the way of flexibility in what I end up doing with my free time.

As far as how the actual trip has been so far, there really hasn't been any deviation from the plan. Yes, I said I'm flexible, but there are certain things that can't change, or can't reasonably change (without added expense) like plane tickets... or NIT tickets. Tuesday night was a long night, and getting some rest during the shuttle ride up to Chicago was not easy. It was a 4+ hour adventure, and that's because the shuttle made stops at Midway and O'Hare first. That's okay, I knew it was going to do that, though I did debate hopping out early at Midway. I was to drop off some clothes for later in the trip with Chris downtown before making my way to O'Hare for my flight. As a whole, it was uneventful. The flight... well, I slept through most of it. It was one of those regional jets, my second such experience, ever, I believe. My random adventure to New York reminded me very much of my last trip to New York. Same airline, almost same airplane gate, same airports. Eh, just sayin'. Former Foellinger Brad was very kind to offer his couch, so it was nice to have a base of operations so I could leave my stuff somewhere while I'm in Long Island for the game. The 90-minute commuter rail ride was also uneventful, though I had a pleasant chat with an office manager with a law firm. I didn't see any Illini fans on the train, though. Arrival at the Stony Brook campus was about 2.5 hours before the game, and it felt really strange walking through enemy territory without seeing anyone else on your side. It took a long stroll around campus and about 90 minutes before seeing the first hint of orange, the first of which was a writer for the Daily Illini who graduated in 1997. All of the Illini fans with whom I spoke realized how rare of an opportunity it was to see us participate in such a small venue in New York's backyard. We debated how if Illinois was a seeded lower, that they might have declined the invitation to participate; how the team has potential but doesn't finish out games; how Stony Brook is going nuts like it's the biggest thing ever. That last one was pretty cool. In fact, the whole environment was great. The I-L-L I-N-I chant only made it out once, and it's not because there were only about 100-150 Illini fans... it was just _so_ loud in there! Video will be coming sometime. If you were carefully analyzing the television footage, I was seated about ten rows behind the Illini bench, and, at the end of the game, if you saw the blue Illini flag, that was me. I didn't return to Brad's place until 2am, and I was up two more hours. With all that's been going on, the wee hours of Thursday morning was the only time I had to complete my brackets! And that brings us to the nice afternoon/evening train ride, leaving me with a four hour layover in Pittsburgh. More on that later...

I am enjoying watching ten-year-old episodes of Daria. Whoa, the memories. The music! Was that really ten years ago?

Spring Break of a Lifetime 2010!

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 05:46:09 GMT

You've all waited very patiently. I had things all figured out. The plan was for funderment and adventure starting Thursday and lasting one week. Then again, it's me. More last minute changes. It's me.

{uyw} #20100317a

Day 1: Tuesday, March 16
Do a bunch of last minute work. One final event at 4pm. Officially, it begins with a show at Krannert. And, now that that's done, I guess I should pack!

Day 2: Wednesday, March 17
2:45am- Catch a LEX shuttle to Chicago, then take the subway to O'Hare. It was cheaper that way.
10:00am- Fly using United Airline miles to LaGuardia Airport in New York.
1:16pm- Arrival! Make my way by bus to Manhattan, meet up with Brad, drop off my stuff. Wander around for a little while, as time permits.
4:49pm- Hop onto a train to Stony Brook, New York. That's right... I'm going to the NIT Illini game!
11:30pm- Make my way back to the city... find the couch. Sleep for a little bit.

Day 3: Thursday, March 18
9:00am- Run out the door and make my way to Penn Station. I've got a 10:50 train to Pittsburgh, an almost 4 hour layover, where I will wander the city... maybe, then I catch a midnight train not to Georgia, but rather, Chicago.

Day 4: Friday, March 19
8:45am- If all is according to plan, I will be pulling into Chicago Union Station, leaving me with just under two hours to get to my dentist appointment in Oak Park. There's a cavity or broken tooth or something that needs to get filled.
11:40am- Hanging out with my aunt. Surprise! Yay lunch!
3:15pm- It's entirely possible I'm going to be earning Amtrak points right now. Or maybe not. We'll see.
8:00pm- Settle in at a residence near 80 and 55.

Day 5: Saturday, March 20
could it be? an off day? maybe i'll do something. maybe i'll do nothing.

Day 6: Sunday, March 21
8:59am- Hop onto a train to Chicago, then a train to Milwaukee. If I'm so bold, have time, and want to earn points, I won't get off at the airport. I'll go all the way to downtown Milwaukee, then get back on the train and go south to the airport. I would.
5:55pm- I fly out of Milwaukee. Not Chicago. Again, it was more cost effective to do it this way. And off to Las Vegas I go!
9:00pm- I settle in and sleep on a bed. For the first time in quite a while. And it will be glorious. Thanks, Orleans Hotel and Casino for that postcard last fall giving me a free night!

Day 7: Monday, March 22
8:00pm- After taking a few random touristy pictures, but not too many... after all, I've been there several times, I'll hop onto yet another plane to San Diego.
9:05pm- Meet up with former roommate Michelle! I haven't seen her in, what, 7-8 years? I don't know. A really long time. I'm sure we'll play a game of Sorry! before calling it a night. And I will win.

Day 8: Tuesday, March 23
2:00pm- I imagine we'll have had lunch by now, and possibly found the Real World San Diego house. At this point, we're off on a little road trip up the coast. Ish.
6:30pm- We're seated at the studio in Burbank for a taping of The Big Bang Theory. Bazinga!

Day 9: Wednesday, March 24
5:15pm- After another lunch and a bit of wandering the San Diego area, it's back to the real world... or the midwest. I'm leaving on a jet plane!
11:00pm- Chris gets a phone call. And I tell him I probably want to go get some White Castle.

Day 10: Thursday, March 25
7:50am- Barring any crazy plane issues the night before, and assuming I wake up, it's time to go back to Champaign... and I'm back to work! Unless I need to be in Chicago, in which case, I'll earn some points, or do what I need to do... and I'll return to Champaign either that afternoon or evening. I expect to be at work on Friday, regardless.

Okay! There it is! I will take pictures, maybe some video, and hope to blog when I can. You should follow me on twitter, too... I'll probably be sending in some pictures, there, too. Have a wonderful week! You know how to get a hold of me if you need to!

Punk Freakin Madness 2010 Update

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:55:43 GMT

The public has demanded it, so here you go. We love our Illini!

{uyw} #20100315b

So, apparently, there is demand for an NIT contest. I went through the trouble of making a bracket. As always, it's free to play. No money, cause that's just illegal. But, bragging rights are on the line!

The Annual Form Letter (addendum)

By virtue of knowing me, Brian ("Mr. Sweet Goodness"), or by
knowing someone who knows me, etc... you are invited to join
other people that share this special relationship by
participating in the 10th

            Brian's Punk Freakin March Madness

There is no entry fee or anything required, as such, gambling
is illegal.  However, out of all over six billion people that
may potentially play this game, should your "Bracket
Selections" be ultimately superior over everyone else, you may
be hooked up with a sweet prize.

 Prize Pool F:  Because some people care this year,
                let's predict the NIT games, too.  Download the
                bracket, email or otherwise get it back to me by
                5pm Central Time on Tuesday, and I'll update
                everyone on my blog.  Scoring is simple: most total
                points wins; 1 per round 1, 2 per round 2, 4 per
                round 3, 8 for round 4, 16 for the champion.  Max
                80 points.

       Sincerely, the perpetuator of madness
       -Brian =)

Punk Freakin Madness 2010

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:59:20 GMT

Brackets, brackets everywhere! Your official invitation for your right to brag is here!

{uyw} #20100315a

Every year, Brian's your host for a collective gathering of people to see who is the luckiest... or, at least who can pick the winners. Here's your official invitation (and, oddly enough, it looks strangely similar to the one last year... how could that happen?).

The Annual Form Letter

By virtue of knowing me, Brian ("Mr. Sweet Goodness"), or by
knowing someone who knows me, etc... you are invited to join
other people that share this special relationship by
participating in the 10th

            Brian's Punk Freakin March Madness

There is no entry fee or anything required, as such, gambling
is illegal.  However, out of all over six billion people that
may potentially play this game, should your "Bracket
Selections" be ultimately superior over everyone else, you may
be hooked up with a sweet prize.

 Prize Pool B:  On sportsline.com, I am running my own
                contest with mad-crazy scoring rules.  Join
                this and make up to three brackets.  If you
                win, I'll get you something.  This contest
                is separate from sportsline.com's contest*,
                so sign up in both places because I can't
                offer you a car or whatever.  (As in, entry in this
                contest does not count as an entry in the
                main sportsline.com contest.)  This, and
                you can compete against other people that
                know me.
 URL: http://sweetgoodness.mayhem.sportsline.com/e
                Group Password: whatever
                Crazy Brian Scoring:
                   Round Weight Upset Bonus
                     1     83    Multiply Seed
                     2    247    Multiply Seed
                     3    186    Multiply Seed
                     4    556    Multiply Seed
                     5    417    Multiply Seed
                     6    626    Multiply Seed
( * http://mayhem.sportsline.com/splash/mayhem/spln/opc/free/ )

 Prize Pool C:  For the traditionalists out there, I'm still
                creating a group on espn.com.  Their prize is
                $10,000, followed by a secondary prize of a
                $5,000.  If you're all about the madness, you
                could join there, too.  You don't have to be in
                my group to win $10,000, but you can only make
                a total of 10 brackets, and other people have
                pools, too.  (Which is why I have Pool B.) I _may_
                get the winner of my group a prize, too.
 URL: http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/
                Group Name: Punk Freakin Madness
                Group Password: whatever
 (Group URL: http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/en/group?groupID=52277 )

 Prize Pool D:  This one goes out to the ladies out there, as
                ESPN is running a game for the women's games
                as well.  Their prize is a lovely, uh, 3,000 points
                good for, uh, things from the ESPN website. The
                official rules say it's got an approximate retail value
                of $450.  You don't have to be in my group to win
                the ESPN contest prize, but you can only make a
                total of 10 brackets, and other people have pools,
                too.  I _may_ get the winner of my group a prize, too.
 URL: http://games.espn.go.com/tcwomen/
                Group Name: Punk Freakin Madness
                Group Password: whatever
 (Group URL: http://games.espn.go.com/tcwomen/en/group?groupID=1593 )

 Prize Pool E:  The insanity continues on facebook.com!  If
                you can be the best of the best, you'll get a
                prize.  Sadly, it means adding a Facebook App.
 URL: http://www.facebook.com/cbssports
 (Group URL: http://apps.facebook.com/cbssports/groups/group/27355 )

Playing at any of the three websites is free, but will require
registration on your part to access their sites, if you haven't
done so in years past.

So, come and join in the fun! And pass this message on to your
friends.  But not in chain letter format, because, my gosh, I
hate those.  And sign up!  And join the group so that we may
be in awe of the teams you choose (be it by random selection,
or after a case study of the 64 (65?) teams' abilities).

Oh, you will join. [ there will be beatdowns - with sticks ]
The deadline to guess is the early morning hours of Thursday,
March 18, 2010*.  Really!

(*deadline for Pool D is one day later)

       Sincerely, the perpetuator of madness
       -Brian =)

Random A-Changeover/Cookie Prize Rollover

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 06:01:29 GMT

In preparation of the eventual retirement of RAI, some changes have been implemented. In anticipation of Spring Break of a Lifetime 2010, and to celebrate my first box of Girl Scout cookies in 2010, there was a contest.

{uyw} #20100314a

I mentioned this a few days ago: I'm going to retire randomass.info when its domain name registration expires this May. After almost six years, I never really did anything with it, other than hide some files for friends at secret (and un-secret) URLs. So, this evening, I've completed just about every step I'd need to take to migrate the location of the password-protected files from randomass.info/for to whatever.me/for. Like any good administrator, usernames and passwords were maintained, and a redirect is in place. All other files that live at that website will disappear and only I know where they'll be hidden. Not that there's anything there, anyways. Don't worry, RAI. It will all be over in a little over two months' time.

I would have mentioned more somethings about Engineering Open House today, but I was lazy and didn't leave the residence as early as I would have liked. You can add to that the fact that I was waiting around until 10am so that I could see if I could purchase tickets to see Glee live in concert in Chicago for one of their two dates in May. And, yeah, no luck there. No luck for me and a bunch of fans, I'm sure. Oh, and besides being lazy, the weather was not very cooperative, either, though it wasn't raining when I strolled by Loomis Lab to watch a pyrotechnics demonstration. Nothing says love like watching things explode! I took some video, but opted to just delete it. You'll have to come back and enjoy the fun next year!

This afternoon, the Museum had an opening celebration for the newest Campbell Gallery exhibit featuring Korean Funerary Figures. I didn't partake in any of the art-and-crafty fun, but I did play a Korean game for which I've forgotten the name. It was fun, and, for lack of a better word in my written vocabulary (without using a dictionary), it was Sorry-esque. I teamed up with John to take on two volunteers, and we lost. It was an extremely close game. I now wish to avenge this loss with any person willing to play me in a similar game, seeing as how I don't have this other game, so... I offer something from Spring Break of a Lifetime 2010 as a prize to the next person that defeats me at either Sorry or Trouble. (Limit 1 prize, offer expires March 24.)

Speaking of contests, I'd offered a similar "something from Spring Break of a Lifetime 2010" prize for the first person to guess what kind of Girl Scout cookies I purchased. And let me tell you... firstly, most of you thought I purchased Samoas, and secondly, all of you were wrong. No matter how you guessed, be it in person, text, email, tweet, facebook, there were no correct answers. So, I'll just declare that contest over. Click here to see what kind of cookies were purchased. I guess I'll hold another contest later this week!

In case you forgot, I do not write a Daylight Saving song in the spring... just the fall. I wonder what this year's song will be!

Random: If you know Chad, tell him to respond to my email. It's time, and I don't know if I can hold out much longer. Now is the time to join Facebook! :-P

On The Whole Being An Engineer Thing

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 07:28:03 GMT

It's an event day at work, and I'm purposefully trying to not be there for more than eight hours. Why? And let's take a quick walk around the Engineering Open House. Oh, change your clocks.

{uyw} #20100313a

I don't know if you're heard. You probably have. The state of Illinois isn't doing so well... financially. The state is behind on paying its bills and paying out to all sorts of agencies and institutions, and one of those is my University of Illinois. To help the school make it through this tough time, most academic staff and faculty are taking are taking furlough days (unpaid days off). This is where it gets interesting. We're salaried, so normally, I work crazy, bizarre hours, but according to policy, during the week in which I am taking a furlough day, I am technically an hourly employee, and I would work 32 hours instead of 40. Okay, that sounds fine, right? Well, hourly employees here get paid at an overtime for any work more than 8 hours in any given calendar day, so, that means that when I'm working during furlough week, I have to limit my days to 8 hours, which can be pretty difficult if I have to work an event on a day. Take Friday, for example. On any normal week, I'd wander in around when I normally do in the morning, and pretty much stay at work through the expected event conclusion at 10:30pm, making for one very long work day. But the point is to save money, right? To avoid being paid overtime, I came into work in the afternoon.

So, what did I do with my day? Well, all week long, Manolo's Pizza was promoting a contest via facebook and twitter: the first two people to find a mystery location, after being given clues, would win a gift certificate. As I had no plans, and I was pretty sure I knew around when and where this would take place, I made it a goal to win. And I did! Now that that's out of the way, and as mentioned yesterday, it's Engineering Open House. I took a quick stroll through Engineering Hall and watched this year's Rube Goldberg machine. Oh, and there's a room on the third floor that had some snacks just for college alums? Awesome!

This evening's event was actually tied to Engineering Open House. Deanne Bell, host of Discovery Channel's Smash Lab gave a talk at the Museum. It was an overview of the unique path her life took that eventually led from your all-star high school life, majoring in Mechanical Engineering at Wash U, working, traveling the world, and then finding her way to make the "dream job" happen. And in some ways, I related to the story. Engineers aren't Dilbert-esque characters, and we all have our paths that get us to where we are. That's true for everyone, and that's what makes each of our stories interesting. Yes, had you asked me where I'd envisioned myself 10 year later, oh, ten years earlier when I was on the verge of graduating, I had no idea, but I also never imagined I'd be doing what I'm doing now. I never would have imagined that I'd still be in Champaign County, not that that's a bad thing. And what I learned I like to do... solve problems and work with and serve people is what I do now... and my engineering background helps in understanding and troubleshooting the problems that come up in event land. In fact, tonight's event was not without a period of worrying. We were ready to tackle a large crowd, but unprepared to handle a problem we hadn't encountered before... uh, because we hadn't encountered it before. Ms. Bell's laptop was sending an HDMI signal, but without audio, and our A/V system doesn't have a corresponding audio input because it assumes it comes in via the HDMI cable. We thought we could use the HDMI video signal and route the sound via a DVI input's audio input and switching to use that new audio source. Yeah, not so much... switching the audio on our system also switched the video signal away from what we wanted. So, instead, we treated the audio signal as a microphone input and called it a day, bypassing any switching that would've been necessary. Okay, too much technical information? Fine, fine. It was a fun event, and it ended with people just hanging out for a bit. There was an attempt to get Deanne and some of the EOH crew to be photographed while in the air during a group simultaneous jump. Here is one such attempt:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrbvX0lipS0

All in all, it was a fun day. Taking in the sights and sounds of science was quite splendid!

The post-run look of this year's hand sanitizer, or rather, Rube Goldberg machine. And Deanne Bell hangs out with the EOH and Museum crews after her event!

Oh, it would be negligent of me to not remind my US/Canadian friends and family that Daylight Saving begins this weekend. At 2am local time Sunday morning (so, yes, Saturday night), we twist the hour hand 30 degrees "into the clock" using the "right hand rule". Tonight is the night when two becomes three. Don't worry, you should get your hour back in the fall.

For All That Is New, For All That Is York

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:02:47 GMT

Train of thought? A plot? Not so much. A bunch of memories, and a bunch of shout outs. And, because I was on a break from writing, you don't know what I did on October 10, 2009... unless, of course, we've personally talked about it before today.

{uyw} #20100312a

Sure, it's 3.12. March 12. 312. That's a Chicago area code. But alas, I feel like writing about New York right now. 212 it is, I guess.

Firstly, a quick shout out to Tracy (miss you, glad you're getting my cards) and Neal (you know you're awesome).

Also, before I lose your attention, I want to call your attention to a film I'd really like to see at some point. You all know I'm a sucker for comedies, romantic comedies, and if you add in some sort of high school or college twist, I'm all over that. So, let me introduce you to "Stuck Like Chuck". Click on it. You know you want to. And you'll see the trailer, and you'll just know that I'm going to totally want to see it. Sadly, it appears the film people are out in New York. No luck... and I don't expect to see the movie available from Netflix in the very near future. And, apparently, a "sequel" is in the pipeline, and even though I haven't seen any of the first one, just based on the trailer for the first one, I'm supportive of the cause. You can donate a dollar, too. If they have any updates about the first or second films, I'll update you. You know I care, so therefore, you'll have to suffer through a paragraph once in a while.

The Boston Red Sox gave me the chance to buy tickets for a Yankees-Red Sox game in Boston. Sadly, I was both poor at the time of the opportunity, and I wasn't able to make it through the Virtual Waiting Room early enough to not be getting obstructed view seats in my shopping cart. Don't worry, Fenway Park, I'll see you sometime. And, along those lines, I'll visit the homes of the Mets and Yankees sometime, too. I don't know how soon that will be, but I officially don't have any baseball booked for this season, so I should be free for more travel. You never know.

As a side note, I actually do control tickets to a baseball game in 2010. Just one game. But it's not even regular season baseball. As a side effect of being on all 30 MLB teams' email lists, I found out about an exhibition series taking place in Milwaukee just before the season officially starts. With all seats being $10, eight unrandom individuals and I will be enjoying the day before Easter north of the border... the Illinois-Wisconsin border. It appears I've been given executive authority with regard to the planning and execution of this trip, so, if you know me and know of my prior adventures, I'll say we're going to get some flops from the pleasant prairie, and before returning, we'll dine _somewhere_. If you know what it is about which I am writing, well, don't give it away. It will surely be a good time.

Oh, yes, I remember it like it was a fine Sunday, September 27th. Tim and I were out on one of our "let's go somewhere" weekends and hiding out near Denver's airport. We discussed his next getaway, a trip to the lovely New York City. Now, what can one do in New York? We talked about the possibilities, and I floated the idea of seeing Saturday Night Live. Of course, we both already knew that if someone wanted to get tickets to see SNL, one would have to enter an email lottery in August... and then who knows? Your name goes into a black hole and you don't get tickets. Or you camp out overnight hoping to take any last available seat. Pipe dreams... at least that's what we were thinking. Now, back in my normal life two days later, I'm returning to my office that fine Tuesday early afternoon after enjoying yet another lovely Wednesday Lunch, and I note I have an email referencing a ticket reservation. I think to myself "okay, I've been at lunch. I surely did not buy any travel or event tickets while I was at lunch." Upon further investigation, i.e. reading the email, it turns out that I have tickets for Saturday Night Live on October 10th! Now, I already had plans for that weekend, hanging out with Beth because she was coming down for Homecoming, but you know me. I'll find a way to make things work, and so, instead of hiding out in Champaign, it's time to wander New York! So... if it's possible for you to get a hold of the SNL from that day (with Drew Barrymore and musical guest Regina Spektor), you can watch it and can actually pick out my laugh! It's most noticeable during weekend update after a joke about a Swiss jail. Much love for Sarabeth's and Jojo restaurants... you'll hold a special place in my heart.

Speaking of SNL, NBC announced that Betty White will host Saturday Night Live on May 8. I guess becoming a fan of "Betty White to Host SNL (please?)!" on Facebook paid off! That, and the Snickers Super Bowl ad was awesome. (Of course, no matter how crazy the idea, I'll still consider it, even minimally. So, should I camp out at 30 Rock to try to see this?)

Not that it's actually tons of fun, but does anyone want to go to Times Square for New Year's Eve sometime? I've done it twice. It's effort. You will be tired and cranky. But if you want to do it, I'm just curious. I'll go with... if it can be arranged, of course. Last New Year's, I officialized a policy to determine how I will spend New Year's of a Lifetime. More on that later... but if the Illini football team is any good this fall, well, six Big Ten bowl games fall in the December 31-January 1 window. Just sayin'.

I think it would be cool to win an Academy Award, Emmy, or Grammy. Though, really, being in IMDB could be fun.

I feel bad for my "celebrity" twitter account/facebook "celebrity" fan page. I don't come up with enough random garbage for myself to say frequently enough. What an odd statement to make.

Oh, right, Facebook can tell me who's in New York. More hellos to Alyssa, Austin, Brad, Devora, Elizabeth, Jocelyn, Karen, Kathleen, Katrina, Mike, Ryan, and Sherin! And, Brad... seriously. I can't just keep on missing you because of my scheduling. Next time! You know I'm not not coming back to NY for a visit eventually, right?

Ten Years. Ten Domains. No Lie.

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:52:35 GMT

Because really, when you can make domain names like water, you're bound to great creative with your potential uses for them. Also: Engineering Open House is here, and Spring Break of a Lifetime 2010 is not too long after that!

{uyw} #20100311a

Late Tuesday, I discovered that my domain name registrar, Gandi, was celebrating ten wonderful years of service by giving away 55,000 promo codes good for new domain name registration. How exciting is that? Sadly, I haven't had any recent occasion to just up and purchase some random domain. The last time I just purchased a domain name on a whim without any actual plan or forethought was in May 2004 when I purchased randomass.info. Well, now I've got 10 domains I can create if I so choose, though it's unlikely I'll use them all. If you can give me a reason why I should give you (or register for you) a domain name, well, maybe I'll do it. Now, if only someone out there is in the European Union wants to create a certain specific domain name, I would be amused. I was jokingly searching out possible names, and it turns out that f-ck is available under a .eu. Yes, that's eff dash see kay dot ee you. Not sure where that came from, but I chuckled on the inside. So, if one of you registers that, well, give me a shout out or something.

Okay, we're actually now down to 9 codes. I decided to register uyw.me. It's like my own personal super short domain, a la trim or bitly. Way to go, me! Since I'll have to eventually have to pay for said domain when it's up for renewal, I've also decided to phase out the use of randomass.info and allow its registration to lapse this coming May. And so a wonderful 6 year window of me not really using that domain will end. For the curious, impacts on my unsecret file storage, my official email addresses used for AIM and PayPal registration, and other forwarding emails will be analyzed, and alternative arrangements will be made. Most likely, these will migrate over to whatever.me and uhyeahwhatever.info as appropriate. I feel like I'm going through a reorganization of my digital life. How exciting!

Tomorrow marks the start of the annual Engineering Open House here on campus. And, yes, somehow, the Museum will be involved. EOH will be hosting a talk by Deanne Bell, host of Discovery Channel's "Smash Lab" which will take place at 7:30pm. You must have a ticket to get in (and no, knowing me won't be good enough), and you can only get tickets tomorrow at 11:30am or 12:30pm at the open house welcome tent just west of Grainger Library. Well, that's pretty exciting! That, and I'm looking forward to seeing some rube goldberg machines. Mayhaps I'll take some video and post it.

Spring Break of a Lifetime begins in one week. The schedule will be announced soon. I promise.

Really Disappointed

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:00:07 GMT

Okay, so, I didn't get picked to Live Off Groupon, but I really am disappointed I didn't at least make the next round. Also, why not. There goes that other social networking site.

{uyw} #20100310a

It became clear to Jack (and myself) earlier Tuesday that I actually hadn't read my rejection letter. I only got as far as "Unfortunately, you were not selected to participate in the next round". Should I be thrilled that I won't spend a year of my life through what many would call to be a very crazy, possibly torturous experience? Probably, but I'm not. I'm actually very disappointed. Now, I've entered many contests, and I've actually won more than my fair share, but never should I go into a contest expecting to win. Even with some of those contests I _did_ win from random Champaign radio stations, I was extremely confident I'd win, but I never expected it. In this case, I didn't expect it... but I did think I would have made it past the first cut. Perhaps it's because I'd already thought about the possibilities... because I already knew how I was going to make it through the absurdity... because I'd already imagined my way through some situations not already discussed as theoretical on the Live Off Groupon website. I wasn't supposed to be able to make any commitments, yet I was fairly certain I'd still be able to make weddings in Chicago and that I'd get there no matter where I was located immediately prior to said weddings. I even thought about how I'd have to renew a passport while on my big adventure... my current one expires in a little over a year. So, little things like how Groupon hasn't featured a way to get toothpaste? That one's easy. Some hotels have toothpaste. Back in the day, when I worked 2nd shift at my hometown hotel during the summer while in college, occasionally, we'd have to make little care packages for jurors that were sequestered overnight. We'd actually have to go through the hotel rooms in advance and remove remote controls and telephones. Oh, the memories. So, thanks, all, for the consolatory messages. Thanks, Tim, for the "I'm sorry for your loss." Hopefully, they chose well, because surely, I would have been awesome. And, really, I don't need to have been selected to know that I'm awesome. Thanks, everyone!

Just deleted: my orkut and friendster accouts. It took me a while to remember my password for that second one.

Live Off This!

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:06:26 GMT

Rejected.

{uyw} #20100308a

I entered the contest, and apparently, I am not the chosen one. Here's the rejection letter:

Hi Brian,

Unfortunately, you were not selected to participate in the next round of Live Off Groupon. We were completely blown away by the quality of the nearly 400 applications we received-selecting the finalists was excruciating.

If you're disappointed, just think about how unrealistic this challenge is. Perhaps you've watched Survivor long enough that you've come to assume that seemingly death-defying corporate stunts are, in reality, probably fairly safe. In our case, you shouldn't-seriously, nobody has thought this thing all the way through.

Let's say in one week we manage to feature two restaurants-that means you'd be eating at least 10 meals across 7 days at the same restaurant. It's going to be disgusting and totally unhealthy. Look around you, at the stuff on your desk and in your room-you wouldn't have any of that anymore. I'm not even sure if we've ever featured a Groupon for a place that sells toothpaste or shoes. All we're saying is that you should be glad you weren't selected.

Anyway, we hope you aren't disappointed, and we hope you'll help us support whomever ends up becoming the Groupawn. If you can't bring yourself to support them, then spy on them instead, in the hopes of catching them cheating and saving your friends at Groupon a cool $100,000 (thanks!).

If this thing ends up being fun, maybe we'll do it again, in which case we strongly encourage you to re-apply. Keep an eye on www.liveoffgroupon.com for the latest.

Thanks again for applying,

Julie Mossler and The Groupon Team

A Week of Linky Things

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:11:33 GMT

Not that most of these things are new, but this past week and a half was the period of time in which they fell onto my virtual desk. Sorry, no life updates with this post.

{uyw} #20100307a

Sometimes, you just run into things that you think are interesting, and you just want to be able to find those things in the future. These are those stories. Cue that "Law and Order" sound effect:
Via the jarf community: a story about depositing a junk check... and it actually cashing.
Also... a "mindblowing talk on the future of games"
And... heard through Jack: Japanese ads promoting Glee
Awesomely, through the t-feed: Video about what happens when stuck in an airport overnight
Finally, we all know OK Go, right? With their "treadmill" music video for "Here It Goes Again"? There's a new video out... a special version that first made its way to me via Rose and the f-feed, back when there were only 1,039 views back on March 1. Enjoy it now!

Fantastic. Now I won't feel bad if the computer dies. Or rather, now I can restart it without fear of losing these oh so precious links!

Live Off Groupon Application

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 06:10:30 GMT

Well, let's see what happens. I essentially completed the application in backwards order. The "about me" essay, I'd projected, would be the most difficult to write, and was the last thing I did. Out of all of it, I think it's the best part of it all.

{uyw} #20100225a

Basic Information:

First Name:

Brian

Last Name:

########

Email Address:

##################

Phone Number:

############

City:

#########

State:

########

Current Occupation:

Coordinator of Special Events

Gender:

Male

Age:

##

Twitter Handle:

uhyeahwhatever

Photo of yourself: (please include your face):

stroopers.jpg (520K, 3648x2736)

Application Materials:

90 second video introducing yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HplIOl3MRZ8

Essay on why you think we should choose you to live off Groupons for a year:

Greetings to all in the Groupon world. Formalities: I’m Brian, and I obviously feel I should be “the chosen one” for the Live Off Groupon challenge. The difficult part will be standing out amongst everyone else, like me, that are willing to stop the world and melt with all of you. I’ll start by addressing some of the contest FAQ answers: I love both food and shelter! And I don’t eat some foods normally, so wouldn’t you want to be there to see me eat sushi or mac and cheese (really!) for the first time? Do I have a problem starting by wearing something crazy like a paper suit to start? Not at all. This past Halloween, I wore a giant cardboard box and was dressed as a giant paper bag puppet. (I was so huge; I had to go through doors sideways.) Don’t worry, there’s evidence online somewhere. Life obligations and work? Well, so I can’t go to Boca; that’s fine. And, if, for some reason, I can make working work, or can somehow get myself to be where my friends are on certain days, I’ll make it happen. Watch me. I consider it a challenge. I figure you’re looking for someone who will be fun to follow, and someone who has a reasonable chance of accomplishing the feat. My facebook photo albums are filled with memories from all sorts of random experiences. The travels I’ve taken are crazy. Sleeping on a bus, train, in a station, a floor, sofa, or comfy bed is not beyond me. Convincing airport security to let you leave the secure area while waiting for a connection just so you can get a passport stamp? Sure. Purchased a “free” ticket to an inauguration of an elected official? Okay. (Stupid ticket company fees.) Conspire with friends to make up a word, have it show up on a wikipedia page, and get it in print in a paper in Chicago? Fine. And in the interest of full disclosure, I’ve also (unpurposefully) collected a “Failure to Yield as a Pedestrian” ticket. Find yourself someone that’s already experienced a “vacation” that’s more like a weeklong scavenger hunt and starting with no maps or schedules? Okay, you win, but you have to ask yourself, this guy. Brian. He sounds awesome. Don’t you at least want to meet him? I’ve got my quirks. I’ve fun. And, really, what will be needed is someone that’s nice, genuine, and genuinely nice. It truly is amazing what can happen when you have wonderful friends and family members… and when you make connections with random strangers that really are interested in helping out and being a part of something. And that’s how you can get yourself to visit Ben Franklin’s old surgical room. True story.

Short essay about experience at Groupon business:

The task was relatively simple: I was to get some video footage of my talking to an employee or stranger at a Groupon business. Sadly, my closest Groupon area is two hours away in Chicago. Fortunately, I’d purchased bus tickets to go to Chicago and back two months ago, if, for some reason, I had a Valentine to see (I didn’t), and I had a Groupon to use, having purchased it a few weeks earlier. My selected project: cash in my one-year VIP pass to visit the John Hancock Observation Deck. Along those lines, I had a plan: I was allowed to bring one guest with me, so I figured I’d ask the person behind me in line if they’d want to be interviewed in exchange for a free trip up. That lucky individual? Well, it was someone else redeeming in a Groupon. I allowed him to cut in front of me, and I tried again. Now, she was interested in the free trip up, well, up until I got to the interview and video part. This was proving way more difficult that I’d planned. Anyways, I redeemed my Groupon and made my way up to the sky. Now, having been near Chicago all my life, I’d never actually been up to this observation deck before. That other tower… the one with the new name and the new “glass box”, I was there once just 6.5 years earlier when it had the older name. This was a new experience for me… that, and an audio tour was included! Check-plus for not having to pay for an extra! Looking north and down, one could see the shadow of the building flowing over Lake Shore Drive and onto Lake Michigan. To the east, well, there was the lake. Big and blue… well, as blue as a cold, winter’s day can make it. To the west, buildings, houses, streets, train tracks, and expressways could be picked out. And awesomely, to the south, you can exit through some doors and feel what it’s like outside, and for a February 14th, it wasn’t so cold or windy out there. The sun helped, too. Now, back to the task at hand, I figured I could talk to the woman at the concierge desk, and she was game, but had to clear it with her supervisor. Unfortunately, she wasn’t given a green light to proceed, but was able to help me find where the nearest Gino’s East was located (I was to meet my friend Chris there afterwards… and we were to use another Groupon!). I didn’t want to interrupt the employees shuttling people on and off the elevators, so I made my way to the café. The cashier thought my request was interesting, but called out a manager who was willing to speak with me, and with that, I thank Nick for chatting with me for a minute or two. I took one final lap around the deck before returning to street level where my cell phone starts vibrating with text messages. Okay: no phone service at the top of a tall building. Noted for next time when I’m trying to make plans with people. And with that, it was time for pizza, and I was hungry, having not yet eaten.

Video of Groupon business experience:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPJm3XDVPc8

(There you go. Good luck to all my friends out there that applied (right now, I know of just Amy so far), and we'll see what happens next!)

Secrets Not Revealed

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:38:59 GMT

The last time was my daylight saving song. Before that was right after Alaska. What happened?

{uyw} #20100224a

Let's get real. Do you remember that string of 100+ days of posts? That really did take a lot of effort. And let's be clear... it's not that I don't care about any of you. Things happen. People get married. (Okay, not me.) People have babies. (Okay, not me.) I say this seemingly regularly, but life happens, and sometimes you just live it, and documenting it is secondary. That's where I try to keep some sort of record with photographs. Or, it could very well be that what might be going on at any given time really isn't that interesting. At least, I may consider it that way. Or, perhaps, it could very well be that what might be going on is so absolutely juicy but it's super secret. So secret only some of you out there know. Oh, and I blame Twitter, too. So, I recommend this: yes, you... you should still keep up with this journalesque invention. But, to ensure the full experience, you'll have to suffer through my tweets, too. Sorry, times are tough. You do what you have to do. And, if you're really interested in what juicy stuff may or may not have occurred, you'll actually have to track me down or call me. You all know I'm not going to put that online for the world to see... at least not without it being highly cryptic. In case you're curious, you really didn't miss anything juicy.

The current project, however, is not secret. Groupon is holding a contest, and I'm applying. They assert that one can live an entire year off of Groupons. Full contest details can be found at the Live Off Groupon website. The deadline to apply is less than half an hour away. At this point, I'm not concerned you'll apply at this point, if you haven't already done so. Look it over, imagine how awesome it would be to experience, and think about how this is seemingly the sort of thing I'd do. Really. Because you know it is. Keep your eyes peeled; I'm posting my application materials soon. (And as is. I know I have one awkward sentence in essay #2, plus an unnecessary word as well.)

I know you can't wait. Sorry, you'll have to wait a little longer.

I Gotta Feeling Saturday Night'll Be a Long Night

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:31:24 GMT

It has been, um, forever. Life went on. And how could I forget my annual Fall Daylight Saving reminder? I mean... Halloween is Saturday... and, it's time for one great song! Fall back, yo!

{uyw} #20091029a

July 10th? Really? Wow, okay... well, again, I feel as if I should somehow account for the lack of reporting and note the key highlights. Unfortunately, it's a busy time of year. I'm already thinking about my annual holiday card project (which, of course, is preceded by the massive address update project). And Thanksgiving of a Lifetime is in there somewhere. Halloween's a little over a day away, and I don't have a costume, let alone an idea for one. One thing is ready for public consumption, though... that one thing is my annual Daylight Saving reminder! Just like every year since 2002, my act of writing parody lyrics (a la Al) to popular music serves as a reminder to friends that it's almost time to move that clock back. It's always the Fall one... the one where you get more sleep (if that's what you choose to do).

Regardless, here's the real reason you're reading this post... I present to you this year's fine addition to the collection. It follows the great line of other hits from 2005 (Howie Day), 2006 (The Fray), 2007 (Plain White T's), and 2008 (Pink) (they may be posted or emailed upon request). Here you go, based off of "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas...

   I gotta feeling...
   That tonight's gonna be a long night
   That tonight's gonna be a long night
   That tonight's gonna be a long long night

   I gotta feeling...
   That tonight's gonna be a long night
   That tonight's gonna be a long night
   That tonight's gonna be a long long night

   I gotta feeling... (Woohoo)
   That tonight's gonna be a long night
   That tonight's gonna be a long night
   That tonight's gonna be a long long night

   I gotta feeling... (Woohoo)
   That tonight's gonna be a long night
   That tonight's gonna be a long night
   That tonight's gonna be a long long night

   Tonight's the night
   Let's live it up
   With one more hour
   Let's spend it up
   Go out and change it
   Like Oh My God
   We turned our clock back
   Let's kick it - off

   I know that we'll have a ball
   And we'll get down
   And forget
   We had done it all
   I feel okay
   Before it began
   Oh, which way do we go?
   Clocks go backwards in fall!

   What time is it?
   Two am
   Look at your cell phone
   Just check it... one!
   Let's paint the town
   We'll shut it down
   We changed at two
   And then we'll do it again

   Let's do it (x3)
   And do it (x3)
   Let's live it up
   And do it (x3)
   Do it, do it
   Let's do it (x3)

   Cause I gotta feeling... (Woohoo)
   That tonight's gonna be a long night
   That tonight's gonna be a long night
   That tonight's gonna be a long long night

   I gotta feeling... (Woohoo)
   That tonight's gonna be a long night
   That tonight's gonna be a long night
   That tonight's gonna be a long long night

   I gotta feeling
   Tonight's the night (Hey!)
   Let's live it up (Let's live it up)
   With one more hour (I'm tired)
   Let's spend it up (Let's spend it up)
   Go out and change it (Change it)
   Like Oh My God (Like Oh My God)
   We turned our clock back (Come on!)
   Let's kick it - off

   What time is it? (Huh?)
   Two am (Right)
   Look at your cell phone (Check it check it)
   Just check it... one!
   Let's paint the town (Paint the town)
   We'll shut it down (Shut it down)
   We changed at two (Wooo)
   And then we'll do it again

   Let's do it (x3)
   And do it (x3)
   Let's live it up
   And do it (x3)
   Do it, do it
   Let's do it (x3)
   Do it, do it, do it, do it

   Here we come
   Here we go
   We set our clock
   Hours come
   Hours go
   Now we on top
   Feel the shot
   One o'clock
   Clock it don't stop
   Tick and tock
   Up and down
   Around the clock

   Spring forward, fall back, Franklin Ben did say
   When's the happy day?
   Happy day is Sunday

   Ch-, ch-, ch-, ch-, change with us
   You know what we say (say)
   Happy "Fall Back" Day (x2)

   I gotta feeling (Woohoo)
   That tonight's gonna be a long night
   That tonight's gonna be a long night
   That tonight's gonna be a long long night

   I gotta feeling (Woohoo)
   That tonight's gonna be a long night
   That tonight's gonna be a long night
   That tonight's gonna be a long long night

   Woohoo

You Can Always Come Back Next Time: The Alaska Trip

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 05:53:03 GMT

You know a vacation's good if you're occupied when you're gone, and you're busy when you return. Here's what happened on the recent international journey, minor notes of the time since then, and what this weekend will bring.

{uyw} #20090710a

One quick confession... the last full blog post? I wrote that in advance. In fact, I wrote another entry to be posted very early on Friday, June 26th. Due to time constraints and other limiting factors, it came to be the blog entry that never was.

My flight to Seattle really was rather uneventful. I occupied my time by taking advantage of the in-flight audio programming. I listened to the chatter of pilots communicating with various air traffic controllers throughout the journey. I did manage a nap as well; I was pleased with myself when I looked out the window upon waking, I was able to determined my location... with the help of my road atlas, I tracked the tail end of my journey beginning somewhere over Montana.

Upon landing, I made my way through the airport and met up with Joseph C and Jennifer G. It's almost like I'm back to where I was during Spring Break of a Lifetime 2009, picking up where I left off! We attempted to have dinner at a recently opened Five Guys Burgers, but just before we arrived, they were having electrical issues and were closed because they couldn't cool anything. So... we settled for some Thai food nearby. I was taken back to the airport so I could meet the arriving Rose L and Tim M and left my dinnermates with the box of hot dogs from Chicago. After collecting the car, we arrived at our hotel with a very exhausted Val B waiting in the lobby. All of us had had a long day, but we still stayed up another two-plus hours and had a really late delivered pizza dinner.

Thursday morning, we started our day with a casual stroll to the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. It's in the same place as the Experience Music Project and next to the Space Needle... and all of this magical funness was just two blocks away! The entire day wasn't spent there... we made our way south to Safeco Field for a Seattle Mariners baseball game in the afternoon. They trounced the San Diego Padres, and, though the score doesn't reflect it, it was a good, entertaining game of baseball. Perhaps the neatest thing that happened at the park was when Tim ordered some food for delivery to his seat by using his Nintendo DS! We made our way back north and experienced the Experience Music Project, then ventured up the Space Needle. After all, who doesn't want to be high up? It was a nice, not rainy day, though slightly chilly. i could spot Pier 70, where the cast of the Real World Seattle resided, along with the Grey's Anatomy hospital and Gas Works Park (as featured in the Amazing Race 3, and more memorably, as the site of a game of paintball from 10 Things I Hate About You). I don't even think we had a formal dinner that evening; we ended our day watching programs about the life of Farrah and Michael, as they passed away earlier in the day.

And so it was Friday. The drive started around eight in the morning, and really, it was just a very long drive. Stops were made primarily to get gas, grab some food, or use the restroom, and oftentimes, those were all rolled into one. The views were fantastic... our route took us inland and north via Hope, British Columbia and to Prince George, following a lovely river and traveling alongside and between mountains most of the way. A delicious burger was had at Herbies in Cache Creek... and I did manage a Happy Meal from Quesnel, where a cute, friendly cashier served me. So... vinegar is available when you go out... to eat with your fries. Interesting! Oh! The entire time I was north of the border, I'd try to sound a little more "Canadian"; I notably toned down my "o"-sounds... you know... being "oot and aboot". I imagine it's probably a little grating on the ears of locals to hear possibly jarring vowel sounds. Eh. From Prince George, we continued west until arriving at our motel in New Hazelton. It's run by a young couple, and they'd stayed up just for us. We felt a little bad about that.

Saturday, June 27 was the big day. It was the day we were "returning" to the United States! With another 8am start, we drove west for just a bit before hitting British Columbia Highway 37 (the Cassiar Highway). At that point, there was a gigantic sign saying "North to Alaska". Really, who could resist the photo opportunity? We continued northward for almost two hours to our next junction. This is where the final highway we'd have to take (37A) spurred westward toward the Pacific! Again, we stopped for photos, but in this remote location, there were way more flying insects ready to suck my soul... and they were even more huge! Our final 40-ish miles weaved us between mountains as we made our way down to sea level, passing the beautiful Bear Glacier on the left. We ultimately reached Stewart, British Columbia, the last stop before Alaska! A quick stop by the at-that-hour closed Toaster Museum and lunch where Robin Williams had dined once when filming Insomnia (I imagine that's why there was a signed photograph there), it was time for the final approach as we made weaved alongside a mountain at sea level right next to the head of the Portland Canal. Okay... this alleged canal isn't a manmade waterway... that's just the proper name of this body of water snaking northwesterwards from the Pacific Ocean and through a breathtaking legitimately international fjord. Because, really, I couldn't not use fjord in a sentence! Not that we really took in the beauty of it all, at least not yet. Just before reaching the border, the land extended out a bit so we weren't at a coastline, and on the left we saw the Canadian Customs/Border Building... it was more of a trailer-ish structure. Anyways. A banner hangs above the boundary, welcoming everyone to Hyder, Alaska! To the left are signs indicating Hyder and Alaska's boundary, along with a "Speed Limit 20" sign, as after all, welcome back to reading things in miles per hour instead of kilometers per hour. Oh, and the nice, paved Highway 37A pretty much turned to an unpaved muddy, gravel thoroughfare. We parked just past the border in Alaska and freely strolled back and forth over the border as we took many and posed for just as many photographs. Were there concerns about traffic? Not so much. Hyder, Alaska is virtually a cul de sac, with nowhere to go but back out to Canada. Only residents and tourists wanting to visit this bizarre, beautiful place make the trip. What about pissing off the border authorities? As far as Canada is concerned, you'll see them when you really want to reenter Canada and return to Stewart. The United States doesn't even have a checkpoint! That's right... you really could just stroll on in! Of course, when you leave to Stewart, you'll need ro present your travel documents, namely, your passport. Val even set up her tripod in the road's median in Canada and photographed all of us standing in the middle of the road, directly under the banner! Oh, the craziness. So, what does one do in Hyder, Alaska? At the Glacier Inn (2nd building on the left after entering the United States), take a shot of 150 proof Everclear and receive a certification of being "Hyderized". I passed, and instead, ordered "whatever that pink Crush can is over there behind the counter" which turned out to be creme soda flavor. Postcards were written by all of us, as there was a gift shop there as well, and we followed the road to the post office. Now, on the way there, we'd noticed there really weren't street signs, and buildings didn't have numbers. Even the business card of the Glacier Inn only listed a PO Box as an address, so I imagine the Post Office is your link to the outside world! Aside from providing your usual postofficy services, it appears as if it also serves as a community bulletin board area as well. The mailbox says mail is collected daily in the morning, however, we noted that mail is actually only dispatched Monday and Thursday mornings... by seaplane... weather permitting. Of course, the Hyder Post Office also processes passport applications, which is a good thing considering you can't leave Hyder unless you have one. (Now that I think about it... I wonder where one gets an Alaskan drivers license or state identification card?) Even further north was a wildlife viewing area, where we attempted to and failed to see a bear (though Rose did see one cross the main street earlier while recovering from her shot). We returned back south, and instead of curving back toward Canada, we went on a short drive on a short road that became a one-lane road that became a one-lane pier. It led to a landing, where one would be able to sail away into the sunset of the fjords, if one had a boat. Alas, I was not on a boat, but I could not pass on the opportunity to dip my feet into what was effectively the Pacific Ocean! By that point, we'd actually spent about four hours in Hyder, and we had to make our way back. Hours upon hours later, and after eating dinner at an A&W in Smithers, British Columbia (and seeing a truck declaring itself "Truck Norris"), we strolled into our hotel in Prince George at around 2:30am.

Sunday, we returned to Seattle via the roads from whence we came. As we didn't have quite as long of a distance to travel as compared to Friday, we didn't feel so bad stopping at a few places and exploring a little bit as we made our way south. Back in Quesnel, we circled a few blocks and admired some pretty fire hydrants... they were painted like people! Whoa! At one stop, I did pick up an obnoxious Canadian-themed giant hat, because, really, who doesn't want something to wear for the upcoming Canada Day celebrations? After returning into the state of Washington and having US border officials ask quizzingly as we tried to explain that we drove to Alaska "just to go", we eventually dropped Val off around midnight (so she could continue her crazy vacation on her own) and the rest of us retreated to a hotel by the airport. The next morning, we boarded our respective flights and returned to Illinois. Now, before actually getting onto my plane, I did stop by the Continental Airlines President's Club Lounge to see if my Amtrak Guest Rewards Select Plus status would get me in... and it did. And it was glorious. They allegedly have wireless, though I didn't test it, newspapers, magazines, and an open bar. The staff there were very nice, and it was cool to visit! Check plus, Continental! My return flight was filled with the theatrical stylings of "Confessions of a Shopaholic".

Tuesday (now it's June 30th), it was one of those morning commutes I don't enjoy doing... Waking up early (and we know I definitely am not a fan of that), making my way from the Hillside house by getting a ride to Forest Park, then taking a train to downtown Chicago, and then hopping on an 8:15am train back to Champaign. I went straight to work... oh, what a long day that was. Wednesday lunch was had, and then on Wednesday, I ventured to a screening of "Public Enemies". And all of a sudden, Thursday was the last work day of the week (thank, 4th of July observed on Friday)! I caught up with Jenna H after really not seeing her in forever other than very briefly on graduation day, where, after dining, we miraculously tied at miniature golf. (That is a situation I must rectify next time...) The Fourth of July was pretty much rained out all across the area, but the group still convened and declared that we were officially observing "Sunday night at the Farm" on Saturday and that the Fourth of July would be celebrated on Sunday, July 5th. Really, the gathering location was the same both days, it's just that fireworks (thanks Champaign County Freedom Celebration) were on Sunday, instead.

It's been a relatively quick four work days, as I'm fully getting back into the swing of things, yet here I am... I have time to type, and that's because I'm currently on my way back to Chicago. This weekend is the American Library Association conference wherein those with an Exhibits Pass can wander through an organized maze of vendors to meet publishers, suppliers, authors, whateverers and load up on some free swag as well. Last time it was in Chicago, I particularly enjoyed picking up some Harry Potter pens from Scholastic. They lit up. It was quite pretty. In addition, I'll be at not one but two Chicago Cubs-St. Louis Cardinals games at Wrigley Field! So, if you want to meet up, let me know. I plan on crashing at the residence of Chris S through at least Sunday night, and I won't be returning to Urbana until Tuesday evening. Find me, call me, love me. I know it's been a while, and thanks for missing me!

Oh, yes... Chicago area people. Some of us Champaign people should get together and have dinner Saturday night, 7-ish. It's like a remote "The Farm" gathering!

Oh, and Go Cubs!

Silly Canadia

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:03:23 GMT

{uyw} #20090629a

I have been misled.
Where was my cell coverage?
Nowhere to be found.

Watch Out! I'm Packing Some Meat!

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 07:41:32 GMT

Wednesday night is the one night in a string of four where I can't say this is the last night before my adventure. Not to say fun things won't be had on Thursday.

{uyw} #20090625a

Weeks ago, when this trip officially became a reality, I was told that my Seattle relatives (and former Chicago area residents) miss some food they can only get in Chicago. I know when they visit, special trips are made to places like Portillo's. Anyways, I was told that if I could, I should transport some Vienna beef hot dogs in my carry-on bag cross-country. Well, consider it done. I met up with my cousin for dinner shortly after my arrival. Needless to say, I'm pretty sure those tubular meats will be appreciated.

Did I go to the club? The answer is no.

Thursday's schedule includes wandering to be determined, along with a lovely game of baseball! The home of the Seattle Mariners shall be checked off the Major League Baseball stadiums bucket list!

As with most of my trips, I still need to keep up on reading my work emails and keeping the department going, as I'm the only one that does what I do there. I just thought I'd give a shout out to everyone in my office, Apple and Erica for keeping things going, and I hope you're enjoying the coolness (temperature-wise) of the office, as opposed to baking in the Illinois oven.

On Thursday, I think we should all unite as one and eat ice cream at some point in the day. I don't know why. Just because.

If you're really curious as to what's going on, feel free to call me, although I make no guarantees that I'll answer the phone or that I'll be available to talk. And... once I begin the trip through British Columbia, I have no idea what kind of cell phone service I'll have, if any!

John Denvering For Free

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:20:48 GMT

Sometimes, I use crazy words in my titles knowing full well that it makes my Twitter tweets sound absolutely absurd. I just had my second "last night" before my Alaskan adventure! Are there crazy airport adventures to be had?

{uyw} #20090624a

I'll say it... I'm a little disappointed that I'm not finding any additional uses of the word countonym. That's okay... I'm sure that one day, some day, it will takes its place in the dictionaries as one of the kajillion legitimate words out there. And really, that word'd be an awesome bingo in a game of Scrabble!

Here's something for me to which I may look forward: not being where it feels like an Illinois summer. Which, coincidentally, would be not-in-Illinois. Don't get me wrong, I love Illinois, even with its quirky taint-filled everything, but I very much am not a fan of the hot and the humid, especially when they work in tandem with each other. Nothing says National Weather Service love like saying we'll be under a heat advisory for the next three days straight. And speaking of weather, does anyone know how or why weather watch and warning boxes are the colors that they are? As in, why does yellow mean "severe thunderstorm" and red "tornado"? Just curious. (Something tells me I don't get people randomly researching all of my posed questions...)

I'm pretty sure my flight to Seattle today is sold out, and possibly overbooked. So, I'm debating checking in as late as possible while still checking in on-time to see if they'll offer me a free roundtrip ticket to anywhere in the contiguous United States. After all, that's how I'm able to fly to Seattle today and make this trip! Had it not been for me volunteering to give up my seat on my return flight from Spring Break of a Lifetime, I wouldn't be using said free ticket voucher on this magical adventure! As far as other airport funness is concerned, I have yet to decide if I'll be visiting the club. More on that... if it happens, of course.

Sometime very soon. When I return from my trip. I must visit the Sears Tower before it officially takes on its new name. I want to be a tourist one last time, and pay for a cheesy expensive tourist photo one last time. Or for a first time, too, at Sears Tower. Join me for that... we'll talk... we'll spend $20 to ride an elevator. It'll be hottt, I'm sure.

I will probably send some postcards from Alaska... hopefully... with the whole four hours I expect to spend there. Email me your address, and it'll increasing the chances you'll receive some love!

Fine, fine... now I'm off... for real. Next time, I'll be somewhere out there, out where it rains. Allegedly.

Adventure and the Former Staple Sauce

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 04:46:56 GMT

The wheels are in motion, though they're not the one's I'd originally expected. It's been over two weeks since I performed a staple-removal procedure on myself... let's check on that. And I haven't read any Harry Potter books, but if I get the chance, maybe I'll check out a musical?

{uyw} #20090623a

I stayed at work late tying up almost all of the loose ends before leaving on my lovely vacation, specifically, Vacation of a Lifetime 2009! Tonight's first leg was to travel by train from Champaign north to Chicago. Even before leaving work, I knew it wouldn't be what I was expecting. For reasons unknown to me, the train wasn't running, and a bus would be subbing for the train. No matter. As long as I make it north! That's okay... my train ticket was still taken, and now I only have to ride Amtrak 81 more times by the end of the year! Um, yeah.

Do you remember that one time when I reached into my pocket only to skewer my finger onto a staple? Oh, the memories. I promptly removed said staple and applied pressure on the wound with my thumb, and eventually, I was able to wash the site of the injury? Sure. Well, anyways, Sunday was the point when my once layers into the skin injury finally made its way to see the light of day. My layers of skin continued to grow from within, and where once a staple lay has become the outermost exposed layer. I was wondering if there was any tiny sliver of clotted blood. Well, if there was, it wasn't there anymore. I could see the tiny ridge... a ridge now empty but always full of memories! May I never stab myself with a staple ever again!

Somehow, sometime earlier today, I was introduced to Harry Potter the Musical! I bet if I'd read the books, it'd make more sense to me, but the fact that this was done at all pleases me so.

I really must state, to be clear, that I am absolutely thrilled that my camera was found!

At the Museum, final preparations were being made for a three-day youth program. One of the things constructed was a giant circular target, and it was cut out of a giant cardboardy squarish thing. Someone suggested I should jump through the now apparent hoop, so, of course, I did. If only my landing wasn't on a hard floor. I'm sure it looked cool nonetheless.

I say this all the time, but I feel ill-prepared for my trip. I didn't pack until less than an hour before departure. I think I've got everything... wallet, keys, phone, camera, passport. My fresh list of renumbered phone numbers is ready to go! I've even activated international dialing and Canadian roaming. The real challenge will be maintaining a blog-like presence. I've decided to not travel to Washington-British Columbia-Alaska with a computer. So, if you see anything blogged whilst I am not in my home time zone, consider it as a bonus! (Oh, unless I do any futzing around with settings, the times reflected in my blog posts will be that of Central [daylight] time, just as it was during Spring Break of a Lifetime.)

We Say Goodbye; I Say Hyder (and Countonym Update!)

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 03:27:18 GMT

It's the last night before my trip. Sort of. I can probably say that two more times! Also... no word on the missing camera.

{uyw} #20090622a

In less than twenty-four hours, I will be on a train to Chicago. I'll be spending one final night there before heading over to the airport and flying to Seattle. I'll be spending two final nights there before heading over the borders and traveling by car to Hyder. There's still so much to be done! Like pack. And laundry. And paperwork at work. That's fine, because I'll be super excited once the wheels are in motion for Vacation of a Lifetime 2009!

While walking to work today, I realized the last time I remember seeing my now-missing camera was during Friday night's tornado warning. That's two hours later than what I'd thought yesterday evening when I officially noticed I didn't have my camera. Such a sighting officially rules out it being found at work or in Jack's car. Here's hoping it exists at the farm! Otherwise, that leaves a city bus, or a walk to or from said bus. (It hasn't been seen in any of its standard or nonstandard locations at the residence.)

Between paragraph two (the previous paragraph) and paragraph three (this paragraph), I went and had something different. Julie Y and I went to Arby's for a late dinner. I'd planned on heading to the farm to look for the camera. Upon opening the car door, a little something caught my eye... it was just a tiny corner of my camera! It was underneath the passenger seat in the car! The vacation can be enjoyed to its fullest potential!

I love Chuck (NBC show), but its absence is allowing me to experience some shows that I feel I would appreciate. I know some of you out there already know it, but "How I Met Your Mother" and "Big Bang Theory" are quite entertaining. I think I'll eventually purchase them on DVD (or equivalent media later in life), of course, after I've got all the Chuck there is to have.

Yesterday, I'd actually intended on writing a bit on the movie I was watching yesterday afternoon. I caught the end of one of the movies I enjoy watching, Mr. Holland's Opus. I shed a tear, like I always do. Random fact I noted: the person that eventually becomes governor in the movie, Alicia Witt, was also in Last Holiday!

I've decided to create a second Twitter account. I figured it was time to create my name, so no one else would take it. I've decided that I'm going to allow approved designated agents to post on my behalf! So, if you're interested in randomly posting "Oh, I don't believe in macaroni and cheese today, just like any other day" or "Oh, silly St. Louis Cardinals", let me know. If I trust you won't publicly profess my love or otherwise commit anything that could be considered a "crime against Briananity", I think this has the opportunity to be a fun, interesting thing to follow!

I've decided I will see I Love You, Beth Cooper when it comes out in the theaters. Anyone want to go?

Here's your countonym update! It showed up on yet another web page in the past day: an answers.yahoo.com question wondering what we wondered! Go, countonym!