A Friday at UCSB. Unfortunatley More Typical Than Not.

The young man arrives in his building's lobby having just given a friend's friend a ride home from the Greyhound station. It's something he's happy to do, he was on the receiving end of the ride at times in the past as well. As he ambles by the formal lounge, he spots a chess game going on, and tiptoes in to have a look-see. The young man is engrossed in what he thinks the next best move is, when he hears the wailing from the lobby. A girl has just come out of the elevator and is frantic, a complete jumble of words and sounds not all of which are intelligible, but both the young man and the young woman at the front desk can pick up the girl's room number, and the words "roommate" and "alcohol poisoning." Better safe than sorry, the front desk worker calls the campus emergency number. Literally before she's finished describing the situation over the phone, a CSO officer arrives via bike at the front door. By this time the young man is out in the lobby curious as to what's going on, and if he can do anything to help. He unlocks the door for the officer who hurriedly moves towards the East tower where the victim is located. Minutes later, paramedics arrive with a stretcher. The young man's eyes glaze over as he watches the stretcher rolled across the floor in front of him. His mind flashes back to the number of times in his short three year experience with this school that he's seen this situation before. He realizes he'll probably see this situation again. A different stretcher, a different person, a different reason, but all because of the same mistake.

Think that basically says it all. It's amazing how the mood around here can go from "bouncy happy cheerful excited let's party" to "slumping sad tearful depressed what have I done", in a mere few hours. I feel like I should be giving some sort of advice here, but do I really need to spell it out?

We All Do Stupid Things.

So when I rearranged my room a month or two ago I suddenly realized after everything was set back up that I was getting no sound from my rear speakers. I'd left them plugged in during the move, so after various testing and unplugging and plugging and discovering they worked when connected to one of the other slots, and software checks and different tests and such I figured the amp was fried at the rear connections. So I've been surfing ebay looking for cheap cool systems among other things, and while I was sitting here about a month later I suddenly noticed that one of the volume knobs on the amp was at the minimum. Sure enough, its the surround one. [looks sheepish]

They call me Mr. Fix It, yep they do.

Chuckle of the Day...

Gonna get crazy and try a link here, because I found it so funny. Go ahead and check this out.

Some poor soul DEFINITELY didn't find what he was looking for, as this page managed to end up at the top of the list in a search at some whack site for "whale of a girl."

Comfy Places for Cozy People

Or maybe that's Cozy places for Comfy people. Hm. Well anyway, I've been on a vendetta to find comfy spots around campus to spend my time when I'm bored between classes, or need to get my reading done, or whatever. I shall now reveal a couple to the select few bored enough to be looking for some as well. Second floor of the HSSB building, on the curved wing, about halfway down there's some nice comfy chairs in an air conditioned room with a vending machine. Very reclusive and quiet. First floor of the Chemistry building, just after you walk in there's some chairs to your left, including a bonus double one that you can basically stretch out on or do what people like me do, get bored and shift your weight or change your position every five minutes between chapters. Sure the library's nice and all, but sometimes you just gotta branch out and forge into new territory.

Finished basically the entire planning aspect of my Vegas trip today, and made almost all of the necessary phone calls and reservations. My account has dwindled as such, but its shaping up to be the most amazing trip of my life in quite some time. Ran into a few snags along the way but it looks like I've got everything all worked out. Oh, forgot to mention due to a few different issues it got backed up a week, so those looking to invade the place should do so from May 10th to the 12th. ;)

Unfortunately it looks like due to lack of funding on my real birthday I'll now be eating the free food in the dining commons. Its all good, its worth it. :)

My, The Freshmen Look Small This Year

It's too bad, too bad
Too late, so wrong
So looooooong.
It's too bad, we had
No time to rewind
Let's walk, let's talk.

Random lyrics from Nickelback's "Too Bad", not particularly interesting, catchy song though, and the one my Winamp chose to randomly shuffle to and stick in my head this morning.

There have been a lot of tours wandering around lately, and with Spring Insight this weekend there should be thousands more shuffling around campus their eyes and big as their melons, while their parents go through the age old exchange "Is this dorm where a lot of the parties are? Really? Okay Jimmy let's go back to that ugly looking one on the other side..." Its weird, I still remember walking up the middle of campus for the first time, and I remember what it looked like seeing all the buildings and so forth for the first time. I personally thought it was awesome, and to this day I can't think of a better place to spend four years with regards to weather and atmosphere. I'm sure I'll be helping many of said freshmen move in on that fateful day next year, who knows, maybe they won't be as idiotic as the recent sets (mine included). One can only hope. :)

Wednesday's my busy section day, three in a row from 2 to 5, so I better get studyin for some quizzes.

He's Makin a List, and Checkin It Twice...

Updated the word doc I'm using to back up this blog, we're up to 150+ pages now. Wonder how long it would take me to type that in one sitting. Long. Very long.

Spent a few hours today planning my Vegas trip slated for early next month, getting all the specifics down, scheduling out the three days and two nights involved, and surfing around looking for the best deals. I figure might as wel see as much as possible while I'm there, who knows when I'll have the money to go back. :) The only reason I have it this time is because its the only thing I asked for on my 21st birthday, which I'll end up celebrating that Saturday, most likely with a full day of entertainment and fun. Compared with my siblings, I've been somewhat shortchanged in the past on a number of issues involving money, so I figure I'm due.

Now for those of you thinking I'm going to go bankrupt losing all my money in the casinos, I can only tell you that's utterly not the reason I'm going. If I felt like gambling, I could take money off the hands of the freshmen on the hall, or drive a half hour north for some random weekend fun. I'm going for the shows, the entertainment, the attractions, and basically the atmosphere. The feeling of wandering around for two days living the life of the rich and famous (well, on a budget) and living it up in the most glamorous city in the world. Sure, I'll end up tossing a random dollar bill in a machine when I'm wandering through the Bellagio between the Fountains and the Cirque Du Soleil show, but I have utterly no interest in spending hours on end in a single casino. Trying to see an entire city in two days requries a lot of planning and a tight schedule, no time to be making millions along the way.

Not that I would mind if one of those random dollar bills happened to reproduce into enough to pay off the whole trip... :) There's a possibility there will be extra room in the room I'm staying in for that Friday and Saturday night (May 3rd and 4th) for those who happen to be in the area needing a place to crash. No guarantees though, check with me first. Going to be finalizing the plans this week it would appear, making the necessary reservations, and all the busywork. Ended up making a huge list of everything I wanted to see and do along with timing and prices for all of it, and then having to go through an agonizing cut off period where I had to eliminate many of the more expensive or more time consuming

My brother and sister have been utterly lazy in updating their blogs, so I've begun using the time searching for new, exciting and interesting people around the world. If you're one of them, and reading this, sign my guestbook with your blog site already, so I can be aware of your existence! ;)

A To-Do List For Life...

This is an idea I've been milling over for quite a long time now and finally decided to sit down and begin. A list as you've probably seen in many other places by many other people, of the things that I personally would like to do during this lifetime.

I've let a relatively sheltered and spoiled existence, and I'm quite aware of such. One just needs to read one of those posters that talk about "If the World had only 100 people" and then gives you the breakdown of how many would be at poverty level or below (60 as I recall) and how many are illiterate in order to realize how "good" most of us (if not all) have it. I surfed around the net taking a look at various other people's list, and travel seems to be quite popular, and that makes sense, why be ready to leave this world if you haven't seen all of it yet. One thing that seems to be different with mine is that I'm lacking materialistic items. People have things like "earn a million a year " or "live in a million dollar loft in New York" or "own a luxury car." For me when I really get down to the nitty gritty what I want to accomplish in life, money seems like a means of getting to certain things, but certainly not the end result. If I could accomplish all the things on my list without any, I wouldn't feel the need to make more than the average Joe. I think I'll be adding to the list continuously, and I don't think I'll ever accomplish everything on it. A lot of the things I've added already are ongoing, such as seeing the Olympic torch whenever it visits the United States, riding the world's fastest roller coaster at any given time (I've actually ridden three of the top five at the moment including #1), and visiting the world's highest observation deck (currently the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada). I'll probably end up categorizing the list to make it easier, because it looks like its going to be quite lengthy. Some physical personal items are running a five minute mile (I came close in high school, but never hit it) and bench pressing my weight. Then you've got the typical travel items, and "crazy" things like skydiving or bungee jumping. Other items are more random, such as publishing a book and an article in a magazine, designing my own house, and giving a performance on stage people paid to see in a musical or show of some sort. Still others are of the far-fetched variety, such as going on a spacewalk, or seeing the earth from space. Who knows though, civilian space travel might not be as far away as we think. Then we have learning sign language, and being a voice in an animated movie..

Well as you can see, the list goes on, and on. I've only mentioned a small portion of the lengthy version I've got so far, and I've still only just begun. Lofty goals sure, getting to do everything on the list would be as close to impossible as they come, but aren't we all allowed to dream?

Was hanging out with a friend at Carrow's tonight and she mentioned that experiencing "true love" was on her list. Frankly yes, I guess finding "the one" will be on mine, but whenever I think about it I always find myself settling for "well, maybe "a" one, or maybe even "anyone"." It's just not an extremely high priority at this time in my life. Through my friends and family I basically fill all the social needs I have, and although I wouldn't mind a singular person to share experiences with on a closer level, I'm not tripping over myself trying desperately to find someone to fit the mold.

Rereading that something tells me if I look back through this journal I'll find contradictory views and wants in other places. I probably change back and forth about how important finding love is to me from week to week, month to month. I guess that's where the title of this comes from, who really knows what I'm searching for?

Typical College, well, UCSB Life...

Nothing like returning home late at night and having to climb over several lifeless bodies strewn about the hallway in order to get to one's door. Even better is going to use the restroom before bed and finding not one, not two, but all three stalls full of stationary subjects in either the bent over "I'm barfing" position or the collapsed "i'm passed out in a bathroom stall" position.

Stranger still is finding a few very large dents in the wall down the hall, and hearing about how the trash can in the restroom was set on fire earlier. That's slightly more dangerous than the usual "let's teepee the bathroom" that involves wasting all the rolls of toilet paper in the bathroom making some sort of strange canopy of garbage.

I had a good night tonight, and apparently its a good thing I wasn't around to deal with all the crap that went on here.

Daylight savings it would appear, spring ahead fall back and all that, another hour gone from the day when I didn't even do anything. Alas.

To the Ends of the Earth...

At some point last year one night a friend of mine and I wandered down to the Goleta pier and out to the end, a good quarter mile out into the ocean or so. Out there, its amazing how quiet it is. When the ocean is still, you literally can't hear anything at all, just total silence other than your own movements. More impressive is that you're far enough out that if you look straight out off the end, you can't see a single light, piece of land, or anything other than total darkness. It's literally like you're standing at the End of the World, and looking down.

Decided to see if I could manage to run all the way down there and out to the end and back yesterday and made it, I figure it to be over two miles, maybe three. Hey, stop that snickering, I'm workin on it! :) One of these trips when an awesome sunset is happening I'm gonna take a camera, looking across towards UCSB's peninsula is pretty incredible from out on the end of the pier, its as if the land is just floating on the water, almost as if its a long strip of island. That, the ocean, the cliffs, and the sky filled with the radiant colors of an awesome sunset, should make a great panorama shot. :)

Another Random Encounter...

Guess its time to give third person storytelling another shot.

The young man pauses outside the fitness room door, suddenly becoming aware of the sounds within. Knowing that there's merely exercise equipment and a radio inside, he is at first confused. Extremely loud pounding is rattling the room, as if a wildebeest stampede was migrating through the room, crashing into all the equipment as it went. The young man then remembers a punching bag is one of the items that's been placed inside for recreational use, and assumes someone much more powerful than he is showing it who's boss. He knocks gingerly, but the sound from within continues. He eventually hammers on the door, and the walls stop shaking. The time it takes for the door to swing open can be measured in milliseconds. His eyes were focused on a height slightly above his own, and he realizes he's staring at nothing but the ceiling. His gazes drifts downward, and rests upon a girl no less than ten inches shorter than he, who appears to be slightly over a hundred pounds. "Thanks," he stammers, feeling sheepish, embarrassed for something only knew.

First week is over, could have been better, could have been worse. Glad I only have a 9am on Friday, gets me up but leaves the whole day ahead going into basically a three day weekend. Looks like a friend and I are going hiking Sunday, something I'm hoping to do a lot more of.

Ho Hum Dum Dee Dum

Had my last three sections today, so I've officially been to all my classes at least once. Unfortunately my Econ 2 TA speaks very poor english. I'm not one to make fun of someone due to a language barrier, I personally admire the type of person who even attempts to converse with a large group of people in a language that they are not fluent in, but it just really makes learning difficult at times, and minimizes the amount of help they can provide. My Black Studies TA seems pretty neat though, that looks like it will be an interesting class.

Turns out the friends I got the Bush tickets for over break had an awesome time in LA at the concert tonight, and I've been upgraded to a "10+++" on their scale... Course it was my fault that I screwed up getting them the tickets in the first place to the point that I had to buy some at auction on the last possible day that they could still be shipped in time... I guess they ended up being the best seats possible and one of the girls, dare I quote "got to shake the lead singer's hand and almost had an orgasm." Allllllrighty then. They even got me a lotto ticket out of appreciation, what more could a guy ask for. ;)

Finally figured out my issues with capturing TV shows to my computer, and am able to do that again with excellent results. If anyone misses a show of a popular series they're watching that doesn't repeat (I.E. 24, Amazing Race, Survivor) just let me know, and I'm sure I'll be able to download it and pass it along, if not capture it myself. What better way to watch TV than commercial free, pausable, whenever you want?

Repeated Post...

Gr, blogger has been really iffy lately, accidentally repeated a post while I was hammering away at the publish button waiting for a response.

Two Down, Forty Eight to Go.

I had the rest of my "first day" lectures today, which weren't as interesting as I thought they'd be, but hey. Why is it whenever you have a blocked together group of classes, the first or middle one will let you out way early and make you sit around waiting for the next, but the last one in the block will always keep you til the very end of class? :/ Guess I'll have more time to do the reading between classes while I sit on my duff.

My Econ classes look pretty dry, but that's kind of the point I guess. Nothing horribly exciting there, typical homework, midterm, final, etc etc. My Black Studies class however seems much more interesting. The prof used the F word at least three times during the period, waking the rest of us up whenever it happened, not something you usually hear from a traditional professor. He seems like a really cool guy though, and actually knows what he's talking about. Also doesn't believe in midterms or finals, instead assigning three papers worth 75% of the grade throughout the quarter, but they're basically on topics that we choose as long as they're related to the reading. Thus far appears to be the most interesting professor I've had thus far at UCSB, and that's pretty sad. He's now added to the "coolest people ever" list.

Disclaimer: Addition to the list is generally only temporary, and removal from the list can be swift and merciless at any time.

Got myself down to the fitness room for a pretty tough workout tonight, going to try a Tue/Thur/Sat weights and Mon/Wed/Fri Reccen racquetball/swimming routine and see where that goes. When I go over there tomorrow going to find out about intramurals too, racquetball was fun but looks like they have both indoor and outdoor soccer this quarter too, which is a much harder workout. Maybe I'll do all three, and really die. ;)

One Fiftieth of the Quarter Over...

Doesn't seem like that much if you just think of it as 10 weeks of 5 days each...

Only had one lecture today, managed to schedule 3 lectures in a row from 12:30-5 on Tuesdays and Thursdays this quarter, so those will be crowded. Gives me pretty light bookends to the week though, so I guess its worth it. Had to spend over $300 on books this quarter, and I'm still not done. Managed to pick two GEs that required like 8 texts each, should be fun reading. I guess I'll have plenty of time though between classes and during those 5 hour periods.

Big night of poker on the hall tonight, first time in at least a few months, no worries for everyone so we had a typical grand ol time throwin down some nickels and times. Had one of the bigger nights in my personal history though, which is always good to put someone in a better mood than usual.

Alas I guess I'll turn in, going to try to get back into the exercise routine now that I'm back at school, been doin pretty well for a while.

Think my goal for tomorrow is going to be talk to someone new in each of my three classes. Gotta find some way to stay awake... :)

I Got A Date!

April Fools. Har. Harhar.

Back at school, enjoying the general quietness brought about by the replacement case fans that booted the old turbines I had in there... Also having fun with the new monstrous mousepad that makes my life a whole lot easier than the dirty warped crusty tiny old one...

Stopped by Magic Mountain and even though I never actually ran into my friend (he apparently got lost on the way and never even made it to the park) still had a blast. I ended up getting a season pass since the coupon I had made the price of the season pass only about ten bucks over a regular day's admission... Now I'll be able to pop over whenever I please, lasts all year. Pretty nice deal.

One word to describe X, the newest world class roller coaster at the park, would have to be unique. It is utterly unlike anything I've ever ridden before. I only got on it once due to the fact that the line was 2+ hours all day long, but I rode in the very front, and it was just unbelievable. The face first drop at the beginning is much like if you were standing on a window sill with your back to the opening, and then just leaped backwards and outward, spread eagling your body to try to have as much of your surface area faceplant the ground as possible. Luckily it flips you over and spins you out of the way before that actually happens, but falling 200 feet in that position is quite a unique feeling. It broke down repeatedly and the line is VERY slow moving due to the complicated loading and unloading procedure, but I'd say its worth it depending on the number of hours involved.

Everywhere else the lines were basically none existant, walked onto Goliath twice in a row, even for the very front row, and the same was true for Batman and the other incredible rides there. Magic Mountain is just head and shoulders above the other thrill ride based parks I've been to, they literally have like 10 world class coasters you would ride again and again, there's always something else you haven't done. Missed out on Deja Vu the other most recent new one, but mainly because I decided to come back early around 3:00 before I got too tired, knowing I'd be able to head back over there any weekend I please for free. That's another really slow moving line, although I hear the ride is quite impressive as well. Don't think anything can touch X though. So any of you locals need a ride out there? Just pick a weekend, I'm game. ;)

The Matt Attack Is Goin Back Jack

That would go better if my name was Mack. Actually that would give a whole new meaning to it I suppose. Alas.

Two tips of the day for the computer savvy to make our lives a little easier... The first I yoinked off a friend's site. Yoinked, isn't that the coolest word ever? Jacked is good, but wears out its welcome eventually. Yoinked is new and different, gonna have to stick with it for a while. Anyway, the tip... If you type a word in Internet Explorer in the address bar for example blogger, and then hit ctrl and enter, it will automatically put in the http://www. and the .com for you! Just a bit of a time saver.

The second I figured out by accident, for a while now I've been using ctrl and 1 2 or 3 to do the first few smilies in AIM, but I'm not sure whether I just never noticed or its a new thing with the latest version, if you use ctrl and the numbers 1-8, or ctrl + shift and the numbers 1-8, you can actually do all 16 of the smilies without straying your hands from the keyboard. This is helpful for those of us who use the ctrl shift 5 sideways face an obscene amount, and before had to put up with incessant clicking to get to it.

So my dream monitor is for some reason at only 2 grand in an auction. Still a horribly high amount unfortunately, but quite a bit less than the 3.5 grand it goes for retail. So for all those of you people out in the world with millions of dollars to throw away, its still on my wish list... :)

Turns out I actually am making the trek out to Magic Mountain tomorrow, found a friend from school to go with, and since its sort of "on the way" back to UCSB and I'm not in any particular hurry to get back there and do nothing (classes don't start until Monday) might as well live it up another day. Will have to buy books on Monday I guess, but only have two classes that day anyway other than the one I'm trying to crash. Taking the last two GE classes of my life next quarter, another Classics this time Greek Mythology, and a Black Studies course that cleans out the last of my requirements. Between those and two Econ classes that are just the next in the series I took this quarter, grades should be good. Here's hopin. :)

Weather looks good for tomorrow, which is in a way a shame, the most fun I ever had at an amusement park was when I went to Magic Mountain and it just poured all day long. It was deserted, we went on all the rides like ten times, and had an absolute BLAST. Nothing like hurtling two hundred feet down a steep hill while being pummelled by thirty mile an hour winds driving horizontal rain into your face like thousands of tiny needles. :) Guess ya kinda gotta be in the mood. Park closes at 8, but we'll probably employ the "get in line for the ride with the longest wait right as it closes so they close off the line behind you and you get to stay that amount of time later than park closing to ride that last ride" strategy. I remember for Batman when it first opened we did that and even though it closed at 10pm we didn't actually leave the park until after midnight... Being able to drive home without falling asleep is always helpful though, we'll see how it goes. :)

Slightly Overestimated...

So the predictions were B's in everything cept a B+ in Econ 1.

Well, I got two B-'s and a C in the B predictions, but an A- in the B+ prediction. Overall I was off by .23 grade points. :/

Classics and Pstat were the B-'s, pretty close to what I predicted, Econ 3A was the unfortunate C, was really hoping for better than that there. Probably missed some nit picky things on the final or something, that was the lower end of the expected possible range. So I ended up not hitting the predicted 3.0, and there's plenty more room for improvement this quarter. I figure I have 4 more quarters here, and I wouldn't mind increasing my quarterly GPA for each one capping it with a 4.0 during my final quarter here. Well, wouldn't mind a 4.0 every quarter, but you gotta start somewhere. :)

Most recent search engine query that brought someone to my page was "ex-girlfriend awesome pics." Heh. Again, pretty sure they didn't find what they were looking for.

Trying to decide what to do with the full day tomorrow, might end up at a theme park, or someplace else fun, nothing really planned, that usually means spontaneity. Will be back at UCSB sometime around 1pm when the dorms open on Sunday, probably leave here at 11.

Non-Stop Entertainment...

I've been told by various friends that watching the Wilson family interact is a lot like a comedy television series in that there's always something to be laughing about. For some reason or another the five active members were informed of a "family dinner" last night scheduled for 6pm. At times this means someone got a raise or bonus and money is going to be "trickled down" to the masses, but last night we were warned in advance that was not the case. I still managed to squeeze in some time between running out of a movie and zipping off to Universal City to head over to the South Bay Grill fashionably late. The three children of the family were given the gift of humor, although depending on which of my friends you talk to there might be some disagreement there. Regardless, anyone one of them by themselves in a room is generally entertaining, but having all three firing off rounds at once is just non stop hilarity. Its a good thing they put us way back in the corner of the restaurant, because at times we can be pretty obnoxious. Highlights were the various comments about my brother's new earring (don't ask) and random digs towards my parents degenerative hearing. Come to think of it I'm pretty sure an outside onlooker wouldn't understand half the humor. We sure have a grand ol time during these rare entire family get togethers though.

Later that night I ended up heading out to the Universal City Hilton, where I hung out with a friend who had been put up there by a company she had an all day job interview with the next day. Pretty nice place, still never been to Universal Studios, going to have to get on that one of these days. It was just like old times, ended up jabberin away well into the morning even though she had to be up at 6. I think things are finally to the point that I can stop saying "most recent ex" and start saying "friend", like I do with everyone else. Its a good feeling, after the years we spent together she still knows more about me than anyone, and its nice to have her be a phone call away if I ever need someone who knows. I think vice versa is also true, its going to be quite a while before she can say she's had a longer relationship than ours. I've always said that a man and a woman can only be truly platonic if there is no physical attraction whatsoever, or if there is they've already tried things out and found out it didn't work. Everyone else is just pretending the feelings aren't there, and that might come out to bite them at some point. So I'd say Project "Regain a Friend" is now over, up next is Project "Find The One." Think the timing on that one is gonna be a bit more lengthy. :)

Was watching tennis just now (hey, its past midnight, what else is on) and checking out the new computerized "ShotSpot" as they call it. Its basically a computer recreation of the shot that just happened, showing exactly where the ball hit on the court including the complete skid mark caused by the compression of the ball, and where it falls in relation to the line. They say its accurate to less than a millimeter. Yet they still have several line judges making the calls. Its just another example of a computer that will eventually replace a biped when it comes to a specific task or job. In the long run I guess it will be better to be positive that the correct call was made every time, but isn't half the fun blaming the ref for your mistake? :)

Three's A Crowd...

So I'm behind on movie reviews, watched two last night and another tonight, alas this is what I busy myself with while at home most of the time.

Tuesday night I went down to the AMC 20 and amazingly enough they let me use one of my free movie passes I got through my Moviewatcher card back in 7/99 which had been sitting in my wallet ever since then... The trick with those is the movie has to have been out at least two weeks and I never see stuff that late, but finally I went to go see A Beautiful Mind which had been out for much longer than that. I don't know if I would vote it Best Picture of the year, but it was pretty good. Better I think if you don't know the story behind the real person going in, otherwise you're sort of cheating when it comes to certain plot elements. We'll go 4 M's out of 7.

I then theater hopped over to Ice Age since getting one movie for free just isn't enough... As expected the little furball guy from the preview was the funniest part, although he had a pretty minor part in the movie. There were some pretty funny sections, but nothing that had me rolling on the ground or anything. Typical animation fare, although not as good as some. We'll go 4 M's here too.

Then tonight I met up with a couple friends from the high school days and after major miscommunication regarding times, well not really just the fact that everyone was late, we ended up seeing Showtime, the new comedy with Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy. This I found quite funny, with some cool shoot em up scenes and car chases to boot, boosting this one up into the 5 M range. They even had the bloopers during the credits, but they weren't as funny as some movies such as Exit Wounds or A Bug's Life. Overall pretty decent movies and judging from the previews its going to be a busy spring and summer.

More later I was out late tonight and am thus tired.

DONT TELL ME! Too late.

Since I got home later Sunday evening, I had my mom tape the Oscars for me. I figured I'd be able to watch them the next day without risking finding out who won. Well, I was stupid enough to check my e-mail and see the major award winners of the front page... Then while toasting myself up some waffles I glanced the wrong way and saw the front page of the Calendar section my mom had left out... Then just in case I had managed to block it out of my mind, while walking by Starbucks later my "always wanting to read something" eyes spied even more results in the newspaper on the table to my left as I passed by. I was the kid who read about pyrodoxine hydrochloride on the cereal box during breakfasts, but man does that get annoying sometimes.

I eventually watched the ceremony, although knowing the end results always makes it somewhat anti climactic. If there's one guy I think is pure genius, its John Williams. That guy has done just everything. I can't imagine what it must take to create a powerful and unforgettable theme to a movie such as Jaws, Star Wars, or E.T., from thin air. I read later he's been nominated for an Oscar forty times. FORTY. Geez. Amazing.

I thought the show overall was pretty good, its length drastically reduced by fast forwarding through commercials. Don't think they really needed to squeeze in Halle Berry thanking her lawyer, but John Williams is too nice a guy to cut anyone off, that was obvious throughout.

The other abnormal event from yesterday was getting an invitation from the latest ex now friend to go out to lunch and run some errands... Ordinarily this wouldn't be very significant except for the fact I hadn't seen her at all since oh, a year ago or so... Actually not counting a quick run in up north at that time, I hadn't seen her since the break about a year and a half ago... So yeah, the weirdness level at first was kind of like, well, high.

I did my best to act normal, and I'm pretty sure that's the way it came off. Just same ol same ol, wandering around, cracking jokes, exchanging barbs, ripping on each other's other significant others. Other three times in four words looks a bit strange. It did seem more like a uh, business meeting than a couple of friends hanging out at times, but just the fact that she was willing to take the initial step was huge for her, I think. I think the fact that she's locked up in trying to get over and avoid the latest ex is helping her take baby steps in learning to communicate with me again.

I don't have anything to gain from pushing the envelope, so I've been letting her move at her own speed. My only goal with her is to regain the level of friendship we once had, nothing more than that. It's slow going, but I think in the long run things will work out.