January 2004 Archives

For all my Spanish-speaking buddies, I hope I got that title right. Whether I did or not, I'm officially 22 years old today. People are poking fun at me, saying I'm old and whatnot (and I guess I am older than at least the underclassmen here), but I really don't feel that different. I've just realized today that I'm a pretty lucky guy. Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday, whether we got to talk today or not!

In other news, a couple of viruses have spread across the globe over the past couple of days. They've made a nice little nest in the VT mail servers, as well, which has essentially shut off our e-mail service for the bulk of the week. So if you've sent me something to the VT address, it'll be a few days more before I get a chance to reply. I'd just like to say that I need my sweet, delicious e-mail! It's amazing how much we rely on this form of communication now. It's like we're in 1992 all over again. Gives me the jibblies. In the meantime, if you want to reach me by e-mail, you could try bretS32@NOSPAMhotmail.com. It's a backup, since my Project BS one is down for maintenance.

Well, I'm out. Gotta try to get some sleep tonight. Thanks again, everybody: good night, have a pleasant tomorrow, hug a kid, try the veal, I'm here all week, peace.

"They cannot scare me with their empty spaces Between stars--on stars where no human race is. I have it in me so much nearer home To scare myself with my own desert places."
-Robert Frost

I enjoy my Tuesday / Thursday schedule. The only negative point about it is that my first of two classes is at 8 AM, but even that isn't haunting me as much as it did my freshman year. My second class of the day is Modern American Literature, a title that may sound threatening or dull to some of you. But the reason I decided to take an English minor in the first place was for a breath of fresh air from all the engineering and technical classes, and this one sure delivers. It's reminding me what it's like to read truly exceptional writing, and I'm gaining a new appreciation for poetry. In past years, I've struggled to comprehend what some of these poets were saying, but since we've started reading Frost in class, I'm finding that I actually get most of it. I can identify with it, and that's not only pretty cool, but also what he was arguably trying to do in the first place.

Well, the Monkey Year has sure been interesting so far. What other unexpected twist could it possibly hold in just its first month? How about the second VT snow day in two years? That'd probably work, and that's just what we got today. I'm not complaining, though.

The weekend was interesting enough, though I didn't get to see Gina after all. :( I did, however, attend a GE Leadership Conference at the Hotel Roanoke. Nice digs and lots of nice, free food. It was cool catching up with a few of the co-ops from last semester and hanging out with Fred, who also went. I learned a few things at the conference: one, I lean toward the Analytical social style. Two, you can play the card game Thirteen with about five people, but it's not recommended. Three, it still takes me about two games to really get my pool skills sharp (though Fred and I managed to keep the table once or twice). Four, building a bridge out of paper plates, cups, straws, and large sheets of paper is more difficult than you might think. And five, it's very cool to go to one of these events with so many like-minded and ambitious people. It definitely started to get me more motivated to finish up school and figure out what I want to do after I graduate. I even found out about a few more options that I hadn't considered before. Boo-yah. I didn't take any pictures, but here's a general shoutout to everyone I met over the weekend.

School isn't cancelled tomorrow, so off I go to get some rest. And oh yeah: iPod in approximately T minus 1 day.

Today begins the 15-day celebration of the Chinese New Year. Well, at least they're beginning the celebration in China today, but because of the time difference, the Chinese New Year actually began yesterday for us here in the U.S. I usually don't pay much attention to this, mainly because I don't use a lunar calendar, but I must admit that this year has caught my attention. Why? Because 2004 is the year of the Monkey! The Green Wooden Monkey, to be more precise.

As we all know, monkeys are pretty funny. (Haven't you always wanted a monkey?) So I'm taking this as a good sign that this year will turn out pretty spankin' good after all, despite the rocky start of the spring semester. It's got potential, kid. Let's hear it for the monkeys!

I'm finished with the third full day of classes in this spring semester-o-fun, and I'm already pretty tired. Rather, I should probably say that I'm still tired from this weekend's news and the typical sleep pattern adjustments. That being said, I'm coming into this set of classes with a different perspective. One side of this is that a good bit of my friends, acquaintances, and random faces I recognize in classes are going to be graduating in May. The other side is that I've been in the "real world" for the better part of a year.

All in all, this has probably been the rockiest start for a semester for me, but it's still not gonna be that bad. My professors include the current and previous ISE department heads, a Puerto Rican guy who likes to talk about transportation (a lot), a straight-talking and wry businessman, a slow-talking accountant lady, and a pretty cool English professor whom I've had for a class before. It's an interesting crew. Mostly boring material, but an interesting crew nonetheless. It's still a good thing I know people in all but two of my classes.

If there are any interesting developments as the semester draws on, I'll be sure to post them. Once I make my sleep adjustments, I'll probably even start posting about more interesting stuff again. I'm heading to a GE Leadership Conference and to see Gina this weekend, then coming back in time for the Wesley Olympics, so hopefully I'll get some sleep while I can.

I don't usually do this-is-what-I'm-feeling-at-the-moment posts, but:

It's strange how quickly things can turn in one day. This semester is going to be radically different from what I originally thought. My roommate Ben can't come back to school right now. Gina most likely won't be able to either, due to an emergency surgery she had to undergo this afternoon. Though it went well, she may end up taking the semester off to fully recuperate. I don't think I can even really express how big a jolt this is to everyone and to me. For lack of any better terminology, it just sucks.

It stinks; it's terrible. Take your pick.

Yesterday afternoon, my mom, Evelyn, and I arrived in Blacksburg to a bitterly cold wind. (At least it wasn't as cold as it is in the Northeast, though - my cold toes go out to you guys.) I mean, I've survived three other Blacksburg winters, so I'm used to that. We spent the rest of the evening cleaning, unpacking, and shopping for groceries before we collapsed from exhaustion.

I like making little improvements to my room every time I come back to it. It's an ongoing process, really. This semester's latest features are:

• The coolest flip-top garbage can I think I've ever seen.
• A new, very comfortable chair that doesn't jut out into the room's main (and only) walking area, so now I won't destroy my computer desk and break my kneecaps on my way to the bathroom. Plus it feels nice to touch.

Nearly every set of improvements comes with a slight problem, however. Sometimes it's the window not sealing up, letting in the sub-arctic air; sometimes it's the pipes rattling. I'm currently writing this entry to the beat of my constantly-dripping shower head. It was fun for a while last night; the rhythm seemed to match perfectly with Phil Collins' version of "You Can't Hurry Love" in my head, but I think I'll call the plumbers today, too.

I'm now off to find room for a few more posters and random decorations I've collected over the fall. Cheers!

Well, about a month later, my break is almost over. All my junk's packed up, and mom and I will be heading out tomorrow morning for the journey back to Blacksburg. I must say that the new semester is coming with mixed feelings on my end. Sure, this has been one of the most productive breaks for me yet - I've accomplished pretty much everything I set out to do when I got home - but even after four years of this, there's still something bittersweet about leaving home again. Maybe because I realize I'll only have a few more stays like this before I get a job and get shipped off to the real world. Eh, I'll take that fork in the road when I get to it.

My last day home has been cool, despite the packing. I headed up to Stuart's for a last-minute jam session, and it was like we'd never stopped playing music together. He had a bunch of songs semi-recorded, as always, and I had a few ideas bouncing around my head, so we just let it all flow out and had a grand ol' time. We ended up with five good songs that will probably be EP-worthy. That was my goal, at least, 'cause I was craving some more stuff by us. An EP would fill that missing niche nicely.

He also finally came up with a moniker for our group that we both liked, since U.S. 52 had become slightly dated. We are now Hello To The Ghost. It has a nice ring to it, I think. It feels good to be collaborating on some music again, and with any luck it'll get my mind churning on some of my own songs.

When next I write, I'll be back in the burg of Black. Huzzah!

It's been a steady week. While a lot of my friends seem to be anxious to get back to school, I'm perfectly content to stay at home. It's not that I'm not looking forward to the semester - I am - but I've kept myself occupied with webpagery, cleaning, watching Christmas DVDs, and other various creative side projects.

It's a happy time.

Which makes the dream I had last night that much more out of place and weird. I was at my Grandma's house with a bunch of kids, whom I didn't recognize and wasn't related to. We were all on the front porch, except for one boy who was playing out in the yard. In a twist of events that only a dream can deliver, tiny hands began popping out of the ground near the boy, trying to grab him.

What happens when you have a bunch of entries that drone on? Does the template work like it's supposed to then?

Edit: I had a bunch of text copied over from MovableType's website here to test the behavior of the sidebar. (That's what sparked Gina's comment about "English, please", I believe.) All is well, and if you really want to read it again, you could just find it on their site.

Hi. Welcome to the new place. It's nowhere near finished, but I'm too wigged out from installing MovableType to worry with all the style issues. For now, look at all the pretty blue-and-gray contrasts. And to look at some pictures, you can still go to the Photo Page. And you can still look at the old blog here, too.

I'll get the kinks worked out in a jiffy, don't worry.

Happy New Year again, everyone! I've been having a great time so far in 2004. My trip to Suffolk to visit Gina was fantastic, and as soon as I sort through the rest of my galleries, you'll see some pictures from the whole week. Before I stray too far, I should mention the latest in pet news. I had recently reported that my dog, Biscuit, had disappeared; however, she returned a few days later! I was certainly relieved to hear the news, though she was extremely weak when she crawled back to our doorstep. Mom and Dad nursed her back to health, and I'm happy to report that she's doing fine. Firecracker, the fish I bought Gina, pulled an ODB trick by playing dead for a while. That scare has also passed; luckily, Gina's mom discovered he still had breath left in him before it was too late.

I'm working on some neat new things for the site here, including a slew of new photo galleries, so do stay tuned. Won't you? Cheers, ya'll, and here's to a happy 2004.