May 2006 Archives

All right. Clearly I need to get back on a regular posting schedule. When the weather gets warmer and the Memorial Day holiday starts hitting you, it gets more and more difficult to think about spending more time at the keyboard. I've also had my fair share of business at work to attend to, not to mention the stresses and adventures of finding another place to live by August.

That last one is a definite attention-grabber. In less than a year living here, I already have learned a lot about the area and the ups and downs of apartment hunting. Of course, I have one advantage of Summer 2005 Bret: I actually have a homebase to work from and an army of acquaintances who can give me tips about where to live. Plus, Josh and I can check out places during the weeknights and possibly get the scoop on other unsuspecting renters. I'll keep you posted on the next and latest chapters in Apartment Hunt 2006!

There are so many other things I need to talk about, too. Like the Man Event, which was everything it should have been. (Plus, I came in third in the TSPN World Series of Poker and won my money back - my highest ranking ever!)

But that's not exactly new news at this point. I'll try to catch you up over the course of the next week, but it will be challenging, for Tom and Amy's wedding is this weekend. I've done a lot of reflecting on things during my time back in West Virginia, and I'd like to share them with you, too. But not tonight! Tonight is for wanting to see X-Men: The Last Stand.

Look here, kids, I've posted a few more sets to Flickr to make up for the fact that I'm too tired to write anything meaningful. Three cheers for Flickr, its updated (and seriously improved Organizr) interface, and the wonders of sleep!

Poor trains.

Graduation was great, Blacksburg's illness-inducing weather aside. Congratulations, all of you '06 people. And, what's more, Steve and I both scored well enough on the GMAT that neither one of us should have to take it again. That's a good thing.

If you haven't taken this test before, let me give you fair warning: not only is the quantitative section tricky, requiring split-second time management and a supreme control of logic, but the testing center's security procedures make you feel like you're checking into a penthouse suite at Guantanamo Bay. I now realize just why the thing cost $250 to take. The testing center had to pay for the DMV-style ID cameras, fingerprint scanners, deadbolt doors, and dry-erase notepads, along with all the other latest gadgets in computer-based testing. If you do end up taking some graduate school entrance exam, be prepared. Get a Q briefing, or at least allow yourself plenty of extra time to check-in!

I apologize for my absence. The GMAT is tomorrow, and I've been pretending to study most of the week. I just can't get myself too motivated for this test. I'm pretty sure it's not the make-or-break factor for getting into grad school, at least not at the main school I'm looking to get into. I definitely did have to plop down $250 to take the darn thing, though, so I should be wanting to make sure I never have to take it again. Sometimes I think testmakers have the shrewdest business out there: they charge students exorbitant amounts to take tests that they must pass in order to do anything else in the future. These people have the market cornered! It's not like you can go out and take a generic, off-brand GMAT or pick up an imitation test from a shady street vendor who has them stuffed under his jacket.

So, with this perspective and a somewhat laid-back attitude, Steve and I will be braving the wonders of Bethesda to not only find our test center on time, but also to make it back alive. No matter what happens, the one advantage to taking a four-hour computer-based test like this is that we'll know our scores immediately after finishing. So, that could either make our day or ruin it entirely, leaving us daydreaming of other ways we could have spent our $250.

Actually, the score's not going to affect me too much either way, because I'm heading down to Blacksburg for the 2006 VT graduation. Yes, this is a last minute change of plans, but boy am I looking forward to it! It's been too long since I've seen my girlfriend in person. And it's a cool time to be in the 'burg, too. The days surrounding graduation, while crowded, are also very happy for the graduates and their families. Maybe I'll see you down there!

Well, now that the rain has come and is washing away the pretty weekend weather we had, I'm going to announce a few things here on the blog. First off, I forgot to mention the addition of Josh to the blogroll to the right. He'll soon be taking over Myspace.com. Second, lots of people have been making great posts in that blogroll, so check all of them out when you get a chance. I continue to believe that blogging brings out the inner writer in many people.

Finally, tonight I completed a music project I've been working on. It's a cover of "Grey Street" I did to test out my new recording software. So if you want it, let me know and I'll give you the link. The success of this project also heralds some future features of Project BS: I plan on writing and composing more songs, as well as archiving audio from mine and Stuart's band days as U.S. 52. It will be a grand journey... through time! And of course, those of you who keep up with this will get to hear some of what I work on.

And on another final note, apparently the Kentucky Derby was this weekend. I think I blinked and missed it...

My, how the week has flown! I've been trying to be a good test-taking student again by studying for the GMAT during my free evenings this week. It's worked out marginally well, even though I'm being selfish and taking time out to post tonight.

But this will be a short post.

There have been a few kids around our apartment complex who, over the last few weeks, have been outside digging holes in our volleyball court every evening. Kids don't bother me, and it's funny to overhear them playing games that I would probably have come up with at their age, but Josh has also said they're out there for most of the day, as well. Don't they go to school? Are they home-schooled and their latest lesson is in sand-trench-digging? Occasionally, I'll come home from work and see a giant hole; other times, I'll see a raised sandbar disecting the court. Often there will be large sticks poking out everywhere.

I don't want to stifle budding young stick artists, but the Trench Diggers (as we so aptly have named them) might indirectly cause us some harm the next time we go out to play volleyball. Bump, set, spike... then fall into a giant hole that was covered by twigs and leaves. Then again, we've only played volleyball twice since we've been here, but I aim to fix that soon. I may wear shoes when I do, though - nothing says pain like a plastic shovel, pine cone, or stick jabbing your foot.

All right, kids, it's time for an experiment in liveblogging. Rachel suggested that I try my turn at commenting on a 24 episode as it happens, much like the famous and funny Dave Barry has done in recent seasons. Well, I've enlisted the help of my roommate, Josh, and we're going to do just that tonight. Consider this a test. If it works out well, perhaps we'll keep doing it. If you're reading this while 24 is on, be sure to keep refreshing to get the goods.

UPDATE: We'd better get some graphic violence tonight!

UPDATE: How much do you want to bet Buchanan hides Chloe behind one of his curtains?

UPDATE: Buchanan's gonna give them a showwwwwwwww!

UPDATE: That guy is totally checking out Chloe's laptop.

UPDATE: What comes after L? BOW! To the face!

UPDATE: Jack just hugged him to death.

UPDATE: The First Boobs just spilled the .. beans?

UPDATE: Chloe can make her own Wi-Fi, Creepy Hotel Bar Man. She also carries a mean machine gun.

UPDATE: The captain isn't Peter Graves. How disappointing. They might need Striker soon, and that guy just realized he's the worst Air Marshal ever.

UPDATE: Mike has something for her. Something to make her feel allllll right.

UPDATE: Chloe is AWESOME! She busted out the Zoltan taser.

UPDATE: The stewardess, er flight attendant, is having the worst day of her life.

UPDATE: "Be careful, Jack. Most things in here don't react well to bullets." Picture that in Sean Connery's Russian accent, and you'll start to be close.

UPDATE: Well, at least they let Buchanan put his shirt back on.

UPDATE: Hass-kisser has had his feelings hurt THREE TIMES in the last hour. Poor guy.

UPDATE: Where's Curtis and Robocop and Audrey? Was the airport that far out??

UPDATE: We love Chloe! We love her taser! We love Chloe's tasers!

UPDATE: The co-pilot did it! In the cabin! With the monkey wrench!!

UPDATE: What he doesn't know is that Jack Bauer could fly this plane with his TEETH.

UPDATE: SOMEbody's sleeping on the First Sofa Bed tonight.

Tune in next time, for Jack Baeur: Airline Pilot, who will land the plane on an island somewhere in the Pacific, looking for this guy.