Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Monday, November 29, 2004
DISCLAIMER!!!! THIS IS A LONG POST. DO NOT START READING UNLESS YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE TO DO FOR A WHILE. AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DO READ IT, THANK YOU. IT MEANS A LOT TO ME THAT YOU'D SPEND THIS TIME LISTENING TO WHAT I HAVE TO SAY. I APPRECIATE IT.
Christmas.....the time of year when you spend all your hard earned money on....other people. Which is great. I will always believe that buying someone something they love is better than buying something for yourself. you'll feel better, trust me. Unless you have no heart. I woke up this morning for some reason thinking about what I'd do with a million dollars. And the next thought that popped into my mind was "would I take it if it meant I had to relocate and leave everything and everyone I knew behind." And the answer most obviously is no.
But back to Christmas gifts. They are a tricky thing. I'm one of those people that likes to get everyone a great gift - something that they're gonna be like "hey, look what Andy got me."
SIDE NOTE - The Staples commercial where the grandma tries to take a christmas picture with the stapler just came on. Hilarious. Never ceases to amaze me. I don't care if the commercial is trying to say that grandma's dropping hints. I just pretend that the old lady really thinks it's a camera. Much funnier that way. Back to what I was talking about.
Sometimes presents find themselves. You're in the mall looking for something completely different, yet you see something out of the corner of your eye that is like "my god! It's perfect!" Other times, people drop you hints that make it easy. This works great with peripheral people in your life. Your cousins, friends you don't see much, roommates you aren't particularly fond of, what have you. However, with the people you are closest too, you don't want to give into one of their hints. Even though they might like the gift, you know they're thinking "man I had to spell it out for that idiot." Therein lies the problem. If you eschew the hints, you're really on your own. You're definitely rolling the dice. You could find something they weren't expecting that they love, or you could find them something they weren't expecting because they really didn't want it. It's extremely frustrating.
What further complicates things is the timing of the purchase. You can buy the present months in advance, but then what if they decide to get it for themselves? You then also have to worry about secrecy. You can tell other people, but then you have to trust them not to drop hints. major problem if you get something good. When you know someone's getting a humdinger of a present, don't you wanna say "Damn dude, your present is SA-WEET!" Which then piques interest and you have to hope that curiosity doesn't get the better of anyone. Or you can wait til the last minute, but then everyone else has already done their shopping and you're really pigeon-holed into what you have to buy. This usually means you have to buy the person the only thing left on their list. You know why there's only one thing left on the list? Because it's a shitty present! Everyone else has already bought the good stuff.
I love the holidays, but I hate the holidays. I know you all feel the same.
Christmas.....the time of year when you spend all your hard earned money on....other people. Which is great. I will always believe that buying someone something they love is better than buying something for yourself. you'll feel better, trust me. Unless you have no heart. I woke up this morning for some reason thinking about what I'd do with a million dollars. And the next thought that popped into my mind was "would I take it if it meant I had to relocate and leave everything and everyone I knew behind." And the answer most obviously is no.
But back to Christmas gifts. They are a tricky thing. I'm one of those people that likes to get everyone a great gift - something that they're gonna be like "hey, look what Andy got me."
SIDE NOTE - The Staples commercial where the grandma tries to take a christmas picture with the stapler just came on. Hilarious. Never ceases to amaze me. I don't care if the commercial is trying to say that grandma's dropping hints. I just pretend that the old lady really thinks it's a camera. Much funnier that way. Back to what I was talking about.
Sometimes presents find themselves. You're in the mall looking for something completely different, yet you see something out of the corner of your eye that is like "my god! It's perfect!" Other times, people drop you hints that make it easy. This works great with peripheral people in your life. Your cousins, friends you don't see much, roommates you aren't particularly fond of, what have you. However, with the people you are closest too, you don't want to give into one of their hints. Even though they might like the gift, you know they're thinking "man I had to spell it out for that idiot." Therein lies the problem. If you eschew the hints, you're really on your own. You're definitely rolling the dice. You could find something they weren't expecting that they love, or you could find them something they weren't expecting because they really didn't want it. It's extremely frustrating.
What further complicates things is the timing of the purchase. You can buy the present months in advance, but then what if they decide to get it for themselves? You then also have to worry about secrecy. You can tell other people, but then you have to trust them not to drop hints. major problem if you get something good. When you know someone's getting a humdinger of a present, don't you wanna say "Damn dude, your present is SA-WEET!" Which then piques interest and you have to hope that curiosity doesn't get the better of anyone. Or you can wait til the last minute, but then everyone else has already done their shopping and you're really pigeon-holed into what you have to buy. This usually means you have to buy the person the only thing left on their list. You know why there's only one thing left on the list? Because it's a shitty present! Everyone else has already bought the good stuff.
I love the holidays, but I hate the holidays. I know you all feel the same.
Another Day, Another Dollar
The problem with four day weekends is that they're just long enough that you get comfortable not doing anything just about the time that you need to start working again. I know that in about 3 hours I need to be at the boys and girls club, but in no way am I prepared mentally to do that.
You ever have a dream that involves someone that you haven't thought about for a long time? Why does that happen? I know scientists will tell you that some part of your brain not used during consciousness is being accessed during REM sleep or whatever, but still. And people that believe that dreams symbolize something or that there's something almost supernatural about dreams will say that it's a sign that you either need to contact that person or something is going to happen to that person or they'll be back in your life unexpectedly or some crap like that. I'm sure that the scientists are right, but it bothers me that there's a part of my brain I can't control or access myself. And with some of the dreams I have, I have to wonder if the part I can't control is as big or bigger than the part I can control.
Rachel has had a profound impact on my life ever since I met her. But this weekend, she even influenced me to start christmas shopping in November. That's like violating rule one in the procrastinator's handbook. Yet I'm almost halfway done. It's almost scary. I know Joel is gonna read this and start shaking his head and go "Doggy, what happened to you." Sorry man, I know you liked the irresponsible, set himself up to fail Andy. And to an extent I liked him too. I feel kind of like Robin Williams in his movie version of Peter Pan, how he waited forever to grow up, but then finally did. I just took way longer than anyone else to grow up. And probably someday when I'm in my forties I'm going to relapse and start hanging out with my kid's friends and wearing the latest fashions and buy the latest cd's, but I'll burn that bridge when I get to it.
You ever have a dream that involves someone that you haven't thought about for a long time? Why does that happen? I know scientists will tell you that some part of your brain not used during consciousness is being accessed during REM sleep or whatever, but still. And people that believe that dreams symbolize something or that there's something almost supernatural about dreams will say that it's a sign that you either need to contact that person or something is going to happen to that person or they'll be back in your life unexpectedly or some crap like that. I'm sure that the scientists are right, but it bothers me that there's a part of my brain I can't control or access myself. And with some of the dreams I have, I have to wonder if the part I can't control is as big or bigger than the part I can control.
Rachel has had a profound impact on my life ever since I met her. But this weekend, she even influenced me to start christmas shopping in November. That's like violating rule one in the procrastinator's handbook. Yet I'm almost halfway done. It's almost scary. I know Joel is gonna read this and start shaking his head and go "Doggy, what happened to you." Sorry man, I know you liked the irresponsible, set himself up to fail Andy. And to an extent I liked him too. I feel kind of like Robin Williams in his movie version of Peter Pan, how he waited forever to grow up, but then finally did. I just took way longer than anyone else to grow up. And probably someday when I'm in my forties I'm going to relapse and start hanging out with my kid's friends and wearing the latest fashions and buy the latest cd's, but I'll burn that bridge when I get to it.
Thursday, November 25, 2004
Evil, Thy Name is Rooster
Corvallis has long been thought of as a backwards farm town, what with the smell of cow manure wafting through the city every so often, the horses that hang out on the corner of 35th and Western, and the fact that we offer cosmopolitan majors such as crop sciences and livestock management. Now I thought that our little city was starting to outgrow its agricultural roots, what with a new movie theater and a bigtime football stadium being constructed. But nothing says down on the farm like a rooster.
I don't know who owns this rooster, but it lives somewhere east of our bedroom. And nearly every morning I'm wrested from the jaws of sleep by this infernal fowl. Last night was the coup de grace though. That damn chicken with an ego decided to start welcoming in the new day at 12:30 am. I don't know if a band of punk kids got a flashlight and were shining it in the little buggers eyes or what, but this was ridiculous. Have you ever tried to sleep with a rooster crowing? Damn near impossible. Now I know the area east of our apartments - there's no farms there. There's a few apartment complexes, some houses, and I think an appliance store. Why anyone needs a rooster is beyond me. I can't imagine it's cheaper than an alarm clock, what with feeding it and all. Unless it's some hippie that thinks electricity is the bain of existence. I swear, living with a train rumbling by not more than 50 feet from my window was easier to take than this freakin' bird. I can rest a little easier tonight knowing that it's thanksgiving and I'll be eating his cousin for dinner. I might go back for seconds just out of spite.
I don't know who owns this rooster, but it lives somewhere east of our bedroom. And nearly every morning I'm wrested from the jaws of sleep by this infernal fowl. Last night was the coup de grace though. That damn chicken with an ego decided to start welcoming in the new day at 12:30 am. I don't know if a band of punk kids got a flashlight and were shining it in the little buggers eyes or what, but this was ridiculous. Have you ever tried to sleep with a rooster crowing? Damn near impossible. Now I know the area east of our apartments - there's no farms there. There's a few apartment complexes, some houses, and I think an appliance store. Why anyone needs a rooster is beyond me. I can't imagine it's cheaper than an alarm clock, what with feeding it and all. Unless it's some hippie that thinks electricity is the bain of existence. I swear, living with a train rumbling by not more than 50 feet from my window was easier to take than this freakin' bird. I can rest a little easier tonight knowing that it's thanksgiving and I'll be eating his cousin for dinner. I might go back for seconds just out of spite.
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Just Another Day in Paradise
Last night, I watched NYPD Blue for the first time ever. Dennis Franz has got to hold some kind of record for playing the same character for the most continuous seasons. That show has been on for like 15 years, hasn't it? Perhaps the strangest part of the show was the fact that Mark Paul Gosselaaaaaar (or however you spell it) is on it. How did Zack Morris turn into a detective? There was a scene where he was involved in a shootout with a criminal, and I half expected him to call time-out and say "Is this guy serious? If he shoots me, I may never get to take Kelly to the senior prom. I gotta find that twink Screech!" Then he'd take the bad guy's gun, replace it with a hot dog, call time in and run away.
I woke up this morning thinking "how can I get out of this day?" Yesterday, I stupidly agreed to take an extra shift at the ticket office. That meant working 8-12 at the ticket office, and then 1-7 at the Boys and Girls Club. 10 hours of mind numbing boredom. Or so I thought. Turns out Dan came in to work today, and we just talked sports all day. Made the time fly. He actually brought up Patrick McCall. Who has actually thought about Patrick McCall since the 2001 Fiesta Bowl? Amazing. We also decided that sports are way better than real life. I mean, you watch the news, and it's all rapes, murders and kidnappings. You watch ESPN, and it's all.....rapes, murders and illegitimate children. Ok, maybe not the best example, but you've got Sprewell saying things like "$10 million is insulting, I have a family to feed." How big is his family? You've got the whole brawl in Detroit, and you've got Michigan feeling insulted that Ohio State subjected them to a drug search before the game. It's so amusing.
Then, I was trying to think of something, anything, to get myself out of going to the boys and girls club. I tried to convince myself that I was sick, and it almost worked. Carls Jr. and I didn't agree at lunch today. But it wasn't anything that I could justify taking off. But lo and behold, Pat and Jesse both showed up, and we played basketball for like 3 hours straight and it was quite amusing. Amazingly, after about 6 months of being there, I'm starting to learn the kids names too. Today I learned who Josh and Virginia were....yay for me. Yep...things were good....except for when I tried to save the ball and hit the small Asian girl square in the face. Funny for everyone else, but embarrasing for both her and me. Plus, they let me go early. Yuppie! Only bad news of the day is that Mom is sick and not coming to Thanksgiving dinner. Sucks, but I'll see her Friday nonetheless. And, I'll talk to all of you soon enough. Much love, and Happy Thanksgiving!
I woke up this morning thinking "how can I get out of this day?" Yesterday, I stupidly agreed to take an extra shift at the ticket office. That meant working 8-12 at the ticket office, and then 1-7 at the Boys and Girls Club. 10 hours of mind numbing boredom. Or so I thought. Turns out Dan came in to work today, and we just talked sports all day. Made the time fly. He actually brought up Patrick McCall. Who has actually thought about Patrick McCall since the 2001 Fiesta Bowl? Amazing. We also decided that sports are way better than real life. I mean, you watch the news, and it's all rapes, murders and kidnappings. You watch ESPN, and it's all.....rapes, murders and illegitimate children. Ok, maybe not the best example, but you've got Sprewell saying things like "$10 million is insulting, I have a family to feed." How big is his family? You've got the whole brawl in Detroit, and you've got Michigan feeling insulted that Ohio State subjected them to a drug search before the game. It's so amusing.
Then, I was trying to think of something, anything, to get myself out of going to the boys and girls club. I tried to convince myself that I was sick, and it almost worked. Carls Jr. and I didn't agree at lunch today. But it wasn't anything that I could justify taking off. But lo and behold, Pat and Jesse both showed up, and we played basketball for like 3 hours straight and it was quite amusing. Amazingly, after about 6 months of being there, I'm starting to learn the kids names too. Today I learned who Josh and Virginia were....yay for me. Yep...things were good....except for when I tried to save the ball and hit the small Asian girl square in the face. Funny for everyone else, but embarrasing for both her and me. Plus, they let me go early. Yuppie! Only bad news of the day is that Mom is sick and not coming to Thanksgiving dinner. Sucks, but I'll see her Friday nonetheless. And, I'll talk to all of you soon enough. Much love, and Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
This n' That
Things I heard at the Boys and Girls Club last night:
"You know what's strange? I always seem to get hit with people's left arm. I think maybe it's cause I'm right handed."
"My Mom dated a cop for a while. He was hot!" "He was not! He was old, ugly and he was a SHERIFF, not a cop."
"Can I have a piece of paper and a pencil? I want to draw a condor."
Then I had a dream last night that I was in a class at the university of Kansas with Larry Brown, now coach of the Pistons. And somehow we ended up in the group and our class project was to steal a toilet from a mansion that was being renovated. But the guy that lived there was this creepy guy that looked like he belonged in the movie Van Helsing. So me and this quiet girl that never talks had to distract his butler, who looked more like a bodyguard, while Larry snuck upstairs and put the toilet on the dumbwaiter and lowered it down. It gets a little fuzzy from there, but I think something went wrong and it turned out the quiet girl had magic powers and saved Larry and I from certain death. Good times. I'm off to work.....adios!
"You know what's strange? I always seem to get hit with people's left arm. I think maybe it's cause I'm right handed."
"My Mom dated a cop for a while. He was hot!" "He was not! He was old, ugly and he was a SHERIFF, not a cop."
"Can I have a piece of paper and a pencil? I want to draw a condor."
Then I had a dream last night that I was in a class at the university of Kansas with Larry Brown, now coach of the Pistons. And somehow we ended up in the group and our class project was to steal a toilet from a mansion that was being renovated. But the guy that lived there was this creepy guy that looked like he belonged in the movie Van Helsing. So me and this quiet girl that never talks had to distract his butler, who looked more like a bodyguard, while Larry snuck upstairs and put the toilet on the dumbwaiter and lowered it down. It gets a little fuzzy from there, but I think something went wrong and it turned out the quiet girl had magic powers and saved Larry and I from certain death. Good times. I'm off to work.....adios!
Monday, November 22, 2004
Top Ten Lists? Brilliant!
As I have been a student at OSU since the Fall of 1997 and my time here is rapidly coming to an end (3 weeks actually), I thought it would be a great idea to start doing some top 10 lists. I'm open to suggestions. Some ideas I've had so far. Stupidest things I've done, Most interesting people I've met, Best road trips, best sporting events, parties, memorable moments, songs that will forever remind me of college, places I've lived (almost been 10) and so on. Anything you want me to do, I'll do my best to do. I'll be posting them as they come to me.
Weekend to Remember
Props to the Beavers for regulating in the Civil War. It was a proud moment for every orange clad person. That being said, I did something I swore I'd never do. I left the game early. Why? One, it was cold. Two, my friends had scattered to the four corners of the stadium by halftime. Three, Rachel was watching it at home alone. That's not cool. Turned out I wasn't the only one to jump ship. By the end of the third quarter, Dave, Garth, and Mindy had all found their way home as well. Thank Goodness Steve wasn't around, because I'm sure he would've dissolved his friendship with all of us. Sorry buddy.
Friday night was spent watching umpteen hours of ESPNews coverage of the Pacers-Pistons fight. What entertainment! You can't beat something like that. How Ron Artest got double the suspension of anyone else is beyond me. He was really the only one provoked. I agree that he needed to be suspended, but he did not sucker punch a single person, a la Jermaine O'Neal and Stephen Jackson. By the way, did anyone notice Stephen picking on Lindsay Hunter on the court? He's trying to get in a fight with the most even tempered (and probably smallest) guy on the Pistons. He's all untucking his jersey and saying "I kill for fun mang." Wow. I want that guy on my side next time some guy throws a bottle at me.
There is no better time than when Dad and his friends come down for a game. When I think about what I'm going to be like in my fifties, those guys are the model. Now I just need to acquire the financial where-with-all to be able to do the things they do. I love those guys. Never a dull moment. They're like overgrown kids.
Sunday I realized that if I could be one person for just a day, I'd be Brett Favre. Apparently this guy could knock off a liquor store and people could justify it and absolve him of any wrongdoing. I've never seen a player get more love from the announcers. In last nights game, I saw him throw an interception into double coverage and Joe Theismann said "Brett threw that ball exactly where he needed to, that guy just made a great play on it." WHAT? Then someone from the sidelines calls a timeout, and they say "Brett used that timeout wisely." WHAT? I'm serious, you can watch the tape of this game and he isn't even attempting to call the timeout. Then the one that really killed me: With time winding down, he completes a pass to get them in field goal range. However, the ref calls progress stopped in bounds even though the receiver ended up out of bounds. As Brett is jogging up to the line of scrimmage, thinking that the clock is stopped, the referee says something to him. Immediately, Brett looks at the clock, only to realize that it is still running. I can only guess that the ref said "Hey Brett, he didn't get out of bounds." Brett, suddenly realizing the situation, chases after the ref and calls timeout. Incredibly....the announcers start praising Brett for realizing the situation and having the sense of mind to track down a ref to call timeout. At this point I absolutely lost it. Did no one else realize that the REF tracked BRETT down? It's unbelievable. I mean, the guy even pronounces his own last name wrong and everyone just goes along with it.
Friday night was spent watching umpteen hours of ESPNews coverage of the Pacers-Pistons fight. What entertainment! You can't beat something like that. How Ron Artest got double the suspension of anyone else is beyond me. He was really the only one provoked. I agree that he needed to be suspended, but he did not sucker punch a single person, a la Jermaine O'Neal and Stephen Jackson. By the way, did anyone notice Stephen picking on Lindsay Hunter on the court? He's trying to get in a fight with the most even tempered (and probably smallest) guy on the Pistons. He's all untucking his jersey and saying "I kill for fun mang." Wow. I want that guy on my side next time some guy throws a bottle at me.
There is no better time than when Dad and his friends come down for a game. When I think about what I'm going to be like in my fifties, those guys are the model. Now I just need to acquire the financial where-with-all to be able to do the things they do. I love those guys. Never a dull moment. They're like overgrown kids.
Sunday I realized that if I could be one person for just a day, I'd be Brett Favre. Apparently this guy could knock off a liquor store and people could justify it and absolve him of any wrongdoing. I've never seen a player get more love from the announcers. In last nights game, I saw him throw an interception into double coverage and Joe Theismann said "Brett threw that ball exactly where he needed to, that guy just made a great play on it." WHAT? Then someone from the sidelines calls a timeout, and they say "Brett used that timeout wisely." WHAT? I'm serious, you can watch the tape of this game and he isn't even attempting to call the timeout. Then the one that really killed me: With time winding down, he completes a pass to get them in field goal range. However, the ref calls progress stopped in bounds even though the receiver ended up out of bounds. As Brett is jogging up to the line of scrimmage, thinking that the clock is stopped, the referee says something to him. Immediately, Brett looks at the clock, only to realize that it is still running. I can only guess that the ref said "Hey Brett, he didn't get out of bounds." Brett, suddenly realizing the situation, chases after the ref and calls timeout. Incredibly....the announcers start praising Brett for realizing the situation and having the sense of mind to track down a ref to call timeout. At this point I absolutely lost it. Did no one else realize that the REF tracked BRETT down? It's unbelievable. I mean, the guy even pronounces his own last name wrong and everyone just goes along with it.
Friday, November 19, 2004
...and just like that
Never say you're feeling optimistic. My mom just called. Our dog Sunny was just put to sleep. Sunny was born Sunnie Dee Lite. We didn't name her. Mom got her from a lady at work that couldn't take care of her anymore. We acquired this loveable pup at the age of 3, where we immediately changed her name to something a little less....retarded. Sunny was a great Golden Retriever. Only time I ever heard her bark was when we let her out to do her business. It was as if she needed the neighborhood to know "Hey I'm gonna drop a deuce on your sidewalk." Awesome. I think the most memorable moment I had with that dog was in about 1997 when the Christmas Caroling Cats were big. They were on the radio, and Sunny, in the other room at the time, heard a chorus of kitties and took off like a bullet for the intruders. Convinced they were in the the large black box Sunny barrelled headfirst into the speaker. A tad bit dazed, she crawled around the back of the box to see how exactly to get at these felines. Never did figure it out. But I laughed so hard I cried. Merry Christmas Sunny.....I'll pour out a little water for you at dinner on the 25th.
Welcome to the Blog!
Today I will start writing down my thoughts. Sort of like affordable therapy. Not that I need it, but sometimes I just need to get stuff off my chest. First off, I need to wonder why people would write things about people they know in their livejournal? I've noticed that people will use their journal to air their concerns or attitudes about a relationship they have with another person on the livejournal, knowing full well that those people will read this stuff. I guess if you have a problem with confrontation, this is a good way to get the ball rolling so to speak. But imagine you were like "hmmmm, I'll see what's up with Ol' Andy today" and you pull up my fabulous journal and bang you see "I can't believe that (your name here) snorted a line with Bobby instead of going to the movies with me last night. (your name here) has a serious problem with crack, and I hope he hurts himself or someone else soon, cause that's the only way (your name here)'s ever going to get the point that I'm worried about (him/her.)" Hello? You're just asking for trouble. You'll end up pissing someone off who will in turn think that you would rather bitch about your problems to everyone in the country than approach the subject in question with the person in question. Figure it out people.
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