Time for another fresh start. Let's try this again...

It's almost a brave new world.

I have been uncharacteristically bold these past few weeks, with astonishingly good results. New leaves, new Steves, etc.

Bodes well, I hope?



High school friends, you have my thoughts.

Probably not news to anyone, but check out some photos of my trip to Sicily, Rome, and Greece.

Also: life, it is hard.

Touristy and unartful, but have a look at some photos of Oxford.

T E X T

Wordcount
Sartre's Cookbook
The 10 Least Successful Holiday Specials of All Time
Fresh Yarn = essays
Apologies Not Accepted

M U S I C

Coltrane's "Giant Steps", visually explained
Beatmixed and Partyben = mash-ups

V I S U A L S

Skeletal Systems of Cartoon Characters, (mirror of this, currently down)
A Bar at the Folies Bergère (video installation)
Simon Wong
10 x 10
A Glimspe of Thailand
The Blue Stater

M A T H ?

Proof That Girls Are Evil
Proof That Men Are Worse Than Evil

S A N T A S ? ?
Santamosh
Santarchy

Howdy, folks, it's your old pal Steve, back on the air. Well, not really, since I don't have a computer of my own yet due to excessive bureaucracy in the loan department, and I am forced to type this on an anonymous computer in the library, but you get the picture. I'm here in the (relatively) idyllic setting of Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. (or "Billsville", as my dad calls it). And for all my whining and moaning and complaining before I left...it's pretty great here.

Got here almost two weeks ago, hard to believe. From the very start, I did my utmost best to be outgoing and social, exemplified by the fact that I've been wearing the black mini-fedora (that I wore in Oklahoma) at a jaunty angle ever since I got here. Figured it would make people remember me more, doncha know? Johnny Depp pulls it off, so why can't I? And I guess it's worked, everyone new I meet says "hey, I've seen that around around, nice hat" before they even know my name. I live on the 4th and top floor of Sage D ("not just a garnish!") with a pretty cool roomate who is a wrestler. We get along really well even if we don't share the same interests- I've listened to a little of his Metallica, and in turn he has waited out my a cappella on occasion. The guy in the single also connected to our common room is from Jamaica, which is cool too. In fact. my whole entry (think vertical dorm) is pretty neat, as are my JA's (junior advisors). Sage is part of the freshman quad, so I'm close to all the action...except for the unfortunate fact that there is a large construction site directly out my window where they start tearing down more and more the old student union building every day at 7:00. So perhaps, not so idyllic.

Orientation went smoothly enough- I opted out of the camping trip to instead try "Exploring the Arts," much more up my alley, obviously. It should have been titled "Exploring the Dance," however, because that's basically all we did. Over the course of four days, I learnt to swing, salsa, tango, African drum, reggae (a big concert with Calton Coffie, the original singer of "Bad Boys"), hip-hop, and Irish Celli, not to mention the break we took for Yoga. Whew. Still, met some cool people who were willing to look as foolish as me trying to learn the steps.

The food here is really really good. I am going to die a fat fat man.

Classes started just last Thursday. I'm taking Art History 101, Theater 101, Econ 110 (Micro), and an interdepartmental class that's basically philosophy taught by an British English prof. All are going well enough, though I still need to make a last minute section change or two. Also, my on campus job will involve changing art history slides, so I basically will get paid to take another art history course without doing any of the work. Hurray!

Been running a tad (including 10+ miles one day when I ran to Mass MOCA, the modern art museum a town over), but am bummed by the fact that I can't run on my own for PE credit.

In trying to decide what activities to do, I've basically distilled it down to a cappella and theatre, and in theory you can't do both. Watch me try. I tried out for and was almost cast as a lead (I didn't get the official list back yet, but still) in the theatre department's production of "Caucasian Chalk Circle" (which is actually much less avante-garde than it sounds), but I'm definately in, which is cool. I also tried out for an a cappella group and my my first ever good singing audition, but I still need to try out for a few more to make sure that I get in to one. These two activities alone should be enough to completely deprive me of sleep- if they don't, rest assured that I will add more ASAP.

I've found a group of people who don't drink, which is good- alcohol does some to be abundant on campus (weird when my JA offered me a beer at a party), but my buddies and I have gotten a kick out of watching obscure films rented from the campus library like Kurosawa's Seven Samurai and Ringu. But with what is sure to be a frantic rehearsal schedule, we'll see how much time I'll have for that.

What's funny is how I've met people who seem eerily similiar to people I knew back in Cleveland. Petite activist girl with a penchance for wearing skirts? Check. Tall acting girl with long hair and big eyes? Check. Marching band devotee AND user of bad puns AND girl who calls everything "cute," rolled into one? Double-check. Of course, there are people who are different too, but we're all pretty similiar when it comes down to it.

I do miss you all, especially Miss Niila (who I have not been able to call as often as I'd like to, please forgive me), and am cursing myself for not swapping addresses and cell phone numbers with you. Do fire off a mail with your vital stats to 08spm_2@williams.edu and it'd be my pleasure to return the favor.

Well, got another a cappella group to try out for here, then I think we're watching the Godfather tonight, since I did most of my reading during my first laundry loads last night. Ciao folks, and let me know how you're doing. -Steve (in case you forgot who I was)

I've met some people along the way,
some of them split, some of them stay,
some of them walk, some walk on by,
I've got a few friends I'll love till I die

From all of these people I try to learn,
some of them shine, some of them burn,
some of them rise, some of them fall,
for good or bad I've known them all.
- True Believers by Bouncing Souls.

*Deep Breath* See you on the other side, folks.

(Note: I tried to post this last night, but it didn't work then.)

A week or so ago, I went on a run and did something very unusual- I gave myself a pep talk. Not just in my head, but out loud, for a whole three miles, which might have scared anyone that late at night who heard me rambling. Most of it centered on trying to get excited for college, trying to say that everything will be all right in the end, trying to snap myself out of this damn pervasive depression.

I kept returning to one phrase over and over again, a quote that I heard. And to all of you who are unsatisfied or unhappy with the way college (or life) is going so far, I offer you this.

Success is the best revenge.

Grit your teeth, put on your game face, and win. Win like you've never won before, so that you can show those b*stards that you're not gonna let frickin' anything stand in your way.


...People laughed at my cross country pep talks. I just hope I can laugh at my own advice and then really, really take it.


What's that you say? Links?
- A very unusual shampoo advertisement.
- Bush and the Last Crusade - A movie they will not be showing at the GOP Convention.
- Extreme Gravity Racing Series - Betcha didn't know that Porsche, Bentley et al made Soap Box Derby cars.
- Step by step instructions to writing a best selling fantasy novel.
- The contrapositive of the symmetry -> beauty theory? (Read up on it here if you haven't heard of it, and I randomly found some illustrations here) Apparently assymetrical people are more aggressive.
- Finally, for all the lonely people out there. Guys, if you miss your girlfriend, you could always get a virtual one that lives in your cellphone - she'll even take your money. And girls, if you miss cuddling, you could always get yourself a man pillow (great picture).

Been dead tired all day long. Haven't started packing, as I am incompetance incarnate. Goodnight, moon.

Being my last few days in Cleveland (funny, I've been starting to say "this is the last time I'll do ___ before I go to college" for a lot of things), Nil and I are fitting in a lot of activities. It seems almost like we're fitting a whole high school career full of nights into two weeks- yesterday we went to the drive-in movies (Catwoman wasn't worth the novelty), we've been shopping for appliances a couple times, lots of chai/hot chocolate rendez-vous, and tonight we're going to a play ("Anything Goes", by Cole Porter, somewhere in Bay Village). We didn't fit in clubbing, alas, but I guess that's not really a high school thing. Anybody be interested in going clubbing/raving for a reunion of sorts over one of the breaks? I'm just testing the waters here.

Major things I still need to purchase:
1. Heavy Duty Boots (but not snowshoes, like some people recommended)
2. A Backpack
3. A Microwave Oven (Hence, the song I'm listening to...You'd know it if you heard it)

Tomorrow morning, I'm up bright and early (ugh) to work at US' Clements Cross-Country Invitational...It'll be very weird helping out instead of running in it. Tomorrow night (besides being my dad's birthday! Yay Dad!) is when I intend to start and finish packing.


Short links section, the theater is calling me:
- DFilm - What has been described as a "cute little Flash movie maker."
- Medal Tally By World Population - A very interesting alternate tallying of Olympic Medals that compares how many medals won to the population of the country that won them. According to this, the Bahamas are in first(!), despite having only two total medals, followed closely by Australia (conveniant, since the Australian government is hosting the site.) Greece is in 4th, yee haw!

I'll be spouting more philosophy before I go. Stay tuned, and keep your chin up, says the ultimate hypocrite.

I have a relatively legit excuse for not posting here for a while. Nil has been at Case orientation the past week or so, which means, ironically, that she is free at night for almost the first time ever. My dad put it rather astutely when he said "this must change the whole dynamic of the relationship." I've been spending a lot of time with her, some of it genuinely helping her unpack or amass required objects for dorm life, some of it just being a mop-topped, 6-foot-tall distraction. While we're not "perfect" (who is?), I think we work very well together- we're very task-minded when we need to be, we're generally on the same wavelength, we balance each other out, and we still know how to have a kickin' good time. It does seem like we're practically the only couple trying the long distance deal, despite the many (mostly very obvious) problems...But I hope it works out in the end. We'll do our best, of that I'm sure.

Went to Cedar Point today with the family, and saw a disgusting amount of people wearing American Eagle/Abercrombie/Hollister shirts. I admit I even go to those places sometimes, but it made my stomache churn how widespread they are, I might not return anytime soon. It was also very crowded (oh, the humanity!), but the few rides we did go on were neat.

I've said a few goodbyes in the past week or so, many of them informal because I figured I would see them again, but time has a funny way of going by too quickly. First, at my party, twas nice to see people I had neglected to keep up with all summer. Then, hung out with Brandon and Carmen at the Feast- those two make me very happy, individually and together, I for one am very happy they have headed off to Earlham together. Got a quick goodbye with Sir Pick, and he'll do well at Miami, something tells me. Tonight was just a quick 15 minute midnight goodbye with Ben, and our conversation was as random as always- I'm going to miss his antics. (The rest of you I didn't get to say goodbye to individually, alas.) All this is leading up to a monumental, inevitable goodbye that will come next week which I refuse to think about right now.

Speaking of college, it doesn't feel like I'm leaving next Monday (mark your calendars, if you really care to do so.) All summer, I have essentially avoided the fact that I am departing for school, which is all too obvious in that I do not have the necessary supplies or mindset for college yet. I am extremely underwhelmed with the idea of college, despite a desperate, desperate need for enthusiasm (hey, Nil is enjoying her orientation, that's a good sign, right?!). I used to be an enthusiastic, go-get-'em type of guy, what the hell happened? No, really, I want to know.

Ah, it is getting late. Lemme throw some links at you, hopefully you'll check out a few.
- Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed! - I may have to get this children's book. Too funny.
- DFL - A blog celebrating the last place finishers at the Olympics. (On a side note, hurrah for Greece, and no terrorist attacks! Boo for low attendance!)
- Kite Aerial Photography - A cool combination of kite and camera. I recommend hitting "photo gallery" in the upper right corner of the page and then "my favorite photos" for a nice selection.
- Now this is some sick origami, and I mean that in a good way.
- You probably have heard by now that Edward Munch's famous painting "The Scream" (as well as his controversial "Madonna") was stolen from a museum in Oslo, Norway. Even if you have, this is a funny summary from the London News Review.
- The New York Times reviews...plagiarism services?
- A series of horribly miscast roles (i.e. Denise Richards as a nuclear physicist in a Bond movie?), as well as ones that worked against the odds. Interesting.
- Butterfly farming as a legitimate enterprise. Whodathunkit.

Last week here in Cleveland, and you bet your butt that I'm going to bave to drive my mom and brothers all over the place every morning. So much for sleeping in. Toodles.

Whew boy. Good party! Thanks to everyone who came, it was great to see you guys. I was worried that there wasn't going to be enough space for everyone and such, but it seemed like everyone was pretty comfortable. Cleanup also wasn't so bad, because you folks are relatively neat. I've found I quite enjoy playing host, it's really my bag, baby. I would say come over and eat more souvlaki (shishkebab), but with my dad and I needing lunches, they won't last far into this week...

One thing I've found about having a "flair for the dramatic" is that it's very hard to be honest in a Livejournal, as I have a tendency to kick things up several notches or use fancy-shmancy words. I'll work toward being more truthful in the future.

But screw the future, it's all about now, that's the teenage/young adult creed if I've ever heard it! So go ahead and waste your now on these links. Sidenote: Many of them are geeky today, for reasons I cannot fathom.

- Fun with light speed. First, a discussion of what would happen to a ravioli slamming into the side of a starship at various high speeds. Also, there are programs that simulate seeing an object going light speed (Mac version, Windows version), but I couldn't get them to work very well. But the illustrations on one of the sites are worth a visit.
- Roulette Chocolate- Crazy idea. Everyone eats a chocolate bullet. All but one are filled with delightful filling, but that one unlucky soul gets a whole chili pepper. And you know it's hot when the customer reviews (scroll down on the site) give frantic tips about how to extinguish the inferno in your mouth. Yikes!
- The Dittohead Guide to Adult Beverages- I didn't know this, but a "Dittohead" is someone who is a fan of Rush Limbaugh. Just in time for college, how about you stir up one of his mixed drinks, like a John F-ing Kerry, an Uglo-American Mist, or a Feminazi Frazzle? Worth a perusal, and...educational, I suppose?
- On the topic of robotics, here's an interesting theory called the Uncanny Valley explained, which attempts to clarify why humans are repulsed by robots that look almost human, but not quite.
- I know when all you sexy beasts go off to college, you're going to propositioned many a time by people who just aren't up to your standards. Which is where the Rejection Line (fake phone number) and Paper Napkin (fake e-mail) come in. It's the passive-aggresive way to turn someone down!
- One of the craziest ideas for a book I've heard of in a while. Way back in 1884, Edwin A. Abbot (under the pseudonym "A. Square") wrote a book called Flatland (full text online), detailing and illustrating a literally two-dimensional country. Call it mathematical fiction. While I admit I haven't gotten around to reading all of it yet, I do think it's a very cool idea (and the first I've been even mildly interested in geometry), and you owe yourself to at least read Section 1 to understand what I'm talking about. (More about 2-D fiction can be found here, if you so desire.

Today I'm going to run, go to the feast with Brandon and Carmen, and hopefully see Nil later on. It isn't fair that the really good weekends happen so late in the summer!

It doesn't seem like I dream that often (lack of sleep will do that to you), and I remember my dreams even less. But sometimes, when I do remember my dreams, I remember almost every last detail- and these are often the weirdest dreams of all. (Remember that really long 3-act one during the school year, US guys?) For your perusal, I'll write what I dreamt here, [and things in brackets are connections to real life].

( Now this is tripped out. )

If I bribe you with some links, would you please not report me to the proper authorities?
- Extreme Unicycling!!!
- Some amazing footage of a Japanese landslide caught on tape. It's worth waiting through the brief commerical.
- Remember that board game, Mousetrap? How cool would it be if it were life size? You know, if instead of a marble there was a bowling ball, and a twenty three ton crane instead of a trap? This picture is a good summary, and here's a lot more pics if you're still curious.
- Cool aerial photography (with Pachabel's Canon playing in the background). Also, a French site showing lots of different ads and their copycats.
- Colorcell: finding the most beautiful color combinations.

Yeah, yeah, that's all. Call me about my party if you haven't yet.

Clear your schedules, folks. I'm having a graduation/leaving party at my house in CLeveland Heights this Saturday (the 14th), in the evening, think between 7 and 8-ish (leaning toward 7:30), and if you're on my buddy list, you're invited (yes, even the chica from California, if she wants, heh). If you're not on my list, call me and see. Heck, everyone RSVP at **phone number excised several years later*** (note: this message will self-destruct after the party), and you're more than welcome to bring your signifigant other.

I'll try to talk to people individually too, but call me if you do read this, whether or not you can make it. If I'm not home, leave a message with your name and a yay or nay. End transmission.

(Say that 3 times fast. Or once, even.)

So, I got back Thursday from my first trip to New York City. I hesitate to say I had "a blast," because that tells you nothing about the trip, but I really enjoyed a lot of things about the Big Apple. So, I am going to go into excruciating detail here about what I did on my trip, in journal form, for the sake of my own nostalgia. Read on if you can bear it.

( ---BEGIN NYC TRIP LOG--- )

Whew, that was a long entry. But I'm a big fan of writing in-depth journals about trips I've taken- I did a daily journal of my Glee Club trips to Scandanavia two years ago and Puerto Rico this year, and both are really fun to look over. Try it next time you go someplace memorable. Cheerio.

Thankfully, the plane did not crash. I have delayed writing because I'm working on a colossal journal of my trip for you all to read. Hopefully that will be done soon.

Other quick news bites:
I quit my job at Chuck E Cheese's. It was just becoming too annoying. Though my last day wasn't that bad, I got noticed for good behavior and someone random said I look like Edward Norton.

That's about it.

Quick links section, since I feel like it:
- For you aspiring doctors out there. Funny comics drawn by a third year med student. And Virtual Knee Surgery, the video game!
- Villain Supply.com - Your source for everything evil (TM).
- 400 Love Letters - More fun voyeurism. Click on the explanation and about the colors at the bottom or else you won't get it.
- The world as the world's idiots see it.
- No matter how desperate you are, this cannot possibly be a good idea.
- The Chipmunk Song, slowed down. The description says it all: "Yes, hear Simon, Theodore and Alvin at their true speed, sounding respectively like an accountant, a hot-dog vendor, and a lunatic. Put it on repeat and you'll drift gradually into madness - it's like an acid flashback to fetal languor, the surreal sounds that filtered through the uterine wall." The really wavy deep guy is Dave, by the way.

I'm out to go mull things over. And sleep, maybe. Drink your drugs, stay in milk, don't do school.

Dust. It fills my nose, it chokes my lungs, it courses through my veins. Besides the metaphorical sense, it is literal: I spent all of yesterday cleaning. First of all, I actually got halfway through cleaning my room, exposing an entire population of dust bunnies that had grown rampant in the detritus that has covered my floor since 5th grade. Then I went off to Chuck's and worked an excruciating 6-1 AM shift, which shouldn't have been bad, but my cleaning partner insisted upon doing as little work as possible. (Side note: One of my major pet peeves is people who don't pull their weight when they have an assigned duty. I may not be the most productive person, but I'm dependable. When I count on you to do something, do it, dammit.) Then, of course, when I got home I couldn't sleep because of the heat, the worsening cold, the literal years of dust still making their presence known. My mom "wakes me up" at 6:00 and I've just about had it, so I decided to go running. Helped a little, and plus I got that "I am so jacked" feeling that lasts about ten minutes afterwards, and then I return to my usual pudgy self. So, I'm running on about 4 hours of tossing and turning now, but I still feel good. Probably stems from a phone call from a certain someone that almost always seems to brighten my day. I say almost because I don't enjoy the dark turns that sometimes get thrown in. Still, to hear her voice is like twin supernovas, er, downright joyous.

Linkmania:
- The new Badger/Mushroom song is...Let me ride the donkey?
- A Scarlet Letter-esque punishment that was recently handed out.
- The slang of garbagemen. (NY Times free reg required)
- Very large but random music video of many people of varying ages popping and locking.
- Female readers, please do not crucify me for this next link. But, uh, supermodels and meat?
- A collection of English dialects from various places and times. Hit "browse this collection" on the right side for lots more.
- A sad story about the disparity between the urban rich and rural poor in China. (NY Times free reg required)
- Dinosaurs telling math jokes. The archives are funny too.
- Finally, badly drawn comics based on actual actual spam lines!

Oh, and I'm leaving for NYC tomorrow. I've never been there before, but I'm going with Clark Gascoigne to see Wicked and Avenue Q, and yes, we have tickets already. Now go to sleep!

An update!

In the interest of making my journal digestible, I will make summaries of the past few days in the style of the Webby Awards acceptance speeches; that is, 5 words each.

Last Weekend (Working at Chuck's, yes, first name basis): Begging for tips really works.
Monday (Cottage in Vermillion, OH): Putt-putt golf and stormy-weather swimming.
Tuesday (Still at cottage): Running out of rainy-day activities. (Sidenote: played shuffleboard, saw Bourne Supremacy, which was not as good as the first one.)
Wednesday (Carousing with Nil): Movie, wandering; a happy reunion. (Sidenote: saw Anchorman, it was no Zoolander, but entertaining.)
Thursday (Carousing with Nil at the cottage): Nothing beats alpacas and beaches. (Sidenote: We visited an alpaca farm near Vermillion, and I was quite impressed by the fuzziness, and yes, cuteness of the furry beasts. And we walked on the beach. Everyone should try walking on the beach.)

And that's my week for me. I'm right now trying to fend off an illness, build up the motivation to go run, and prepare for a birthday party tonight.

Hold on to your hats, I have a backlog of links for y'all.
- Crazy Optical Illusions. Browse around the sight a bit, and make sure to check out this one, especially.
- The Japanese Hierarchy, as inspired by the Geek Hierarchy.
- An proud day in anyone's life: getting flipped off by George W. Bush. A real story, read about it on his Livejournal.
- Infinite Jest (no relation to the book of the same title): Funniness. "Like The Onion, only bitter."
- Why Bush is damned if he do, damned if he don't.
- A few days late, but check out a cool scrollable panoramic view of the first steps on the moon. Remember to hit Shift and Control to zoom in and out. The landing itself was July 20th, 1969.
- Talk about your bling-bling- An 182-carat diamond was dug up in Guinea. Compare this to the 45.52 carats of the Hope diamond. Wowzah.
- The things people can do with sidewalk chalk nowadays. To be technical, this technique is called "trompe l'oiel", which means "to trick the eye." Another neat site demonstrating it can be found here.
- You've heard of Six Degrees of Seperation, right, i.e. that people can all be linked by only 6 relations (friend of a friend of a...)? Well, here's an online, albeit limited, version for bands.
- How fast do you read?

If you made it through all of those links, you get a cookie. Keep it real.