Technically a tomato is not a vegetable. It's a kind of dolphin.

short post now. longer post later.

This post is really just because I'm super bored at work. Half the office is in a meeting, I've been out sick for the past two days and it's hard to really do much when the boss isn't here and tomorrow is Friday. I kind of want some V8, and I'm thinking about walking down to the convenient mart, but I'm pretty sure it's fucking cold out there, so we'll see how much I don't want to be here.

Rumor has it we're in for another huge snow storm tonight. I heard horror stories about 5 hour commutes and such on Tuesday night, but I was busy laying in bed being sick, so it didn't really affect me. I just got to watch big fluffy snowflakes fall outside the window.

So I'm all moved into the new place, and it's looking pretty schnazzy. Way less bachelor pad than the old place, much more sophistomicated adult. There are nice pictures on the walls. Furniture that wasn't bought on craigslist. And it doesn't smell like rotten fruit.

The first few days we were without heat, so we didn't sleep there, but I did spend a long time there in the 43 degree living room putting various Ikea furniture together. All in all, I've put together a bed, a fancy shmancy headboard, a book shelf, another bed, and I have a coffee table to do when I get home tonight. I also still need to hang the coat rack and the guitars. It's been kind of fun putting the place together, and it already feels like home.

I'm really looking forward to christmas, going home to see the family. It'll be nice to break away from the city and work and all that for just a couple days. Although, minus the slush, the city is quite beautiful when snow-covered.

Anyway, I probably should get back to doing something productive at work. I've got a bunch to spew out in here (not unlike all the spewing I did Tuesday night), so I'll post that later... though perhaps in an interesting format...

~Bry

This post is all about bands

Sometimes, if you get your hopes up to high, the actuality turns into quite the disappointment.

I've been on the search for a band that I can really pour myself into. My search has lead me to a few different bands in the past year, and none have really satisfied what it is I'm looking for.

I recently came across the band Flame Shark (thanks to Amber randomly picking up a Reader one day) and gave them a listen. Their music is really really good. It's like early Wilco meets Dylan meets some of the slower stuff by Jet. And, there were looking for a drummer.

Long story short, I'm frustrated, disappointed, and just kind of down. I met the guys in Flame Shark, had dinner at their place, hung out, and turns out they are three really cool guys. Their attitudes toward music and their musical abilities were exactly what I had been looking for in a band. And on top of that, their music was really good.

So last night, after about a month of "courting," I finally got over that and jammed with them a bit. And I felt nothing. I don't know if it was the fact that I had built it up too much, or that it really just wasn't a style meant for me. I'm leaning toward the latter, as I really feel like I need a more rock centered band.

So, the search continues. I'll scour Craigslist and the Reader and hope to find a band that embodies what I want in a band that happens to be looking for a drummer.

It's rough when your passion is so hard to fulfill, but I'm not going to stop trying to find the right band for me.


On a lighter note, I'm about to write a review of mint.com over on team hamster hat so go check it out.

Rocket

Today is the Chicago Marathon. I stood up on the roof for a while, watched the leaders come through. They run right down Taylor Street in front of our place, around mile 17 or so. There was a pack of three right out front, and a lone dude back in forth a little back. I'm pretty sure it was the guy in forth that ended up winning it. Pretty cool, I have a picture of him from the roof.

About 3 hours later, there were people walking by. Team Hamster Hat has a nice little article about how I feel about them.

Amber and I went to see Broken Social Scene at the Vic on Thursday night. It was a pretty good show, though not as good as when the played the Metro. The Vic just doesn't seem to be as good. Plus, the urinal flooded all over my feet. That's just gross.

I think I'm gonna look for another band to play in, or if I'm feeling quite ambitious, create my own band. If any members of Catch a Tiger are reading this, don't worry. It's not a replacement band. It's just another band. I really want to play some straight up rock. Raconteurs, Queens of the Stone Age, Black Mountain type stuff. Really good riff rock, where I can play with some mean sass and really groove. We'll see how that goes, since my initial perusal of Craigslist certainly left me with something to be desired.

The fonts on my computer somehow got all fucked up a few days ago (I blame a certain someone... but she's cute enough for me to not be mad). So I just backed all my stuff up and did a clean install of the whole system. Sometimes I like doing that. For one thing, the computer always seems to run a little faster after that, just cos all the random crap that ends up on here is gone. Also because any software that gives you a free trial, you can get it again. I'm thinking I might actually buy Transmit, an FTP client, because it really is just better than anything else out there for the mac.

Band practice tonight, which will be the first in almost two weeks. I'm antsy, been too long since I played.

I think it's shower time.

Urgack lives!

Just a quick update.

my website, www.bryandunk.com no longer exists (in practice).

Urgack.com is the new home to Bryan Dunk. As such, blog.urgack.com will bring you to this blog (and will probably eventually just pull posts from this blog directly).

I've decided to do this because I wanted to build more of a brand for myself, and Urgack is that brand. There will now be music, web development, blogs, and more all from the central hub of Urgack.

So update you links, books marks and all that good stuff if you so choose,but I've set it up so you shouldn't even have to do anything to see this change anyway.

They Say Smell Can Conjure Memories

I'm sitting here at work, tying not to be incredibly bored. Today was one of those days that I have to pretend I'm not a web developer and am instead the office admin. (I don't like these days). I've been creating invoices all day, and next i'm going to fill out stupid paper work for a mail in rebate on a new computer. Fun stuff.

So to bring a little sunshine into this overcast admin day, I grabbed a fun size bag of skittles, opened them up and arranged them like so. The smell of skittles hit me and instantly my brain shot back to wandering the halls of Crystal Lake South High School. My dad used to be a Dean there, and sometimes he would supervise basketball games. I would tag along and wander around as a 6th grader staring into the world of the awesome high schoolers. Apparently, the smell of skittles from the concession stand evokes that memory. Crazy.

When Finally Set Free

I think summer may really be over. The forcast for the next several days (as far as I can see anyway) is barely gonna break 70, with lows in the 40s. 40s!!!! What is this, Alaska!? I wore a long sleeved shirt for the first time since last winter, and if you know my usual getup of t-shirt and jeans, you know that's strange.


Catch A Tiger played a show at The Bottom Lounge this past Thursday with some pretty cool bands (The Lauretes, The Winter Sounds, and Love In October). There was free Sparks for the bands which wasn't a good thing. It wasn't a bad thing either... but my body hurt on Friday. I don't think the human body is meant to drink 4 of those. Met some cool people though, and overall I think the show went really well.


In related CAT news, I've been working on the website a bit and I think I should be able to finish it by the end of October. Juli designed the site, and I'm working on all the coding. Got some cool things in store like a video blog, as well as a sweet backend I'm working on that will let the band members log in and post blogs and stuff. Should be a good way for me to expand my skill set and make something cool for the band. I'll definitely let you know when it's all up.


I've been looking at apartments lately, trying to find something in a better neighborhood, off busy streets, and closer to the places I frequent. Little Italy is a nice place, but I don't go to UIC so there's no real reason for me to be down here. Plus, I think I could find a place in Wicker Park, Logan Square, or Ukranian Village that's the same price or cheaper and much nicer. Our place is ok, but has some huge draw backs.


I think this week is going to be a good week. I have a healthy amount of work on my plate at Sandstorm, as well as some personal projects to work on in my free time. Going to see a movie tonight, and have dinner planned with my parents on Sunday. All in all, I like the way things are going.


One last thing before I go. As a web developer, I encounter alot of non-tech people. The vast majority of people who use the internet don't actually know anything about the technology they are using. They use what someone taught them to use, be that a friends or family or their job. And 9 times out of 10, that person doesn't know anything either. Check out Dave Schwantes' blog for a better idea of what I'm getting at. And if you're one of those people still using IE6, please think of upgrading, as you'll be doing everyone, especially yourself, a favor.

I feel fall coming

The days are getting shorter. It's noticeable now. Sun sets well before 8. Weather having a hard time getting above 70. I can feel it in myself too. Drinking more tea. Hot apple cider. Looking forward to warm mornings in bed. The extra body heat is nice.

I was going to go the Hideout Block Party this weekend, but became highly unmotivated. A combination of not wanting to spend the money and of having band practice Sunday.

I wish I could talk more on this blog about what's been going on, but there are obvious reasons I can't. I want more people to know how in love I am. I want more people to meet her, to get to know her. To see what a perfect match I've found. And I will, in time.

Catch A Tiger is playing the Bottom Lounge this Thursday. Some bigger bands are on the bill, all three of them signed to labels I believe. I feel like this is going to be a good one.

I don't like when she leaves without a kiss. Without telling me she loves me. I know she does, but I still don't like it. I know I could have been more helpful. What's 15 minutes to give her a ride? She deserves to be at the top of my priorities at all times. I'll do my best to make sure she is. After all, she makes me incredibly happy. I should do the same for her.

The Massive Update

I know, I know, it's been way too long since I've written anything of substance in here. No one really cares about the yellow pages, or how much i dislike people who misspell my name (alot, for the record).

So here are some of the things you've been missing out on, if I never talk to you.

On the musical front, there's been some sh*t goin down! I left The Uncontrollable Few. They are great guys (and gal) and I enjoyed playing with them, but our musical paths were not leading us in the same direction and I felt it was better to just cut loose than to try and force change. It is Megg and Charlie's baby anyway, so better for them to find a drummer who can be content just playing their songs.

I joined a new band, Catch A Tiger. It's a six piece band that mashes together dance-rock, indie pop, and carnival waltzes. Pretty fun stuff. We've got our first show coming up this Friday at The Elbo Room, so if you're in the area, cover is $9 and we play at 10:30.

I've also finished up recording an EP of my solo stuff, which I have done under the moniker Dark Bunny (an anagram of my name). You can check out a few songs there, and I think I'm going to figure out how to make a torrent and get that up for people to download if they're interested. I love constructive feedback (or over-the-top praise...) so check it out and let me know what you think!

Nathan moved in around the beginning of July, and it's been pretty cool living with him. Steve now lives next door with our 4th room mate, Dan. We have dubbed our dual appartment complex as Castle Katssen Schlogen (or simply "The Castle"). We've thrown a very successful housewarming party, and it's pretty fun to just hang with everyone.

Yesterday, Steve, Nathan and I went up to the Bristol Renaissance Fair. It certainly was much more grand and fantastical in my memories (and last year it was just really really wet). The turkey leg was lackluster and the falconer was clearly from New York, but it was still a fun adventure.

We also stopped by Mar's Cheese Castle and got some cheese curds (of which I ate way too many) and two loaves of cheddar cheese bread at Amber's instance (of which I have also eaten way too much). The mini-roadtrip aspect of the whole thing was the best part. Windows down, music up, dancing like maniacs on 94. Good times.

I suppose the last big thing I can update is on the love life front. I know it's been a bit shrouded in secrecy and vague little stream-of-consciousness posts on here for a while. But it was all with good reason, and still is. If you haven't met her, you will. She's the most incredible woman I've ever met. She's my best friend, and I'm crazy in love. It's quite the feeling. She's also far away for a few more days, and I miss her. But no need to get all sappy.

Now, I'm gonna go spend the entire day doing laundry, cleaning dishes, vacuuming, and probably playing Tiger Woods 09. I am a PGA champion!

I have an alter ego

www.myspace.com/darkbunnymusic

Save some trees

No one likes the Yellow Pages anyway. That's why we have the internet.

This site will allow you to opt out of receiving those 5 pound phone books and do your part to help the environment.

Enjoy!

I hate you

You, yes you. You who write be emails addressed to 'Brian'. Is it so much to ask to read how I signed my name in the email you are responding to? It looks like this.

Thanks,

Bryan



See that 'y'? It's in there for a reason. I didn't make a mistake. You're stupid. And especially those of you who have been corresponding with me for some time. Have the common decency to make sure you're referring to this business associate with the correct name. It would be like if I called you Henry and your name was Beverly. It's insulting. And I hate you for it.

Look what i did!

Tell me what you think.

Fires of Heaven

In this life, here...

Sometimes I'm afraid to go to sleep. What if I wake up and it was all a dream?

Somehow, despite living in Chicago, I managed to miss the notice that this weekend is the Taste of Chicago. I'm impressed with my own obliviousness. In my defense though, I don't go downtown much these days or read the Red Eye or anything. But I suppose I should try to be more aware.

Stevie Wonder is playing tonight, and it's free, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to try and make it out there. It would just seem wrong not to.

Every new piece of you I learn just weaves another beautiful pattern in the fabric of us.

I woke up this morning to the front door buzzer going off, which is weird since no one ever uses that except for punk ass kids as they walk by. So I ignored it the first time. Second time I decided to put some shorts on and go see what was up. There was just a hand through the mail slot trying wrap a belt around the doorknob. I laughed.

I guess the people moving our neighbor's shit outta their apartment locked themselves out. They thanked me a million times and assured me they were really movers. I never really doubted them. I think it was the large dresser sitting in the stairwell that helped their story.

I'm gonna go shower.

In some life, somewhere...

I've spent the last two hours writing this drum part in Garageband for a song of mine. It's done now, and I really like it. Now I just need to get the guitar and vocals down, then lay down the bass track, then some auxiliary ones, and I'll be all set. Sometimes I forget how much I love writing music.

I emailed Justin the other day to talk to him about getting me some studio time to properly record an album. I have 9 songs I'd like to put on there, so it'll probably take a couple weekends, but I can handle that. I'll probably try and get in there later in July, see if I can't work out some more rough mixes here on my own so I know exactly what I want when I go in there.

I've gotten some encouragement recently to really focus on making my own music. It's funny, because they've never heard any of my music, and yet seem fairly insistent that I work on it more. I'm not really sure I understand why, but I can hope it's because they just care about what I'm passionate about.

The Uncontrollable Few has a nice little month ahead of them as far as shows go. July 2nd at the Bottom Lounge, July 11th at Lily's (still getting final confirmation), and July 23rd at The Eblo Room. We're also playing a b-day party, which is lame. And I know you read this Megg, and I think it's lame. Suck it.

I was in rare form today. So much to say, and all that would come out was jumbled words and nonsense. I find myself wanting to do the every day things with you, just have you be there as part of my life. Going to the store? wish you were there. Wake up? wish you were there. Get home from work? Wish you were there. See a trend? I miss you and you're right there. But it has to be like that. I know you've got more going on than I can probably comprehend.


Got Broken Social Scene tickets today. I'm really pumped about that show. I've been listening to a slightly different scope of music these days. Or more so, I've just expanded my tastes. Broken Social Scene, The M's, The Wrens, The Swell Season, The Frames, Metric, LCD Soundsystem, Wolf Parade. To rattle off a few and give myself some serious indie cred... But anyway, really excited for that show. It's not till August 2nd, and that does make me a bit nervous. Fingers crossed man, that's it.

i am niagra falls

I've been lounging around the apartment all day, waiting for a call from the guy who is supposedly coming out to fix our a/c. It's hot. I'm damp. This day is less than stellar.

Apparently Amber has some connection, because she got us tickets to the sold out Death Cab for Cutie show at Millennium Park, on the day of the show no less. It was a pretty awesome concert. Maybe it was the 7 or so beers (they had Sierra Nevada on tap! OUTSIDE!!!), or maybe it was the company, but I had a really good time. Despite what some people have been saying about their new album, dcfc is still a rockin band, and put on a good show, even though I couldn't actually see them...

Had band practice yesterday, and the practice space doesn't have a/c either, or windows that you can open... or any air circulation at all. I don't know if I have ever sweat that much in my entire life. And yet, it was a really good practice. I'm excited to have Mike playing in the band, and I hope it becomes a permanent thing. We've talked about making music for years now, and it's good to see that finally happening.

On a similar note, we (The Uncontrollable Few) are playing at Silvie's tomorrow night, Sunday June 8th. It's a shitting website, but it's a really cool bar. So come on out!! I wish I could tell you what time we're playing, but the band who put the show together has been less than helpful with that. Show starts at 9ish though.

And now, the train of thought portion. Love is a strange thing. It can develop without intention, and certainly in places it shouldn't. And then you're left trying to figure out how to eliminate anything romantic from a relationship so you don't fuck up a friendship. This really works against me, seeing as I'm used to disregarding the situation and just going for what my 'heart' wants. Well now my heart wants something my head knows I can't have. Which of course makes me want it more. So you can see my struggle. A work in progress. An apt phrase. Cross your fingers and hope for the best. Maybe I'll write a song about it.

I need a beer.

Here's a fucked up night for you

So, the night started great. Met up with the band at Monk's for some dinner, and then headed back to the practice space. Had a nice practice, went out to my car and...


MUTHA FUCKA!!!! My back windshield was completely shattered. There were 10 other cars parked out front of the place and mine had to be the one to get nailed. Stupid punk-ass kids.

So filed a police report, submitted it to my insurance, and with any luck it'll be fixed tomorrow.

Oh, but the night doesn't end there, no.

So I'm put in a bad mood now. I was gonna go to Megg's and chill with the band, but I just wanted to get my car home now. So I stop by the wine shop downstairs on my way home to grab some mixers for my delicious Sailor Jerry's Rum to drown my sorrows a bit.

The wine shop is just closing, but I know the guy and we're cool, so I get in and grab some cokes. Only, there's a girl in there I've never seen before behind the counter. The three of us chat it up for alittle bit and I find out she was about a day away from becoming a marine but they found some stress fractures in her shin. So they shipped her back form Virginia to Chicago, and it was all done in a day and she's trying to find someone she knows to stay with.

So I invite her up, cos who wants to sit on a street corner trying to call everyone they know to see if they can find a place to stay. She was cool, her name's Anna, and she eventually found a friend to come pick her up. We chilled, shared stories, and watched the Daily show.

Top that.

This is the last night in my body...yeah

I woke up this morning with the urge to clean. I showered, did a bunch of dishes (no, not in the shower), cleaned counters and the stove, vacuumed (which required emptying three times... that cat has so much fucking hair.) All that's left is to clean my bathroom. Which I'm putting off by writing this blog.

Steve's been gone for a week now and I gotta say... I miss him. Though sometimes I go almost a week without seeing him, since he's at Kels' or class or something. But he's done with classes for the summer (minus a blow off class he's taking) so it'll be good to have a room mate.

And yet, he won't really be my room mate in a month. He'll be my neighbor, and Nathan will be my room mate. Which I'm pretty excited about. Big house warming party the end of June... I'll keep you updated.

I went out friday night, didn't get in till 4. Let's just say, that night didn't go how I thought it would.

The Uncontrollable Few played a little outdoor show in downtown Westmont yesterday. It went pretty well, and it was gorgeous out. We play again this friday at The Fix Cafe with The American Autumn!! (Dave, Chris, Josh, and Dane's band). check the myspace for more info.

Also, starting May 19th, you can vote for The Uncontrollable Few in the Last Band Standing contest for a shot to play Lollapalooza. So tell anyone and everyone you know to vote as many times as they can. Vote here!.

Amber warned me about pursuing a girl that didn't live in the city. Maybe she was right. Granted, 20 minutes isn't that bad. We'll see how this works out.

Rock and Roll

I went to see The New Pornographers with Amber Sunday night. They were amazing live. I'd wager to say I've never seen a band who sounded so good live. It was... um... kick ass.

I feel like I've really been 'living' in the city recently. What I mean by that is I'm going out to new places every week. I'm meeting new people every week. I'm venturing out and exploring and finding some pretty awesome locales and locals. And I like it.

So, the band doesn't have any shows lined up right now, so if you happen to be a killer venue and you want a band... lemme know.

I'm gonna go read my dragon book and pass out. Too many nights with not enough sleep.

Bry

The Prodigal Son

You'd think with all that I've done in the past month, I would have updated this a bit more. You know, share all my awesomeness with everyone. But I didn't. It's not that I didn't have time to update it... there was definitely time. But I chose to spend it doing other things, which I shall now tell you about.

Big point 1: I went to Europe. They've progressed alot since then, eh? Dave, Jeff, and I went out to Barcelona and then to Paris to visit Dave's parents. You can check out the flickr photo stream here. It was quite an experience, but really made me appreciate Chicago. Funny how that works. And then, on my blue line ride home from O'Hare, there were tourists everywhere, with their big Chicago maps out. It's weird to think of home as someplace where tourists come, but I suppose it really is, and that just makes it cooler.

Anyway, big point 2: I'm in a new band!!!! The Uncontrollable Few. I found their ad on CraigsList back before I left for Europe (I've now found a love seat, a job, and a band on that site (and maybe something else...) I love it). They had a couple shows coming up and their drummer just up and left. So I took a listen and really liked their stuff and after a few emails, we determined I was going to listen to the songs a shit ton while away, get together once or twice before the show, and see what happened.

Well here's what happened! It was awesome. The 4 other members are really cool, Charlie, Megg, Brad, and Matt. I think as far as personalities and general outlooks, we mesh really well. And musically, it clicked. A total of maybe 5 hours of practice and we played our first show at Silvie's Lounge this past Friday. We rocked the shit outta that place. And then they invited me to join the band as a full fledged member, which I gladly accepted.

We are playing another show coming up, April 16th at the Elbo Room, part of the International Pop Overthrow festival. Check out the myspace for more info.

So there's that. Two pretty sweet things going for me. I've also finished a redesign of www.bryandunk.com and coded it all up last weekend. I only have the front page now, and dummy content, and I still need to actually implement the blog rss feed... but those will come in time.

And that wraps up about all I've got for this post, take care.

Bry

Better Luck Next Time

Well, I got a call back from that band, Junior Electric. They said they were gonna still be looking for a drummer. Which kinda sucks, cos I think I would have really liked playing with them. But if it's not to be, then it's not to be.

This just means that I'll be back to scouring Craig's List in search of an other possible band.

I'm officially done with grad school now. Gave my presentation on Monday, and it went well. I haven't gotten my grad back yet... hold on, nope not posted yet. Oh well, I'll have an A in the class anyway.

I think I'm gonna start reading that CSS book from work this weekend... maybe grab the lappy and head to a coffee shop or something for a while. It's gonna take a little dedication to really teach myself all the stuff I need to know. But the fact that I'm genuinely interested in it will make it easier.

I think Amber and I are gonna take a flash course sometime next month, which will be cool.

I'm going out to Morris tomorrow evening with Chris and Dave to see their band The American Autumn play. Should be good time. If you're around, you should come out.

Aight, I'm gonna go scour craigslist.

Happy birthday to me!

I went home Yesterday to spend some time with my family, as Liss and Iska were back home for their spring breaks. Since my b-day is on Tuesday, this was a good time to see everyone, who I haven't really seen since new years.

I was going to go rock climbing with Katie earlier on Saturday, but she had a rough Friday night and really wasn't in the right condition to climb. It's a sad thing, because now I won't see her until she's back home from school... But at the same time, maybe that's enough time to really let all the feelings die so we can continue on with our friendship.

I had a productive Saturday though, I got my emissions tested on my car, and then an oil change. And then I finally got around to returning the crockpot I got for Christmas (already had one) and got some sweet new pans. Wooooooo pans!!!!

I played a few games of pool with my dad, played with the Chihuahuas, and had a nice relaxing day.

We went out to dinner at 1776, which is a very tasty place. I had wild boar and venison. Hellz yea.

My sister and Iska got me a full 12 pound frozen turkey for my b-day (and a nice Express gift card). They. Are. Ridiculous.

My parents got me some sweet stuff too. The new Tolkein book (finished by his son) and a graphic fantasy novel with mice. I also got a kick ass new camera which will help me document my trip to Europe all the better. I'll setup a flikr stream or something for that.

I'm going to jam/audition with this band Junior Electric this evening, and I'm pretty exciting. I really dig the music they've been making, and I think it would be a really good situation to be in. So wish me luck.

Peace.

I think Colbert is a little drunk

I've been watching to Colbert Report this evening, and he has slurred his words about 3 times. Though he's already made fun of Hitler, John Stewart, and that North Korean leader. Kim Jung Eel? Something like that.

Last weekend was pretty cool. I partied like I was 22 again. Friday night, Steve, Doug, Kels, Nathan and I went to a club. It was dumb. People spilled drinks on my feet and drinks were really expensive. I left early, took a cab home, ate soup, and passed out. But over all it was actually a good night, due to good people.

Most of Saturday was spent playing video games with Doug and napping.

Heh, now the director of the New York Philharmonic is on. He's actually a pretty funny man. It's a nice change from the normal politcal people they've had on recently.

You know, the only way I know anything about what happens in the world is thanks to John Stewart and Stephen Colbert. So I'd like to thank them. And use their names in my blog in hopes that I get some more google search hits.

I could say things like "Fur is murder" or "I love abortion" just to see if I end up getting any google hits. That's the fun thing about being able to track that.

It's a shame meta tags don't really mean much anymore. I suppose they were too easily manipulated.

I can't wait to really be done with grad school. I have so much useful stuff I'd like to learn, but so much stupid stuff I must finish.

Isn't it weird how people who learn english in england (non-native english speakers) then have british accents. And I suppose it I were to learn spanish in spain, hispanic spanish speakers would hear the accent in me (and I suppose I in them).

Just a little random thinking, though not really profound.

Aaaaaaaand, I'm out.

3 Things

1) Why the fuck is it snowing?!?

2) I washed my jeans yesterday, which is a rare occurrence, and the washing machine sucked balls, leaving a large deposit of still liquid Tide on the crotchal region. I can STILL smell flowers emanating from my wang. All freaking day, it's like the uber cologne. Alma (coworker) said it was hard to breath with her mouth open by me cos she could taste it. Yes, she could taste my crotch in the air. This better fade soon, cos I don't like having a floral dick.

3) I hate people who feel the need to pull their cell phone away from their ear and speak into the screen. They are designed to pick up your voice optimally while it is held in the normal position. Hell, the antenna are even designed to work better when you hold them normally. Do you even know where the microphone is?! It's in the bottom, the part that is already by your mouth. They can't hear you better when you take it away from your head and talk at the speaker. In fact, you know what?!? Then you can't even hear what they're saying. And they can probably hear you worse than they could before. But I can hear you better, cos now you have to speak louder. Fucking dumbass.

Let's make a list

Reasons to stay in school


  • Masters Degree looks pretty good

  • Learning is good

  • Living without student loans requires fulltime job

  • I like animating



Reasons to drop out of school

  • I hate software development. This degree is focused on software development

  • I'm very happy with my current job (which was the point of going back to school in the first place)

  • There is no degree at DePaul for exactly what I'm looking for. This is close, but it still results in tons of coding

  • I'm pretty sure I'd be better off using my free time to take a flash course, read a CSS book, and focus solely on the skills I want to build

  • I will have to pay these loans back eventually



So, I think I'm gonna call the folks later today and have a nice chat. Because I have been tossing this around for a while, and really, I think my original reasons for going to grad school have been lost.


Things I look for in a girl

  • the list doesn't really need to be made. You are the things I look for in a girl. This will make sense eventually, I promise

Remember when we used to love this shit?

Open iTunes (or Windows Media Player, etc) to answer the following. Go to your library. Answer, no matter how embarrasing it is.

How many songs? 5300 (yes, exactly)

Sort by song title:
First Song: A-List Actress ~ Hey Mercedes
Last Song: 45223 ~ Drop Dead Gorgeous

Sort by time:

Shortest Song: My Cat's Name Is Maceo (0:04) ~ Jane's Addiction
Longest Song: Jacob Van Lennepkade II (18:40) ~ Omar Rodriguez Lopez

Sort by album:
First Album: [A-->B] Life ~ mewithoutyou
Last Album: 90125 ~ Yes

Top Five Most Played Songs:
1: Bramafatura ~ 3
2: One Way Town ~ 3
3: Trust ~ 3
4: Dogs of War ~ 3
5: Wake Pig ~ 3
(I think the stats are a bit off here... probably something to do with recreating my iTunes library and the fact that only songs bought off the iTunes store retained their play counts)

First song that comes up on Shuffle?
Still More Fighting ~ Nobuo Uematsu

How many songs come up when you search for "sex"? 23

How many songs come up when you search for "death"? 120

How many songs come up when you search for "love"? 226

How many songs come up when you search for "you"? 649

Gold lion's gonna tell me where the light is

My mom came out for dinner Thursday to finally use the coupon I gave her for Christmas. Yes, I still give coupons redeemable for time with me. You only wish you had one.

I must say, I have one of the coolest moms to ever exist. For two and a half hours, we ate, drank, and talked. Never a lull in conversation, touching on any and all topics. I had a great time, and it kinda made me realize how lucky I am to have such an awesome relationship with my parents.

Last night, Steve, Kels, Nathan, and myself went out and met up with Amber, Holly, Jordan, and Chuck (yea, I don't know Chuck either... I think his name was Chuck) at the Gold Star up on Division. It was a lovely bar, riding the line of dive bar with just enough class (and a pretty sweet juke box). Somewhere around 2am, we left and got tacos at this hole-in-the-wall place up there (pasaldo...or something) that had probably the best tacos I have ever eaten. Amazing.

I love this city.

I miss her, but I still don't know what to do.

Sirens are just part of the city

People change. It's a simple fact that no one can deny. It's not necessarily a change for the better or worse, but simply an evolution of character.

In a romantic relationship, the couple changes and grows together. But in a long distance relationship, the guidance that ushers growth in the same path is much more difficult to come by.

It's not the I stopped loving her, or her me. Chances are, that will never truly happen. But the admission by both parties that something just wasn't there anymore was enough.

I've spent the last 4 years of my life completely integrating her into every aspect of my life, and despite the fact that the only direct change is a missing phone call each night, I'm going to desperately miss sharing my day with her.

When a relationship ends on good terms, because of nobody's 'fault', you can't help but be overly optimistic. But god dammit, if I know one thing, it's that life without her wouldn't be half as enriching or fulfilling. She's my best friend. She was before, and she will be still. Things will have to change, but there's no way to cut her out of my life and still feel like that life is my own.

That's all.

Here you go

It's been over a month since I've updated. I've been bad, I know, but I've been really busy. Granted, not busy enough to actually justify never writing in here... but busy just the same.

I'm not gonna try and recap everything that's happened since my last post because...well, way too much. But I'll hit you with two key highlights going on right now.

1). This weekend, I went out to Savanna with my dad to visit my Grandma and Uncle Randy. The original intent of the trip was really just some good brother time for my dad and uncle, and my dad invited me along. We were going to split some wood and drink some beers; super manly shit. But unfortunately, the wood chopping fell through (a genuine disappointment). Don't worry, we still drank alot of beer.

In my 23 years, my Uncle Randy has been around for all of them, but I don't know if I have every really hung out with him before. I don't see my dad's side of the family much, since they live about 2.5 hours away, which in the grand scheme of things isn't very far, but it's far enough to require effort. And for the most part, I can be pretty selfish when it comes down to 'video games and drinking' VS 'go see family'.

This time, I opted to go with the family, and it was a great choice. I'm not sure if my dad is just getting cooler with age, or if he feels that he can open up more to me now that I too am an adult (in the strictest sense of the word, mind you). Either way, I feel much more connected with my dad than I used to. And the same goes for my uncle. It's always cool to really get to know your family. Not just at the family gatherings where you haven't seen anyone since last thanksgiving and you almost feel awkward.

My uncle's got this garage with a little 'man room' in the back. It has a few beat up chairs, a TV, a fridge, a heater, and a sound system that could probably kill a small mammal. Turns out my uncle really likes Rush, which is awesome, cos so do I. And after the three of us drinking well over 2 gallons of beer, we rocked out to Rush super hardcore. There was air guitar, and air drums, and even some squealing like Geddy Lee.

Moral of the story, today was a hung over day and I'm glad of it.

now, on to two.

2). I'm going to Europe at the end of March with Dave and Jeff. I am so fucking excited it's not even funny. We're flying over to Barcelona, hanging out there for 4 days or so, and then going up to Paris to hang with Dave's parents for a few more days. I've craved Europe since going a few years back, and I can't imagine two better people to go with.

Plus, it's an excuse to buy one of these and one of these. Bitchin'!