It's Been A While

Wow, it has been an extremely long time since I wrote an entry. Things have been going well for me. Move-out form the U was fairly uneventful, and now all of the junk is in the basement. The house is a little emptier now that one of my older brothers, Korbyn, bought his own place and has moved the majority of his things there. My oldest brother, Nick, has purchased a new place in downtown Chicago and will be moving there soon. Big things for the older Doucette brothers. My May-term class has started. Music Theory every day from 9 am to 10:45 am, followed by Ear-Training and Sight-Singing from 11 am to 12 noon. After that, I have my daily performance exam. This will be a fun semester crammed into 14 class days. I hope I survive. Once this is over, the Summer term will start. Then, I will have Music Theory 2, the corresponding ET&SS, and British History to the 17th Century.

Things on the Glasgow front are moving relatively slowly. I have yet to hear back about the classes I expressed an interest in. However, they have gotten back to me about where I will be residing. It is called the Kelvinhaugh Street residence. Super excited! There are still quite a few things to do (getting a visa, power converters, etc).

I am looking to spend a lot of time with friends this Summer, as I will not be seeing any of them, face-to-face, until next Summer. Perhaps I will have to pick up a video blog while I am there. That way everyone can see my shining face lol. I am very nervous about how well I will fit in. Hopefully I will acclimate quickly and get right to making friends. I will certainly be taking in the local happenings, including going to a pub or two to get my drink on!

All I know now is that I am very excited and anxious about going, and that I will miss my friends and family very much. I look forward to things being more clear in the near future.

See you soon!

Relief

Today was the due date for the 10-page research paper in my History of the Vietnam Wars class. Although it was a hard writing process, I now feel like a huge weight has been lifted. Just one less thing to worry about going into the last couple weeks of school. The end is almost here; I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Once the term ends, I'll have about a week off until May term starts. Then, it is Music Theory 1 every day for about three weeks. After that, Summer Term starts and then it is Music Theory 2 and British History to the 17th Century.

Hopefully, within the next couple of weeks, the University of Glasgow will get back to me about my learning abroad opportunity for next school year. Hopefully, I will be attending their fine establishment for the entire academic year. I'll be taking two year long courses, one in music composition and one in the Scots Gaelic (Gàidhlig), and then two semester classes, one on early Scottish History and one on music of the classical period through the study of Bach and his Lutheran Passion settings (P.S. the St. John Passion is an amazing work of music) DISCLAIMER: I am not religious in the least. There will be the opportunity for extra-curriculars as well. Perhaps I will sing in a choir, or play a sport such as Rugby, Cricket, or Curling. Of course, that is all pending that I am accepted. I cannot wait to hear back.

Two weeks ago, the rugby team traveled to Chicago to play Bowling Green State University for the Midwest Cup. We lost, but good times were had. Specifically, a program that we listened to in the van on the way down there. On Saturday, NPR does a program where they analyze music of seemingly disparate genres that shares a common theme. The theme that Saturday was money. Among the tracks played was one by Johnny Cash called, “After Taxes.” Finally, they got to the last track, prefaced like this: “Now, for the last track of this program. Our theme throughout has been money and its power in the world. We come to a group of the finest MC's who have ever existed. The RZA, the JZA, ODB, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. The Wu-Tang Clan and their debut album hit, “C.R.E.A.M.” discusses the power of money in the inner city. Let me read you a particularly powerful set of lyrics. “But as the world turns I learned life is hell/ Living in the world no different from a cell.” It just goes to show that no matter how much money you have, the world is still a harsh place.”

I nearly shit myself when I heard some nerdy white guy reading Wu-Tang Clan lyrics and busting his nut about what a “prolific group of MC's they were.” Freaking awesome.

I leave you with that thought. Have a good night.

I don't think that I get it

I hate Donald Trump. You know why? He's an asshole. First of all, he's an uninformed douche who plants the most absurd idea in the political discourse. It is these ideas that are like masturbatory aides for the most prejudiced, hateful conservative radicals in America. And, when someone calls him on it, he has this bizarre, histrionic reaction. I don't understand why anyone takes him seriously. But, nonetheless, the latest polls show him tied with Mitt Romney, who I believe is the only sane person thinking of running for office on the Republican side. Ugh.

Speaking of Mitt Romney, it is fiver years ago today that he signed a piece of legislation into law that reformed the healthcare system in the state of Massachusetts. Because of this legislation 98% of people in Massachusetts have healthcare coverage, which includes 99.8% of children. Massachusetts is still a state. It hasn't imploded, or fallen off the face of the Earth. In fact, they have a balanced budget. They aren't bankrupt. So, what is the issue with implementing this at the national level. All conservatives talk about is how it will kill the insurance industry and bankrupt the country. Well, neither of those things have happened in Massachusetts. And I do not think they will ever happen to our country.

In other political news, Republicans don't understand economics. Go figure. Wisconsin Republican Representative, Paul Ryan, released the GOP plan so resolve the debt crisis recently. In it, he proposes cutting 750 million dollars from Medicaid, and privatizing Medicare. In addition, Republicans look to defund Planned Parenthood, PBS, and NPR along with other programs they do no agree with socially.

I am upset about this for several reasons. Firstly, the GOP is trying to make a social issue out of budgetary matters. You cannot just defund everything you disagree with. Planned Parenthood provides women's health services to 5 million women every year that they would not otherwise be able to afford, including breast and cervical cancer screenings. Yet, the GOP seeks to pin Planned Parenthood as the #1 provider of abortion services in America. Secondly, Republicans need to understand that the cuts the seek to make are just wiped out by the tax  cuts that they give to wealthy individuals and large corporations. Cutting spending alone does not fix debt problems. You also have to raise taxes to create a compound effect. In fact, going back to the tax structure under President Clinton would produce the same effect as all of the spending cuts in Rep. Ryan's plan. Think about that.

I think my blood pressure is elevated now. I'm going to rest up so I can get just as worked up tomorrow.

News Flash

I realized how long it has been since I lost blogged. Seems like forever. I have some things on my mind; some old, some new.

As you may know, members of Congress are attempting to draft and pass a budget in order to avoid a partial shutdown of the government. What is getting my goat about this whole issue is the absolute ridiculousness with which this is being dragged out. Our budget deficit for next year is estimated at  1.65 trillion dollars. Senate Democrats and House Republicans are fighting over the difference between 33 billion dollars and 61 billion dollars. Firstly, in the grand scheme, both of these numbers are negligible amounts compared to the total deficit. They are virtually the same number. Also, Republicans are not willing to make cuts that will really affect the budget. We spend 500+ billion dollars a year on the defense budget. That is more than every other country in the world, COMBINED. China comes in a distant second, spending only about 200 billion dollars. We could cut a ton of money from the Defense budget without negatively impacting our nation. But, the Defense budget is sacred to the Republicans. Instead, their preferred method is to defund programs that they disagree with socially, and save almost no money doing it. PBS and NPR have a liberal bias, so defund them! Pro-life? Then defund Planned Parenthood. The list goes on. Republicans, if you are really interested in compromise, then bring everything to the table and let's talk cuts. Otherwise, go suck a dick.

In related news, I hate Donald Trump. He's a fucking idiot. He thinks that he is the second coming of Christ. Apparently, he would be the best president ever. I have news for you, my friend. Running a government is nothing like running a business. To be completely honest, you can't even run multiple businesses well. All that you bring to the table is disgusting hair, an inflated ego, and birtherism. Go jump off of a fucking cliff.

And now, sports! In today's match-up between the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees, Twins Second Baseman Tsuyoshi Nishioka received a broken fibula after Yankees Right Fielder Nick Swisher slid into second base trying to break up a double play. Not only did he show no sign of attempting to touch the bag, he also kicked his foot out as Nishioka attempted to move out of the way in order to trip him. Swisher, you're a fucking dick. You should be suspended. You just put someone on the 2-month disabled list. Nishioka might not be able to come back this season. I hate you. Something needs to be done to stop such irresponsible play.

Lastly, my Chinese class. Apparently, the girl that sits in front of me in discussion still has not discovered the vibrate function on her phone. Almost every day, her phone goes off at the same time in the middle of discussion and she scrambles to silence it. Put it on fucking vibrate before class starts. It has happened three times this week alone, and multiple times in the past. Get with the program.

Someone will pay for this

Today was a dark day, indeed. You and I both know how much Lite Ranch dressing sucks. I've blogged about it before; you know of my disdain. So, I was SHOCKED to find that someone put Lite Ranch in the bottled labeled, "Ranch" at the salad bar in the Comstock dining hall. Let's just say that I was less than pleased. I think I gagged a little when I ate it. Gross.

In other news, I was pretty entertained in my Chinese discussion today when the professor attempted, in his poor English, to explain the difference between "remembering" and "recalling". It was a nice little psych lecture lol. In English, those terms are used interchangeably. But, in Chinese, they have different meanings. In Chinese, 記得 (ji de, to remember) is the act of perpetually remembering something. Whereas, 想得起來 (xiang de qi lai, to recall) is the act of retrieving something from memory. I think I get it. We'll see once the test comes around.

On Sunday, the next U of M concert is going down. It is called "Music for a Grand Space." It will include performances by the Men's Chorus (that's me!!!), the Women's Chorus (they're alright), and the Campus Singers. The Men's Chorus will be performing an eclectic mass, a mix of mass movements from across musical history. Following the mass pieces, we will be performing a spiritual, "Ride the Chariot."

Here is a preview of a couple of the pieces:

This one is alright. They're a little flat. Plus the conductor's hand motions scare me a bit.



We aren't doing this one, but I have a man-crush on this guy. Enjoy, despite this being recorded on the worst VHS tape ever.

Divulgance

So, I'm sitting here, drinking some coffee because I have actual work that I should be doing. Instead, I'm writing another blog entry, hoping that my CSci homework will do itself. But I feel like there is something else that I need to get off of my chest.

I have this friend. I went to high school with this friend. We never talked much then, more or less just small talk. Small talk doesn't really give you great insight into a person. All I really knew about her was what I heard from others (namely Paul and Steven...both are douchey). So my impression of her came to be that she was very attractive, but not all that substantive or intelligent (how much more errant could I have been?). After college had been under way for a while, I decided through Facebook's suggestion that I would restore contact with her.I must've missed the small talk.  In the ensuing correspondence I learned how off-base I had been.

I soon came to realize that this was a person who was not only physically attractive, but also intelligent, caring, and funny. The person had goals, and strove to achieve them. I had been an absolute fool for basing my opinion of this person almost solely on what I had heard from others; others who were not acting in her interest, who didn't respect her. I was ashamed, and still am, for how ignorant and foolish I had been. I only hope that if she reads this, that she forgives me for being such an asshole.

She is one of the most amazing people I know, and I cannot imagine having to continue on without her. There are a lot of people in this world, but few, if any, compare.

Now, for that CSci homework. Goodnight, all.

My Recent Feelings

How hard is it to not talk? Think about that for a minute. I think that it is pretty easy. Maybe it takes some tact. I just feel that there are some times when you need to be quiet. Among those times is when people are trying to get things done. Case in point: choir rehearsal. We have a concert this Sunday. That means that this Wednesday and Saturday are our last rehearsals. You would think that there might be a sense of urgency among the members. I could not be more incorrect. I understand that we sound really good as a group and that there is nothing drastically wrong with any of our pieces. But can you just not talk every time the director cuts us off? The kid who sits behind me responded to my seriousness with the statement, "well, this is Men's Chorus." Yeah, but there was more discipline in my high school concert choir. If we would've talked every time our directors cut us off, they would've eaten our faces off. In all seriousness, I feel like they pushed us to a high level of musicianship. That obviously was not the case with the programs from which my fellow Men's Chorus members come.

Now, I'm not a total choir bitch. I know those people. All I want is for people to use rehearsal time to its full potential. I feel like this would definitely be the case if I were in one of the more advanced choirs. However, they are thick with choir bitches. And I HHHAAATTTEEE those people. I put up with several of them in high school without physically harming a single one. Way to go, me. However, I do not think that I could restrain myself now. Whatever. We'll see.

So, this May-term I am taking Music Theory 1/Ear Training and Sight-singing 1. I feel like the material will be easy enough, but it is a semester's worth of class time in like, two weeks. I guess that is why you only take one class during May-term. Then this Summer I will be taking Music Theory 2/Ear Training and Sight-singing 2, History of Western Music 1, The Viking World, and Ancient Civilizations: Rome. I'm pretty excited.

I have yet to meet with a study abroad advisor. I should definitely do that this week. Need to get that sorted out. I want to be in Glasgow next year.

Have a good one, readers

Catharsis

I'm ready to shirk this, and I think that talking about it will help. Being in a relationship with someone who has depression is very difficult. Not only does that weigh heavily upon the person who has depression, but it also affects all of those involved. When times were good, things were good as well. But when times were bad,  it felt as though I alone was carrying the emotional weight of two people. I will now admit that I think that 4-year experience had a profound effect on me. I think that it has made me less emotive; more guarded and closed. I spent my high school years, years that are supposed to be filled with fun and friends, trying to help my significant other through her disorder. I gave much of my time, doing what any boyfriend would do and much more. That's why this next part is so hard.

I thought that we would be together for a long time. I knew that most couples who go off to college break up or have a bit of a strain. I am probably the most realistic person you know. We promised each other that if we felt the desire to date around, then we should talk about it. Finally, the day came when we had that conversation; the result was the end of our relationship. No big deal, people get over those things. I was a little hurt by the fact that she started seeing some guy right away. Makes you feel insignificant. But later, via her, I would learn that not only were the dating before she and I broke up, but that she had cheated on me with this guy.

That should've been the end of us ever talking. But, being an idiot caught in a mix of emotion, I chose to keep contact. I realize now that I should not have done that. It would've been better for me. It's hard to see someone so happy with the person with whom they cheated on you. Suck.

I feel much better having gotten this off of my chest. This is stuff that I haven't told anyone. So this is between me and like...no one. Oh well. I just feel like I deserve a little more respect than I was given. Maybe someday I will have someone who respects me. I know she's out there.

Japan

If you have been paying attention to the news at all in the past week or so, I'm sure that you have seen the terrible events unfolding in Japan. First a major earthquake which was initially graded an 8.9 (now regraded as a 9.0), followed by a devastating tsunami, both of which wreaked major damage on the city of Sendai and the entire Miyagi region. And now, a horrible catastrophe is unfolding as the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (福島第一原子力発電所). My thoughts go out to those who have felt this disaster. I have full faith in the efforts of the Japanese and U.S. governments to deal with such a fragile issue.

On a different note, there was something that just pissed the hell out of me. I'm sick of all this divine shit. People who say that this is a sign from God are fucking idiots. They have this notion that it is payback for something. What? Hmm? For what is this payback? I cannot think of one thing that the people of Japan have done that would warrant such wrath. All this is is you being a huge fucking douche. You don't really care about the Japanese people because you are crazy and racist. I'm looking at the two of you, Limbaugh and Beck. Fuck both of you. I hope you both die by some divine action. It would make the world a much better place. 

People, do what you can to help. Text 'REDCROSS' to 90999 to donate $10 to the relief effort. Send positive thoughts in whatever manner you choose. Let's all just hope that the people of Japan are able to pull together and get through such an awful time.

Have a good one, folks.

Very Funny, Guys...

I came home earlier this morning to kick off my Spring Break. When I walked into my room, I noticed an interesting surprise on my bulletin board. But first, back story. Some time ago, Taylor Swift was on SNL. Sarcastically, I quipped that I was a closet T-Swift fan. My mom thought it was hilarious. She also decided to give me shit about it rather consistently since. So, when I went into my room and looked at my bulletin board, there was picture of Taylor Swift, which appeared to have been clipped out of a magazine. And on it, my brother Korbyn's girlfriend thought it funny to write, "To My Biggest Fan." She even signed it, "from Taylor." Ha. Ha. Funny.

Ugh, it's late. I'm gonna hit the hay. Have a good one.

This is the fucking cutest thing ever.


What the fuck is up with Bryn's suit???


Auld Lang Syne as Burns meant it to be performed.

For the Young Lady in the Laundry Room

I just remembered something that really pissed me off a while back, but that I never blogged about.

I fucking HATE it when people take up a ton of washers or dryers during busy laundry times. It was a Sunday night, a couple of weeks ago, and I decided to do some laundry. Now, being a guy, I usually just throw all of my stuff into the washer at once (I'll do two loads if I HAVE to). So, I took my basket down to the laundry room. When I arrived, there were two girls who, together, had occupied 8 of the 11 washers. Now, make no mistake about it; it was definitely a "what the fuck" moment. As my oldest brother, Nick, would say, "that is a load of bitches." I just stood there in disbelief that two people, during rush, could justify using 4 washers A PIECE. I wanted to kill them. Instead, I quipped a sarcastic, "really?" They looked at me and copped some attitude like a couple of C U Next Tuesdays. I went back up to my room and quickly complained about it to my roommate.

An eclectic mix of videos. I like many of kinds of music.

Long Time

Wow. It's been quite a while since the last post. Not quite a "daily" thing. Oh well.

Tomorrow morning after my 8 a.m. Computer Science lab, I will be heading over to Ferguson Hall to meet with an advisor about adding a second major: a Bachelor of Arts in Music. I really have a passion for music as well as history, and I feel that they compliment each other very well. Music is an important part of culture and society, and can tell you a lot about the time period you are studying. I'm thinking that I will be able to do both majors in 4 years. Let's hope.

Spring break is coming up pretty quickly. However, I'm not going anywhere. I'll just be hanging out around the cities, catching up on my reading and potentially writing a research paper. That, and I have two rugby practices. It's getting to be that time.

Now, I have to be studying for my written Chinese Midterm that I will take tomorrow. But I will leave you with these two excellent King's Singers videos: "La Guerre" by Clement Janequin, and "Say Love If Ever Thou Didst Find" by John Dowland.

A Revised List of Things I Hate

No, I'm not dead. For all you who were worried about me, I'm back! And, with a brand new list of things I hate. I had been contemplating this list all day and I really like it...but not the stuff on it.

1. The sound of people gulping their drinks - fucking gross. My US History professor did that today in the middle of her lecture. The microphone on her lapel picked it up and magnified it real good. Maybe me want to vomit. eeehhhhhh.
2. People who eat in class, specifically things in bags - You are not stealthy. You may think that you are being pretty quite eating that bag of Doritos, but you're not. And get this; everyone can hear you rustling around in the bag. It's annoying as fuck. Just stop it. 
3. People who don't hold the door for you - Have you ever been walking in a line of people, say, third from the front? The first guy opens the door and supports it for the second guy, who then sneaks in through the door leaving it to close on/ in front of you. Yeah. That happened to me three times on the way from my US history lecture to my dorm. Ridiculous.

Hopefully I will be less busy now for a while. Between all the homework, choir rehearsal, and rugby practice, I barely have time for much else. Have a good one, readers.

Sigh

This last week was hard shit. I had a midterm in my Vietnam Wars history class, and a speech in Chinese. I think I sleep for a total of six hours the entire week. That fucking blew. I'm a guy who needs his sleep, and lots of it. I know the speech went well, but let's hope the midterm went alright. I feel like I need to up my effort level, which is already extremely high. I am all caught up now which means I can begin anew. I'm just happy to have a nice weekend at home where I can get a ton of sleep. That way, I can start next week all fresh.

I went to the gym today and got in a good workout. I've found that I rarely go to the Rec when I am at school. I usually just go for runs. So, it's good to get home for a weekend and get in some weight lifting. That, and I get to watch a lot of good rugby with my brother. I found that I can watch Super 15 (S. Africa, Australia, and New Zealand) online, but they don't come on until 12:30 or 1 a.m.

In any event, I hope everyone else had a good week, and I hope that all of your weeks henceforth are good as well. Now, I'm going to finish this Stella Artois, watch a match, and hit the hay. Goodnight.

Reflection

I must sound like that old man who lives in the neighborhood and hates it when children walk on his property. I don't really hate everything and everyone. There are just a lot of things that I find annoying and all I am trying to do is expose you (my readers...there must be at least 3) to them.

In the past twenty or so minutes, I have been reflecting on my previous post. I don't hate couples. I don't hate seeing couples who are clearly in love. Just because I struck out does not mean that I get to rain on everyone else's parade. It also does not mean that I have some sarcastic, jaded view of what a relationship should be. I like love. It's a great feeling. I enjoy being with someone with whom I can share passions, ideals, aspirations, etc.  But I've found that, at this point in time at least, the pool of women who have a similar concept of what a relationship should be is slim.

I really want a partner. Someone that I can support, through good times and bad. Someone with whom I can do fun things. Someone who I can respect and support in their goals and aspirations. And someone who will do those very things for me. Someone who understands what they want and who they are. This is a person who I could see having a future with.

See? I'm not really an 80 year old, crotchety shut-in posing as a college student. In fact, I think my heart just grew three sizes...wait...maybe not. In any event, I just wanted you all to see that I do enjoy things, and that I have the same needs and desires as everyone else. Relish this moment, because another one like it is not going to happen any time soon. Back to the Grinch cave.

So very, very tired

This week has pretty much sucked. Tomorrow, I have my first midterm in my Vietnam Wars history class. And right now, I'm getting bent over by it. I have a ton of reading left to do before I can even start reviewing. I just have a feeling that it is not going to go well. Last night, I got no sleep. That isn't an exaggeration. I actually didn't sleep. Too busy studying for this fuckin' class.

Here is something on the lighter side. Today, in my computer science lecture, I spotted this Asian couple; nothing new because I notice them every lecture. And every lecture, the guy comes in late because he was getting the girl some food, or a drink, or some chocolates, or clothes, or bleh blehbleh blehbleh. And then they sit next to each other and share the food and make puppy dog eyes at each other. It's just gross. It's too damn cute. I had to hold back my vomit today. I would've hated having to apologize to them. I mean get a life. I cannot stand PDA.

You have to have something to do that isn't spending every waking moment staring longingly into each others' eyes. Seriously. That's cute and romantic for like, a day, and then it just gets weird. Immature girls want that kind of relationship. One where the guy is just waiting for a text or a call, and will come rushing to them whenever they want. Let's talk about the real world. That's Disney shit. In the real world, real people have real priorities. If I'm at work then I can't drop everything to come be with you, because I would get fired. And as movie-like as that may seem, no real person does stuff like that. People have priorities. For students, school and work are priorities. For adults, a career is a priority. A relationship will never top everything else in someone's life. It may share that top spot with several other things, but it will never be the end-all, be-all.

Maybe I'm bitter. Maybe I'm tired. Or, maybe I'm just sick of people who haven't grown up. It certainly strikes a chord with me. Now, before I dig a deeper hole, or ruin my chances with more ladies who aren't reading this, I should really get back to studying.

Chinese New Year thing...and douchey people

Last night was the Chinese New Year Gala as put on by the Chinese-American Student Association (CASA). It was a wonderful production of traditional dance, music and theater, as well as kung fu routines and modern dance. There was also free food. Bonus. My roommate Calvin and I attended. We both had a ton of fun, as did those we talked to who also went.

One thing that I cannot get over is how rude some people are. Apparently, courtesy is not something being taught anymore. I have been in several venues recently where I have almost been moved to violence. I'm not a violent person (I tend to complain rather than take physical actions), but these people almost suffered my wrath.

Last winter, at the University Holiday Concert, we members of the Men's Chorus were seated in the back with members of the Women's Chorus behind us. Through the entire set being performed, these two girls and one guy behind me did not stop talking. And it wasn't like they were even talking about random shit. They were criticizing everything from the program selection to the skill of the singers. I was so infuriated that I almost had to choke a bitch. However, I restrained myself, and settled for informing their director post concert.

The second event was the recent performance at Orchestra Hall. The Minnesota Orchestra performed Antonin Dvorak's "Symphony No. 7". The overall production was amazing; I love the Classics Series at the Orchestra. But, the patrons who were seated behind me drove me crazy. This guy, who apparently thought he was the funniest person alive, kept making these snarky comments like, "Ugh...I didn't come here for a theory lesson," the whole time during the first-half presentation. Not one minute went by without him flapping his trap. I gave him the "shut the fuck up" over-the-shoulder glance more times than any person should have to give it. However, in the second half, during the actual performance, he didn't say anything the whole time. Maybe someone roughed him up in the bathroom.

Lastly, last night was the most recent display of rudeness. The seating that was set up in the Great Hall in Coffman Union was in two sections: the tables in the main part of the hall, and additional seating in the back. Just because you are in the additional seating in the back does not mean that you get to talk the whole fuckin' time. People can hear you. Everyone can hear you. And it's rude as fuck. If you don't want to sit there, give respect and pay attention, then get the fuck out. No one made you come. AARRRGGGHHHH!

Anyway. So, there was free food. There were these two guys standing behind Calvin and I in line who were soooooo douchey. All they did was have this verbal dick-measuring contest where they sought to decided who had the higher ACT and SAT score, more friends at ritzy private colleges, and who was in harder, more obscure classes. I almost vomited. What is it with people who just looooove to talk about themselves. You aren't the greatest person who has ever lived. Get over yourself. I wanted to break their oversized, thick-framed glasses.

Have a good one, readers.

Keep Truckin'

So, I have an 8 am  lab on Fridays for Computer Science. Today's lab was the worst lab experience I have ever  had in my whole life. There are five sections to be completed by the end of class, and my partner and I managed to struggle through two of those. Suck. I was pissed, he was pissed. Everyone was pissed. If you could've taken a snapshot of our lab section, your camera would've broken from all of the fervent disdain. Turns out, though, that no group in any of the lab sections completed more than three sections. So, I'm not super worried.

My leg still sucks. That's no fun. Instead of taking a trip to Target to by some stuff, I decided that I would be better off staying in the dorm and icing my injury. I managed to catch three matches today. My boys from Glasgow lost a mediocre showing to Cardiff in a heated Magner's League match-up. Bummer. Toulouse bested La Rochelle to stay on top of the French Top 14, while Bath edged out Sale in the Aviva English Premiership. Tomorrow, those who are interested can see not only the USA Sevens Tournament live from Las Vegas on NBC, but also two Six Nations matches online (England v Italy, Scotland v Wales). I'm always up for viewing buddies! Anyone who wants to watch or learn. I like to think I'm a pretty good teacher, and not in the "awkward pedophile math teacher" kinda way.

I'm psyched for the people of Egypt. For those of you reading, I like to keep up on current events. For those of you who don't know, Egypt's 30-year dictator, Gamal Mubarak, announced that he will step down and turn over executive power to the military. Now, the military has promised democratic elections, but I am still hesitant. This has happened many times all around the world, several in the Middle East, and in almost every one of those cases the military has decided to stay in power. From one dictatorship to another. Let's stay tuned.

Today turned out to be a rather lack-luster day. I turned to my usual crutch: music. I have plenty of ibuprofen, so I suppose that I could start a pain-killer dependency. But, that doesn't seem as artistic, so I'll stick with music. Scottish folk. This shit is raw, like the streets. Check it. You also might want to check some lyrics if you don't understand the Scots-English.

Bleh

Walking around with this calf strain sucks. I hate it. I want it to end. Having to walk around to all of my classes doesn't help it heal, either. I guess I'll just have to rest it this weekend. I have plenty of reading to do, and plenty of rugby to watch, so it'll be a good time.

This Monday is St. Valentine's Day. It will the be first in six years that I am single. This is certainly a new feeling. Maybe I'll turn into one of the cynical people who deplores this holiday. They get all cranky and rain on everyone else's parade. Perhaps I'll just embrace the fact that I am single. I certainly don't have to be with someone.

My older brothers suggested that I go on a lot of dates. The idea of dating multiple people seems kinda weird to me. I don't know that I could do that. Not to mention, that's a lot of work, and it's not like I have a ton of time. I need someone who knows what they want. Someone who is down-to-Earth; fun to be around. Intelligence is also important. That might be kinda shallow, but let's be real here.

There is real emphasis on the "fun" part. I'm kinda boring. I can't be with someone who is also boring. That is way toooo much boring. I'd go insane. This person has to be strong-willed, so much so that she'll drag me out to do fun things that I wouldn't normally do.

I will continue my quest for such a person. I'll let you know how it goes.

Bummin'

Bad news. It turns out that I have a calf muscle strain. Bummer. It hurts enough that it prevents me from taking a full step with my left foot. That will put a dampening on my practice participation. Enough about that.

There are these two girls in my Chinese discussion that just drive me nuts. One of them has the wooooooorrrrrrsssstttt American accent. It literally gives me a headache. Now, I understand that different people have different levels of language-acquisition skill. All languages have nuances of pronunciation. I also understand that some people can't decipher well between very similar sounds. Fine. But could you, at least, try not to beat the spoken Chinese language to death with an American flag? Now, the other girl....I don't even know what to say. She doesn't know words. That's it. I don't know how she passed the first semester of Chinese. When we have to read texts in class, she gets (maybe) one out of every 10 or 11 words. Some people are bad, but I don't know how you could be THAT bad.

On a similar note, there are two girls in my Computer Science lecture that also happen to drive me absolutely insane. Both of them are PSEO kids; let me just preface with that. But they always sit together and talk about everything the professor covers in lecture, which would be fine. BUT, they are so goddamn loud. Seriously. Can you whisper. Is your body capable of that? I don't care if you don't get the material. That's not my problem. But, I shouldn't have to hear it when I am on the opposite side of the room. This is me wanting to punch you in the face -___-

A quick departure from the complaints. I've been feeling rather eclectic lately in regards to my musical tastes. There are two excellent pieces of orchestral music that have been growing on me: Igor Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring", which was originally written as a ballet and which caused riots in Paris when it debut, and Gustav Holst's "The Planets". Aside from that, I've been listening to a lot of Scottish folk music, principally by Jim Malcolm. But, some of the stuff is much older music. And lastly, good old 1960's rock music (The Zombies, The Beatles, The Monkees, The Yardbirds, The Who, etc.).

Have a good one

First Post

So, I'm glad that I know have this avenue for relieving some of the stress. I feel as though the majority of what I will be doing is complaining about things. People don't like to hear you complain in real life, but apparently it's funny to read. Go figure. I also might comment on cool things I learn, things that particularly upset me about political news (the reason for my high blood pressure), and what I'm listening too. Anyway, let's get right to it.

You'll find out as you read more that there are a TON of little things that annoy me. But, today, at lunch, I almost strangled someone. Let's get this out of the way: I cannot stand Lite Ranch dressing. It's fucking gross and makes me want to vomit. Now, I set myself up for it every day; I make the salad before seeing what kind of dressing is available. When I got to the end of the bar and noticed there was no Ranch dressing, I almost went Hulk. God forbid that there would've been a UDS worker in sight, because they would've been going down. That did not set me up for a good rest of the day.

I also had practice last night. It sucked. We had to run a lot. Running is definitely my least favorite part of any sport, and we spent about an hour of our two hour practice doing it. Note to self: drink more water. I'm still sore. Not fun.

Hopefully, today will be a good day. Odds are, something will annoy the hell out of me. You will all know later tonight.