Through Tinted Glass...

I am a sunglass whore.

Wait, that's probably a bad way of putting it, much less starting a post. Rest assured, I don't give out sexual favors for sunglasses (or to sunglasses, for that matter). However, I do have an absurd amount of perfectly usable yet unused sunglasses, defunct only due to my desire for a new pair. I know someone who said that they haven't gotten a new pair of sunglasses in six years. My average rate, however, is about one every six months. These purchases tend to be around Christmas and my birthday (June 5th). What's more, I can spend anywhere from a half-hour to two hours to pick out the right pair. So, let me start again.

I am a sunglass connoisseur.

I wear sunglasses when it's sunny, I wear sunglasses when it's cloudy, I wear sunglasses when it's raining, and I occasionally wear sunglasses at night. However, I almost never wear them indoors. That's just improper.

As someone intimately connected with sunglasses, I have very specific tastes. The best sunglasses (and I use the superlative universally) have several qualitities:
1. Reflective Lenses
2. Ability to fit snugly betwixt my cheeks and the juts of my brow
3. Wide sides, so as to block all views of my eyes
4. Horizontally streamlined design.

Essentially, wraparound mirrorshades.

And then, of course, they need to be the right size, weight, and balance; they have to be at least 99% UV resistant, and they can't be scratched easily. Oh, and they have to look good, too. (Can you get an idea of why it can take me upwards of two hours to choose a pair?)

Now, I have very strong opinions of other styles of sunglasses...most of them less than enthusiastic. As it turns out, ironically, the two styles I like the least are the two most popular nowadays. For men, it's those aviator sunglasses (you can't tell by looking at your screen, but I just shuddered right now) which makes them look like some sort of corrupt Alabama sheriff. And for women, it's those...I don't know what the hell they're called, but they're those oversized plastic novelty sunglasses that look like they came out of a Cracker Jack box. They seem to be very popular with the celebritites, and just about every other female 15-30. Do none of them realize how ridiculous it looks? And I don't think it's a coincidence that both of these styles are especially big.

...Where was I going with this again...?

Oh, yes, that's right! I need would like a new pair of sunglasses. Not necessarily for daily wear, but to have for special occasions. Unfortunately, I can't find them easily or affordably. Why not? I've always been able to easily find my favorite style before. Well, it's because...they're not like my favorite style.

"How shocking!"

I don't know how to aptly describe them without sounding, well, evil. It's a style that's often associated with Germany, and ye olden evil Germany at that. If you've seen the movie Pan's Labyrinth, you've seen these sunglasses worn by the (evil) Spanish captain in the movie. Here's a tiny picture. Can you see them?

No? Well, I can't see them very well, either. In fact, I had a hard time getting a good real picture. However, I do have a couple picture from a (somewhat evil) cartoon character that helps you see them a bit better:















So I think that gives a good idea of the style. I looked all over the web for these types of sunglasses, but other than $150 vintage sunglasses, all I can find are John Lennon-style glasses. While the Lennon variety may be close in design, they lack the kickassery and upper lens brace of these babies. Plus, they remind me too much of hippies.

So what's a guy to do? I guess owning these "evil" sunglasses will just be a fantasy until a) I'm absurdly rich and can have them custom-made, or b) I get a gig in a movie where my character wears "evil" sunglasses, and the director, instead of giving the props away in a charity auction, feels that my acting skills were good enough that I should keep them as a memento.

Until then, I'll have to keep my sunglass whoring, er, connoisseuring in check.

I Want to Know - Have You Ever Seen the Rain?

I'm glad I decided to wear pants instead of shorts today.

When I left my room for class, it was a gray and cloudy day. Not unusual for Berkeley. The ground, though, was moist, something that hasn't happened in a while. I bent down and put my palm flat on the ground. In my best Native American shaman voice, I said to myself, "The rains, they have passed."

I need to work on my shaman skills.

Luckily, I was smart enough to bring my jacket with me. I wasn't expecting any rain, but I feared it would get a bit nippy. To be honest, the cool winds were relieving, as both my room and Wheeler Auditorium's lobby were hot, stuffy, and suffocating. With every student entering the building there came a burst which made me think, "Oh, that's what it's like to be able to breathe."

By the end of my Economics lecture, around 11am, there was an ever-so-light sprinkle, and yet still people held out their umbrellas. "Fools!" I said (to myself), "I am from Southern California, and yet even I do not need an umbrella. Hahahaha!"

As I got out of each class, I noticed that the rain was coming down harder and harder. By the time I was free of my IDS 110 lecture (5pm), it was a pretty healthy shower. Now what am I to do? Well, as it turns out, I was prepared. I am always prepared. You see, I have two umbrellas. One is a big, fancy one, which I bring when I know that a downpour is imminent. The second is a small one that I keep in my backpack for a surprise meteorological attack. And this was definitely a surprise.

And yet, I didn't use my umbrella. Why not? Well, sometimes I simply enjoy getting soaked. As corny as it sounds, it's a liberating experience. I mean, once you're soaked, what more can happen to you? You're no longer bound to the umbrella like all those dry fools. Second, I was lazy and didn't want to hold the thing. Unlike my big, fancy umbrella, the little sucker is uncomfortable to hold.

Plus, I heard chicks dig guys soaked by the rain.

In any event, on my way back to CKC, I stopped by Ramona's to pick up a delicious panini and a bag of Kettle Chips. I put the two in a paper bag and continued on my way. Along the way, I became a walking sponge. Fortunately, my homely yet useful jacket was fairly waterproof. Unfortunately, I didn't button it up, so my soft underbelly was not spared the water's wrath. But it wasn't my body that I was worried about. It was my sandwich. All it had was a brown paper bag and a layer of waxed paper protecting it, and the bag was starting to rip.

Well, I made it to CKC well enough, and I was about 150 feet away from my building, when the following words came out of my mouth: "Boy, I hope this sandwich doesn't get wet...whoops!"

At that moment, the paper bag completely split, dropping the sandwich into the only puddle I could see around me. It was submerged for the brief second before I scooped it back up. The waxed paper wrap was covered in dirt and questionable water (the puddle was right by a parking area). I was...vexed.

Personally, I found it very suspicious that I could only find one small puddle in the vicinity, and it just so happened to be exactly where my sandwich fell into. I'm not without my postulations. My best working theory is that the ground directly beneath the puddle was much, much denser than the surrounding areas. This would create a stronger gravitational field, attracting other objects (such as my sandwich) to the puddle. To help illustrate this idea, I've included the following diagram:



As it turns out, waxed paper is not perfectly waterproof protection for sandwiches, but it's not half-bad, either. The bread of my sandwich wasn't even soggy, just a bit cold and floppy. Still a damn good sandwich. I ate it happily enough and went on with my day.

Y'know, I wonder if a Native American shaman could make a good, waterproof panini...

Music to My Ears...

I just realized that I have three separate posts listed under "Things I Hate" and nary a one listed under "Things I Love." To avoid the risk of being considered a crotchety old hater, I've decided to start talking about some things I love now and then. Just to balance things out, doncha know?


A lot of times, people will ask me what my favorite genre of music is. Now that I think about it, it's a little strange. "Favorite Music" is a staple for biography sections, like on Facebook and MySpace, and many times, it's one of the first things you'll ask someone when you're becoming acquainted to them. In fact, it's an excellent way to get an early impression of somebody (for better or worse, I suppose). We are so intrinsically connected with music that it seems like it is a part of our souls. A person's preference in music may have a large influence on the types of people they meet, the way they speak, and other such business.

But what about me? What's my favorite genre of music? Well, luckily, I'm not one of those people who gives the cop-out answer, "Oh, I like everything." Nay, my answer is usually, "I like everything except rap and hip-hop." Much better. However, this only actually answers the questions of what I do and don't like, not what's my favorite. I mean, I like both chocolate chip and strawberry ice cream, but good ol' vanilla is my favorite.

When talking about music, I can't help but refer to my iTunes. I currently have 5289 songs on my iTunes player. This is split up into the following categories:

Alternative
Blues/R&B
Classical
Comedy
Country
Easy Listening
Folk
Oldies
Religious
Rock
Soundtrack
Techno
World

That's it. My entire repertoire in 13 categories. (I will be honest, my organization system on iTunes is a bit unorthodox. Take "Comedy" for example. While it includes the stand-up acts of Bill Cosby and the humorous music of Weird Al and the Aquabats, it also has music not meant to be comedy, but funny nonetheless, such as David Hasselhoff [a guilty pleasure].)

Now, let's take a look at how much is in each section, not by how many songs there are, but by the total amount of time it takes up (I find that to be a better gauge, especially when dealing with 10 minute long pieces and the like).

Alternative - 1.7 Days
Blues/R&B - 8.2 Hours
Classical - 1.2 Days
Comedy - 6 Hours
Country - 2.5 Hours
Easy Listening - 22.6 Hours
Folk - 16.3 Hours
Oldies - 3.2 Hours
Religious - 2.1 Hours
Rock - 3.6 Days
Soundtrack - 3.1 Days
Techno - 1.8 Hours
World - 1.2 Days

(That's 13.6 Days total, in case you were wondering. I can hypothetically listen for two weeks straight without hearing the same thing twice.)

As you can see, there's a wide variance in the amount of time and space on my hard drive devoted to each genre. In order to trim the list a little, let's only have music I have more than 1 day of (sorry, Easy Listening).

Alternative - 1.7 Days
Classical - 1.2 Days
Rock - 3.6 Days
Soundtrack - 3.1 Days
World - 1.2 Days

I think you can see a little bit more cohesion here. You could pretty much lump all of these into two big style categories. Still, a list of five is too big. So, we're going to prune this baby even more (NOTE: I do not endorse the pruning of babies). We're only going to have genres that have three or more days of content on them.

Rock - 3.6 Days
Soundtrack - 3.1 Days

Wow, a battle of titans for the affection of my ears! As you can see, these two juggernauts together make up almost half of my total music selection. And as you can see, Rock has a half-day lead on Soundtrack. So that means Rock is my favorite music genre!

...

Actually, no.

The truth is, my favorite kind of music is the Soundtrack.

"Why didn't you just say that at the beginning of the God-damned post!"

Because where would the fun in that be? Now, where was I? Oh, yes, soundtracks! I love soundtracks! I personally think they are the greatest form of music there is, and with good reason. I put it best in a letter I wrote over a year ago, and so instead of futilely trying to paraphrase myself, I think I'll replicate that snippet here:

"I have this to say: movie soundtracks are a completely and regrettably overlooked genre in our society. There are radio stations for almost every type of music imaginable. However, in my 18 years, I have never found a single K-TRK, Soundtrack Radio, or anything like that. It’s a shame, really. Now, I love classical music. But I am going to take a risk here and say that soundtracks are *better* than classical music. Of course, I’m speaking of the epic orchestra-style soundtracks, with such headliners as Hans Zimmer, John Williams, James Horner, Howard Shore, and their ilk. They are able to take the majesty, the grandiose nature, the intricacies, and the beauty of classical music, and they can do something very special: they can add genuine emotion to it. Of course, many classical composers were able to get some emotion, but not to the extent that the modern masters can. Listen to the “Gladiator” soundtrack, and tell me you hear it with nothing but a hard heart. Listen to “The End of All Things” on Howard Shore’s “The Return of the King,” and tell me you can keep your stoicism. If it’s not impossible, you’ll find it’s exceedingly difficult to do. With nothing more than instruments, these people can extract pure emotion and have it flow to our ears in a ribbon of musical beauty. And yet, they enjoy so little attention, save for a possible Oscar nomination. But I feel that 100, 200 years from now, that is the kind of music that shall endure."

I still stand by every word (except for the part that says I'm still 18. I'm a bit older now, and I still haven't been able to find a Soundtrack station).

Now, my most recent soundtrack is one I actually paid decent money for, as it's near-impossible to find in the US. And you know what? I'd say it's well worth it. This was the full-three part soundtrack to the Anime television show Fullmetal Alchemist (which, by the way, was an excellent series, and I don't even really care for Anime). I took the three parts and combined them into one super-long soundtrack (relocating some J-Pop to a separate folder along the way), and I came out with an absolute masterpiece. I decided to share a little of this with you, just to give you an idea of the auditory euphoria I get to partake in every day.

Brothers: You might actually remember this one; I posted it in my Superbowl piece just yesterday. To me, it conveys a kind of peace with a bit of pining thrown in.

Brothers (Instrumental): This is the same piece as the last, but only instrumental. What I want you to do is listen to this while looking at old pictures of you, your family, and friends from way back when. Tell me you don't become a bit sentimental.

Conversion: I find this piece has the right amount of piousness and creepiness mixed together. I could probably see this being played as background music in my future mansion.

Ephemeral Existance: I've said time and time again (well, not here, but in life) that I like it when a singer doesn't actually put words to their voice. Words, as great as they are, can sometimes be distracting. I enjoy just letting the pitch and melody carry everything else.

Repentance: I love harmonicas. Er, let me rephrase that. I do NOT like honky-tonk style harmonica playing, like this little boy does. While I appreciate it and think it takes talent, it doesn't speak to me. No, I love 19th Century harmonica playing. The Ol' West style. Slow. Solitary. Standing on the border of strength and despair. That's good harmonica.

Patriotism: This one sounds most like it would be made by my all-time favorite, Hans Zimmer. Heavy percussion. Sweeping tones. Something you wish you could play in a secret radio in your clothes so that people know you're approaching. If I were king, this would make a good royal march song for me.

Okay, I think that's enough for you today. Feel free to save them to your computer and listen to them later if you don't have the time now. But before I go, I wanted to give a list of what artists I think you should look at if you want to enjoy the soundtrack life yourself (as well as some of their best works).

Hans Zimmer (Gladiator, The Last Samurai, King Arthur, Pirates of the Carribean 2: Dead Man's Chest)
Howard Shore (The Lord of the Rings trilogy)
James Horner (A Beautiful Mind, An American Tail, Braveheart, Legends of the Fall)
John Williams (Every Star Wars movie, Schindler's List, Jurrasic Park)

And there's plenty more where that came from. The Last of the Mohicans, Pan's Labyrinth, The Village, Edward Scissorhands, Plunkett & Macleane, Children of Dune, and any Disney movie. Don't forget video games, either. They have surprisingly good soundtracks nowadays. If you want to know where to find a good selection of soundtracks (and other music) I recommend here.

That's all for now. Goodnight, and may music fill your life!

Notice Anything...Different?

Quick update. I've done a little...redecorating. I hope you like it. I do. I feel it adds a personal touch which this blog so sorely needed. Now, no matter how far down you scroll, you won't forget whose blog you're reading! Huzzah!

Don't worry, there are more changes coming up...

The Lobotomist's Dream Post-Superbowl Extravaganza!!!

In some ways, my interests differ from other men my age. For example, I care almost nothing about sports. So, when the Superbowl comes around, it's not a big thing for me. I didn't even know who was playing until Saturday, in the following conversation.

Friend: "Hey, Andrew, want to make a bet on the Superbowl?"
Me: "No, I don't think so. I don't even know who's playing, so I don't really care."
Friend: "Well, if you have some money on the line, you may actually take an interest in the game."
Me: "Hmm, that's actually a good point."
Friend: "Okay, it's five bucks to get into the pool. If you win, you'll get about $30."
Me: "...Okay. I'm in."
Friend: "Awesome. Now, who do you have winning, and by more or less than 7?"
Me: "I dunno. I already said I don't know who's playing."
Friend: "Chicago and Indianapolis."
Me: "...What are the names of the teams?"
Friend: "The Colts and the Bears."
Me: "I guess I'll go for the Chicago Colts."
Friend: "...Chicago is the Bears."
Me: "Oh. Then I'll go for the Indianapolis Colts."
Friend: "Manning fan, eh?"
Me: "...No."
Friend: "So, by more or less than 7?"
Me: "Does it make a difference?"
Friend: "Yes."
Me: "Then more than 7. They might as well win handily."

So, I began watching the Superbowl...but not until the second quarter. I was busy working out before that (I have a new system that I'm adding to my regimen: walking and running in place while watching movies). I stayed until halftime. When they told me Prince was going to be singing, I had to find something else. Halftime shows just reek of cheap showiness and loud fans.

I decided that the Colts could win without my vigilance. Wager or no wager, my heart wasn't into it. Besides, I'd rather listen to a new soundtrack I'd recently received (with lovely songs like this) than Prince any day.

What of the commercials? Aren't the non-football fans supposed to be seduced by the high-priced, glitzy commercials put on during break? Yes, they are, and I'll admit, I used to be. However, I've become less enamored with them in recent times. I later looked on MySpace's video section to see the multitude of commercials that were put out this year. There are 44 of them on the collection page. You know how many of them I actually enjoyed watching? Four. 4 out of 44. 1/11 of them. 9%. The odds were greater that the Colts would win than they were for me to enjoy a commercial during the holy day of commercials.

What accounts for this?

First of all, it has to do with Budweiser. As you know, about a third of the commercials on the Superbowl are Bud's. And if you like their stuff, you get a lot more enjoyment out of the whole shebang.

But me? Budweiser does nothing for me. Every year, it's the same tired routines:
1. Try to start a fad among men 18-28 years old.
2. Have animals act like...people!
3. Get a hackneyed comedian to be on your commercial.
4. Hurt characters in the commercial.
5. Put in a Clydesdale for the sentimental types.

And this year, like every year, they were pouring on the buckets of swill. Examples:

1. THE FAD: They've actually succeeded in this before, with the regrettable "Whassup!" fad. This year, it was about how "fist-bumping" (something I've never done either) is out, and slapping people is in. Now, I know that there are going to be people who imitate this, not to the extent that the commercial does, but enough to make it "funny" and America's next big fad. And I’ll be groaning every time someone does.

2. ANIMALS: Ah, yes, it's funny to see gorillas talk about jumping a Bud Light delivery guy (and who the hell delivers beer to a zoo?) and taking the rewards. "Look, kids, monkeys! Monkeys are funny!" I get enough anthropomorphic animals from CGI movies, thank you.

3. LOUSY COMEDIAN: At least it's not Cedric the Entertainer anymore. But, alas, Carlos Mencia is not much better in my opinion. My family seems to like him, but I just can't find the man funny. "Mexicans talk different than white people!" You don't say? Have a commercial, friend!

4. PAIN: This is like a tradition. I think last year, the commercials had people falling off their roofs. This year, it's two guys playing rock-paper-scissors, with one throwing a rock at the other guys face, knocking him down. Now, I'm a big fan of slapstick. Hell, I love the Three Stooges. But not only do these commercials not follow the rules of slapstick, they are goddamn repetitive. Every year, it's the same thing! It loses its luster after time.

5. CLYDESDALES: I actually did not see a full-on Clydesdale commercial this year. They did make a cameo in a type-2 commercial, but that's about it. Still, I always enjoy the logic: "Those are beautiful horses; I think I'll go drink some piss-poor beer now."

And so, I think that Budweiser makes their beer and their commercials for one purpose: to appeal to the lowest common denominator of humanity.

---

But what of those four commercials I did enjoy? Well, I thought I'd share them, through the miracle of computers and the Internet Age!

I will admit, I don't like this first one (for FedEx) in its entirety. It's far too predictable in the first two-thirds. But once the big man started talking, I actually chortled, as it reminds me somewhat of my Richard Nixon impersonation.

What's in a Name?


Plus, "Mr. Turkeyneck" sounds like a name I would think of.

The second and third commercials have several things in common. First, they're both from Coca Cola. Second, they're both animated, they are both excellently choreographed and both of them appeared in commercials (theatre commercials) long before the Superbowl.

The first is obviously trying to leech off the popularity of the Grand Theft Auto series.

Give a Little Love


Now, I don't really give a hoot about GTA, and I honestly think they could have skipped about 10 seconds into the show (though it would ruin the "surprise!" factor a bit). What I like is the sequence, the fact that one thing leads to another, a concept I've always been in love with. Plus, I like a feel-good song every now and then.

Speaking of a sequential commercial, check out this one:

Coke Fantasy


That was like Tim Burton, Dr. Seuss, and Rube Goldberg all wrapped into one. It just speaks to my inner, whimsy-loving core. (The same core which makes this my favorite Penny Arcade comic, even though it doesn’t really have a punchline.)

And with that, we come to my Number-One favorite commercial of the Superbowl! And it is...a Doritos commercial?

Doritos Distraction


The fact that I like an advertisement made by some random schmo rather than by a professional company is, to me, definitely a sign that there's some misplaced talent (or lack thereof) in the world (it's how I can explain how the Waynes Brothers keep making movies). But what's so special about this commercial? Well, for me, it does several things right:

1. It's cute...not sexy. I have a real problem with advertising nowadays, and that's the fact that everything must be sexy. Either the way they talk, or the way they move or dress. It doesn't even have to be related to sex at all; it just has to be sexy. This doesn't do that. The closest it gets is using the word "spicy." The woman is fairly attractive but not provocative, the guy's a bit homely, but in the end, their just a couple of cute misfits.

2. It doesn't use cliché music. There are two big styles of music used in Superbowl commercials: Hip-Hop (which I can't stand regardless) and Rat-Pack music (I like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin as much as the next guy, but not when you have, "Luck, Be a Lady Tonight" in half a dozen commercials). The use of classical is good, but even classical can be overused, such as with "The Ride of the Valkyries" and "In the Hall of the Mountain King". But this commercial; it uses lovely Verdi opera. What a refreshing choice!

3. The pieces actually fit! Unlike the hogwash that is Budweiser advertising, the elements of this commercial actually worked together. The actions, the product, and the slogan all had something to do with each other. It's easily understandable, but unlike some of the other Doritos commercials, didn't beat you over the head with it.

There's a bit more, but I think you know what I'm going for.

Now, if I were to make a Superbowl commercial, what would it be like? Well, it would be for Nike (yes, I know: "Boo! Hiss! Sweatshops, and the like!"), and it would show the run of Pheidippides to Athens after the battle of Marathon. Basically, the commercial would begin with the Greeks defeating the Persians. One of the Generals would tell Pheidippides to go to Athens to announce their victory. The majority of the commercial (a minute-long epic) would show Pheidippides running through mud, rocks, and other harsh terrain for miles upon miles (26, to be exact), until his final challenge of jumping over a rather big chasm, and barely making it. He finally gets to Athens, falls on his knees, cries out, "NIKE!" ("Victory!"), and dies. After a fade away we see these two Greek dudes walk up to the body. "Remarkable! How do you think he was able to make it this far?" asks one. The other replies, "Hm, must have been the shoes." As they walk away, the camera pans down onto a pair of sandals, upon which is a little swoosh. "Just do it." End commercial.

Whatcha think? Ah, what do you know?

What, oh, right, the Superbowl. I looked at the score around 10pm on Sunday. Turns out that the Colts beat the Bears, 29 to 17. Last time I checked, 29-17>7.

So it looks like I won myself about $30. What a great game!

Mini-Blogs, Set One

Occasionally, I have a bunch of little ideas that I don't think merit a full blog post, so I'll put them in a little collective like this. Expect them every now and then.


They Should Call Them "SmudgePods"
Seriously, after handling my new iPod for a fill five minutes, it was more smudge than machine. I can tell that they're trying to exploit the carrying case market. But it won't work for me. I don't use carrying cases. I'll just have to remember not to use my iPod as a murder weapon; that thing has clearer fingerprints than my fingers themselves do.


Tonight Was "Andrew Schnorr" Night at the DC
The Clark Kerr Dining Common has a fairly well-deserved reputation for serving higher-class foods than any of the other DCs. Over the past two years, I've had my share of exotic and esoteric meals. Honestly, I don't like them. I have two rules that I stick to when I eat at the DC. 1) Never eat anything that shouldn't be yellow, but is. 2)Never eat anything I can't pronounce.

But tonight: ribs, hot dogs, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, and corn-on-the-cob. As red-neck as it may seem, that's the perfect meal for me. It's simple, it's comforting, it's fun, it's nearly impossible to mess up (as opposed to Chicken Pinoulicattouts), and it's delicious. Plus, it reminds me of balmy summer nights in my backyard, having barbecues with my family. You can't do that with Curried Raguquentilon Lamb.


Picture This
I was giddy today. That's the only way I can describe it. I probably should have been working on homework, seeing as I have no class on Friday's but I basically used up the entirety of the day working on Photoshop. I absolutely love Photoshop. The way I see it, the program is a universe of unlimited possibilities. I had so much fun working on the various pictures I have. I'm sure I'll be writing something about that before too long.


Random Wiki Articles
Have you ever pressed the "Random Article" link on Wikipedia? How many times do you have to press it before you actually get an article you know about (or at least know of).

Try it out!

For me, it was five clicks before I got to a disambiguation page about "snow", which I think I know a few things about.

P.S. I love Wikipedia. Sometimes I'll be on a page and I'll see vandalism. Now, some people think this makes Wikipedia a bad resource. However, I'll just refresh the page, and within 30 seconds of me seeing the vandalism, it will be gone.

Well, goodnight, everybody!

Today Was a Big First for Me...

Today was the first time in recent memory ever that I slept through my alarm. Oh, sure, there were those rare occasions where I'd be awoken by that high-pitched beeping (which has to be one of the most annoying sounds ever) only to persuade myself that the pillow trumps the book. But I always woke up, even for just a minute.

I was having a most interesting dream. While I may not have the most hallucinogenic dreams around, I do take pride in their vividness. In this one, I was with two witches. They seemed to be a quarter-cat, 3/4-human hybrid, as they had pointy ears, fur here and there, fierce cuspids, and walked around on their toes. Despite their feline aspects, they were quite attractive (read: hot!). I met them in a church during Mass (apparently, they were Catholic Cat Witches) and we decided to travel back in time to free their past selves from a Medieval prison tower. We did so, and quickly.

The rest of the dream mainly involved me trying to avoid my next-door neighbor in a variety of semi-humorous instances. But the end was a little peculiar. I ended up in a karaoke contest, and I ended up singing the Rammstein song Reise, Reise, which translates from German to "Arise, Arise." And then I immediately woke up. (Subliminal dream message? You decide!)

When I opened my eyes, I stretched my legs a little bit. "Wow, what a great sleep."

...

"Great sleep?"

...

"Oh, God!"

Waking up fully refreshed on a schoolday is a bad sign. I jumped out of bed and grabbed my alarm clock. The alarm was supposed to wake me at 10am. What time was it now?

"12:38?! Oh, God! Oh, GOD!"

I had an Computer Science Lab section that began at noon. Normally, I wouldn't be worried, since I'm about a week ahead of schedule in that class. however, there was an important assignment that I hadn't turned in that was due today. I could not afford to miss class.

I hurriedly dressed and put in my contact lenses. I then grabbed my backpack and power-walked off. My Lab was in Tolman Hall. There's essentially no building on campus further from Clark Kerr (check out this map. You see Tolman in the upper left. CKC? It's so far on the lower right it wouldn't even fit on the map). I was able to make it in about 20 minutes, which is pretty good time, if I say so myself. I still got there around 1:05pm. Luckily, the Lab is two hours long, so I didn't miss it. Sweaty and heavily breathing, I went up to my GSI.

"Hi...*pant pant*...Sorry I'm late."

Thankfully, it was not counted against me, and I remained a week ahead of schedule. But, wow, what a way to start the day!