2008

- So this is the new year.... It's really not that bad.

- I threw my shoulder out somehow about a month ago; now it hurts, right at the joint. And it's moving into my elbow.

- I feel like I'm really busy all the time.

- My brother came home and is leaving tomorrow. He's taking Jen with him. =(

- So Huckabee won Iowa. Heheh. And so did Obama. See, here's what I think about Obama. I hope he wins the Democratic nomination. But I have this feeling that AARP isn't going to be able to convince its members to vote for a african-american so easily. Old people have the weirdest and most racist ideas, sometimes. The older people get, the less likely they are to vote for a non-white. It's bred into them. Now, some of them, the less senile, won't care, but many of them see a black person and will see someone whom should follow, not lead. It's not good or right, and hopefully I'm wrong about the number of older folks that are like that. Not that I want Obama to be our president; I'm just against racism. Way to take a stand, amirite?

- I had a very nice Christmas. I have the greatest parents in the world. I wish I said it more often.

- I also fell on a mopped floor at work and realy bruised up my shin and knee. It hurts when touched. So stop poking it.

- I guess one of my cousins was harboring a fugitive from the police. That's...cool, eh?

- I'll try to get back into the habit of blogging. My writing is rusty.

blogging for you

- Weather and roads are horrible. Or were, last night. I think I made one of the managers cry. I called in before I went in, just to see if they needed me to come in, despite the ice storm, and she said she wanted me to, if I could (yeah, that was probably one of the worst sentences ever to be typed on this or any blog; I'm operating on little sleep here). So I did. When I got there, she came up and apologized and felt very bad; I guess she felt she guilted me into risking my life (which she did, in a small way... ;P). Later in the evening, I said "Yeah, and Jen (the manager, not my sister) almost got me killed today," and then she said she was going to go home and cry. And from what I know of her, she probably did. Then I felt bad. She said she was okay before she left, but I still felt bad.

- Our church moved to a new building, so I got to move a piano, organ, pulpit, etc. again. It wasn't too bad, and the other place was close by.

- My brother got engaged, but I still don't know the details. It's my own fault.

- One of the managers at work today (a middle-aged, overweight white guy) said that there's no way he's voting for a white guy to be president. He wants Barack or Hillary. I just walk away. It's not smart to argue politics with your boss, I don't think; especially since I'd win and then he'd be mad at me. Ooh, and the retarded guy I talked about earlier said "Well, I'm what some people call... an independent." That guy is great. Sometimes it's like working with the cast of The Ringer...

- It's chilly up here. I could be wearing warmer clothes, I suppose, but then I wouldn't be able to type this paragraph, and to be honest, I'm hurting for material. Maybe I should burn my hand again. I mean, you can only have so many teeth taken out, amirite?

- "Amirite" is one of my favorite things to type. I never say it when speaking. Only when I'm typing. I think it stems from my WoW personna. Man, I crafted that thing to the extreme degree (my WoW personna). And then i quit, and it's like I killed off a character in one of my many world-famous novels which stay atop the best-sellers list for 48 straight weeks until bumped off finally by the Oprah's-bookclub-suggested "The Butter-Battle Book." Hey, if Oprah suggests it, I read it. Who else would you trust to pick out the meeting of your literary needs?

Give Thanks

- Thanks for reading my blog. Now that that is out of the way...

- jk!

- So I'm going to try and take lots of pictures today that I can put up here for those of you elsewhere. Don't let me forget.

- Every time I take Tuesday home from church or work now, we spend an hour in the car talking. (I know this because I undoubtedly get a call from someone asking me if I'm okay around the fifty-minute mark.) We talk about everything. I have so much fun with her at work. I love making her laugh.

After Joe preached, we (2s and I) talked about the mission field. She is more open to it than I probably am. That's a fault I have. I don't do well outside my comfort level, and my comfort level is pretty high. It's not Zimbabwe. But the Lord can fix that, if I am open to His leading.

- My brother isn't going to be here today. That's sad. I really miss him.

- I burned my hand at work. It's all blistered. I grabbed a searing hot metal handle. I'm kind of like the kun-fu guy, except instead of going out and falling in the snow, I got Aloe Vera.

- Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

- mtg article


I'd like to think I'm a changeling type player.

finally.

Episode 13 is up on my other blog. Sorry it took so long after I kept telling you I'd get it done.

I'm really sick

- I have a head infection or something. My head hurts, my throat hurts, my nose is running, by throat is clogged, my head is stuffed, and I feel all around awful. I was supposed to teach the Wednesday night service this week but that isn't going to happen.

- I had to go to school today despite my illness because stupid stuff is due and stupid teachers don't like electronic submissions. I want to go home.

- I was on facebook again, raising my jedi score. Don't know why.

- I don't know how people can still be playing WoW. I mean, the same game for what, 3 years now? That's insane. We all have cell phones, so the whole "family interaction" thing seems a little fishy. At the same time, I played it for a long time, and i'm sure plenty of people were saying that about me too.

- I'm too sick to write any more. Bleah.

stuff to say

- I miss writing. I never have any time, and when I do have a few moments, I usually sleep or just lay around. I used to feel productive when I was writing. Now I don't feel very productive. I'd like to get back into it. Work tires me out, and school is a pain.

- Facebook is kind of fun.

- Really nice day out there. It's cool not to have to use the heater in the car.

- I have no idea what's going on with my brother. Joe came over last night, and apparently mom, jenn, and joe all think I'm being too hard in my... appraisal of the situation. They said I was cynical and pessimistic. We'll see. We'll see who's pessimistic when the world is overrun by zombies. We'll see!

- Manning threw 6 interceptions yesterday. Wow.

- So if you get a chance to listen to the Larry King/Jerry Seinfeld interview, you should. It's funny. Is it possible that King didn't know who Seinfeld was? I think so.

- Joe is moving, which is sad.

- Anyone else see the video of McCain and his mom being interviewed when she just starts bashing Mormons or something? And McCain has an embarrassed smile, and says something like "the views of this candidate's mother are not necessarily his." That's funny stuff.

- I miss Psych.

- One time, I hit a deer, and the thing went end over end into the air like the Meep's cover-stone on Quest For Glory 1: So You Want To Be A Hero. Just sharing.

- Speaking of hermits, I really should read or watch Henry V again. I feel like I'm losing my grasp on culture. It's one of the facets of my Renaissance personality. That and my goatee.

- I'm really hungry. I left the house without eating this morning. Why, you ask? Cause I wasn't hungry at the time.

Guess what I got..

- If you guessed a salad shooter, you're wrong. I got a digital camera. My manager at work gave me a great deal, cause he's an awesome guy, and he thinks I'm awesome, and together we fight crime in Jersey.

- So this guy at work said to someone else at work (while I was nearby) "so, did you vote for the President today?" Now, immediately, you assume he's making some lame joke while silently pleading for him to be serious. "Please, please, PLEASE be so stupid that you think the presidential election was November 6, 2007." Well, it turned out he WAS that stupid, but it wasn't as fun as I thought it'd be. I mean, he's too dumb to make fun of now. It's like mocking mentally handicapped people. It's low and not really worth it. So we didn't say anything after we corrected his mistake. It was awkward. The worst part was that afterward, in an attempt to save some credibility, the guy says "Oh, rats. I wanted to get rid of Bush." He clearly doesn't know anything; he doesn't know who the other candidates are, since there's 237 of them right now. But he thinks he can score some points by bashing Bush. The other guy and myself just walked away.

- I don't know how long I have to wait before I can start dating Tuesday and have everyone be okay with it. I was going to wait until after she got baptized, but I don't know if that's long enough. Or maybe it's excessively long, since I know she's saved and making progress. I don't know how long before everyone thinks she's proven her motives are pure and all that. So I'm waiting. That donkey-beast of a donkey-beast was taking shots at Tuesday's character again, saying she was only going to church to get me. Made me mad, but it's the reason I'm still not dating her. People are cynical, people don't believe in God's working in lives (because they're not saved), people believe in it but don't think they're seeing it (because they've heard stories? I don't know), and other stuff. It's complicated. And frustrating.

- Got some new Playstation2 games. They're cool.

- I'm probably going to be taking a lot more pictures from now on, so hopefully I'll get some more stuff posted. It's fun. Hopefully Tuesday will let me take one of her. She doesn't like people taking her picture. So she's like everyone else I know.

- Oh yeah, I recently have been wanting to punch a select few people in the face. Not a great Christian response, I know, but pretend they're Nazis. See? Now I bet YOU want to punch them in the face.

- It's cold. I wore a coat to work last night. I know, zane-y!

- Some level 6 pirate attacked Joe today, so in retaliation, I attacked him with my level 4 ninja... and WON! I was so pumped. And it was a big win, too. 19 to 15, and he had two more dice! Take that, pirate scum! And leave my friends alone.

(title goes here)

- I've been getting upset on behalf of other people lately. First my brother, and then Tuesday. Can I just say how blessed I am for the parents I have? Seriously, there are some nuts out there.

- Tuesday is really coming along well in her new Christian walk. She's not embarrassed to tell people about her faith. It's exciting to see.

- Finally found a flight simulator game for the PS2 and it is awesome. Ace Combat 5, I think. Maybe it's just cause my last one was the NES Top Gun (or Star Fox, i guess), but I really like this game.

- If I ever learned to play the guitar, I'd probably learn Green Day's Time of Your Life first. I love the guitar's part. And Jenn could play the violin part.

- Joe's interview is tomorrow.

- Pete called me last night. He has never called me before. That was cool. Of course, it was to get my brother's number, but still... ooh, I should call Matt.

- I had to work overnight last night. So daylight savings switcheroo just tacked on more work and less sleep: Booo!

- I heard it's going to snow this week: Brrr!

- This is what sheep say: Baaa!

- See what I did there?

couples

- So, on campus, there are these couples. You see them around, and depending on appearance, they follow a specific formula. I thought since I was bored, I'd give a rundown.

a). The "friends." Usually an average guy and a cute girl. You know a "friends" couple by when the two meet or separate, the guy gives the girl a hug. A kind of "so good to see you again" attitude, and the girl always acts like she buys it.

b). The "misfits." A short, fat girl with a tall guy, almost always with zany hair, and ALWAYS wearing a long dark trench coat. These are the couples that you get the feeling have been made fun of their entire lives and now they have a huge chip on their shoulders. They are obnoxious in class, they're loud, they're always talking about other people, and they act like they don't care about much of anything. These pairs are nearly always just friends.

c). The "cheerful." Usually a black guy with a white girl. Both of them are outgoing, and tend to have a charismatic/easy-going atmosphere about them.

d). The "gross." Two ugly people who stand in front of the door to class making out, holding hands, and then when one has to go, the other will hold on to their hand and pull them back, to make-out some more. It's like they have to prove to the world that they're in love and happy.

- I got my computer working. Thanks, Mike, for the tips. Except Mike doesn't read my blog, so that was a wasted bit of gratitude.

- I think I'm going to come home early. I have no homework due, and my one class was simply going to the professor and making sure he approved what my paper topic was. And I'm really thirsty.

- Halloween is tonight. My thoughts on Halloween aren't that deep. I don't agree with the whole "dressing up as a vampire is bad" unless you also argue that pretending to be a robber in "cops and robbers" is also bad. I can't really say that going out and getting candy is a bad thing. At the same time, I'd rather churches had fall fests so Christian kids could be different from the world, and still get candy. But as for Scriptural basis to hate the day? I can't really find any. I mean, people who don't like it are probably safer and better off, but that's just an opinion.

- Mike was doing road construction in our town today and yesterday. He came over for supper and we played a lot of Magic. I really, REALLY like my Merrow deck, and my blue control deck, which only gets better and better. Planeswalkers are tons of fun.

- Okay, I'm gonna go home now. I hate this place.

i really don't like people

- So this... donkey-beast of a girl at work (who has a crush on me) is bad-mouthing Tuesday when she's not around because she knows we (Tuesday and I) hang out together. It really bugs me. If she does it when I'm around, I might push her into the fry vat... not really, that'd be gross. Fried donkey-beast.

- I came to school early to write some papers. Bleah.

- I'm not going to get any sleep from yesterday at 6pm to tomorrow at 6:30 am. 36 hours; that's really not that bad. Work tonight might be ugly, but I can handle 36 hours.

- Someone told me the only advice they have concerning girls is not to settle. If things were to work out between me and Tuesday, I wouldn't be settling. She's smart, she's funny, I think she's adorably cute; she's like me, in other words. Anyway, she told me she's been thinking about baptism, so hopefully she'll say something to pastor tonight. I'm trying to not push her toward things (to see what kind of drive she has without prodding) while at the same time helping her as a new Christian. It's kind of hard to see where the line needs to be drawn. But I've been seeing changes, things that make me happy to see.

- Apparently I thought "Liberty or Death" was funnier than everyone else. Oh well; I'm still thinking it's funny.

- A new poll reports that 50% of Americans now say that they would never, ever vote for Hillary Clinton. Half the country, before the election year, has already decided they will never vote for you, regardless of anything that happens. That's amazing.

- Colbert might be getting into trouble for his mock-campaign. If he does, I'll rant against stuff. Colbert is awesome. He may be the most awesome liberal ever. I'd vote for him in South Carolina.

- "The Assassination Of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Crawford" seems like it's going to be why too depressing. First of all, Brad Pitt almost always makes his characters extremely likable (maybe not in Troy). And the movie clearly is going to establish him as the hero. The problem is, unlike other movies where you know the good guy is going to die, there are no backup characters in this. There is good and bad, James and Crawford, and bad/Crawford is going to win. We know this; it's history. I could be wrong, but it seems depressing to know Casey Affleck is going to kill Brad Pitt.

- I'm starting to get tired. I'd slap myself in the face, but there are people around and it'd be weird.

- Okay, so I'm gonna go now.

no connection

- I haven't had internet for about a week, so that's why there hasn't been any communication from me. I use the school's computer every once in awhile, or my dad's (which still has connection), but I don't really miss it (internet) that much.

- Been busy at work. I can't wait to be done with school; it will make work days easier.

- The wedding was nice. Mike and Joe gave me a ride home; we had a good time. They came over yesterday afternoon, but I was sleeping. I do that at weird times now.

- Tuesday's birthday is this Tuesday. I bought her a nice study Bible.

- Peer review is the most retarded thing ever. Why would I want my peers reviewing any of my work? They're my peers! Most of them are a lot dumber than me, and the few that are at my level... are at MY level. I pay money for teacher's to review, not peers. Stupid, stupid, stupid....

- I slept for a long time last night. Felt good. I hope I'm not getting sick.

- Waiting for the net to get back up before I can post Episode 13. Sorry, I'm just really lazy.

feeling anxious

- Have a couple papers due today. Not too much, already have most of them done, so I'm taking a break to blog.

- Tuesday hasn't txt'd me all day. Not sure what's up with that.

- There are some weird parents out there. I hear about and see other people's parents and realize how amazing mine are.

- Ashlie's wedding is on Saturday. I hope to see all of you there... Yes, even you.

- Heroes is back. I think the Nathan storyline has the most promise this time around.

- My manager at work watches Psych, too. He's like the only person I know outside of my immediate family that watches it. That makes him awesome. Sorry, i don't make the rules.

- The Patriots are killing everybody. (No, not Ben franklin and Patrick Henry. Sheesh. I mean the football team. Though, I don't think anyone doubts that Franklin and Henry would be a pretty unstoppable duo. Someone should make a buddy-cop show, where they both wake up after 200 years of being cryogenically frozen, and they become maverick-like lawmen who take on the gangs of los angeles. Better yet, I'll do it. "Liberty or Death: Back to Freedom" - Trademark of the Michael Schmidt Production Studio.) I'm glad. The whole "they cheated!" thing was way overblown. Now they're just killing everybody, and i think it's funny. Still like the Colts, and I hope they win, but i think the Pats are going to take it.

- Ok, going back to work on school stuff.

couple things

- Pray for my friend Tuesday. She made a profession of faith last week. I believe it was sincere, but I understand the importance of maintained evidence. So pray for me too, that I will be wise.

- I was Arwen, and then Aragorn. I don't remember what I even changed. It was only one thing though, I think. Anywho, I'm going with Aragorn, 'cause he's cooler. Nyah.

- I want to play a big game of Magic. Mike came over on Sunday, and then Joe came over, but it was busy, and we never got to play. Mike and I and Jenn played a few, but we needed Joe. And Dave, and Pete, and Matt, and Andy, and Isaac, and Steve. And whoever else plays.

- Algore won the Nobel Prize. Because he brilliantly turned talking like a robot "hip." I'd have voted for him, too. Is there a more stoic guy that people think they are supposed to find charismatic? No, no there is not. Well played, Algore. Btw, there is an evil-looking lizard guy with a spear in Chaos Strikes Back named Algor. I'd also vote for him. Because he's an evil-looking lizard guy. With a spear.

- Interstingly enough, you don't get spears in Chaos Strikes Back.

- There's a stry about animal control workers who threw some pets off a bridge in Puerto Rico (my aunt is from there; her dog is still alive, as far as I know, but if it suddenly goes missing, we'll know why). I think we should keep this story alive for as long as possible. Not because it has to do with animal control killing animals, but because anytime you can use a real-life story to segue about the kids throwing Katz into the river, you should do it.

- Speaking of cruelty to animals, what's up with that lately? Vick beheads dogs, and now this Puerto Rican travesty? And we haven't even addressed the drunk guy in drive-thru who had a minature dauchshund under his shirt. That guy was simultaneously disturbing and ultra-disturbing. Not easy to pull off, let me tell you.

- Do people still go "Cool!" or "wow!" when Tiger Woods and Jeff Gordon win yet another championship? I don't. Then again, I never really did anyway. Why? Well, because it's golf and Nascar. I'd rather give myself papercuts than care about those sports. Or, at least, give you papercuts. I have sensitive skin.

glad tonight is over

- I had to work with horrible co-workers tonight. Just, really annoying people. Anyway, I'm glad it's over.

- Sorry to those who read my stories. I meant to get it up thursday, but I ended up taking Tuesday to Grand Rapids to see about a car loan. Fun day, but I didn't get anything done.

- I think the song "If you're reading this" is one of the saddest ever. I like it a lot.

- My family is home. They're all sleeping, so I have to wait til later to talk to them. But at least they're home.

- I'm going to bed. I want to buy some Lorwyn cards, but I don't know when I can get to a shop.

Video Game Ending Guide

So I decided to make a small guide to video game endings, pointing out what (imo) differentiates good endings from bad endings by mainly listing the basic forms that an ending comes in, and grading it. So here we go.

1. The Star Wars Ending.
- Basically, you finally win the game and your reward is a block of text slowly moving up the screen. Sure, depending on what the text says, it can be somewhat satisfying, and more often than not, some sort of pictures fill in the background to remind you of every primary point of your adventure. It's kind of like a nostalgic trip back over the last two hours, but it's definitely not worth seeing twice.
Example: Super Contra.
Grade: C-

2. The Literal End.
- Rare in these modern times, this version is one of the most dreaded outcomes to a hard fought victory. The screen fades black, and the credits roll, and then... "The End" appears on your screen. No resolution. No fancy art. Nothing.
Grade: D- (Yes, there is one worse on my scale)

3. The Result.
- Castles collapsing, buidlings blowing up, main male lead kisses main female lead. Basically any action/adventure game utilizes this ending.
Grade: B

4. The Epilogue.
- The Epilogue is resolution. Your character's(or s') fate is explained, the effect on the world is shown, and everyone feels good about themselves. Usually...
Example: Final Fantasy 6
Grade: A-

4b. The Cliffhanger.
- Cousin to the epilogue, the cliffhanger usually ends exactly with the same cheery tone as the epilogue, except a nasty surprise waits after the credits. Either the main villain remains, or an even darker threat is waiting to reveal itself. Sometimes exciting, sometimes annoying.
Zelda: Ocarina of Time (there are better exapmles, but it's late and I can't think)
Grade: B+

5. The Void
- Worst possible ending, usually to a long RPG. You work like crazy to level your guys, complete quests, collect gear, and finally slay the bad guy... and then someone tells your characters "You will have no memory of this adventure." Sure, you saved the universe, but no one knows; it's like it never happened. Is there any bigger let-down? I mean, your guys deserve parades, fame, honor, etc. Not only that, any friendships your characters formed are lost. Chrono Cross even has quests to reunite lost loved ones, but with the ending, it's all wiped away.
Examples: Chrono Cross, Zelda: Ocarina, Final Fantasy 1
Grade: F

6: Chrono Trigger
- Gets it's own level, since it has 10 endings, and almost all of them are better than most any other game. Frog's ascent to Magus, the new future, the Prophet's challenge of Lavos, the Quick Win scenario. All great moments.
Grade: A+

I'm sure there are more, and that you could break these down, but this is what I'm starting with. Feel free to post additions, revision, or comments on changes.

- FInished episode 13. Just need to upload it onto my PC. I have today off, so I'll try to get it done sometime. Check back for updates later on; i'll let you know when it's up, if you care.

today is not Thursday

- So if you think it IS thursday, you're wrong.

- Living in a stacked deck. Something Linus says, but I feel that way. You get blamed for stuff that you don't start, but there's no way to convince anyone of it. It's stacked against you. Or something. Sometimes I don't even know what I'm talking about.

- My jaw still kind of hurts. I thought it'd be over by now.

- I don't want to go to work tonight. One of the overnight people quit, so we've been a man-down the last two nights, and tonight will be the same. That makes a difference when there's only four of you to start with.

- I left my phone at home. Feels weird not to have it right now. Like, my car might not start, and then I'm basically stuck. Or if I see a dinosaur, I won't have a camera handy. It's very disturbing.

- I need a stapler at the moment.

- I wonder if I should move out and try and live on my own. I'd miss my sisters, I think, a lot. Plus, I'd have to get my own towels and stuff.

- There's this old arby's flier next to the PC I'm at. It's making me really hungry.

- No one ever comments on my posts. It's hard to be motivated to write when no one is reading. I guess it's hard to read when no one is posting interesting stuff, eh? I can take a hint.

- I like my job, but I want to be making a lot of money. I don't know how. Writing is really hard. The more I think about it, the more I doubt I'll ever get a book done. There's always something else to do.

- I don't like my history class. It's boring and the teacher, while not as bad as the teacher I had last year, is kind of overly strict about stupid stuff. It's like she's endured years of people making jabs about history being a real discipline, and she's not going to take it anymore. History is relevant, by crackles! Because... something about the past... repeating mistakes... I don't know. It's not really that relevant for anything other than knowing history. I mean, sure, without history, Brett Favre passing Marino's record wouldn't have been celebrated, cause no one would have known about Marino's record. And other stuff.

Holyfield Grill?

- Evander Holyfield has unveild his own grill to challenge the Foreman grill. That's spectacular.

- OJ Simpson is in jail. Only a decade too late, but you know... better late than never, amirite?

- Team Lazarus remade Ultima V with the Dungeon Siege Engine. Coolest thing I've seen in a long time. It's a lot harder than the original Ultima V because I knew that game like I know Final Fantasy. Now instead of being able to go North, South, East or West, I can go 360 degrees and it makes finding stuff harder. Still, absolutely fantastic. The music was revampedto infinitely better quality, the graphics are dungeon siege graphics, and the dialogue got spruced up, even though Ultima V had the best character development/dialogue in a PC game, ever. Well, maybe not ever, but it's still up there, even though the game is 15-20 years old. I'm having a lot of fun with that right now.

- I just rolled over my toe with the chair. It hurts.

- New MTG set looks cool. I like the elves. That reminds me... Matt isn't coming to Christmas. Cause apparently 50 weeks isn't enough for Yuisa. Noooooo, she needs 51 weeks of the year with her side of the family.. Whatever, says I. What-Ever. I'm gonna take back the Holyfield Grill I bought for them. That'll teach 'em.

- I feel junky. My jaw and cheeks hurt. I'm not supposed to drive while on those meds, so I'm off them today so I can go to school. Like I need to go to school. Bleah!!

- Lions scored 34 4th quarter points yesterday. That's kind of crazy. Packers are 4-0. I officially apologize to Brett Favre. Apparently he knew how much he had left better than I did. Imagine that. Or he's on steroids. Hmmm...

- I need to start work on my toast for Ashlie's wedding. And Matthew needs to let me know when they're measuring for tuxes. Time is running out.

- Pray for Tuesday. She knows she needs to get saved; we're going to talk today sometime, hopefully.

- That's it for now. I have to go to school or something.

key

- My boss called me into her office and gave me a raise and a key-shaped pin today, because I'm "a key employee." I put the pin on my hat this morning and was wearing it around the house, and let me tell you, that thing is a power trip! I was like "I am an integral part of this situation. My sister's waffles rely on me in an important way. Without me, this would be a room of catastrophe." And then I took it off, you know, and it was a big let-down. It really was. I was all like "man... mom doesn't need me here for that blow dryer to work.... I am not involved in that conversation.... There are pastries being eaten without my participation."

- So, other news. Um... Everyone is warning me. They're like, "Mike, be careful." And I'm like "fo' show, my nizzles." No, not really. I appreciate the concern, and I'm paying attention to it. I'm being careful; if I wasn't, I'd have a girlfriend right now. I don't. I have a friend, and the Lord is giving opportunity after opportunity to witness to her. I'm not dating her, and I'm not going to date her as things stand, and even sometime after, should they substantially change. But I do appreciate the concern and prayers.

- School is the uber-bummer. Yeah, just thought it was time to reaffirm my hatred of all things Chippewa. That's the school mascot. The Chippewas. Yes, we're using American-Indians in the same capacity that other schools use talking skunks named Stinky. So, there's a point in our favor.

- Psych is still the funniest show on television. So there.

- Um... hmmm... haven't seen anyone in awhile. Mike is working like crazy, I hear. Joe is hot-dogging it on his mo-ped, as far as I know. People getting married, etc. Oh, I'm still getting teeth pulled this Friday. Definately looking forward to that... pain, and ... you know, blood filling my mouth. All right! I get myself so worked up and excited that I want to stick a screwdriver into my gums, just to taste the rush. Not really. That'd be gross. Eww.

- Mick Jagger and Stephen King: Same person or just both really ugly?

- Not a whole lot to talk about. I still have a goatee. I should probably call stephanie. I haven't heard much from her lately.

- Labor day was a bust. No one came over. If Mike wasn't bigger than me I'd knuckle burn his head.

- I woke up at 6:20 am and couldn't get back to sleep. That's going to kill me this week. I have to work from 11pm to 7am tomorrow, then go to some dentist/quack who wants to cut my wisdom teeth out with one of those obsidian knives that the aztecs used. Then go back to work at 11pm again. I'm not going to sleep much in the next few days.

- "I like to eat rice. Rice is really good when you're hungry and want 2000 of something." - Mitch Hedberg

- We went bowling again on Saturday. My third game was horrible and now my thumb's all swollen. I blamed the game on the thumb and maintained a slight amount of dignity.

- I haven't talked to Matt in awhile either. I hear he's doing really well though.

- Itunes isn't working so I can't watch the new episode of Psych. That bugs me.

- "It would be horrible to be killed by an arrow. They would never solve the crime. 'Hey look! A dead guy.... Let's go that way.' " - Mitch Hedberg

Mmmmmm, a slush..

- I have a cherry slush, and it is good. I'm betting none of you are drinking a slush while reading this, so I win yet again.

- Mitch Hedberg is hilarious. It's too bad he died. I mean, it'd be too bad he died even if he weren't hilarious, but it's worse because he was. And I'm a very shallow person.

- New guy at work that I don't like very much. My boss described him as a retarded puppy (not to his face, of course). I was thinking along those same lines, but wasn't sure I should say anything.

- So... a bunch of girls at work like me. I know 3 do for certain, and at least 4 more hint at it (or others hint at it about them). But they're all unsaved, so basically it's like I'm Ray Charles and have been asked to judge a homemade art contest. Yeah, just like that... Anyway, I know I'm charming and all, but it's a little much. Must be my goatee.

- I only have two classes this semester, and so far they seem easy enough. I'm happy with my English teacher. The last few have been older women who always seem on the brink of yelling at you or crying. This time it's a guy who generally seems to be in a good mood, so that's cool. My history teacher isn't bad either. She said she's not a raging leftist liberal, which is always a plus.