3 March 2002:  Beer Cheese Soup is incredible.

    I watched October Sky tonight.  A few years ago, I remember that I somewhat wanted to see that movie but was never quite able to get to the theaters for it (much like this past year's Life as a House--I'll have to wait for VHS, I guess).  October Sky, though, is a really good movie.  It has the requisite cliches for a story of its nature (even though it is mostly true), yet the cliches and the predictability aside, it was a very entertaining movie, and I give it a high recommendation.

    Prior to watching the movie tonight, Stephanie and I engaged in our new weekly tradition called, "Stephanie does my laundry while I make dinner."  What a great tradition this has turned out to be.  Two weeks of clean laundry, and two homecooked meals.  Hooray for beer cheese soup this week.  Very tasty, indeed.

    This past weekend, a good friend of mine and I became Bar Stars . . .we went to the bars on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.  Good fun and all.  Forget that Friday was beer and chicken wings (at a bar and grill) for happy hour and bar for after happy hour.  Bar stars.  Or University of Iowa students, you make the call.

27 February 2002: A reversal of sorts

    This is where I officially reverse my position on the  Michigan State men's basketball team:  Whereas before, I was hoping the MSU would not make the NCAA tournament because they aren't that great of a team, I am now hoping they make the tournament and do well in spite of the fact that they aren't that great of a team.  Right now, they're playing the best basketball in the Big Ten, by far.  Illini--suck.  Hoosiers--suspect.  Buckeyes--Much like a gymnast:  tumbling.  Gophers--gophers.  Badgers--bad fans.  So, with the exception of this weekend's Spartans-Hawkeyes game, go Spartans.

    That being said, now I must admit that I don't really think the Spartans have a Hawkeye's chance in hell of winning the Big Ten tournament.  Maybe I'm wrong, which is possible, but the Spartans are the least-deep team in the Big Ten right now, and suddenly changing the Big Ten Tourney venue from Indianapolis to the Bres seems rather unlikely.  Three games in three days is a lot for a team with no depth (and Bograkos).  I'm not sure who will win the tournament, but heck, if Iowa could have won it last year, anyone can win it this year (Go Hawkeyes, by the by).

    In other news:  Trainspotting: good movie, disturbing movie.
 
 

26 February 2002:  Light the Fire Within, or some nonsense (equally inspiring) like that

    Now that the 19th Olympic Games are over, and the Mormons, clad in magic underwear, are back to full-court conversion press, it's time to reflect a little on the past couple of weeks.

    First of all, I would have to say that going to Salt Lake City was one of the best things I have ever done.  Will I go back?  Most likely not, unless I go to curl at the Ogden Ice Sheet.  Perhaps I'll need a spot to keep up in top luge form.  Most likely, though, I'll go back if it's the closest place I can go to train for the 2006 Winter Games in Torino, Italy.  My sport: ski jumping.   I'm psyched for the 90m, 120m and the team event.  Go USA, or go UK, whichever team sucks enough to have me join them.  Think of that human interest story: Boy grew up in Iowa, never ski jumps.  Sees Olympics, is inspired.  Ski Jumps in Olympics.  Wow, somebody get Costas on the phone.

    This year's spectacle marks the first time since I've been independently thinking that I have truly enjoyed the Olympics.  After all, what's worse than enduring hours upon hours of human interest stories (Answer: getting a parasite, possibly a tapeworm)?  After Park City and Salt Lake and my meeting two different human interest stories: Shameful Bronze medalist Chris Klug and the human interest story of all human interest stories, 1994 Gold Medalist Dan Jansen, I have a new appreciation of the Olympics, although NBC could do better (especially Bob Costas--memo to Bob:  you're NOT funny.  Jokes like "I haven't seen a poll that divided since kindergardeners were asked if they'd rather have chocolate milk or prune juice?"--WAY lame).

Eventually, I should have some Olympic pictures, or, as I like to call them, OlymPICs to post here, but, at the rate I'm going, that will be in sometime in June.  So, I'll post just one for right now.  Damn, I'm sexy.

    While I could go on FOR DAYS about the Olympics (so far, 8 days), I think I'll instead tie-in a little Olympics to daily events.  I'm going to give Stephanie the GOLD for doing my laundry, much like I'm giving myself the GOLD (tequila) for watching her do my laundry.  Fun all around.  Appalling behavior.  Shocking.

    I'm very determined now to finally come up with some reasonable future occupation for me.  So far, I have famous movie actor, Olympic athlete, Canadian, grocery-store cashier, famous comedian, and the list goes on and on and on.  I wonder where my talents truly are.  Wait, no I don't.  For godssakes look at the picture. . .I'm wearing a fricken crown.  King of the World.  That's all I want to be.  Wow, that was simple.

 

12 FebRuary 2002:  Upon further review. . .

    If the guy in Memento were truly unable of forming new memories, how the heck would he know that he had a condition?  That's a bit of a plot problem, but I'm willing to overlook that for now.

 

    Have you ever been in the middle of doing nothing when a pretty profound thought hit you, bloodied your nose and lip, and then proceeded to grind your teeth on the cement?  Me, neither.

 

    12 December 2001 was the last of my "meetings" with the "university," and I must say that the things I've done since those ceased are simple things, yet giant strides from where I was, cowering in the corner, fearing the devouring of my first-born children by psychotic college girls, put off by my speaking in their general direction.  In fact, I've managed to initiate a few conversations, and hit the floor to gyrate my hips a couple of times, and I wasn't even completely intoxicated (the first time).  Which reminds me, since I  hadn't posted before it, Stephanie's birthday was last Friday.  I must say, a good time was had by all (at least until 2:00, or so I'm told).

 

    Today, I won the gold medal in eye-rolling at stupid people (finally given solid Olympic status after two Olympics mired in  "demonstration sport" status).  In other words, I had a discussion section for "Stats for Dumb Kids."  How many times do you need someone to tell you how to do this?!  It's actually quite simple.  DAH!  HOW CAN YOU BE THAT STUPID?!  ARG!

 

    All right, forgive me.  I just had a moment there.  Keeping in line with the Olympic theme, have some fun with this sound, one of my new favorite and timely Simpsons references.  How could you possibly not laugh at the idea of "shameful bronze" in sports like downhill skiing, wherein the gold and bronze medalists are separated by .09 seconds?  Shameful indeed.

 
 
 

11 FebRuary 2002:  I have this condition.

    Seriously, just when I thought I'd start updating again, I managed to take many days off (undoubtedly to bask in the glow of my very close Super Bowl prediction--see below.  I mean, whoa, 24-21 is pretty damn close to 20-17).

 

    I have very little to say, other than I saw Memento sometime last week.  What a whacked-out movie.  Fantastic really.  And last night I saw the Kids in the Hall movie, Brain Candy.  While extremely funny (and wrong--we're all going to hell just for WATCHING the cancer-boy scenes), that movie was about 20 minutes too long, but worth it.

 

If I can think of anything meaningful to say, you'll be the first to know.

 

3 FebRuary 2002:  Insert witty comment here.

    All right.  I'm going to make my Super Bowl prediction right now.  I've weighed all of the variables together, from the fact that I just ate Campbell's Chunky Soup (One of the products for which Kurt Warner has whored himself) to the fact that the heater in my room sounds like a crazed chainsaw-wielding murderer (is there any other kind of chainsaw-wielding murderer?).  Here goes.  The winner of SuperBowl XXXVI will be the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS.

    --hey, I hear that scoffing, stop it.  The Patriots will win today's game because good defense is always better than the St. Louis Rams.

Patriots 24, Rams 21
 
 

29 January 2002: Wherein I discover the remains of Social Anxiety and whatnot.

    While I know that not many of you actually read this webpage, and even fewer of you actually care about the goings-on in my life, I thought I'd take this opportunity to share with you some recent realizations.  I'll start with an unpleasant one and then come up with something good to say, or so I'll try.

 

    #1.  It turns out that my whole lack of friends in Iowa City thing is coming back to bite me again.  Seems I spent so much time avoiding people and social things in the past that I have no roommates at present for next year, which is a complete bummer.

 

    #2.  I'm dreaming again.  This may seem strange, but the whole time I was suffering through some psychological difficulties, I was seemingly never able to remember the content of my dreams.  I'd wake up without being able to remember that I had a dream, let alone what it was about, or even whether or not it contained any really cool elements that might make a pretty f-ed up cinematographic sequence.  Since I concluded my last "meeting" with the "university" prior to the end of last semester, I've noticed that my dreams have once again become memorable and vivid.

 

    #3.  The reason that you rarely like any of the pictures people take of you is that you are used to seeing a mirrored reflection, which is not what other people see when they look at you.  If you were to take a picture of you that claim "looks nothing like me," and invert it, you would see yourself as you do everyday in the mirror.  Why it took me that long to figure that out, I'll never know.

 

    #4.  Despite my recent stretch of unfortunate financial difficulties (i.e. dropping $430 into a fuel pump in my 1989 Buick Regal), I'm doing all right in the head.  Some days are better than others, but I think I'm doing all right.  And besides, since the semester started last week, I've fallen in love three times.  Three times in a week.  Exciting.

 

    #5.  These are starting to become less and less about realization and more and more about random stuff, so I suppose I'll let you in on a few end of January resolutions.  First, I have resolved to stop biting my nails, a rather disgusting habit.  So far, I've at least caught myself chewing them and stopped immediately, but the final results are not yet in.  Second, I made an interesting New Year's Resolution: I resolved not to be such a jerk.  This includes being a jerk to myself as well as others, and, with the exception of a competitive side I must control, I am still holding out hope for this one.

 

I have more stuff that probably isn't too important, but if it becomes important, I'll let you all know.