Embracing My Board Game Geekiness

For the past few years, I have been getting into the board game hobby. I love playing these hobby games like Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne, Chicago Express, Dominion, and more. They have become one of my biggest passions and time consumers, but it was not until today that I truly reached the level of board game geek. I have been edging closer and closer to this level of devotion to the hobby, but today I crossed over.

Today, I pre-ordered a board game, called American Rails, that is being designed by a small independent publisher. It is this gentleman's first game, and it is limited to 60 copies. I have never bought a game that has been published in such a small quantity. Usually, I buy games made by the well respected and established companies like Rio Grande Games, Fantasy Flight, and Z Man Games. However, I have been following the development of this game for about a month now, and I am really excited by it! When I found out pre-orders were today, I made sure to get my copy. Now I will own the first edition of what I hope and believe is going to be a very exciting and popular game.

By buying from what is basically a one man operation, I am supporting this man's devotion to a dream of his. It is my support of this small independent game that makes me feel like I have crossed into the realm of true board game geekery. Normally, I would just buy a game from a store either in person or online, but this time I am supporting a brand new publisher and developer. It makes me feel even more part of the community.

Of course this purchase was only part of my push over the edge. As for my second move, well I am seriously contemplating desiging my own board games.

For the past couple of months, I have been fiddling with the idea of this one game, but I have not done much with it. On Sunday, I brainstormed an idea for a second game, and this one I have actually started writing notes down about it. I have almost two pages of material, and I am going to start creating a prototype copy to play sometime early next year. I am really excited by the idea. As my creative wheels were turning for this game, I began developing ideas for a third game. Before long, I will probably be creating a list of game ideas. Who knows where this will lead, but it excites me.

After helping one man follow his dreams by buying his game, I began to think about my own ideas for games. I doubt I will ever create a true classic, but maybe I will one day publish my own game. Hopefully, some people besides me will get enjoyment out of it. Following this path makes no doubt about it, I am a board game geek.

Some Geeky Obersvations

While watching some tv shows lately, I have been making some incredibly geeky observations. Stuff like references to other elements of geek culture and attention to detail. Here are a few of them.

• While watching an episode of The X-Files, I noticed that Mulder resides at apartment number 42. How appropripate. The man who seeks the truth resides at the address which happens to be the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything.
• With the series finale behind me, I began watching Battlestar Galactica with Liza. Now I knew the ship got dirtier as the series went on, but I did not realize how much until this viewing of the miniseries. The ship and its interior such as the CIC is immaculate at the start of the series. Talk about an attention to detail. It is just further testament to the pain staking level of continuity the staff was prepared for.
• Recently, I have become hooked on the show The IT Crowd. One of my favorite elements of the show is the geeky clutter in the background of the office. Particularly, I love the board games which include Ticket to Ride. My girlfriend laughed at me because I was disappointed that they are missing from the first series. I'll try to pinpoint the exact episode they appear and try to identify the exact games.

As I watch more TV this fall, expect more geeky observations. It may become a new hobby of mine.

The Problem With Being In a Relationship...

One of my biggest issues of being in a healthy, loving relationship is that sad country songs just are not as much fun to listen to. I don't know how many times I have listened to a song about a broken hearted man while drinking and mending my own broken heart. I have always found some comfort in these songs, but now, they just do not touch me the same way. I do still feel sympathy for the character in the songs, but I am too busy being happy for my relationship and not wanting to think sad thoughts. As much as I miss connecting to these songs, in no way, would I change my relationship. I am way too happy right now, and I hope I never go back to connecting with these songs. Unfortunately, happy country music is no where as good as listening to a man lament about his loss love while drinking beer, but I guess it will have to do to satisfy my love of twang.

Obama Has Finally Disappointed Me

As you may or may not know, Obama is going to practice a little diplomacy. In the near future, he is arranging a get together with Professor Gates and the officer who arrested him. The three are going to discuss the situation and the issues it brought forth. Now, I applaud the decision to discuss these crucial and critical topics over beer, but I am disappointed by Obama's choice of a cold one. Professor Gates will be drinking refreshing Blue Moon, the officer will have a cool Red Strip, but Obama is drinking a Budweiser.

Why Obama? Why?

For a man who preaches and practices being green and American created products, why would you choose the giant Budweiser? There are several American microbreweries that would have served as a better choice. Many practice green brewing techniques and make organic beers. Although Budweiser is called the king of American beers, it is not even owned by Americans anymore. It is owned by an international conglomorate. The craft brewers are American owned and American made. They would have been a better choice for this wonderful healing opportunity.

For shame Mr. President. For shame.

Please in the future, use a craft brew. If foreign diplomats are ever in the White House to discuss politics and global issues, share with them a true American beer. One that is made by true American patriots like our forefathers. These men and women have crafted a successful beer revolution, and God bless them!

We're Having a Heat Wave

Wow. It is hot right now in Stumptown. It is currently 97, and they are predicting it to be in the 100s for a couple of days and to remain in the 90s the rest of the week. As you may, or may not know, Portlanders are not prepared for this kind of weather. Air conditioning is almost non-existent. I do not have it in my apartment, and before today, I did not even have a fan.

To try to beat the heat, I decided I needed some fans. Of course, I am practically broke, so this decision was a big one and involved some banking magic. Luckily, the choice to go to the store was nice because it was air conditioned. I think I should have stayed longer.

Anyway, I now have two fans. I bought a bigger box one to go in the living room. I figure my roommate and I can both utilize that one. Then I got a smaller one for my room. I can move it from by my desk or near my bed dependnig on where I need it more. All I have to do is unplug it. Hopefully, this heat wave does not last too long. Otherwise, I am going to find it difficult to do anything.

Marvel Divas

Yesterday, my roommate's friend shared with me a comic she recently got. It is called Marvel Divas, and it is the first of a four issue series. Based on the cover and my read of it, I would guess the comic is Marvel's attempt at luring in new female readers. To be honest with you, I think the whole thing is just plain goofy.

The comic tells of the relationship among four female B-league superheroes. I have been out of the comic world for a bit, but I do recognize at least two of the characters on the cover: Black Cat and Firestar. The other two heroines are Photon and Hellcat.

Anyway, the story reads a lot like an episode of Sex in the City with a dash of a Lifetime movie. The gals talk about their love problems and sex life to one another. As you can guess none of them are too lucky. At the end of the issue, the comic touches on the realm of Lifetime tearjerker when one of the super heroines reveals she has cancer. It makes the story even more melodramatic, and for an extra punch, the issue ends in a cliffhanger.

The entire comic really does give off a strong Sex in the City vibe. In fact, the main narrator of the comic is a writer. The publishing of her second book is what kicks off the story. I am not really sure what made this sound like a good idea, but hopefully, it works out for Marvel.

Where Have I Been?

Back in the day, I used to consider myself tech savvy. Back in middle school, I had my own website, and I was reading webcomics in high school. When facebook became available at MTSU, I was quick to join. As soon as I was able to acquire a Gmail invite, I signed up. I used to know what was going on in regards to the web, but apparently I have fallen behind the times. During the past few days, I have discovered so many new things!

On Sunday, Liza introduced me to the world of RSS and ATOM feeds. Thanks to gadgets like Google Reader, I no longer have to surf the web! Everything I care about is sent to one location. I know longer have to wait to see when a webpage will update; I get it automatically. I am sure I am one of the last people to join on this bandwagon, but I am kind of excited. However, I do feel this technology kind of negates surfing the web. Perhaps, I should start stumbling now as well.

For those unfamiliar, Stumble Upon is a website (or some sort of technology... or magic) that sends you to random websites! How cool is that? I do believe it has guidelines as well to direct your stumbling. I have known of it for a while, but I am becoming more intrigued. Apparently, I have been under-utilizing the web lately, but I am discovering new stuff to do... like more social networking websites!

The first one I signed up for is called Readernaut. It tracks what books you are reading, have read, plan to read, abandoned, want, and so on. So far, I am pretty impressed with it right now. Liza and I both signed up for it, but I think you should too! You can find me here.

Then there is 97 Bottles. It is a social networking site devoted to beer. I do believe I have found heaven on the web! It is a way for me to track the beers I try, tell you where I tried them, what I think about them, and more. As of right now, I have not played around with it too much (mostly because I have not drank any beer lately), but I plan to do more with it soon.

If those aren't up your alley, perhaps you might like Dopplr. Dopplr is a way for you to share your travels with friends and complete strangers. I've not played around with it too much, but Liza really likes it. Perhaps you will too.

Now I realize I can do a lot of this on Facebook or Myspace, but I really like having more niche sites. In my opinion, many of the applications on Facebook like these are really buggy and not user friendly. I like being able to share this information with anyone, and most of them have options than available on the big two sites.

Of course, Google is also trying to join in on the social networking fun, apparently. They have created Orkut. I think I noticed it the other day, and my friend, J, sent me an invite for it. As of right now, I have not investigated it, but I probably will in the days to come.

Finally, Liza showed me that Google has their own website hosting and building capabilities. I do believe I am going to create a new site soon. It should be a way for me to share all of my loves and interests in one place. It should have lots of crazy gadgets and what not. I will keep you up to date with the progress. I have some rough plans for it, but I think it will offer me some more options than just a blog.

Has Obama Been Watching Chuck?

While reading the paper, I discovered an article about the Obama administration using colleges to recruit future intelligence agencies. Immediately, I thought of the first season episode of Chuck, "Chuck Versus the Alma Mater." In this episode, it is revealed that Chuck's former professor has been recruiting students for the CIA for years. In fact, he was responsible for recruiting Chuck's old roommate.

Well, now it appears the government will actually be taking steps to such a process, and they're looking at basically creating a degree in spying at certain colleges. Students will receive federal funding with the possible stipulation of having to work for a certain agency. They're also basically guaranteed summer internships. The program is still in the planning stages. I have no idea how I feel about this, but I certainly hope they did in fact get the idea from Chuck.

Chicago Express: A Review

Since I was a kid, I have loved trains, and I love board games. Therefore, it is logical to assume that I would highly enjoy train games. Unfortunately, up until now, my experience has been limited to TransAmerica and Ticket to Ride. Although light games, I love both of them and count TransAmerica as one of my favorites, but I have craved something more in depth.

Thus around my birthday, I set out to fix this dilemma with a purchase of a heavier train game. At the time I was debating among Age of Steam, Steam, and Chicago Express. During this time I was following the Age of Steam vs Steam drama and was unsure of which to get, so I settled on Chicago Express. Mostly because it was what my local game store had. I do not regret this decision; it is quickly becoming one of my favorite board games.

In Chicago Express, players assume the roles of investors and funnel capital into five seperate rail companies in the hopes of making the most money from dividends. The game features a beautiful map and money and stocks on what I would consider fancy paper. It is a visually appealing game.

One of the unique aspects of Chicago Express is that players aren't a single company. Instead, players all have control over a certain company. Well, as long as they have stock in it. This mechanic encourages a high level of player interaction which is why I love the game so much. You are constantly working with the other players to benefit yourself without benefiting them as much. Sometimes it is fun to use your one share of a stock to run a company into the ground, but for the most part, everyone seems to work together.

When the game begins, there is an initial stock auction for the four primary companies. The last company does not appear until later in the game. After a share has been distributed for each company, the game begins.

During the game, players get to choose from one of three actions: auction, develop, or expand. With the first auction, the player names one of the companies and offers a stock in it. Each company has a limited number of shares and a mininum bid. This bid is based off the income level of the company divided by the number of shares out including the one being auctioned. This formula is also how one calculates the dividends from these stocks.

The second action is developing hexes on the board. Developing allows a player to increase the income level of a company by developing cities or mountains. Forrests are a way to pump more cash into the company.

Finally, players can try to expand the network of the rail company. With this action, players use the capital in the railroad to grow and increas the income level by going to various cities. In another great mechanic, players have to use the money of the company to expand instead of their own. Players money is completely seperate from the companies.

All three of these actions can only be chosen a limited number of times. There are little guages on the board to show the progress of the actions. When the indicator is in the red, players are unable to choose that action unti they are reset. After two guages are in the red, the game pauses for a dividend phase.

During the dividend phase, players recieve revenue from the stocks they own. The amount paid out is calculated the same way the mininum share price is calculated. In both instances, the numbers are rounded up. It helps a little to be decent with math. At the end of the dividends, the guages are reset and play resumes. The game continues until one of several end conditions are met. Usually three or more companies being out of stock or trains to expand with.

In Chicago Express, resources are extremely limited. Each company has a set number of shares and trains. Therefore, players have to constantly struggle with how to expand. If they are too slow to expand, it may be more costly later. Then they will need more capital. To do so involves auctioning more shares which lowers the amount of revenue you might receive because more people become involved in the company of. The entire time playing I sit on the edge of my seat watching everything unfold and trying to plan what to do.

As of right now, I really only have two problems with this game: the box and the length. As for the former, the box is much too big for the game. It looks gigantic, but in reality, it really is not. I would say it is more similiar to Ticket to Ride, but it could have been in a smaller box.

With the length, I feel like the game ends too soon! It can be played in about 45-75 minutes which is actually a huge plus for the game as well. I am just always disappointed when the game ends because I feel like things are really starting to heat up and get super interesting. However, if the game went on much longer, it would probably drag some. Oh well. The positives of this game greatly out weigh the negatives.

Chicago Express is a wonderfully delightful game. It has great components, a decent play time, and with only three actions to choose from, a lovely simplicity. However, it has enough tough decision making to make it highly strategic, involving, and addictive. Without a doubt, Chicago Express is one of my new favorite games.

I Wish Lunch Could Last Forever

Last night, I was discussing with Liza my theory on meals. Over the years, I have realized that each meal we eat has a distinct social characteristic. These characteristics relate strongly to time of the day.

Breakfast is the most solitary of meals. For most normal people, it is the first meal of the day, and you are just waking up. If you are like me, you don't have the energy to carry on any sort of conversation. It is a time to get focused on the day and to get prepared. Not to be distracted by people.

On the other hand, lunch is the most social of all meals. It should be enjoyed in a noisy cafeteria surrounded by friends and acquaintances. It is like a mini-midday vacation! Lunch time conversations are always light hearted and never too serious. In college, many of my favorite memories are of eating with groups of people in the cafeteria. In fact, there were times that I had my lunch friends who I never really hung out with outside of the cafeteria. Lunch is the meal that is best enjoyed with other people.

As for dinner, it is the most intimate. It is meant to be spent with significant people in your life: family, lovers, and very dear friends. It is a time to truly get to know someone and reflect about each other. Why do you think dates are supposed to occur in the evening?

Of course, that leaves brunch. To be honest with you, I don't understand brunch. It wants to be breakfast and lunch, but it always turns in to one or the other. Not both. In my case, it usually winds up being lunch. After all, lunch is my favorite meal, and like the Jimmy Buffett song, "I wish lunch could last forever."

Stars, Savings, and Shootouts

So yesterday, I took a page from Liza's book and slept until noon. I haven't done that in quite some time actually. Although it was nice, I didn't actually care for it all that much. I guess I can no longer sleep away my day. I prefer getting up at a semi-decent time. Even if it is just to watch some TV.

Speaking of which, I am on the final season of Deep Space Nine. I got through a disc yesterday, and a disc today. Actually, I may have watched more yesterday. Anyway, I am down to the final nine episode, ten hour story arc. I am really considering trying to marathon my way through all those episodes in one sitting. I think it will be easy to do because they all have cliffhanger endings.

While watching DS9, I started cutting coupons. I am hoping they will save me some money, but I see a flaw in this plan. I cut out coupons for somethings that I don't really need. It was more like "Oooh. I have a coupon for this, so I should get it next time I go to the store." We shall see. The other problem with coupons is that most of them require you to buy two of some items. Is it really worth the savings? I don't know. I guess it is dependent upon whether or not the items are perishable. If it is something like laundry detergent, then I do not see as much of a problem. Thoughts? On the plus side, I am super excited for the KFC coupons I found. Huzzah!

On Saturday, I am going to spend the day visiting someone in Olympia. I am super excited, and I need to finish out the itenerary. I told her I would plan everything out this time, so she won't feel as stressed out. Speaking of Saturday, it is also Derby Day. Luckily, I have talked her into watching the race with me. Now, I just need to find a sports bar in Olympia. I also need to find a place to eat lunch and dinner. Yikes. Oh well, it will be something to do later in the week.

Tonight, I watched Dirty Harry and Magnum Force. It has been about a year since I have seen them, and I was super excited. Both of them are really good movies in my opinion. Harry is more of a suspense oriented action movie in my opinion. It has some action, but it is rather limited really. Still the movie is filled with some great camera shots and scene transitions. I was appreciating it from more of a technical standpoint this time.

Magnum Force, on the other hand, is much more of an action film than its predecesor. In this one, Harry kicks a lot more ass, and I am pretty sure within the first thirty minutes, they double the body count from the first movie. It only goes uphill from there. I have to say that I really like this entry in the franchise. It is filled with action, but it also has a good story. The vigilante cops idea works really well and helps to establish where Harry draws the line with fighting crime. Although he hates the system, he isn't willing to circumvent it. Good movie.

I popped some popcorn tonight, and while the bag was in the microwave, it some how burned a hole in the bag. From the hole, kernels started popping their way out of the bag and shooting around the microwave! It was the damnedest thing. I swear I have never seen this happen before. It was crazy.

My Adventuerous Tuesday

Yesterday, I walked about 6 miles total. I am really proud of myself for that feat. Unfortunately, my feet are now sore from it. I wore my sandals, and I've not worn them since last summer. Thus, I have a blister or two on my feet. It was worth it.

My morning was fairly calm. I tried exercising some in the morning, and then I goofed off online. Eventually, I ate a light lunch and prepared myself for my adventure... to the post office because I had something to mail to someone. If you ask me, that is a perfectly reasonable reason to go to the post office.

I knew there was a post office not too far away from here, and the weather was beautiful. Why drive when I can walk? So I left the apartment, walked down 67th avenue until Powell, and started walking down Powell. Technically, I was walking West which isn't really down. Anyway.

The entire time I tried to walk a little briskly, and eventually I made it to the post office. I mailed my package using quarters, and then I checked out this used media store next to the building. It did not have anything I really wanted, so I saved money which is a plus.

Instead of walking the same way home, I trekked north up 50th until I returned to Division. Then I turned East and headed towards home. Along the way, I remembered that there was a Dairy Queen, and I thought to myself. A Blizzard would be delicious right now, so I got my self an Oreo Blizzard. It was tasty. Unfortunately, I think it negated the effects of my walk.

When I got home, I checked my distance out of curiosity. It ends up I walked about three miles which is about a mile more than I anticipated. I was really proud of myself. To celebrate my accomplishment, I applied for a job with the Beaverton Library as a Circulation Supervisor. Wish me luck on that!

For dinner last night, I decided to experiment with this recipe for Beer Pork Chops I found online. It was pretty simple to make, but I am not sure how much I enjoyed it. The first few bites were really good, but then it seemed rather bland. I could not taste the seasoning I did have on the pork chops which was sad. The beer I used was Pyramid's spring seasonal, Rollick. It is an amber lager. I tried it the night before, and I found it to be about average. Not bad at all, but nothing spectacular. To go along with the pork, I had some roasted garlic potatoes and some garlic cheese bread. I made it all by myself. Go me.

After dinner, I tried reading outside for a little bit, but my roommate and I decided to go out drinking. It was dollar PBR night at North Bar, and both of us wanted to get out of the house. Thus we headed down to 50th.

North Bar is a fairly nice bar. It has a pool table, a dart board, friendly staff and PBR is only a dollar on Tuesdays. I do not always care for PBR, but when it is only a dollar, I can't complain. I had about three PBRS, and I had to pay for the last one with quarters. I am fancy. Anyway, the bar has a great juke box too. They play classic country, classic rock, and good indie rock.

As I mentioned, the staff is nice. When I went to order, the bartender asked "How are you doing?" I responded asking for a PBR. She said sure, but first, "How are you doing?" I laughed, said I was good, and asked how she was. I appreciated that.

While we were sitting there, my roommate and I started talking about how amzingly delicious onion rings would be right then. Unfortunately, North Bar doesn't have deliciously deep fried snacks, so we decided to go to Gators instead. Thus, we walked down to Powell and headed east towards 68th.

Ultimately, my roommate and I walked the reverse of my earlier trek. In my quest for beer and onion rings, I walked another 3 miles. At Gators, I had another two PBRs and half a basket of onion rings. It was amazing. What I love about Gators is that when you get ranch to dip stuff, they don't just give you a little cup of it. Oh no. They give you a condiment bottle of it to use. It is amazing. Gators may not be the most amazing bar ever, but it has good food. I enjoy it because it is kind of a dive, but it hasn't been run over by hipsters yet. Now that it is smoke free I may go a little more frequently... assuming I get a job.

When I got home. I looked around the web and made a quick drunk dial. Luckily, the person had her phone off, but I knew that when I called. I just wanted to leave a nice message. After that I was tired, so I passed out. It was a nice end to a fairly epic Tuesday.

Wally's Americana Mix: Volume 1: No Depression

Recently, I made someone (Liza) a mix of Americana music. I hope this to be the first in a series, and I focused volume one on alt-country bands. Specifically, I placed artists whom I consider to be the foundation of the genre. I shared a few songs from each act. Here is the list.

1. "No Depression" by Uncle Tupelo from No Depression
2. "Still Be Around" by Uncle Tupelo from Still Feel Gone
3. "The Long Cut" by Uncle Tupelo from Anodyne
4. "Don't Wanna Know Why" by Whiskeytown from Pneumonia
5. "Crazy About You" by Whiskeytown from Pneumonia
6. "Two Hearts" by Ryan Adams from Easy Tiger
7. "Box Full of Letters" by Wilco from A.M.
   
8. "I've Got You (At the End of the Century)" by Wilco from Being There
9. "California Stars" by Wilco from Mermaid Avenue, Vol. 1
10. "Windfall" by Son Volt from Drown
11. "Drown" by Son Volt from Drown
12. "Caryatid Easy" by Son Volt from Straightaways
13. "Blue" by The Jayhawks from Tomorrow the Green Grass
14. "Waitin' for the Sun" by The Jayhawks from Hollywood Town Hall
15. "Save It for a Rainy Day" by The Jayhawks from Rainy Day Music
16. "Big Brown Eyes" by Old 97's from Too Far to Care
17. "Murder (Or a Heart Attack)" by Old 97's from Fight Songs
18. "Rollerskate Skinny" by Old 97's from Satellite Rides
    

What do you think? Should I have chosen other songs instead? Those are only a handful of some of my favorite songs by those artists. In reality, I could have made a mix for each of them. The next volume in Wally's Americana Mix will have a more variety of music. I'm not sure of the theme yet. Or maybe there won't be as much of a theme.

Potpourri

This post will just be a bunch of random thoughts. Let us begin.

• Lately, I have been drinking gin more. In some ways, I feel like I am neglecting my relationship with borboun/whiskey. I am not sure how long this tryst will last.
• I took a mini-vacation to see the girl from my Star Trek date again. It was good, but kind of awkward. We are going to work on the awkward parts and see each other again soon.
• Unemployment is kind of lame. You would think I would be more productive, but all I do is watch Star Trek. Actually, that is kind of lame. I just need some income.
• Why am I drinking beer less?
• Reading is reaching a standstill. I am almost done with Three Soldier. Less than 100 pages to go. I just need motivation.
• Hook was better than I remember. Or maybe it was worse. I am not really sure, but I do think it was the first time I have seen the movie since it came out.
• I still think I prefer the first half of Small Time Crooks more than the latter. At least this time, I better appreciated the second half. It made some more sense.
• I've got nothing...
  

Indefinite Weekend

As most of you already know, I am currently unemployed. Instead of letting this situation depress me too much, I am trying to make the best of it. During the past week, I have actually made it a mini-vacation. Mostly, I have taken time to myself to just relax. I have spent this time watching Deep Space Nine. I love this series. Upon watching it this time, I have decided to get back into the Star Trek: CCG. Luckily, Zip has agreed to play it with me. Hopefully, I can find some more.

In terms of the job search, I have not been trying much yet. That will come soon, but I wanted some personal time first. As for the initial jobs I applied for, I have not heard anything yet. Not even rejection letters. It is kind of frustrating. I'll start looking for more towards the end of the week.

Tomorrow, I am heading to campus to take care of a couple of things. I have been meaning to do them for a week now, but I keep sleeping in instead. However, I need to get it done. Since I made plans for tomorrow, there is no backing out of it now. I just have to make sure I wake up in time.

So over the weekend, the real weekend that is, I had a date-type engagement. It was probably the best one I have had in a long time. I mean come on. It consisted of Star Trek, beer, pizza, How I Met Your Mother, and a pretty lady. Does life get any better? Currently, I am making plans to see her again. Time for a bit of a road trip...

I simultaneously like and dislike being unemployed. I have managed to get some stuff done around the apartment with my free time, but I wish I was being more productive and spending some time outside of my flat. I better start the job search soon. Hopefully I have decent luck. Just in case, you better wish me some.

Week of Wally Recap

Originally, I wanted to write about every night of Week of Wally. Unfortunately, that isn't going to happen. I got home late most nights last week, and my internet was wonky every night. Therefore, you are going to get this recap where I will write approximately a paragraph about each night. Lets begin shall we?

On Monday, the plan was to go bowling. Unfortunately, every alley in Portland with beer has leagues during the week at the time I wanted to go. Thus, we decided to bowl on campus. However, we had dinner at Baan Thai first. It was Louisa, Mark, Robin, and Derek for dinner. Eric! joined us for bowling. It was good times, and afterward, Louisa, Robin, and I grabbed a drink at Paccinis.

Tuesday was the big day, and it was dinner at Deschutes Brewing. Every year in Portland for my birthday I have gone to a brew pub. This year was no different. The group was 20 people: Debo, Louisa, Goodwin, Boz, Brookes, J, Eric!, Kyle, Emily, Christine, John, Mark, Nachel, Kari, Robin, Jenn, Joe, and Cody. I think I am forgetting someone. The most embarassing moment was when Debo sang to me. My face got bright red. After dinner, a group of us went to Rock Bottom. It was good times.

As usual, Wednesday was Pub Quiz. We fielded two teams for four people. The Good and The Bad had Joe, Jason, Jenn, and Robin, and And the Wally had Brookes, J, Amie, and me. It was the wrong night to split up The Good, the Bad, and the Wally. We would have kicked ass combined, but seperated only And the Wally made it to the final round. We finished fourth.

On Thursday, I had the photo scavenger hunt. Seven people besides me came out for it: Ashley, Kari, Derek, Eric!, Robin, Brookes, and Salazar. We had two teams of four. The first four people were on Kari's team, and the last three were on a team with me. Both groups accomplished all the pictures and had lots of duplicates. We realized lots of ways to improve it in the future, but everyone had a blast. The only downside was the person who suggested the event did not get to make it. After the hunt, we went to Paccinis for some food. I have missed their burger. Yum.

For Friday, Joe, Jenn, and Jason were having an apartment warm party. With nothing else really planned, I went there. It was decent. I drank some gin drinks, played some video games and Stratego, and talked. Obviously we had Joe, Jenn, and Jason, but Brookes, Amie, Eric!, and Goodwin also partied. Eventually, the party died, so I grabbed drinks with Goodie, Jaz, and Rhea. Then I passed out on Goodie's couch. True story.

On Saturday, I went pub crawling. At first it was just Brookes and me. We had beers at Roots Organic Brewing and the Lucky Lab. I tried this sour brown beer at Roots, and it really was sour. I am still uncertain if I liked it or not. After those two pubs, we went to the Green Dragon where Kim and Robin met up with us. I really like that bar, but the service was pretty bad. Oh well. Afterwards, we ventured into this place called Sway Bar. None of us had been there before, but we all kind of liked it except for one issue. It was too dark in there. The only illumination came from the candles on the tables. While there, J joined us. Finally, we went to My Father's Place which is still one of my favorite dive bars. It has cheap drinks and food, and the service is pretty good. I would like to go there more often. Or live about it.

Well that is the Week of Wally in a nutshell. Pictures are on both facebook and Flickr. Thanks to everyone who came along and celebrated. Special mention goes to Brookes and Robin. They tied for the most events. Both of them only missed one night. I guess it is time to start planning next year...

She Only Calls Me on Sundays

Well, Week of Wally is officially here. We kicked the festivities off with an extra long game night with some fried chicken from KFC. However, first, we should talk about Saturday. Or maybe I should talk about Friday.

On Friday, I tried to get more applications done for jobs. I managed to get two finished, but I never got anymore work made on them. My current job kept taking precedence. I tried to manage some of the filing that had been piling up, but the Ondine computer finally decided to begin its final death throes. About a week or two ago, it began to literally fall apart with keys going missing. As of Friday, it started locking up, and then it started popping up with virus and ad ware warnings. Most of them were those anti-adware adware programs.

Anyway, it was quickly becoming futile to use, so I called Housing. They told me to call Ross. He would not be able to have us a replacement until Monday, and he told me to call Housing back. Housing decided to loan us their laptop for the weekend. Of course, we weren't set up to use StarRez on it, so I had to figure that out. Luckily, it worked before I left. Unfortunately, I got no other work done managing that crisis.

Now, I thought I might get some of the work done on Saturday because I was asked to come in. Normally, I don't work Saturdays, but it was a move out weeekend, and they wanted the help. Plus, I could use the money. Before going to work, I had the most amazing breakfast at the Blue Pig Cafe.

I have passed this cafe multiple times on Division, and recently, I read about it in the Willamette Week. Since I had to be up early on a Saturday, I finally decided to try it, and I do not regret it. I got the chicken fried steak platter, and it came with eggs, potatoes, and a giant biscuit. It was so good and filling; I was unable to finish it all. So good.

As for work on Saturday, it was fairly quiet and slow until the final ten minutes when we had a line of people checking out. Of course, I did not get any of the work I wanted finished because it was just steady enough during the day to keep me out front. Plus, I had fun talking to everyone working that day.

That evening I came home to eat a bite and watch some Arrested Development like I did on Friday night. Of course, I had some gin & tonics on Friday, but Saturday I had been asked to go out too. Thus I did not drink with dinner. Anyway, I met up with some friends at Paccinis for Salazar's 21st birthday. I had a Tom Collins and a gin & tonic. For some reason, I am really enjoying gin drinks lately. Well, the party group left to go do some expensive stuff I did not want to do, so Alex, Kim, Robin and I stayed in to play a board game. The choice for the night : Chicago Express.

Chicago Express was one of the three games I bought myself for my birthday. (The other two being Brass and Race for the Galaxy.) After one play, I think this game could quickly become one of my favorites. It is relatively simple, but there is a lot of strategy to it. The game has no luck, and your decisions carry a lot of weight. The other players seem to enjoy it too. I want to buy more train games now. For those curious, Alex won the game.

On Sunday, I got to sleep in just a little bit, and I made more progress on season three of Arrested Development. However, it was time to start Week of Wally, so I got nothing productive done at home. I needed to be on campus around 2 PM for an Extra Special Game Night!

As soon as I got there, we had like six people show up: Robin, Alex, Brookes, Louisa, Derek, and myself. To begin, we played everybody's favorite TransAmerica. This game is easily in my top 5 just because of how simple and fun it is. Great intro game. From there, Eric!, Mark, Alex, and I played Brass for the first time. The game is long, complex, but fun. While we being industrial revolution tycoons, other people played Rock Band. In the end, Eric! won Brass. I think next time we play it will be different. However, I think we all liked it.

After that game, we took a break to go buy some fried chicken. We bought a lot... and all but one of the biscuits KFC had. I love fried chicken... a lot. It is so delicious.

Once everyone had eaten, we gave Chicago Express another go. This time Robin won. I don't think the game works as well with six players, but I still really like it. I kind of want to play it again next week, but that would violate my ban on playing the same game two weeks in a row rule. Oh well.

We ended the night with Betrayal at the House on the Hill. Unfortunately, I had to be the priest instead of the little boy. (Those two kids are just so balanced! Seriously, they're the best characters in the game.) At least, we had a new haunt. Robin was the traitor, and he was an invisible killer. I got killed first, so I joined some people playing Rock Band. I am not even sure who won the game actually.

Special thanks to everyone who came out to the Extra Special Game Night and the first night of Week of Wally. We had Eric!, Louisa, Brookes, Derek, Mark, Kim, Robin, Alex, Debo, Nachel, Jason W., Kyle, Omar, Cody, Ashley, Brett, Jazlynn, Salazar, a random FYE resident, and I am probably forgetting someone. Anyway, I despereately need to go to bed now. It will be time for work before you know it.

Sinking Pretty Ladies' Battleships

Lately, I have been extremely tired. I am not sure why, but it has been difficult getting through days. From this exhaustion, I am just feeling all around weak. I know I mentioned this before, but it is continuing. Some of the same ol' stuff is tearing me down. However, it is not getting me as down as before... luckily.

Well, I have been job searching. As of right now, I have applied for... one job. However, I have everything ready to go for another one, and I am almost ready for a third. I just need to finish writing a cover letters. Speaking of which, those are pain in the arse to write. Hopefully, my latest attempts to pay off.

At long last, I am trying to get radio jobs. The one job I applied for was a Producer/Call screener position. It may only be part time, but I think it would be fun. I am also going to apply for a sales job at a station. I know. I kind of hated Sales class, but it would be a good job. The third job is with a community media group, and it is more what I would really like to do.

I shaved. My beard is now gone. While removing it, I took gradual steps. At first, I had friendly mutton chops, then I got rid of the chops. After that, I rocked a mustache. I would have kept it longer, but when your mom says you look like a pedophile, it is probably wise to listen. Sheesh my mom is mean.

Last night at pub quiz, I had a completely different line up for The Good, The Bad, and The Wally. The usual good and bad had replacements. I am not going to lie. I found it a little more fun this week. I think I kind of miss the constant changing of the team we had back in the summer. Of course, we did not do so well in the actual rounds, but we did win the Thirsty Lion Trivia Challen. Free beer and beer glasses! Huzzah.

I may lose, or tie I should say, at games of Scrabble online, but with Battleship, I am an ass kicking, name taking Admiral.

Guys Night Out

On Saturday, I woke up a little bit earlier than a normal Saturday because I needed to go to the Post Office. On Thursday, I received a notice from the USPS saying that I had a package I needed to sign to pick up. I was confused because I had no idea what it might have been, and I could not read who the send was according to the card. Well, I went to go get it, and I was confused where the Will Call door was because the main counter was closed. It ends up that it is this door to the left of the counters.

Well, I pushed the button and gave the guy my card, and he gave me my package. It ends up it was from Wendy. It was mailed from China, and it was filled with all sorts of Chinese stuff including a hat! The hat has Chinese letters on the inside of it, but I have no idea what it says. When I see Tiger on Monday, I am going to ask him what it says. Let me just go on record saying how incredibly awesome Wendy is.

For lunch, I hit up Popeye's...again. I have gone there for the past three Saturdays. I am just so excited to finally know where one is at here in Portland. I knew they existed, but I had never seen one.

While I was there, I made a little bit of progress on the Faulkner story, "The Bear". I have a hard time calling it a short story. It is approximately 140 pages. Although I am not sure of the exact word count, I am pretty sure it classifies more as a novella than a short story. I always thought short stories were designed to be read in one sitting, but what do I know. The point is "The Bear" is a long story.

During the afternoon, I played Rock Band for a good while. I played the solo guitar tour on medium and finished it. It was fun, and then I started to play a couple songs on hard. At the moment, I am not good enough to do that. Perhaps in time.

After finishing up Rock Band, I watched some Arrested Development while I waited on J and Chris to show up. We were going to have a Guys Night, but the plans were not decided at first. However, by the time they showed up, we were ready to go. The plan was to go eat at Old Chicago and then go to Edgefield.

I have never been to Old Chicago before. In fact, we were all Old Chicago virgins, but I kind of enjoyed it. It was fun watching J try to hit on our waitress until we realized she was married. I noticed the ring first and tried to point it out, but no one listened. Then Chris noticed, and J was disappointed. It was still fun, and the pizza was decent.

After dinner, we headed over to Edgefield for some of their St. Patrick's Day celebration even though it was a few days before the actual holiday. I have never been there before, but it was really impressive. I would like to go back during the day. Anyway, by the time we got there, everything was winding down. We caught some of the Freak Mountain Ramblers, and they seemed alright. All in all we still had a good time just walking around and talking and what not. True story.


From there, we headed to J's apartment to get his computer, so we could watch some Star Trek: Voyager with Jaz and Lisa. While cruising around, we invented a new word: "yestermorrow". It means today. If you are curious how it got invented, well I was trying to say tomorrow, but I started out saying yesterday, so I quickly switched over to saying tomorrow. We then discussed how yesterday's tomorrow would be today, so thus a new word. True story.

Anyway, before going to Jaz, Lisa, and Chris's apartment, we stopped to buy some pie from the spinning cylinder of pie at Bannings. We got a peanut butter fudge pie because it was described to us being like a peantut butter cup to the tenth power. I have to say it was pretty amazing.

Now I have not seend Star Trek: Voyager in a good while, but we chose on of the episodes I remembered. It was the one where the aliens take over the ship and make the crew act out World War 2 on the holodeck. It was a kind of cool two parter. I mean when else do you get to see Nazis running around getting shot aboard a Federation ship? Of course the best part is when the Klingongs attack the Nazis with their bat'leths. It is only a brief shot in the episode, but it is truly amazing.

When I got home around 2 in the morning, I talked to Debo briefly. He updated me about a situation. This situation played into the beginning of my Sunday which resulted in me being in a weird mood. However, I will write about that later.

My Friday the 13th

On Friday, the desk started off alright. Then this crazy situation started. A resident from the other side of campus came by looking for a package that I had signed for. It took me a second to recollect why I had signed for it, but then I remembered what happened. The postal lady forgot that the Montgomery desk existed and made me sign for two packages. I kept one of them, but she walked off with the other saying she would deliver it. I am afraid that she forgot to take it to the resident's box. Now, it looks like I lost a package. I am a little mad at the USPS now.

I went to lunch late because of that situation because I went to Monty to see if maybe they had the package. On the plus side, Debo bought my lunch that day. However, I did not get to eat with or talk to the person I wanted to. I was really looking forward to the possibility of conversation with her too.

After lunch, the desk calmed down a little bit. The best part was Kyla brought me pie. It was strawberry rhubarb, and it was amazing. I love pie.

Since Friday was the second Friday the 13th this year, Debo had a mini movie marathon. More people were supposed to come, but it was mostly just he and me. We watched the first movie and Part 3. Kyle showed up at the end of the first but left about five minutes into part 3. Mark showed up for most of the second movie. I would have liked to have watched part 6, but it was getting late. It is one of the downsides of relying on the bus.

On the way to the bus, I stopped to buy more of this candy I discovered the night before. Unfortunately, they were out. I tried some other similar type candies, but they were not as good. For those curious, it was Hi Chew fruit chews that I liked so much. What I did not like as much was Jolly Rancher Fruit Chews and Mamba fruit chews. The Hi Chew ones seem much better, but I am not really quite sure. Of course I realized by keeping candy in my pockets, especially soft candy, I look and seem even more like an old man.

Obscenity in Your Milk

Lately, when I have been waking up, I've been trying to turn off the wrong alarm. I have two set. One makes an annoying noise, and the other plays music. I try to turn the radio off when really it is the obnoxious phone alarm I need to turn off first. Silly me.

Last night, I dreamed about the International Beard Line. I have no idea what that means or what it entails, but I think you were supposed to be on one side or the other. It also told you when to shave I think. I have no idea, but I did dream about it.

Today at the desk, it was almost miserable. I am pretty sure I had a migraine all day. What worries me about this possibility is that I also think I had one on Tuesday. Although my head hurt less as the day went on, it really left me feeling physically exhausted all day. Due to that, I was not really prepared to deal with other stuff happening today, and I felt mentally exhausted. It was not a good day to feel this way because a lot was going on at the desk. We had a lot of packages early on in the day, I had to deal with paperwork type problems and issues with UHO, and Check Outs are beginning. I felt like I was not there fully most of the day and definitely not firing on all pistons. This combination of physical and mental exhaustion led to me feeling emotionally weak even though nothing bad happened.

Today for lunch was bacon & potato pizza at Hot Lips. This pizza is basically the reason why I wake up on Thursdays. It is so good.

We decided to go to the Thursday night quiz at the Voleur tonight. We had a full team tonight, but if we had had one less, we would have gotten to add a random cute stranger to our team. Oh well, maybe another night. Our name for the evening was "We Obscenity in Your Milk." I kind of like the Thursday quiz. It is definitely different from the one at the Lion. Plus, it has by far the cutest quizmaster.

It was a good quiz tonight. At the end of the first round, we were in fifth or sixth place, but by the end of the second we jumped into a solid third thanks to the Who Am I questions. It doesn't hurt that two of them were famous female Tennesseeans. We made it into the final three after the handouts, and due to getting the final question right, we placed second! Hooray five extra bucks!

For the past few weeks, I have been playing phone tag with my friend Casey. He called me earlier today, and I was going to try to call him tomorrow. However, he just called me! So I am going to go talk to him now.

Whoa! It's Wednesday.

Why has it been so cold lately? Like I know the high has been reasonable, but the windchill is unacceptable. It has been freezing at the desk, and the walk to and from campus is almost unbearable.

All in all the day at the desk was uneventful. I tried to read more of Go Down, Moses, but I mostly looked up games on Board Game Geek. Before leaving for work, I ordered A Touch of Evil, the Supernatural Game, so I read about it some. Plus, with my birthday approaching, I decided I need to continue the tradition of buying myself boardgames for my birthday. Currently, I am in the mood for something meatier. It needs a longer game time and some strong mechanics. At the moment, I am looking at Age of Steam, Steam, or Brass. Interestingly, the first two are almost the same game. It is a matter of deciding which is a better fit for me, but the former is winning because it has already been released.

As I mentioned, the desk was fairly uneventful, except for the final hour. In that sixty minutes, I worked alone, and I swear. In that amount of time, I did more work than had been done at the desk all day. It was outrageous!

After work, I tried to call various family members on my way to Pub Quiz. Out of the seven family members I called, only three answered. However, one person called me back while I was talking to someone else. I am trying even harder to execute my decision to remain in better contact with my cousins. I know we all want to stay close, but someone has to actually make the effort. As most of you know, I tend to make myself the person that makes the bigger effort. However, in this case, it is much more worth it.

Speaking of Pub Quiz, it was good fun for the most part. We lost, but I enjoyed it. At one point, I was worried if anyone else was going to show up, but we had the true The Good, The Bad, and The Wally tonight. Unfortunately, we missed being in the top 5 by three points. It was rough. I think we are going to try to go tomorrow night.

I don't know what else to say. Therefore, I am going to end here. So long!

Just a Tuesday

So my "Blog Buddy" got onto me for not blogging in a while. Thus, I am trying to correct this problem. I have debated on what to write about. Do I want to tell you about my past few days or do I just want to talk about the day? I think I am going to go with the latter.

It was cold this morning. Like the weather says it is near 40, but the wind chill is quite lower. I noticed it when even the bus felt cold, and the walk to campus was unpleasant. As you can imagine, sitting at the desk was almost miserable. At least one DA had to get into warmer clothes twice. To manage, I made sure to wear a sweater today. It worked, but I also had a headache. I don't think that is related, but it did add to the discomfort at the desk today.

For lunch, I was going to originally get Loco Locos. However, I decided I wanted something cheaper, so I was going to go to Hot Lips and get a slice of pepperoni pizza. Before I left, I ran into Joe, and he convinced me to go to McDonald's. Say what you will, but it is kind of tasty. Although, I am starting to get tired of it.

While at the desk today, I started to plan my birthday celebration. Since I am turning 25 this year, I decided it was going to take more than one day to truly celebrate. Therefore, I am going take an entire week because somethings are too awesome for only one day. My goal is to have different activities for every night of the week. As of right now, I am only missing two days worth of activities. It begins Sunday March 22 and goes until the following Sunday. Here is the tentative schedule:

• Sunday - An Extra Special Game Night
• Monday - Undecided
• Tuesday - Birthday Dinner
• Wednesday - Pub Quiz at the Thirsty Lion
• Thursday - Undecided
• Friday - Tennessee Themed Karaoke at Sukis!
• Saturday - SE Pub Crawl
• Sunday - Recovery

I think it is going to be truly legendary. As of right now, I have like 25 people saying they will participate. Of course, I know some of those will only be on some days. I also feel that many of the Maybes will come out for at least one night of the blast. I am not really sure what the Extra Special Game Night will be, but it will be awesome. One of the undecided nights will be bowling.

In class tonight, we talked about motivation and beliefs. Actually, I think we skimmed over the motivation factors, but recognizing a person's beliefs and values helps to understand how they react. It was fairly self-reflective. I also learned that it is really hard to fill in blanks for a minute each about the following three statements:

1. I believe people should...
2. I believe people are...
3. I believe I deserve...

Try it sometime. Just keep filling in the blank for a minute for each statement. It is easy to get stalled, but it helps to reveal some stuff you believe. The next step is trying to understand where they may come from...

There is a friend I need to write an email to soon. I was reading her blog last night, and I realize our lives have taken parallel paths. We have similar but not exact situations. I wanted to comment on her blogs, but I felt my responses would be rather lengthy. Luckily, I got her email.

What else... Oh yeah. Girls.

Actually, I could probably write a whole entry on all of that. Maybe I will do it tomorrow. Or sometime soon.

Twenty Albums That Have Influenced My Life

There is an Internet meme going on right now where people are supposed to choose their 15 most influential albums. I believe in one version you're supposed to choose albums that you can connect to specific moments or times in your life. It is this version I am going to work off. The following albums may not be what I consider to be the My 15 Favorite Albums, but they are 20 works that have influenced my life in some way or fashion. I had to increase the list top 20 because I found my stuck at 18, and instead of eliminating three, I found it easier to add two more. Instead of just listing them, I plan on writing why these albums are important to me.

Lets begin with Number 20...

20. A Pocketful of Kryptonite by The Spin Doctors

To be honest with you, I actually do not care for most of this album. However, it needed to belong on the list for one simple reason. It is the first album that I remember owning myself. Everything else had always belonged to my parents, but I believe this to be my first CD, or at least the one I consider. (I'm going to choose not to count the Weird Al albums.) In fact, I can remember when and who bought this one for me. I got it one of the first two Christmases after my parents divorced. My stepgrandmother bought it for me, and I still have it many years later.

19. Songs You Know by Heart by Jimmy Buffett

Before I begin, let me just state how much I loathe greatest hits. I often quote the Kids in the Hall and describe them as only suitable for "housewives and little girls." That being said I found myself including about six of them on my list. Although there are albums that I prefer by these artists, these greatest hits influenced me more if for not other reason that they introduced me to an artist I now love.

The first of these is Songs You Know by Heart. I can very easily recall listening to this album with my mom while riding around in her red Hyundai. Buffett is a big part of my family life, and there is no way I could not include him on this list. Many times my family has gathered together to go see Buffett live, and I'm not just talking about parental units. Aunts, uncles, and cousins all go to the shows. Although I have most of his albums and don't even own this compilation, it is this album that has influenced me the most.

18. Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd.

I listened to this album almost religiously in high school, and it may have been part of the reason why I was depressed all the time. (OK. It may not have been the reason, but it certainly did not help the situation.) I haven't actually listened to it in a very long time, but there is no denying that for a couple of years at least, it was a very important part of my life.

17. Skeletons from the Closet: the Best of the Grateful Dead by the Grateful Dead

I started listening to the Grateful Dead because of Jimmy Buffett's cover of "Uncle John's Band" off of Fruitcakes. Luckily, my dad had this greatest hits, and I started listening to the original version. At first, I would only listen to that one song over and over, but eventually, I started listening to the songs preceding and following the track. Before long, I started listening to the whole damn album. Of course, I definitely prefer the album American Beauty, but it is this compilation that introduced me to the band and began to influence the style of music I have come to love: Americana.

16. Achtung Baby by U2

My stepdad has always been a big U2 fan, and most people would probably choose The Joshua Tree as their most influential album. It is probably the better album, but the one I have most memories of listening to is Achtung Baby. It is another one of those that I listened a lot to in high school, and it is a really good album. I could probably write more about it, but I don't know what to say.

15. Add It Up (1981-1993) by The Violent Femmes

I can still remember the day my stepdad bought this album. I wanted him to get Under the Table and Dreaming by Dave Matthews Band, but he bought this one instead. Over ten years later, and you can guess which one I listen to more. The Violent Femmes are a truly unique band, and I still love to listen to them. Surprisingly, I have bought very few of their albums, but this compilation has been an impact of my life and was another step along the path to discovering a style of music I truly love. From this band, I began to become interested in less mainstream groups, and it is probably the closest I have ever gotten to listening to punk. However, I enjoy them for their more folksy side.

14. Too Far to Care by the Old 97's

I'm not really sure how influential this album really was in my life, but I love it and the band. Therefore, I felt it should be on the list because it was the album that introduced me to the band. Well, that isn't completely true. I actually discovered random songs of theirs back in the days of Napster. However, this one was the first album of theirs I got. My mom bought it for my my freshman year of college, and since getting it, I've never been too far to care about it. (Ouch that was lame!)

I have always loved the bands lyrics. Rhett has written some great songs for a broken hearted man. Their so simple, but so right. I mean you cannot get much better than "I've got issues, yeah. Like I miss you, yeah." For more than one relationship, I have used "Big Brown Eyes" to express my feelings, and it seems fitting that I use this album because it has that song.

13. Simon & Garfunkel's Greatest Hits by Simon & Garfunkel

Paul Simon has been a big influence on my life. I really got introduced to him and his work, both solo and with Garfunkel, my freshman year of high school when the marching band show was An Evening with Paul Simon. Now of days, I do own all of their albums, but I still feel that the greatest hits influenced my life. It is a great collection of songs, and it is a good introduction to an artist I love. Of course it isn't the most influential work of his on this list. That will appear later.

12. Crossing Muddy Waters by John Hiatt

In recent years, John Hiatt has become one of my favorite song writers. I love his rootsy voice and style. This album, his biggest folk effort, was the first one I ever received of his. At the time, I was falling in love with the single "My Baby Blue" off of Beneath This Gruff Exterior, and I was mentioning it to my mom. She happened to have a copy of Crossing Muddy Waters, and I was hooked as I placed it in the CD player. Since then, I have gone on to acquire about two-thirds of his discography, and it was all because of this wonderful album. It is a good beginning point for him, but I also recommend starting with Bring the Family.

11. Being There by Wilco

I got into Wilco around the time that Yankee Hotel Foxtrot came out, but it was Being There that introduced me to the band. It was around this time that I was beginning to discover alt-country and Americana artists. I bought this album while in NYC, and I am glad I bought it before Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Around this time there was a lot of publicity around record label drama for YHF, so a lot of people were discovering the band. However, I still feel Being There is the better starting album. It has less of the experimentations found on later recordings and showcases the group as the awesome rocking group that they are. Had I not begun with this one, I am not sure if I would be as big as a fan of Wilco. I'm just saying.

10. Flood by They Might Be Giants

I love They Might Be Giants, and it is because of this album. As soon as I got it for Christmas one year, I was hooked to the whimsical and metaphorical songs created by the Johns. Almost immediately, I set out to acquire as many more albums as theirs that I could. Within a week, I had two more recordings by them. I always look out for new material by them, and they were one of the best live shows I have been to. I would go see them again in a heart beat, and I hate live shows! This album really helps show that life can be fun, but serious all at the same time. How many other groups have written a song about a nite lite? I don't know the answer, but none of the songs would be as great as "Birdhouse in Your Soul."

9. American IV: The Man Comes Around by Johnny Cash

It was Cash's penultimate album that really made me a fan of his work. For years, I had claimed to like Cash, but it wasn't until I saw the video for "Hurt" that I sought out the work of this legendary artist. I began with American IV, and then I checked out the other American recordings. The entire series is phenomenal, but it only shows the artist in his later years. From there, I did the dreaded; I got a greatest hits. The man was always a genius, and he has so many landmark recordings. At Folsom Prison and At San Quentin are arguably two of the best live recordings either. The man was a bad ass, and he recorded up until the very end. It was because of American IV: The Man Comes Around that I discovered one of America's greatest treasures.

What I love about this album is the near perfect song choice. It is almost like Johnny knew this would be one of his last albums, and he chose songs that showed an old man's reflection on his life. Johnny has a lot of covers on it, but he manages to make them his own. Most people talk about how he recorded the definitive version of "Hurt," but I also think his version of "In My Life" is vastly superior to The Beatle's original. The song works so better with Johnny's mature voice and just has a deeper meaning when he sings it. Then there is the final song on the album: "We'll Meet Again." Although the end was near, he knew he'd see us all again. Whether it was on the other side, with a new album, or just simply re-listening to this one, he'd see us all again. God, the man was a genius and great talent.

8. Greatest Hits by Bruce Springsteen

I know. Another freaking greatest hits album on my list, but I love the Boss. In fact, he is the only boss I enjoy listening to. (I stole that from a t-shirt.) I have a large percentage of his discography, and I am not sure he has ever released a bad album. True some are not as good as others, but none of them are bad. So why then did I chose a greatest hits compilation instead of one of the legendary albums like Born to Run or The River?

Simple. Because I began with the hits. My dad and I bought this album, and then we went to go see him and the E Street Band live. Now, I already loved most of the songs, but after seeing him live, I was a devoted Springsteen fan for life. It never would have happened had it not been for the greatest hits album. Thus, it belongs on the list.

7. A Stranger in Town by Bob Seger

I grew up listening to Seger. He is my father's favorite artist, and I knew the lyrics to most of his songs since I started talking. With him being a part of my life for so long, you would think that a a greatest hits would be more appropriate, but I did not truly appreciate this man until much later in live.

While in college, I had a hankering for some Seger, so I went to Wal-Mart and bought A Stranger in Town. While listening to it, I realized Seger was more than just comfort music. He was a truly brilliant and rocking musician. With its driving opening drumming, "Hollywood Nights" sets the perfect tone and expectations for the album, and the whole damn thing delivers. Without a doubt it is my favorite album by him, and "Hollywood Nights" is probably my favorite song of his. It is also one of my favorite songs to do rock star kicks to. In my opinion, Seger does not get the respect he deserves. If you doubt me, check out this album and Live Bullet, his second best recording and one of the best live albums ever.

6. Trace by Son Volt

I remember the day I got this album. I had already downloaded half of the tracks off of it, and my stepdad tried to talk me into getting a new CD by a newer band. However, I knew I had to have this one. Ever since I first heard, Jay Farrar's voice, I have been a fan of his music. This album is phenomenal and has some great songs.

"Drown" is one of the most rocking, rootsy alt-country songs of all time. It belongs on Rock Band or Guitar Hero. It has some great guitar work. Then there is "Windfall." It is one of the most perfect opening songs for an album ever, and it is a pre-requisite to begin any road trip with me. The closing song "Mystifies Me" will always have a special place in my heart. It reminds me of a special someone, and for a while, I could not stand to listen to it because of the memories it brought back. However, that embargo could never last, and now it makes me smile that special kind of smile you have for a lost love.

5. Road of Memories by Moonlight Cellar Band

I know what you are thinking. Who the hell is the Moonlight Cellar Band? Well, they were some friends of mine from high school, and during our senior year, they recorded this lovely album. Of course, you are probably now asking yourself why the hell this makes a list of influential albums?

It has been about six and half years since I graduated high school, but this album still holds a lot of sway over me. Every once in a while I find myself putting it on and being reminded of some of my happiest memories from high school. I used to love to go see these guys play, and I was so excited when they made it. Hell, I bought like six copies of the album! I even got them to give my mom a bunch of copies in attempt to get a record deal. Despite all the memories, the music is pretty damn good too. (Even if Scott may deny it now.) It is hard to believe that it was recorded by some teenagers. As I was discovering alt-country and Americana bands, my friends formed a freaking Americana band, although I don't think they quite realized it at a time. Kudos to you guys. Isn't it about time for a reunion?

4. Magnificent Man by The Floating Men

The Floating Men are without a doubt my favorite band, and my favorite album by them is Song of the Wind. However, Magnificent Man has influenced me slightly more. It was the first album of theirs I ever got. It was gift from Gwen. When I was getting into them, they had just released this record, so when I saw them live, they were playing more cuts off of it. Actually, I will never forget the first time I ever saw them.

Gwen, my very first RD at MTSU, asked me if I wanted to go see a show that evening. After listening to the first few tracks off of Bootleg Snacks Volume 2, I was intrigued, so I loaded up in a car with her, Sheila the AC, and Chris French. We drove to the Bongo Java and saw Jeff Holmes do a primarily solo, acoustic set. I was hooked from then on out. After listening to a mix-CD over the summer, I finally got a Magnificent Man, so it became probably the most influential of their recordings. Plus, it has "Invisible Life" which contains my favorite line from a song ever: "I've given up on ever joining the rodeo, but I'd still make on hell of a spy."

3. Stardust by Willie Nelson

In my opinion, Willie Nelson is one of the greatest recording artists in American history. I know very few artists who are as respected by people of such various and diverse backgrounds than him. Stardust is my favorite album by him even though he did not write a single song on the album. It simply a collection of his interpretations of some classics of the Great American Songbook.

There were many nights while at MTSU that I would grab this album, get into my Ford Ranger, and drive around Murfreesboro. While listening to it, I would collect my thoughts, and I really think it helped me to get through some rough patches in my life. It is a very soothing and relaxing album. I also believe that Willie's version of the title song, "Stardust", is probably the definitive. I am not sure I have heard another version as close to as good as his is.

2. 83/93: An Anthology by Uncle Tupelo

It is hard to listen to alt-country and not like Uncle Tupelo. They are usualy given credit for creating the genre. That may be a bit of an overstatement, but they were definitely one of the most influential. When I was first discovering this genre and this band, all of their recordings were out of print, but Rhino had just released a greatest hits. Despite the fact that their four studio albums are vastly superior, I cannot deny the influence this compilation had on my life.

Throughout high school, I dreamed and longed for music that was really rocking but had just enough twang to really make you feel. Little did I know that people had already created it, and thanks to Uncle Tupelo, I found them and the sound I was searching for. From them, I went on to discover Son Volt, Wilco, Old 97's, The Jayhawks, and my love of Americana. I used to listen to those artists and this compilation as I drove back and forth from Murfreesboro and Cookeville my freshman year of college. A lot of the credit for this discovery goes to Jason Coleman and his borther's band, The Coal Men. Thanks to his website, I started to discover the music I love. Eventually, Uncle Tupelo's albums were re-released, and I retired this disc. However, there is no denying what an impact it had on my life as I started college.

1. Graceland by Paul Simon

For close to a decade now, this album has been my favorite, and there is no denying its impact on my life. In my opinion, it is one of the most perfect albums ever. Every song is great, and no matter what mood I am in, I can listen to this album. When I am happy, I find joy in the songs, and when I am sad, I find comfort. It is incredible.

I can still recall the first time I remember hearing "You Can Call Me Al." My father and I were coming back from Golden Mountain, and while at a gas station, this song came on over the radio in the truck. I was probably only 7 or 8, but it seemed like the most perfect song to me. Then a year or so later, I saw the video. I became obsessed with the song, and it was another one of those cases where I just listened to one track on an album and ignored the rest.

Eventually, I overcame my ignorance and discovered the other tracks on the album. I am not even sure when that happened, but I believe some credit goes back to that marching band show, "An Evening with Paul Simon." Thank you Mr. Talbert! However, I am pretty sure I had already a deep love affair with this album because I am pretty sure I got super excited when the decision was made for that show.

I can remember summers spent at my mom listening to this album while taking a shower. It has been such a part of my life for so long, and I love it. I have owned more copies of this album, and I even have it on vinyl!

It would be near impossible for me to choose my favorite track off of this album because they are all so incredible. Of course, there is my long, love of "You Can Call Me Al", but what about "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes"? "Under African Skies" is one of the most beautiful songs Simon has ever recorded, and then there is the title track. Out of all the perfect songs on the album, the song "Graceland" is probably the greatest song by Simon and my favorite song of all time. I love to do it a karaoke, and it is an incredible piece of music.

I am not sure if I have ever said this or he will ever get it, but thank you Mr. Paul Simon. My life would not be what it is without your album Graceland. It has helped me through some difficult times, and it has also been there to celebrate with me during some of my happiest moments. Thank you.

Call It Stormy Monday...

On Monday morning, KMHD decided to play a version of the Blues standard "Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just As Bad)." I have not heard that song in years. Not since in High School when Scott Faw used to sing it. I am pretty sure it was in the Moonlight Cellar Band repertoire. It seemed fitting given the weather on Monday, but coincidentally, it has been appropriate considering the week I have had.

Monday was fine for a while until a conversation with someone. I know this person has hurt me in the past, but it never felt as intentional when on this day she accused me of spreading rumors about her and making people not like her. This hurts deeply when I have done nothing but the opposite. For months, I have defended her, believed in her, not listened to rumors, tried to help her, and always do right by her. It hurt. Deeply.

Of course, "Tuesday is just as bad." The pain was still very deep, and I had to spend an hour with her at the desk. We barely said anything to each other. It was so unbearable, and I tried to ask how she was. She answered so softly that I detect anger or pain or both in her voice. I hate this situation so much. It is the exact opposite of what I want, and not even close to what I would settle for, or a fraction of what I need.

Then I had one thing I was looking for this week. Drinks with this other girl. On Tuesday evening, I tried to confirm the plans for Wednesday; she canceled. She was too busy. I wasn't mad at her because that would be silly, but I was hurt. It was a setback when I did not need one.

And of course, "Wednesday's worse." The day had the same aura of defeat. I wanted to spend the evening to myself, but I decided to go to Pub Quiz. Unfortunately, none of my teammates were there because they did not think I was going to be there. Pub Quiz is not any where as much fun alone. Although I performed well, it was not really a good experience. When I got home, I wanted to cry myself to sleep. It has been a truly painful week, but to make things better, I started to watch the Muppets.

"And Thursday is also sad." Today started off rough. I did not want to get out of bed, and I got a late start for work. I had to spend more time with her, and it is just so painful. I hate how much we have hurt each other. I want to make it better, but why should I be the one who always tries to make it better?

As someone yelled at me the day before "Move on!" I've tried, and I wish it was that easy. But when is life ever that easy? I just know what I want and what I miss. Someone even commented on the fact that she was giving me the cold shoulder? I did not talk about the situation because I do not want to start rumors. Not about her.

At least tomorrow is Friday. Hopefully, it will be better. A friend will be in town. And after all, "The eagle flies on Friday."

Talk About Awkward, or Last Night Was FAIL

Well, I am sure many of you are wondering how it went last night. As you know, it evolved from the simple getting a drink to a group adventure. Here is what happened in the end.

After falling asleep while watching TV, I got called and reminded to come out by a friend of mine. I told him I would be at the rendezvous soon. Ultimately, I arrived about an hour late and missed out on any pre-game activities.

So the plan for the evening was to go 80s dancing. Two people in the party were properly attired, and three of us were not. I was in that latter crowd unless by 80s dancing we meant dressing up like an old man. I do that well.

Anyway, we leave the rendezvous and begin to walk to our destination. Here is where the night begins to get awkward. My friend begins to talk to me about his decision that he will be my wingman tonight, and he is going to force me to talk to ladies. I appreciate his effort, but I believe he was oblivious to the reason why I was out that evening.

As for her, she was busy walking and talking with her friend. I was trying to eavesdrop to see if I could interject anything witty or humorous into the conversation. Ultimately, I failed.

Anyway, we reached the destination but alas! The 80s dance was canceled. Actually, I was a little relieved by this revelation. I was not looking forward to paying $5 and having to deal with lots of people.

Instead, we improvised with Happy Hour! The only problem was figuring out where to go. Now would have been a perfect opportunity to utilize my Happy Hour Guidebook, but it was in my bag at my apartment. Foiled by the universe again! Since we were by the Crystal, we tried out Henry's first, but it was crazy packed. Next on the list: Jake's Crawfish. We were able to get a table there. Much better.

Our table was a little secluded which was quite bad actually because it took forever to get service. On the plus side, Jake's has a pretty decent happy hour. They have a $2.00 cheeseburger with fries! I got some frog legs just because I was amazed it was on the happy hour menu. All I could think of while eating them was the poor little frogs with tiny little crutches. Anyway, now that I have plugged Jake's and its happy hour let me finish my narrative.

The conversation over drinks and food was decent. However, I never got an opportunity to talk to the girl really. It was always group stuff mostly. When I did speak, I tried to look directly at her, but I do not know how well that looked. I tried to be witty too. Like our waitress made a comment about her five year old son recently learning about gravity and being so obsessed with it that he tries to use it in every conversation. I was curious as to ways a five year old would utilize the concept of gravity. Example:

Parent: Why isn't your room clean?
Child: Gravity.

Actually, she picked up on the punchline and finished it before I could say it. I thought that was decent, but the problem with group conversations: too many voices. It is extremely difficult to steer them, and they can change on a whim of another member. C'est la vie.

On the walk back to campus, I suffered another setback. I noticed that she was cold, so I was considering offering her my jacket because I had a sweater on underneath. I was about to take it off when someone else beat me to it and offered her his jacket. Damn you man. Damn you. It is ok I still like you actually.

All in all, I consider the night a failure. I enjoyed the times I did get to talk to her, but it did not seem enough. She seems pretty cool, but I doubt anything else will happen. I do not think she is all that interested. Oh well maybe she will come to game night again.

Oh. As you have probably noticed, I have left out the names of individuals involved. It is is to protect the innocent... and the guilty...

Water Saving Toilets: An Observation

Recently, I made an observation about water efficient toilets. I have discovered a design flaw, and I feel they are ineffective. Now do not get me wrong. I think these devices are a wonderful idea, but they need some improvement.

When people are ready to flush, they are supposed to push down on the handle for solid waste, and they move the handle up for liquid waste. Simple enough, and most handles have a picture. However, people are going to push down before noticing the instructions. All of their lives they have been pushing down on toilet handles. They've been conditioned! Here is where the problem lies.

Now I assume that toilets deal more with the liquid waste than the solid. If this is true, then people are wasting water with these toilets. They instinctively push down. Why wouldn't they?

Now it is a possibility that this habit has been taken into account. Perhaps if it was the other way, people would be wasting more water because they would push down for solid waste, so it ends up wasting water because they have to flush more than once. However, if my assumption about liquid waste being more prevalent, then obviously that is not valid.

Ultimately, I think more research needs to be conducted. We need some solid data about bathroom habits. If I am correct, then I think these toilets should be re-designed. If I am wrong, well poo.

Yeah, I Do Need to Live Soon.

While getting ready this morning, I was talking to my friend Wendy on AIM because that is the proper way to start a day. I was updating her on changes in the situation from last night. The girl wrote on my Facebook wall saying she forgot she had plans, but she invited me to join her and some other people I know.

My friend Wendy told me I should go. Being the avoidance person I am, I tried typing out about needing to leave for work soon. Instead I typed, "Yeah, I do need to live soon."

Talk about a random typo, but I kind of believe it may be a bit of a Freudian slip. I need to get out and enjoy life more. I should stop spending so much time holed up in my apartment I need to get out, take risks, and experience more.

For so much of my life, I live in fear. I am afraid of many things, but I am not completely sure what. Perhaps, I am just afraid of fear itself.

What it all boils down to is that I need to overcome what I am dealing with. I need to get out and do a little more. Spend less time isolating myself. The best way to help with this I believe will be to believe and have a little more faith in me.

Of course, I say these things, but am I likely to follow through? Well time will tell...

Today in a Nutshell

So today I found out that I may be losing my job soon, but I also may have a quasi-date on Friday. Talk about confusing...

What a Week of Hell...

Last week was one of the worst weeks I have had a long time. I decided to give up and run away from the lion's roar. I knew the danger that existed that way, but I did it anyway. In doing so, I feel like a piece of me died. There was a void that was quickly filled with negative energy.

All week, I was angry, depressed, upset, and so forth. At a few times, I broke down and cried. Other times, I felt nothing but hatred. I was mad at most of my friends for various reasons, and I had no desire to talk to any of them. In fact, I was almost convinced of making the decision of cutting most of the people I know in Portland out of my life. Luckily, I calmed myself before doing anything that drastic. It looks like I will only be cutting one person out, but she is one of the most difficult ones.

I also considered moving. Giving up completely on Portland and going somewhere new. My choices were returning to Tennessee or a drastically new locale. Right now I am leaning towards Guam or the Northern Marianas Islands. As you can see, I have no completely dropped this idea.

Over the weekend, I tried to take sometime to myself. I talked to the person who sent me in this spiral. Luckily, I cannot stay mad at people, and I respect her for the things she said because I know she cares. I, also, spent money on various things. I got my watch fixed, and I purchased a new sport coat. The watch has been broken since mid-August, and I am glad to have it fixed finally. Additionally, I bought a lot of movies, and I watched several of them.

I have no inkling of what the next week will hold. I believe I will be in better spirits this week, but I know that I am far from healed. There is no escaping the fact that I am currently a battered, broken, and beaten man. I guess this means I only have one way to go though...