wazeth

Church o' Wazeth Mission Statement

2005-11-20T00:11:00.000-08:00

This Church, a collection of people who wish to help you while they help themselves, is as varied and diverse as this world. We do not stand behind a theology, a single philosophy, a country, an action, or any one leadership. We are individuals, celebrating that very truth. We cannot teach you that there is a single standard that holds all truths -- but we can help you on the path to finding your own standard, and your own truth.

The Semi-Official Church o' Wazeth is here, because we are here. Because every time we want, we have a reason. Every time we feel, we have a reason. Every time we smile, cry, rage, regret, believe, desire, repent, scream, or love, we have a reason. We are a society asking each other to understand our reasons, to question ourselves, to dare to wonder at our own incredible value -- as well as of those around us.

There is no salvation guaranteed in the Semi-Official Church o' Wazeth. I cannot offer my hand and ask you to take it, saying that it will provide immortal life, or a ceaseless roaming to whatever spirit you feel you contain. This church cannot damn you or bless your actions through an omnipresent power. We do not strive to teach morality or fear, but only ask that you understand your own. We ask nothing of you, that is not you. We do not want to see you as a reflection of your society, but your society as a reflection of you. We do not offer any salvation from a higher power.

The only salvation we offer is the salvation you are willing to offer yourself.

The peace of mind you want, is attainable, not in a bottle or a book, but within you. It is yours; we only wish to help you discover it, and yourself.

Inked!

2004-12-09T10:49:00.000-08:00

Well, it's finally happened. I've talked about it for years, and just yesterday I finally went through with it. I spent 4.5 hours in the shop last night, going from just a concept to this:

I'm really happy with it; it looks even better than what I had pictured.

The red highlights will fade to gray; that's just my shoulder saying 'Ow!'.

Halloween: Witch Magic

2004-11-04T10:46:00.000-08:00

Disclaimer: If some of the names below are unfamiliar to you, then you have not been visiting me enough! Come visit!

Over Halloween weekend, I helped install Johnny Muscat on Orcas Island. He’s living there now in a little cabin at the end of a rutted dirt road on the north side of Orcas. I spent the weekend with Johnny, Clint, Erin, Bryn, and Susan, the woman who owns the cabin. Susan is moving out to be a full-time caregiver for some old dude, so Johnny will have the cabin to himself in a couple weeks.

We spent the majority of the weekend cozy in the cabin, having a mellow time and helping Johnny to settle in. We played a lot of games with Bryn – she is nearly 6 and demands a lot of attention! "Hey, look what I can do!" "No! I don't like those fruit cups!" Half an hour later: "Mom, can I have a fruit cup?" Erin has a lot of work on her hands. But it was fun to be knocked out of stodginess and into silly -- playing hide & seek, running around, teaching her new things.

We did go out on Halloween to a pizza joint. I dressed as a pirate – a warm pirate with layers, since the island is so cold. I borrowed a Kat's red sash and Sam’s awesome floppy boots and wore them with my red vest and the striped pants and leather trim sweater I bought a couple months ago in Capitol Hill. Bryn wore her fairy princess dress. Clint decided to also be a pirate and chose as his costume a small knife with a metal sheath. Costume or Concealed Weapon? – you decide. Erin and Johnny were costumeless. Bryn got to trick-or-treat at the 2 stores we visited and at the pizza place. (It was her third Halloween night, so the small haul was not upsetting.) We were served a finger, ear, and eyeball rubber pizza while the real meal was baking. It was delicious.

The ferry rides were very cool. Clint, Johnny, and I played drums on the way there while Erin & Bryn danced. A woman joined in with a really interesting instrument – one of those wood blocks with raised strips of metal that you pluck, but there were two rows of metal strips. You can play harmonic notes with a single swipe, plus it adds a little percussive rattle. On the return boat, I grabbed two drums from the trunk, which made Clint sad -- our ferry boat drum trio was broken up when Johnny stayed on the island. But as we sat down and got started, a man approached and asked to play our extra drum. We pounded a round while the ferry left the dock, and when we came back to reality he turned out to be a friend from Clint’s island days – reunited after years apart, drumming to say hello.

So apparently drumming has become a big part of my life. I take Brooklyn's drum with me pretty much wherever I go besides work. I’ve been studying the knot patterns and I’m looking into buying materials to start making my own. At the cabin, I re-wove the tightening cord on Clint’s drum and gave it new crispiness.

I'm going to be visiting the island often. If anyone would like to come along sometime, please let me know. It's an exciting and magical place with acceleration and healing energy. Before whitey came, Orcas was the place area natives sent their sick to get well or die. They practiced air burials, placing the dead in canoes suspended in the Madrona trees.

Avast!

2004-10-15T19:57:00.000-07:00

Working in the doghouse is an exciting adventure, but in a month I will be leaving it behind. Just yesterday, I accepted a full-time salaried position at Flying Lab Software! Flying Lab’s office is over in Queen Anne, a cool neighborhood close to Seattle Center. (Hurrah for the taxing commute!) They’re currently working on an MMORPG called Pirates of the Burning Sea. I will be building their automated testing framework/process from the ground up. I’m so excited by this opportunity:

I’ve wanted to work in game development since forever (6th grade to now being, approximately, forever)
I’ve likewise always wanted to work with a small studio. I think it amplifies and promotes a close-knit team atmosphere
This position in particular marries my dream (game development) with my experience (automated testing)
Test automation is a pretty new development in games – hell, it’s a relatively new concept throughout the software industry. I suspect there might even be a book in this, somewhere down the line.

Wazeth was with me for my interview, and in the week leading up to it. I studied for a week for this interview -- if you know my study habits, you'll think that's wild. I intend to keep Wazeth with me until I stop.

I found Wazeth this weekend on Orcas Island. Orcas is amazing, and I will blog about it later.

Ok so what the hell

2004-10-12T14:08:00.000-07:00

So it was a few years ago when I joined a little group called Wazeth. I used to find support in strength from within the group. Today, like so many days before, I cannot sleep.

I think maybe I know why. I've lost my way again. Or maybe the path is hard to see because of the brush around it. Sitting here I feel incomplete. But looking around me I find there is nothing that I can think of that I need right now. I am fairly healthy. I have a stomach condition called gastro-esophugol-reflux disease, my back continues to heal from an accident one year ago where an unlisenced un insure (no they weren't Mexican) driver. My medical bills are paid. For the first time in almost 4 years i have a banking account. Actually I have 2 and am considering a 3rd. For the first time in my life I have not one but 2 bank acounts with multiples of thousands of dollars in them. I have a job that pays me well and gives me full medical benefits. I have 2 weeks of vacation pay coming to me soon that I'll put away. All of my debts are in the process of being paid. I live in a nice house with nice people and a nice cat, but right now I can not sleep. I think maybe I should talk to my doctor about possibly upping my dosage of prozac or maybe switching me to another medication. But the thing I think about the most is Amy.

if you don't know Amy she was my girl friend for abouot 3 and a half years. For about 2 years of that i was depressed out of my mind. My car accident made things between us too hard for her to take I guess. Depressing times combined with depression makes for a sad bastard boyfriend. I don't really know where I'm going with this. The Jesse of old right there folks. Going good and then loses his point. And that's the story of my life. It still feels like to me that maybe Amy was my point. Don't worry friends. I AM NOT SUICIDAL. I'm just a little sad right now. The one thing that I want is something I once had and now can't have . That hurts. I guess thinking in terms of possesions is what hurts. But Wazeth you remind me that there is a light or there will be a light or I am light or drink Miller Lite. I don't know. For some reason you give me faith that things are ok and will be ok. I love you all. PRAISE WAZETH!!!!

Kingdom of Loathing!

2004-08-16T14:32:00.000-07:00

Play Kingdom of Loathing and join Clan Wazeth! Fight goats and evil cans of asparagus! Arm yourself with balloon swords and sporks! Befriend leprechauns and helpful misquitos! Explore bat caves and the haiku dungeon! Fight your evil nemesis in the dark and dank sinister cave! Win lots of meat! Do it! Do it now!

This just in D Moe defeats the shit out of Jesse

2004-08-12T19:26:00.000-07:00

Check, check, check it out!

Let's network Yall

2004-08-12T02:34:00.000-07:00

So I think that the Wazeth crew needs to get up on Myspace. Connie, D, and I are all up on there already. Sign up today.

Holy 8-bit Glory!

2004-08-04T10:36:00.000-07:00

Those fantastic fellows at Videlectrix have released the long awaited Peasant's Quest! Move around gloriously with the arrow keys and type in commands! 'Get berries' - oh no, they're smashed! 'Kill Trogdor' - he's the Burninator! Fun for the whole family!

Winter Wonderland

2004-08-02T17:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I piled into a pickup with 3 friends and drove down to Mt. Rainier National Forest. I rode in the bed of the truck and read a book; the other 3 were crammed into the front. Except for the noxious, eye-burning fumes through Fife, I think I actually had the best seat. It's a 3 hour drive down to Rainier, and only I could bend or stretch my legs at will. On the way there, we drove right through the middle of this -- though the drivers had already been taken away.

We stopped for a Smoke Break and some rock hopping along the glacial Nisqually and Paradise Rivers. While we were hanging out on the Paradise shore, we watched an adolescent duck shooting the rapids. Definitely one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Narada Falls warranted a quick stop, then we continued up to the lodge and trailhead at Paradise. We gained some 1000 feet in just over a mile of hiking. (I am in a lot better shape than I thought I was. Thank you, not smoking!) We turned back after a small break sliding on black trash bags down snow slides! In August! I don't think I've played in the snow since I left Pennsylvania. It was fantastic.

I grabbed a seat in the cab for the ride back. We stopped at a Denny's (because nothing else was open at 10) and I tried a Dagwood. Mmm, greasy goodness. 3 kinds of meat, 3 kinds of cheese, and eggs on delicious Boule bread. I gave the last few bites to the birds, but right now I wish I hadn't, on account of being really hungry.

I'm going stop at my garden on the way home; I'm sure there are some ripe zucchini waiting for me.

Your Latest Installment of Hemmeroids

2004-07-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

So here's what I've been listening too latelty:

Blind Boys of Alabama - Spirit of the Century
Stevie Wonder - Fullfillingness' First Finale
Stevie Wonder - Music of My Mind
Daniel Lanois - For the Beauty of Winona
Sting - Sacred Love

A new website

2004-07-19T16:34:00.000-07:00

for your enjoyment:

www.cuponoodles.net

The Official H2 Salute

2004-07-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

Back in high school I was asked by a fellow student doing a survey for some sort of class: "What is your dream car?" I replied: a Humvee. Humvees ruled. They were the new jeep of the U.S. military. They kicked a lot of Brotherhood of Nod ass in Command & Conquer. They could have a mountable machine gun in the back. Of course, that was all before I could drive a car and had to actually pay for gas. Nowadays I probably wouldn't settle for anything that gets less than 30 miles per gallon in the city.

However, concerns about mileage hasn't kept people from buying the civilian Humvee, the Hummer H2. With a mileage of about 9 to 14 MPG, it would cost an H2 driver -- paying for gas at a cost of $2 per gallon -- $17.40 to drive from Portland to Eugene. It would cost a mere $5.26 to drive the same distance with my '98 Corolla (aka the Mormon Mobile).

I've seen people all over the Northwest driving the H2. People are driving it in Seattle rush hour traffic. People in the Hawthorne district in Portland drive H2s. Even the crazy hippie heaven of Eugene is home to some H2s. Worst of all are the grotesque monsters of extravagance, the H2 limo.

I'm for the rights of people to choose whatever they want to drive. But I still think that driving a car that consumes gas inefficiently and is liable to kill the driver of any smaller car it hits at a high speed is pretty irresponsible.

Many, many others feel the same way I do. Fuck you H2.

An experimental film

2004-07-12T22:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, so just about the two coolest things ever have joined forces for a totally rad music video!

That's right, prepare yourself for a surreal musical journey to the bottom of your soul! (where it sits) They Might Be Giants sing "Experimental Film" in a music video directed by Strong Sad and The Cheat!

Holy Crap!

Jesse's New Music Round Up

2004-06-25T20:23:00.000-07:00

All right tall time for a list of recent music that get my stamp of approval.

DJ Dangermouse/Jay-Z/The Beatles- The Grey Albulm - All I can say about this is pfffttt.....WoW!!!

Rachael Yamagata - Happenstance

Cee-Lo Green - Cee-Lo Green is the Soul Machine

Jem - Finally Awoken

Nick Drake - Made To Love Magic

Beastie Boys - To the Five Borroughs

Also don't forget to checkout the download page at bigstemrecords.com

I'm Brenden too

2004-06-03T21:07:00.000-07:00

Which 'Home Movies' character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Sho and I win.

Music 2

2004-05-27T17:35:00.000-07:00

To copy Jesse, I think i'll post my new favs as of today:

Modest Mouse ~ Good News for People who Love Bad News (I'm addicted to this one)
The Shins ~ Chutes Too Narrow
Patrick Park ~ Loneliness Knows My Name
The Strokes ~ Room on Fire
Andrew W.K. ~ Wolf

These are the ones that I'm addicted to right now. But, this list changes all the time. Also, I just got a new job and I'll be having graveyard shifts starting next week.. So please IM me or email me whenever you want. I'll be so bored I'll be counting my arm hairs.

Guess What I Made?

2004-05-26T18:19:00.000-07:00

Which 'Home Movies' character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Music

2004-05-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

So I feel it is my duty (probaly 'cause Cassie told me once a time ago) to inform you of some good music I'm listening to. So since Sho took down the side bar here's a quick list.

Patty Griffin-Impossible Dream - This is gotta be the saddest album ever. A must have of amazing beauty.

Maroon 5-Songs About Jane
Modest Mouse-Good News For People Who Like Bad News
Nikka Costa-Everybody Got Their Something
Prince-Musicology

Anouncing the Return of Jesse Espinoza

2004-05-20T13:21:00.000-07:00

So the last couple of years have been really dodgy for me. It's sad to say years, but that's how it goes. Anyway, things are going a lot smoother now. I'm out of physical therapy, I'm single now, I'm 23, I'm on Prozac, I live in a nice house with 2 nice people, I have DSL, and the music is going well. Stay tuned, I've a lot to talk about.

Conflicting points of view

2004-05-06T19:15:00.000-07:00

Pope offers qualified praise of capitalism
CHICAGO TRIBUNE, May 3, 1991

Pope assails capitalist evils
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, May 3, 1991

Free market gets Pope's blessing
WASHINGTON TIMES, May 3, 1991

Pope warns against godless capitalism
THE WASHINGTON POST, May 3, 1991

Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do: The Absurdity of Consensual Crimes in Our Free Country

2004-05-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

Peter McWilliams has made the entire text of all of his books available on the net for free. The title linked above discusses the hypocrisy and waste of prosecuting and jailing Americans for participating in activities that can hurt no one other than the participant.

Yo.

2004-03-29T23:57:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Blog and Flog for the compliments regarding my recent photos. There are more photos to come soon, but alas they will probably be the last from my five-year-old Nikon Coolpix 800. After suffering some damage from a kitten-induced fall at Sam's apartment before Dan and Matt's birthday extravaganza (my fault for leaving it so close to the edge of a table), the words "system error" are prominently displayed on the LCD and (after I whacked it with my hand a few times to try to get it to behave) the camera refuses to focus.

My dad has loaned me his Olympus C-700 for a photojournalism course I will be re-taking at the U of O (yeah, don't ask), and I'll be putting up any class-related photos up on my personal Web site. But, knowing that I am a mere 14 credits away from graduation, I may have to reduce the amount of blogging that I do here. I know blogging has been sporadic at best, but it will probably only get worse.

Sorry to those of you that have come to expect the brilliant commentary that is supposed to spew forth on this blog, but well, I really have to graduate. Hopefully, some nuggets of entertainment will show up on this blog from time to time over the next few months.

Take care, and wish me luck!

Battlefield: Vietnam!

2004-03-19T08:54:00.000-08:00

I love life.

Bitch.

2004-03-14T19:32:00.000-08:00

I think Dan (aka DMoe) may be harboring feelings of resentment toward the female of the species. How do I know? Oh, just an educated guess.

New Photos

2004-03-11T19:53:00.000-08:00

Six new photos at my photo site, hooray!

This Ain't No Game, It's a Live-Action Thrill Ride!

2004-03-11T13:29:00.000-08:00

In the summer of 1993, I went to the local movie theater with a couple of my middle school friends to catch one of the first live-action movies to be based off of a video game. It was Super Mario Brothers.

Staring Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, and (as I discovered on IMDB) the android from Aliens and Mojo Nixon, the movie is currently ranked #92 in IMDB's bottom 100 films. Instead of taking place in the brightly-colored and cartoonish Mushroom Kingdom, it was set in some weird underground ghetto that resembled a dimly-lit Detroit. Koopas and Goombas, instead of being funny little monsters bred in mass quantities only to be stepped on by Italian-American plumbers, were weird anthropomorphic lizardmen that wore three-piece suits. Aside from the strange diversion from the actual video game, the plot was subpar and the acting half-hearted. You could watch one and a half hours Super Mario Brothers Super Show! and be more entertained.

After leaving the movie, one of my friends expressed his delight to his mother, who had arrived to pick us up, that the end of the movie left room for a sequel. She rolled her eyes. I shot him a look of disgust.

In summation, the whole thing failed to impress a 13-year-old who loved pretty much anything related to video games. Even the use of flamethrowers and rockets in the movie didn't help.

Super Mario Brothers was the first Nintendo game I've ever played, being that it was the game that actually came with my NES. It was a staple of my video game diet, along with its sequels and reincarnations on the SNES, so it was a disappointment to my pre-pubescent self that the directors of Max Headroom fucked it all up.

But, thanks to Tycho at Penny Arcade, I have found some new flash movies that bring a little bit of freshness to Mario and Luigi outside of the video game world. So far there are three episodes in this saga of the Mushroom Kingdom. Here's part one, part two and part three.

Do-do-do do-do do, do.

Autobots Kick Ass

2004-03-09T20:44:00.000-08:00

Check out this Flash animation from the Mazda USA web site. No official word on whether the RX-8 really does turn into a robotic battler of evil.

FLOG™: The Revenge

2004-03-02T15:54:00.000-08:00

May I direct your attention to the musings of one Dan "Danimal" Atkinson, who will be holding up the fort at a new URL: flog.phooeyhoo.com. Mr. Atkinson is a talented photographer, notorious puppy-bomber, a poster of comments here on Wazeth, and a fellow blogger at the Oregon Commentator website. He is also a first-year law student and studies archaic knowledge that most of us do not have the brain capacity to understand. Trying to comprehend terms like "Writ of Certiorari" would make our heads explode, but they only serve to make him stronger. Tremble at his mighty lawyering powers!

A tattered social fabric

2004-02-25T12:19:00.000-08:00

I came dressed in rags to the door of a rich man. When I asked for some food I was turned away, my bowl empty. I returned dressed in the finest raiments of my office, and was invited in and presented with a sumptuous feast. I removed and folded my garments, placed them on the seat prepared for me, and left, wearing rags. "This meal is not for me -- it is for the clothes."

A Quick Post About Zombies

2004-02-24T19:09:00.000-08:00

In anticipation of the remake of Dawn of the Dead, I give you a list of Anti-Zombie Survival Gear. I already have a preliminary zombie emergency plan brewing in my head in case the dead return to walk the earth and feed on brains.

Brendon Small, Boy Genius

2004-02-23T20:29:00.000-08:00

For all of you Home Movies fans out there, I found this fun interview by CitizenRobot with the show's co-creator, Brendon Small.

Here's an excerpt:

Robot: Finish this sentence. "My most valuable possessions are _______, ________ and ________."

Small: Um, my most valuable possessions..hmmm -

Robot: You know, the house is on fire...

Small: Gee, what would I take. My puppy. Ernie, is his name. Probably one of my guitars. And um,

Robot: You could have cheated and said "allmyguitars" -

Small: Yeah, but you can't run out of the house with all those guitars. I got my puppy under one arm, my guitar under the other, um, and underpants. That's not that funny though, but, um, leave it in!

If you haven't seen Home Movies yet, you are missing out on what is arguably the best animated comedy out there. Sadly, its ratings on Adult Swim aren't so hot, so its future is hazy. A DVD might be in the works, but it will be a while before fans can get their hands on it. However, you can find many Divx files of episodes on Kazaa Lite and Soulseek.

Daily Affirmations

2004-02-20T15:50:00.000-08:00

So maybe it's a little silly, a little Stuart Smalley, but I've been turned on to the idea of growth through affirmation. If you go through life saying "I can't do [activity]" or "I'm not [trait]," you'll find that you can't and you aren't. But if you say "I am [trait]" and "I can do [activity]," you'll find that you are and you can.

I quit smoking this year. It was easy. All it took was some months of telling myself every time I lit up that "I don't like to smoke. It makes me feel sick." (I had problems with my sinuses and throat for nearly all of 2003.) Then on New Year's I made a resolution - the first I've ever made - that I wasn't going to smoke this year. It's been nearly 2 months, and already I no longer have the urge to stop at the smoke shop when I drive past it. Living in a house with 4 smokers, with at least 3 other smokers visiting every day, I've asked for only one drag off a cigarette - in early January. All it took was repeating an affirmation like "I am not a smoker." I suppose in this case I'd have to call it a negation.

Here are some I'm currently trying on for size:

I am creative and productive.
I like to wake up early feeling refreshed and eager to start the day.
The snooze bar is the devil.
I can do anything.

Here's one from Brooklyn:

Worries roll off me like mercury.

They're Like Love Songs For Link

2004-02-12T15:09:00.000-08:00

For all of you Nintendo nostaligists out there (yes, I'm looking at you Blog), there's a great website that you may not have heard of. If you have heard of OverClocked ReMix, then please disregard the rest of this post and return to looking at porn or the Drudge Report.

OCR hosts a collection of video game remix mp3s. Remixes include music from games ranging from Diablo on the PC to River City Ransom on the NES. If you're a fan of any Final Fantasy game, FF remixes seem to reproduce like rabbits at OCR.

In addition to music, the website also has a collection of emulators for long-dead systems like the Commodore 64 and Turbografx-16.

I also found a lot of mp3s by virt, a composer of original console music. He has a lot of music available for download including songs he made for different games on the Game Boy Advance and a lot of original NES-inspired stuff.

It's time to rock out to 8-bit beats, y'all.

I slacketh not.

2004-02-10T19:36:00.000-08:00

After three long years of doing absolutely nothing, I have finally applied myself to do something. I'm going to school! I'm also working full-time as well, and at first I thought I would get burned-out, but I'm actually thriving on the pain. And it's sad, because my whole reason to go to school isn't to get a degree or have a successful job someday; I just wanna join the Peace Corps FOREVER. Like, in Bangladesh, and then I would melt into the giardia that festers there and become a local, swimming in the shark-infested bay and getting malled by Bengali tigers. Yes. Soon that is my life.

Join the Knit Army

2004-02-09T21:40:00.000-08:00

While perusing the wonderful time-vortex that is "the Internet," I happened upon a bunch of scans of 1960's era knitting pattern magazines. Some of the outfits look as though they could be part of the next wave of retro fashion; however, other garments should probably remain as relics of a bygone era. There's also a valuable lesson to be found in all of this: No matter how dashing a man looks, if you make him wear a knitted sweater he'll look like a young Mr. Rogers.

Here are some samples:

Mmm, hot dogs.

Is that Wesley Clark on the left?

Somehow this outfit seems inappropriate for this sort of climate.

I love this sweater honey! No really!

Ah, so this is what they mean by "open" relationships.

BONUS: The Web site also offers three of the knitting patterns if you e-mail a request.

UPDATE: Lauren sent me this link featuring knitted breakfast items (which somehow includes peas). Awesome.

Firefox, wasn't that a movie that had Angelina Jolie's boobs in it? Wait, or was that Clint Eastwood's boobs?

2004-02-09T12:52:00.000-08:00

The new version of Mozilla's standalone browser Firebird is out, except it's now called Firefox. Despite the name change, the browser seems to have all the good things still built in it: tabbed browsing, integrated pop-up blocking (which recognizes the differences between a pop-up and a comment window), built-in Google searchbox, and nifty address bar Quicksearches.

The Quicksearches are one of the niftier features of Firefox. For example, in the address bar at the top of the browser I can type, "google puppy bomb" and my browser will immediately direct itself to Google, where I can find all the search results for "puppy bomb." Another good Quicksearch is for those moments when you don't know the definition of a word like, for instance, "onanism." Just type, "webster onanism" and you'll be taken to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary.

You can make your own Quicksearch also. I made one for the Internet Movie Database so I could quickly figure out if Firefox was a movie with Jolie or Eastwood breasts (it was Eastwood).

more cuponoodles

2004-02-09T11:22:00.000-08:00

A new entry at cuponoodles that was written when I should have been finishing my Ethics paper. Be forewarned, it contains a lot of swearing.

cuponoodles

2004-02-08T11:59:00.000-08:00

I'll be posting some writing on my university web space, so if you're interested in some light reading just go to http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~aikeda/cuponoodles/. Hopefully, I'll be posting on a regular basis on Sundays, and if I figure out if I can write more than one piece a week I may start updating on Wednesdays or Thursdays too. I'm seeking to improve my writing, so comments are welcomed. Or something.

Coachella!

2004-02-05T12:17:00.000-08:00

Friend Pete just e-mailed me the 2004 Coachella line up:

Air
And You Will Know Us by the Trail of the Dead
Atmosphere
Basement Jaxx (live)
Belle & Sebastian
Black Keys
Bright Eyes
BRMC
Broken Social Scene
The Cure
Cursive
Death Cab for Cutie
Desert Sessions
Dizzee Rascal
Future Sound of London
Hieroglyphics
International Noise Conspiracy
Junior Senior
LCD Soundsystem
Le Tigre
Moving Units
The Pixies
Prefuse 73
Radiohead
Sahara Hotnights
Sidestepper
Sleepy Jackson
Sparta
The Sounds
Stereolab
The Stills
Turbonegro
The Thrills
Thursday
Wilco

Pete: "Hey, what was that sound? Oh, that's just the shit running down my leg."

The list isn't verified by the official site, but there are a lot of news articles about the roster of acts including some rumors about The Flaming Lips.

Crap, I need a job, quick!

Where the C.H.U.D.s Are

2004-02-05T11:55:00.000-08:00

If I lived in New York City and had me a Maglite, extra batteries and some courage, I would venture to the underworld of abandoned subway stations. I'd probably go for some heat-vision goggles too.

Better take one of these too. You never know when one of those mutated evil genius molerats might pop up.

Seiklus: Eat non-violence, Samus!

2004-02-04T10:40:00.000-08:00

I recently encountered this game while browsing The Home of the Underdogs. It's a platform game in which exploration and collecting fuzzy blobs and golden shapes is key. A very fun game, if a little frustrating at times. I love the graphics style, and the music fits in beautifully.

I'm at 80% completion.

A Secret of Happiness

2004-02-03T00:58:00.000-08:00

Do not concern yourself with what you want to be - because you can never change what you are. Instead focus on what you want to do - because you can always change what you are doing.

Dispatches From Mordor

2004-01-29T14:23:00.000-08:00

Everyone's favorite soapmaker, Stephanie, is spending the next few months in New Zealand and Australia and is keeping a photo journal of her adventure. So far she has gone rappelling, cave innertubing, spelunking, whitewater rafting, skydiving and, of course, drinking.

After all that, I wouldn't be surprised if she had to go dance in front of crocodiles with a baby cradled in each arm.

"I’m not a very political guy but I am definitely amazed at how dumb the President seems. What’s up with that?"

2004-01-27T12:40:00.000-08:00

Ray of Achewood fame now has a blog (of sorts), in addition to his weekly advice column. Only on the Internet can you find people writing to a cartoon cat for advice on sex, relationships and gourmet food.

If you haven't read Achewood, I highly recommend that you do because it's one of the best things on the Internet ever.

"I've killed a hell of a lot of people to get to the point."

2004-01-26T18:08:00.000-08:00

Mmmyep.

The new trailer for Kill Bill Volume Two is out. Disappointingly, the movie will not be released as scheduled on February 20. Instead, the trailer says "Spring 2004" and I've heard that the release date is slated for April 16th, which is also the day the Volume One DVD will be in stores. I'm probably not going to run out and grab the first DVD, when I know that the two movies will probably be released as a two-disc (or more) set by the end of this year.

Also disappointing is that the official Web site has not been updated yet for the second movie. The Japanese Web site, however, is rarin' to go.

Penguin Baseball!

2004-01-23T14:47:00.000-08:00

With discussions about letting baseball great (and admitted gambler) Pete Rose into the hall of fame, rising salaries, and the use of steroids, I'm sure many fans wish they could take baseball back to simpler, purer times.

Thus, I think the introduction of penguins will increase attendance at games and bring back the fun we used to experience when we were young. Throw in bat-wielding yetis and you have an unbeatable combination.

UPDATE: The penguin game, now on crack!

(Thanks to puppy-bomb 'coalition of the willing' leader Flog for the link)

A photo.

2004-01-22T16:19:00.000-08:00

One new photo up at my photo website. Mmm, yep.

New Issue

2004-01-21T20:55:00.000-08:00

of the Oregon Commentator. Read and be astounded by my article on ordinances that may or may not (depending on who you ask) limit freedom of speech and the right to assemble peacefully in Eugene. Drama!

Re-prioritization Nation

2004-01-21T16:39:00.000-08:00

For many years I have focused intently on breaking into the computer gaming industry. This has been my dream since the fourth grade. At least. In pursuit of said dream, I attended four years of University, tried to convince myself to work on some demos, and started working for the Evil Empire, hoping against hope that I could slide my way into the game department here. Along the way, I managed to get myself over $35,000 in debt.

Recently, however, it has become clear to me that such intense focus is unhealthy and, for me, unnatural. (Not to mention the debt.) The gaming dream has not died -- merely taken its place alongside other dreams: growing plants; crafting in wax, clay, wood, glass; raising animals; building a house; helping people; entertaining. I am, and have always been, a generalist. I've spent too long trying to be a specialist. I seek to grow into a Renaissance man.

In future posts, I'll talk about some of the ideas and avenues I'm exploring.

And by the way, I love Brooklyn

In this time of conflict...

2004-01-20T15:52:00.000-08:00

At 12:22 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, Wazeth was the recipient of an accidental launch of a puppy-bomb by Flog. As Wazeth continues to maintain a stance of neutrality in the puppy-bomb conflict of various websites, it is important for Wazeth's denizens to not retaliate for this mistake.

However, Wazeth will not tolerate any further actions against itself or its foreign interests. Any future agression will not go unanswered and Wazeth will not hesitate to use puppy-bombs, penguin-bombs and other "Weapons of Mass Disarming Cuteness" in the name of self-defense. That is all.

Wazethians and others may view an unclassified photo of the unexploded ordinance here.

"Wherever this is, it isn't Portland. I'm on Hoth and this is definitely Tauntaun weather."

2004-01-19T17:18:00.000-08:00

Portland-based Blog is not fan of Snow. In fact he has documented his battles with Snow here, here, here and elsewhere. Blog also made an adorable little snowman here.

Still, despite his snowman-making capabilities, Blog hates Snow with a hate that knows no bounds. Thus, the ultimate battle between Man and Nature took place earlier this month when the last of a series of winter storms hit Portland. Armed with layers of winter clothing, a digital camera and a Tri-Met schedule, Blog dared to do what few men and women did that day: commute to work.

Also, be sure to check out the puppy-bombing campaign that has been taking place in the comments sections of Blog, Flog, Armed Prophet and the Oregon Commentator. The photos of adorable puppies being used as weapons of mass destruction is probably a violation of the rules of warfare established by the Geneva Convention. In the meantime, Wazeth will maintain a stance of neutrality and watch the puppy-bombings from a safe distance.

'Sho is Lazy' Link o' the Day

2004-01-16T19:19:00.000-08:00

Where can you find a pile-driving Sasquatch, El Pollo Diablo, a Scientologist boy band and various other misfits all fighting each other while the fans fling tortillas at them? At Incredibly Strange Wrestling, of course.

Do you think you're ever going to see out-and-proud homosexual wrestlers and Jesus duking it out in the WWF? I doubt it.

(credit to jon sung for the link. also check out jon's dogblog. it's hilarious and adorable AT THE SAME TIME.)

This is what you get when I go to class.

2004-01-15T16:21:00.000-08:00

I managed to get up to go to both of my classes today, one of which I attended for the first time. This is a good thing, I think.

It turns out that when you register for a journalism class titled, "Lobby & Iss Mgmt" it means that you're going to discuss a lot of subject matter related to public relations. PR is like some sort of anathema to me because I'm studying to become a journalist. It is basically damage control; PR majors will inevitably cover up for some company's huge failures. Or they will end up shining false smiles to the cameras at press conferences to make sure their superiors' achievements are well-noted. In other words, they're similar to advertising agencies.

As a reporter I'm trying to write about the truth; as a public relations specialist I'm covering up or softening the truth.

However, I think it will be interesting to study how lobbyists and PR reps work, as I will have to deal with them in the future.

In other news, Andy Serkis (aka Gollum) is on a book signing tour and will be in Seattle to speak at the University of Washington tonight. He started the four-stop tour on Monday in New York and Emma, the designer of the Penny Arcade website, was in attendance.

Hopefully, one or two of you will catch this information and make it in time.

January 15 at 7:00 p.m.
University of Washington
Kane Hall, Room 110
Seattle, Wash. 98105
Sponsored by the University Bookstore
(206) 633-6443

Comics shouldn't be respelled as Comix

2004-01-14T13:56:00.000-08:00

Time Magazine has released several Top 10 lists for 2003, including a list for best (and worst) comic books. At the top of the comic rankings is Craig Thompson's semi-autobiographical graphic novel, Blankets, a book that weighs in at almost 600 pages. Though the size of the novel seems daunting, I finished it in less than 24 hours because there isn't a huge (yuge!) amount of dialogue and narration, and the story really pulled me in.

The story, more specifically, is one of teenage love set in the extended winter of the upper midwest and filled with memories both good and bad. Thompson, who currently lives in Portland, pulls out moments from his childhood, high school and church, and paints over them with the fundamentalist Christian beliefs that influenced (and caused confusion) in his youth.

To summarise, rather poorly: Boy grows up, boy meets girl, girl and boy fall in love, and it snows. It snows a lot. It's good. You'll like it.

Unfortunately, Neil Gaiman's 1602 series is marked as the worst (or rather, disapointing) comic of 2003. I haven't read it yet as I'm waiting for it to be published as a trade paper back, but I guess Gaiman's reworking of classic Marvel characters such as the X-Men, Dr. Strange, and Daredevil failed to impress the reviewers. The idea of taking Marvel characters and placing them in different time periods has been done before; however, I'm still interested in reading 1602 because Gaiman is behind the writing. I like Neil Gaiman, if you haven't noticed.

Why I like Neil Gaiman

2004-01-12T10:37:00.000-08:00

Aside from the good books and comics he writes, Neil Gaiman maintains a blog at neilgaiman.com and frequently answers fan e-mail on it. Often, he writes on his blog with the same subtle charm and wit that is found in his works (and he's very polite). Here's an example (the fan's e-mail is in bold and Gaiman's response follows).

Can you give me advice to make a winning fiction story for kids 8-12 years? I want to win a scholarship cause, i dondt have money to finish college. Im thinking of a fiction with a good message, like, trust, or maybe friendship. Am also avoiding speking animals and bad witches.Please i really need the help and i know that Neil Gaiman is a perfect writer, i know he won prices on sfwa and i admire him, so please i will apreciate your help on this. Thanks..

Sure. Tell a story you care about about people you care about, and make the reader care what happens to the people in the story. Let your message come second to your story. And when you're done, have a friend who's good at spelling and grammar and things like that proof-read it for you.

Continuing the trend of posting internet things that allow you to make stuff, I found this link on Gaiman's website. Now you too can create your own medieval tapestry and make plenty of tributes to old video games and Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(some banner ads at somethingawful.com may not be safe for work, unless your supervisors approve of softcore porn ads and hello kitty vibrators).

The Next Eminem, if Eminem were Chinese and from South Florida

2004-01-08T22:01:00.000-08:00

Jin Au-Yeung is paving the way for Asian-Americans to become rap stars after signing a deal with Ruff Ryders Records. Jin, who used to work as a deliveryman for his parents' Chinese restaurant, 'Miami Rice,' in Fort Lauderdale, is already going through the necessary steps in order to become a hardcore hip-hop figure.

One of those steps is gun violence. Jin's best friend was shot in the head after the two got into a fight with another rapper outside Yello, a New York club reportedly owned by a Chinatown gangster (the friend survived).

Here's some lyrics from his debut single 'Learn Chinese' which will be featured on his debut album The Rest Is History to be released in March:

"What? Ya never heard of me/the original chinky eye MC?/The only po po we know is the pigs on the hook out by the window/every time they harass me I want to explode/we should ride the train for free/we built the railroad/I ain't ya Fifty Cent/I ain't ya Eminem/I ain't ya Jiggaman/I'm a Chinaman.''

If things go well for Jin, I think I may forget about the whole journalism thing and start rapping under the alias, 'MC Rice.'

Rock Out

2004-01-08T18:56:00.000-08:00

Ze's Page is something that has been in my bookmarks for a couple of months and I'm suprised that I didn't find out about it sooner. Why? Because it's great, that's why.

Basically, it provides everything you need if you are bored at work, school, or in your car with a laptop and a wireless network card and some coffee shop with a wireless hotspot you can drive by repeatedly*.

Also, the creator of the website has a cat that fetches toy mice like Slayer.

*Apparently someone was caught downloading child porn while driving and was stopped by police when he (or she?) ran a red light. Do I have a news source? No, but sometimes stories this weird have to be true. Like the chupacabra? Totally true.

Comics!

2004-01-08T12:50:00.000-08:00

This has been me for nearly every day this week.

Dinosaurs are also pretty awesome.

Additionally, comics that should be read by everyone on Earth are now linked to on the left. Enjoy.

Home of the God of Snowmen

2004-01-07T16:03:00.000-08:00

You think you're all hip with your Pearl District and Hawthorne digs (yes, I'm talking to you Dan and Sam), but there's a little known area (to most of us East Portlanders) of Portland called the West Slope that is the weird and unique home of one Blog.

Check out the article here.

I kick arse for the lord!

2004-01-07T15:06:00.000-08:00

Armed with a Ghostbusters proton pack and a baseball bat, I am ready to take on evil spirits and turbo zombies at the same time! Also, apparently I am fighting the hordes of the supernatural on the streets of Florence, Italy.

Use the Mini-Mizer to make a lego replica of yourself. If you're of the female persuasion, or if you're experimenting with cross-dressing, you can also include lego-ized boobs on your replica, which I am pretty sure are not available at your local Kay-Bee toy store. Credit goes to the Commentator for finding this link.

Stuff!

2004-01-06T23:58:00.000-08:00

If anyone wants the column on the left side of the website back (where you could put down what you were reading, watching, etc.) let me know. I just felt that it was kind of unnecessary when you could just talk about whatever in the main body of the blog.

Right now, I'm reading Brave New World and listening to a bunch of music by classical composers like Rachmaninoff, Schubert and Chopin. Plus, I saw a crapload of movies over the break, most of which are listed on Lauren's latest post. Hooray!

Oh, in addition to those movies I also saw The Last Samurai, which to sum up in five words or less is "Dances With Wolves in Japan." Fighting = good. Plot /= good. Also, glorification of feudal system and condemnation of modernation? Bleah. As this critic put it, "So three cheers for...the monarchy?"

At least the movie had ninjas, which are awesome and by that I mean totally rad.

On Virtue Ethics...

2004-01-06T23:46:00.000-08:00

Sam's cat Emma discusses material from my Ethics in Persuasion class in a Scottish brogue. Okay, more posts tomorrow, and no more from the Bud Light speech thing page.

Chilled Monkey Brains

2004-01-06T12:35:00.000-08:00

Okay, I've been pretty lazy for the past month so this website has been more than a little inactive. Hopefully, I'll get back into the blogging mood and start posting up more things including the second part of my police ride-along story.

In the meantime, everyone will probably enjoy this internet thingy I found through Shaw Island (a comic about hamsters).

I'd be lying if I said I didn't have designs on you.

2003-11-24T23:05:00.000-08:00

Okay, so a lot of good stuff has happened over the past few weeks, but I think that it is best told to everyone over Thanksgiving and such. You can also call me. Or you can send me telepathic inquiries.

There would be more posts on the blog, but I am pretty busy and I'm sure most of you are finding amusing things on your own. If not, I recommend reading Blog and FLOG.

I hope all of you are doing well and not in another dimension fighting evil space warlords and all that. Word.

This is nervous

2003-11-13T21:22:00.000-08:00

I've had my share of run-ins with the po-lice lately as well. I've lasted a good while since the last ticket i got, but two days ago I got pulled over for speeding.. and being the rebel that I am i also didn't have insurance or registration on my stolen car.. Nah, not stolen.. but close. The nice ol' copper only dinged me with a $160 speeding ticket. However! the next day I went to the university to speak with an advisor and as I walk out to my car with my roomate I see the cop (T-1000) from Terminator 2, I kid you not, reading my VIN number into his little walkie talkie. He speaks with the most ridiculous hick accent, has a 'stache and was wearing the huge Miami Vice glasses, as well. He asks me for my registration and I panic, I politely tell him i have not registered the car yet and he says:

"well, I could be a real stick in the mud, but I think you've learned your lesson."

Even so, i thought he would turn into mercury at any moment and stab his now munted hand/anvil into my car as I speed away, but no, he lets me go.. and now i've learned my lesson.

Eugene Five-O, Part I

2003-11-12T18:06:00.000-08:00

(names have been changed because I wanted them to be changed)

So Tuesday started with waking up at 6 a.m. to get to the Eugene police station at 7:15 a.m. for my ride-along with Officer Bob.

Officer Bob, a seven-year veteran of the Eugene Police Department, was tall, with the athletic build of a soldier and a military-style haircut atop his head. He was, in fact, a retired Army sergeant with 15 years of service and a veteran of the Persian Gulf War.

Actually, he kind of looked like the janitor from "Scrubs" except with arms that could crush my head.

He turned out to be a pretty nice guy who's seen a lot of the world. He talked a lot about living in the snow-covered hills of northern Japan and experiencing the mix of Japanese and native culture on the island of Okinawa. He spoke of admiring centuries of historical sites in Germany and staring up at the night sky in the deserts of Saudi Arabia (where he said he had never seen the stars shine so brightly before, even in rural areas in America.)

He was pretty knowledgeable about military history and we talked about how Japanese Americans were treated during World War II and the volunteers who joined the Army to fight the Axis in Germany, and also those who worked in military intelligence and translation in the Pacific.

We also talked about politics and how he felt President Bush was hypocritical in his actions towards the military by praising the bravery of the men and women fighting overseas, but cutting a lot of veterans benefits. Even though he had voted Republican in previous elections (except he did vote for Gore in 2000), he felt let down by Bush. So, he said felt as though Gen. Wesley Clark would be his choice for the next president, although he added that if Clark didn't win the nomination, that he would make a good VP.

Oh yeah, so the good stuff:
We cruised the Whitaker neighborhood (notorious for its rampant drug use and prostitution) and as we passed by a woman who looked like a bag-lady Officer Bob said, "Oh, there's One-Eye."

One-Eye?

"Yeah, well, she only has one eye. Oh, and she's a prostitute," he said.

Prostitute?

"Well, you know the Julia Roberts movie, 'Pretty Woman?'"

Yeah?

"It's nothing like that out here."

I shuddered.

We kept driving along until he spotted an American Indian with greying hair walking down the street.

"Oh, there's Jenny Black Crow," he said. "I should probably run her name through the computer and check to see if there's anything on her.

"Whoops, she's got a warrant on her for shoplifting."

He checks the traffic around us, of which there is none, and does a u-turn.

"Stay here, she's a runner."

He jumps out of the car and I watch him approach her.

"Hey Theresa, I need to talk to you."

To be continued (This is taking longer than I thought, and I want to go to $2 Any Drink Night at Buster's. I'll get it done sooner or later.)

Whoever Wins, We Lose

2003-11-11T23:25:00.000-08:00

Freaking finally.

I guess the director worked on Mortal Kombat (which spawned the techno theme song that ruled the airwaves back in '95, urgh), Event Horizon (which freaked me out until midway through the movie when it just turned into a gorefest), and Resident Evil (which I have heard is okay, but I haven't seen it)... so I don't have extremely high hopes for the movie to be as good as a film like Alien, an action classic like Aliens, or a dark, brooding film like Alien 3 (which wasn't quite as satisfactory as its predecessors). Resurrection (not the new Tupac documentary) had a lame plot, but I did enjoy the movie's sense of design (ala City of Lost Children).

You can tell that I love my parentheses.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure it will be fun and mindless and involve a lot of Alien and Predator steamy lovin' action, which I'll probably be willing to dish out $6 for. That is, if I actually have a job and $6 come next August.

Maybe add another $3 for popcorn.

Oh yeah, the police ride-along was pretty neat. I may post details tomorrow.

Eugene Five-O

2003-11-10T23:46:00.000-08:00

I'm going on a police ride-along tomorrow morning as part of an assignment for my advanced reporting class at 7:15 a.m. This is extremely early for me and I know all you 8-5ers are probably rolling your eyes right now... but screw you!

Screw you and your steady jobs!

Did you hear me? Screw you!

Officer Bob and I are going to have a blast cruising the mean streets of Eugene at 7:15 a.m. in the morning while you go grab coffee and a bagel on your way to your boring 8 to 5 cubicle corporate slave job. We're going to bust up heroin trafficking rings and take out pimps with karate chops and flying kicks to the head. I'm sure one of us will have to tackle someone into a swimming pool in slow motion. It will be rad.

At the end of the day, we'll have some coffee at Dunkin' Donuts and talk about how things are going with the wife and kids.

Oh yeah, it's going to be a good day, with Officer Bob.

2003-11-10T21:04:00.000-08:00

I've just discovered BBCs finest, The Office. It's a series every Yankee who adores British humor should watch. Plenty of uneducated Americans have been calling The Office comparable to Monty Python, but I disagree. If you need some British comedy that would be anywhere comparable, I would put Black Adder in the same boat. Well, then again, i probably would put Monty Python in the same boat as well. It's the accent. But then make that boat collide with one of our boats that has Office Space in it and then boom.. a show that is funny, simply because they show nobodies doing nothing in a helpless little office, but with an almost unintelligible accent. And isn't it just fun to laugh at how often the Brits say "wanker" anyway?

Some sage advice

2003-11-10T14:07:00.000-08:00

on being a teacher, from my reporting professor:

"Number one, whenever you're holding office hours, leave the door open whether or not the student is male or female.

Number two, never touch a student, even if it is something as innocent as a pat on the back.

Number three, if you're a guy, always make sure that your fly is zipped up before teaching your class.

[he looks down at his pants]

I think I'm okay for today."

Giant huge awful crushes

2003-11-10T01:55:00.000-08:00

I have a crush on a girl. She has a crush on me.

We have no idea what to do about this, but I think that's okay.

We're going to go feed the ducks this weekend, and I think they deserve some bread for all the flinging around that they've been going through.

This car will kick your ass

2003-11-04T21:56:00.000-08:00

I remember seeing this car around graduation time back in high school. I think we were headed to the Civic Auditorium or Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall for a graduation ceremony practice when we saw the car. It looked like it was made of granite and had a weird demon face on the back. Well, looks like I found its home on the internet. The owner appears to be a extreme clown artist, which makes sense in some sort of random way.

Or not.

New photos

2003-11-03T00:43:00.000-08:00

A couple from the Bagdad and a couple from Eugene. Not a big update, but I thought some of you might enjoy it.

Leisuretown is Dead

2003-11-02T22:57:00.000-08:00

Long live Leisuretown.

Beards Are So Indie

2003-11-02T11:30:00.000-08:00

The World Beard and Moutache Championships took place yesterday in Carson City, Nevada to the excitement of hairy men all over the globe. Such interesting moustache categories include the "Fu Manchu," "Wild West" and "Dali" divisions. Beards (and goatees) include the "Musketeer".

One wonders how some men can become so involved with such a hobby. Take a look at the competition in 2001; apparently the Kaiser still lives.

PS There should be a cats with hats world-wide competition because it's hilarious to see cats looking totally pissed off.

Fat Tire

2003-10-30T14:33:00.000-08:00

So today is the Company Meeting. Everyone with a blue badge (full-time MS employees) is at Safeco Field listening to Billg and Steveb talk about relevant things and looking at the newest Microsoft stuff. Like Halo 2. The bastards.

I have an orange badge (contractors, vendors, and contigent staff), so I don't get to go. The exquisite part is: I'm the only orange badger on the team. (Hehe, orange badgers. Must be radioactive.) So I'm hanging out at my desk in a nearly empty building.

So at lunch I took a drive, got some gas, stopped at Safeway and Subway. I bought a six-pack of Fat Tire, and I've been sitting surfing the web and doing work whenever the fancy strikes (which has been approximately 4 times today). I'm currently on number 2. I hope I'll be able to get home tonight...

So the Crash

2003-10-30T11:14:00.000-08:00

So for those of you who don't care to call me, I was in a car crash on OCt. 16. I was hit head on by another driver. I survived. Jesse 5. Death 0.

I wonder if they'll come out with something to guess if the writer is a monkey?

2003-10-29T13:40:00.000-08:00

I ran my last big post from Oct. 18 through the Gender Genie and had split score between maleness and femaleness:

Female Score: 505
Male Score: 554

I guess I'm just more in touch with my femine side. From the looks of the stats, the Gender Genie is right almost 3/4 of the time. However, it does seem to have a harder time identifying female writing than male writing, so I doubt that anyone can seriously vouch for its accuracy. But it's still fun.

All Hallow's Eve

2003-10-29T09:39:00.000-08:00

Just two more days until everyone gets dressed up in wacky costumes and wanders from door to door begging for tooth-rotting sweet candy goodness -- or gets really tanked, as age and inclination dictate. Hurrah!

So I was loitering in the Halloween store the other day, just tearing my hair out trying to come up with a costume idea that was a) awesome, b) cheap, and c) possible. Good lord, but costumes are expensive at the Halloween store, and I couldn't find anything at Value Village that caught my fancy. "I could buy this latex appliance for my face, and my roommate has makeup I can use, but then what about the rest of the costume? Damn, that's a crappy costume for $50. Ooh, that would make for an awesome Viking, but where will I get the other parts I would need for cheap?" I was wandering around, dazed, for nearly an hour.

Finally I thought, "Hey, the only people that saw my costume last year were my parents, a bunch of strangers from Portland, and Jen who I haven't seen for almost a year. I'll just recycle it for this year. Good thinking, self." And vastly relieved, I headed back home. The relief was tangible; I know Brooklyn noticed it when I called her on the way back. I sauntered into the house and sat down to watch the end of The Jackal with my roommate Sam.

Then the seeds of doubt crept into my brain and grew until I bled Adamantium out of my eye sockets. I raced into my room, stumbling over my own anxiety, and tore through my closet like a nervous orangutan on meth. Oh yes, that's right. I threw that costume in the garbage when I moved 2 months ago. I proceeded to kill everyone.

So yesterday I went to another Halloween store, found some inspiration for a costume completely different than any I'd considered, and bought a couple parts I would need. Everything is alright with the universe again.

Incidentally, there will be a Halloween party at Arr! House (where I live) this Friday, and you're invited if you can get there. Wear a costume.

Crack is Wack

2003-10-28T21:50:00.000-08:00

i spent all day today hanging up my new curtains. It definitely makes my house feel more cozy and makes me enjoy being here. I've came to a pretty clear decision that I'm very industrial. Everything in my cozy little house is just that.. so i needed curtains.

I've also come to a conclusion that there is no such thing as a fantastic shower curtain. Every one i've seen is either super flowery and country.. or has rubber duckies all over it. Which is great.. and i actually think i might buy the rubber ducky toilet seat i saw at target.. but for a shower curtain i was thinking more on the lines of.. fashionable.. than fun. So.. there was nothing.. and i ended up just buying a bright red shower curtain. which is great if i ever were attacked by a man dressed as his mother.. because it would appear a lot less messy.

Other than that life is fairly dull in the middle of the country. I'm enjoying my new 4 day shift, however, and very pumped about the snowboarding season. And Sho.. you definitely have to watch Ghost World. I loved it.. not very many people do.. but i thought it was great.

Damn

2003-10-28T21:40:00.000-08:00

I cannot resist the glare coming off of the ass. Why can't more girls at college wear full black catsuits?

Also, I haven't bought anything off of iTunes yet, but I love the way it organizes my songs. Christ, now I want an iPod.

Lost in Translation

2003-10-26T23:23:00.000-08:00

Go see it, before I forget to tell you. This movie is definitely one of the best this year as it will leave you feeling amused, bewildered, a little sad, and aching for more. And as many critics have said, and so I can't say it much better: Bill Murray is at his best.

Also, I have a crush on Scarlett Johansson. I should go rent Ghost World soon.

Good weekend!

2003-10-26T17:31:00.000-08:00

I had an excellent weekend, and it was topping of an almost equally great week. Earlier this week I went to a job interview for a job as a Physical therapy assistant sort of person and it went really well and I think I will get the job. Its a very cool job, I'd be trained to do so much and I really think it would be an excellent opportunity to find out if physical therapy is really what I’d like to do. On Friday Matt, Devin, Sadie and their friend Jeff came down to Hawthorne and we ate out at Chopsticks, a wonderful Asian restaurant on Hawthorne. Then we went up to Matt's ranch to see the Aurora Borealis (I have no clue how to spell that) but as far as we could tell, we couldn’t see it. But it was a good fun time and we cooked hotdogs and drank beer and had a fire. On Saturday, Devin and Matt and I went downtown to the farmers market and to the Portland Art Museum and visited my friend Katie at the Pearl Bakery where she works. We came home and ate at the Bagdad Theater and a guy sang on the street with his amplifier in his apartment window. Then matt and I went to see the movie Kill Bill, which I am still processing. Today was just a lazy day, and I was super pleased to discover daylight savings time, because it made my day feel longer, though it is now dark at 5 pm. Tonight I'm going to see the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre with people and I hope it works out okay for me because I kind of hate scary movies. I hope everyone had a great weekend and is doing well! yo!

I have seen no fluffy, crunchy, doggies around here.

2003-10-26T17:23:00.000-08:00

I think I've relegated my drinking to Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays instead of weekends, as I spent most of this weekend sitting around, playing Fallout 2 and chatting with Lauren. I'm also helping my friend Stephanie set up a website for her handmade soaps, which I hope will do a good job of selling her neat soaps. I have one called "Bugaboo" which is supposed to keep mosquitoes away. It smells like grapefruits and lemons.

Other than that, not much else is going on. I've been reading an old Changeling fiction anthology which has been getting me in the mood to play some Changeling. Too bad that the only people interested in playing live in Portland and Seattle. I'll just have to wait and see if I end up in one of those places to start playing again. Arr.

Also, Big Bunny is hilarious. Mmm, yummy.

We drink and drink and drink and drink and drink and drink and fight!

2003-10-22T22:13:00.000-07:00

I'm such a functional drunk, it's awesome. I drink a hell of a lot, sing "Buddy Holly" at karaoke night, go to sleep at 2 a.m. and then wake up at 7:30 a.m. to make it to a court sentencing for my reporting class. I don't know how I do it, but tonight I'm going to sleep at 10:30 and get a well-deserved 9 hours of sleep.

I love you like a milkshake

2003-10-22T15:03:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I'm at the liquor store, I see Godiva chocolate liqueur and I think, "Mmm, that sounds like it would make for a delicious romantic beverage." So last night on the way back from hacking at the Kirkland waterfront, Brooklyn & I picked some up. While I was on the phone with T-mobile dealing with crappy crap, she blended it up with vanilla ice cream & Kahlua.

Result: a delicious romantic beverage. It was warming without being overly strong, kind of like Bailey's Irish Cream, which would probably be a good addition. There was some minor stomach upset afterwards, which I feel had more to do with using cheap generic ice cream than anything else. I recommend it for a cuddly winter night with some kind of sugar cookie.

Con: expensive! $28 after tax for the bottle. I don't know the exact volume, but it's probably about a fifth.

la la la...

2003-10-20T20:40:00.000-07:00

...Am I finally beginning to feel at home? This was the first weekend that was really amazing in almost every way, it was one of those weekends that reminds you that life doesn't really suck, that graduate school thoughts can wait a few more days, and that it really is okay if I defer my student loans, save up some money and go to south america for three months to volunteer.

This weekend I saw Matt Nathanson, a acoustic musician that I have been stalking with my dear friend Katie since we were crazy seniors in high school. We're still crazy in love with him and our lust just brings back all the fun memories of our youth (luckily not all the crappy ones about awkward make out sessions and bad hair styles). We had seen him in the spring of 2002 at a coffee shop in Byrn Mawr, Pennsylvania where Katie went to school. I had also seen him in 2001 at the University of Oregon. Anyhow, I love him and i want to marry him, but he's married! He played a free concert at Music Millenium on NW 23rd. Before the show started he was kind of just wandering around the store and everyone was sitting in front of the stage waiting for him to come on. I saw him and Katie and I sprinted over and were like "umm, Matt?" (we had to use every ounce of energy we had to appear normal, though I'm not sure we succeeded and I know I was shaking) I had him sign a picture that Katie and I got with him in penn. and i had him sign his newest album "beneath these fireworks".

Okay, so maybe a lot of his music sounds all the same, but so much of it is the moment, the memories, and all that. He also tells hilarious stories. Last night's concert at the Aladdin seemed to revolve around him trying to get portland to start a huge orgie. it was quite great. I could get outside myself, smile a lot like i think I used to, I laughed and i screamed out my love for him and had a great time with my best friend, like nothing had ever changed between us.

Anyhow, I also ate at the Hawthorne Cafe and met some nice people. It was just a good weekend. Maybe life really will go on and maybe I'll get out of my stupid funks of lonliness and enjoy it. I hope you're all well.

With a new season...

2003-10-18T20:11:00.000-07:00

... comes a new look for the wazeth blog, with a picture that was taken by Sam in the Bagdad Cafe. The cafe is located right next to the awesome Bagdad Theater, where you can sip beer and eat pizza while watching a cheap movie.

Sam's new place on Hawthorne isn't too far from another McMenamins establishment, the Barley Mill Pub.

Here's a bunch of photos of Sam's new apartment and her kitten, Emma. But Sam should tell us all the details about her new place, neighborhood and all that other neat stuff.

The photos are around 300k each, so they take a little while to download. However, if you like you can download them all at once with this handy 2.6 megabyte Zip file.

In other news, I got really stinking drunk at Rennie's last night. I drank with a Commentator alum who I hadn't seen a while, who also just came back to the UO to go law school. Everything started to go downhill when I joined Bret in drinking a Boilermaker. Plenty of doubles followed, and soon I was very, very inebriated.

I talked with the cool sports reporters from the Daily Emerald, and much speak of gossip, rumors and other topics was had. There also a bit of Commentator vs. Emerald good-natured insulting going around too.

As the night neared its end, I think I flipped the bartender off when he shouted, "Last call!" because I thought it was just some loud asshole. I don't think he saw me because I was on the other side of the bar, but I was in a fightin' mood. I'm not sure what I would have happened if someone did happen to fight me, but I'm just glad that I didn't learn the answer to that.

I got back home from a ride with an undrunk friend and when I finally got back to my apartment, I found a package waiting for me. I was happy to see that it was the cool laptop backpack that I ordered and then I promptly stumbled into the bathroom to expel the Boilermaker and it's alcoholic buddies from my stomach. Rock out.

2003-10-16T23:52:00.000-07:00

A few new photos for you, but none from Sam's apartment yet (because I am lazy). I'll get those up on Saturday, I think.

Anyway, a couple photos of my laptop, and a little view of the city in which I live. The last photo was taken from the 13th floor of the apartment building that I reside in. It's a little bit scary up there because I was suffering from a little dizzyness from the vertigo. What a great view, though.

2003-10-13T21:58:00.000-07:00

Oh yes, so my laptop.
It's fast.
It's sleek.
It's affordable.
It's begging to be covered with shiny stickers.
It's awesome.

But it's freaking heavy. Like, severe shoulder pain heavy.

So, I ordered a nice new laptop backpack from Amazon.com. Right before I finished my order, Amazon.com told me that if I signed up for the Amazon Visa credit card I would get an instant $30 off, reducing the cost of the backpack from $40 to a mere $10. It sounded like a good deal, plus I wanted to get rid of my old American Express card. Unfortunately, I messed up the whole order so I ended up accidentally paying for the backpack with my unwanted American Express card, lost the rebate, and got myself a new Amazon.com Visa.

Hooray. On the bright side, I'm still getting a good backpack for a great price. And my laptop still rocks, even though it's a heavy bastard.

Oh, and it's name is Clango.

2003-10-13T02:36:00.000-07:00

Well, since I've posted last my computer has suffered a fatal death thing and is now in a catatonic state. I've been really busy at the newspaper and I feel a little bit stressed sometimes. But weekends are good and last weekend was no exception.

You may now notice that the wazeth blog has now moved to wazeth.blogspot.com. This is because I would have needed to move the website anyway, after graduation, and the blogspot address is much easier to remember and type than gladstone.uoregon.edu/alkjflakdsjflkj whatever. If you don't like it, you can kiss my round, yellow, and very sensual butt.

I saw Kill Bill with Matt and Mark and well, I really enjoyed it. I mean, it was bloody as hell and there were a couple of scenes that really made me and Matt cringe. Matt said he almost wanted to walk out at one point, but that's when the SWORD part of the movie started. Swords basically rock, hardcore. They're beautiful; a weapon that should be treated with respect.

Also, Uma Thurman kicks ass.

Also, I want to dress up as a Crazy 88 fighter for Halloween (one of those Yakuza gang members with the black masks).

Anyway, go see Kill Bill if you are a Tarantino fan. Go see it even if you're not. Just be sure that you're ready for some cringe-inducing violent action (like door-to-head multple slammings). I'm also going to see Japanese schoolgirls in a whole 'nother perspective and steer clear of them if I ever go to Tokyo.

In other news, I have a rockin' new laptop, which I am typing this post from. I am also up way too late, so I'll finish my post here and work on some homework that needs to get done.

Photos of Sam's new apartment, kitten, and scenes from a Portland pub to come soon. Really.

2003-09-27T07:30:00.000-07:00

I'm moving today! I'm very excited, but a bit nervous, too. Living all on my own will be scary, but hopefully not too scary (i have always had roommates). i got a brand new bed, which I am excited about as well!! I will miss my surrogate parents though, they have been so nice and fun to stay with. But hawthone, yay! i hope you all have a chance to come visit soon.

i'll send an update with phone numbers and such.

2003-09-23T02:01:00.000-07:00

I'm back in Eugene and I think I might be getting a bit of a sore throat and it probably didn't help when I sang along to Weezer at the top of my lungs all the way down I-5 from Portland.

My computer is also having problems right now, and I'm downloading a copy of Windows XP from KazaaLite because my burned copy is very sketch. So pictures and other stuff from Seattle will be posted at a later date.

In the meantime, enjoy watching this.

2003-09-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

So Matt and I are leaving for Seattle within the hour. It seems sort of weird to spend the rest of my vacation going to a city where the chance of rain actually increases.

Oh yeah, and here's Dan's perspective on the whole flying-out-of-Matt's-truck action from his post on Friendster:

I was on the passanger side in my friend Matt's
truck wich is so big. And we were dropping off
our friend Jesse who was late for work. I told
Jesse to hurry to work and said "Go go go!" and
Matt thought I was saying this to him. So before
I could get the door closed and my seatbelt on,
he took off crazy fast and made a sharp left
sending me flying out of the truck super fast!!!
I grabbed the door and held on and drug along the
cement for a few feet. My friend Sho was in the
middle seat and said "Nooooooo!" When Matt
realized that I wasnt in the vehicle any longer,
he slamed on the breaks and sent me flying into
the door and it jabbed at my internal organs
causing (what I sooned discovered was not
internal bleeding) internal bleeding. Then we
decided I was fine and all made out.

I love being back in Portland.

DMoe

2003-09-16T13:16:00.000-07:00

I'm in Portland right now. Last night, I saw Dan get thrown out of Matt's truck.

After Matt dropped Jesse off at Fred Meyer for work, Dan got back in the truck and Matt took a sharp left as we headed to the exit of the parking lot. Unfortunately for Dan, his door wasn't closed and he tumbled out of the cab with the help of centrifugal force. Dan hung on to the door handle and Matt quickly stopped the car. This resulted in Dan's midsection getting stabbed by the corner of the door, which gave Dan a big ol' scrape.

Dan rolled around on the asphalt in pain for a while, but fortunately there was no permanent damage. Now Dan can claim that he's fallen out of a tree and been thrown out of a car. He's got hardcore credentials.

Then we all went out to Krispy Kreme for donuts, of which I had one for the first time, and it was fan-fucking-tastic.

2003-09-06T22:36:00.000-07:00

Sho, I look forward to seeing you. No, I am a lazy bastard and have not found a place to live yet. Havent even really looked other than scanning the paper on weekends, but I going to try soon.

2003-09-06T15:20:00.000-07:00

So it's been a semi-busy last few months here in Eugene.

Lots of people I know have moved out of town: Sam and Dan to Portland, and my friend Lauren to Seattle.

I've been working a lot at the Daily Emerald, and I finally got done with a long week and I'm preparing for a week-long vacation in Portland. Also, if I haven't already told you, an article of mine* was picked up by the New York Times Online college section. I was very suprised and this will probably be great portfolio material when I try to find a job. I've already got the web page bookmarked and downloaded.

*The article is about state higher education budget is kind of dry, but seeing it on the NYT website is very neat.

Otherwise, I haven't been doing too much else other than trying to motivate myself to jog everyday. It's pretty hard when you're playing Puzzle Pirates all the time. Tim introduced me to the game through the Wazeth mailing list and I've been hooked ever since. Too bad he doesn't show up to play much any more, but in the meantime I've advance up the ranks with my fellow players and I'm one of the leaders of a small crew of pirates. If you guys have time, you should join me on the game. Just e-mail me if you decide to play. Arr mateys!

I keep hearing great things about Burning Man and I'm really interested in going next year. I know it may seem like a bunch of dirty hippies and non-conformists conforming to non-conformity getting together, but I'd like to give it a try. Seems like its quite an experience with lots of interesting people and art and other stuff. And where else are you going to see a functional, life-size Catbus?

Anyway, I'll be back in PDX for a few days, so I hope to see some of you while I'm in town. I'd love to see Dan's new apartment. Sam, have you moved into your own place yet? See you all soon!

2003-09-02T11:59:00.000-07:00

I just saw the best concert ever.. Jack Johnson and Ben Harper at the Red Rocks. Not only could only Jack have played and I still would have felt satisfied.. then he brought out G. Love and they jammed a bit.. and then Ben Harper came out and seriously guys.. I've never ever seen a better performer in my life. He can play every instrument.. not only just well.. but.. amazing. Yeah.. i'm in love. Anyway.. anything good out that way? Mason Jennings is coming to town and I get to promote.. yay! Anyway.. miss ya guys.

2003-08-28T20:28:00.000-07:00

I drank about five glasses of Dr. Pepper at the Flying Dogs cafe today, and so I feel a little tweaked out right now. Life status update to come soon when I calm down.