Well, this has certainly been an interesting week...

( On love, drama, and yes, probably something about dancing )

Date:	2004-04-18 09:06
Subject:	Reality Check
Security:	Public
Mood:	cynical
Music:	Beck - Lost Cause

I just finished listening to 60 Minutes' interview with Bob Woodward on his investigations and discussions with George W. Bush regarding the Iraq war. Most of it was fairly predictable--enlightening, certainly, but no more scandalous, surreptitious, or scurrilous than we've come to expect from this White House. However, the very last quote--clearly intentionally so--struck me as too good to pass up. So, I'm breaking my laze-induced silence here on my journal to share it with you all.


How does the president think history will judge him for going to war in Iraq?

"After the second interview with him on Dec. 11, we got up and walked over to one of the doors. There are all of these doors in the Oval Office that lead outside. And he had his hands in his pocket, and I just asked, 'Well, how is history likely to judge your Iraq war,'" says Woodward.

"And he said, 'History,' and then he took his hands out of his pocket and kind of shrugged and extended his hands as if this is a way off. And then he said, 'History, we don’t know. We’ll all be dead.'

--"Woodward Shares War Secrets"

Date:	2004-03-07 09:50
Subject:	squadrons of arrows / flying in tight formation / bombard my eyelids
Security:	Public
Mood:	exhausted
Music:	Neon - John Mayer

Date:	2004-02-29 22:12
Subject:	Can I get an Amen? Or at least a little bit of Lembas bread?
Security:	Public
Mood:	pleased

Well, I've stayed up past midnight just to find out what we already knew would happen: An army of incensed hobbits rushed the stage, slaughtering hundreds! Lord of the Rings won all eleven of its nominated awards! Ben Hur ain't got nothin' on Frodo, beyotch. It's good to be with you, Oscar, here, at the end of all things...

I saw this photo on the front page of the Baltimore Sun this morning, and it immediately clicked. I had to make this icon. Yes, it has nothing at all to do with the whole broken windshield fiasco of yesterday, but I'd rather just forget about all that garbage. So please, bask in the sweetness that is Future President Crush.

Date:	2004-02-08 09:49
Subject:
Security:	Public
Mood:	aggravated

There comes a time, I think, in any person's life, when he comes to realize just how truly horrendous this world can be. Mine was last night.

It doesn't always take a lot. For me it was a smashed windshield in a vacant parking lot. It was my windshield, of course, but when weighed alongside all the famines and thefts and murders that populate this wondrous globe, it hardly amounts to much. Still, standing alone in the frigid air late last night with shattered glass all around, trying feebly to shove my DDR pad into the passenger seat while shards splintered and fell with every lurch of the cab, I arrived upon some fairly despicable thoughts. Every crash of the crystal as I drove pathetically through town brought another curse from the pit of my being...brimming with anger, but shadowed by confusion. Last night, some person or persons went out of their way to vandalize my vehicle, not because they were angry or vengeful towards me, but simply because they could. And that makes me feel sick inside.

It happened many hours before I found out, most likely. It was simple of me to have left the truck there in the school parking lot anyway, but I was goaded by my friends to ride with them, and at that time I still felt I could leave my property in a public place and not have it intentionally and senselessly broken. How foolish. A few hundred dollars in damages is all it will be, probably covered by insurance, and I'll not be able to drive for a week--that's all. And yet I'm filled with absolute disgust for the random, virile stupidity that populates society so that such a pointless thing could happen, easily. I know it probably isn't much better anywhere else, even though my town is fairly renowned for its population of rednecks and generic idiots, and that fact makes me even more repulsed--I've come to a realization of helplessness, in the face of pointless violence, that will follow me for the rest of my life. It's probably good I found out about it like this without any serious personal damage. It still sickens me.

But, I'll be fine. My windshield will be fixed, I'll forget about it, I'll move on. Besides, I still believe Garrison Keillor was absolutely right when he said "Nothing bad ever happens to a writer. Everything is material." I'll have to keep that in mind. Inspiration is hard to come by these days.

So I was heading off today to visit some friends and get some DDR on. I had managed to secure my huge, bulky pad in the passenger seat of my truck, as well as my PS2, which I managed to salvage from my basement...which I had discovered to have dumped a soaked ceiling tile on top of the television, which obviously no longer works (the PS2 and pad, thankfully, do.) Still following me? Alright.

Anyway, I'm driving towards town, passing the F'ing J truck stop on my way into North East, when what appears before me but a police blockade. One by one, cars were being told to turn around. When finally I reached the end of the line, I leaned out my window into the cold air. "What seems to be the problem, officer?" (I've always wanted to say that XD) He told me to turn around, and gave an odd luck at the huge, brightly-arrowed DDR pad filling up most of the cab beside me. Inquiring further, there was apparently a train derailment. ...A DOOM TRAIN!!!

...okay, perhaps not DOOM, but certainly bad news--after calling my grandma, who knows everything about what's going on in this town at any given moment, I was told that the train was carrying sulfuric acid. More than likely, my friend tells me, plenty other chemicals, too. They've now closed down intersecting roads for miles along the tracks, and apparently are evacuating a nearby development. My parents left for the movie theaters shortly before it happened, so they'll be stranded in Elkton. And I'm stranded here at home, playing EverQuest. Somebody doesn't want me having this party! >.

Date:	2004-01-01 09:02
Subject:	I see...red arrows!
Security:	Public
Mood:	exhausted
Music:	Random JPOP

Oh, uh, Happy Year of Newness, everybody! Now, back to DDR! Must...not...fail...O_O

Date:	2003-12-23 17:27
Subject:	Three Times Holiday Funjob!
Security:	Public
Mood:	cheerful
Music:	John Mayer - Why Georgia

Woah, Christmas already? I really need to update my journal more. Meh. Santa Phrog is coming to town...XD

Well, it's That Time Of Year again, isn't it? I suppose I'm pleased, though I can't shake the feeling that I'm forgetting something, or things, which probably just comes with being utterly overworked in the past couple of days. There's a lot going on besides holiday preparation which has kept my tiny little brain preoccupied from what it REALLY should be doing, i.e. EverQuest. Oh, yeah, and probably some other things. Lord, I doubt I'll ever shake this addiction--they're releasing yet another expansion soon with a brand new graphics engine, and I don't know how I'll tear myself away. And if it's not that, it's Gunbound, which is like candy-coated crack, or something else. To make matters "worse", I'm due a shiny new Playstation 2 this Christmas, along with the only hope I will ever get in shape again: Dance Dance Revolution, Baby! Man, that's gonna be one noisy Christmas morning. Just so long as I don't try to bust out Afronova; I might knock over the tree.

So, anyway, back to life. I returned the other night from what was shaping up to be a rather blah evening, after 8 glorious hours of more truckstop-dish-washin' FUN, when greeting me at home was a large, inviting parcel from McDaniel University. No, seriously: It read, in large elaborate lettering, "CONGRATULATIONS!", which seemed to imply that, yes, something good had happened! Considering I'd just recently applied there, it was not surprising to find that said Good Thing was my acceptance! Oh, the news was nice, as was the information that I'll be receiving a scholarship upwards of $48,000 for four years, but what really set me aglow was the application reviewer's comment, scrawled in the margin of the acceptance letter, praising me for my m4d essay sk1llz. My essay, for those who don't know, was essentially about digital watches and why they're awesome. No, seriously. I'm just that cool. XD

So, although I still await St. Mary's response to my application (they're still my number one choice) but the simple fact that at least one college has deemed me worthy to ascend their premises warms my heart and eases my mind. Besides that, there was also a nice birthday card from my uncle John with fifty dollars, in memory of my late grandfather. It was awfully kind of him, even though we all know my grandfather was a daft, angry old coot who wanted to give all the money to only one son because he was too madly distrustful of the rest of his children to spread it around. My uncle has been quite ill, suffering from a bout with cancer, and I'm really hoping he'll be doing better soon, at least for Christmas. I doubt it'll happen, but it'd be so nice to see him at our family party. Well, prayers and punctuality until then.

Tonight I had a delicious Filet Mignon meal as a pseudo-birthday dinner, and tomorrow I'll be going to see the final glorious installment of Lord of the Rings, or as I've taken to calling it, Hobbit Man 3: The King Returns ^_^ By the way, folks who I've invited, we'll be going to the 2:40 showing at Regal tomorrow (Tuesday) so plan to be there--you'll probably have to pay for your own and whatnot, and I'll be having an optional dinner thingy afterwards with my folks at the new Mexican restaurant nearby, so you're welcome to come there, too. If you've got any questions, don't hesitate to ask! I won't hesitate to not answer them! I mean...answer them. Yes.

Happy Holidays, everybody! And don't you eat that yellow snow!

Date:	2003-12-15 08:23
Subject:	An a follow-up:
Security:	Public
Mood:	nerdy
Music:	Fanta Shokata!

I tell you, these things never get old...

Saddam Shokata!

XD

Date:	2003-12-15 08:23
Subject:	Walkin' in a Winter WonderBLAH.
Security:	Public
Mood:	sick
Music:	Rod Stewart - First Cut Is The Deepest

Well, it appear that the Great Albino Piñata has decided to exact its revenge upon the land after its last efforts were all but washed away by the torrential rains of Sometime This Past Week. It's sleeting like there's no tomorrow out there, and there may well not be, at least schoolwise. Normally I'd be thrilled, except that last night I had to come to terms with that looming feeling of dread that comes with realizing that I'M GETTING SICK. Dagnabbit. I'd made it so relatively long, too. For me. Which is about, oh, two months. But this time, I'm pretty sure it means business.

I started getting that nasty, overstuffed feeling in the back of my already engorged sinuses sometime last night, just as I was heading to--surprise surprise--a Christmas party. I always get sick before parties. I would love to blame my sparse attendance of social gatherings on this fact, but in actuality I'm just a lazy antisocial bum, so that won't do. I'm not sure yet if it's a flu or just some vicious cold--there's the standard sore throat and congestion, but I've also got a mild headache--which is a big deal, because I never get headaches--and a dull, throbbing pain in my left shoulder. I don't even know WHAT that is. My mom assures me I'm too young to be having a heart attack. Gee, thanks, mom.

But things were better. We had the school Christmas concert earlier this week, which went surprisingly well--I daresay we sang the best that we had yet, which yields some nice results from the audience but left us vaguely worried before the performance that we were going to utterly suck. Especially on those P.D.Q. Bach songs, which half of the choir didn't even "get". Fortunately, it seems, kazoos make up for any dearth in talent with those songs. Yes, that's right, kazoos. I hadn't played one of those things in so long I'd forgotten how they worked, but man, it was rewarding the first time we pulled them out in "Good King Kong" and saw the audience's reaction. I also was, as per usual, hamming things up while singing, which you're SUPPOSED to do with that kind of music, but since nobody else was I stood out and got praised for it. Eh. Accidental talent's just as good as the legitimate stuff, I guess. Huzzah for me.

My mom informs me that the ache in my shoulder probably means I have the Flu. I don't think I've really had "the flu" in a long time, so I don't remember that part, but GOSH it sucks. It's like having an unscratchable itch. Fortunately it's my left arm, so my right is still good for some Unreal Tournament lovin', which I think I good and well need right now. The most depressing and ironic part about all this is that I went in to get a flu shot this week, and they were all out. Apparently that's the case all around the country. Personally, I'm wondering if that saved me from an even crueler fate; a friend of ours had a daughter who went in for the shot, and contracted the virus either the day before or the day after...and as a result got struck twice as hard. Unf. I'ma go get some soup. >.<

I was considering, for my next installment of "Crappy Webcam Pic of Tom...Of the Day!" (which is sure to become a trend here) posting a picture of the face I've been making with ever torturous sip of this vile, horrible "flu-eaze" concoction which my mom fixed up. At first taste, your mouth sends the message, "Mmm, lemon!" and then immediately afterwards screams in agony "SHIT! Lemon SHIT! AUUUUGH!" and tries to induce the gag reflex. Supposedly, this is good for me. Anyhow, I decided that a shot of me convulsing in vomitous distaste probably isn't the kind of picture of me I want spread around. So, instead, please enjoy this picture of me bustin' out tha' m4d k4z00 sk1llz, y0. No, I am NOT getting inebriated here. Seriously! ¬.¬

Date:	2003-12-11 15:24
Subject:	And all the vampires, walkin' through the valley...
Security:	Public
Mood:	weird
Music:	Tom Petty - Free Fallin'

Sooo. I broke up with my girlfriend today.

*hits self* Geez, way to keep your journal updated, loozer! >.<

It was a lot less painful than I thought, as far as I could tell, but it was sort of a long time coming and not really the fault of anything other than our incongruities. We don't have a lot in common. That makes spending meaningful time together sorta tough, ya know? Eh. I'd rather not talk about it. There isn't much to talk about. I know I enjoyed a lot of the time we had together, but that had faded...and that's not the kind of relationship I wanna continue with. Better for both of us, and whatnot. And, for the record: 6 MONTHS 23 DAYS -- NEW HIGH SCORE!!

Geez, I'm a nerd.

In other news, I visited (among other places) the dentist yesterday, to inspect my first "wisdom tooth", which is abrasively poking through the upper back left of my mouth. The pain isn't much now, but I've been assured that it WILL be. Joy. So, I had them stick my head in what looks like a giant human can-opener, which took pictures of my teeth and also probably exposed them to enough radiation to give them extraordinary super powers. A few minutes later, the dentist returned with the panoramic. My wisdom teeth are coming in, alright...sideways. Well, at least the bottom ones are. Seriously, it looks as though the things had a little too much plaque-nog at the annual Tom's Mouth Co. Christmas Party and completely forgot that TEETH are supposed to be PARALLEL to each other. I imagine a regular polaroiding of my orthodontics would reveal something resembling the world's slowest car wreck. The dentist tells me that I WILL need to get them out, which I suppose is a pain, but I expect the pain of NOT having them out would be far greater. My mom, therefore, has decided that the best, least-intrusive time for me to get the surgery would in fact be during Christmas vacation. OH, JOY. What's more, both my parents tell me that theirs, and most peoples', have come in almost exactly the same way. Buh? Who thought that would be a good idea? Whoever named them "wisdom teeth" needs to be drug out into the street and...given a root canal. XP

Finally, I appear to have a new pet:

Date:	2003-12-06 09:34
Subject:
Security:	Public
Mood:	cheerful
Music:	Frank Zappa - Yellow Snow

The Great Albino Piñata of the Sky has opened up, spewing forth a beautiful blizzard of confetti snow, moist enough to stick to everything around--branches, railings, wicket chairs--but cold enough to stay firm and fresh. I'm out of school today, too, which is a wonderful, wonderful thing, seeing as the first copy of a seven page research project was supposed to be due today, and I am, err, still in the "research" phases. And, since my project's topic is the success of Everquest and other online games, I think you all pretty much know what that means. Yes, Tom has finally given in to the pangs of his EQ withdrawal. At the very least, the game's a lot better now, and less time consuming...well, it takes less time to get anything accomplished, at least. I'm still spending far too many hours on there, but meh, I think I can handle things. Just so long as I get this farkin' research done. Meh.

Oh, by the way, I've actually found another game which has been able to occasionally break up my Everquest sessions. It's called Gunbound, and if you've ever played "Worms", or like good games, then you'll love it. Or not. I realize that most of the folks who read this, if at all, aren't exactly the gaming audience. But I have hope. And now it is my intention to sit down and play videogames for several hours.

What Type of Monkey Are YOU? by Neev
Name
Type	Plague Monkey
Favorite Food	George W. Bush (Jr.)
Habitat	Top Secret Underground Lab
Created with quill18's MemeGen!

Neev...that's the best. meme. EVAR. I'm a little disturbed that I'm feasting on the SON of our president...which actually implies that he *shudder* procreates. Ah, well...wait! If I'm a monkey, and I eat Dubya, doesn't that make me a cannibal? O_o

For those parties interested, I just experienced CONTENT DELETED DUE TO SHEER GASTROINTESTINAL UNPLEASANTNESS.

Therefore, I will never, ever eat at the truckstop again. I could explain why I did eat at my place of work even though I see exactly how they make the "Food", but the reasons are long and overly complicated.

I'ma go get some Pepto.

Date:	2003-11-13 16:08
Subject:	THAARRR SHE BLOWS!
Security:	Public
Mood:	bouncy
Music:	IN FLANDERS FIELD THE POPPIES GROW...

[french accent] Ze Computer! She is hear! MAN ZE POWER CORDS! PREPARE ZE GRAPHICS CARD!

LE SPLOOOOUSH!

VIIIICTOLY!!!
[/french accent]

Ohhhh yeah. Computer's here, alright. It appears that, in spite of the rediculous wind that's currently trying to knock my house over (and presumably a few mail trucks, too) the package was able to get here. They left it on my front step. No, seriously. $750 of fragile electronic equipment, sitting on my doorstep for who knows how long. But you know what? I'm happy. It's better than NOT getting it today :D

I have made a decison that, seeing there is no feasible way I'm going to get this vicious english project done by tomorrow without contacting my old friend Dr. Peabody and using his "Wayback Machine" to travel back in time to a period when I DID have time to finish it (hilarity ensues!), I'm adopting the "screw this" approach and plan on thoroughly enjoying my new machine, officially dubbed Bertoxxulous, who I have yet to give her first run. Everything looked alright from the shipping except for one of the drives, which had gotten slid back a little in the case which was resolved easily enough. I only have now to move the 300 pound computer desk and commence with all the unpluggings. Fun stuff. Wish me luck ^_^

On a side note, I'll be singing in our county's All-County Chorus concert tonight (which is another reason I've adopted the "screw this" plan) and expect to do well. I've had the weird-ass songs we're preforming stuck in my head all day, including an especially cool one called "Flanders Field" which is about, not surprisingly, death. World War I-level death, to be exact.

IN FLANDERS FIELD THE POPPIES GROW BETWEEN THE CROSSES ROW ON ROW THAT MARK OUR PLACE AND IN THE SKY THE LARKS STILL BRAVELY SINGING FLY...and so on for about twenty measures. Yes, the life of the tenor...'tis difficult, but I'll survive. Huttah.

print out million dollars bill.exe

Date:	2003-11-11 16:35
Subject:	Hrmm...
Security:	Public
Mood:	thoughtful
Music:	Spike Jones - Hawaiian War Chant

This shows you where my values are. I got home today and started cursing the fact that it was Veteran's Day because that meant my long-awaited computer would be yet another day (Oh, Bertoxxulous, how I yearn for you!). Then I realized: it's freakin' Veterans Day. For, you know, veterans. That died so I can have my stupid computer in the first place...with an English keyboard. Sure, it can be a pain to find those unlats when I want to be cool (alt-0252 = ü, for those who don't know ;D) but at least I don't NEED them. So, as piteous an offering as it is, my heart, mind, and prayers go out to all those in service currently, and my deepest appreciation to those who have given their lives, their health, or their time to keep this country going. Yeah, it's got its problems, but I'm glad I can enjoy it anyway. Sure beats Russia.

Date:	2003-11-04 15:07
Subject:	Questions, answers...
Security:	Public
Mood:	relieved
Music:	E.L.O. - Mr. Blue Sky

A correction: God is not the teacher who tells you you're failing.

God is finding out that said teacher is an obstinate fucktard, and completely botched your grade calculations, so that you're in fact passing with fly-freaking-colors.

That is all. ^_^

God is the woman who pulls her SUV up and helps you jump-start your car after school. That's obvious.

But is God the teacher who tells you you've passed the term paper, but are still failing the fucking class?