Pattern People

Pattern People

:: 2005 24 August :: 9.18pm

I can never be sick from school EVER AGAIN
My mommy got an old-fashioned lawn mower. You know. The kind you push and the blades rotate and it makes you wonder how it cuts grass.

I don't know why but I've always wanted one. She said it was because the other one is too hard to push and get out. She also said that the riding lawn mower was too much of a hassle and missed too many spots.

She's lucky my dad's the lawn and garden buyer. Or maybe that's why she asks, because she knows she can get it.

Either way, it does cut grass. It cuts grass really well. So well, in fact, that I might volunteer to cut the grass.

However, Mom tested it out on the front yard and it did nothing to improve the looks at all. It's just as ugly, if not more so. We have this fungus in the middle of the yard in the shape of the letter c. Weeds and crabgrass cover every other part of the yard. (Except for where it touches the neighbor's yard and his fertilizer was inadvertently spread upon some of our yard. I wouldn't be surprised if it was on purpose, as some kind of hint. "Look at how beautiful your yard can be!" If it was, sorry, guy, our well is broken and we can't water the yard. Nice suggestion though.)

I read the funniest thing yesterday. I was reading 1984 because I love those kinds of books. Someone was talking and it said they spoke "parenthetically" but the sentence they spoke was in parentheses. Most awesome thing ever. Oh, George Orwell, you slay me!

School's going fine, by the way. I'll speak more on the subject when I have time to sit down and let it all sink in.

For now, I'm off to read my Nancy Drew book. Number 32 and only cost me a dollar. I'm a sucker for Nancy Drew. You can blame my aunt Patty for that.

I love you all.

P.S. George Orwell (or shall I call him Eric Arthur Blair?) was fugly. Seriously. That had better just be a very bad picture of him (is that a mustache? If not, what is it?) because I don't know how I can love that man anymore. I'm kidding. He could be a 1000-pound woman and I'd still love him. (Not that way, Nick.)

2 comments | leave a comment

TaoMan1121

:: 2005 24 August :: 7.20pm
:: Mood: happy
:: Music: Interpol - Narc

Oh my god. What a day. Exhausting but excellent.

Things I Love:
1) This city
2) My iPod
3) My life

In that order. Anyway, made it out to Manhattan for the first time since getting down there. I can't explain it, but just walking out of the subway, the moment you get above ground and are thrown into the thick of things, there's a moment every time that makes me feel so alive. I went up there to get my student ID from the Graduate Center, so after doing that first thing (nice building, by the way), I decided to do some sightseeing. Visited the New York Public Library (beautiful architecture) and a couple of nearby parks. On my way to Manhattan, I read a blurb (which is like a mini-article, Michelle) about an art exhibit by Mark Mothersbaugh. Mark (we're not on a first-name basis, mind you, I just don't want to write out that last name again) was the lead singer of Devo (funky New Wave with weird red funnel hats that sung "Whip It") and he has also scored all of Wes Anderson films (Royal Tenenbaums, Life Aquatic). Despite being an accomplished artist, the catch is that he is severely near-sighted; he was even "declared" legally blind as a child. That said, I thought to myself, "How cool that I can just check this out on a whim?" So I went. The entrance to this gallery was a single door in between a cafe and a convience store, so needless to say it took a while to find. Talk about a hole in the wall. The entrance leads to this bar area (which had a very charming condemned quality to it) where there was absolutely no one. One scruffy looking guy finally came out of (literally) nowhere and said hello. I told him I was there for the exhibit and he directed me to the back of the establishment. The whole thing was kind of broke-ass, but a couple of the paintings were pretty interesting (I took a couple pics on my phone, once I figure out how to transfer them, I'll try and post 'em). But the thing I really love about this city is even when something goes wrong (I got slightly lost between the subway and the exhibit), there's a good likelihood you'll run into something awesome that equals it all out; I discovered a very cool record shop (called Other Music) directly across from a Tower Records that ate up 45 wonderful minutes of my life. Alas, I am a cheap ass and didn't buy anything, mostly due to the fact that I knew I was going to pick up the Special Edition of Interpol's Antics on the way home (which is seemingly scrumpous I must add).

Sorry, that was way longer than I thought it would be, but I thought it was an amusing anecdote, and one representative of my experience over here so far.

By the way, while my futon mattress is intimidatingly huge (I'm hoping that it'll flatten out a bit after some use), it is delicious.

Oh yeah, I found a faster way home from the Queens mall/Target/Best Buy complex. Saves at least 10 minutes for the walk. I rock.

5 comments | leave a comment

TaoMan1121

:: 2005 23 August :: 7.04pm
:: Mood: bouncy
:: Music: Mates of State - The Kissaway

Guess it's time to stop buying baby carrots.

12 comments | leave a comment

Angel_Bob

:: 2005 21 August :: 9.46pm

Oh and I don't know if I mentioned this or not but I have an interview tomorrow at 9:30 for a job at the Aquinas library.

I'm pretty sure I'll get it. I was the first person to respond.

I love you all.

1 comment | leave a comment

Angel_Bob

:: 2005 21 August :: 9.00pm

So I have my first math class on Tuesday. And I can't find my calculator.

I found my black sharpie (I noticed it was missing this morning), my copy of Le Petit Prince (which has been missing since our Mardi Gras project for French class. It was in the box with supplies that I took to school.) and this gold glitter thing that is involved in another story that proves I'm insane.

But no calculator. I figure I've got a while to find it. I only have math on Tuesdays and Fridays and I probably won't need it the first day.

Stressing out about it isn't helping either.

I love you all.

1 comment | leave a comment

angel_bob

:: 2005 21 August :: 10.35am

I start college tomorrow at eight o'clock.

Wow.

2 comments | leave a comment

TaoMan1121

:: 2005 19 August :: 6.26pm
:: Music: Kevin Shields - Are You Awake?

No cuts for you!
I love the randomness of my iPod. I also love discovering new songs:

SR-71 - Non-Toxic
I'm one of those things you save forever but never need
Like an old newspaper no one has time to read
This child has grown into a dead end
Since I lost the power to pretend

But it's alright, that's who I am inside
Not much to say on this non-toxic, ordinary day

That's no superhero standing right in front of us
So take this pocket full of kryptonite and beat it back to Metropolis
There's only room for one on this microphone
In my finest hour I'm still alone

But old news can change, as memories float downstream
So don't judge me by my failures, only by my dreams

Eh, that's my hope and despair all rolled into one neat little ball. At least I know which one will prevail. And this one just keeps coming back around for another go. This one is going in the vaults:

Snow Patrol - Run
I'll sing it one last time for you
Then we really have to go
You've been the only thing that's right
In all I've done

And I can barely look at you
But every single time I do
I know we'll make it anywhere
Away from here

Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you dear

Louder louder
And we'll run for our lives
I can hardly speak I understand
Why you can't raise your voice to say

To think I might not see those eyes
Makes it so hard not to cry
And as we say our long goodbye
I nearly do

Light up...

Slower slower
We don't have time for that
All I want is to find an easier way
To get out of our little heads

Have heart my dear
We're bound to be afraid
Even if it's just for a few days
Making up for all this mess

Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you dear

1 comment | leave a comment

TaoMan1121

:: 2005 19 August :: 5.36pm
:: Mood: overwhelmed/sad
:: Music: Death Cab - Expo '86

i am waiting for things to go wrong/i'm waiting for familiar results...
OK, so everyone blew an update-nut the past couple of days, so I didn't want to miss the train.

I hate not having the internet.

Maybe it�s just because I�ve been kind of lonely the last couple days, but why the hell eat out at a restaurant with another person if all you�re going to do is read a trashy romance novel while you eat in silence?

I feel so overwhelmed. It's so loud in this diner and I've got so many things, so many people floating through my brain. So much to do and twice the options.

I need quiet. I need distraction.

I feel like I'm being born right here, right now, sitting in this diner, writing this. Not a clean, tidy spiritual renewal ripe with epiphanies and doors opening, but instead a much more realistic delivery. The blood, sweat, and tears that move this machine and the faith that I made the right choice.

1 comment | leave a comment

angel_bob

:: 2005 18 August :: 8.33am

pointless rant
So...tired...

I want to sleep in but I can't. Maybe Wednesday I'll be able to.

I love you all.

leave a comment

Angel_Bob

:: 2005 17 August :: 6.39pm

Tomorrow starts my three-day orientation at Aquinas.

Thursday, I'll go with my parents at around noon and do some things. They'll leave at 7 and I'll be stuck having to socialize. I can't believe I got into an unsocialble funk this close to school starting.

Friday, I'll get there at SEVEN THIRTY IN THE MORNING and do some more stuff UNTIL MIDNIGHT. I wonder if they realize that we're starting school soon.

Saturday, I don't have to be there until 11ish and I only have to stick around until 10 or so.

What sucks is the fact that, after orientation, I can't really hang out with anyone. I need to get to sleep at a reasonable hour and all that jazz. Anyway, Orientation information is here, if you're bored.

I start school on Monday!

I'm excited except for the fact that I spaced my classes out weirdly and I gave myself an early class. I'm not smart. Hopefully it won't be too bad.

Plus, I don't have a car so I'll be driving my mom's van until I get my own car. It's going to suck. I'm not even on the insurance yet and I start school on Monday. Maybe I can stay over at Nick's occasionally. He's only about two miles away from school.

I hope everyone's doing okay. I miss you already. E-mail me your addresses and jazz so I can send you letters.

I love you all.

2 comments | leave a comment

angel_bob

:: 2005 17 August :: 6.13pm

Remember that hot girl I met at Aquinas?

Behold and beware for her hotness is blindingly so!

Too bad she's interested in men. Hee.

1 comment | leave a comment

TaoMan1121

:: 2005 17 August :: 11.31am
:: Mood: excited
:: Music: Weezer - This Is Such A Pity

- First off, headlines:

FIONA APPLE RETURNS

FIONA APPLE will release her long-delayed third album, "Extraordinary Machine," on October 4th. The singer-songwriter began recording the follow-up to 1999's "When the Pawn . . ." with producer JON BRION (AIMEE MANN, KANYE WEST) in 2003, but the album was shelved by Epic. Though eleven songs from "Extraordinary" surfaced online, Apple continued work on the set with producers MIKE ELIZONDO
(DR. DRE, SNOOP DOGG) and BRIAN KEHEW (BECK, EELS). The twelve-track CD will include new material, as well as reworked versions of the songs leaked online.

(Longest six years of my life. I heart Fiona.)

P. Diddy Shortens Name to Diddy

Rap mogul Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs has unveiled his new stage moniker - he wants to be called just Diddy. Combs - who changed his name from Puff Daddy and Puffy before adopting the name P. Diddy in 2001 - announced his moniker change in New York City yesterday. He tells MTV News, "It's five letters, one word. The name is changed. We made it simpler. We removed the P. The P was getting in between us. We're entering the age of Diddy. A lot of my peeps in music been calling me Diddy, so it's not a drastic change for them. But people around the world didn't know what to call me. We was at (Madison Square Garden) rocking with Jay-Z. The last time I was there, half the crowd was chanting 'P Diddy', half the crowd chanting 'Diddy'. We gonna stop the confusion. 'Diddy. Diddy, Diddy!' Simple. To the point and it sounds strong. It sounds like something is about to happen. It sounds like something is about to go down in history." Combs plans a special "unveiling of Diddy" ceremony when he hosts the MTV Video Music Awards in Miami on August 28. He adds, "You gonna see that in the entrance. You gonna see that swagger. You gonna see how I'm gonna navigate you through the journey."

(I was going to shorten that one, just leave the general gist of the article, but I didn't want to take away from one ounce of the idiocy.)

- OK, so they're coming out with a 10th Anniversary edition of Toy Story. I feel old now.

- Concerts. I. want.
David Gray @ Radio City Music Hall
Across the Narrows (Killers + Interpol)
NIN/QOTSA @ Madison Square
Weezer/Foo Fighters (where? when? Damn you, Pollstar, inform me!)
Death Cab (tomorrow. Central Park. how much? must research)

- All this stuff to do and I'll still be broke and bored by the end of September. :-)

- Still need to make that Aristocrats list. Another time, perhaps.

Now that I've got that out of the way...

- Signed my lease on Monday and the 'rents helped get everything in. Nothing really got damaged, but a few of my posters got a little wrinkled up in the process, which I was kind of sad about, especially because one was the Porsche poster Joe gave me (still looks good above the TV though). Changed phone number to a local area code so if you've tried to call me in the last 24 hours you probably haven't gotten through. I'll send out an e-mail re: that ASAP. Finally changed address. Parents bought me a nice futon. And gave me cash. They really do kick major ass. Yeah, I'm a good son (and a good person) but I'm not worth all their tears. I feel so guilty because I can't return them...

It's only been 3 days, but things are going better than expected down here. I do need groceries though; maybe I'll do that next.

...

That said, I miss you.

4 comments | leave a comment

taoman1121

:: 2005 14 August :: 12.43pm

Goodbye (to all that).