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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Sick Sucks, and other things that are better

I thought today would be the day my cold would end.  But it wasn't.  Doesn't being sick suck?  You never realize how well you feel on a regular basis until you are sick.  Then you yearn for the times you felt good and make a promise never to take your wellness for granted.  But then you forget.

I've had my cold since I woke up at 6 a.m. Saturday to go in to teach my 4 hour lecture. I thought I would come out of it that day, so I went home, exercised, and showered.  Then before I went to dinner at my parents' house that night as a "reunion" since they got back from Italy, it hit me.  I felt terrible.

The dinner itself was good, but I felt like I was going to fall asleep at the table.  Yes, the pictures were nice.  Yes, the food was good.  But I realized that I was run down.  And I still am as I continued to go to work and teach this week, despite being extremely tired and achy. 

A small few family members have followed up to see how I was doing, along with a few friends, but that's it.  When you're sick and it's not happening to you, I guess you don't care.  C'est la vie. La vie.  Get it?  If you've seen "Easy A" you might.  That's a gem I'm keeping. 



But I'm hoping that I finally vanquish my fever that has been persistent, along with my cough and aches, by Friday.  I'm taking it easy as best I can in the little time I have at home, but just when I go to sleep it's seemingly time to wake up and do it all over again.  Here's to getting well.

On a more interesting note, the fall TV season is in full swing and it's great.  With cable networks rolling out programming all year long, it's detracts from the fall season. Personally I feel like I've had new shows to watch all summer, a time when reruns and reality shows sated the cable-waves.

Yes, I'll admit, it was sad to see summer shows "Weeds" (SPOILER ALERT: DO NOT READ FURTHER IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO KNOW THE END, BUT SKIP TWO PARAGRAPHS AHEAD) end, along with "True Blood," but at least we had something to follow each week. 
With "Weeds" the question might be for next year, "Who Shot Nancy Botwin?"  But if you look closely, there was a silencer on the gun and the shot we heard could have been someone taking out the shooter, who I think was the son of the DEA agent vowing revenge at the end of an earlier season. "True Blood,"  on the other hand, ended in horror with Tara dying on the floor in Sookie's arms after Debbie has shot her (Sookie took out Debbie).  Nan Flanagan is dead and it seems there will be hell to pay from the authority. 

But as for fall shows starting up, the NBC comedy block of "30 Rock," the ever better "Parks and Recreation," and the underrated but hysterical "Community" have all started back up in full swing. 
I'm excited for the upcoming fall season and I hope you all are too.  There's too much good TV out there.  As for new shows, I watched "The Playboy Club" for about 20 minutes and decided its premise and plot lines are ridiculous. I tried "Pan Am" and found it a little boring, but it wasn't terrible and has some potential. 

Aside from that I will need to catch up on "Person of Interest" and "A Gifted Man." I'm super excited for the fall TV season and even more excited to have some nice crisp, cool weather with leaves changing and the smell of wood burning in people's fireplaces in the air.  I hope that you are excited about fall as well not only because of the weather and new TV, but also because it's football season! Have a great night.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

First Year at Deacon's Walk/LOST in Deacon's Walk

So the vlog has been going a lot better lately, mainly because I have gotten back to basics in keeping with the video styling of Mr. Ethan M. Roth and his ASU vlog.  This was at the request of MoreBattleCat, so last night's video was more about my day, upcoming events, and a couple of things that annoyed me. Again, MoreBattleCat asked so I shared.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF2M9mjcx8Q

I had said in the beginning I wasn't sure what this blog was going to be about; I did the Lost in Deacon's Walk video on Monday night because I wanted to be creative and different.  Who knows?  Maybe I will intersperse more ideas and themes from Lost as it applies to my house and to the neighborhood of Deacon's Walk.

So at least for last night, the WaWa Initiative could wait; I'm sure we will explore it in other videos.  I discussed the estate and special needs trust, and the problems of my students texting in class last night.  To catch up, here is the link.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zjx2rBt7Ek

One thing I do wish I knew how to better do was edit videos, but I just found a feature on youtube called video editor, so maybe I'll check it out tonight and see if it will help.  Myself talking might be interesting to some, but I've got to spice it up and make it different somehow. 

So that was the video two days ago.  If you saw it and didn't know me, you might think I was a weirdo. But I'm not.  Trust me.  At least I don't think so, although others might disagree.  Ethan M. Roth (second from left) and crew: they do an interesting youtube video channel so subscribe!

Next, if I may, I'd like to put a plug in for my videos.  I'd love to have more subscribers to my youtube channel and I'd like you all to see me in action.  Even if you're bored, subscribe once, and then delete all subsequent alerts that I've posted videos, that's ok.  But at least give them a try.

After an irksome experience in the testing center today with one particularly ignorant male student trying to showcase bravado, tonight I will discuss this further along with much much more!  Please watch and subscribe!!!! I thank you, Husky Taco thanks you, as do Battlecat and Mickey. 
Mickey



Also, just got an invite to Google+ and am uber excited!  If anyone wants an invite let me know and have a great day!

Battlecat's sister, Oreo

Taco!

Monday, September 19, 2011

Lost in Deacon's Walk



Well, the videos for the vlog got off to a semi-rocky start, but I think we've now found our groove thanks to comment posters.  While first year at Deacon's Walk day (whatever) sounded interesting and I was trying to model my vlog after the guys at ASU,  I think there is much mystery surrounding my neighborhood, house, and inhabitants that's too good to pass up.  We are now Lost in Deacon's Walk. 

Subscribe and comment, as I love hearing from all of you.  It's been a fun project, and hopefully it will only get better with time.  Here's a link to what you might have missed.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyDDuGGLZQ4

Last night Black Taco (Mickey) and Battlecat were engaged in a battle royale downstairs.  Lots of noise was heard; as you saw I was attempting to contact Chloe O'Brian for help a la Jack Bauer but was unsuccessful initially.  24 was trying to invade a world of Lost and it kind of worked initially, but we realized we were in the wrong show. 

In the video we were able to reach Chloe, who informed us of a silence downstairs that was eerie.  More comments and subscribers came to the Vlog, and I think it was the best video yet, despite one of my viewers bemoaning a lack of production value and my intentionally backwards sign. But when you're dealing with others, other others (cats), and possible smoke monsters and other mayhem in the hatch (to be introduced tonight I hope), production value matters less. 

We either live together, or die alone.  The saga continues tonight and I'm not sure what we will encounter when we attempt to enter the hatch.  The hatch, you say?  Yes, the door was welded shut and Taco had to use the litter box, so he improvised by exploding something since he couldn't get through.

And now we have another area to explore tonight.  Hopefully the other others will make an appearance and perhaps we can finally understand them.

One of my viewers suggested a rap battle between myself and Battlecat, but as I already told them, even in the mysterious place of Deacon's Walk cats can't rap.  And neither can I.  But, stranger things have happened.  Tune in tonight at I'm not sure what time, but definitely closer to 7 or 8 pm.  If you like these videos, subscribe!!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

The YouTube Chronicles



Last night as I was browsing through You Tube after a long day (just to see what's new and exciting, and to view some old favorites like man getting hit by ice cream truck), I came across a subscription channel and was immediately hooked.

This channel is a vlog (video blog) of a student from Arizona State University which chronicles his daily life at school.  Most broadcasts are a minute and a half, but some are longer.  The idea seemed really cool and I began watching.



The point of the vlog is to show what goes on with this kid's (Ethan M. Roth) friends, dorm, and school life.  I thought that it was fascinating, even though I don't know any of the people involved.  However, I soon felt like I knew them after watching some of the videos. 

They let me into their world, and it got me thinking: I need a hobby, and maybe this could be it.  So tonight I am going to attempt to upload a video of myself to youtube.  I haven't quite decided the format, or what to call my youtube channel, but many possibilities are running through my mind.

But it will definitely be a brief summary of the day, and perhaps a word of the day.  I don't know but I need something for my schtick.  My roommate Dave Robles and I used to have a word of the day in college on our bulletin board outside the dorm room.  We picked interesting (to us) words and wrote definitions of them.  People would come by every day to look for the word, and sometimes got upset if we were too busy and forgot. 

We were usually pretty unique in our selections and came up with some good sentences relating to Holy Cross and the people we knew.  Sometimes we got lazy with words, such as with antidisestablishmentarianism.  I think our sentence was "Don't display such antidisestablishmentarianism." or something lame like that.

Other times, we were better, such as with tyro (a novice or newcomer): Danielle, the new Community Development Coordinator of Hanselman hall, is the tyro of our group because she has not been here long.  Now, if you didn't know what tyro meant before, now you do!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elPI1KBG-tY

Ethan's vlog starts out with him mentioning which year (freshman or sophomore) and on which day his vlog takes place.  He usually then goes on to give a description of his day or whatever the topic of discussion is at hand, sometimes he has special guest stars, and he usually closes it by saying "Subscribe" (referring to his youtube channel).

So anyway, check out the ASU vlog on youtube and look for my video late tonight.  First though let's make sure I know how to videotape myself and put it up on youtube.  I'll try to have a special guest star tonight, although the only possibilities for that are Taco, Mickey, or Battlecat.  Here goes nothing.
Not Taco, but a very similar looking cat.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

They Shoot Horses, Don't They?




I saw a movie a few weeks ago.  It was a sad, dystopic movie.  I like those kinds of movies for some reason.  But even though it was made in 1969 and took place during the Great Depression, I feel like its themes are relevant today, especially in our terrible economy. 

Directed by Sidney Pollack ("Tootsie," "Three Days of the Condor," "Michael Clayton"), the film tells the story of Americans pinning their hopes on winning a dance marathon and a cash prize of $1500, quite a lot of money at that time.

Jane Fonda (clearly most famous to younger generations for the movie "Monster-in-Law" with Jennifer Lopez, although best known for her Oscar-winning turn in the movie "Klute" among other films in her career) is one of the main characters (or antagonists, you be the judge). 

Other stars of the film include Red Buttons (Academy Award winner, "Sayonara"), Bruce Dern (the one who turned in Charlize Theron's character in the fact-based "Monster" but was more famously in "Black Sunday" and "Coming Home"), and Bonnie Bedelia (Mrs. John McClain in "Die Hard").

I'm not here to inundate you with trivial minutiae regarding movies; I offer you context.  The original movie I was talking about, however, the one about the horses?  I think that if you watch it you might be able to relate to it.  Although some of its themes are extreme, it shows how far Americans will go for the almighty dollar.In the movie, young and old are competing in this brutal contest.

More poignantly, it shows what Americans will actually do (the original "dance marathon" in the movie soon becomes interspersed with track meets in between to weed out other couples as people are staying in the contest much longer than the emcee expects) and what ridiculous lengths they will go to for money to support themselves and their families. They are caught in the rat race because that is how we survive. 

The same thing holds true today.  You'll notice that although the prize in the movie remains the same, the task becomes more difficult.  There are no bonuses, there are no extra rewards.  The people in the movie are being asked to work tremendously harder and longer in order to earn the same pay.

The film also shows the strength of the American spirit.  The characters are mired in the Great Depression and are fighting for their economic and social survival, much as we are today. I understand that today's so-called "Great Recession" is not nearly as bad as what Americans experienced in the 20s and 30s, but it certainly is the worst financial crisis many of us have seen in our lifetimes. 

"They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"  shows how dire the economic situation is for the people in the movie.  Although its overtones are sad and the story does not seem to offer much in terms of a happy ending, we need to remember that, as Arwen stated in "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," there is still hope.

We are all hoping for a better future and for the economy to improve.  We still hope.

We are underemployed and exhausted.  We work, but for what?  But we still hope it will get better.

Back to the movie: do you really think that if you're told you're going to win $1500, you will get exactly $1500?  Maybe some people believe that.  But others of us know that taxes, fees, and other expenses eat away at the salaries we receive.  But we still hope.

We pinned our hope on Barack Obama.  I personally am almost at the end of my rope with him.  But ahead of his jobs speech, I still hope for a better tomorrow.

Watch the movie if you like good cinema and in particular if you like Sidney Pollack.  Don't watch the movie if you don't like dystopic themes, motifs, or symbolism, though.  But most importantly don't lose hope.  We will come out stronger than ever, regardless of how long it takes.