Trenchcoat Jedi's Realm of Stuffness

2003-04-21T16:32:00.000-04:00

This blog has moved to www.trenchcoatjedi.com. Please update links accordingly. In two weeks this will be replaced with a re-direct.

-J

2003-04-18T23:11:00.000-04:00

I don't know what happened to my comments. This will all be resolved when I move to the new server and use the awe-inspring Movable Type. UPDATE: The server that hosts the comments is down for the weekend. I know you all want to bitch me out but you'll have to wait until at least Monday. Opeth - In My Time of Need

2003-04-18T15:20:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the sage-like advice of many of the club elders and the awesome internet savvy of Sam, this blog will be moving to www.trenchcoatjedi.com sometime within the next few days. I have to say that last nights club meeting was great. Some of the best conversations in a long time were held. I'm not sure which book it was, but Hal let me read a pretty decent comic that was really well done. Also I'm now very interested in reading The Maxx in comic form. If anyone has this, I would like to borrow it. It will be returned in the same condition it is lent in. Much of the atmosphere of the club was enhanced by the absence of one Sketchy McChickenhawk. However someone (no accusations will be made, but c'mon) called in and cancelled our usual club meeting room. We ended up meeting on the 6th floor which worked out well since much of the clubs' membership was not present. Elections/Nominations were done and the position of Vice-President was bestowed upon me. Makido brought his Heroclix and there were games going on all night which were fun to participate in and listen to. I began reading the "published" copy of Hal's novel Scaevola on the train home and I have to say that I have enjoyed the little that I've read so far. In Flames - Dawn of a New Day

2003-04-16T09:49:00.000-04:00

I registered for classes yesterday. Here's the low down: Toxicology Immunology Environmental Science Intermediate German I I only have classes T,W,R which rocks more than I can comprehend at the given moment. All I'm waiting for is the Chemistry department to come down with a TAing assignment for me and life will get really good. The Zeke/Sean water pouring incident has spawned a very interesting blog war. Zeke's account vs. Sean's account. I wasn't a witness to this act but I'm going to venture a guess and say that Zeke was justified. Someone posted a comment on Sean's blog which completely vilifies him. It is quite an indictment. Symphony X - The Turning

2003-04-14T20:13:00.000-04:00

Poem on an NYU wall: No War in Iraq! Too late bitch At The Gates - Slaughter of the Soul

2003-04-14T13:42:00.000-04:00

In Molec Cell this semester exists one of the most anger-inducing undergraduates I have ever had the displeasure of interacting with. To respect privacy I will call him TC. He sits in the first seat in the first row of the lecture hall. TC always insists on correcting the professor with his information. He insists on refuting every point made in class. When the lecturer asks if anyone knows an answer to a question, without fail his hand is raised aloft. He is yet to give a correct answer this year. Why can't he shut up? If you knew everything asshole we'd be paying large sums to hear your voice. But we're not. So be quiet. This dude also makes it his personal mission in life to solve everyone's problems. I was conversing with someone else in the class and he decided he would come over and give me advice. Out of respect of the fact that the infamous Dr. S was within earshot, I treated him with courtesy. If he ever bothers me with his piddling babble again I will be forced to express my true feelings to him. It's sad that he's from Westchester and the son of two doctors (he made sure very quickly that EVERYONE in the class new this). TC's college admissions were probably due to a "developmental donation" since I know he routinely scores below average on tests in the class and TC seems to do no work. Yet, he's set for life. Sonata Arctica - Land of the Free

2003-04-11T20:16:00.000-04:00

I hate golf. It is a game that wastes two Rhode Islands and a Delaware of the surface area of our country. It is a pointless and moreover boring game. However, as much as it hurts me to do this, I have to defend golfers in this instance. Martha Burk needs to shut her mouth. All of her feminist supporters need to shave their armpits, put down their signs and get real jobs. For those unaware, the PGA Tour plays the annual Masters Championship at a golf course in Georgia called Augusta National. This bitch, Martha Burk has made it her own personal goal to force a PRIVATE club to alter its rules on membership claiming it's no-female members policy is discrimination. To her I say this:

Men need a place to cavort with other men away from women. That's why we play poker, go to strip clubs, concerts, sporting events and other traditionally male events. We pick events women won't be interested in to get the hell away from you. We can talk the way we think, burp, scratch our scrotums and free ourselves of the pressures of daily life. This is why Augusta National doesn't want to admit women. All of their members would see no point in coming to the club since they would have to guard themselves just like at home or at work.
Augusta National is a PRIVATE institution. This means they can admit who they want to. There are plenty of golf courses that admit women. If you want to play golf that badly, there are pleny of places you can go. Remember that whole Citadel situation? They didn't admit women either until a court order forced them to. What happened? The woman left the institution less than a week later because she couldn't hack it. You see women clamoring to go to male only colleges but if a guy wanted to go to Bryn Mawr, it would be unthinkable.
Burk wants investment houses and banks to divest themselves of holdings in companies that have employees as members of Augusta National and she wants shareholders to pass resolutions to forbid membership in sexist organizations. She also claims that The Masters is an insult to the armed forces. I wish I was making this up.
Has this woman realized the costs that will be incurred in allowing female members? No, she hasn't. The construction and maintenance of women's lockers and showers alone would probably cost close to a million dollars at a top club like Augusta National. Separate facilities for all additional activites would be even more. This would raise costs across the board and cause a loss in membership.

Instead of disturbing the shit and fucking things up for many people, why can't she open her own golf course only for women? I don't think you'd see men outside protesting with signs then. If this is an example of the feminist movement today, stick a fork in it, because it's done. Feminists want equality when it's convenient. Instead of fighting where discrimination still exists (for example, the Selective Service Registration), they promote pointless activism for the sake of activism. They still leave all the hard work for men. Fairyland - Ride With The Sun

2003-04-10T00:41:00.000-04:00

It's time for another action-packed Adventures of the Asinine! An NYU student protest on tuesday drew 15 rain-soaked protesters to Gould Plaza. Fanatics could be seen holding posterboard signs with unreadable messages since all the ink was running. The waterlogged drum really added to this display of inanity. Unfortunatley I found out that the Biology department does not hire undergrads to TA positions so my hopes of doing that this summer are dashed. The Chemistry department still hasn't gotten back to me on this yet. Being a TA is something that I would much enjoy and derive pleasure from. Nothing like torturing lackluster, indolent and shiftless pre-meds. In other good news, I have found out that the Physics department (after years of student and faculty complaints) is finally going to be overhauled and restructured. In Flames - Moonshield

2003-04-09T09:50:00.000-04:00

More fun with Quotes: "It's so sad. They don't have cancer. They're just midgets." - Unknown NYU cooze "We haven't invoked Oxygen yet." - Dr. David Scicchitano, Biology Professor "Omigod, Jay! You shouldn't make fun of people with cancer on your blog!" - Josephine, annoying twat Blind Guardian - Valhalla

2003-04-07T19:13:00.000-04:00

Fun with Quotes: "I like to call it Furmanski's Law. It states that cancer is a disease of exception." - Dr. Philip Furmanski, Biology Professor "For spring break I went to Disneyworld with a guy I met the day before!" - Lauren, Insipid STD carrier "I'm sorry sir, It seems we've delivered your iPod to the wrong location." - Kevin, Apple Computer Customer Service Representative Lacuna Coil - Tight Rope

2003-04-06T17:53:00.000-04:00

Last night, Zeke and I attended a screening of The Night Porter at the Museum of the Moving Image. I recommend this film to anyone who hasn't seen it. While slow paced, the tension does build as an escaped Nazi war criminal works as a porter in a Viennese hotel. One day, he recognizes a female guest as his concubine from the concentration camp in which he worked. Shortly thereafter, they fall into the same master/slave relationship while his war criminal pals urge him to kill her to protect themselves from prosecution. To give you an idea of MCAT Hell, I present Jay's MCAT Essay Template™. Fill in the blanks appropriatley and watch your MCAT essay score soar! Here is a sample prompt taken from the MCAT official website: The public's right to know must sometimes take precedence over an individual's right to privacy. Write a unified essay in which you perform the following tasks. Explain what you think the above statement means. Describe a specific situation in which an individual's right to privacy might justifiable take precedence over the public's right to know. Discuss what you think determines when the public's right to know is more important than the individual's right to privacy. As you can see, each prompt has three terms in it. In this case term one is "the public's right to know," term two is "take precedence," and term three is "individual's right to privacy." All you have to do to get a perfect score is fill in the blanks! Jay's MCAT Essay Template™: Paragraph one / Task one (Reiterate MCAT prompt here) is a belief held by some people. (Definition of first term) depends on (definition of second term) to achieve (third term or definition of first term reiterated). (Definition of third term or definition of first term reiterated) is necessary for (second term using different vocabulary). For example, (Historical figure/group/book one) was/were only able to impact the world the way he/she/it/they did because of (first term). (Historical figure/group/book one) respected (term three) but in the specific historical context, (term one) (term two) over (term three). Paragraph two / Task two That of course is not always the case. (Historical figure/group/book two) impacted the world in a completely opposite way. (Two sentences about the historical context of said person/group/book). Through his/her/their/its actions (term one) had to be respected because of (term three). (Term three) was the only determining factor that applied to this case. Paragraph three / Task three (Reiterate prompt) can be affected by (useless PC buzzword one) and (useless PC buzzword two). (Useless PC buzzword one) is critical to involving (term one) with (term three). Only by achieving harmony between (term one) and (term three) can the situation be rectified. (Useless PC buzzword two) is also critical since it affects all facets of the situation. (Historical figure/group/book one) had (Useless PC buzzword two) and because of this he/she/they/it was/were motivated to respect (term three) with his/her/their/its clear judgement. Follow those simple outlines and you're 10/12ths of the way to a perfect essay score. As you may have inferred if you're still reading that the essay portion of the MCAT is useless. Anyone who has done ten practices and has a conception of our language can nail this sucker. It amazes me that so many future doctors bomb this section worse than any other by not having the capacity to organize simple, childish ideas on the world to form a coherent cookie-cutter essay. I fear our nations doctors sometimes. Opus Atlantica - Endless Slaughter

2003-04-05T14:25:00.000-05:00

Bartertown was fun. It could have been better had people not forgotten to bring things to trade. The Haul:

A Sega Dreamcast Controller
Star Wars Trilogy box set
Vampi graphic novel
DBZ gay hentai
Rubik's Cube
Blood: The Last Vampire 2002 Manga
Final Fantasy VIII for PC
Venom pin

Overall, I came home with less than I brought so I consider it a successful trading day. In other news, Tozzi and I are planning a belated 21st birthday celebration for me the night of April 26th. We're thinking Karaoke. Let me know if you're interested or have a better suggestion for the night's activities. Random Metal News: Cradle of Filth's new album debuted at #140 on the Billboard 200 Album charts and at #3 on the Heatseekers chart. Incredible. People are finally realizing that Cradle's new album is the best thing they've ever done and it's worth listening to. I removed the Google link and added a link to one of my favorite sites called Multi-Babel which allows you to have lots of fun with Altavista's Babelfish translation service. Zeke's prized pet expired last night. Requiescat In Pace Venom Type O Negative - Wolf Moon

2003-04-04T13:19:00.000-05:00

The other day going through a pile of shit that was being thrown out at my friends building, I came upon a Porn video from 1987. I get home later and out of sheer curiosity as to what porn was like, I pop the tape into the VCR. Expecting to see coked up, waifish, body altered, and otherwise fake people, I was surprised. The actors and actresses were real people. Big hair and perms aside, they were not perfect. The women most notably were not implanted, waxed or collagen treated. They were also not sickly and stickly. I was really turned on by this. There were women who were slim, yes, but there were plenty of saftig women who were incredibly attractive. The men were not these muscle-bound assholes but average dudes. There were beer guts, handlebar moustaches and braided mullets. Granted while there were the obligatory cumshots which I am not fond of, this porn towers over anything produced in the last ten years. The people are genuine, what they are doing looks unrehearsed and passionate to some extent, and there are no fake people! Unbelievable. Is it too hard to find women who are not altered to do porn today? Is it too hard to find men who look normal? The answer to both of those queries is no. I don't understand why more real porn isn't made. I like to imagine real things for my fantasies. Somehow the porn of today does not cut it for me compared to the stuff from the 80s. Caveat: Rick, we know your opinion. Please don't comment. Skyfire - The Universe Unveils

2003-04-01T23:24:00.000-05:00

I'm going to start work on another mini-essay on what I specifically like about metal. I woud like to include links to some audio examples though. If anyone is willing to donate or knows where I can get around 60MB of storage space to host some mp3s temporarily, please email or other wise contact me. Opus Atlantica - Edge of the World

2003-03-31T21:48:00.000-05:00

God damn post office. I sent a postcard to England and it gets sent back to me for "lack of postage." I had put two $0.37 stamps on it. When I was there, people would send me letters with a single $0.35 stamp and they'd get to me fine. What the hell is wrong with the post office? Rhapsody - Rain of a Thousand Flames

2003-03-31T10:41:00.000-05:00

This will be a long post. Please READ it before commenting. As you all have gathered by now, I'm much more articulate when I write than I am in person. On being a Metalhead

Yes, I admit it. I am a metalhead. There are many reasons but I think the most obvious is that I derive pleasure from listening to heavy metal music. It is a style I got interested in for varied reasons. Firstly, I was tired of listening to the same non-descript crap, day in and day out that blared from the radios around me. Second, I wanted a style that was inventive and constantly built upon earlier works. Third, I wanted a style where it takes talent and musicianship to write a good song. Anyone who has played guitar for two years can assemble a simple four chord melody. This could not keep my interest, so I found something new.

Granted the archetype I have just layed out can be said of jazz or other styles of music as well. They are by no means exclusive to metal. Metal provides several unique factors. One is what I'd like to call the brotherhood effect. When I traveled last year, if I suspected someone was of my inclination, I could flash the horns. Often I would get smiles and this would lead to a conversation with this person. I met many remarkable people in this manner. Frequently, this is how I discovered the little nuances of the areas I was visting. I don't think I would have been exposed to an illegal metal club in a basement in Finland from a guidebook or had two German guys buy me beers all night long if I had approached them without bringing my metal knowledge. Metal is a brotherhood. There is a shared consiousness among its fans. Most have experienced some things in their lives that lead them to the darker side or to a view outside of the accepted norm. This pervades our community more so than other styles of music.

Intelligent metal fans are few and far in between. This is a sad fact but a fact nonetheless. As someone once told me, "You have to keep in mind that metal fans are 95% meatheads and 5% bitter know-it-alls." I think it's fairly obvious where I fall into that argument. However intelligent metalheads are the ones responsible for advancing the sound and the genre. Meatheads don't run the labels or the distribution or sign artists to contracts. We write the reviews and support the scene. Notice how reviews are critical, analyze the musical elements in detail and provide an informed opinion. Occasionally you will see the "Fuck Yeah, METAL rules!" reviews, but they are few and far in between.

For me metal is about choice and having the courage to defend an unpopular opinion with your facts. Nine times out of ten you will find that people will disagree with you but your opinion is usually respected. If you asked the average Top 40 radio fan why he/she likes the music on the radio, you'll get one of the following three answers: "I listen to what my friends listen to," "It's got a nice beat," or "I think the artist is hot." None of these reasons provides any sort of basis for comparison or can be defended through any sort of reasoning that I can imagine. Recently, I gave a high score to an album by an artist that many people despise. I was lambasted on my site but I always defended my position while respecting others. If you want to argue about music, bring your supporting facts. If you have a defendable position, I am more than happy to enter into a row. While the metal elite won't listen to music that is on the radio, I choose music by what sounds good to me. Case in point. I like System of a Down. They are very popular in the mainstream metal scene and most true metalheads don't appreciate them much. I constantly defend them since I much enjoy their music (not so much their politics, but that is for another essay).

Metal unlike pop, rap and dance music has a tangible history. Each new artist generally builds upon several earlier influences crafting a unique and fresh new sound. To me, each Top 40 sound sounds like some producer mixed some anorexic cooze's voice with some Pro-Tools effects. Real metal is tenacious to create. The artists who are perfectionists and know how they want each note on their album to sound are the true creators of metal. As evidence, I think Burzum is crap, but Varg knew exactly how he wanted his crap to sound. Artists today (mainly European aritsts) are classically trained and focus this talent into producing innovative and stimulating music. Some of it is formulaic but a good portion is worth listening to.

To conclude, Metal is what you make it. There is an archetypal sound and metalheads can be extremely hypocritical but to me metal is my life. I cannot see living in a world where I am deprived of the music that helps me define why I am on this terrestrial sphere. Someone has already said it better than you' ve said it yourself so I'll end with a quote. I know it's cheesy but I'll close with a quote from Manowar. "When losers say it's over with, you know it's just a lie. The Gods made Heavy Metal, and it's never gonna die."

The Haunted - Shadow World

2003-03-29T19:46:00.000-05:00

Well it's my birthday. I'm 21 now. Here I sit transcribing Molec Cell notes with mountains of research and MCAT studying to complete. I was pondering this earlier: How did "being up for" and "being down for" something come to mean the same thing? Example: I'm up for a game of soccer. and I'm down for a game of soccer. Language can be fun. Site note: I removed the NYC Bloggers link because I have their image linked on the site. Instead I linked Google. Unoriginal? Yes. Practical? Yes. Dio - Stand Up and Shout

2003-03-28T17:53:00.000-05:00

A lot of things are incensing me today. In no particular order:

Columbia University Professor Nicholas de Genova spoke at an anti-war rally today and said "The only true heroes are those who find ways that help defeat the U.S. military." He then labeled all who call themselves "patriots" as "white supremacists." Granted, I am not a supporter of this war for many reasons. Despite this, I have the uttmost respect and support for the servicemen who are in the Gulf risking their lives for the country. This behavior by Mr. de Genova is unacceptable. Regardless of your feelings on war, you do not under any circumstances criticize the people who keep you safe in your bed at night. Criticizing the administration or Congress is fine, but do not compromise the morale of the people who are forced into a life and death battle on your behalf. Proving my earlier point about spoiled college students, the audience lauded these assertions. This is what their parents' money pays for? Some of these people will inevitably go into politics and make the decisions regarding our armed forces and this is a sad reality. Democrat or Republican, our military is voluntary and those who serve in it are worthy of praise. This man has some audacity to say "I personally would like to see a million Mogadishus (referring to the incident in Somalia where servicemen were ambushed, killed and their corpses paraded on television)." Full Story
Dick Cheney's former salad-tossers in Texas based oil firm Halliburton have reportedly secured a $4 Billion No-Bid contract to extinguish oil well fires and upgrade oil plants in Iraq status quo ante bellum. This move is in direct opposition to the free market the Republican party wants to develop. Government contracts should be up to bids if nothing else. This also proves once again this war is about oil and nothing else. So much for liberating Iraqis. We want oil and a new whorehouse of cheap labor for our products because the Chinese and Mexicans are finally beginning to catch on. I certainly hope a plutocratic administration like this that is so entrenched with corporate America does not get validated in the next election. To Mega Therion.
A similar protest by NYU students was filmed by the media yesterday while I looked on. Apparently a news camera for channel 7 caught me there. I had many people call me up and tell me they saw me on TV and were proud that I was out protesting. I really do not want to be associated with these people. Again, while I do not support this war, I disagree with disrupting daily life for protests. One of my colleagues told me that her TA announced "At noon today, I'm walking out to protest." My friend was so incensed she demanded that the recitation be taught as scheduled or else she would complain to the department. When the TA walked out, my friend lodged a formal complaint against her. I applaud those who leave their politics at the door. TA's at NYU are unionized and paid to teach their knowledge and nothing else (including their own personal politics) to students. By walking out and denying your students an education, you diminish their ability to make an informed decision.
I probably failed my Physics test.
The MCAT is ruining my life more and more each day. I have study sessions lined up every Saturday and Sunday morning until April 26th. Tomorrow is my 21st birthday and my friends were planning something which I had to cancel because of my studying committments. I get to celebrate my 21st at home with text books.
The continuing hijacking of our English language by net speek is contributing to the decay of Western society. Recently, I received a fan mail from someone who stumbled onto my blog. She identified herself as 18 years old. Her email looks like it was written by a hamster darting around on a keyboard. Actually, the hamster could probably have put together more coherent sentences. The only word that was spelt correctly was "the." Everything else was spelled in net speak. Even the word time was spelled "tyme." "Tyme" is not an abbreviation. It is not a quotation. While it may have been acceptable in Middle English, it is not acceptable today. I was just dumbfounded at the complete lack of coherence to this email. Originally I was going to post it but decided aganst it for several reasons. There needs to be a campaign to increase grammar awareness.
The continued ridicule I face in public speaking class for picking a topic that criticizes our culture and the parenting skills of today's parents.

While my trials may seem trivial in comparison to many others, I still feel the need to vent on the issues making my life suck at this temporal point. Opeth - April Ethereal

2003-03-27T01:44:00.000-05:00

So far, the response to this blog has been really positive. Thanks to all who are visiting, posting and linking. Buried in Physics studying, I am. Nothing interesting happening at the moment. Symphony X - Wicked

2003-03-25T23:23:00.000-05:00

The class I am taking in public speaking is filled with vapid airheads and it's becoming unbearable. I walked into the classroom about ten minutes early this morning to hear a girl wax about her vacation to Disneyland with a man she met a day earlier. I don't know what you define that as, but to me I believe she falls into a category I'd like to call "Real-World Impared." Bear in mind that this girl has also extolled the benefits of tea in a speech and has stated that her passion in life is to shop. She is from Paramus, NJ, which, according to her has seven malls; more than any other city in the country. Instead of Baghdad, we should carpet bomb Paramus. Why do these parents afford their children's opulence? Once they leave NYU, they'll have a degree that will, in all likelyhood, be nearly worthless due to the economy. They'll have no conception of the value of a dollar and will fuck anyone who gives them their next hit of blow. While I will be left with soul-crushing debt for a significant time after I graduate, these people pay for their education out of pocket. Zeke has told me stories of people trying to sign in guests who only presented prison ID's as forms of identification. Have they any sense? When you see a prison ID, the bells and whistles should toll. Lights in your mind should fluoresce and one should consider the possible detriments of cahorting with someone who has experienced the hospitality of our penal system. It is so frustrating to have worked hard and at the same time be in the prescence of people who have never worked a day in their lives and have everything they could desire. The worst part has to be the NYU staff which, for the most part, I believe, function as enablers. The staff functions mainly to clean up the messes students get themselves in. This is one reason that I am glad that I have not been selected as an RA. With a straight face, I do not believe that I could rectify some of the problems these students get themselves into. After class, Zeke and I discovered the annual ceremony to rememeber the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. This year was special since it was being dedicating as a city landmark. As we descended upon the podium, Mayor Bloomberg was speaking. I wish our speaking professor had known about this so we wouldn't have had to waste 40 minutes discussing Bush's speech to the UN. Bloomberg must have an inadequacy complex since he is barely 160cm tall. It was interesting to watch and the heads of many of the local unions (UNITE, UFT, Transit Workers, etc.) were present as well as the State Secretary of Labor. A plaque which will adorn the side of Brown building was also unveiled. The Haunted - Godpuppet

2003-03-24T18:39:00.000-05:00

My friend Tony just sent me this link cataloging the top ten erotic video games. Included is a Gradius style shooter with a motif of gay men. Complete with an acid jazz soundtrack, it has everything an action/adventure loving gay man could want from life. It seems each day I find things that can only be ascribed to the Japanese. Other fine candidates included a Rock-Paper-Scissors game where winning matches is the pathway to getting a schoolgirl to strip off her clothes and an arcade machine were you shove an enlarged finger in the anus of less than desireable characters in Japanese society (eg. ex-boy/girlfriends, gold diggers, child molesters, gangsters, prostitutes, mother-in-laws, and con artists). I especially like the picture of a salaryman standing in front of the machine, poised to perforate the orifice. After your round is finished in this game and you have tortured your character, the game uses some algorithm to extrapolate and reveal your sexual virility. Video of the gay man shooter (known as Cho Eniki for Playstation) can be found at this link. Norther - Smash

2003-03-24T10:44:00.000-05:00

As I am looking around the computer lab, I noticed for the first time today that a disproportionally high number of NYU students have dreadlocks. For all these pseudo-intellectuals, I wonder why they do this. The term itself was coined by the wealthy class in Jamaica to describe the hairstyle of the "dreadful" lower classes. Are they intentionally trying to make themselves appear to be of lower class or is this some way of connecting with Jamaican music? Hairstyles at this university have gotten out of hand. There is no need for reverse mohawks or fake mohawks. All this ultra-teased hair with highlights shit has got to stop as well. It amazes me how students here dress like clowns simply because it's "fashionable." Sometimes the group-like hive nature of NYU students baffles me. For people who are "completely independent in thought and action" (actual quote from an NYU student), most follow trends for no reason. Sonata Arctica - Blank File

2003-03-24T00:29:00.000-05:00

Tonight as an early birthday present, my parents took me out to dinner at a really fancy Japanese restaurant. I can say this was the best meal I have ever had. Aside from that, resuming classes is the only major concern on my mind at the moment. I hope the unwashed masses do not decided to protest again tomorrow. One of the simple things I've enjoyed was not being in the city during all of this protest nonsense. No, I don't support a war in Iraq but these protesters need to revise their methods forthwith. At The Gates - Blinded by Fear

2003-03-23T17:30:00.000-05:00

Win some, Loose some. Blogger decided to crash on me so my entire invite list is lost. This situation will be rectified shortly. Opeth - Closure

2003-03-23T17:11:00.000-05:00

Well thanks to all of you who post your e-mail addresses on your blogs and websites. If you're wondering why you didn't get an invite, it's because I didn't have your e-mail. I forgot to mention earlier that my iPod broke. For some reason the headphone jack blew out. After navigating Apple's labyrinthine website I entered a support request. I had fun clearing 8GB off my hard drive so I could backup the contents of the iPod. Apple makes sure you know that they're going to wipe the disk. Opeth - Windowpane

2003-03-23T15:42:00.000-05:00

Well, I have surrendered. I must warn all that I'm terrible at keeping a journal so if there are large gaps in the fossil record that is my life, you can all go to hell. This will be what I make it and by the laws and statues of our nation, you are free not to read it. Mainly my opinions and experiences will be catalogued here. Since most people reading this know that music is integral to who I am, I will put the song I'm currently listening to at the end of each entry. To start.... Last night I went to Downtime for the first time since 2000. I had been resisting revisiting Downtime for a long while for many factors. Lots of people from HS that I no longer wanted to be in congress with being the main reason. Along with Zeke, his new friend Mary and some other random NYU people I had seen running around, I managed to have a decent time; significanly better than I expected. It was a needed break since my Spring Break has been spent studying for the MCAT. Somehow I don't think performance on a test should dictate a person's future and while the MCAT is only a single facet of the Medical school applications process, there is too much emphasis put on it. Norther - Mirror of Madness