Foothills.

Its been a long time since i last updated.

I just haven't had a whole lot of time.

I worked at summer camp again this summer.

I am at Flying J rest stop where i paid 4.50 for a days worth of wireless internet. This one is on the border of Montana and North Dakota. I paid it because I don't want to be driving right now, and have been thinking about updating the blog.

The amount that I have to write about is fucking obscene, and its kind of deterring me from wanting to do it at all.

Briefly, a short list of things that I should write about--so i can remember what to write eventually, and you all can get excited about it, like a teaser for a movie.

Living at home (the wayne's world month)

NYC(first time in the big city)

Wooster (the prodigal son arrives, feels out of place, goes to chicago)

Chiacgo

Fargo/ND/Montana--long drive one.

Ok, thats all, it'll get nicer soon enough. promise.

I really like that I am heading in the foothills of the rockies, at the same time i feel like i am transitioning into adulthood.

gooood morning

My adult life has started off rocky, but not entirely badly. After my last post, I had planned to get an oil change and get the fuck out of dodge (leave college and embark on a 2week long squatfest/roadtrip). The guys changing my oil, a procedure costing $15 at this particular place, noticed that I desperately needed a new air filter, and that it would drastically increase my gas mileage. I was ok with this-and was looking at a bill of about $50, and the guy said that they would rotate my tires for free, while they were at it.

While rotating the tires, the mechanics noticed that my right steering rod, the rod connecting the center of my car to the tire, which I presume helps turn my shit, was as loose as he’d ever seen, and that driving with it wouldn’t be safe. The guy gave me a discount on it, but it was still pricey.

+$300=$350

In working on the steering rod, they noticed that the tire shoes (the cylinders that live behind tires) were severely scratched, mostly because I didn’t have any brake pads anywhere. Again, the mechanic said that I shouldn’t be driving on these and that I could very easily have died if either the brakes failed or the steering rod would have broken while I was driving. The brake pads, after a nearly 25% discount ended up costing me 300 dollars.

That’s $650, as a recent college graduate, who hasn’t started working, this is a whole lot. Luckily, I hadn’t closed the bank accounts that are connected to my mothers, and after a hasty call, I received the first bailout from the Bank of Mom, a low interest loan that I probably could get away with not ever really paying, because she wants me to be safe., and all that jazz. But I feel like I NEED to pay it back, there’s a construct in my head that if I don’t, I’ll be failing at being a grownup, and I need to be an adult. Its why I went to school. Its why I’m moving to Portland next year. It’s why I am purposely depriving myself of luxuries as so not to get used to nice things. It’s why I dream about taking care of myself totally.

Despite the $650 fine, my first full day of adulthood wasn’t a total wash. I didn’t find out that my car was falling about the hard way, in some horrible accident, so as a friend suggested, there was some Brightside. Further more, because I got to stick around Dodge for a little while longer, I was able to have a nice breakfast with some friends, which led to a few other things. I helped one friend move a big fucking loveseat down a flight of stairs, and through 3 or 4 too-small doors, and into her new room. I was happy to help my friend, she had actually lent us the loveseat, and in returning it to her, I offered to help her continue to move it wherever it needed to go. Well, she was grateful for it, and offered to pay me in a bottle of homemade red-wine that a friend of the family had given her. I graciously accepted,.

This is the second time in my life I had been paid for manual labor with a bottle of home made alcohol, and let me tell you, it is a sweet deal.

I also let a friend I’ll be meeting up with in a few weeks store one of her suitcases in my car, I had extra room, and she was kind of stressing out with what she was going to do with it, so I was more than happy to help. Sticking around dodge, also let me meet up with a very good friend who I had sort of drifted away from, and spend some real quality time with him before we went our separate ways.

It is strange how quickly, with real good friends, you can slip into the same comfortable patterns of conversation and interaction, and leave smiling. He is probably the guy I am going to miss the most, because I know neither of us are very good in keeping in contact, and I really wish one of us was, because I’d love to have him stay part of my life. Maybe that is something I can do as adult, make myself be better at keeping in touch. Its not a bad thing, and lord knows I like talking to my friends.

So after saying goodbye to my last friend in Dodge, it was time to get the fuck out. My car was packed, everything was charged. My car’s steering was tighter than it ever had been and when I pushed the brake I actually stopped in a reasonable time. I was ready to go. Throwing a hat and a pair of sunglasses on I fittingly turned on Kanye’s “Graduation” album and left Dodge for the last time for a long while.

Good Mooorning

Look at the valedictorian

Scared of the future while I hop in the deloriean

I arrived at my first destination , met with my friend I’d be staying with, had an exciting time on a rooftop eating Chinese food. Drank a bottle of aforementioned homemade wine, watched a teevee show about geniuses. She was very accommodating and I owe her a lot. We hit the hay after watching the end of the Celtics game. We woke up in the morning, I did some errands, including buying a new pair of boots and WD40ing the rear doors in my car. We also went on a hike and I made some tomato soup and tuna melts.

We are about to watch a movie, Shane, and then I’ll probably hit the hay. I’m out of this town tomorrow, onto my next destination; The home of a nearby team-mate.

Judging by the first few days-I might like being an adult.

My life. Your entertainment

Yesterday at probably around 12:15pm, I received my diploma, and received the title of Bachelor of Arts. I am officially done with my schooling, for at least a few years before I could possibly head back to graduate school to get my Masters (in library sciences-I am a geek-see:blog).

My first less than 24 hours of adulthood have started poorly, but it is kind of exciting. The dorms were closed last at 7pm, we were supposed to be packed and gone by this time. I, along with a few others, stuck around campus until this morning. We had a cook out, and I pulled my car up so we could listen to the radio because no one had a boombox(that word seems so outdated, but i honestly can't think of another word for it). In listening to the radio-My car battery died. Luckily, a friend was able to pull his car up and give me a jump. However, my first act as an adult was to get tipsy,eat burgers, and let my engine die-not a great way to start.

I then proceeded to sleep in my closed dorm room, bringing in only my sleeping bag,my laptop and a pillow, as to be as un-noticeable as possible. I effectively squatted in my former dormroom. I watched a few Hulu videos and had a nice talk with a few friends. I went to bed at 1045. I woke up at 745 this morning and as quietly as possible snuck out of the dorm and put my bags back into my car-which will be my home for at least the next two weeks.

I am currently in my school's student center, where earlier i brushed my teeth in the public restroom on the first floor. I am sitting on couch here at my alma mater's student center, stinking of camp fire, unshowered, unshaven and homeless. I noticed that I looked different in the mirror when i was brushing my teeth, I look older and sadder. I am sad to leave this place, but excited. I haven't cried yet, that'll happen when i start to drive away for one of the last times. For four years, this place has been my home, its students have been my friends and family, and even my enemies-but thats still important, they are how i defined myself by. I am who I am in relation to others, and thats not saying I don't like myself or anything, just that my reality, my plot, is invariably wrapped up with this place, and it'll be strange to leave, and keep the story going.

I think i might write in this blog more often

this feels good.

A White Boy's Tribute to Blackculture MixTapes

MixTape Which Makes Me Proud of Being Around a Major Midwest Industrial City

Kid Cudi-The Anthem MixTape

Day N' Night is a good song, we get it. This mixtape from Cleveland based Kid Cudi, has a few other gems on it, along with the real fucking good Day N' Night. Tracks like Man on the Moon, Cleveland is the Reason and Embrace the Martian suggest some depth to this artist from the burning river city. I guess the Anthem mixtape is just a rerelease of "a kid named cudi" with a couple of remixes and other promotional materials (like 4 hi-res wallpapers, fuck that, thought the remix of Embrace the Martian by the Round Table Knights is totally worth while). Kid Cudi exemplifies a new direction of popular music, and Kanye West recognized this on his new album, featuring Kid Cudi on his track Welcome to Heartbreak off his newest release. Unfortunately for Kanye , Cudi fully realizes and exemplifies on his MixTapes what Kanye attempted to do on his 808's and Heartbreaks album. It must suck to have a guest on your album doing what you want to do, so much better than you do. I'm not saying that Cudi's MixTape is flawless(see track: Maui Wowie) but, its a step in a very cool direction.

MixTape Which Best Captures Who I Was in the Late 90s

Tie!

Team Teamwork-The Ocarina of Rhyme and

Wale- The MixTape About Nothing

I loved watching teevee and playing video games. I love going on computers now. But, in the late 90s, it was all video games and teevee. When i heard about Team Teamwork's mashup mixtape "The Ocarina of Rhyme", a selection of music from n64's Legend of Zelda-The Ocarina of Time with hiphop tracks laid on top, I nearly creamed my jeans. Ocarina of Time is by far one of the most stunning and exciting video games to play through, it also had a rocking soundtrack (Lonlon ranch anyone?). Featuring artists like Clipse, Dr. Dre, Slim Thug and Aesop Rock, the remixers kind of ran the gamut of recording artists to be mixed with the n64 soundtrack. While a great idea, some of the tracks don't work (Still D.R.E mixed with the sound when you open a treasure chest comes to mind first), infact the majority of the album wouldn't be that fun to listen to if it weren't for the novelty of whole thing. Clipse's Virginia mixed with the lost woods theme and Common's I used to love H.E.R mixed with the hyrule market theme shine through as the best tracks on the album.

Wale's Mixtape about Nothing is inspired by the the prolific 90s sitcom "Seinfeld", and it fucking rocks. Wale balances the silliness of the concept perfectly with making some serious powerful tracks (see track: The Kramer). The album is peppered with clips from the series as well as a guest appearance by Elaine, and a introduction featuring Michael Richard's infamous and bigoted rant. For me, Wale's Mixtape about Nothing, is one of the successfully realized downloads of the last year.

Honorable Mentions:

Mixtape Most Dedicated to Marijuana:

Wiz Khalifa's-Flight School

Strangest Fucking Voice:

Lil Boosie-Da Beginning

Sounds Most like Produced by New York Art Rocker

Theophilus London-This Charming Mixtape

Most gratuitous explosions/glass breaking/akon influenced

Kardinal Offishal- Do the Right Thing Mixtape

This will probably be my only post related to hiphop, i just don't know all that much about it.

A silly story to begin a silly blog

I am unsure how to begin this blogging process, which explains why I created it more than a week ago and haven't touched it since. Last night was an inspiration for me though, a push through the door of blogging. I have a need, that i am unsure if other people have, to share my most embarrassing stories with whoever will listen to me. I don't know what that says about me, if there is some greater psychological insight to be garnered from this. I'm not going to think about that and just tell my story.

Last night, after a dinner where maybe I had a little too much to drink, I played a few games of Beer-Pong in a friend's basement. This combination lead to me being drunk, thats what the exposition was setting up. I was jawing with some friends sitting on a couch, giving and taking some flack, having a lot of fun. After one especially good jab against me, I jumped up in the air and in true middle-school style, performed an x-pac style, groin bracketing, SUCKIT maneuver.

In doing so, my feet slipped out from underneath me, and i tumbled backwards, hitting the back of my head on the corner of the table. Half embarrassed, Half in a lot of pain; I left the party soon afterwards. I then realized how fucking silly it was, called a few friends to tell them about it (I think the impact made me drunker, as I was more courageous with my telephone talk, I am usually very bad on the telephone-maybe a future blog post). I went to sleep after realizing that i might have a small concussion, but being drunk enough not to care.

My head hurts and I feel slow today, so hopefully nothing has gone wrong with my body.

this is my story

this is my first blog post

JKPANTFW-BT