WAG - Ugg...

Me tired...big story done...run in paper tomorrow...front cover they tell me...

I wish I wasn't so drained I could actually feel happy about this...

Maybe tomorrow...

Sleep now...

Night night.

'sleepy_time'

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WAG - Many lines to write before I sleep

I am sooo tired.

I have sooooooo much left to do with an article that I need to turn in tomorrow afternoon.

I have all the information I need, but I'm going nuts trying to organize it in a way that makes sense and is interesting.

This would be a little bit less stressful if I wasn't racing the EPA's announcement, which is to come today or tomorrow.

Life on the deadline... Sigh...

Audience Participation Time! Select one of the following statements to form your own thought-provoking statement and then get psychoanalyzed based on your decision.

A) Life on the deadline: too much time spent running, not enough time spent living.

B) Life on the deadline: time remains an eternal adversary who will never go away.

C) Life on the deadline: it's like a line that is dead.

D) Life on the deadline: my brain is fried so I'm going to go vent my feelings on the internet in lieu of therapy or counseling and just saved $7,000.

If you picked A, you have a reflective, heartfelt soul. You're philosophical and jovial - whatever that means.

If you picked B, crap you're depressing. Start wearing brighter clothing and eat more candy. It's hard to be sad when you're on a sugar buzz.

If you picked C, you think way too literally - not that it's a bad thing.

If you picked D, you have a short attention span that never stays focus long enough to fully develop the thought at hand me that box of Chex. I'm starving!

If you didn't pick ANYTHING) but merely skimmed them all, you're lazy. Rock on! Or don't...it's your call.

'Dig_it_Freud'

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Here’s some spotlighted reading for you folks.

There’s been a bit of controversy over the mini-craze of French Bashing. (and by “bit,” I mean it in the same context as in “We’ve been a ‘bit’ interested about Osama bin Laden”)

The French have become an easy punch line. My personal favorite is Grandpa Simpson referring to the French as a, “Bunch of cheese eating surrender monkeys,” though substituting “Freedom” for “French” has been fun too.

“Rollins has good French Vanilla today.”

“You mean FREEDOM vanilla.”

But all jokes aside, there are deeper issues at play here. Here’s a collection of several articles or sites, some of which I’ve sat on for a while waiting for the chance to put them all together, that should give you a good round-a-bout view.

The April 28 My Turn article in Newsweek argues that America doesn’t remember France’s history. After pointing out that French fries aren’t even French, he goes on to question his perceived questioning of France’s dedication. Mr. Taveau said if we look at France’s history, we would find such insults or punch lines to be underserved and unfounded.

On the other side of the fence, the top entry on April 28 of L.T. Smash’s blog, argues that France’s leaders don’t remember history. After acknowledging France’s decorated military history, and its long running relation with America, he points out the recent failure to follow through with UN resolutions.

Throwing in my two cents, there are three points I’d like to make:

First: Instead of making broad generalizations, focus your barbs at the people who deserve them. Placing the French (or the Americans, or the Iraqis, etc) all in one basket is wrong and insulting.

I make Freedom/French jokes because I think the thought behind them is funny, not because I think we need to criticize a whole group of people - that’s a dangerous thing to do.

It’s the same reason why I say I dislike the National Democratic Leadership, rather than Democrats. I have many friends who identify themselves with that. They are good people and are (usually) not the ones making outrageous claims that don’t deserve a reply (but are made in the forum of politics, which will ensure a lively debate regardless of the merits of the issue).

The French, though easy to mock, do not all deserve our disdain now. We should keep that straight.

Second: I believe American’s are largely questioning the recent turn of events in France’s history. When one raises concerns about the leadership’s action in the present, it doesn’t mean we are condemning or disregarding the past, or the future for that matter.

We can be friends who had good times in the past, are going through a rough patch now, but are looking forward to a return to good times in the future. Of course, that means steps will need to be taken to reclaim that position.

Third: I would like to have it stated for the record that the French have not been totally “innocent” of hate humor either. They have been bashing us too.

The site Bretzel for Bush is a French anti-war site that is raising money to send a lump load of pretzels to the President. For those of you who don’t remember, over a year ago Bush briefly lost consciousness after choking on a pretzel. He bruised his face, but was otherwise okay when the fall dislodged the pretzel.

This group hopes that the shipment symbolizing their displeasure with the group influences Bush’s stance on the war and UNICEF. Since they haven’t sent it out yet, they’ll probably out of luck with the former, but we’ll see how they do with the later.

I don’t agree with all of their positions, but I give them kudos for their creativity.

Last, the French haven’t only maligned Americans, though that has happened. Some McDonald’s were scarified in the process – as if the Golden Arches are so sacred taking them down would cause Americans to stop and ask, “What have we done to prompt such desecration?

No, this is a case about how the British have been targeted – and how many of them were helpless to fight back.
In one of the saddest stories of the war, The Guardian reported certain British cemeteries were vandalized by war protesters. Condemning graffiti like swastikas, or slogans like "Dig up your rubbish, it is contaminating our soil," were spray painted onto the marble monuments for British soldiers.
For me, it is one of the most depressing pictures of the war that shows how human emotions can get out of hand.

By having a wider perspective, I hope we all can avoid the attitudes or misconceptions that can lead to such base actions.

Read these sites (and others) and think.

It can be one of the smartest things you do.

'Would_you_like_freedom_fries_with_that'

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You know your day is off to a good start when you come to the laughable realization that you’re paging the student staff member at 2:30 a.m. for the second day in a row.

The one thing I know for sure is that this is Tom Cruise’s fault.

Sigh… Let me explain…

I worked the closing shift last night. When I got off, I went up to the 6th floor to see what friends were up to. A person had gotten a DVD for her birthday - despite the fact she repeatedly stated she didn’t want ANYTHING – and they were fixing to try it out.

It took a while to hook it up, but it took more time for six people to decide upon what flick to watch.

“Okay, let’s see… We have Dead Poets Society, American Beauty, Sweet November…”

“There’s no way in hell I’m watching Sweet November.”

“American Beauty sounds good.”

“Yeah…”

“I don’t like American Beauty.”

“Okay, then…”

“Dead Poets is depressing.”

“No it isn’t. It’s a triumph of the human spirit.”

“It makes you want to seize the day!”

“But it’s sad!”

“I haven’t seen it – don’t tell me.”

“Okay, one person makes a… poor decision, but it’s still good.”

Now, imagine repeating this debate, where the votes consistently went: “Yea,” “Yea,” “NAY!!!!” One person wasn’t interested in watching dreary movies, I didn’t want to see a chick flick, and another didn’t want to see any comedies at all.

All our opinions combined to make for an interesting process. Dozens of films were proposed, and almost as quickly, shot down.

We took a break for a while and watched the part of Beauty in the Beast – while people who weren’t interested in watching all of it were searching for DVD options. It was “interesting” enough when one person could quote the three-minute introductory monologue word for word, but when it came to the first song (Belle, the Bonjour song), it was quite entertaining to discover that everyone in the room could sing along to the lyrics – including me.

Note: I blame it all on the fact that my sister filled the house with Disney music by watching the movies, playing the soundtrack cassette tapes, or the twisted combination of the two, the Disney Sing-A-Long videos. I may not always flaunt this talent, but my mind retains this uncultivated information anyway.

Second Note: Some of you may be wondering when the cops come in (or now you are). The 911 call come a bit later, but I AM about to introduce the Tom Cruise element.

When people came back to the room from their movie foraging, someone said Minority Report and we discovered it’s easier to pick a movie most people haven’t seen rather than a film seen by all.

Now, Minority Report, like most Steven Spielberg movies, is long. We’re not talking James Cameron looong (See The Abyss or, heaven forbid, Titanic), but it’s lengthy in its own right.

We finally finished the film a little bit after 2:00 a.m. The movie had a complex plot, one that actually challenged you to think about the movie (rather than simply watch all the pretty explosions), and several of us broke to the hallway to talk it over.

While discussing weather or not the movie’s title was good (“I was expecting the film to be about African Americans and Hispanics”), we noticed a peculiar character in the hallway.

Some guy was walking up and down the hallway checking numbers and the name on the doors. No one in our small group recognized him, and to say the least, something smelled fishy.

That was confirmed when he walked up to us and we were greeted by a cloud of alcohol that seemed to waft around him.

Several red flags went up at the same time. First he said he was looking for a room number, but was hesitant to give a reason why. He finally gave a name, but no other rationale (though he would later mutter something about being a cousin).

Most concerning was the fact that he was asking for a person that lived in a certain room, but he was using a name that she never went by.

It didn’t take long to do the math to realize that suspicious drunk guy + incomplete information + unstated intentions = trouble.

Being the helpful, upright citizens we were, we said we didn’t know anyone going by that name.

Cursing, he went back down the hallway and was at the end when the person he was asking for came out of another room, about 10 feet behind him.

We quickly got her attention and got her into a different room around the corner before the guy turned around and got a look at her face.

I think the guy knew something was up, because he went up and down the hallway that we’d herded the girl into, but must have figured no one was going to help him out and gave up.

I’d stuck around in the hallway to see where he went next and was surprised when he asked me “How to get to the park?”

I quickly told him I’d take him there, and proceeded to escort him out of the building. I tried to get a bit more information out of him, but he wouldn’t tell me anything. I left him in the back parking lot before sprinting up the stairs back to the 6th floor.

In retrospect, by park he probably meant the field in front of Hatch, and not the wide open spaces around the Vet School, but I don’t feel bad about accidentally leading him astray.

It was obvious we needed to alert the staff to the situation, and me and my friend Rob, who had been with me Saturday night when we were the first to report the broken blue light, founding ourselves calling the staff pager for the second time in 24 hours.

We eventually called 911 and had pleasant talks with multiple dispatchers – we were told to call back a different number.

I suppose they didn’t want to jam up the lines (“Hi, 911 – please hold.”

After several people gave statements, we were asked if we wanted to fill out a report.

I guess she gets lots of calls from people who prefer just to complain.

Anyway, we told her YES, we would like to get this on the record, “to be on the safe side,” and they sent some MUPD officers out.

As we waited for the campus cops to show up, I repeated some Jeff Foxworthy lines about his experiences with cops (“Hey officer! I thought you said you didn’t want to come back out here tonight!”).

The cops showed up, asked which way the suspect was last seen and burned rubber pulling out to look for him (which was probably the high point of that call).

Officer Ash and his partner didn’t find the “cousin,” but at least the event is on the record in case this happens again.

It made for a nutty late-night experience. I didn’t sleep much after that, but I had the best story in Sunday School today.

There has been a dorm wide warning to remember to keep doors locked toward the end of the year – and a reminder of how easy it is to get in the building. Some of us are a bit more alert, which is good for you as long as it doesn’t lead to paranoia or anything.

To make it easier for you, let me supply the three-part moral:

First: It’s nice to know you have friends watching your back.

Second: Drinking only heightens the stupidity you already have.

Last: I wouldn’t have had to deal with it if Tom Cruise hadn’t been in such a freakin’ long movie.

But the corollary to that, is that you never know where the silver lining may come from.

'Thanks_Tom'

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I'm finishing up the opening shift at the Hatch front desk; which was difficult considering Relay for Life was last night (and can't simply drop by for an hour before turning in early at an event like that).

I know I'm really tired when I find myself rocking out to "Les Miserables" (International Cast Recording). Of course, before this I was conducting the soundtrack to "Last of the Mohicans," and prior to that was the "That Thing You Do" CD.

As I review my deteriorated mental state, my mind wanders back over the events of the past 12 hours.

I closed the desk last night. After 11:00 p.m. rolled around, I made my way to Stankowski Field where the event was based.

Upon getting there, I was immediately escorted to the Honors Learning Community tents, and informed I needed to buy some glow-in-the-dark necklaces (we'd bought 100 and still had a lot left over despite the fact it seemed everyone at the campsite was wearing one).

I walked and talked with friends. I bought slightly overpriced food in the name of giving to charity. I picked up some cheap freebies in the rationale I had been giving to charity.

I had a good time, but knew I needed to get up early in the morning, so I was all set to leave at 2:00 a.m. this morning.

That's when things got interesting.

A friend had a fake ZZ Top-cut beard. He was joking that the beard made him look like a lazy bum. He lumbered awkwardly, and when he came across someone, he'd crazily spout, "Gackety ake ake wagd tuby ag Wah! Wah! Grubidy yaa," and other giberish. Every so often he'd throw in coherent words like "The Government!" or "Potato Salad!"

That was funny enough by itself, though my description doesn't do it enough justice, but soon we were to up it a notch.

Scrounging around the campsite, we put together an outfit consisting of a the brown beard, black sunglasses, a camo rain coat, a Hardees ball cap, and a plastic garbage bag. He looked the Vietnam vet/bum Steve Buscemi played in "Big Daddy."

First, we had him go after Hatch people, but that wasn't enough. We wanted him to harass strangers, but he was a bit too cautious to want to do that.

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your point of view, we encountered a drunk honors student who had no qualms about doing it.

The next thing we knew, he was staggering around the track, with us trailing him.

To let you know more about his state of mind, he was part of the a group of people who were earlier exclaiming, "We're living the dream! Whoo!"

To which someone deadpanned," Yeah, I can smell it all over you."

It was strange how much credible the "tramp" appeared with genuine alcohol on his breath.

He hadn't gone 100 meters before he spotted the Jazzercise group doing aerobics. He ceased his jerky stutter step and sprinted toward the group.

Soon, he was positioned in the front with his trash bag flailing through the air as he did jumping jacks.

After exchanging looks that said, "Is he really doing this?" (promptly followed by looks that said, "Oh crap, he is! And it's hilarious!) we had quite a show as the intoxicated guy tried to keep pace with the complicated directions.

He did pretty well considering. More than once he his reaction was noticeably a beat behind the group. Everyone would kick left as he was still kicking right. Each new set of commands caused him to pause briefly before moving on.

His coordination got worse and worse. Between gasps of breath and howls of laughter, we speculated on how hot he must be feeling (my raincoat is a good insulator, and he had that on top a jacket covering another shirt) and how the Hatch people who he was exercising next too kept pausing to laugh as well.

At one point, he was so drained, he just stood in the midst of the group, beard pulled down, and panted.

He picked up his garbage back, which he discarded part way through, and started moving toward the row of Sorority Girl tents.

That was one of the original goals to work up to, but it soon became obvious, that was asking too much.

Our first guy made a big production of putting stuff in his bag and returning it when asked what he was doing, but our drunken recruit seemed confused about his directions.

"But he told me I was supposed to steal stuff!" he whined when we tried to straighten him out.

With that comment, we knew it was time to decommission our hobo.

He had someone put their arm around him so he wouldn't stray toward the other sorority girls. Part way around the track, we stripped him of his accoutrements and went on our way.

Getting back to Hatch, we found the emergency Blue Light, which people can use to alert MUPD, had been vandalized.

Someone pulled the top, shaped like a the lights on top of a squad car, off and took it with them.

As we were busy paging the student staffer on call, who went about calling MUPD, two kids walked in with a bike saying, "Look at what we found."

They drug in a bike with a bent front wheel, saying they found it in the street and that it was the best find they'd ever had.

At that point, I knew it was time to go to bed.

There's one other story, but it's not mine to tell. My friend Stephanie has a wicked cool story that I won't lessen by paraphasing it. You can read it by checking out her blog. It's been long featured on this site (or about as much as I can "feature" anything on this page) and if you haven't checked it out before, today is a good time to start.

After reading the story, now I know why the Boxer cries out "I am leaving, I am leaving," but the fighter still remains.

Note to Steph: Sorry. Couldn't help myself.

Note from 2005: Serious, read the story and see the Art Garfunkel get whats coming to him.

Anyway, my time is about up and I have to go.

The French Revolution is about to begin and I wouldn't want to miss it.

'Yes_I_hear_the_people_sing_singing_the_songs_of_angry_men'

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Yep...

The title says most of it.

This is really part of my plan to turn my webpage into my standard start up page so I never have to worry about bookmarks again, but I'm to modest to change it all in one clean swoop.

That's why the new colors, the news links, the new arrangements slowly come in... like waves... ah...

Anyway, let me explain some of the new links.

Doonesbury and Rush are here to help people get a full view of the political spectrum.

I personally cover nearly a half dozen sites to try to get an overall view of things. Both sites have multiple links to various other outlets. There is a Doonesbury daily briefing and Rush usually has multiple links to stories at the bottom of each entry.

If one wants to know what their opponents are thinking, one should be willing to walk a mile in their shoes; or at least skim their talking points.

Note: An interesting thing to check out this week, before it changes is the Doonesbury straw poll. That's the weekly poll. The responses are typically savagely partisan - and this week's is no exception.

People's reaction to the end of the major fighting in Iraq is split straight down part lines in almost mirror images. I've never seen a poll so telling about how people can look at the same thing and get totally different opinions.

Read BOTH sites. You'll learn a lot.

Next up is Chrissy's Corner. That's a blog secretly setup by my friend Christina, who started a blog out of peer pressure.

She started it back in October of last year for a week, and only recently resuscitated it.

Now that we’ve heard about it, the push is on for her to maintain it.

No pressure.

Next is the lovely weather website run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This is the reliable, dependable site one can use to concerning the weather.

This is the site I depended on when I won predicting the high temperature. It is also why there is a darling red sheen in a friend's previously black hair.

Last, there is the new Attitude Indicator (you'll have to scroll up to see it by now... I'll wait... Welcome back!) which should indicate my mood at the time of the last posting.

More changes will come, but I hope the new arrangement helps you find things a bit easier, neater, and a bit more educational.

I aim to please.

WARNING_DONT_PROCEED_WITHOUT_A_HELMET_OR_HARD_HEAD

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Move. Counter move.

And it has begun...

There aren't many spectators of this match-up, but scant attention to those outside the arena as the two size each other up.

Verbal bantering is the preferred fighting style and words are the weapons.

There is much probing to gauge the other's abilities.

One can move to attack or defend. To swing hard to inflict damage or to flippantly carve up the air for show.

The intent isn't to mortally wound; merely to jest and mischievously provoke.
And there is provocation commotion.

Points are given for good comments, though nobody keeps score.

As in all sports worth playing, the thrill is not in winning, but in the playing of the game.

The tempo constantly changes. The barrage of words has steady pace - and the two wouldn't want one anyway.

Conscious of the time limit placed on the match, the duelists circle each other until the competition comes to an end.

After pausing briefly to confirm a future re-match, the sparing ends as quickly as it began.

What game am I playing?

Boy, I wish I knew...

'Game_On'

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I just got done watching Alfred Hitchcock's famous film Rear Window.

It's the one film we get to watch in Humanities 104 - The Modern Era. It's a good film - I don't know if it deserves to be the sole film representative of the contemporary age (maybe Casablanca or Tootsie) - but it was fun.

I watched it with a bunch of honors kids, so the commentary was interesting. By the end of the film, we were shouting advice to the characters as if it was a slasher film.

"That's good. Hide in plain sight. He'll never notice the guy in the wheelchair. Every apartment has one of them."

"Oh &#%*! It's Thorwald!"

"The door, Jimmy. Lock the freakin' door!"

"Wow. Everybody leaves their doors unlocked. It's just like Canada."

NOTE: It's kinda weird seeing Raymond Burr play the villain. I kept watching it and thinking crap, this guy is going to get away with it. Perry Mason ALWAYS wins his case!

Anyway, it was fun watching the movie and cracking up a the morbid comments:

"Let's go down there and find out what's buried in that garden."

"Why not? I've always wanted to meet Mrs. Thorwald."

or

"Why does a man leave his house three times on a rainy night and comes back three times?"

"Maybe he likes the way his wife welcomes him home."

and

"Nobody ever invented a polite word for a killin' yet."

NOTE: All three of the previous comments are actual lines in the movie. It's hard to compete against such good material, but still we tried.

Ah...murder is rarely such fun, or such an enjoyable spectator sport.

"That's right Jimmy. Turn out the lights. THAT won't attract any attention."

"Hey, see that apartment that just turned off their lights? That can't be them."

There were a list of questions we were supposed to keep in mind while watching the film, focusing on usage of camera angles and what the meaning of the title is ("Um... Rear Window. I think that's pretty self-explanatory).

When it gets to discussion time, however, I may have difficulty not cracking up when recalling certain scenes.

"How can a photographer defend himself?"

"Flashbulbs!"

"Hooray!" "Yea!" "Oh yeah..."

I'm going to miss such intellectual conversation amongst the Honors kids next year.

Good night.

'Dont_open_the_door_Jimmy'

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WAG - Well, what have you learned today?

I've finished my four papers.

And I've learned some stuff too, if that don't beat all.

One) When assigned three papers by a visiting speaker, with NO prior warning, taking a whimsical, conversational tone with the papers because they won't be graded by your teacher, makes the process go much quicker.

Exception: If you don't think the assignment will impact your grade since the lady isn't your teacher, you have the right to skip it all with the added catch that you can't skip the consequences.

Two) If the visiting speaker, who is a syndicated columnist, uses any material from your papers, don't expect credit, let alone extra credit.

Three) If one is supposed to search LexisNexis for one paper, and can't use the program LexisNexis, there is a simple solution. Take up half of the required space talking about one's imability to use LexisNexis, give some general recollections about correspondents, and wrap it up with a talk about the importance of impressions (because they are typically remembered much longer than facts). Just remember, there is therequirement that you can't skip the consequences.

Four) One shouldn't start reading the Toni Morrison book "Beloved" just after lunch if they intend to finish it before class the next day.

Exception: But one is free to go ahead and try.

Five) I discovered it's a lot easier to read "Beloved" at 2 a.m. in the lounge when one doesn't question the depressing plot as much.

Exception: When Toni's last chapter of the book repeats the phrase, "This is not a story to pass on," multiple times, one wonders why it was placed on the required reading list.

Six) If someone is playing Final Fantasy on the couch next to you, and there is a constant sound of BZAP! CZING! Ker-SPERR! BOOM!, it is easier to stay awake as well.

Seven) When one gets up early to finish a few papers, and finds himself faced with an extra hour he hadn't expected, sleep is what he should do, but it is more cathartic to rant on his blog instead.

Like I said, I learned a lot. Hopefully you did too.

And extra hopefully it was something other than, "Caleb is still an idiot."

But if it was, reinforcement isn't a bad thing either.

Have a good day.

'Who_needs_sleep_Tell_me_whats_that_for'

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WAG - Blimey...

I am so tired...and there is so much to do.

But I have had a good, albeit tiring evening. I never seem to be able to focus on homework when I'm working the desk (I'm usually doing good if I'm in to it enough to get the desk stuff done adequately), so let me tell you how it's gone.

Meeting with next year's student staff was fun. We went to PANorama and did the standard everyone-getting-to-know-each-other setup.

"Where are you from?"

"What's your major?"

"Where are you living now?"

We swapped stories and jokes trying to get a feel for everyone.

I knew only one person from before: Caleb Lewis. We spent the evening joking about who would be Caleb #1 and who would be Caleb #2. We then tried to come up with nicknames for each other (Smitty, Smythe, etc. I would go into his nicknames, but many were rude and mean and most of them I couldn't repeat without laughing to hysterically to hit the correct keys on the keyboard).

At the end, we walked back to campus and crashed the room of a future student staff member who couldn't make dinner due to a test. After a stranger pounded on his door and cussed him out, the sudden appearance of a dozen people in the hallway prompted him to turn a severe shade of red.

From that scene, I had to jet back to Hatch in time to start my DA shift.

Usually Tuesday evenings are pretty slow. They're not as dead as Sunday evenings, but they're usually not too bad.

The one problem with using the term "usually," is that eventually there is deviation from the norm.

And tonight, there was much deviation.

First off, a couple minutes into my shift, a pack of roughly a dozen walked in laughing. Among them, there were several pairs of boxing gloves and a video camera.
"First rule of fight club, you can't talk about fight club," one guy quoted badly as he turned the corner.

The next foul was self-inflicted.

When I was still coming off the brain fog from speeding across campus (my mind usually switches itself off during physical exertion as a defensive device), a person asked to check out a volleyball. I rummaged through the sports equipment bin, pulled something out, and handed it to the girl.

Five minutes later, she came back with a friend who promptly informed me, "This ISN'T a volleyball."

I looked at it carefully.

"Nope... That's a soccer ball," I replied.

Score another point for ignorance.

Another ball fiasco involved a trio of guys careening down the hallway with a giant, 3-foot wide blue bouncy ball.

They didn't quite have a discernable intent with their actions; other than kicking the ball and bumping into each other.

The fanatics added an extra dimension when they reached the entryway and decided to punt the ball.

While following the ricocheting trail of the flying ball was a bit funny, I had to tell them to knock it off for fear some poor sap coming out of the dining hall would get slammed.

After that, I had a person ask for a Desk Attendant application who then called me a liar when I said the deadline had passed. She repeatedly said the deadline was the 23rd despite the fact people were hired two weeks ago. My honesty was still doubted until I showed her a printout of a memo that said the deadline was passed. Only then did she cut me some slack, or admit the truth to herself (it was hard to tell which).

As she walked away, I started singing along with Simon and Garfunkle, "We'd like to help you learn to help yourself..."

Of course, that prompted more incredulous stares, but I was getting used to that.

Still, the best moment of the night was when a person walked up to the desk, plumped down a box, and called a person on the phone saying, "Zach, your flamingos are here."

The box held a gross of 20 pink lawn flamingos for the Residence Hall Association's Random Week stunt.

This will spoil the surprise for MU readers, but the plan is to stick the flock of flamingos, with RHA tattooed on them in multiple places, out on the grass for MU students to admire and then steal.

Personally, I already have a pair of pink flamingos in my room, named Juliet and Gilligan, but those who get up early enough before the kleptos wake up will appreciate them.

Either way, hearing the words, "Zach, your flamingos are here," has to be the high point of the shift.

Things may be crazy, but at least they aren't boring.

I'm not sure if that's a good thing, but you won't hear me complaining.

Until the next time I post, that is.

'Flamingos_Get_your_flamingos_here'

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WAg - Brief Update

Whoo... Things haven't slowed down since I got back.

I have stories to write, stacks of pages to read, a handful of essays to compose/B.S. based on previously mentioned stacks of pages to read, and a beautiful sunny day beckoning me to come out and play.

Needless to say, updating the blog hasn't been a top priority (maybe if NewsEngin crashes again at the Missourian, but almost as morbid as being on a cruise and hoping we have to abandon ship to have the excuse to jump overboard).

Sigh...

Between a Residence Hall association meeting, a meeting with next year's Cramer Hall staff, and work, my evening already is jammed.

I fear "Smallville" will once again be lost in the lurch.

I have similar, albeit, smaller fear about a couple essays, but one must keep their priorities straight.

Well, I've ranted for eight minutes. I've got to get back to the grind.

'end_of_transmission'

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WAG - Sneaking in Songs

It's Good Friday - both the holiday and the celebrated end of the work week.

Yeah...!

I'm looking forward to crashing in K.C. this weekend with my grandparents. I expect to do a bit of shopping and snarfing easter candy, but I mainly plan to spend my time reading, writing, and sleeping.

Of course, I've got to get through classes first.

You know it's going to be an interesting day when you start it off by being caught singing along with Chris Isaak to "Somebody's Crying."

It was on a high part too... Not pretty.

At home, the only time I really ever sang was in the shower (good aucustics and privacy - as long as one remembered to lock the door).

In college, however, though no one will come to your stall to shut you up, solos in the shower are strongly discouraged.

I guess that's yet another reason to look forward to my own bathroom next year.

Until then, I'll have to time my duets better.

Either way, I'm still free to whistle.

During all the downpours yesterday, I was caught without a raincoat or umbrella while heading back to Hatch. Knowing I was going to be soaked no matter what, I took an easy pace.

Near the J-School I noticed a few black lightposts that appeared to be pulled straight from the movie Singing in the Rain.

Tuesday, I had joking left a post on my sister's website concerning my plans for stormy weather and re-enacting a scene from the movie.

I knew there were lost of light posts on campus, but I hadn't recalled that the ones near the J-School were of the old, ornate iron design.

Soaked, but faced with the perfect opportunity, I made a quick twirl around the pole - which must have looked interesting to the person in the parcked car nearby.

I was slighty embarassed, but nevertheless tickled as I walked away. With no police officer to interupt my splashing, and no unused umbrella to offer to a curious bystander, I simply moved on, quietly whistling the bars to the theme.

Doot du du DO du du Doot du du DO du du Doot du du DO du du Doot du du DO du du doo....

'dont_forget_Singing_in_the_shower_is_like_singing_in_the_rain'

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WAG - Trying Something New Again

I've long been envious of LiveJournal Blog sites, due to some of the extra features they...feature.

Today, in the time honored tradition of my sister borrowing and copying each other's discoveries, I present the smiley face indicator of wisdom...

Well, we're working on the title.

This may become an added feature, or it may be dropped faster than a Journalist taking a Physics class.

We'll see...

'Smile_and_the_world_smiles_with_you_put_an_icon_on_your_website_and_they_will_mock_you'

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WAG - Holy Parlimentary Procedure Process Batman!

This evening, instead of watching new episodes of "Gilmore Girls" or "Smallville," I got to attend my first MU Residence Hall Association as amember.

In the past, I've been acting as a proxy/observer. I've gone to mostly all the meetings. I've played the part of substitue, when necessary, as well as just a note taker to take comments back to the Hall Council (the dorm government for those of you who are interested; for those of you who aren't interested, I'd applogize but I don't care. It's my Blog. It's your call to keep reading. I won't bow or pander to my audience...I'm not even sure I have one. So...um...take THAT! Um... Crap. Where was I...?).

Anyway, a Hatch represenative wanted to drop the position, due to scheduling trouble, and I was asked to take over.

All that setup was to say today I attended my first RHA meeting as a full-fledged member. I had visions of Robin finally being able to join the big leagues and rid the planet of the vile injustices that plague it. My new commission made me feel endowed, empowered, and energized. I was ready to take on the world!

On a related note, tonight the RHA passed a resolution to correct grammatical errors in the organization's constitutional by-laws.

Okay, taking down any criminal masterminds may not pop up at the top of the agenda anytime soon, but at least I no longer have to put an asterisk next to my name on the attendance sheet. I'm no longer "just watchin'." I'm here to make a difference.

Or make more jokes about people in tights... I'm easy.

'Motion_to_close'

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WAG - Too Many Distractions

Okay, today was nice and sunny. The temperature was a bit high, but bearable in shorts [of course, I was wearing pants in accordance with Missourian dress code, but I'm not too bitter]).

I decided to take the scenic route back to the dorm today.

I burnt a new CD today and was rocking out to a recording of "Sinnerman (Where are you gonna run to?)" performed by Nina Simone. It's a 10-minute long classic spiritual; and makes for perfect background music.

I stopped by the University Bookstore. I discovered in class that two different gel pens had ran out, so I decided to engage in some conspicuous consuption (an considereing the current economic condition, that makes me a patriot[by the same standard it's also "patriotic" to max out all your credit cards and go on a spending freenzy to Vegas - but let's not talk about my Easter vacation plans now...]).

I picked up a couple new pens, found a paperback I've been looking for ("The Alienist" by Caleb Carr in case you were interested) and headed toward the checkout. It was then that I spotted a book that I wasn't looking for, but that I desparately needed.

It seems the newest book in the Left Behind Series, "Armageddon," had come out.

Of course, I had a copy tucked beneath my arm as I made my way toward the counter.

The major thing now is keeping myself focused and concentrated on my assigned homework when such a tempting book is close-by. I told the checkout lady it was "Easter reading." I told myself I would only read one chapter before diving into assignments. Somewhere around page 67, I told myself I had to finish the current chapter and move on to other things like Nazis and priests with AIDS. (Humanities and Cross-Cultural Journalism readings, respectively).

I mean it's bad enough I have a short attent...ooo! Shiny!

'INSERT_ENDING_HERE'

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WAG - Keeping the Season Going

Many sources, from the Bible to Charlie Brown, say that one should keep the Christmas spirit in their hearts and share it all year long. That is something we are enouraged to strive for.

One question: does it still count when one leaves a Christmas present in a bottom drawer for nearly 5 months and finally gets it to the person in mid-April?

I hope so...

I'm going to play a little Christmas music to be sure.

Play that piano, Schroder!

'Christmas_time_is_here'

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WAg - Drained

It's been a long, fun-filled weekend.

I'd love write a long report about my various misadventures.

Instead, I have to write a long article about abortion for class.

Sometimes you have to hold off telling the fun stories for the more important ones. A story with lesser impact is replaced with something more meaningful and better writen.

I hope my T.A. agrees...

'Gotta_go'

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WAG - On your mark...Set...and...?

Um... Things have gotten "interesting" here.

I use that ambiguous, hazy all-encompassing adjective because we got returns back and finalized, but don't have the specific breakdown - as requested.

I hate continuing to come up with crazy metaphors, but they keep coming to me.

I feel like I've come up to the line and am in position. The starter has called out "ready, set...," and pointed the gun in the air, but has refused to fire it.
As I'm glancing at the others posed to sprint, I can see how everyone's dealing with it.

Some are pacing like my editor, who looks like he's going through drug withdrawls. The two who were working on the pot initiative, have curled up for a nap. The Onion's website is being scanned. One is playing solitaire, and a call just came in to report specific returns could take up to another 30 to 60 minutes.

It seems impossible to fit everything in the print deadlines.

In the past 2 minutes, things have gone from tense to deflated.

As a person raised on the American cinema, we're always disapointed by an anti-climatic conclusion.

That's it? Couldn't you have come up with one more twist? One last grand explosion?

We're still cracking jokes, but thre doesn't seem to be much left to do. I've heard people make the comment that the last couple of hours have been similar to when war broke out, stress-wise.

Last time, the press broke down and a lot of good reporting and hard work went unrecognized.

Boy is life ironic, and repetitive.

Sometimes you get one last shot in. Other days, you've just got to walk away.

It looks like it an "other" day.

Oh well.

'Just_pull_the_trigger'

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WAg - HERE IT IS...almost

It's almost midnight.

I'm just finished a conversation with a Chinese student and a German student about a Spanish fashion magazine. I'm learning so much about subjects I never expected to appproach tonight.

There's talk about messed up ballots. Deadlines are looming. Those that are still here are constantly hitting the Reload button on the election site.

Others, like me, have been a bit more free to have fun conversations with the people around me. All the articles that could be moved early have been put into the system.

Earlier, when I saw the the last update, when 80 percent of precints were reporting, I threw up my hands in victory there was enough margin to call the race. "Call the Fire Department, Caleb," was the command I heard even before I put my hands downs. The article got moved, and I have nothing else to worry about...until final returns.

My editor is still expecting everything to cut loose at once. I'm expected to go directly to the graphic's computer to go to work entering in numbers (I hope my lys-dexia doesn't bother me too much. Like Yoda I would hate to type).

"It's an April election. It's supposed to be easy!" says a copy desk person...

IT'S HERE! 100% ALL PRECINTS, BUT NOT ALL OF THE VOTES!

After all the trials, all the stress, all I've got to say at this point is, "Thank goodness for the 65 cent microwave popcorn in the Missourian vending machine!"

That and, "GO, GO, GO!"

Bye.

'Run_with_it'

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WAG - Ug... Grr...

There are few things as thrilling as mixing up your "sleep in" day with your "classes start early day."

Either way you're screwed: If you sleep through your early classes, teachers get upset. If you get up early when you don't have to, you get upset with yourself.

Stupid-tired-messed-up-brain of mine.

I'm a bit upset with myself.

At least I'll get some extra homework done, as soon as my mind actually turns on.

Until then, I'll be relying more on grunts and growls, and other guteral sounds, to make it through the mornging.

Urg...

'Grah...Ug_Ug'

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WAG - Ah...The tale comes to a close

[NOTE: UPDATES STARTING FROM APRIL 8th SHOULD BE READ IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER TO MAKE THE MOST SENSE - THIS IS A "PLAY-BY-PLAY" ACCOUNT OF THE NEWSROOM DURING THE EVENING OF ELECTION DAY]

It's about 1:40 a.m.

I've already had an interesting day.

I've had more conversations with people at the Missourian and ethical talks about journalism in the past 12 hours than at any other time during the past semester.

I've learned more about backgrounds and improved my general knowledge on a variety of subjects from foreign cultures to how does one interview a candidate that started picking up his campaign signs around 11:00 a.m.

I also got to see how trying to wrestle election coverage into submission and herd it into neat, pre-planned positions can become more difficult when the animal is cornered and turned on you.

At the gun, or the command to "Go home," there were impossibly late returns, a tied Mayoral race (with 49 apiece [which didn't fit any of the two pre-crafted articles]), more money for local schools, no "medical" marijuana for Columbian residents, and newsroom full of drained, sarcastic reporters.

Simply put, it was fun.

Before I left the Missourian, got to I watch my editor answer the phone with a frantic "Peter?" - rather than the standard, "Columbia Missourian, how can I help you?"

We were waiting for updates on the updates (if the terms are confusing to you, imagine living through them).

That was promptly followed by the embarrassed, "Oh..." when it didn't turn out to be Peter and my editor had to work his way through the rest of the awkward conversation as the newsroom cracked up (we had all been waiting for Peter's phone call as well).

I then gave a tired friend a twisting ride around the newsroom on a rolly-chair any editors or copy desk people giving us a second look.

It's always entertaining when the unusual becomes the norm.

The only thing about today I'm not looking forward to is the Missourian lecture at 9:30 a.m. Personally, I want to argue I've already gone to J-306 "class" for today. That won't fly, though I'm tempted to toss it out the window anyway to see how far it glides.

I'm tired, happy, and have gotten over the initial disappointment that deadlines didn't exactly fit.

Though by-lines are great, and kudos points for working late are grand too, there are few things as rewarding as getting your tired editor to smile when you say, "I'll see you later today, John," at 1:00 a.m. in the morning.

Good night.

'Precinct_results_We_dont_need_no_stinking_precinct_results'

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WAg - Storm Update

I feel like the weatherman who drew the short straw.

You know the poor fool who goes out to the beach right before the huricane hits? The guy that is screaming into the microphone while the wind whips his clothes and hair? The one at the edge of the madness describing the scene to those watching from the calm comfort of their homes? Having to answer stupid question from the safe, protected news anchors asking idiotic things like, "So is it windy out there?"

Yeah...

Things are getting interesting depending on what's happening in your assgined to.

Some races have already been called; though most of these were races where the incumbent was picked long before the polls even opened. Some people are looking at races where the difference is only one vote. Others are looking at races where no votes have been tallied yet.

Personally, the outcome of my story looks pretty apparent. The fire district's bond issue to raise money to build two new stations and buy three new trucks looks to pass - in case you were interested. Though the people gathered at the fire station are currently eating "victory cake," no one wants to call it a "win" yet.

Nevertheless, my editor told me I did a good job and sent in my story to be edited and left a space for final quotes to be inserted. My story is done, but my assignment continues.

Stress is creeping back in to the newsroom. There hasn't been a return update in over an hour, and people are getting worried about how late things will hit - and how close it will be to the print deadline. More people have been displaying signs of impatience like tapping their fingers or toes. People are checking the county clerk's election site about once every 2 or 3 minutes. Others, like my friend sitting in front of me is scanning the TV Tome site and being depressed by the fact that Jesse from "Gilmore Girls" is getting his own spinoff show set in Venice, which doesn't bode well for his relationship with Rory (NOTE: Good riddence).

With my story on hold for now, I have the luxury of looking back over my day.

I have had an interested day so far. I did exit polls this morning. I stayed conscious in classes. I bought a Mallard Filmore cartoon collection on discount at the University Bookstore. I got a nap. My nap was interested by a phone call stating my roomate was in trouble for illegally sharing music files over the Internet (Like anyone does THAT in college).

One of the highlights of my day was the invite I go to join the fire fighters at their barbeque down at their station.

Their station is roughly 10 miles away. I mentioned that to my friend earlier (He's currently leaving a message on the phone of a likely election user while continuing to play solitaire. He's a multi-tasker). He said, "That's not too far to go for barbeque."

I agreed with him, but don't have the luxury of ducking out right now.

The copy desk is getting frantic. Only two stories have been sent in, with many left to go.

When this thing hits, it's going to go fast.

Forgive me while I stumble over to a palm tree and hold on for dear life.

'Why_yes_It_IS_windy_out_here_Bob'

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WAG - The calm before the storm

Today is April 8, 2003.

It's Election Day, or "V-Day" (voting day) as I've noted it in my calendar.

I'm in the newsroom and the atmosphere is very strange here.

There are a lot of people here, especially for this time of night, and the air isn't tense.

One person across from is watching German video news reports. The person directly behind me is playing solitaire (he says it's a matter of "vital security").
In the conference room, people are just talking, though they had the show 24 turned on earlier. I'm updating my Blog site, and not feeling guilty about it.

Want to know why?

Right now, election returns have hovered at .90 percent reporting for over an hour now.

NOTE: That's not "ninety percent." That's "ninety percent of 1 percent."

We're going to be here a while.

Most of the stories are already written. Many have been written twice; just with two different endings (a pass or fail & elected or ignored). Many stories have gaps in them waiting to be filled with percentages or quotes from the probable victor or loser I heard someone ask someone earlier to give them a comment as if they'd one and then another comment if they lost. Those people have less gaps and phone calls to make, but less respect from me - who still has phone calls to make.

Of course, it's still to early to do that. I'm not going to ask, "With 00.90% of the vote in, how do you feel about your chances?"

It's interesting looking at the absentee ballot results. For me, it's entertaining seeing someone winning with 100% of the vote with only two votes cast in their favor.

There a lot of comments being made like, "Boy, it's gonna be a close one." "Crap, that guy must have pissed off EVERYBODY!"

Newsroom Update: The girl watching German news switched to playing minesweeper, then pinball, and back to news sites. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is playing in the conference room and word is pizza will be delivered soon.

Compared to the normal, strained feeling that goes along with late night deadlines, it feels like I've wandered into a Twilight Zone episode, that's catered.

Of course, when returns hit 100%, they're now at 6.41% (Yes, it's going to be a long night), things are going to go nuts.

But till then, like a person gazing at the funny looking green clouds in the sky, I'm just going to enjoy the view.

Whoa... More numbers. The clouds are growing darker, but into the storm I plunge.

'Aunty_Em_Aunty_Em_A_Twister_A_Twister'

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WAG - Bowing to peer pressure

I know several friends have had posts like this, so here's my contribution:

You're the Wayne's World Soundtrack


What Soundtrack Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

-RESULT REVIEW: Pretty good. I have some of Tia Tia Carrere's cover songs from the movie, as well as the "Bohemenian Rhapsody," some Alice Cooper, and the Wayne's World Theme itself.

u are a full vampire!! You are turned on by blood
and the sun and holy objects anger you greatly.
U prefer to go party on weekends and like large
crowds. And you enjoy watching others you know
suffer!!!!


*!How much of a vampire are you?!*
brought to you by Quizilla

-RESULT REVIEW: I respectfully disagree. I go out in sunlight all the time, and don't use sunblock...as far as everybody knows...


You're Eddie Van Halen! You are a phenomonal
guitarist, and your band was really successful,
until sammy hagar ruined it. You were popular
earlier, in the 70's and early 80's.


* find out which 80's rockstar you are! (guys)*
brought to you by Quizilla

-RESULT REVIEW: There's nothing like being told you're a has been, though only a small number of 80's rockstars have survived. Still I like their music. Not a bad call.


You are Jack the Ripper. Yours were some of the
most brutal murders recorded in history--yet
your case is still to this day unsolved. You
came from out of the fog, killed violently and
quickly and disappeared without a trace. Then
for no apparent reason, you satisfy your blood
lust with ever-increasing ferocity, culminating
in the near destruction of your final victim,
and then you vanish from the scene forever. The
perfect ingredients for the perennial thriller.
You are quite the mysteriously demented?


Which Imfamous criminal are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

-RESULT REVIEW: I think not.


Balanced. You accept your emotions as normal and
are not overly happy nor depressed. You are
emotionally balanced and should find peace in
the way you deal with life situations. Your
emotions are normal and well understood. You
see the light in the dark.


How Emotional Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

-RESULT REVIEW: (What a nice way to follow Jack) As much as I joke I have none of the touchy-feely emotions, I have to say this ain't bad. It is cool to know I'm normal in some things. Sweet.

You are defintely smurfs, wouldn't it be cool to be
like 2" tall.......think about it


Which awesome t.v. show from my childhood are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

-RESULT REVIEW: La la la la la LAA la la la LAA La-La


Are You Afraid Of The Dark? Telling ghost stories
that scare the crap out of me is your goal in
life. Please stop, the clowns'll eat me...


What's Your 90's Nickelodeon Show?
brought to you by Quizilla

-RESULT REVIEW: Always a great show. I always wanted to be a member of the Midnight Society (though how those kids slipped out of their houses each week without being caught is beyone me).


What Is Your Animal Personality?
brought to you by Quizilla

-RESULT REVIEW: I still have no real idea what otter means, but I'll take it.


Shrooms.
Star light,
star bright,
what images will I see tonite?


Which drug should you be hooked on? [now with pictures]
brought to you by Quizilla

-RESULT REVIEW: I'm sure my parents would be pleased. Crap, I hallucinate enough without having any drugs in my system. Let's forget this.


Congrat are in order! You are a hardcore member of
the Oompa Loompas. in fact, you probably
organized them yourself in middle school. Keep
up the good work and don't forget your toe
socks.


* Are you a member of the Oompa Loompas? *
brought to you by Quizilla

-RESULT REVIEW: Though I be annoyed by the dress code, I was never really one for cover-alls, isn't working in the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory a dream job?


You are StrongBad. You hate everyone, especially
HomeStar. Your e-mails and prank calls are
hilarious. You're my favorite character. You
try to be evil, but sorry, being shirtless with
boxing gloves just isn't scary. Don't worry
what everone else thinks because hey, they are
all "crap for brains".


What HomeStarRunner Character are you? (pictures)
brought to you by Quizilla

-RESULT REVIEW: As a longtime, well a couple of months, fan of
Homestar Runner.com, being similar to STrong Bad is wicked awesome.



You are normal. Lucky little you


What Self-Mutilation Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

-RESULT REVIEW: Alright. I'm okay but still doomed. How pleasant.

That's it. It looks like the usual mix of results that make you say both "That's a perfect match" and "What the Hell?"

What more could you expect from a person following the crowd?

If you will forgive me, a bunch of friends are jumping off a cliff. I really can't miss that.

Bye.

Baa...

'Conform_Conform'

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WAG - Me so tired...

Ug... The subject line says it all.

I slept so little last night...

Then I cruised without stopping all day long before 7:30 p.m.

Of course, when your brain shuts off, and you go to work at 8:00 p.m., somethings gonna give.

The time is now 9:30, and I just know remembered I brought a case full of CDs with me.

If I wasn't so long gone, I'd actually be worried about that.

Lucky for me.

All this and "Daylight Savings time is about to kick in. "Fall back, Spring forward they say."

Now I don't mind the "Fall back" part. We all love that.

But I just want to say, if I ever come across the sadistic freak who came up with "Spring Forward," something bad is going to happen (and if he's dead already, I'll just desicrate his grave).

Of course, I'd have to rest up first because I'm sleepy now.

Night-night....

'Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz'

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WAG - An Application for Power

Sitting at the desk during the first of three closing shifts in a row (I have a busy weekend and need the hours in the day open), I was intrigued by an envelop at the back of the desk.

In it was the applications for Hall Council Executive Board. That's the group of people made up of people returning to Hatch who run the dorm government and help get things done.

Even though my residence will be outside Hatch's walls next year, I thought I still might fill out a form - just in case.


Hatch Hall Council
Executive Board Application

All information will be made available to the public except for room #, phone #, and e-mail adress.

Name: Caleb Michael Smith

e-mail address: cmszp5@mizzou.edu
or DaemonKing_82@hotmail.com

Room #: Hatch 508 (this year), Cramer 127 (next year)

Phone: 1-900-771-1747

Major: English, Journalism/B.S.

Year in school: 2nd or 3rd - it's hard to remember with all the drugs medicine I do take

Position running for (circle one): President Vice President Secretary (ALL ARE CIRCLED)

- Actually, I'd prefer dictator for life, but I can work up to that.

How have you been involved in Hatch this year?

Have I been involved? Are bears Catholic? Does the Pope...you know... in the woods? Have I been involved... please! For all practical purposes, I am Hatch Hall. I am all over this residence hall (and parts of Schurz next door too).

How else have you been involved?

I would love to list my numerous and extensive list of accomplishments and activities I have masterminded, but to do so I would have to abandon my defense of pleading the Fifth Amendment, and at this time, my lawyer strongly advises against it. Stay tuned to CourtTV for updates.

Why are you interested in this position?

From my seat of power in Cramer, I'm interested in setting up a puppet-state. My hand-selected minions will carry out my every whim and request without question. From my "reign in exile," I plan to funnel Hatch funds into my financial "war chest" I plan to use for my bid for global domination.

How would you be an asset to the Council?

Four reasons:

1) I strike fear and terror into those who know of my vengence.
2) Those that defy me do so at their peril.
3) Fools who cross me, and that I allow to live, are hesistant to act so foolishly again.
4) And I'm a People Person. :) (Imagine the smiley face rotated 90 degrees)


We'll that's my bid.

I think I have better odds than Ross Perot (but that's not saying much).

'Smith_for_Global_Dictator'

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WAG - So now they tell me...

I got an interesting email from a friend today. I've often gotten entertaining emails from him. In the last one, he asked me to take me off my mass email list, and thinking he was serious, I did.

He didn't really mean it.

I've often said sarcasm doesn't translate well in email (which is also why some people asked if I was depressed in my email. No I wasn't bummed out. I was just being ironic).

Anyway, Brad had noted that many of the comment boxes weren't working. He noticed that the boxes that had multiple word lead ins (like "Oscar Oscar" or "So what if there's no Easter Bunny in the Bible").

I'm working to fix that.

Kudos to Brad for being the first to mention the extra comments I've been slipping in, and for telling me how to fix the problem.

'Hooray_for_Brad'

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