Low Pressure Systems Suck.

We sail for CALIFORNIA!!!!

2006-03-05T18:30:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I don't know why this is the second sailing-related post in a row.

Marine science bowl = GOING TO CALIFORNIA!!!!!!!

First. Place. And let me tell you, the title of my blog helped out more than once, especially where hurricanes and upwelling was concerned.

This is truly the pinnacle of my blog's life: Things can only go downhill from here.

And since it has served its purpose, and because I am finally happy, my blog can truly die in peace.

Ready the mainsail!

2006-02-23T20:23:00.000-05:00

Blast! They've taken me chatterbox away from me! The repurcussions will be great.

So I have officially changed every sound on my laptop to star trek sounds. For example: When I get an e-mail, it sounds like a comm-badge. When I click on anything in explorer, it sounds like the computer panel beeping. The coolest part is when I log off and it asks me for the password to log back on, since the sound effect is the computer saying "input access code"! I had fun with that.

So I've been thinking about the overall implications of nerddom. I mean, if you're a nerd, does it automatically mean that you can't have a girlfriend? My sources seem to lean both ways, and since I'm my only source, I have been forced to disagree with myself.

Sure, I'm a nerd. I have no social skills. I'm not even remotely attractive. No tan, either. I can't be fun to talk to, however much I enjoy talking to myself. Despite these obvious and glaring flaws (or "flaws", for the fans of Red Mage), some people won't give up on me for some reason. The feeling that comes from talking to someone that thinks you're really something is absolutely remarkable. Of course, it helps a lot to think that they are really something back.

The conclusion of my scientific research seems to suggest that while I am a nerd, it is possible for me to fill the role of "good boyfriend", as they say. On the other hand, maybe Mollusks are cooler than Cnidarians?

The St. Valentine's Day Massacre!

2006-02-14T18:26:00.000-05:00

Except this time, instead of being a massacre, it was pure awesome.

Candy is fun, but some things are sweeter than candy.

This post is OVER!

Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan

2006-01-19T18:10:00.000-05:00

Now, I know what you're thinking. I did NOT steal my title from another source. That would just be stupid. I mean, come on.

Just as I was starting to realize that everything really isn't as bad as I thought it was, everything just goes ahead and proves it for itself. I'm not really sure if the specific feeling that I'm feelin' right now has a name yet. Language hasn't evolved to the point of making words for it. Limitations aside, the general gist would be linear to "excited" and "positive".

Gotta love that Encyclopedia Brown. I'm sure some of you will find this to be a fun and interesting update. (And the rest of you will, too, of course. Of course).

Brandon: 1. Logan: 0.

2005-11-30T15:12:00.000-05:00

Success!

Logan walks in from school, and instinctively opens the refrigerator to get a snack. He holds up my pseudo-coke and asks, "Who's is this?"

"I dunno." I reply, preoccupied. I'm pretending to do my homework, by the way.

Logan opens the coke with the bottle opener. The top is ruined. Darn.

I was afraid I was found out when the bottle didn't give that characteristic "hisss" of a new bottle of coke being opened. He stared at it for a while, looked at the cap, and took a swig.

I wish I had a picture of the expression on his face! After about 5 minutes of spitting into the trash can and washing his mouth out with bottled water (the same bottle I used to open the coke in the first place, actually. How ironic.), he was well enough to chase me around with a baseball bat.

I assume that this isn't over. I'll be ready for the rebuttal.

Pranka-Cola

2005-11-30T11:15:00.000-05:00

I just did this. Just now. Just genius.

Step 1: I bought one of those 8oz cokes in the classic glass bottles.

Step 2: I opened the bottle with my water bottle trick (for those of you that haven't seen it, you're really missing out) so that it didn't damage the top.

Step 3: I emptied the bottle (however could I have done that?).

Step 4: I refilled the bottle with water and a mixture of red and green food dye at a ratio of roughly 5:3. Looks just like coke. Then I added a bunch of salt. Yes, salt.

Step 5: Pushed top back on. Shook well (the salt gave it little bubbles that actually made it look exactly like coke).

Step 6: I placed it conspicuously in the refrigerator. Like, right next to the milk. Right next to it.

I'm not worried about posting this here, because my brother doesn't read my blog. If he takes the bait, there will be an update.

Crunch Time!

2005-11-29T17:44:00.000-05:00

Somebody call the cap'n!

Ok, pun over. I have too much homework right now for puns, anyway. The few weeks before mid-terms is one of the few times I actually feel overwhelmed with homework. There's just...so much of it! And it keeps coming! It hungers for human flesh! Where's my shotgun?

It is nice that some teachers are giving us a break, but others are definitely more than overcompensating for their generosity. The common thought of these teachers must be "well, their other teachers are probably going easy on them right now, so I don't have to!" When everybody thinks this, we have a problem.

I also feel like I have to do homework alone all day. As I've told some of you, my greatest fear right now is actually losing my friends (some supervillian will probably use that against me some day, but right now you guys are probably safe). I feel like I'm losing "closeness" with people that I used to be very close to. It sucks.

I think I'm also kind of selfish when it comes to my friends. Sort of ashamed about that. I feel like I want to be "first" with everyone which, of course, can never happen. Some people will always be closer than I am, as they have been around for longer. This feeling can only be based on immaturity; there must be a higher level out there that I have yet to reach (I hope I used that semicolon correctly). I must first confront Lord Vader, apparently. Only then will I be a true master.

And just because I have to dilute that Star Wars quote, here are TWO old Vulcan proverbs:
"Only Nixon can go to China."
"Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end."

And I'll throw in a Klingon one, just in case:
"Revenge is a dish best served cold."

Oh yes, and I've decided on this ship to be Captain of. I only hope it's armed with tunneling phasers and dual dilithium warp cores to be used in conjunction with aft torpedo banks (Then I can destroy two planets at once!)

And a headline (it's all the rage, apparently): Nerd's Parents Afraid Son Will Fall In With Popular Crowd.

MUNday!

2005-11-14T16:51:00.000-05:00

I have theories.

One of them is that Burkina Faso is the most militant nation in the world. It's just too small, too blind, and (apparently) too poorly nourished to follow through with its plans of world domination.

I would also like to contest any claims that I'm addicted to grape soda. I'm not an addict. Seriously. (by the way, whoever drank that last one is on my deathlist).

Short Story-izzle!

2005-11-03T20:41:00.000-05:00

Natural Class Selection

When Preston McClinnage opened his eyes, he was greeted by the face of a very large carrion bird.

“That’s odd,” he thought, as the bird retreated to the air. “I don’t remember any vultures in my jet.”

Unbuckling his seatbelt, the man was rather startled to find that he was no longer aboard his personal aircraft. The ground around him was coarse and brown, and the horizon was as flat as a crisp, new dollar bill. As he continued to survey this alien land, he began to consider whether or not “E-J-E-C-T” really was a clever acronym for “Seat Warmer.”

More importantly, he found that he was without his wallet, which contained all of his credit cards and spending money (approximately $4,000 at any given time). Preston was less concerned over the loss of his money than he was about the loss of the membership card to his local country club. He had plenty of money, but a great identification card picture would be hard to replace.

Driven by instinct, Preston chose a direction and began to confidently tread forward, hoping to find some civilization. After three days without food or sleep (but with quite a few considerations on the new house he was planning on buying in California, and all the new cars he would fill the garage with), Preston saw on the horizon the faintest silhouette of a town. He stumbled through the doors of the first building he saw, which happened to be a rustic-looking saloon.

The room was empty of people, except for the barkeeper. Stuffed animal heads lined the walls, and a large, stuffed coyote stood just over the bar. Preston approached the counter.

“Excuse me, sir,” the 40-year-old Preston said, condescendingly, “I have to make a phone call.”

The barkeeper wrinkled his forehead. “I keep the telephone back here,” he nodded towards the counter. “If you would like to use it, it is my policy for you to purchase something first.”

“Buy something?” Preston hissed. “I already own this entire building, and I could get you fired!” This barbaric technique was one that Preston had used quite often in his hometown of New York. It was one of the only things he had learned from his father before he died.

The barkeeper retained his composure and, glancing at the indistinguishable tattered and torn remains of Preston’s suit, scoffed at his remark. “I’d like to see your attempt at purchasing my tavern, sir.”

Preston was insulted. Everyone knew who he was. No one had ever spoken to him like this before. He instinctively reached into the empty pocket that normally held his wallet to flash some of his credit cards to the barkeeper. “Well, you won’t be getting any of my business.” Preston trotted out of the bar with his nose in the air.

The second building he entered was the local tannery. As Preston angrily approached, the tanner was dwarfed by his wide waist and large stature.

“What can I do for you?” The tanner asked.

“I need to use a phone.” Preston growled.

“I’m sorry, sir, but I don’t have a telephone in my shop,” the tanner said. Then he added, with optimism, “If you need to use one, however, the local bar has a phone that’s free for all paying customers.”

“I’ve decided not to give him any of my business.” Preston said.

The tanner looked at Preston’s clothes and sunburned skin. “Say, are you going through some hard times?” He asked, politely, “If you’d like, you can get a job here. The pay will be decent, and I can make you some new clothing for free. You can start whenever you want.”

“Ha!” Preston barked. He had never worked a day in his life. Quite literally, actually. He had inherited all the money he would ever need from his parents (avid loan sharks, the both of them). “Do you know who I am? I don’t need a job! Besides, I don’t wear animal products.”

His conversation with the tanner left Preston even angrier, and caused him to appear more feral than he did when he entered the town. As he walked down the street, residents shielded their children from him, and businesses closed their doors.

Suddenly, Preston’s keen hearing caught a faint rustling noise in the air. The origin of the sound drew nearer and nearer, and Preston identified it as….a helicopter! He quickly traced the sounds origin to be just outside the town limits, and dashed through streets, slithered through alleyways, and leapt over trash receptacles to reach it. Once he was in sight of the copilot, the door opened, and Preston quickly pounced inside.

Greeting him there were most of his assistants that had handled nearly every aspect of his life since he was 15.

“It’s a miracle we’ve found you, Mr. McClinnage!” His Director-of-Friday-Night-Activities greeted him.

“It sure is,” Preston responded, “The people in that town are a buncha’ animals!”

At our next "TA" Meeting...

2005-10-22T11:46:00.001-04:00

Yeah, so I think I'm addicted. To what, you ask? To THIS:

"Those crazy little squares took away my life. And my boss isn't too happy about the way I've been writing my 'R's."

I love those crazy little squares. They're so understanding. You can really tell them anything. Of course, they're only friendly when they're coming down slow. It gets a lot more complicated in later levels when everything's falling faster. That neat little guy that comes out and dances is cool, too, but I never get to see him anymore.

I had to take out the hard drive I had the game installed on earlier this year (it was a bad hard drive. BAD.), but it's back up now, and it's awesome, and it's both at the same time (and it's multi-colored. Can't beat that). I think Tetris withdrawl just might be the only reason for unhappiness on the planet today. Some people may feel like they're unhappy about something, but that something has to matter before it can really be true. Nothing matters but Tetris. Tetris embodies every positive aspect of life.

Everything else is just an "Asteroids" or, dare I say it, an "E.T.".

Oh yeah, and Rodin says "Hi".

An Exerpt from the Model UN Paper...

2005-10-20T15:11:00.000-04:00

Brandon Moore
Naomi Barlaz
10/20/05
Egypt: GA One!

Pertaining to most issues, Egypt would likely take the side of their religion, Islam. They would also most likely become involved in the Palestinian and Israeli conflicts, as they share a border with the Gaza strip. When Egypt was captured in 1988 by the Romulans (close relatives to the Vulcans that inhabit the planet “Romulus”, actually they are the same in their genetic makeup, but they chose to reject logical paths and thus caused a civil war with the Vulcans. Eventually, they left and founded Romulus, now their home planet. Jill has way too much information on this subject), they brainwashed their leaders to perform a ceremonial ritual that involved shaving mass multitudes of goats before every meeting of government. Sources are unsure whether or not this is harmful to the actual goats or not, but usually shaving anything leaves little red shaving bumpies. More at 11.

Another modest proposal

2005-10-17T16:07:00.000-04:00

Ladies, keep your hands off the sweatshirt.

What did you expect?

2005-10-12T18:18:00.000-04:00

In regards to our Dungeons and Dragons "club", it's beginning to become difficult to schedule dates to meet. The profile of the typical "DnD" player came about because the people that play generally don't have lives outside the game. A few people in our group, on the other hand, do. This just isn't going to work out.

I have, on the other hand, completed my miniature. The strange thing is that I had forgotten about my artistic skills until this project. In summary: I grafted a scimitar into the hand of an elven reaper miniature, and custom-made a staff and a pair of antlers out of florist's wire. The antlers were coated with a sculptable putty, and shaped into...well...shape. More sculpting was done on the right arm. I'm rather proud of it.

And another thing: I picked up a copy of "Kingdom Hearts" for the PS2 (yes, the Disney game). At first, I was slightly embarassed to play it, but it really has one of the best combat systems I've ever played with (plus the storyline is addictive). Now it's just like another demon-slayer. With Hercules (and yeah, that mermaid is pretty hot).

"Age of Mythology" Pickup Lines

2005-09-29T20:32:00.000-04:00

Pickup lines. From "Age of Mythology". Pretty neat. I made these up, by the way.

-"Baby, you're hotter than a fire giant."
-"Bast ain't got nothin' on you."
-"You wanna create a trade route between our marketplaces sometime?"
-"Hey baby, want to see my longhouse?"
-"You can be my wonder."

Yes, they're bad. But I'm ODing on RTS right now and at the same time suffering from RPG withdrawl, so it's kind of expected.

I'm going to go think of more acronyms.

"Nerd Culture"

2005-09-24T21:55:00.000-04:00

This post may be a rerun, but the argument was rekindled due to my attendance of an underground (literally, actually) nerd meeting earlier today.

It's different, go ahead and admit it. Many groups of nerds are even close to developing their own languages (elvish?). So why are nerds so hated? (Do not tell me that they aren't. Remember who you're talking to).

The first obvious reason that comes to me is just because they're different. Those pale, scrawny-looking guys over in the corner have seperated themselves from the rest of society, so they MUST be different. Ha! I know I'm a nerd, and as hard as I try, I can't quite break the mold. There isn't really anything substantial that seperates us from the rest of the population. Except, of course, our supreme intelligence and apparent god-like abilities to repair things (and my tan. Or lack of it, should I say).

CD player/lawn edger/miniature radio broken? I can fix it. Or I at least know what to do to begin the process of fixing it. The non-nerd response: Call a professional. Translation: CALL A FRIGGIN' (a technical term) NERD. I can't understand why ANYONE would rather have a regular schmoe (another technical term, of course) in their life over a nerd (or "sewing circle", or "the circle of life").

Is there even an intimidation issue here? Who's going to have the highest-paying jobs? That's right.

What bothers me?

2005-09-15T17:13:00.000-04:00

There are actually a lot of things that bother me. The number of concrete things, however, is probably limited to the domain of child molesters and spiders. The great majority of them are abstract concepts or completely irrational thoughts, their only mission: to destroy life as those stupid endorphins know it.

It's kind of getting harder and harder to convince myself out of these things, as well. I could care less if I'm not good enough to do something, or if someone doesn't like me. Unfortunately, my brain has other plans. Apparently it's not even letting me in on them.

It's like something is registering on the sensors, but nothing shows up on the viewscreen.

Update?

2005-09-13T21:42:00.000-04:00

I've got your "update" right HERE!

(*GASP!*)

I need but one more thing...

2005-09-07T16:33:00.000-04:00

I think I need a goal. Just something to do. I'm kind of really bored right now (probably because I've beaten every video game I own. That happens a lot when you're as awesome as I am at everything).

Speaking of me being awesome, we are totally going to start a DnD league. We've already got 4 people in our band, but there is one more person that I really want to join (why? Because it would be awesome, that's why). I'm sure a 5-person band would work out alright, but I've only ever played with a 3-person band before. Well, 2 and a bard. Bards suck.

We took a field trip to a chesapeake bay state today in APUSH. If you missed it, I'm not going to do it again.

Edit: Thanks Philip. I could totally do those! http://www.qwantz.com/comics/comic2-656.png

In your FACE!

2005-09-04T22:05:00.000-04:00

Top Web Results for "The Brandon"

3 entries found for The Brandon.

The·Brandon P Pronunciation Key (thbrndôn')
n.

The single coolest object on the planet.
The single most attractive male human on the planet (not counting clones and/or past or future versions).
The country with the most tourism due to pilgrimage per year.

[Download Now or Buy the Book]
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 1989 by Ms. Field's Muffin Company.
Published by The Brandon. Restrictions apply. Results may vary.

Optimism? Overrated.

2005-09-03T08:34:00.000-04:00

That was unexpected. I could be wrong, but it seems like I was actually happy last week. An interesting change from my usual state, to say the least. I think people also tend to notice when you're happy (or wearing science olympiad medals, but I was happy at the time).

We got a lot of new people for science olympiad. I'm really excited about most of them. We're going to have the best team ever next year, and when we go to nationals, we'll be going with a bunch of my friends. I can't help but worry about the usefulness of the freshmen, but I guess they'll be useful for something (doorstop? Paperweight? The usual).

Second friday really gave me a huge boost of confidence. Now that I think back on it, there is really no particular reason for it, just a bunch of reasons why it would have brought it down. I don't know. I do think that today I got as close to actually flirting with a girl as I've been in the past year, so that is definitely improvement.

Step 2: Less freaking out.

Now I'm going to renew my "Popular Science" subscription.

The pinnacle of procrastination (and alliteration).

2005-08-31T18:12:00.000-04:00

I finally found my science olympiad pictures!

Geez. How long's it been? Four months?

Picture 1: a-the bus.

Please note the top of my head, the Thomas gang signs, and Rodin in the back obviously not paying attention. Yeah, this one's a keeper.

Picture 2- Quite a river.

Well, stream, actually. A really dirty stream. A really dirty soon-to-be-inhabited-by-a-frisbee stream. And somebody's wearing my sweatshirt.

Picture 3- Quite dedicated.

Uhh. It's Rodin writing something. Did you expect anything else in the caption?

Picture 4- Quite dedicated?

So that's where the other half of the fossil's team was. Right. There really isn't anything to complain about. They got 5th place.

Anyway, the cookout that these pictures were taken at was a lot of fun. The only real downside was the posse from that other state (name not important) led by that one guy (still not important). They did some stuff (not important) and later I had to do some stuff (a rather funny story, but unimportant, nontheless).

Picture whichevernumberwe'reon- That one.

Good picture. Lots of people in it. I have my sweatshirt back. Everybody's happy.

I'm not even going to bother naming them anymore.

Pink hair Anne and buckethead Philip! Available for a limited time only!

This is my favorite picture. I could probably name everyone here except for that sexy beast in the back wearing the pink shirt. Who is that guy?

Eating dinner! Woo-hoo! Horrible food, but good company. I got to sit next to Will (which, apparently, is quite an honor).

What a great trip. The only things I would have changed:
--Hors'douvres on the bus ride.
--Complimentary beverages at the dorm.
--A queen-size bed.
--A 'Halo' LAN tournament.
--A daily turn-down service with chocolates on our pillows.
--The ability to read minds.
--Actually, RUNNING WATER in our ROOMS would have been nice, too.

Challenge your preconceptions, or they will challenge you.

2005-08-29T19:58:00.000-04:00

Ah, Vulcan proverbs.

My photography endeavors...

2005-08-27T19:05:00.000-04:00

Man. I don't know who that guy is, but he sure is good looking.

We join the nerd in the never-ending quest for relief from boredom. Today: Mastering the art of taking my own picture. Please note the sideburns.

One down, a bunch to go.

2005-08-26T17:27:00.000-04:00

Eh, it wasn't that bad. I have a pretty good schedule ("Celebrity English"! Yeah!), but for some reason that doesn't really matter to me.

When I got home today, I decided that I didn't care. Like, about anything. I sat down to play a video game (like I always do, of course), but I couldn't even focus on that. The attitude was really just "whatever". Even as I'm writing this, I'd rather be laying on a beach somewhere staring at clouds than sitting inside my house like I always do. I think I'm going to have to become attracted to someone soon, or I risk being plunged into utter boredom for the rest of the year. Yeah, they're disappointing. But it's something to do, you know?

It doesn't even have to matter, and nor will it. Now if you'll all refocus your attention to this graph:
There, that feels better. Nothing like a good graph.

Not Surprising.

2005-08-25T16:39:00.000-04:00

At all.

Your Geek Profile:

Gamer Geekiness: Highest

SciFi Geekiness: High

Fashion Geekiness: Moderate

Geekiness in Love: Moderate

Movie Geekiness: Moderate

Music Geekiness: Moderate

Academic Geekiness: Low

General Geekiness: Low

Internet Geekiness: Low

How Geeky Are You?

Where do they get this stuff?
Of course, the quiz itself was very poorly constructed. I had so much more in the video game and sci-fi sections than they asked about, and I just happened to relate to some of the other categories completely by chance.
Am I complaining about an online quiz? Idiot Geekiness: Highest.

Retrospekt, foo'

2005-08-25T09:09:00.000-04:00

In minor news: I have now been told that my car looks like an asian street racer due to the matching red hawaiian seat covers and the lowered suspension. Sweet.

I've also been getting an increased number of comments on how many female friends I have. The ratio to female to male is at least 2:1, probably slightly more. Why would that be odd?

The main reason for this is that I actually know (or like better) more females than males. Also, generally, a female friend is more likely to listen to your problems than a male friend.

Despite this, there is still some weird division between female and male friends. Hanging out with them just feels different. Actually, spending time with some female friends may just have been the cause of the low self-confidence in the first place. Do you have to be attracted to a girl to want to spend time with them? Do I look good in a moustache? (Ahem. No.)

I can pull off sideburns, however. Bwahaha. Ha.

The Birthday Returns

2005-08-23T09:24:00.000-04:00

I guess yesterday was my 2nd 16th birthday.

You guys are great.

Birthday-day

2005-08-17T23:40:00.000-04:00

Today was my 16th birthday.

And boy, was I reminded a lot throughout the day. I got phone calls and e-mails from people I didn't even expect to hear from! That, of course, made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside (but not like the feeling you get after eating a piece of flaming lint).

Just wanted you to know, I love you guys back.

Peace.

My entry into politics?

2005-08-16T10:46:00.000-04:00

This is probably going to be the most i get into politics (probably ever), but I feel that this issue needs mentioning.

Jack Thompson, who was mentioned in an earlier post, is up to his old tricks again. Reading his "Wikipedia" entry (1)(note: a biased site) says it all. Jack Thompson resorts to immature tactics and made-up "facts" to feebly argue his opinions and recruit "followers".

I'd have to admit, his cause of keeping violent games out of the hands of children is worthy of support. It's too bad he's completely ruining the credibility of those that agree with him (myself included). In an exchange of e-mails with Scott Ramsoomair (2), Thompson not only acts unprofessionally, but makes immature remarks on the state of video gamers in general. A very large percentage of the population plays video games. I'm not exactly sure what he's trying to accomplish here. Thompson responded similarly to the e-mails of Ryan Acheson, even though Acheson held the same beliefs (6). I hate to see him lose support like this, but I have to admit that it is kind of funny.

In a CBS interview, Thompson said, "The federal government found that in the school year 2003, there were 48 school killings. The year before that there were 16, and the year before that 17. Something is going on. I submit that the video game generation is coming of age." (3). Thompson continues to try to create a false scenario of increasing teenage and youth violence in the country. Violent crimes have actually DECLINED since video games have been released, according to the US Bureau of Justice (4). Even youth violence has declined (5).

Thompson's statements about several video games have been found to be completely false, in particular the statements about the games "Killer 7" and "The Sims 2" (1). This, again, reflects the irresponsible and immature nature of his argument. Thompson doesn't need to be attacking the games themselves, as those games that should only be played by adults are already rated as such. The real problem here is that these games are constantly getting into the hands of children; a parental problem.

Well, I feel a lot better.

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Thompson_(attorney)
2. http://vgcats.com/jack.php
3. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/02/24/tech/gamecore/main676446.shtml
4. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/viort.htm
5. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/teens.htm#oage
6. http://aelon.net/2005/07/jack-thompson-straw-man/

Another cool source: http://gr.bolt.com/articles/violence/violence.htm

Life support systems at minimum power, Captain!

2005-08-14T23:48:00.000-04:00

Anyone want to know how my brain works at night?

The truly amazing thing about it is that I have many thoughts revolving around one (or two) central thoughts. I'm sure anyone can guess the central thought just by talking to me for more than 5 minutes, but it's the fringe thoughts that are really interesting.

Earlier tonight I was thinking about how I have a problem with really having to get to know someone before I ask them out on any sort of date. I just want to know if they're really the right type of person. As you can imagine, it takes a while to decipher this kind of data (often much too long), so I'm upgrading my CPU this next school year. Hopefully I'll get this part done faster than usual. The only hard part will be finding someone that meets the system parameters.

What else is on my mind? Alright. I've been pondering this question for months now, just looking for a way to break free of the querizical (I think I just made that word up?) shackles and really get to the soft, squishy, exposed, pink core of what is this question: Can fuel cells be used to allow people to breathe underwater? I mean, it turns water into hydrogen and oxygen, right? Fighter pilots breathe pure oxygen from tanks onboard their jets. If you could somehow create a SCUBA-like pack with a battery and a rather large fuel cell, the rig could create its own oxygen as long as the battery lasts with no need for refueling. Genius! Of course, no oxygen mix would be obtainable. The diver would be breathing pure oxygen and nothing but pure oxygen the entire time.

And then there are the "leftovers" of the mind. The little cows standing next to my train of thought (heh. I like that metaphor). The little things wondering "What did people do for security before doors?" or "Why exactly do those survey people in malls always go after me?". "Why are bouncers always bald? Why don't they ricochet off things when they hit them?".

There's also always that feeling that, while helping someone, I'm really making the situation worse. If this actually happens, I just want you to know that it wasn't on purpose (just to clear that up) and that I try my best to help whenever possible.

Marshmallow pie?

2005-08-08T17:10:00.000-04:00

Ha, the Beatles.

Ha.

Ha...waii? Been there. Done that. Ate lots of pineapple. I didn't actually know they could physically fit so much pineapple on such small islands (let alone on the entire planet), but I think they're breaking one of the laws of physics or something.

I prefer the Caribbean, anyway. (It's like the atmosphere has its own background music floating around in it! Wastin' away again...).

Oh, yes. I visited a restaurant called "Cheeseburger in Paradise". How ironic. (Yes, I've been to "Margaritaville" down there in Florida).

What a lame entry. I'm so fired for this.

The comics speak the truth!

2005-07-26T11:25:00.000-04:00

Ha! HaHA!
So true. That patch WAS user-created, and there is no investigation to be done.

The tank thing is bad enough! (O_O)

Define: Normal.

2005-07-25T21:15:00.000-04:00

Things have really been going great lately. It seems odd that in the midst of such greatness, there's a little note somewhere in one of the dark, locked, messy offices of the back of my mind that says "things have been better".

I haven't exactly pinpointed the event that marked 'the fall', or if there was even one event, but something definitely happened. Like, twoish months ago. Weird. For some reason, I've been getting really offended for the smallest things. For example: if someone doesn't call back, I assume they wanted to talk to someone they liked more, instead. But there have been no negative changes in my social life for the past year (well, a good analogy for the only change is "while falling off a cliff, you read a sign that says 'you're falling off a cliff'"). People still fall off cliffs, right?

I know that there is no logical reason not to be happy, but I can't manage it for long periods of time. I've been strangely unhappy when I've woken up in the morning for the past few months. Although I usually talk myself out of it, it's really weird how that works. I'm going to blame not being in school, but would that really make it much better? School, for me, is a constant reminder of what a social failure I am. Or, at least, that's what it was before. I don't think next year is going to be like that. I was just thinking of the power that comes with being a junior:
-We get to rule over the science olympiad team! (Unless the seniors beat us to it...)
-We're going to be heroes for a day when we place first in the statewide Marine Science Bowl competition.
-I get to wear my new shirts without complaint from upperclassmen (because they're going to look like they're wearing potato sacks compared to my style).
-Umm...dibs? (You know. Just dibs).

And that's all I can think of (unless being a junior gives nerds the chance to have girlfriends. Didn't think so).

Towr day Franz!

2005-07-19T11:34:00.000-04:00

It looks like Lance has got himself another tour victory on his hands. It's a good thing, too, because he's retiring after this year. It's waaay better to go with a record setting seven(!) wins than to slack off on your last tour.

The only question left to ask is "Who's soing to pick up the slack?" Yan Ulrich is getting old, as well, and I don't think any of the sprinters have a chance of winning the entire tour next year. The best possible choice would, of course, be to train hard for the next seven years and win the tour myself, but I don't want to take the credit away from those that really need it. Besides, if I'm going to take over the world, I can't waste my time with any insignificant bicycle race.

What is this....howyousay..."money"?

2005-07-16T12:15:00.000-04:00

After much consideration, I have decided that I need a new job. Babysitting is great (especially since it doesn't involve being outside that much), but it involves too much psychology, and I usually go home with a headache. I have to admit, though, it does pay surprisingly well.

Liscense in August. That's on my to-do list. I kind of need to buy my car from my parents before that. I can definitely afford it, but I'll have nothing left even minutely resembling funds after the transaction. So much for gas (I think they can run on spit, right?).

My dream job would be working at the local game store. I'd get to be around dorks all day (some of which are even more nerdy than I, a real confidence booster), and, better yet, I'd get to be around the stuff I love. Games. Games are great. (The store is actually right next to the local video game store, too. An added plus!).

I could always wash windows for a living, too. I'd get a nice tan, but girls aren't generally attracted to window-washers (as I was writing that, I was kind of contemplating the impact of working at a game store, as well...).

It would also be neat to be able to shoot lightning out of my fingertips, but I have to be a level 5 magic user to do that (stupid monk class!).

Space filler!

2005-07-07T11:59:00.000-04:00

Which VGcats character am I?

You are
Leo!
If you were to be described in one word it
would be this: dense. You're not the sharpest
tool in the shed but when it comes to things
you care about you can be quite impressive. You
even like to hear a good story time to time
from the local town drunk.

Which VG Cats character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Hmm...

I've got to do something!

2005-07-04T12:12:00.000-04:00

Saturday night was swing dancing night at the Armory in Durham. Swing dancing is great, but it's kind of hard to do as it requires you to focus on multiple things at once. There's the foot thing, and the hand thing, and the "not running into other people" thing (still working on that last one).

Even though I had fun, it kind of seemed like I "wasn't there" mentally, and in general I just can't relate to anything anymore. I have a constant feeling of detatchment from anything I do. Since it's summer, I'm not really doing anything structured or "important", and I'm hoping that's what it is. It is pretty annoying, though. Spending some time with other people has helped some, as it takes my mind off thinking (if that's possible).

Thinking seems to be the main problem here. Here are some thoughts going on right now:

-Studies have shown that people are always afraid of losing what they have at the time. People with money are afraid of becoming poor. People in love are afraid of losing that love. People with friends are afraid of losing those friends. This seems to be a major cause of unhappiness among people that have no reason to be unhappy, as the only unhappiness here is imaginary. I've also realized that I tend to dwell on this way too much, but I can't get myself to stop.

-If you're dancing with someone, how can you tell if they really want to dance with you or if they're just dancing with you because they feel sorry for you?

-Why do I care about what other people think of my blog? To tell you the truth, I'm only writing this entry because people (not to mention any names) have told me that my blog is bland, boring, and some other word that means "boring". If I'm writing a blog for other people to read, shouldn't I just be making a website with articles on it? Nobody has to read this, you know.

-Why doesn't "WTF" stand for "Where is The Food"? That seems a lot more useful.

Armadillo Grill-o!

2005-07-01T10:00:00.000-04:00

The Armadillo Grill truly is a great restaurant.

Speaking of great restaurants, Rodin, Alden, Mary and I watched "Saw" last night on the grandiose-screen television. It was rated R for "Grizzly Violence", but there wasn't a bear in the entire movie. I was disappointed.

So yeah, it's all about this guy that kills people by getting the people to kill themselves. The entire plot could have been changed if the victims had only watched "Macgyver" when they were growing up, but, of course, they didn't. Macgyver is where you learn to break out of jail with a paperclip, a drinking straw, and a rubber band. The rubber band can even be broken, for all he cares.

I'm not feeling very deep right now, but as soon as I come up with something it will be posted here. Seriously (please don't hurt me!).

A re-do of this weekend.

2005-06-27T17:07:00.000-04:00

Sure, the last post was a list of what I DID last weekend, but that doesn't really matter. Here's how I FELT about last weekend (or many last weekends in general).

It seems like, for the first time in my life, I actually have good friends. Like, real friends. Not just friends that hang out with me because I'm "just another nerd", or "just another loser", but real FRIEND friends. People that like me for who I am. I don't have to change myself at all for these people, which is really what makes it so great. ("But Brandon, is that physically possible?" "Is ripping out someone's skull and beating them to death with it possible?").

In the past few months, I've also experienced how it feels to almost lose a best friend. Holy crap, it really sucks. I'm plagued with the most intense anxiety and worry I have ever felt every morning and night, and occasionally during the daily showing of "Star Trek". I have recognized my mistake, but there is no way to express the extreme regret for my actions in words. The storm only makes its shape clear after it has passed over you, and there is no way to reverse the damage. Hopefully there is, in this case.

Hmph. I guess I did have some nagging feelings after all.

(Oh yeah, I made that thing about the storm up from scratch).

The weekend: A summary.

2005-06-27T13:04:00.000-04:00

Here goes:

First, Troy totally kicked my ass at Warhammer.

Afterwards, I went to a concert/movie with some of my favorite people on the planet: Rodin, Mary, and Geri. The concert was good, and the movie was surprisingly good, as well. There were these giant concrete circles colored with iron oxide in the distance that I couldn't take my eyes off, however.

The next day, I went to see the new star wars movie. What a dumb movie. Now I have to go back and watch IV, V, and VI just to get the bad taste out of my mouth from I, II, and III.

Zombie movie in the afternoon. Horrible movie. The people lived in a walled-up city, and the zombies lived outside. For some reason, the people thought that the zombies were too dumb to cross the river, but, of course, they did. Most of the movie was senseless gore (the best kind). It also seems to be a proven fact that zombies and boobs go well together, but I can't imagine why.

The "gang" tried to teach me to dance on Sunday night, but apparently I have no rhythm. At least I have all week to perfect it.

Engineering camp?

2005-06-25T12:41:00.000-04:00

So I got back from engineering camp yesterday. It gets a 9 out of 10 on the awesome scale. Like most episodes of Star Trek, the camp had one main "plot" and many side-stories. Most of the side stories involved me failing miserably in talking to girls, but there were a few that had some happy endings.

1- The "Elizabeth" storyline.
Elizabeth was in my Chemical Engineering group. As it turns out, she was from Greenville, North Carolina, not South Carolina. We were building fuel cell cars in the camp that week, and hers was having problems with a leaky hydrogen tank. I proposed a fix involving electrical tape and superglue (which were the only materials we had on hand all week), but she proceeded to ignore my idea and ask the most immature and annoying guy in the class for help. He failed, obviously. They were together the rest of the week.

2-The "Sydney" storyline.
There was a girl named Sydney at the camp that I had talked to on several occasions. We ate lunch together one day, and she told me all about the books she liked to read and what she did in her spare time. She even reccomended an author to me, upon which I promptly borrowed a pen from her and wrote it on my hand.
On Thursday, my roommate and I had a "party" in our dorm which she attended. I caught her eye from accross the room and smiled, and she smiled back. "Awesome," I thought, "she's noticed me." We talked for about an hour (until the room curfew), and I found out that she was a senior. I told her I was a Junior. She went on to comment on how odd my toes were.
I made a random remark on what a slob I was, and she said (out of the blue) that one day I'll meet a girl, and suddenly have no urge to be a slob because I'll love her. We talked a lot about religion, also, and I learned what "agnostic" meant. Very interesting.
She actually invited me back to her hometown, because she had a friend in the Marines that was coming to visit, and was afraid that her boyfriend (ouch) would be jealous of him. She wanted someone else there to ease the tension. I would have liked to help, but she lived three hours away. She still invited me back to her room to continue the conversation after my roommate wanted to go to bed, but I declined, as I had already given up on the female species.

3- The Fuel Cell Car storyline.
I think this car hated me.
Day 1: Assembly. Car works great, runs 97 feet on just 3 mL of hydrogen. Awesome.
Day 2: Break 2 wires. Fix said wires. No chance to test car after fixing wires.
Day 3: Break 1 solder joint off motor. Fix with electrical tape. Car runs only 21 feet on 12 mL of hydrogen. No idea what happened.
Day 4: Break other solder joint off motor. Decide I must be doing something wrong. All attempts to tape wires fail. Eventually I come up with the bright idea to strip the spare wire connectors and use those to complete the circuit with the motor. Engineering instructors are impressed. Motor is getting current, but car still doesn't run.
Day 5, Competition: 96 feet on 24 mL of hydrogen. No idea what the problem is. I disassemble the gearbox to get to the bottom of things, but I quickly realize that I can't get the box back together. After about an hour, the car is running again.

Oh, I've finally got my personality back. It's been a tough month, but I can be happy again.

Paintball: The ultimate anger vent.

2005-06-18T16:45:00.000-04:00

Why do I like paintball? It allows me to be as horrible and evil to people that I want, and it's all part of the game. You not only get to yell at them, but you can shoot them with paintballs. Sure beats the hell out of whatever they did in the olden days.

I also realize that I may not be the "greatest person on the planet". I don't care what you all think. I'll find someone that thinks I am.

Songs are a popular addition to a Blog. How about the first verse and chorus from Jimmy Buffett's "Margaritaville"?

Nibblin' on sponge cake
Watchin' the sun bake
All of those tourists covered with oil
Strummin' my six-string
On my front porch swing
Smell those shrimp, they're beginning to boil


Wastin' away again in Margaritaville
Searching for my long lost shaker of salt
Some people claim that there's a woman to blame
But I know it's nobody's fault

76 Kills!

2005-06-13T10:23:00.000-04:00

I may have played the most awesome game of Halo ever yesterday. It was a Sniper mod on Blood Gulch with no shields, so it was mainly one-hit kill wherever you hit them. I tended to run to the right outside of the base, kept a zig-zag pattern going, and just picked off the n00bs that would stand still to fire their rifles.

After a while, I think they started to realize that I was doing the same thing every time. It didn't count as camping (heavens, no), but I was in the same general area. Their base looked rather empty, so I charged it with the sidearm pistol. A truly semi-auto weapon like that is devestating on a server without shields.

Yeah, Halo is great.

Quite a hill.

2005-06-11T08:37:00.000-04:00

So Geri's birthday party was yesterday. There were a lot of people there, but I didn't really know anyone that well besides Alden and Hannah. Anyone that didn't attend missed quite a duck-duck-goose game, as well as EXTREME freeze tag (EXTREME!)! There was a very interesting pie there, too.

In other news; My brother gave me the last piece of his gum yesterday, and there was this cute little comic on the wrapper, as well as a fortune. The fortune said:

You are anxious to achieve something very important. You will succeed.

Although temporarily inspiring, you have to wonder what the "thing" is. Is it the actual THING, or is it getting over the THING? The THING has been (should be 'was') the most important thing in my life for a while. I've almost accepted the fact that the THING is impossible. Now I have to forget about the THING? The easiest way will probably be to find another thing, but it just isn't that easy (apparently the 'Hard' difficulty on life is on right now). Sure, it's possible. Unfortunately for me, my only other source of emotional support is in Japan right now (quite literally).

After all, it was just a gum wrapper.

Thank you.

2005-06-07T17:59:00.000-04:00

[DISCLAIMER: PLEASE READ. DO NOT read the following if you are under the influence of any substance, if you have a heart condition, if you are pregnant, or if you are easily confused. I am not responsible for any injuries recieved in the reading of this post. Restrictions apply, results may vary.]

If you give a crying child the object of their desire, the problem is solved until they find another object. If you purposely withhold the object, the child will learn to be content without it.

Yeah, I wrote that. I'll get back to not being deep later in my life, but I think it's of the most benefit now. Both in understanding others and in understanding myself (it sounded better in my head as I was thinking it). A bad line from a kung-fu movie, perhaps? Nope. It really is true. You can make no progress in understanding someone else unless you understand yourself. You have to know what kind of person you are to find your parallel in the world and be happy with them.

So, about that quote...Um, I wrote it. If any girl finds that even remotely hot, please call me.
All joking aside, I would suggest just kind of thinking about it for a while. Human beings are a species driven entirely by desire, and in this way "desire' can be virtually anything. The reason, so it seems, that nothing happens as planned is because if it did, nobody would ever be happy. There would always be something else (and there will always be something else).

Now that I have you by the brain, consider an Earth where all sadness has been destroyed. Happiness becomes the norm, thus eliminating the novelty. Happiness is, in this way, also destroyed.

The same goes with shame (pride), fear (love?), and make-from-the-box brownies (mmm. Home-made brownies).

As interesting as I'm sure it is to watch the essence of my thought unravel before you, some instructions in reading this entry may be necessary: Overanalyze everything. Seriously. I think and write in metaphor sometimes without even noticing it (obviously the quote was intentional, but you know what I mean).

*Ahem*. Right.

Cats: Are they the devil?

2005-06-03T16:40:00.000-04:00

I just realized how hard one of my cats is to understand. He'll be sitting there, staring at me with what I think are "give me some attention" eyes, but when I actually try to pet him he attacks me and runs away. If I try to leave him alone, he'll walk over to me and attack me anyway. Maybe it's just his idea of a game, but it definitely makes me feel like he's plotting against me ("hey, watch what I can get the human to do!"). Don't trust people of the genus Felis.

Some guy in a movie once said:
"Give a man something to love. Failing that, give him something to hope for. Failing that, give him something to do."
(I believe it was 'Flight of the Phoenix'. OK movie.)

So now that I'm completely over that last episode, I need something else to do. My newfound car-age is probably going to keep me busy for a while, but I can't actually take advantage of that yet because I don't have a license. I guess learning to drive it is the best idea.

Plan B is to spend a lot of time at the pool, since it's kind of far away and I don't want to have to make trips back and forth. There are lots of people at the pool, and I'm bound to make friends with at least one of them.

Plan C: If anyone has a fence for me to paint, just call the cell.

So I was driving down 64....

2005-06-02T19:25:00.000-04:00

No, seriously. In a 5-speed, no less. It isn't really that hard to drive, it just requires the use of both sides of your brain since there is one extra petal, an extra gauge to watch, and an extra lever to operate.
The hardest thing about driving a stick is getting the thing to move from a stop (that's not a joke. It's really hard). I have to rev the engine and let the clutch in about halfway right now, since I haven't learned the correct way of doing it. If you let the clutch out too fast or if you don't give it enough gas, the car will buck and the engine will stall. If you give it too much gas you'll look like a royal jerk to the car beside you ("hey buddy, wanna race?") and you won't start off very smoothly. I should have it in about a week, though. Only two months after that until I get my license.

So there's also this poem that I wrote back in like 7th grade that I've been meaning to use as evidence that I have not always been a total jerk (except for the engine revving thing).

Got me a bike.
It's really neat.
I ride on wheels
instead of feet.

Got me a bike.
It takes some skill
To ride straight down
That huge, steep hill.

Got me a bike.
I'm at the top.
Know how to ride,
But not how to stop.

Oh yeah. I smell a children's book franchise with that one.

The bright(er) side.

2005-05-31T19:47:00.000-04:00

It needs another post. I think the "infernal bitterness" (also known as "personality loss") is actually starting to lift. Sure there's still an empty spot, but a building can still stand with a hole through the middle. At least they didn't take out the foundation like they did last time.

Oh yeah. I have a car. More details at 11.

Misplaced motivation?

2005-05-31T19:09:00.000-04:00

I think I'll try to list some of the most common "motivations" that people generally follow when taking any action. This is a rerun for some.

Spite: Spite is a very common motivation, despite what many people think. Yeah, you're doing something that hurts someone else, but is it benefiting you? Probably not (unless it involves burglary). It's kind of redundant, anyway. You're being motivated to do something by someone else, no matter how evil it may be, showing some compassion for the person.

Pity: The motivator and the motivatee are usually both hurt in this case. The motivator knows that the motivatee thinks lower of the motivator, and the motivatee has just done something that they would not normally do for someone else that is going to feel bad anyway. Lose-lose situation.

Fear: Now, here it is possible that there is a valid reason to do something. Fear of death is completely different from fear of "a lost relationship" or "somebody elses' death who you don't actually know but still recognize the presence of even considering that you have never met them in your life".

Love: Nuh-uh. Worst idea ever. Guaranteed to regret it.

Material posessions: Everything seems to come back to this one. For example: You rob a bank for the money (usually), right? You're going to use the money to buy more "stuff". The more "stuff" you have, the more you realize how great "stuff" is, so you buy more "stuff". The "stuff" cycle (it does not include an atmospheric component, either).

A fitting end.

2005-05-29T22:40:00.000-04:00

Farewell and adieu, you fair Spanish ladies,
Farewell and adieu, you ladies of Spain!
For we’ve received orders to sail back to Boston,
And soon nevermore will we see you again.

-(JAWS)

This is it, folks.

2005-05-27T21:04:00.000-04:00

This is it. The master plan (in convenient list form, this time).

Step 1: Train approximately 800 monkies to break into different convinience stores and steal a penny from each of the registers. They won't know what hit them until it's too late.

Step 2: Repeat step 1 as many times as necessary to afford giant death ray.

Step 3: Buy death ray from evil genius down the street.

Step 4: Threaten the leader of some major country (via teleconference, for some reason) and ask for enough money to reimburse cost of death ray.

Step 5: Use money from major country to buy the planet (this is the easy part).

Step 6: Eliminate all traces of a vanilla-flavored ice cream. Yech.

Step 7: Try to come up with a new goal in life. Once you own the world, there isn't much else you can do.

What's worse than finals?

2005-05-25T07:35:00.000-04:00

Undead finals. Think about it. You finish your tests only to realize that you have to take them all again...and this time they're dripping flesh and trying to eat your face.

This is an all-too-common occurrance in Raccoon City. The Umbrella corporation is apparently generating biological weapons that gives tests some eerie animation after death. Aim for the head(er?).

The cool part is that you can change the color of the blood. I prefer green, but blue is also a favorite. I think that the cube-shaped heads give the characters....well.....character.

Besides, aren't we all just looking for a way out?

~Scene missing~

What is this madness?!?

2005-05-23T16:26:00.000-04:00

Two days, two posts? Madness.

At any rate, I just wanted to make this post to tell someone how much I cared. Every time I think about it, it's either a really bad time or I can't muster up enough courage to actually find words for it. I don't even care if you care back anymore, but I really care. I mean really. I care so much, you wouldn't be able to convince me out of caring, which seems to be the problem. Normally caring takes work, but when you care about someone as special as the one I care about, it kind of becomes part of you to care automatically.

Just thought you might have cared (Yeah, I'm walking the line).

This would make one interesting greeting card.

Nationals: A step-by-step guide to an awesome time.

2005-05-22T17:52:00.000-04:00

Ok, Nationals was (were?) awesome.

We left around 5:00 on Wednesday. Packing was very unnerving, but I didn't have to put up with that again until the trip back. Philip and I shared a seat next to Jill and Rodin, and many hilarious antics insued. Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois. Wednesday and Thursday really seemed like one big day since I barely got any sleep whatsoever.

Stardate Thursday: We've landed in Illinois and have come to the conclusion that this state sucks. It completely sucks. Moreso than any low pressure system out there, even (speaking of which, it was raining when we arrived). We got wet, our stuff got wet, the bus got wet. Mission accomplished.

Later we wandered around campus a while looking for a pool. There's bound to be a picture out there of the outfit I was wearing, but until it surfaces I'm just going to say that I looked the best out of anyone else there (of course), Hawaiian shirt included.

I can't really remember doing anything interesting for the rest of the night. All we really did was sit around the dorms and study.

Friday we attended an engineering fair and several weird festivals. At the second festival, we were approached by a strange being known only as "The Mainian" (Like, from Maine. No applause necessary). This creature instantly identified a host and, had we not beheaded him, would have taken her as a trophy and probably climbed up some tall building with her (Empire State, anyone?).

Sat-ur-day. This is where it gets interesting. Not because of the competition, but because of the realizations about life, the universe, and everything. A quick summary of the competition, however:

-Compute This: Easy. 5th place in the nation.
-Experimental Design: The "MacGyver" event. Involved static electricity. Could have gone better.
-Forestry: My most prepared for event. Even then, we didn't do so great. Some of those trees were really hard (and not necessarily "hardwood", either).
-Robot: It threw a cork and didn't pop the balloon, but besides that it wasn't too bad.
-Mission Possible: Lisa did great. I hope I was of some help to her.

The real interesting part about today was the realizations I'd made about "aloneness". Before now, I'd been afraid to be alone. I had always metaphorically needed someone with me to guide me (and keep me from running into metaphorical stuff, apparently). I started the day completely cut off from the rest of the team, and for some reason I also severed all mental connections with them. I didn't think about them. At all. I sat under a tree and spent the morning identifying it (we do know how tall the Sycamore grows, though. About 70 feet I think. Now I need some wind and a paintbrush...).

Aaanyway, during third period I was walking down one of the pathways in the Quad when I heard a tree calling my name. At first, it was like "Holy crap, that tree just talked back!", but as it turned out it was just Jill and Madeline behind me. Thanks a lot, guys. Well, we hung out under the Sycamore for a while and fought off mutant ants. Even after my earlier escapade, I wished I could hang out under that tree with them for the rest of the day.

Later that night I wore a pink shirt and a tie. The tie totally matched the shirt. The concensus disagreed.

The ride back was a little better, lengthwise, than the ride up since we were really tired at the beginning and we could sleep for a while then. Studying was not, and will never be, any fun, though.

And now I'm here.

Oh yeah, our Chemical ID and Fossils teams were the best in the nation. Due to a typo on the standing sheet, however, they didn't get the respect they truly, and always will, deserve.

Another Analogy (or: The Thought Process of a Madman)

2005-05-17T17:35:00.000-04:00

Here it goes (thank you, inspiration)(now in terms at least on my level):

You have this really great video game, and you play it all the time. You are only really and truly happy while you're playing this game, and sometimes you can play it for hours without end. One day, the game just stops working. At first, you don't see it as a problem. You tell yourself that you can get on with your life and be just as happy without it. Some time passes, and one day you realize that somewhere between then and now your life has lost all meaning. You've lost the one thing that has ever made you happy. You try to repair the game, but you find that all of the repair stores no longer offer the service.

Red. Skins.

I have determined (with the help of some light reconaissance) that my thought process is completely different than everybody elses. This probably isn't a problem, but it kind of seems like it turns away most of the people I meet. I've decided upon giving up on double-meaning comments, as most people don't understand them anyway (of course, I couldn't post my real feelings in "raw form" as they would probably cause everyone's heads to explode).

You will never, however, find me listening to punk rock and whining about being "misunderstood". (The occasional punk rock is alright. I mean....NEVER!).

You are a dirty, dirty shizno.

2005-05-14T18:13:00.000-04:00

If you've noticed that my titles have nothing to do with the posts, don't worry about it. It's just my futile attempt at originality (speaking of futile...).

So last night a bunch of us went to Crabtree to hang out. That was pretty awesome. So awesome, in fact, that I'm almost completely over the not-so-awesome thing that happened earlier in the week.

Oh yeah, lawnmower prices. Apparently "$35.99" was the price of the bumper, not the actual lawnmower. Go figure. I did really like the orange one, though, and if I ever enter a lawnmower race (which will happen some day), I'm totally going for orange.

I now realize exactly how much I need a car. I mean, sure it's fine if your parents can drive you places, but it's better to not have to rely on someone that can be 20 minutes away or more at any given time. Plus, the ladies totally dig guys with cars (as studies have shown).

I wish I could just hang out for the rest of the day. I have to study trees, the robot, and whatever other homework I have to do.

It does feel nice to have friends now, though.

In other news (science always makes me feel better):
The secret of the Bermuda Triangle. They think it's methane released underwater in large quantities. If the methane bubble is big enough, it can sink a ship the size of an oil tanker by "removing" the water from under the ship and leaving a void that the ship kind of partially falls through. The rest of the ship is filled with water very quickly. Estimated sinking times of under three hours have been very common in scale lab tests.

Methane can also stop airplane engines in concentrations even as low as 1%. It replaces oxygen in the cylinders, and since combustion can not occor without oxygen, the entire engine just shuts down. Theoretically, the engine could be restarted on descent, but there wouldn't really be enough time for that.

I must have been mistaken?

2005-05-10T16:55:00.000-04:00

Too good to be true.

Back to the drawing board.

Sketchy. Very sketchy.

2005-05-09T16:11:00.000-04:00

The car deal fell through. Apparently, it was registered so some poor old lady in Roanoake that had no idea that her car was being sold (nor was she aware that she still officially owned it). When confronted with this information, the seller said that it was "his friend's wife". When we told him that we'd actually talked to the woman, he said something along the lines of "It doesn't matter, anyway. We'll get it registered to you".

Sketchy parts of the deal included (and I'm lettering them for you. You know who you are.)

A) The guy had us meet him at some Hardees somewhere.
B) He knew nothing about the history of the car.
C) He was selling it for his "friend" that couldn't be there that day.
D) He didn't know his friend's first name (o_O)

Very sketchy.

To err is human. To "totally screw up" is Brandon.

2005-05-07T10:12:00.000-04:00

Where's the "pause" button on life? I want to take a break.

As it turns out, I don't have such a tight grasp on the english language as I had thought. Speaking of thinking, I had thought that all thoughts that could have been thought could be expressed in some form of language, but apparently I thought wrong.

Science olympiad is in two weeks. It is going to be cool, because I'll get to spend some time wiht my friends in another state (another region, no less. Damn you, Midwest!).

I really need to make that tree chart sometime, but I have the AP Environmental Science exam next Tuesday. It shouldn't be too bad, though, because I have a pretty good memory when it comes to the simple exercises we do in school.

Oh yeah, fencing tournament on the 14th. 8AM-Noon. Be there or be...square?

Robot Update: \/\/007.

What if {insert remainder of statement here}?

2005-05-03T15:43:00.000-04:00

[This entry deemed treasonous to the public opinion.]
-The Ministry of Truth

Irony: A How-To Guide.

2005-05-01T20:28:00.000-04:00

What's up with irony, anyway? Sure, it's a clever way to create comedy, but what about when it's not funny?

What if something is really ironic, but nobody can know about it? There have been several lines in conversations I've had lately that are perfect examples of a sort of "dramatic" irony, and would have been the funniest things in the world if the speaker knew what they'd just said.

"It's like breaking down a brick wall with a goldfish."

I see how it is.

2005-04-29T18:49:00.000-04:00

Some people devote their entire lives to pursuing things that will never happen. Are these lives wasted?

What can you do to convince yourself that this "something" is impossible?

In other news...
The robot is going bad. Forestry is going slightly better. I've been very distracted by one of the "thought connotations" of the field guides and of Science Olympiad in general (and quite franky I wish the entire west coast would break off and die.)

Will the complication never cease!?!?

2005-04-23T12:04:00.000-04:00

There is only one dialogue to describe how I feel right now.

"Men, your delightful tomfoolery puts a spring in my step and a bouce in my britches. If I wasn't your commanding officer I would pick you both up, give you a giant bear hug, and make you call me 'daddy'."
"Umm...Thank God for the chain of command?"

Decipher as you will.

How many trees!?!?

2005-04-20T18:22:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure why it took so long for me to realize, but Forestry at Nationals will be completely different than Forestry at States. I need to get my hands on a "West Coast" Audubon guide. And a "Midwest" guide. Might as well go for "Canada", too (how many trees could they have up there?).

And now, a musical number.

Who's got the sweetest disposition,
One guess says who,
Who never starts an argument,
Who never shows a bit of temperment,
Who's never wrong but always right,
Who'd never dream of starting a fight,
Who gets stuck with all the bad luck,

No one...
But Donald Duck

Oh, and in a futile attempt to compete with Jill's blog: William Shatner.

Damn you, Chuck Norris.

2005-04-19T19:12:00.000-04:00

Oh, ho ho ho. You are going down, Mr. Norris.

~End Transmission~

"I think I has the solution!"

2005-04-18T17:18:00.000-04:00

This so-called "Blog" (whatever that stands for) may be turning into a technical manual for our robot for a few posts. Many secrets about our team's robot will be revealed, so I have installed a security system to prevent other teams from looking at these posts:

If you are on another team and you are looking at this post, stop reading now.

Well, the secret was, apparently, block and tackle. Besides being the coolest name on the planet, the block and tackle system has been around since the age of the dinosaurs, and even before the first life on the planet. People just didn't discover it until around 300 BC, I guess. This will literally cut the force needed to lift a weight in half with every loop of a pulley (in other words, it will make me the supreme ruler of the world in a very short time. There will also be parades in my honor. Shake 'n' bake will no longer be allowed to be filed under 'soup' in grocery stores and 'Super Targets').

As for the convenient carrying handle, maybe in the MK. II version. The flames will be back, however.

I'll be installing a system on the robot this week.

Don't forget to come to the parades.

Murphy's Law

2005-04-16T23:20:00.000-04:00

I'm sure you're familiar with the so-called "Murphy's Law". Let me tell you about it: It's true.

Why, you ask? Because I hate physics, that's why. I hate springs. I hate those little mints hotels put on your pillows at night.

Forestry went great. I was glad I could help Reece out (if I actually was any help. I don't know). We got third place there. This was really only enough to brighten the day up to "bearable," however.

The robot sucked. It downright sucked. It could hold its own in a fight against a vacuum cleaner and a black hole. There was nothing unsuckwardly about the robot (except the paint job. That was pimpin').

The specifics? The brush threw a ping pong ball across the room. The thing could barely run on the carpet. Interference (or my trecherous third thumb) popped the box up before it was supposed to. The box doesn't come back down. I'm actually kind of glad that nobody was there to witness the failure that was the robot.

But forestry went well.

I blame the prom for the rest of it.

(P.S.: Nationals knocked it up to about a 6 or 7, though I still can't believe that Chuck Norris beat us...).

That new car smell?

2005-04-11T21:35:00.000-04:00

So. I have a blog. It's true. I guess you already know. I won't waste your time, then.

I went for all the options. Power windows, moonroof, leather interior...Yeah, this baby's loaded. I'll be getting a "little box for typing stuff and whatnot" (pronounced: chatterbox) ASAP (pronounced: whenever I feel like it).

I guess this needs some structure. Science olympiad is next saturday. There's your structure.