/Insert Cleverness Here/

Fall Break at Moab, UT

2005-10-18T12:39:00.000-07:00

Biking!

More biking!

Obscure rock formations!

Pretty scenery!

Moonrises!

On a lighter note...

2005-10-05T23:04:00.000-07:00

...here are some pictures I took last Saturday at the impossibly crowded free day at the Denver Zoo. I was pretty impressed with how well my camera did with the difficult picture taking conditions encountered at zoos. Enjoy.

Lizard

Polar bear

Polar bear again.

Tiger

Hey, it's one of those things from the CSU emblem!

Penguins! Fun!

Beauty

2005-10-05T21:55:00.000-07:00

Right now a group of three guys are sitting next to me playing a game of Halo 2 over the LAN with some guys in another room. I've seen R-rated movies with cleaner language than these guys are using right now. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the shear mind-numbing, repetitive nature of it. Hearing "f*ck" every five seconds wouldn't be quite so bad if there was some creativity involved. If you're going to curse, at least try to explore the boundaries and possibilities that come with it, rather than repeating the same trite curses over and over again. Try to explore some of the interesting textures and moods that can be created by a good, well though out string of cuss words. Like anything (if you'll excuse the trite phrase), if you're going to do it, do it well.

However, this post isn't simply an exhortation to more creative cursing. Rather, I think that this sort of behavior (that is, continuous, mind-numbing use of profanity), is just one symptom of a larger problem: most kids my age don't appreciate beauty. They appreciate (in a sense), the beauty inherent in the opposite sex, to be sure, but they don't really extend the concept beyond that. I have always enjoyed reading interesting books, getting outside and seeing nature, listening to good music, eating tasty food, and going to see fine visual art. I like to travel, see new places, get a feel for the place, and take in the sites and sounds. I like to ride my bike through the mountains, breath the crisp air, and enjoy the brilliant colors of fall. I like to think about God's grace, love, and the beauty of his character (of which all earthly beauty is merely a reflection). All these experiences are enjoyable because of one simple concept: beauty. Love, grace and beauty are greatest concepts of the human experience. In my opinion, it is the existence of the ideals of love, beauty and grace, more than anything else, that argues for the presence of God. What are these ideals but the reflection of God's image in ourselves?

Yet here I am, sitting next to a guy yelling "Sh!t f*ck" as loud as he can (note: Sorry, stacking two words and flipping their usual order doesn't meet my criteria for creativity in profanity as outlined in my first paragraph. Try harder next time.) No grace, no love, no beauty. Try talking with your average college student about art, music, or religion with any real depth, and enjoy the awkward silence before the conversation turns to the relative merits of various sports teams, or what kind of beer gets you drunk the fastest. Why is it that it's so hard to find people who will talk about the finer things of life? Does anyone care about these things, or are they too distracted to notice, or even unaware of their existence?

Of course, I'm not really being fair in my above statement. I myself spend more time talking about computers and gadgets than I do about any of the "beautiful things" I mentioned before, even though my thoughts my thoughts generally (and I'm truly being honest here) dwell on the "beautiful" side of things. Why is it so hard to have real conversation like this? Why do I always take the easy way out of a conversation rather than trying to really dig in deep and talk about things that really matter? I've been feeling pretty frustrated about this lately, and I have a tendency to blame those around me for the lack of depth in conversations. However, I realize that I myself am negligent in trying to steer conversations in the right direction. Having better conversations is one of my main goals for personal growth, but it's certainly not an easy one. I hope that with God's guidance I can grow more in this area, and help encourage others in the same way.

21 Days...

2005-09-30T16:45:00.000-07:00

....until A-Basin's target opening date! Feel the anticipation!

Moviing to more pressing matters, it's a Friday night. I can either.....

1. Drive home, pack up my desktop computer, CRT monitor, and myriad of cables, load them in my car, drive to a friends house, load all the stuff into his car, get to DU, take previously mentioned stuff into Comp Sci building, set up computer, play CS(I don't have any of the other games they're playing), get owned, have pizza (yay!), pack up computer, drive back to friends house, load stuff in my car again, drive home, re-set up computer, and drive back to school.

My evaluation: Too much work for the amount of fun I'll be having

2. Canvass the campus to find some people to see Serenity or Corpse Bride with me.

My evaluation: Minimal work, pretty fun if I can get a good group and the movies are good.

3. Stay here, work on developing my mad Python skills, and watch Babylon 5.

My evaluation: Fairly enjoyable, but a little too lonely, I think.

I'm going to try for option two, we'll see how things turn out....

Yes!

2005-09-28T08:41:00.000-07:00

I think I aced my Calc II exam last night, which is good news since this was the only new material I will be covering in the class all year. It's all review from now on, baby!

Life in the dorms is pretty crazy. Yesterday my roommate splashed the biggest guy in the hall with water, and called another wrestler guy an offensive name. They both promptly proceeded to harrass him in various ways, by taking his room key, blocking his path down the hall, and attempting to throw him in the shower. After all this, my roomate proceeded to show everyone he met a picture on his cell phone of a guy on our hall looking at a rather dirty picture(hint: it involves a horse)with his shirt off. The subject of the picture then wrote threatening messages on our door. Good times, people, good times.

In matters that don't involve horse porn, me and another guy have been trying to get a jazz band going. We theoretically have all the members we need, so now its just a matter of organization and practice. Should be a lot of fun, if everyone is willing to work at it.

Survey

2005-09-26T15:06:00.000-07:00

A found this on a friend's blog, and thought it would be fun to post here, since I can't think of anything better to write at the moment.

*TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF - The Survey*
Name:	David
Birthday:	10/31
Birthplace:	Oakland, CA
Current Location:	Golden, CO
Eye Color:	Blue
Hair Color:	Light Brown
Height:	6'1"
Right Handed or Left Handed:	Right
Your Heritage:	A wonderfully diverse and unique mixture of several Northen European countries.
The Shoes You Wore Today:	My Adidas running shoes. Nice and lightweight.
Your Weakness:	Food
Your Fears:	Anything I can't understand
Your Perfect Pizza:	Free
Goal You Would Like To Achieve This Year:	Grow closer to God and stop worrying so much.
Your Most Overused Phrase On an instant messenger:	er...
Thoughts First Waking Up:	Gosh dang it all, I want to sleep in!
Your Best Physical Feature:	My legs. I wish my upper body was as strong as my legs are.
Your Bedtime:	11:00-1:00
Your Most Missed Memory:	Anything involving traveling, as long as I wasn't sick at the time.
Pepsi or Coke:	Coke. Anyone who says they can't tell the difference has severe issues.
MacDonalds or Burger King:	Never heard of MacDonalds before, so BK.
Single or Group Dates:	Single
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea:	Lipton
Chocolate or Vanilla:	Chocolate
Cappuccino or Coffee:	Cappuccino
Do you Smoke:	Of course. If properly ignited first.
Do you Swear:	Hell no!
Do you Sing:	I've tried. It's not pretty,
Do you Shower Daily:	Yes
Have you Been in Love:	No
Do you want to go to College:	Yes. And, in fact, I am.
Do you want to get Married:	Yes
Do you belive in yourself:	I be livin' in myself right now.
Do you get Motion Sickness:	Never
Do you think you are Attractive:	Depends greatly on the lighting and acuity of the beholder's vision.
Are you a Health Freak:	No
Do you get along with your Parents:	Yes
Do you like Thunderstorms:	Yes
Do you play an Instrument:	Guitar. Yeah, I'm an original.
In the past month have you Drank Alcohol:	I'm sure I have, in trace amounts from slightly fermented juice and such.
In the past month have you Smoked:	Haven't been properly ignited.
In the past month have you been on Drugs:	No
In the past month have you gone on a Date:	No
In the past month have you gone to a Mall:	Yes. But I try to avoid them all I can.
In the past month have you eaten a box of Oreos:	No lets tear fall
In the past month have you eaten Sushi:	No. sobs uncontrollably
In the past month have you been on Stage:	No
In the past month have you been Dumped:	No (never in my life)
In the past month have you gone Skinny Dipping:	No (never in my life)
In the past month have you Stolen Anything:	No (never in my life)
Ever been Drunk:	No
Ever been called a Tease:	No
Ever been Beaten up:	No
Ever Shoplifted:	No
How do you want to Die:	Saving lives.
What do you want to be when you Grow Up:	Not sure. I can see myself as anything from a chef to a geophysicist
What country would you most like to Visit:	England
*In a Boy/Girl..*
Favourite Eye Color:	Green
Favourite Hair Color:	Brown
Short or Long Hair:	Long
Height:	Doesn't matter too much.
Weight:	I'm OK with fat, as long as she is fat from eating her own tasty cooking, not from being lazy.
Best Clothing Style:	Fabric based.
Number of Drugs I have taken:	Prescription? I don't know.
Number of CDs I own:	~200
Number of Piercings:	None
Number of Tattoos:	None
Number of things in my Past I Regret:	More than I'd like.
CREATE YOUR OWN! - or - GET PAID TO TAKE SURVEYS!

RMGA

2005-09-25T23:53:00.000-07:00

Went the the Rocky Mountain Getaway retreat, with all the other front range colleges that have CCC. It was a pretty good time. Our school, though small, had a high turnout for our size. I got to have a lot of good conversations with people, which was nice. All in all, a better way to spend the weekend than being locked up in the dorms.

Keystone Resort.

Lots of kids.

Worship band.

Speaker. He did a pretty good job.

And...frisbee!

More pics!

2005-09-22T23:28:00.000-07:00

I know this page is fast becoming extremely annoying for dial up users, but I finally got the pictures from the Quandary peak overnight hike. These aren't mine, but they're still cool:

At the top with my group. I'm second from the right, in the red/grey jacket.

I like this one because it looks like my head is exploding or something.

Virtual Tour

2005-09-22T17:15:00.000-07:00

Here are a bunch of pics I took while on a bikeride around town. Enjoy.

Kyaker in Cleer Creak. This is fun.

Paved road along Cleer Creak.

Thats my drinking water!

Pretty flower.

Another angle.

This would have been an awesome picture if it was less cluttered.

Water supply, once again.

My bike.

Some crazy dude standing by my bike.

Wols.

Dirt road along Cleer Creek.

This is where our drinking water comes from. Nice.

Five minute bike ride, and you're in the mountains!

School from a distance.

A cool statue stashed in the maintenance lot. Sad.

If you have $50 a person, this is the place to eat in Golden. If I'm ever in a serious relationship with a girl, I'll take her here. Maybe. If she asks nicely.

This would be an awesome pic at sunset. I'll be back.

Brdige.

Wildlife.

Main Street.

Golden.

Remember that news article I linked to where we were rated #7 for "Dorms like Dungeons"? Now you know why.

If I ever have a door, you can bet I'll have this arch above it.

I think this sculpture means somthing, but I'm not sure what.

My actual residence hall (the castle thing was a joke, unfortunately). My room is on the bottom row, third from the left.
The Mines 'M.' The largest illuminated letter in the world. I'm so proud.

Interview

2005-09-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

Just had my interview for the honors program here at Mines. It was a group interview with two other students, and two falculty members interviewing us. I hope it went OK. I think I was pretty smooth and all, and sounded interested. However, I'm a little worried about the fact the my extracurriculars were much less impressive sounding than the others (a downside of homeschooling, I'm afraid.) The top considerations for admission are the essay and the interview. My essay was good, I think, and the interview went fine except for the EC thing. Academics(mine are good) and ECs(not so good) are secondary considerations. I guess its not the end of the world if I don't get in, but I want to get in so I can get the "liberal arts" experience. Most kids at this school have no interest in reading, writing, and art, unfortunately. This program would help me get to know kids who are more "right brain" oriented, as well as help round out my education. We'll see what happens, I guess.

Moved In!

2005-09-21T12:11:00.000-07:00

There was a poster sale today at the student center, so I finally got some posters up on my previously bare wall. I'm now officially moved in! I want to get a Despair poster for over my desk to complete the setup. Which one of these do you prefere?

Jack Handy-like.

I want this one for obvious reasons. ;)

Duh again.

I *do* go to an engineering school, after all....

Geeky Moment Pt. II

2005-09-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

My last post was, as stated, done from inside the Python shell. Since one of Bloggers advantages is it's openness and flexibility, I thought I would learn to take advantage of it by learning the Blogger API. By using Python and xmlrpclib, it's really easy to do. I haven't come up with a practical use for it yet, but I must say that its pretty darn cool.

Geeky Moment

2005-09-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

Posting this from inside the Python shell. w00t! Now I that I understand how to use the Blogger API, all power is mine!

Undecided

2005-09-17T10:55:00.000-07:00

After 36 hours awake, I finally got a decent night's sleep. I feel so much better now.

When I was looking for schools, I was pretty sure I wanted to go into Computer Science as a major. I like computers, I like working with them, and I enjoy the light level of programming I've done so far. I figured that a CS Degree would allow to explore these areas of interest further. However, since coming to school, I've been having my doubts about that choice. While I do enjoy working with computers, and tweaking their inner workings, I find that I'm not really the type to stay up all night trying to get some obscure bit of code to function properly. I'm also not sure about how well I would function in a normal development environment. I hear that people on the development teams put in crazy hours, in order to complete the project. Now, I would be OK working in this environment if I was making something cool, like a revolutionary new RPG or an AI system for a spacecraft. However, if I was developing accounting software, I'm pretty sure I would wind up hating my job pretty quickly. Also, most computer science type jobs involve staying inside all day and sitting down at a desk.

While I could do all this, I am coming to realize would much prefer a job that would allow me to get outside, see new places, and travel around a bit. CS wouldn't really allow me to do any of this. However, I would still like to be directly involved with science and technology, as they have always been my greatest interests(and it's not like my school offers anything else). The question is, what sort of jobs would allow me to do this?

I've been considering geophysics(the science of figuring out whats underground), since there is a good opportunity for field work, yet it still allows me to work directly with cutting edge technology. It also involves computers and programming(have to process all that data), and electrical engineering(to build the devices used). Also, it's a field where there is a lot of room for growth. The bottom of the ocean remains largely unexplored. Who knows what sort of resources may be found down there? What lies below the surface of other planets? Before space travel can advance further, we need to figure out what resources might by available underneath the surface of other planets. It will take geoscientists to figure out problems like these. Also, if I wind up not going into a geophysics related job, I still have some EE and CS skills that I can take with me. The downside to the whole thing is I might find up patroling a bunch of oil fields in Texas for the rest of my life, which wouldn't be much fun. I also have little experience with geology and such, so I'm not sure how well I would do with the actual work.

So, I'm sure there are many other options I need to consider, and I will. That's where things stand at the moment, and I need to start figuring out what to do. I'm trying to talk to people who do both, and see what the work environment is like. I just wish I knew what I was going to be doing.

Sweet

2005-09-16T12:03:00.000-07:00

Long time, no post! I've been pretty busy with school and stuff, so I've been neglecting posting here. Nothing big has really happened since my last post. I've just been doing my homework, playing various pick-up sports out on the athletic fields, and attending CCC Bible studies. I'm starting to get settled in to the college life a bit more, and getting to know some new people. All in all, life is pretty good.

I am writing after spending all last night climbing Quandary Peak, and 14,265 ft. mountain, with a CCC group. In addition to being the highest mountain I've ever done, it was also the only time I'd ever done one in the dark. However, the experience was amazing. The moon was almost full, so we were able to climb most of the way with very little artificial light. Our group managed to get to the top first (a picture of that should be coming shortly). On the way down, the moon was blocked by a ridge. That meant if we turned off our headlamps, we could an amazing number of stars. Never in my life have I seen a night sky like the one I saw last night. I'd heard about the Milky Way before, but I'd never actually seen it in the sky. I also saw eight shooting stars, probably more than I'd ever seen in my life up to that point. One of them was a big fireball type thing, rather than the little streaks you usually see. Awesome. When we got down, we rushed back to school in time for morning classes. Fortunately for me, my eight o'clock class was cancled, so I got to get a few hours of sleep before heading off to calculus. All in all, an amazing experience.

Comment Spam

2005-09-01T19:40:00.000-07:00

I just got three spam comments on my last entry within a few hours. Any tips on stopping these?

Help

2005-09-01T15:13:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted. I've been keeping with pretty busy with my college stuff. So busy, that I hadn't been reading the news at all until last night. Little did I expect to read about the complete destruction of a major US city. The people of New Orleans are going to need some major help to get out of this one, and I would like to encourage anyone reading this to make a donation to the American Red Cross, or other organization devoted to disaster relief. Below are links to pages where you can donate online. The Amazon page is quick and easy if you already have an account with them, and the MSN page has a more comprehensive list of organizations to donate to. Thank you for reading.

First Day

2005-08-23T20:11:00.000-07:00

First real day of college timeline:
7:30 - Wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast.
9:00 - Work first shift at library. Went pretty smoothly, not really hard work.
12:00 - First class, honors Calc II. The professor is super young, though apparently graduated.
1:00 - Cafeteria lunch. Got free copy of Blue Like Jazz from CCC.
1:45 - Fill out a billion silly forms in for my job at human resources.
2:30 - Nature and Human Values. I'm still not sure what this class is.
4:00 - Start and finish my homework. I love the beginning of the year.
6:00 - Go to FCA/CCC/IV BBQ volleyball/ultimate frisbee/concert thing. I stink at frisbee, but I met a lot of people.
9:00 - Return to dorms, start writing this post, hang out, etc.

So far, so good. I'm meeting lots of new people, and doing all sorts of stuff:
Not my picture(would have ruined my camera), but cool none the less.

Why My School Doesn't Always Rock.

2005-08-23T16:56:00.000-07:00

Found this article about my school in the paper today. According to this, we're number one! Unfortunately, the category in which we are number one happens to be "Least Happy Students." Though I've only been here for all of 5 days, I'm inclined to disagree with article. People do complain about the workload a lot, but in the same breath acknowledge that the rigorous academics are what brought them here. People around here seem to have fun, though not as much as some other schools do at the expense of academics *cough*Boulder*cough*. We'll see how it goes these next fours years.

Why My School Rocks.

2005-08-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

Setting sun and volleyball.

Rainbow!

Rainbow vertical.

My New Home

2005-08-19T16:40:00.000-07:00

My new home for the school year.

Last Day

2005-08-16T19:36:00.000-07:00

Last Clock Out.

Something I'd never seem before: pet duck in the drive through.

The counter I spent 2.5 years behind.

The building as I left it.

Finished!

2005-08-15T21:19:00.000-07:00

Well, hasn't this been a fun week! Since the last time I posted, I have done the following things:

1. Got really sick.
2. Attempted to get everything in order for my grand departure.

It's been pretty crazy, but I think I've got everything under control. We'll see how well that theory holds up come this Friday when I move in. However, everything should be made much easier by the fact that tommorrow should be(if all goes well) the last day I ever have to work fast food for the rest of my life! No more fussy customers, no more coming home smelling like grease! I'm thankful for the fact that I've had the work available to me, but I'll be darned if I really ever enjoyed it aside from the times where everything was really, really slow, and I could talk with a couple of the people there. Between the memories of the fast food and the construction work I did this summer, I think I'll have enough to keep me motivated through college in hopes that I will never have to work in those fields again. One can only hope.

Mini-Reviewage

2005-08-08T20:14:00.000-07:00

Nickel Creek, Why Should the Fire Die?

First impressions after about three listens:

Musically, there is a lot to like about this new album. All the elements that made past Nickel Creek releases good are still here(i.e., the mind boggling musicianship, arrangements, and vocal harmonies), but the sound on this record is a bit darker and rougher than what we've heard from them in the past. It's a bit of a shock at first, but I've grown to like it. Also, this album comes across as quite a bit more diverse than their past releases. One complaint I had about This Side was that a few of the slower songs tended to sound a bit "samey." While there are a few non-descript ballads on this album(though my perception of those may change with further listens), almost every song has its own distinct style and character to it.

On the lyrical side, we also see some change. The darker music is accompanied by suitably darker lyrics. However, many of the songs never rise above the level of your typical "relationship song," (or, as is often the case, "relationship goes wrong" song) which is unfortunate, since the music is so striking and original(keep in mind that I probably do tend to be overly cynical about "relationships songs." YMMV) . However, though the subject matter has been very well traveled, the lyrics are well written enough so as to make them an enjoyable, if not profound, set of songs. One thing I do miss on this album is the presence of a left-field modern rock cover, like their cover of Pavement's "Spit on a Stranger" from This Side, or their live cover of Radiohead's "Just." Something like this would have been a fun change of pace for the record, but the album still stands without it.

Overall, I would place this album in the B+/A- range, but we will see how that plays out once I have a chance to listen to it a bit more throughly.

Beck, Guero

This happens to me every year. There is always some album that I hear great things about from almost everyone, yet, for one reason or another, fail to actually get around to hearing. When I do hear it, I kick myself for depriving myself of the experience of listening to it for so long. Beck's latest release, Guero, is one such album. The only album of Beck's I had heard before this was Odelay, which mixes hip-hop, rock, and just about everything else to create a smooth, funky, and totally original album. Never before had I heard the "everything AND the kitchen sink" approach handled so gracefully.

Fortunately for the listener, Guero continues in this tradition, but this time around, Beck manages to add even more ingredients to his sound. This time, there are elements of pop music, with some slower ballad type songs, and lush arrangements to accompany them. Still, the album keeps the fresh, fun appeal that Odelay has, without sacrificing any weight in the more serious material. The only real criticism I might have is that Beck may be borrowing to much from his past work, but when the results sound as good as this, its hard to nitpick. A/A+, for sure.

Why Should I Wait Until Tuesday?

2005-08-07T17:18:00.000-07:00

I went to Best Buy today to pick up Beck's Guero, which I had yet to hear, when I saw this album on the shelf. Why Should the Fire Die? is the follow-up to Nickel Creek's excellent sophomore album, This Side. However, I knew that it wasn't supposed to be in stores until this Tuesday. I decided to go ahead and take advantage of Best Buy's mistake, and buy the album. I hope to get a mini review up in the next few days, maybe even on the albums actual release date, just like a real reviewer. Should be some good stuff, if Nickel Creek's past work is any indication.

Camping!

2005-08-06T12:37:00.000-07:00

In the car on the way.

Stopping for pizza at Fargos in Colorado Springs.

Foggy and damp. Pretty, but wet.

Water on a pine needle.

Our tents in the mist.

Lantern.

Ridges and mist.

Above the fog.

Wildflower.

More wildflowers.

Dirt road.

Airsoft. It's legal and fun, trust me.

Sunshine through the mist.

Aspen trees.

Pikes Peak sunset.

Preparations

2005-08-01T21:01:00.000-07:00

As the big day approaches(starting college on the 22nd), the more stuff there seems to be to do. Whether it is buying stuff for my dorm room, or filling out my 5 zillionth form or application, it seems there is always something requiring my attention. Add that to the fact that I work full time(more than 40 hours a week), I can safely say that this is the first summer in my life where I'm actually eager for school to start, if only to bring an end to all the preparation! Also, I'm very much looking forward to the new experience of college life, so that plays into it too. Oh, well, its only a few more weeks away.

Despite the way my above paragraph might make things sound, I am actually having some fun this summer. I get to go camping this weeked, which is always fun(except when it rains the whole time). I hope to be able to take some good pictures while I'm out that I might be able to share here, so be looking forward to those. I also hope to get together with my future roommate sometime, just to get to know him a little before we start sharing the same living space. Maybe a day of paintball would be appropriate?

In other news, I've had some great luck selling things on eBay this week. I sold some camera gear I had(in order to pay for my digital), and was shocked to see that I was getting more for many of the items than I had paid for them in the first place! My best profit was a whopping $130 dollars. If I can continue this sort of thing, I may have found myself a good revenue stream. Its worth a try, at any rate.

By the way, I would like to thanks those who have left comments in my previous posts. They give me a warm fuzzy feeling on the inside. Thanks for allowing me to experience that. Until next time, stay safe, and don't eat the yellow snow.

Sufjan Sighting!

2005-07-30T15:24:00.000-07:00

This is pretty cool. I was on break at work today, reading a newspaper someone had left sitting on a table. Imagine my surprise as I get to the music section and see Sufjan Stevens on the cover! The article(link to online version above) was about Asthmatic Kitty records, Sufjan's label, and how Sufjan has caused the label to gain much more recognition. Anyways, it was pretty cool to see one of my favorite, more obscure artists spotlighted in such a prominent fashion.

2005-07-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

Backyard Flower

Arrival

2005-07-28T22:33:00.000-07:00

Just got my new camera today, and am pretty excited about it. It's nice and small, as you can see, and is quite easy to use(so far, anyways). Hopefully I can get a chance tomorrow to take it out for some real shooting. Maybe before work.

In my personal life, things have been pretty dull recently. Most of my time is spent at work, which can get insanely boring, especially after 10 hours. Looking forward to school starting up, as it should be an exciting new experience. At the very least, it shouldn't be insanely boring. Of course, less boredom usually comes at the price of higher stress levels, but nothing is perfect, eh?

The Best Music of 2005(so far)

2005-07-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, I really enjoy music. I like to listen to music, read about music, analyze music, and even make a little music of my own. Music engages me in a way that few other forms of can. So, in order to help share a little of the joy I feel when listening to music, here is a personal top ten list of recordings released in 2005(that I've heard, I'm sure I'm missing some good stuff). Consider this more of a "favorites" than a "critical best" type list(for which I would have to hear everything). Anyways, here goes:

1. Sufjan Stevens, Illinois

The funniest, quirkiest, and prettiest folk album I've ever heard. Buy it now.

2. The Decemberists, Picaresque

Best accordion parts in any album I've heard this year, hands down. ;)

3. Andrew Bird, Andrew Bird & The Mysterious Production of Eggs

One of the most unique pop albums I've heard a long time. This isn't just another Pet Sounds wannabe indie record, folks.

4. Sleater-Kinney, The Woods

A fun, catchy, yet fresh and unique rock & roll album from a female fronted group. Cool stuff.

5. Over the Rhine, Drunkard's Prayer

More thoughtful, accoustic goodness from OtR. However, be sure to start out with the superior Good Dog, Bad Dog if you're new to the band.

6. Gorillaz, Demon Days

A funky, genre bending album from the genius behind Blur, Damon Albarn.

7. Jars of Clay, Redemption Songs

Jars of Clay remakes old hymns with a modern, yet rootsy feel.

8. The Fiery Furnaces, EP

A surprisingly focused EP from the minds behind last year's Blueberry Boat.

9. Eisley, Room Noises

A fun, though sometimes derivative debut album from a new band to watch for. I can't wait to see what the future brings for these girls(and two guys).

10. Coldplay, X&Y
Though I can't imagine this album staying in my top ten for much longer(there are several strong sounding albums out there that I have yet to hear in their entirety), Coldplay's newest still has all the soaring melodies and hooks that we've come to expect from the band.

So, there you are! I know this list probably has many gaping omissions, but this is how it stands for the album that I've actually heard. This has been a pretty decent year for music so far, and there are several important releases to look forward to still. Hopefully my upcoming college student-ness won't interfere with my getting to hear them! So, until next time, relax, have fun, and enjoy the music.

Camera

2005-07-24T22:33:00.000-07:00

I've been into photography for the past several years, and have enjoyed shooting a film SLR, but recently, I began to feel certain limitations about my setup. Mostly, a film SLR kit is too bulky to bring around everywhere, and people never like to stop and wait for you to fuss with your tripod and change lenses and so-forth. Also, film processing can be costly and annoying to deal with(especially when you shoot slides like I did). With college coming up, I didn't want the extra expense of film processing stopping me from enjoying a fun and rewarding hobby. As a result, I began to research modern digital cameras, and all that they have to offer. I finally decided on this:Behold, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5! It's nice and small, and has the equivalent of a 35-420mm zoom in the 35mm world. Should be fun. I hope to be able to share any cool or meaningful pictures I take on this blog, so be on the look out. So, until later, have fun, stay safe, and buy the new Sufjan Stevens album. It's quality.

Hello, World!

2005-07-23T00:03:00.000-07:00

Hi. This is my first blog post, and really serves no other purpose than to test this thing out. Time for bed.

/*Insert Cleverness Here*/