Okay, so I was looking at American Idol information tonight to see what the basic schedule is like; I was completely wrong about how the auditions take place.  What they make look like a 2-day affair for the auditions is actually a week-long process.  I can't take a week off of school for this, so my only option would be to take a semester off in anticipation of the tryouts.  I can't do that, either.  So I'm either going to have to do one of two things I can't do or figure something else out.  Time for some more of one of my favorite things: re-evaluation.

So Phusebox is all crazy lately.  I mean, things, they be a-changing.  Kind of exciting, yet, at the same time, I'm wondering if the Phuse experience will be the same.  It'll probably be better, though this is already what I would consider the best blogging site of the whole Interwebosphere...net...thing...

+

The whole girl situation is going great.  I'm actually a bit surprised at how good things are going.  Now, those of you that really know me know that I have issues with commitment - within a few weeks of dating a girl, I'm thinking about the possibility of a wedding.  Well, this one is no different, except for the fact that we're still together after 2.5 months.  This matches my college record of time spent dating a girl, so I'm both excited and nervous as this is when poopy things would tend to start happening.
At the same time, I'm a little bit more confident in our abilities to tolerate one another due to a recently discovered situation - time spent together is not a constant, but a variable.  What I mean, in effect, is that, mathematically, I've spent more time in conversation/presence/whatever...I've spent more time with her than any other girl I've dated.
Mathematically: I spent x hours per day with Kari for 6 months on average (this includes time spent on the phone, etc.).  I've spent approximately 4x hours per day with Brittany for 1.5 months (not including time on the phone or instant messenger, which makes up the month of Christmas break).  Already, I've spent more time with Brittany than with Kari.  If this rate continues to be maintained, one year with her would be comparable to four years with Kari, except happier since it's with Brittany instead of the angry ho.

Anyway, that's all I've got for now.

I'm going to try to try out for American Idol this fall, and I'm trying to figure out which song to practice to death for it.

Anyway, I've got it narrowed down to 4 choices, and I'd like the two or three of you that will read this to share your opinion on which song and why I should use it:

1. Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon & Garfunkel)
2. Yesterday (Beatles)
3. Only the Good Die Young (Billy Joel)
4. Your Song (Elton John)

Thanks!

I'm taking American Government (POLS 1000) this semester, and I just happened to remember one of my systems of government I created in the 9th grade.  You see, my family took a vacation to the beach, which I detest, so I sat on a chair under an umbrella all day long and read and wrote.  I remember writing out three different representative-style government organizations that I thought at the time would be particularly interesting to witness in implimentation.  I only remember one of them, however:

It's more or less a single branch of government made up of judges.  Each town (i.e. Cookeville or Murfreesboro) or city section (i.e. Manhattan) would elect a judge.  Every town/city section judge in a county would get together and elect one among them to be the county judge.  All of the county judges would get together to elect one state judge.  The state judges in each region (NE, SE, NW, and SW US) would meet to elect a regional judge.  These four judges would elect one of themselves to a sort of chairman position; each judge has the same power, but this one dude just sort of takes care of administrative matters in relation to the nation.
Now, every judge is responsible for everything below him.  So, let's say that I was elected the judge of Cookeville, then elected the judge of Putnam County, then of Tennessee, then of the SW US, then head judge of the country.  If a problem arose in Cookeville, I would have authority over it.  If a problem arose in an area of Putnam County whose judge could not handle it, it would be reffered to me, and so on and so forth all the way up the chain.
The most major flaw (there are many; I was a freshman, give me a break) is that the workload would be enormous, so I made a change to allow each judge to appoint deputy judges beneath himself at every level in order to allow duties to be delegated.

I'd still like to see how this would work in the real world (probably not well, but since when has a government been worth half a fart?).

Okay, so I'm back in Cookeville.  I've got a single room in Murphy now (hallelujah!) that is well stocked with Ramen (36 cups, meaning over a month of sustenance) as well as other nifty edibles.  I'm on the fifth floor, so now I can get a little bit of exercise every day by using the stairs (it's rather sad, but I woke up with sore legs this morning).  Here's hoping my classes go well!

Anyway, the new season of 24 begins in just over 6 hours, but I've got a meeting in 2, and it may go long and I may miss the beginning or (*shudder*) the whole thing.  Either way, I'll watch a recording.  It's like sitting on nails waiting for it to begin.

This post is about three things.

1. 24 hours until I'll be on the road.  I'll actually be on the road in less than that time, but I know that within that time, I will actually be driving "east" on I-40 back to Cookeville.  Hooray!

2. 24, Season 6, will be premiering on Sunday with a double-header.  Then, on Monday, there will be TWO MORE EPISODES!  Holy cow, I won't be sleeping.  For those of you not already into 24 (which is most of you reading this, I'd wager), you may not want to start with season 6.  Find the older seasons on DVD and catch up; it'll be better for you in the long run.

3. 24 hours until I'll be on the road!  And 24 returns this weekend!

TIHS IS TEH BES THTING EVEr!!11!??


So, now that I'm finished with my channeling of Connie, I say goodbye until tomorrow.

If all goes according to plan, 72 hours from now, I will have been on the road for about an hour on my way back to school!

Hooray!

I've got a secret, and tomorrow's going to be fun!

It's a new year now, and, as I am wont to do, I spent the evening looking back over the past year at how I've changed and grown.  Since this time last year, I've dated two more girls, lost my viriginity, had my first drunken night of puking, had my first drunken night of fun, been to Philadelphia, seen a few plays, worked my ass off, goofed my ass off, seen about 30 movies, earned a few thousand dollars, spent a few thousand dollars, made some new friends, lost some old ones, and alienated a few more family members (they deserve it).  As for my spiritual and emotional development, well...I can't really describe that, but I have a feeling that people around me can tell, and that's what's important.

So, my new year's resolutions are these:
01. Keep this girlfriend; she's my favorite thus far (as indicated by the fact that I'm still with her)
02. Lose my fat
03. Build some muscle
04. Re-attain full membership in the Honors Program
05. Get along better with my parents
06. Whine less
07. Spend a few more drunken nights with the girl in Resolution #1  ;)
08. Play soccer again (hopefully!)
09. Let my knee heal (before I do #8)
10. Finish the books I've started
11. Start new books
12. Spend more time with friends who will be leaving in 2008
13. Canoodle
14. Write some more songs
15. Get the hell out of the dorms
16. Improve my piano skills
17. (vastly) Improve my singing skills
18. Start scoping out bars in preparation for April 7, 2008

That should start me off well...I can probably keep 3 or 4 of them.

So I've noticed that I've been in a negative mood lately in my posts.  I'm going to try to be better about that this time...

I got a knee brace, and it makes my knee feel better whenever I'm active.  I also finished Season 5 of 24, which is a totally rocking show.  I enjoyed Christmas, more or less; I could have done with much less interaction, but it was nice to play piano for Granddaddy.  I've started writing 3 different songs, probably for my musical if I ever get anywhere but the intros.

See?  I can be positive.  Now for the complaining (since I'm much better at it due to my continual practice)...

Just kidding!  I'm good, aside from missing my friends in Cookeville.  I can't wait to get back up there.

I went to see Dreamgirls tonight.  I went in hoping that it would be a great movie and wonderfully received and the like.  WRONG!

The song numbers were uninteresting and stereotypical, the character development was nigh non-existent, and the crowd was terrible.  Read my title, and if you want to continue, go for it.

I tend to be fairly non-racist.  I will make many racist remarks for humor, but I don't really hold these ideas to be true.  Tonight was one of the nights that push me that way.  In my dealings with African Americans, the only two emotions I observe are amusement and anger.  For example, in the movie, it's a particularly heart-breaking scene that had me slightly emotional.  However, because a black woman just told a black man off, the crowd erupted into laughter and applause.  After that wonderful scene of beautiful acting, the best the actors get is the rowdy guffaw of an overly zealous ethnocentric crowd?  I wanted for this movie to be the one to offer more than typical Black Movie fare (i.e. Soul Plane, etc.), but I was sorely disappointed.

So, coming from this movie as uninspired and disappointed in my fellow Memphians, I can't recommend it.  I'll try it again later on my own, but I'm not sure if it can save my hopes.

I like to characterize a true visit home as having satisfied two separate criteria - Abuse and Chewing Off of the Ass

The Abuse can just be the constant picking and pestering of my brothers or my Dad's wonderfully down-trodding speeches.

The Chewing Off of the Ass is reserved entirely for Dad; it could be one of the above speeches (two different speeches are needed; no double-dipping on these requirements), a blown-out-of-proportion problem, or some such retarded thing designed to humiliate me into fitting his mold.  Humiliation, yes.  Fitting into mold, no chance in hell.

So, as of breakfast yesterday morning, this has been a true visit home.   I can't wait to get back to Tech.

So it's the 9 pm Christmas service at my church in Memphis, and I'm just chilling in the video booth, sipping on a frappucino, and marvelling at the youth of others.  It's weird - I see other Phusers who were born 6 years after me spouting out their bits of wisdom just as I did.  Then I look the other way and see the Phusers, you know, 30 years older than me, seeing me spouting out my little bits of "wisdom."  At every stage in my development, I think that my problems, my complaints, my ideas, are the pinnacle of human thought, while those I had before or those that others my age and younger have aren't worth a hoot and holler, but I tend to forget the fact that there are people who have progressed farther beyond me and have complaints or ideas that are actually valid. 

So answer me this: is there any chance that I will ever reach a point at which I will cease to think that I am at the apex of humanity?

I just don't like the vast majority of humanity.  I mean, let's face it: when other drivers, your family, and most of the people you would have called friends all push you to your breaking point within an hour or so of contact, it's a bad thing.  I can count on one hand the number of people who don't just drive me up the wall after a barely prolonged amount of time with them, and they're all in Middle Tennessee.

Also, if someone asks you why they didn't know you were coming back into town, the correct response is never "If you had called me in the last 6 months, you might have known" under any circumstances.  Apparently, you should say something along the lines of, "I am so so sorry!  Next time I will email you a copy of my entire schedule with highlighted time slots during which we can hang out if it matches with your planner."

Bastards.

So I've been trying to figure out a way to get Brittany down here after New Year's, and my parents have been a little unrelentingly against the idea.  Well, as luck would have it, her dad sold his tool truck, and has to deliver it to Memphis, and she is being forced against her will to come to Memphis and have lunch with me.

As you can imagine, she is incredibly upset about all of this, but I selfishly am looking forward to it.  ;)

Life goes on.  Went to Aunt Dink's funeral today.  Turns out I was wrong - she was 92, the same age her sister (my great-grandmother) was when she died.  What are the odds?  That means I'm stuck with my evil aunt for another 50 years; I'll probably die first.

Anyway, I'm in Memphis (as I said already), and I wish I was in Cookeville or, even better, Sparta, TN.  I miss my friends and this one particular girl; my family I can do with or without...maybe I could bring Jason back with me and he can drop out of school and work and we can just hang out and stuff...

Yeah, right.

I've got a 3.3 cumulative GPA.  Not good, but not bad.  I'll have it up to 3.5 next semester and keep slowly pressing it higher over time.  I'm checked out of my dorm, have everything loaded up in the car, and am finishing up a few last Christmas cards.  So now I'm wasting time in the Office because I'm just too nice to take my free time for myself.  What can I say?  I would feel too guilty.  I'll have fun tonight.

So my great-aunt Dink died today.  It wasn't too much of a blow or too unexpected because she was approaching 200 years old...seriously, though, she was in her 80's, so we were expecting it soon.  Anyway, I'm off to a party, so I'm happy!

Okay, so I've gotten all of my finals finished.  My grades so far: French (C), Social Psych (B), and Developmental Psych (B).  I'll get my Biology grade sometime soon, but I'm expecting A or B.  Probably a B.

I was going to say something else, but it's not that important.  Now I've got three days and four parties.  Hoorah.

On Friday, I drove to Memphis with Brittany (my woman) and James (my friend).  We got to my house and talked to my parents for a while (it went surprisingly well...a pleasant surprise), then we watched a movie and talked and ate leftovers until 3 in the morning when, since Brittany and I kept dozing off, James went to bed, then Brittany went to bed, the I cured cancer and went to bed.  Unfortunately, since my handwriting degrades as I get more tired, I couldn't read the formula for the cure the next morning and cancer is still uncured.
So on Saturday, we went to Brad's BBQ (my favorite barbecue restaurant in the world), then I got a haircut from Little Joe (who is slower than his dad, Joe).  As I drove downtown, I made an error and we were in Memphis calling for directions.  The play started at 2.  Had it not been for that burning Methodist church a few months back closing the roads, we would have been there earlier.  However, because we ended up detouring all over downtown Memphis, we got there at 2:02, missing the prelude.  No biggie.  The play was good (at least, I enjoyed it); afterward, we went walking in Memphis *insert drumroll sound* and I showed them the Pyramid, the River, the New Bridge, the Old Bridge, the Peabody, and, from the roof of the Peabody, just about everything else in downtown Memphis.  We went to church (it started at 5:30, we got there at 6) and they met Brian, my former boss, and a few other friends of mine.  After that we went home, packed up, and left.
From the house, I took them to 6 Flags over Jesus (a.k.a. Bellevue Baptist Church), Central Baptist School (where I attended from K5-12th grade), and the house in which I grew up, which we sort of sped by, U-turned, and re-sped by because I don't like that part of town.  At all.  We also almost stopped at Kari's house and introduced Brittany as my fiance' because I hate her, but I remembered that Kari works with my cousin and I would get in trouble eventually if I did that.  So I imagined doing it for half an hour and laughed an evil laugh.  Drove back, got Brittany home at about 2:30, crashed on her couch until 6:30, then drove back to Tech where I crashed again and am now studying for my exams.

Now, for my exams...
In Social Psych, I need to make an 87/135 in order to make a B and a 123/135 (91%) in order to make an A.  I don't have the book for that class yet, so I'm iffy about the A.
In Developmental, I need to make an 87/135 in order to make a B and a 132/135 (98%) in order to make an A.  I shall try for an A; I do have the book for this class.
In French, I need to make an 82/100 in order to make a B; I can't make an A in there.
In Biology, I need to make somewhere around an 85/100 in order to make an A.  I can pull that off fairly easily.

A few quick notes, now...I missed about 50% of my Developmental classes, and can still get an A if I'm lucky.  I missed two tests in French, and can still get a B.  I don't have the book in Social and can still get an A if I'm lucky.  I'm not going to talk about Biology; I was there every day and had the book and did all of the work.

I feel encouraged by this.