Living vicariously through myself

Ok, I'm migrating this over to Livejournal, because I like being able to easily access friends' new posts and such. Update your links to:

www.livejournal.com/users/clydeclod

Because it's occurred to me that there's little logical reason why I bring anything up in a conversation (because things tend to trigger random memories), this post may sound a little like it was written by James Joyce...

1. Nicole and I have started playing a LOT of Scrabble. It's been a number of weekends since we haven't played, and we're serious enough that I picked up the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary yesterday so that we had a reference guide to agree on. Last weekend, we played the best game I've ever personally been involved in. We each had our first bingo (the term for using all seven of your letters at once) and the final score was 333 to 322. I've scored 300 points a few times, but to have to score that many to win was a little nerve-wracking. We're even snobby enough about the game that we don't like playing the version that Yahoo! offers, which doesn't use the same scoring system and does not start each game with the same set of letters.

2. I'm pleased to see DUCKS is continuing. Seems like they've been able to weather another leadership transition (always hard on a QB team), and hopefully they'll have some success at tournaments this year. I plan to moderate for them if I get a free Saturday here and there.

3. I'm doing a lot of work these days for Infoble. I've started doing a weekly Podcast for Tracks Magazine and MP3 Sports Talk is undergoing a format change at the beginning of next month. It brings in some extra cash, which is always appreciated by broadcasters, who seldom get paid enough (yours truly included). I'd appreciate it very much if you subscribed to either or both of these channels.

4. Another fantasy football season is upon us and I'm trying to recover from a subpar draft. It already looks like I'm going to have one of those years where I score enough points each week to beat a number of teams but the guy I'm playing has the best week he's had all year and he beats me. It always seemed to be this same way when I was in a bowling league. Teams must mark me on their calendars for some inexplicable reason.

So it's Labor Day and I don't have to go into work until 1 p.m. It's not bad working 5 hours and getting paid for 8, but I found out that holidays like this one can be used as extra paid days off, if you play your cards right. So, since it won't count against my 14 days of vacation, I plan to take as many of these would-be half days off as possible, since I have far less vacation time than just about anyone else in the newsroom (You accrue vacation time based on the time you've worked there. Once you've been there 7 years, you get your full 4 weeks of vacation). Only three more years and I get another week of vacation tacked on.

The last two weeks have been good for getting back in touch with people. I played tennis with Haley Heathman two weeks ago, had lunch with my friend Erin Horan from high school last week and heard from Lydia Butler about her new teaching job in Virginia. Seems all are doing well, which is good.

In other news, Eric Berman and I seem to have a nasty knack for coming in second. We've played in this monthly pub trivia competition here in Indy for the last three months and have finished in second place by one, two and one points, respectively, for the three months. If you were going on cumulative score, I'll bet we're first. Sadly, it doesn't work that way. The worst part might be talking yourself out of the one or two right answers which would have won us the cash prize each week, or figuring out that we strategized poorly and lost. We play again on the 30th. Until then, we're practicing for competition at FOGHAT at Northwestern in October. Hopefully they'll mirror COTKU, as well.

Lastly, the car is finally fixed and relatively winter-proofed. On Friday of last week, the following things were done to it:

-- Oil Change (it was about 6 thousand miles overdue for one)
-- New tires put on (I needed 2 front ones, but forgot about the nail in one of the back ones, so I had them replace all 4 and give me the one good back tire. This went well, because they only had two of the mid-range tires I wanted, so they upgraded me to the next better tire for two of them.)
-- Transmission fluid change (apparently about 25,000 miles overdue)
-- New front brakes (I'd heard this metallic rubbing/screeching sound, which is what led me to take in the car in the first place)
-- New front rotors (These were found when the brakes were being replaced. Yes, I know that's where you ALWAYS find the rotors. It was not a surprise to the mechanic, like "Oh! What do we have here?")

Having your car fixed: $793
Being able to drive down SR 37 to Bloomington and being relatively sure you won't die: Priceless

Ok, this game is pretty cool, too:

http://grant.robinson.name/projects/guess-the-google/

The Premise is this: it gives you 20 images which can be returned by putting in a certain keyword into a Google search. Your goal: in 20 seconds, figure out that keyword. Kind of a neat diversion.

Next, a belated happy birthday to Flax, who celebrated his 23rd on Monday. Seems he had a better birthday this year than Andy Roddick did.

I again bought a game pass from Blockbuster, because I knew I'd have a little more free time on my hands with Nicole in Bloomington. The games I've rented have been okay:

-- Conker: Live and Reloaded was a disappointment, except for the missions mode, where you take one side of a battle against the computer. Even this only held the attention for a short time. The game itself I should have read more about. Seems it's basically an Xbox version of the Nintendo 64 game I loved. Not new enough for me.

-- Next was Destroy All Humans, which I'd been looking forward to after seeing all kinds of TV ads. It basically lived up to my expectations. An alien (who sounds a lot like Jack Nicholson) rampaging across the planet dealing with an FBI knockoff called "Majestic". It was neat, but got monotonous about a third of the way through. Still, fun to rent.

-- Currently, I have Medal of Honor: European Assault, which I'm liking. The previous two Medal of Honor games were really good (though the second one was awful short), so I expected good things of this one and it's delivered so far. I did learn a lesson, however. If you let your fellow soldiers die by taking all the medkits for yourself, they're not around to shoot people for you later. Who'd have thunk?

24

Good win for the Emmis softball team tonight. 35-4 (in three innings) almost doesn't seem fair. But when the opposing pitcher throws balls on about 15 out of every 16 pitches, what are you to do but stand there and look at them? I'm happy with the way I've played so far. I started out 1-for-4 at the plate, but have since raised my average to .625 by going 9-for-12 (including a number of walks). Had one really bad game in the field, but the team is finally getting into a groove and I think we're (to risk a tired cliche) peaking at the right time. We have two more regular season games left, and then the playoffs. I think we have a fair shot.

Today was also Nicole's birthday. I got her a bike, which she received last weekend, and I'm taking her out to dinner somewhere fancy of her choosing Saturday when I go down there for the weekend. Apparently there were some problems getting the bike out of her car when she arrived back home last Saturday, so it needs a little tweaking before it's again in good riding condition. I'll bring my tools down and we'll get it straightened out.

Looking forward to the monthly pub trivia contest at the Golden Ace in Indy this Friday. Eric and I have come in second the two times we've done it. If you might like to join our team, lemme know. I think both times a third person might have put us over the edge. It's $2 per person to play, so our team entry fee is relatively small, meaning there will be a big payoff when we finally break through and win the darn thing.

Two months between posts isn't too long, right?

It's been a very busy summer. I just completed a five-part series on a new law in Indiana which seeks to make it illegal for a company to operate an online gambling site on which Hoosiers can participate. During the process, I made an appearance on WIBC's evening talk show and did a 50-minute segment answering questions on the law, which was pretty cool. That actually may land me a spot as a fill-in host for the program when the regular host is gone. Stay tuned.

Nicole has moved to Bloomington to start J-School at IU. We're going to have to finagle our schedules so that we see one another and don't let the distance become an issue. We're both committed to the relationship, though, so I don't think one of us driving to see the other on a consistent basis will be much of an issue.

Lately, I've found several new things to occupy my time on the internet:

The first is that if you use the Firefox browser (Amanda was right, it's much better than IE), you can install a pulgin which lets you "stumble" across sites you might like. You tell it categories of stuff you enjoy and you benefit from other users finding stuff for you. I've set one of mine as "online games" and here are links to three I found WAY too fun...

http://technetguru.net/host/333/
http://www.nata2.info/humor/flash/bowman.swf
http://fun.drno.de/flash/antcity.swf

Also fun were these, but not in such a possibly sadistic way...
http://www.virtualtoy.nm.ru/games/starfly_3.html
http://www.freeworldgroup.com/onlinegames/gameindex/raiden.htm
http://www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal/g3/bauns.htm

But the BEST thing I've been alerted to is this (Be sure you open it in IE):
http://www.mindfun.com/chat/cv/shareBoard.php

That's an online group of people who write Jeopardy board and play them in real-time in this program a guy wrote. It works really well, takes away the former problem of lag in seeing questions and buzzing that felled games like "You Don't Know Jack: 5th Dementia". A number of former Jeopardy champions, including several who played in lat year's Ultimate Tournament of Champions, play on the site regularly. There are also a few stragglers from the college quiz bowl circuit of the last 5-10 years. Sign up on the message board for a time and then show up and play. It's like crack.

I'll try to go back to posting more regularly, I promise. Assuming all my time is not taken up by Vortex Jeopardy.

You scored as Yoda. Yoda 75% Obi Wan Kenobi 58% Anakin Skywalker 58% Mace Windu 50% General Grievous 47% Chewbacca 47% Clone Trooper 42% R2-D2 39% Padme Amidala 36% C-3PO 33% Darth Vader 31% Emperor Palpatine 28% Which Revenge of the Sith Character are you? created with QuizFarm.com

I think work has ruined my sleep schedule. I got up on my own this morning at 8:30. Aren't you supposed to sleep in on the weekends? This after feeling tired at 10:30 on a Friday night. Maybe I just need more crazy friends to stay out 'til 3 in the morning with.

I signed up for a tennis league here in the city. It works like a ladder system, meaning if you win, you move up and if you lose, you move down. Indy is a pretty good tennis town, so we'll see what the caliber of player is like. You may recall I was in a tennis league in Elgin two summers ago and that I ended up going 12-0, including twice beating a guy who had played in the league for three years and had a grand total of one loss prior to meeting me. I have a sense this league will be a little tougher. I'm really in it to meet people to play with outside of the league. I've been playing some and trying to get myself back into shape. I was pleased yesterday that I could play 90 minutes of full-court basketball and not really get winded. I've found a good park around 40th and Illinois with six real nice tennis courts and a basketball court where there always seems to be someone shooting around, so I'll probably frequent the place this summer and try not to be so sloth-like.

Speaking of which, I need to pull out my bike and my air compressor today and take a bike ride. I was a capitalist monster and purchased an Ipod for this very reason, so I keep thinking I'll bike down to the aforementioned park and I'll be all warmed up by then. Mapquest tells me this trip is a little under eight miles one way. That's not so bad. Probably a lot like riding the bike path in the Fox Valley between Elgin and St. Charles or Elgin and Matt's house in Wayne.

Speaking of Matt, he's one of a good-sized number of friends who will be spread out across the country either going to grad school or beginning new jobs this summer. Megan will be in Boston, Olivia in Palo Alto, Brian in DC, Matt at U of Chicago. That's kinda the funny thing about school -- the fact we meet who we do is complete happenstance. We all attended schools for undergrad for very different reasons, and then the same is true for grad schools. Your probability of meeting someone is probably pretty low, I would guess. Then, imagine all the people who get married because they meet in college. The odds against that must be astronomical, yet it happens all the time. Bizarre.

Ok, enough people have now told me to update my blog that I guess I should.

Many of you have correctly guessed the reason it's been so long since this thing got any new writing on it.

Nicole and I have done some interesting things since we started dating. Among them:

-- Going to see the Butler Ballet perform Swan Lake. She really wanted to go and I figured it was something that I should go see at least once so that I'm a little more knowledgeable about it.

-- Attending two Indianapolis Indians games, but totalling less than 9 inning of baseball actually watched. The first time we went with a former student of hers who's now at Butler, and she had to be back to campus to host a prospective student (baseball seen: 6 innings). The second time, it began to rain hard enough before the bottom of the second inning that they pulled out the tarp. After 40 minutes of sitting watching the scoreboard flash old highlights, we left (total baseball seen: 7.5 innings)

-- Spending one Sunday running to breakfast, going to Emmis to play basketball and then playing something like 9 games of ping pong. I didn't think ping pong could cause my legs to give out. I was very wrong. It was during the basketball that Nicole insisted we bet something on the game. So I told her if she ever beat me in a game to 10, she could have a day of any kind of pampering she wanted. I don't anticipate having to pay up on that bet, but you never know.

-- Going to see the sneak preview of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy with Eric Berman. Eric and I have read the books, but Nicole has not. She enjoyed the story even as a newbie and Eric and I liked it because they put in enough small details to make it more or less true to the books. I especially was happy they included Vogon poetry and the whale thinking to itself as it fell after being transformed from a missile. "And what is this thing rushing toward me so fast? It needs a big name. Ground! That's what I'll call it! I wonder if it'll be friends with me.... (THUD)"

And we've got all kinds of things planned:

-- Going to see Ben Folds this Thursday at the Murat Theatre.

-- Perhaps returning to the Murat the following night to see Jon Stewart.

-- And the big one. We've planned a three day, four night trip to Las Vegas the last week of July before she heads off to IU. We got a great deal, and it'll be interesting to go. I'd like to get in one small stakes Texas Hold 'Em game just to see how good the real people are. Probably very different from all the people at the Emmis poker night (which comes up again next Saturday).

I'm also going to a cookout Nicole's family is having next weekend. The proverbial meeting of the family (despite the fact I met her father when we last had poker night). Apparently her mother and grandmother are very interested to meet me. Always interesting to see how you match up to people's preconceived notions of you.


In news not at all relating to my significant other....

I had a good time in Pittsburgh at TRASHionals last month. We got spanked more than once, but we still finished something like 27th out of 36 teams. Considering our average age was much less than most teams, I guess we did about how we should have.

The following weekend, however, was the first time I've ever been on a team that went undefeated through a tournament field. The "Lords of Alacrity" (Eric Berman, Michael Philpy, Dennis Kasey and myself) went 9-0, including wins over a couple of good teams in Matt Larson's Iowa team and Alma and Rob and a slightly depleted but still strong License to IL at DUCK Bowl IV. It was fun to play in a DUCK Bowl instead of having to work it. Hopefully we'll go back next year to defend our title.

As it stands now, Eric and I are looking at trying to field a team for FOGHAT in its first incarnation at NU in October. Alma and Rob, if you read this and would like to collaborate on such an effort, I think that could be a lot of fun. It'd be nice to play near home and at what were my stomping grounds for a year.

Ok, that covers a lot of what's gone on. Now back to laundry.

Which Historical Lunatic Are You?
From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.

Wow. It's amazing the difference a good woman can make to a weekend.

I met Nicole through the company poker night in January. I was the person who knocked her out of the three money positions. We played again two weeks ago, and despite her taking most of my chips near the start of the night, I came back to put her out later when I called a bluff she didn't think I'd call. This elicited a torrent of expletives, resulting in one of the funniest e-mails Ed Wank (of Wank and O'Brien in the mornings on Real 97.1) said he'd ever read.

After some communication back and forth, I finally set it up that I'd take Nicole to dinner last Friday. So she arrived at Emmis, I gave her a quick tour and we went to Rock Bottom Brewery just off the circle. We'd talked after the last poker night about going bowling sometime, so we decided to go bowl a couple games after dinner (made me realize how much I want back into a league after I averaged 200 for two games). After bowling, we went back to my apartment and played poker for several hours, because I said I'd teach her to be better at poker if she taught me to be better at euchre. So we sat and played cards and had a couple drinks and just generally got to know one another better. It was a simple night, but it was loads of fun.

Last night was the biggest turnout for company poker night there's ever been. 19 people playing across three tables. We started at 8:30 knowing we'd pay four places. When the dust settled at the final table after a furious three-person all-in, it was me, Nicole and two guys from Indy Men's Magazine, Lou and Tim. I eventually went all-in heads-up against Tim even though neither one of us had anything -- it was a function of blinds being HUGE. By the time the night was over, the big blind (and consequently the MINIMUM bet for any hand) was $10,000 in chips. I won with an ace high. So we were down to three. At that point, it's just a matter of who gets the best cards, and less about who's the best player. Lou played very smart and ended up winning, and he deserved it. I finished second (my three finishes at company poker night are now 1-1-2) and Nicole third (at least in part, she said, because she took my advice from the day before and folded a lot more hands than she would have otherwise). Again, I was the one who dealt the fatal blow to Nicole's night.

By this point, we've been playing poker for nearly six hours. That's a long time to do almost anything. Nearly everyone has cleared out, and Ed Wank and his wife Amy insist that Nicole not drive home. So I said I'd take her, and she'd go back and get her car the next day. On the way, Nicole said she wanted something to eat, so we settled on Steak 'N Shake. We sat at Steak 'N Shake from probably 2:30 until 4 am. We decided at that point to go back to my house and play Trivial Pursuit. Two games of that lasted until 7 am -- by far the latest either one of us had stayed up in quite a while.

After we both got some shut-eye and talked for several hours after getting up (as Riley made several attacking passes), we went to brunch (around 3:30) at IHOP near Castleton, and then I took her back to the Wank's house to get her car.

It was a simple weekend, but it was fun to be with someone new and just have a good time. I hope it continues.

I am worth $2,375,766.00 on HumanForSale.com

I've been listening to and watching people lately, and it's made me revisit a lot of things. It's a funny when you think about it. Every day, I wonder -- sometimes for a split second, sometimes for half an hour -- what it means to be where I am and who I am.

I appreciate the talent in people. Someone I barely know told me today not to think of myself as lucky to work where I do, but to think of myself as good. I said the people who are good are the people around me who are recognized by their peers with awards from the Associated Press. Until I have served as long as my colleagues and with such distinction, I'm merely lucky.

There's also been a lot written lately about how more and more people my age say they're having a "quarter-life crisis". I appreciate conflict, and I appreciate those who know how to overcome it and do so with grace and (occasionally) a little bit of flair. I appreciate challenges and what it means to overcome them. And I appreciate what those challenges add to all our lives as a whole.

Recently, I've taken stock of where I am and what I've learned in a relatively short time on Earth. I think there are a few things that, for me, justify why I'm still here and what there is to pursue. It may sound bad, but I think we all live to cry, to be hurt and to soak the ground beneath us -- if ever so slightly -- with our blood. No story can survive without conflict, and what are lives but individual stories, with as many chapters as we all dare to author.

But it's where you go once life has opened you up and made red the soil around your feet. Some of the most inspiring people I know have gotten back up off the canvas when knocked down. Often, we have to go down a few times before we really know the ropes. But eventually those who are successful are the ones who learn where the next punch is coming from and learn to counter it before it happens. But rest assured -- it's not about punching life back, it's about learning the best way to stare it down when it decides it hasn't given you all you can handle yet.

And at the same time, there are so many things to invigorate a person every day. For me, it's making someone laugh. It's now bowing to the people who begrudge you your age. It's kissing the mouth of a beautiful woman.

A friend of mine last week told me not to worry about administrators and how they may feel about me. "Talent scares people," he advised. It's a three-word sentence from someone for whom I have intense respect, and it sums up the reason why a lot of great people never make it as far as they should.

I've tried always to embrace talents that I'm lucky enough to have and at the same time be modest both about them and about those talents which are not mine to wield. If people know you as someone successful, sounding modest (and truly meaning it) becomes equivalent to the boy who cried wolf. People may hear you, but they stop listening.

And so it's a struggle between saving face and looking holier than thou. It's a hard line to tread and has made me overly defensive in the past. I likened myself to a wild animal once. I'm not by nature an overly aggressive person, but if you scare me or insult me or challenge me, I'm a completely different person.

This has turned into a rather rambling diatribe which Shakespeare might describe as "full of sound and fury and signifying nothing". It's a long way of saying something short -- mid-life crises, quarter-life crises and daily crises are what are worth living for, in many respects. I'll never be a better man if I don't mistakenly wrong a woman who leaves me. I won't succeed as a father if I don't make my child mad at me. And I won't get any better at my work if I don't start small and just try not to make big mistakes.

The size of those mistakes and the emphasis we put on them is what defines our characters. How I respond is directly related to my character at the time. Someone once said that your character is what you do when you think no one else is looking. Learn this: Someone is always looking, even if it's just you.

Ok, already -- stop ragging me about not posting. GEEEEEZZZZZZZZZ!

So I'm going full bore into this internet dating thing. If I find someone interesting, I send them an e-mail. It doesn't matter how good-looking they are, I'm just going for it. Even if I get NO response whatsoever, I haven't lost anything. It's kinda hard to make someone interested in a short e-mail (it almost has to be short so people don't think you're stalking them). So I've sent out messages to about 6 women and we'll see what happens.

In other news, I won a case of beer on the Super Bowl, even if none of my numbers did come up in the Super Bowl pool at work. The $20 evened itself out nicely, though. And there's Rolling Rock in my fridge, which is always nice. It's funny why I like Rolling Rock. I had it for the first time after DPU's graduation in 2002. I was working for Ken Owen and put in about a 12-hour day, which included going to Indianapolis, getting a TV station to make dubs of a tape for the evening newscasts and going back to DPU. So Ken bought dinner for the both of us and we each had a Rolling Rock at the Duck. I knew I had worked hard, and Ken noticed. And that's a big reason I have my job today.

I also have a new 32" TV in my living room (which means I now have a 19" one in my bedroom, too). Thanks to some birthday and X-Mas cash, the big TV cost me less than $100 and I got free delivery because they didn't have any in stock at the Carmel Best Buy.

It's a funny thing having a regular income (well, a couple regular incomes if you count the sports show and a new venture that's going to start soon). I'm paying off loans, I buy groceries every week and I may get a cat soon. It's not a lot of money, but I'm comfortable. I don't need to make extravagant purchases, so I have enough. Of course, if I get a girlfriend soon, maybe it'll seem like a lot less money...

Ok, 21 out of 25 proves my thesis these were easier. Here are the ones nobody got:

8. I finally see the dawn arrivin' /  I see beyond the road I'm drivin' /

Far away and left behind

-- "Don't Look Back", Boston



15. Whiskey, gin and brandy / With a glass I'm pretty handy /

 I'm trying to walk a straight line / On sour mash and cheap wine

-- "Have a Drink on Me", AC/DC



17.  I go alone now, calling your name / After losing at the game

-- "Laughing", The Guess Who



23. Get a feeling of peace at the end of the day /

And when your bulldog barks and your canary sings / You're out there with winners, yeah

-- "It's Good to be King", Tom Petty

I'll do another one soon. And provide a link to e-mail me, since it's really only fair to the first person who sees the lyrics.

So I had a date with this girl Dawn I met on Yahoo last Friday, and it was laughably strange. I took her to see "In Good Company" at the theatre near my house. I arrived first and bought the tickets. We had agreed to get there early and find decent seats while there still were some and while the lights were on in the theatre. When we talked on the phone earlier in the day, she was very chatty and even accused me of being quiet. When we sat down in the theatre, she was very shy and quiet and didn't really do much to move the conversation forward. I don't know if I've ever tried so hard just to talk to someone before. It sorta reminded me of the very first thing they teach you as a communication major: Communication is a two-way street.

So we "talked" for about 15 minutes before the movie began. We talked about her classes, and she said she was a PE major because she wasn't "good at anything else". We got to talking about a debate she had in one of her classes, and I asked her what the consensus of the debate was. I then had to explain what a consensus was. In retrospect, I think this may have intimidated her. I don't ever deliberately talk over someone's head, it just kinda happened.

We watched the movie, and I don't think I heard her laugh even once. There were certainly funny parts, but she never seemed quite there. After the movie ended, she asked if we could get up and beat the crowd out. First, this is kinda odd for me. When my friends back home go see a movie, we always tend to sit through the credits and chat a little bit before he go anywhere. Dawn insisted on leaving. When we got outside the theatre, there wasn't even time to ask if she'd like to go grab a bite to eat before she said she was tired and began walking (read: Olympic SPEED-walking) back to her car. I had to laugh as I was walking back to mine how quickly she'd absconded from the premises and how little I understood what had just happened.

Let this be a lesson to me: Find the humor in women. They're good to laugh at and it sure beats trying to figure them out.

New lyrics. Same rules. Please enjoy responsibly. I think these are easier, on the whole.

1. I never saw no miracle of science / That didn't go from a blessing to a curse /

I never saw no military solution / That didn't always end up as something worse

-- "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" - Sting and the Police (Rob)



2.  Look like nothing's gonna change / Everything still remains the same / 

I can't do what ten people tell me to do / So I guess I'll remain the same, yes

-- "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay", Otis Redding (Alma)



3.  Deep down in his soul / She can bring him such misery /

If she is playing him for a fool /  He's the last one to know

-- "When a Man Loves a Woman", Percy Sledge/Michael Bolton  (Alma)



4. Do you remember when we used to sing / Sha la la la la la la la la la la ti da

-- "Brown-Eyed Girl", Van Morrison (Alma)



5. Tambourines and elephants are playing in the band. / Won’t you take a ride on the flyin’ spoon?

-- "Lookin' Out My Back Door", CCR (Megan)



6. Well, no one told me about her / The way she lied /

Well, no one told me about her / How many people cried

-- "She's Not There", The Zombies (Alma)



7. You studyin' hard and hopin' to pass / Workin' your fingers right down to the bone

-- "School Days", Chuck Berry (Amanda, to whom I was nice...)



8. I finally see the dawn arrivin' /  I see beyond the road I'm drivin' /

Far away and left behind



9. Don't go trying some new fashion / Don't change the color of your hair /

You always have my unspoken passion / Although I might not seem to care

-- "Just The Way Your Are", Billy Joel (Greg)



10.  Watching, waiting, commiserating /  Say it ain't so, I will not go, turn the lights off, carry me home

-- "All The Small Things", Blink-182 (Alma)



11. If I could make days last forever / If words could make wishes come true /

I'd save every day like a treasure and then, / Again, I would spend them with you

-- "Time in a Bottle", Jim Croce (Mike)



12.  See, don't ever set me free / I always wanna be by your side

-- "You Really Got Me", The Kinks (Mike)



13.  Don’t you know you fool, you never can win / Use your mentality, wake up to reality /

But each time I do, just the thought of you / Makes me stop before I begin

-- "I've Got You Under My Skin", Frank Sinatra (Megan)



14.  I stopped into a church / I passed along the way / well I got down on my knees / And I pretend to pray

-- "California Dreamin'", The Mamas and the Papas (Alma)



15. Whiskey, gin and brandy / With a glass I'm pretty handy / I'm trying to walk a straight line / On sour mash and cheap wine



16. Hide it in a hiding place / Where no one ever goes. / Put it in you pantry with your cupcakes.

-- "Mrs. Robinson", Simon and Garfunkel (Alma and Amanda)



17.  I go alone now, calling your name / After losing at the game



18.  Sorry girl but you missed out / Well tough luck, that boy's mine now /

We are more than just good friends / This is how the story ends

-- "Sk8er Boi", Avril Lavigne (Alma, who I think is disgusted with herself)



19.  Mother told me, yes, she told me I'd meet girls like you. /

She also told me, "Stay away, you'll never know what you'll catch."

-- "Surrender", Cheap Trick (Rob)



20.  Fe fe fi fi fo fo fum, / All looking down the street cause here she comes

-- "Devil in a Blue Dress", Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels (Mike)



21.  Well you can take it as a warning /  Or take it anyway you like /

It's the lightning, not the thunder / You never know where it's gonna strike

-- "Jeopardy", Greg Kihn (Greg)



22. She oughtta think twice. / She oughtta do right by me. / Before she gets to sayin' goodbye

-- "Ticket to Ride", The Beatles (Alma)



23. Get a feeling of peace at the end of the day /

And when your bulldog barks and your canary sings / You're out there with winners, yeah



24. Bert Kaempfert’s got the mad hits / You try to match wits

-- "One Week", Barenaked Ladies (Alma)



25.  I was beat incomplete / I'd been had, I was sad and blue /

But you made me feel / Yeah, you made me feel / Shiny and new

-- "Like a Virgin", Madonna (Amanda)

Ok, here are the ones people missed. I tried to make sure the songs would be recognizable to almost everyone if you heard them. That way, it's at least fun to be able to hear the lyrics in your head, which hopefully makes the game worth playing.



1. I killed myself from the inside out / And all my fears have pushed you out / And I wished for things that I don't need
-- "Sympathy", Goo Goo Dolls

2.Everyone learned to live together, ah-hah-unh / Seems to me such an itty bitty thing should be / Why can't you and me learn to love one another?
-- "People Got To Be Free", The Rascals

11. I been running trying to get hung up in my mind / Got to give myself a little talking to this time / Just need a little brain salad surgery / Got to cure my insecurity
-- "Right Place, Wrong Time", Dr. John

13. Like a fly on the wall with my secret eyes / Takin it in, try to be feminine / With my makeup bag watchin all the sin
-- "Hey Baby", No Doubt

14. Had me a couple of real nice girlfriends / Stopped by to see me every once in a while / When I think back about those days / All I can do is sit and smile
-- "Cherry Bomb", John Mellencamp (Greg guessed "Summer of '69", whose story arc is similar, you could argue)

16. Hoes frown when you pass yeah, they mad yeah / You gon' ride in the Jag yeah, with that head / You could smoke or buy a bag yeah, of grass yeah /Got money I can flash yeah, and trash yeah
-- "Back Dat Azz Up", Juvenile

17. No resident of France But you swear I'm from Paris, 106 karats, oh lord that's pure rich. Tryin' 2 compare this, my chain to yo' chain, I'm like sprint and motorlola no service outta your range.
-- "Number One", Nelly (What? Were you all too shocked I have rap on my computer?)

21. The shadows high on the darker side / Behind those doors, it's a wilder ride / You can make a break, you can win or lose
-- "The Heat is On", Glenn Frey

22. The months roll past the love that you struck dead / Did you love me only in my head? / Things you said and did to me, seemed to come so easily / The love I thought I'd won you give for free.
-- "Found Out About You", Gin Blossoms

23. I'm so darn glad he let me try it again / Cause my last time on earth I lived a whole world of sin / I'm so glad that I know more than I knew then.
-- "Higher Ground", Stevie Wonder

24. Some babe's talkin' real loud / Talkin' all about the new crowd / Try and sell me an old dream / A new version of the old scene
-- "Rag Doll", Aerosmith

Ok, here are the ones people got. A nice job by everyone who played. If you all played as a trash team, I myself would stay away from being on the opposing team.

3. It's getting near dawn, When lights close their tired eyes. I'll soon be with you my love, To give you my dawn surprise.
-- "Sunshine of Your Love"; Rob is right, it's Cream, my version is by Bobby McFerrin (Rob)

4. Don't look past my shoulder / The exodus is here/ The happy ones are near
-- "Baba O'Reilly"; The Who (Amanda)

5. Been walking my mind to an easy time my back turned towards the sun /
Lord knows when the cold wind blows it'll turn your head around
-- "Fire and Rain"; again, Rob is correct and it's really James Taylor, but on my computer it's Bobby Darin (Rob)

6. You are here, so am I / Maybe millions of people go by / But they all disappear from view
-- "I Only Have Eyes For You"; Lots of people, but my version is Art Garfunkel...sorry... (Alma)

7. The first mate he got drunk / And broke in the Cap'n's trunk / The constable had to come and take him away / Sheriff John Stone
-- "Sloop John B"; The Beach Boys (Alma)

8.With flowers and my love both never to come back /I see people turn their heads and quickly look away /Like a new born baby it just happens ev'ry day
-- "Paint it Black"; The Rolling Stones (Rob)

9. There's nothing but the rain / No footsteps on the ground / I'm listening but there's no sound
-- "I'm with You"; Avril Lavigne (Renita)

10. You're asking me will my love grow / I don't know, I don't know / You stick around now it may show / I don't know, I don't know
-- "Something"; The Beatles (Rob)

12. Yeah, down by the river / Down by the banks of the river Charles / That's where you'll find me / Along with lovers, muggers, and thieves
-- "Dirty Water", The Standells (Greg)

15. Why not think about times to come, And not about the things that you’ve done, If your life was bad to you, Just think what tomorrow will do.
-- "Don't Stop", Fleetwood Mac (Greg)

18. Says she's close to understanding Jesus / She knows she's more that just a little misunderstood / She has trouble acting normal when she's nervous
-- "Round Here"; Counting Crows (Renita)

19. When I come home feelin' tired and beat / I go up where the air is fresh and sweet / I get away from the hustling crowd / And all that rat-race noise down in the street
-- "Up On The roof"; The Drifters (Alma)

20. Well I don't really know her, I only know her name / But she crawls under your skin, you're never quite the same
-- "Invisible Touch"; Genesis (Amanda)

25. Ooh, I bet you're wond'rin' how I knew / 'bout your plans to make me blue / With some other guy you knew before / Between the two of us guys you know I love you more
-- "Heard It Through the Grapevine"; Marvin (not a Raisin, as far as we know) Gaye (Alma)

Good response so far. Here's who got what right, and what is left:


1. I killed myself from the inside out / And all my fears have pushed you out / And I wished for things that I don't need

2.Everyone learned to live together, ah-hah-unh / Seems to me such an itty bitty thing should be / Why can't you and me learn to love one another?

3. It's getting near dawn, When lights close their tired eyes. I'll soon be with you my love, To give you my dawn surprise.
-- "Sunshine of Your Love"; Rob is right, it's Cream, my version is by Bobby McFerrin (Rob)

4. Don't look past my shoulder / The exodus is here/ The happy ones are near
-- "Baba O'Reilly"; The Who (Amanda)

5. Been walking my mind to an easy time my back turned towards the sun /
Lord knows when the cold wind blows it'll turn your head around
-- "Fire and Rain"; again, Rob is correct and it's really James Taylor, but on my computer it's Bobby Darin (Rob)

6. You are here, so am I / Maybe millions of people go by / But they all disappear from view
-- "I Only Have Eyes For You"; Lots of people, but my version is Art Garfunkel...sorry... (Alma)

7. The first mate he got drunk / And broke in the Cap'n's trunk / The constable had to come and take him away / Sheriff John Stone
-- "Sloop John B"; The Beach Boys (Alma)

8.With flowers and my love both never to come back /I see people turn their heads and quickly look away /Like a new born baby it just happens ev'ry day
-- "Paint it Black"; The Rolling Stones (Rob)

9. There's nothing but the rain / No footsteps on the ground / I'm listening but there's no sound
-- "I'm with You"; Avril Lavigne (Renita)

10. You're asking me will my love grow / I don't know, I don't know / You stick around now it may show / I don't know, I don't know
-- "Something"; The Beatles (Rob)

11. I been running trying to get hung up in my mind / Got to give myself a little talking to this time / Just need a little brain salad surgery / Got to cure my insecurity

12. Yeah, down by the river / Down by the banks of the river Charles / That's where you'll find me / Along with lovers, muggers, and thieves
-- "Dirty Water", The Standells (Greg)

13. Like a fly on the wall with my secret eyes / Takin it in, try to be feminine / With my makeup bag watchin all the sin

14. Had me a couple of real nice girlfriends / Stopped by to see me every once in a while / When I think back about those days / All I can do is sit and smile

15. Why not think about times to come, And not about the things that you’ve done, If your life was bad to you, Just think what tomorrow will do.
-- "Don't Stop", Fleetwood Mac (Greg)

16. Hoes frown when you pass yeah, they mad yeah / You gon' ride in the Jag yeah, with that head / You could smoke or buy a bag yeah, of grass yeah /Got money I can flash yeah, and trash yeah

17. No resident of France But you swear I'm from Paris, 106 karats, oh lord that's pure rich. Tryin' 2 compare this, my chain to yo' chain, I'm like sprint and motorlola no service outta your range.

18. Says she's close to understanding Jesus / She knows she's more that just a little misunderstood / She has trouble acting normal when she's nervous
-- "Round Here"; Counting Crows (Renita)

19. When I come home feelin' tired and beat / I go up where the air is fresh and sweet / I get away from the hustling crowd / And all that rat-race noise down in the street
-- "Up On The roof"; The Drifters (Alma)

20. Well I don't really know her, I only know her name / But she crawls under your skin, you're never quite the same
-- "Invisible Touch"; Genesis (Amanda)

21. The shadows high on the darker side / Behind those doors, it's a wilder ride / You can make a break, you can win or lose

22. The months roll past the love that you struck dead / Did you love me only in my head? / Things you said and did to me, seemed to come so easily / The love I thought I'd won you give for free.

23. I'm so darn glad he let me try it again / Cause my last time on earth I lived a whole world of sin / I'm so glad that I know more than I knew then.

24. Some babe's talkin' real loud / Talkin' all about the new crowd / Try and sell me an old dream / A new version of the old scene

25. Ooh, I bet you're wond'rin' how I knew / 'bout your plans to make me blue / With some other guy you knew before / Between the two of us guys you know I love you more
-- "Heard It Through the Grapevine"; Marvin (not a Raisin, as far as we know) Gaye (Alma)

Ok, I'll be a lemming...

Here are the 25 song lyrics. I cheated a little bit (you'll thank me in a minute). Since I have something like 8,000 songs on my computer, I only picked the song if I'd ever heard of it. There's a lot of music on my computer I'll never listen to. So you, the reader, benefit from the cheating. Just think -- when's the last time someone else cheated and YOU benefitted from it? That's what I thought. Post answers in the comments and when people get some right, I'll do what Alma did and tell you who was right and what's left.

1. I killed myself from the inside out / And all my fears have pushed you out / And I wished for things that I don't need

2.Everyone learned to live together, ah-hah-unh / Seems to me such an itty bitty thing should be / Why can't you and me learn to love one another?

3. It's getting near dawn, When lights close their tired eyes. I'll soon be with you my love,
To give you my dawn surprise.

4. Don't look past my shoulder / The exodus is here/ The happy ones are near

5. Been walking my mind to an easy time my back turned towards the sun /
Lord knows when the cold wind blows it'll turn your head around

6. You are here, so am I / Maybe millions of people go by / But they all disappear from view

7. The first mate he got drunk / And broke in the Cap'n's trunk / The constable had to come and take him away / Sheriff John Stone

8.With flowers and my love both never to come back /I see people turn their heads and quickly look away /Like a new born baby it just happens ev'ry day

9. There's nothing but the rain / No footsteps on the ground / I'm listening but there's no sound

10. You're asking me will my love grow / I don't know, I don't know / You stick around now it may show / I don't know, I don't know

11. I been running trying to get hung up in my mind / Got to give myself a little talking to this time / Just need a little brain salad surgery / Got to cure my insecurity

12. Yeah, down by the river / Down by the banks of the river Charles / That's where you'll find me / Along with lovers, muggers, and thieves

13. Like a fly on the wall with my secret eyes / Takin it in, try to be feminine / With my makeup bag watchin all the sin

14. Had me a couple of real nice girlfriends / Stopped by to see me every once in a while / When I think back about those days / All I can do is sit and smile

15. Why not think about times to come, And not about the things that you’ve done, If your life was bad to you, Just think what tomorrow will do.

16. Hoes frown when you pass yeah, they mad yeah / You gon' ride in the Jag yeah, with that head / You could smoke or buy a bag yeah, of grass yeah /Got money I can flash yeah, and trash yeah

17. No resident of France But you swear I'm from Paris, 106 karats, oh lord that's pure rich. Tryin' 2 compare this, my chain to yo' chain, I'm like sprint and motorlola no service outta your range.

18. Says she's close to understanding Jesus / She knows she's more that just a little misunderstood / She has trouble acting normal when she's nervous

19. When I come home feelin' tired and beat / I go up where the air is fresh and sweet / I get away from the hustling crowd / And all that rat-race noise down in the street

20. Well I don't really know her, I only know her name / But she crawls under your skin, you're never quite the same,

21. The shadows high on the darker side / Behind those doors, it's a wilder ride / You can make a break, you can win or lose

22. The months roll past the love that you struck dead / Did you love me only in my head? / Things you said and did to me, seemed to come so easily / The love I thought I'd won you give for free.

23. I'm so darn glad he let me try it again / Cause my last time on earth I lived a whole world of sin / I'm so glad that I know more than I knew then.

24. Some babe's talkin' real loud / Talkin' all about the new crowd / Try and sell me an old dream / A new version of the old scene

25. Ooh, I bet you're wond'rin' how I knew / 'bout your plans to make me blue / With some other guy you knew before / Between the two of us guys you know I love you more

So I caved in and spent money on Yahoo's Personals service. My trouble with the whole thing is that I'm very picky. I always tend to make a lot of categories non-negotiable when making it search for a woman. And I only ever look for profiles that include photos. I do this for two reasons: 1. I want to know who to look for should I ever meet them in real life and 2. this shows me they're at least intelligent enough to figure out how to post a picture. So if she's pretty and not in the shallow end of the gene pool, I figure we're off to a good enough start.

But maybe the thing I pay the MOST attention to? Punctuation. For the love of professional surfer Bjorn Dunkerbeck, people, LEARN TO USE CAPITAL LETTERS AND PERIODS! A used shift key is a happy shift key. This also shows whether the person is lazy or not. If you type well, you at least care what other people think of your mind which, to recap, is A GOOD THING.

Long story short, I've been sort of talking to this one girl who seems fun. We've exchanged messages but keeping missing one another to talk online. Hopefully this weekend. Keep your DNA double helixes crossed. If you don't, then you're probably not long for reading this anyway.

Today (Christmas Day) marks about one month I've been in Indianapolis. Becuse I'm the newest member of the staff, I'm on call this weekend. Consequently, the family is 200 miles away in Oak Park. I've gotten calls from my mother and my grandmother and spoke the other day to Matt, Dan, Greg, Brittany and Mel as they were all at IHOP. I'm hoping I get to go home next weekend. Really there's nothing stopping me, per se. It's more that I don't want to make the drive if the roads continue to be hard to move on. At least I'm not heading south where they've had 30 inches of snow in some places.

It's a little lonely from time to time. Today particularly so. It's the first holiday in a long time where I haven't been home -- maybe among the first ever. My hope is this is a one-year thing and someone else will be on call next year so I can go home for Christmas. My fear is that I'll still be the newest (people rarely leave Emmis) and since I'm the one primarily in charge of the wire, it'll still be my duty. Rest assured I'll raise a stink if that happens.

I need to get myself more situated here. I need to find friends to go hang out with and to play sports with. Once all the DPU people go their separate ways, it'll be harder to get away for a weekend. I need to get into some kind of sports league so that I can have at least once a week where I'm out with people and meeting new folks.

To be totally honest, I'm not sure where to meet women in Indianapolis. I've never really been one to search women out -- I'd rather happen upon a friendship and work from there. I know there are clubs and bars and the like that I could go to, and maybe I'll do that some time. But I'd rather go some place where I feel comfortable and hope to meet someone that feels comfortable there, as well, if for no other reason than a little common ground on which to start.

So Merry Christmas to everyone. Back to watching basketball and playing it on X-Box.

This sort of got lost in the shuffle, and I don't want it to:

Post any question of me you want answered. I don't care what it is. I'll answer it. My life is pretty much an open book, so ask away, no restrictions. But do not be surprised if the answer seems out of left field or is one you might not want to hear. I'll be brutally honest.

Amanda asks: "What is one thing you regret/wish you could change about your life (it has to be something that would have been within your power... putting "having a dad who isn't a weirdo" doesn't count)"

Well, I'll preface this by saying I don't like the idea of regrets, but...

If I had to change one thing, I think it would be something I've been criticized for relentlessly my whole life: never having a childhood. Now, I'm not sure whose fault this is. I just always assumed I should be serious about my studies and about being a straigh-laced guy who towed the line and never had this crazy wanderlust that a lot of people I know have had. I always tried to do the thing that made the most sense, even if it was at the expense of fun. I was taught to respect money, not spend it foolishly just because I wanted something and that hard work could solve most any problem or get you almost anything you wanted. By and large this has been true, and it's produced something interesting: I'm sorta having my childhood retroactively and doing all the things now I would have wanted way back when. Now I'm traveling to visit friends in New York and Colorado, I'm buying X-Boxes and I'm enjoying the people around me. Not a bad study in projection -- projecting one's childhood into one's mid-twenties.

I had a pretty good day today. I got to play racquetball for a little bit, played three games of You Don't Know Jack: Movies and went ice skating with Brittany (until both of our ankles couldn't take any more -- about 40 minutes worth) then came back and played Texas Hold' Em and pop culture Trivial Pursuit with Brittany and her friend Jeff. I had gone to their place to play Trivial Pursuit with them yesterday night. According to Brittany, Jeff has professed for some time how he could trounce anyone at Jeopardy / Trivial Pursuit. I'd be happy to give him a re-match. Seriously, though, he's a good guy and I'd be cool with hanging out with them again. And hey, I won $10 playing poker from the two of them, so they can't be all bad. The first time I've ever won money playing cards, I think.

Also finally put away the rest of my clothes today. Now my dresser feels useful again. I may have to do laundry tomorrow and one of these days I have to figure out which boxes from the move and from products I bought after it I will be keeping and which will go to the dumpster.

Tomorrow marks the return of MP3 Sports Talk, presented by Infoble. After a three month hiatus, Jonah and I will be back starting this week. We're both looking forward to it as a good getaway from our news-intensive jobs. Plus it's good to have a little more money. It means my annual salary goes from $25,000 per year to $28,600. I can handle that.

I'm also debating putting up $10-$20 to get into an online poker tournament. It stands to reason there are a lot more bad players out there than there are good players. And hey, if you play smart and conservative, you can just plain outlast a lot of people, I think. Even if I made my money back, I'd say it was a win. It'd be a lot of fun to do for some time, anyway.

Well, I'm more or less moved in here in Indianapolis. The place is not huge, but it seemed smaller without stuff in it, oddly enough. Now that it's populated with electronics, furniture and kitchen gadgets, it feels more like a place to live and less like a place I only know from pictures on my computer.

The schedule at work has gotten steadily more difficult each day. Still, I'm getting used to the technology and I really like the people. The only real difficult part is having to be very regimented about how long I speak. I have to speak exactly one minute at a time and be right on, or affiliates cut me off. We are the news department for many of them. So every day at 10:30 and 11:30, I'm on the air across most of the state of Indiana -- about 70 different affiliates.

It's a place I could see myself staying for 5-10 years. It's a good situation and an opportunity to grow and practice.

24 hours from now, I'll probably be asleep in a bed in Indianapolis -- the first night of what will be hundreds, if not thousands in the Hoosier State. People keep asking me if I'm excited about the new job, and I really don't have a great answer. Yes, I'm a little excited, but I'm also a little scared, and that's the feeling that tends to win out, because it can manifest itself in so many irrational ways. I've gotten scared of the following (among other things):

• Scared I won't have enough money
• Scared I won't know anyone
• Scared I have less chance of finding a girlfriend / potential mate
• Scared I am beginning in too big a market
• Scared I'll let down my boss, who took a chance in even hiring me
• Scared of the geography

None of these make a ton of sense, and you can easily reason your way out of almost any of them, but more than anything, they're all fears of the unknown. If I survive the first two to three weeks, the rest should be easy. It's that first part that's the catch.

Also, starting Friday, I will not have internet access at home until at least Dec. 2. So if I'm deliquent in answering e-mail, there's a good reason why. Calling would be best -- and appreciated...

Feel free to post any question of me you'd like answered. I'll do my best to be honest. Let's say this: If I'm not being completely honest, it'll be obvious...yeah, that's the ticket... Still, there are not a ton of things that are civilized to ask that I won't answer. So keep it civil, please.

Every day it becomes a little more real that I now have less than 2 weeks left until I begin my job in Indianapolis. Today I began packing and talking about the things I'm going to need to buy. Tomorrow I will go to Kohl's for their big sale and look for things like a blender, a George Foreman grill, a can opener and perhaps other small appliances. The boxes will begin to pile up in the house and I'll continue tearing down the room it's taken me years to build up. Along with this, Sarah and Amanda will continue to try to spend my money on things that I may or may not need. Remind me not to loan them my debit card at any point.

I finally got my master's degree in the mail from Northwestern today. It was then that it finally hit me that I have a master's and it has meant something to prospective employers. The whole thing made me smile.

Also, I got bored this afternoon and decided to follow my mother's directive to eat the apples in the house and made an apple cobbler. Just think, if this whole radio thing doesn't work out, I could be a housewife!

Well, the job situation finally worked itself out -- and about as well as it possibly could have. Starting November 29, I will be an afternoon wire service editor and mid-day anchor at Network Indiana / WIBC in downtown Indianapolis. The pay isn't bad, the benefits are exemplary and it's a top 30 market. Also, it's really moved up a timetable for getting to be on-air in Chicago, if that's what I eventually decide to do. There's really no middle men any more -- I'll always work in a big market, if I want. It's a nice luxury to have.

So now I have a few things left to do:
1. Find an apartment in Indy.
2. Get packed.
3. Buy dinner for the duplex folks at DePauw


And one other thing, as of today: PLAY HALO 2!!!!!!!

Ok, guys, this is real simple:

1. You're NOT better off now than you were 4 years ago, and at this rate, you certainly won't be after 4 more.

2. Voting for George Bush should be equated with the people of Iraq "voting" for Saddam Hussein. So you like third world labor conditions? You like having your middle class that sets you apart from the rest of the civilized world winnowed down? You got your wish.

3. I understand you're all for freedom and opportunity for all. Just remember that opportunity for all means having your job outsourced to people in India and Mexico who do your job better than you do, and will do it for less because they have a REAL appreciation for opportunity.

4. So you like the idea of moral values, huh? Like an amendment banning gay marriage? So homosexuals do not deserve the same opportunity that you're willing to afford people who do not even pay the taxes in this country to support the economy? I'd like just once to see you say that to the face of the next gay person you meet. Chances are you might not even know who they were. I really hope you all make some snide comment at the water cooler and the person standing across from you comes out to you right then and there. While we've made progress, it still takes a lot more courage to be openly gay in America than it does to renounce those who are.

5. And another thing about the economy -- you've obviously forgotten the entire Reagan administration, haven't you? Dick Cheney said "Reagan proved defecits don't matter." And he's right. When you're employed at the highest levels of government and have a guaranteed six-figure salary and have your hands on the purse strings of the average tax-paying, gas and milk-buying American, defecits do not matter to you. Odds are you don't even know what a gallon of milk costs, because your servants purchase it for you and pour glasses of it for your prep-school educated children. But for the other 95 percent of us, it ought to matter. But you voted for Bush. So when you lose your generations-old family farm in Nebraska because your farm subsidies were not enough to cover the cost of owning the land AND putting food on the table AND sending your children to school, please do not come crying to me.

After all, I hear there are lots of jobs in India.

The more I watch Barack Obama, the more I realize he's appealing for several interesting reasons.

He's part rock star, part Ivy Leaguer and part family man -- he appeals to everyone for a different reason. Morally, he's clean as can be. He appeals to young minorities as much as he appeals to old white men. And you get the feeling he listens to Jay-Z as much as he listens to J.S. Bach. He ended his speech tonight by saying "Thank you Illinois, we love you!"

Moreover, I saw a very telling sight on TV with respect to the Keyes campaign and Republicans in general: As NBC-5 was declaring that Alan Keyes had been trounced, they went to field reporter Don Lemon at Keyes headquarters. Behind Lemon were many Keyes suppoters, still making noise. One of them was right in the middle of the screen vehemently waving a sign...that was upside down. Very Republican of them -- loud and proud even when they're obviously wrong.

It occurs to me what the best outcome is in this election: Kerry wins the election by virtue of electoral votes, but Bush wins the popular vote (by as wide a margin as possible). A Republican-leaning Supreme Court with 2-3 justices ready to retire wants to make a statement and makes some decision signifying to Congress that they'd uphold a law that eliminates the Electoral College completely for every election hereafter (forced, of course, to grandfather Kerry into office). Kerry in office and no Electoral College would make this maybe the best election ever. It won't happen, but one can hope...

I went and voted for the first time today. It's a good feeling, but as I watch election results come in, I can't help but wonder if my having a job under the next administration will make who's actually in the White House mean more to me than the last 4 years as a student.

I guess it probably won't be decided for a week, as I'm sure some races will be too close to call and will invoke a now-mandatory (and automatic) recount. Still, what DOES it mean to me when it's all over?

I've never made or spent more than about $7,000 in a year, I don't think (not counting loan monies). If I get a job making $25-30,000 per year, what does that mean for me tax-wise? What about terrorism? Will the occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania mean more or less personal freedom in the face of a war on terrorism that doesn't exist (how can you fight a CONCEPT? It's like me saying I'm fighting a war on Libertarianism)? I really don't know.

Frankly, the country exists in such a way that it doesn't matter who's in the White House, because candidates typically are so close to the center that it's hard to tell them apart. This year, the base beliefs of the two are substantially different, but there's only so much political leeway any president has, due to political pressure. No one is bigger than the party, and so you can't do whatever you want.

So does it matter? It matters a little to my happiness, more than anything, and that's why I voted. I felt strongly AGAINST Bush (who I REFUSE to refer to as "mister" or "President Bush" every time I refer to him. I'm smarter than he is -- he should call ME "mister"!) and felt Kerry was much more correct on a couple issues that just made sense.

And now we sit, wait and wonder...

So after some time, I finally found out why I didn't get the job in Lafayette, and it's sort of interesting:

The news director there said he felt I should be in a larger market, not in the two-person news team they have there. This is interesting for a few reasons:

1. The job market is such that it's kinda hard to start in a larger market (though I may get that shot -- I'll explain more in a second). The news director knew my background completely, and knew this was a first job.

2. The job I got offered in Ottawa was even smaller (obviously) than the Lafayette position -- two people reporting the obits and the town gossip, more or less. Strangely, it would have been the same money (around $25,000). The Lafayette news director was flabbergasted when he heard I'd been offered "so much" by such a small station.

3. This reasoning may prove to be fortuitous after all. When I was at DePauw last week, I got an e-mail from the news director at WIBC / Network Indiana in Indianapolis, who I've known for about a year and a half now. She told me about a job at Network Indiana before she'd even posted it, and said "While I can't say the job is yours, you've done all the right things" (to get the position). She asked me to send her some more clips and writing, because she has to justify her picking a new person to her boss and wanted more fodder to help me out, it seems. This would be the dream starting job, and would cut 1-2 steps off the path back to Chicago news, in theory. Not to mention the money is probably better and it's an on-air broadcast job in a top 25 market as a first job -- something that's almost unheard of.

If I get the job, I'll buy everyone in the duplex at DePauw dinner at La Charreada for putting up with me as I tried to find work.

Well, I did not get the Lafayette job, and I say good riddance. It gives me more free time and another chance to maybe find something in the Chicagoland area. And it gives me more free time to go hang out with DPU people on their fall break. There are tons of jobs and now I can find one that fits me better and maybe one that pays better.

than steal surveys from Megan... Megan, you've been elected to public office? When will I see you on my local ballot? And for what post?


01. Bought everyone in the pub a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Lamborghini Diablo for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it
09. Hugged a tree (literally)
10. Done a striptease
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long, and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Touched an iceberg
20. Slept under the stars
21. Changed a baby's diaper
22. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
23. Watched a meteor shower
24. Gotten drunk on champagne
25. Given more than you can afford to charity
26. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
27. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
28. Had a food fight
29. Bet on a winning horse
30. Called in sick when you were not ill
31. Asked out a stranger
32. Had a snowball fight
33. Photocopied your bottom on the office photocopier
34. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
35. Held a lamb
36. Enacted a favorite fantasy
37. Taken a midnight skinny dip
38. Taken an ice cold bath (showers do count)
39. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
40. Seen a total eclipse
41. Ridden a roller coaster
42. Hit a home run
43. Fit three weeks miraculously into three days
44. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
45. Adopted an accent for an entire day
46. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
47. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
48. Had two hard drives for your computer (I do right now)
49. Visited all 50 states/every county
50. Loved your job
51. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
52. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
53. Had amazing friends
54. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
55. Watched wild whales
56. Stolen a sign
57. Backpacked in Europe
58. Taken a road-trip
59. Rock climbing
60. Lied to foreign government's official in that country to avoid notice
61. Midnight walk on the beach
63. Visited Ireland
64. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
65. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
66. Visited Japan
67. Benchpressed your own weight
68. Milked a cow
69. Alphabetized your records
70. Pretended to be a superhero
71. Sung karaoke
72. Lounged around in bed all day
73. Posed nude in front of strangers
74. Scuba diving
75. Got it on to "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye
76. Kissed in the rain
77. Played in the mud.
78. Played in the rain
79. Gone to a drive-in theater
80. Done something you should regret, but don't regret it
81. Visited the Great Wall of China
82. Discovered that someone who's not supposed to have known about your blog has discovered your blog
83. Dropped Windows in favor of something better
84. Started a business
85. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
86. Toured ancient sites
87. Taken a martial arts class
88. Swordfought for the honor of a woman
89. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
90. Gotten married
91. Been in a movie
92. Crashed a party
93. Loved someone you shouldn't have
94. Kissed someone so passionately it made them dizzy
96. Had sex at the office
97. Gone without food for 5 days
98. Made cookies from scratch
99. Won first prize in a costume contest
100. Ridden a gondola in Venice
101. Gotten a tattoo
102. Found that the texture of some materials can turn you on
103. Rafted the Snake River
104. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
105. Got flowers for no reason
106. Masturbated in a public place
107. Got so wasted you don't remember anything
108. Been addicted to some form of illegal drug
109. Performed on stage
110. Been to Las Vegas
111. Recorded music
112. Eaten shark
113. Had a one-night stand
114. Gone to Thailand
115. Seen Siouxsie live
116. Bought a house
117. Been in a combat zone
118. Buried one/both of your parents
119. Shaved or waxed your pubic hair off
120. Been on a cruise ship
121. Spoken more than one language fluently
122. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
123. Bounced a check
124. Performed in Rocky Horror
125. Read - and understood - your credit report
126. Raised children
127. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
128. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
129. Created and named your own constellation of stars
130. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
131. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
132. Called or written your Congress person/Member of Parliament
133. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
134. ...more than once?
135. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge/Q E II Bridge
136. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking (all the time)
137. Had an abortion or your female partner did
138. Had plastic surgery
139. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
140. Wrote articles for a large publication
141. Lost over 100 pounds
142. Held someone while they were having a flashback
143. Piloted an airplane
144. Pet a stingray
145. Broken someone's heart?
146. Helped an animal give birth
147. Been fired or laid off from a job
148. Won money on a T.V. game show
149. Broken a bone
151. Gone on an African photo safari
152. Ridden a motorcycle
153. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100mph
154. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
155. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
156. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
157. Ridden a horse
158. Had major surgery
159. Had sex on a moving train
160. Had a snake as a pet
161. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
162. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
163. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
164. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
165. Visited all 7 continents
166. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
167. Eaten kangaroo meat
168. Fallen in love at an ancient Mayan burial ground
169. Been a sperm or egg donor
170. Eaten sushi
171. Had your picture in the newspaper
172. Had 2 (or more) healthy romantic relationships for over a year in your lifetime
173. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
174. Gotten someone fired for their actions
175. Gone back to school
176. Parasailed
177. Changed your name
178. Pet a cockroach
179. Eaten fried green tomatoes
180. Read The Iliad
181. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
182. Dined in a restaurant and stolen silverware, plates, cups because your apartment needed them
183. ...and gotten 86'ed from the restaurant because you did it so many times, they figured out it was you
184. Taught yourself an art from scratch (nobody's taught me anything about photography or playing guitar)
185. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
186. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
187. Skipped all your school reunions
188. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
189. Been elected to public office
190. Written your own computer language
191. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
192. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
193. Built your own PC from parts
194. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
195. Had a booth at a street fair
196: Dyed your hair
197: Been a DJ
198: Found out someone was going to dump you via LiveJournal
199: Written your own role playing game
200: Been arrested

(_) been drunk
(x) kissed a member of the opposite sex
(_) kissed a member of the same sex
(_) crashed a friend's car
(_) been to Japan
(x) ridden in a taxi
(?) been in love
(x) been dumped
(x) shoplifted
(_) been fired
(x) been in a fist fight
(x) snuck out of my parent's house
(_) ever had a crush on someone of the same sex
(_) ever dated someone of the same sex
(x) had feelings for someone who didn't have them back
(_) been arrested
(_) made out with a stranger
(_) stole something from my job
(_) celebrated New Year's in Time Square
(_) gone on a blind date
(x) lied to a friend
(_) had a crush on a teacher
(_) celebrated Mardi Gras in New Orleans
(_) been to Europe
(x) skipped school
(x) slept with a co-worker
(_) cut myself on purpose
(_) been married
(_) gotten divorced
(_) had children
(_) seen someone die
(_) been to Africa
(x) had a crush on one of my Livejournal friends
(x) Slapped someone I loved
(_) Driven over 400 miles to attend a show/festival/fetish ball
(_) Been to Canada
(_) Been to Mexico
(x) Been on a plane
(_) Seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show
(_) Thrown up in a bar
(_) Purposely set a part of myself on fire
(x) Eaten Sushi
(_) Been snowboarding
(x) Met someone in person from the internet
(_) Had real feelings for someone you knew only online
(_) Taken partially nude/nude photos of yourself
(_) Been in an abusive relationship
(_) been pregnant or got someone pregnant
(_) lost a child
(x) gone to college
(TWICE!) graduated college

First, two good songs I heard in succession on WXRT this weekend:

"I Wanna Grow Up to be a Politician," by the Byrds

I wanna grow up to be a politician
and take over this beautiful land
I wanna grow up to be a politician
and be the old U S of A´s number one man
I´ll always be tough,
I´ll never be scary
I want to shoot guns or butter my bread
I´ll work on the towns or conservate the prairies
And you can believe the future´s ahead
I´ll give the young the right to vote
as soon as they mature
But spare the rod and spoil the child
to help them feel secure
And if I win election day
I´ll sign the bill to help the poor
to show I´m not snob
I´ll open my door, I´m chargin´ no admission
And you can be sure I´ll give you my hand
I´ll be glad you got me in everything I do
and I´ll defend until the end
the old red, white and blue

"Political Science," by Randy Newman

No one likes us-I don't know why
We may not be perfect, but heaven knows we try
But all around, even our old friends put us down
Let's drop the big one and see what happens

We give them money-but are they grateful?
No, they're spiteful and they're hateful
They don't respect us-so let's surprise them
We'll drop the big one and pulverize them

Asia's crowded and Europe's too old
Africa is far too hotAnd Canada's too cold
And South America stole our name
Let's drop the big one
There'll be no one left to blame us

We'll save Australia
Don't wanna hurt no kangaroo
We'll build an All American amusement park there
They got surfin', too

Boom goes London and boom Paree
More room for you and more room for me
And every city the whole world round
Will just be another American town
Oh, how peaceful it will be
We'll set everybody free
You'll wear a Japanese kimono
And there'll be Italian shoes for me

They all hate us anyhow
So let's drop the big one now
Let's drop the big one now

Next, it seems a lot of people are taking walks these days. Perhaps this is something I don't do enough of. I get out, but it's usually to play tennis or go buy something. Hmm...something to think about, I guess.

This week should be a good one. I have an interview, I get to see DPU people and I get to play quiz bowl in Iowa. And maybe, if I'm real lucky, I'll have a news operation interested in me by the end of the weekend.

Well, I turned down the job in Ottawa. It was certainly one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I did this after securing an in-person interview next Friday at the station in Lafayette. I'll be down in the area anyway because I'm traveling with DUCKS to Iowa City that evening, so the schedule worked out well there. I was afraid for a time that I'd have to cancel on a job and on DUCKS simultaneously. Apparently there were 40 applicants for the Lafayette post, and the news director said I was "in the top tier", by which he meant the top 5 or 6 applicants, he said. He and I got along well and talked for almost an hour early this morning (he called at 5:15). So I'll just keep plugging away for the next week, sending out more resumes and tapes and hope people call me back.

Well, I got offered the job in Ottawa -- at just more than $25,000 per year. Granted, cost of living is probably pretty cheap, but there's a catch or two:

1. The biggest catch right now is that I'm sort of in talks with a guy at WASK in Lafayette, Indiana. He needs someone quickly, too, and I'll bet the money is better. The cost of living there is not much different than in Middle-Of-Nowhere, Illinois.

2. The other thing is that I'd like to be in as big a place as possible. Lafayette DWARFS tiny little Ottawa and actually has some life to it, which is nice. Yes, Lafayette is media market 189, but there's competition with TV and print media, which is always good for getting the adrenaline going. Ottawa's market size would likely be smaller than even the smallest TV market (which is in Montana).

So I got the guy in Ottawa to give me until tomorrow morning to let him know whether or not I'll take the job. My hope is to talk to the guy in Lafayette and at least get a sense what my chances are of getting that job. The fear, obviously, is that I could be turning down a job in hopes of a better one that I won't eventually get. I think I have a fair shot at the Lafayette job, but I have no idea who the competition are. The news director there said I was "0n the top of his list" of people to call about the job, but he's very busy, so there's no telling when I'll get the call. He said today in an e-mail discourse we had yesterday, but that's hit or miss at best.

So I'm now officially on the clock. I have about 22 hours to make a decision, at least 8 of which will be spent sleeping. So, in reality, I have about 14 hours to figure out these things:

A. Is the job in Lafayette likely to happen?
B. Do I want to work in Ottawa at all?
C. If I don't get either job, how long will it take me to get one?
D. If I don't get either one, is there still a chance I could get one of the jobs that I applied for in Chicago?

This feels a lot like the week my senior year of high school when I was deciding whether to go to DePauw or to Missouri. I made a real good decision there, but this is a little different. I'll call some people tonight and tomorrow and see what they say.

Well, the interview in Ottawa went pretty well, I guess. The news director kept using the word "impressed", even when talking in front of me to his station general manager, so we'll see. The place is very small and you cover extremely local news. It's like working for a small newspaper like the Banner-Graphic, only putting it on the radio. You cover any police and fire activity, regardless of whether it's news or not, and the bread and butter stories come from city council meetings. I keep saying they're going to have to pay me a fair amount to go work there. If I were to take the job, I'd probably move to Yorkville -- there's actually life in Yorkville. The only modern thing about Ottawa is fast food. Other than that, there's not even a restaurant or a chain store that I could find. Everything is community-owned and the people all seem to know each other. Not a bad thing unless you do something they don't like, in which case EVERYONE knows. I applied for a couple part-time on-air jobs in Chicago with The Loop and with WNND. The Loop job has been open since April, which makes me wonder a little bit about it. I did have to search a little bit to find it, but maybe they've just been taking people on slowly but surely. I'd really like to work there. It's a nice office, it's in the Hancock building and it's on Michigan Avenue. Not to mention it puts me in Chicago, which would make it easier to stay there / move up within the city as my career goes along. So I'm gonna call them tomorrow. It's a long shot, but a shot nonetheless.

I'm driving down to Ottawa, Illinois tomorrow to go interview for a job there as a morning drive anchor / general assignment reporter. I think things have gone well so far. The news director has made quite an effort to stay in touch with me, first e-mailing me to say he had received my materials and this morning calling me to see if we could meet before he goes out of town for a week. He sounds like a nice guy, and has a voice you'd identify immediately as belonging to someone who's on the radio day in and day out. So we'll see how that goes. I don't have any other offers at this point, so if he offers me a decent wage, chances are I'll take it and go from there. One my foot is in the door, things get a little easier from there on in.

Also, I built myself a kick-ass computer over the weekend. It has a 2.8 gig processor (Pentium 4), 512 mb of RAM, a 256 mb video card, a 160 gig hard drive, 8 USB 2.0 ports and runs like the wind. This thing ought to last me quite a while and ought to do anything I need it to do in terms of sound or video editing. The best part is I did all this for about $700. A comparable computer from Dell would start at about $1500. Hooray for do-it-yourself computers.

There's a pretty self-explanatory psychology term for a defense mechanism that's called "blaming the victim". Essentially, it means that one person does not want to accept the consequences of something they did to someone else, so they blame the other person. Tell me if you think this scenario fits:

Someone begins a conversation string by asking me how my job search is going. I tell them politely (even making a joke out of it, at which they laugh) that I do not wish to talk about it. Eventually, the question asker tells me to "go wallow in self pity" and says that if I don't want to talk about it, why don't I change the subject?

My other question is this (it sounds like a question I'd ask my father's wife): If I don't want to talk about my job search, it automatically means I'm wallowing in self-pity? Pigs wallow. I send out resumes and tapes and cover letters literally every day. Wallowing would be sitting in front of a television eating Little Debbie snack cakes and waiting for some prospective employer to come knocking at my door. I'm not doing that. I'm printing off reams of paper and labeling dozens of CD's and envelopes and making daily trips to the post office.

I don't wallow very often. When I do, I tend not to speak to other people and to clear up whatever the situation is quickly and by myself. It may take a while to get a job, and I understand that. Sam Raue told me last night that the average time it takes someone in a good economy to get a job is 6-9 months. I want to get a job as much so I have to stop fielding questions about it as anything else.

This goes back to something that's been true of me for a long time: I hate talking about myself and tend only to do so when I feel threatened. The only time I ever point out anything about my capabilities is when someone tries to downplay them or tell me that I don't measure up when I feel I do. I don't want to talk about my job search. It's not interesting, and you have to imagine that anyone who has the same conversation every day or is asked the same question over and over gets tired of answering that question -- almost EVERYONE is that way.

So when I find a job, I'll say so here. Until then, don't ask me about it. I appreciate people's concern, but unless it gets me employed somewhere, it doesn't do me a lot of good. I'm not gonna forget about you if you don't ask me if I'm any closer to gainful employment.

It's very simple: I won't get the DePauw job.

Man am I sick of people. You know, I can be an ass at times, but at least I'm usually honest with people and don't pull punches about what I think.

I'm fucking sick of people blowing smoke about what they think of other people and their characteristics. I fucking hated it at Medill when someone would turn in a piece of shit story and other people -- the professors especially -- would give them a free pass for some reason. Fucking tell them it sucked or it'll never change. It's not a pretty business, anyway. Just stupid pretty people who can barely read and think they're really cute when they turn any kind of a phrase.

I fucking hate when people gloss over the characteristics of other people because that person is involved in some way with someone they care about. My grandmother, who I love dearly, brought up the subject of my sister's former teacher with whom she is now living at lunch the other day. She said "You know we think the world of Adam, don't you?" and I said "Yes, and I'll tell you to your face that I think there's ample evidence not to think that way" and listed off no less than 5 repulsive things he's helped my sister cause or maintain in herself. Don't give either one of them a free pass. They're both fucking idiots -- SAY SO.

And mostly, I fucking hate when people don't say what they think of me, but rather give me veiled insinuations of what they think or let someone else's view of me determine how they should think. Fucking think for yourself and if you don't like me or something about me, then fucking tell me. And don't give me shit about characteristics of mine that you hate if you give other people a free pass on those same things. It's fucking two-faced and disrespectful. It's times like this that I think it'd be a good idea to start applying for jobs in places thousands of miles from the Midwest just so that I can start from scratch with people who don't have some sort of preconceived notion of me perpetuated by other people. Idaho here I come.

I woke up this morning with about the most profound sense of sadness that I can imagine. I had a dream where I was leaving Washington -- and saying goodbye to everyone. There I was in my Medill classroom giving everyone hugs. Beth Shayne was the last person I hugged, and we just held one another and cried. I don't know why it was Beth, but it was. And suddenly I was at DePauw, and I had a train ticket to leave and had some of my stuff packed up and waiting for me at the train station, but I just couldn't get there. There was always something else to pack up, and always this nagging feeling that I could stay a little bit longer.

And it made me realize something: In the last two years, I've left almost everyone I know behind in one way or another. My schedule has changed and so have my living spaces. The people I hang out with have come and gone, and until this morning I didn't give it a second thought -- it was just the way things had to be.

So now I'm "home", but I'm really not home. My home is with my friends, wherever they are. And my friends are scattered across the country. I wonder if they feel the same way.

I had a short e-mail discourse with Dave Bohmer and he told me that the search for a new assistant Media Fellows director is taking longer than he'd hoped. He also said they've eliminiated many candidates from their applicant pool. Luckily, I was not one of those eliminated. So right now I'm planning on going down to DPU for a few days next week and weekend and hopefully getting in an interview sometime then.

In other randomness, I've been taking my tennis rackets to Galyan's to be strung for some time now. Typically, they've done an OK job, but it's been kinda shoddy lately. I called them today and not only did I get a surly saleswoman on the phone, but she told me that the rackets would be back by 7 this evening. Back? You mean they left the store? Yes, "some guy named Robin" strings them, I was told. SOME GUY?! I'm paying $15 a pop to string my racket for some guy and you have no idea what his credentials are? This is likely the last time I take my racket to Galyan's unless these strings magically last me until the new year or something.