florida.

Luck was on my side with yesterday's trip to Florida (where I'm spending time with some family). No less than a few hours after I got out of Des Moines, sleet apparently overtook the roads and made everything icy. I feel guilty to be in 85-degree weather, but hot damn, it feels good.

I've been trying to keep a travel journal with some consistency (no promises). I'll convert it from handwriting to typing and I hope to get some of it posted up here in the next week or so.

Two more things:
1) Saw "The Spirit." Awesome, bizarre movie. Think of it as a less violent, more detective-like "Sin City." Samuel L. delivers some great lines and Scarlett Johannson steals the show for a bit. Solid "A-" movie.
2) Futureme.org. Before the new year, take a visit to this site. It allows you to draft an email that will be stored and sent to you at a date of your choice in the future. The really neat thing is to see what some other people have written to themselves (you can choose to draft a private email or a public, but anonymous, email). Neat stuff and kind of a cool alternative to new year's resolutions if you're into that sort of thing.

much respect,
josh

EDIT: also, I'm told another plane slid off the runway at O'Hare the day before last (just after my last post). Hey, if it's good for the economy... (thanks, Tim)

Inadvertent hiatus

Holy damn, I forgot to update this thing for a whole ten days! Sorry, kids. Finals week was bönanas. It was filled with cold weather, praying to the grading gods (AKA my instructors and TAs), and making up words when I got bored with studying (see above).

I always like these points of the year, especially when things like finals are already out of the way, as it really provides a good time to look back upon the year that was. For a writer, it's usually a good way to get some ideas flowing, so I may turn my attention to developing something of substance over break.

This year hasn't had a whole ton of ups and downs, but the ups were typically really good (graduating, meeting my current girlfriend) and the downs were really bad (unexpected death of my uncle, etc.). On the whole, it's been an unbelievably cool year and I've got a hell of a lot of blessings to count.

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Also, what the hell is it with airplanes skidding off of runways at major American airports around the holiday season? I blame the economy... everybody knows it's cheaper just to crash the damn plane than land it normally with, you know, wheels and landing gears and stuff. I mean, come on, it just makes sense (cents?).

much respect,

josh

Hay babay...

Long time no see and all that. Finals week has arrived at the University of Iowa and the temperature is somewhere between uncontrollable swearing and involuntary body spasms. Studying has of course taken precedence over posting recently, but there has been some decent news recently, especially with the recent scandal concerning Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. 

As most readers of this blog might be able to guess, the UI is composed mostly of people from "a suburb of Des Moines," or "a suburb of Chicago." I would venture so far as to say that we Iowans are the minority at the UI. Having spoken with my friends about the Blagojevich scandal, not one of them is at all surprised. Allow me to repeat that: no one from Illinois is surprised that their governor allegedly attempted to commit fraud. 

Furthermore, no one seems to be surprised that Blagojevich is refusing to resign. It would be one thing if this case were unfounded, but tapes of Blagojevich have been released where he explicitly states that he is selling Barack Obama's senate seat. I have never been this confused with how someone could possibly belive that they'll keep their job having been caught ON TAPE plotting to commit a felony. 

And I thought Chet Culver was dumb. Thank God for the Big Lug, I guess.

much repect,

josh 

Oh good.

You know it's going to be a great day when the driver of the bus you take to your morning class tells the passengers to hang on "for dear life" in the event that he loses control of the bus in the icy conditions. Six Flags has nothing on the UI Cambus system (except safety, perhaps).

much respect,

josh

Let me sing you the songs of my people.

So I went to the library the other day with a friend to do some studying and research for a speech. I brought my trusty MacBook Pro along with me, and for whatever reason, going to the library caused the WiFi system on the computer to stop working.

Completely.

So I ran diagnostics and every trick in the book to no avail before taking it into the campus tech support people. They identified the problem as a glitch in the software update for AirPort (the Mac program which regulates a computer's WiFi connectivity). Their solution, and I'm not joking, was this:

Tech Support Guy: So, there's a problem with AirPort, basically.

Me: Ok, that sucks. What should I do? Can I revert to a previous version of AirPort?

Tech Support Guy: No, actually, our Apple-certified expert recommends that you re-format your hard drive.

Me: Wait, what do you mean by re-format my hard drive? Are you suggesting that I erase everything on my 160gb hard drive?

Tech Support Guy: Yes, but back everything up first of course.

Me: (contemptuous stare)

Yeah. Way to go Apple. You certified someone who rather than going online to find a solution, suggested REMOVING EVERYTHING FROM MY COMPUTER. Speaking of going online to find a solution, I did just that after I got back to my dorm. Apparently this is a fairly common problem and therefore decently documented. I fixed the problem in 10 minutes, with no effect on my hard drive. 

Long story short, UI Tech Support is stupid. Don't let them within 50 feet of any electronic item that you value.

much respect,

josh

PS: Just a little PSA here: what happened to my computer is apparently a glitch with the most recent update for AirPort that causes any computer that operates in a large WiFi network (such as one that might exist on a college campus) to lose wireless internet connectivity. If you have a MacBook or MacBook Pro and you go to college, it's probably a good idea to avoid the update. If you should somehow accidentally install it, simply restart your computer in "Safe Boot" mode and then restart it again to fix the problem.

Step aside, Peter Jackson

...There's a new Aussie in town, and his name is Baz Luhrman.

Perhaps best known for his glitzy rendition of "Moulin Rouge," Luhrman's most recent work, "Australia," has single-handedly re-written what an "epic" film should be.

I don't even know where to begin with "Australia." Even summarizing the film is a tad daunting, simply because the film's narrative is so long and meandering. That being said, this hardly feels like a three-hour movie. Luhrman's sharp style of directing, when paired with the classic elements of westerns and similar pictures of grand proportions, proves perfect. 

While many are quick to label "Australia" as one of those love it or hate it movies, it is nearly impossible to deny that it is a fine example of what a three-hour epic movie ought to be. Luhrman has not only one-upped fellow Australian director Peter Jackson (who has no less than 4 such "epics" to his name) in this department, but he has simply blown him out of the water. The film is built in distinct pieces that are tied together by recurring themes and motifs, a practice that seems missing from most of Jackson's 3+ hour films.

To put it simply, this film is Luhrman's crowning achievement and one of the best films of the new millennium. See this movie while it's in theaters, you'll thank yourself later. 

Bottom line: 5/5 and a sure-fire contender for Best Picture at the '09 Oscars.

PS: I also saw "Role Models" this weekend. Not a whole lot to be said about that movie, other than it's completely unrealistic and I couldn't possibly care less. Check your brain at the door and go see it. 

3.5/5

much respect,

josh

Happy Thanksgiving

In lieu of a real post, I'll just repost something that's been going around on facebook. It's cool, I can do this; it's Thanksgiving. Hope everyone has a great holiday!!
-----------------------------------------------

This is what the cool kids are doing these days...

Here's what to do:
1. Put your iTunes on Shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. You must write down the name of the song no matter how silly it sounds! And the artist!
4. Tag some friends
5. Anyone tagged has to do the same, because fun pointlessness spreads like a virus.

YAY fun.

If someone says, “Is this okay?” You say?
Television Rules the Nation- Daft Punk

How Would You Describe Yourself?
Burnin'- Daft Punk (lolz hardly)

What Do You Like in a Boy/Girl?
Pulsewidth- Aphex Twin (sounds dirty :)

What is Your Life's Purpose?
Farewell- Boris (how cryptic)

What is Your Motto?
Kids with Guns- Gorillaz

What Do Your Friends Think of You?
Raw- Scanners (harsh)

What Do You Think of Your Parents?
Go-Go Gadget Gospel- Gnarls Barkely (huh?)

What Do You Often Find Yourself Thinking About?
There's Always Someone Cooler than You- Ben Folds

What is 2+2?
November has Come- Gorillaz

What Do You Think of Your Best Friend?
Code Monkey- Some guy

What Do You Think of the Person You Like?
Hell Yes- Beck (lol nice work, iPod.)

What Is Your Life Story?
Cringe- Alkaline Trio (how emo)

What do you want to be when you grow up?
Let There Be Light- Justice

What do you think of when you see the person you like?
Let Down- Radiohead (the exact opposite, actually)

What will you dance to at your wedding?
Cult of Personality- In Living Color (oh God, no)

What will they play at your funeral?
I against I- Mos Def feat. Massive Attack (I'd be OK with this, actually)

What is your hobby/interest?
Shakin' All Over- Rose Hill Drive (I'm actually a crack addict)

What is your biggest fear?
96 Quite Bitter Beings- CKY (not that far off)

What is your biggest secret?
Testify- Rage Against the Machine (I think my iPod missed the point of the question)

What do you think of your friends?
Pretty Fly for a White Guy- Offspring (My friends are quite fly)

What will you post this as?
See You Soon- Coldplay ( :) )

much respect,
josh