I'm sorry, was this supposed to mean something?

I've been trapped somewhere between busy and completely mentally off. And as I've said before, I don't blog when I'm not busy. So here we are, in class and pre-quiz, blogging. I don't totally count the entries I've posted recently, they're not about me nor are they my thoughts. They're just junk I accumulate.

Since my last 'real' post not a whole hell of a lot has happened. I'm slowly building back into a school rhythm. This time with (marginally) better habits. I'm trying to build a routine around studying at a specific time away from my most sacred distractions. (Most holy of which would be this infernal contraption, the computer and it's cousin, the TV.) Even though I don't truly pay attention to them, they scatter enough gray matter to keep an unplanned time unproductive.

I've had some standard and relaxing times with the girlfriend. Activites like movies and dinners and drinks and phone calls and tv and IM chats... She's having a tough time with her quarter-life crisis, and is completely inconsolable when she has such panic attacks. She is, however, working really hard at finding another job. I can understand her frustration at the lack of results though. I'm encouraged at the fact that she gets nice little notes saying "we don't need you, but maybe sometime soon." The ding letters are of differing levels of personalization and are far more than I usually get.

I spent last weekend up in Gurnee with my sister and her family. They needed help painting a large space, and I'm the goto guy. Things that kept it interesting?

• Needing a 14ft pole to reach the ceiling
• using 6 year old brushed on the rollers (i'll tell you, they don't absorb paint, and they're not expensive. the brother-in-law was being an idiot about this one)
• having two nephews age 3 and 1 who're in dificult stages
• 18 inches of snow dropped
• a sledding 'break'

I got back home in time to meet dad in the driveway as the limo picked him up. He was off to basildon england I believe. His company (Case New Holland, owned by Fiat) totally screwed him on this trip. Leave on Sunday, return on Friday. He got no time to sightsee, and no comp time for their stealing a day. But then, when a senior VP has to approve an international flight, I guess the niceties are in short supply.

Mike did drop by after he got off work in South Bend. We hung out for a while, and set up XLink Kai. It's a program which lets you play 'system link' console games over the web. It's a neat little app which sniffs out the traffic for the game and tunnels it to the appropriate spots. For the XBox it's cheaper than 'Xbox Live.' How much cheaper? Try FREE. gotta love that. We were up till 5am playing Halo2 against people from all over the world. SOOO much more fun than playing against each other.

We got up late, and mom was kind enough to treat us to lunch. We watched a movie and ran some errands and he hit me with some of the rough cuts his band has recorded. I'm pretty impressed with the quality of the recordings, it really helps bring some of the things I enjoy about his music to the foreground. He's definetly going to have a great result when everything's finished. Maybe you all should pre-order now... ;)

Anyway, I need to review my notes... keep on blogging...

Maybe Hemmingway should have chosen the place of AIESEC's conferences

Hemingway lived in the Key West House from 1931 to 1940 and wrote some of his best-known novels and short stories there. The house is a short walk from Key West's tallest structure, a lighthouse. One of the reasons the house was chosen, tour guide John Brooks said, was that Hemingway could use the lighthouse to find his way home when he was drunk.

BWAH HAHAHAHAHAHAH!

It seems you can sell anything to an idiot. But, you can sell more if you let the duped become the dupees...

The MPT SmogBuster Fuel Disc is promoted across the country through multilevel marketing - a sales technique that relies on layers of distributors. The disc is to be taped or glued to the bottom of your car's gas tank. They retail for $299 each but are discounted for people who persuade others to sell them. Promoters say it significantly increases gas mileage and improves air quality. They don't say how it works, beyond claiming it sends "holographic frequencies into the gas tank and changes the molecular structure of the gasoline." Scientists at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden say the device is a waste of money. "It doesn't work," says Dr. Terry Parker, a physics professor at the Colorado School of Mines. Parker and graduate student John Dane of the chemistry department tested the device for 9News.

Chicago Police Sensitivity Videos a First

Very interesting, but will it make a difference or feed stereotypes? Would it change things as much as say... a trainee or two hundred? ;) Oh well, I guess the CPD is going corporate.

Chicagoist

The New York Times reported yesterday that the Chicago Police Department has produced five ten-minute videos on the cultures of Sikhs, Buddists, Hindus, Jews and Muslims. The videos, which have been favorable received by these Chicago communities, are thought to be a first for any police department in the U.S. A surprising fact, especially for anyone who has ever had to sit through mind-numbing (but very important!) cultural sensitivity training videos in any large insitution.

The videos, which include footage of the inside of houses of worship and the homes of the culture discussed, have been so successful, police departments around the nation have ordered copies. The CPD plans to next commission tapes on ethnicities of Chicago.

Lawmaker wants theaters honest about movie start times

I'm down. It'd be nice to go to a late movie and not come out after midnite.

Oh the memories

I've been back on a campus for a couple weeks now and I've seen or been subjected to a few things that I've 'missed' since leaving school a while ago...

• people sleeping/sitting in hallways outside of classrooms
• people whose culture doesn't find the concept of body odour offensive
• people who use an elevator to go up/down one floor for no obvious reason other than being lazy - sometimes making people with real needs (a bazillion books or broken legs) wait
• people using cell phones in 'quiet' areas - and getting belligerent at having to leave that area
• that annoying flicker of computer screens in peripheral vision
• scantron
• the 'only shows up for quizzes and tests and bugs you about what he missed' guy

So what else do y'all 'miss?'

Rowdie Region Reunion Planning - Stage 2a

Major thoughts...

The RRR should

• not be part of a reception event.
• be somewhat central. (Chicago, Milwaukee or thereabouts)
• not involve hotel rooms.
• not involve student houses/apartments.
• involve alumni houses/apartments.
• include active rowdies.

Possible dates/locations:

• Milwaukee - Summerfest
• Milwaukee - Anytime
• Chicago - St. Pats
• Chicago - Anytime
• Madison - Anytime - Still looking for a non-student free place to stay.

Rowdie Region Reunion Planning - Stage 2

Ok, so there's MAD interest.

We've had some thoughts about what a Rowdie Region Reunion is... It seems that a Rowdie Region Reunion is a gathering of AIESEC'rs (from the region or with the right... attitude) WITHOUT MEETINGS. Maybe focused around an event, but mostly focused around imbibing adult beverages.

Now... the question is when & where?

The Shining Sun of Enlightenment Brings out the Rainbows

Oddly enough, in response to Alex's question about states having a law of non-discrimination based on sexual orientation... Illinois just passed such a law, TODAY.

Another slow step forward.

Thoughts on Rowdie Region Reunion

What is a Rowdie Region Reunion to you?

I'm trying to gauge interest in creating another one, and there's quite a few people on board.

Thoughts on Disease and Infirmity

So... Everybody got sick? I'm not suprised. It usually happened to me before or after conference. At WSC in Detroit I had strep throat and had a fever so high, I was halucinating. After WSC in Saint Louis, I drove to Pam's to transition her and ended up cooking hotwings while half out of it because of a fever.

Actually, Pammy is who I'm blaming... She was getting over something when I saw her at the conference. But then, so too was a certain member of Purdue. (I'll leave her out of this, though.)

Oh and Burbs, did you do all that talking you said you were gonna do while talking to me and Alex?

Change and Addendum

Just so you know, for the next week or so... 'lol' really means: "hacking and coughing out loud"

Being sick sucks. This is the first time I've been sick in a long time. I think it's from going to that damn aiesec conference for a night and staying up until 7am. Whoever gave me the flu bug... didn't your momma teach you better than that? Sharing good, Sharing bad things... obviously BAD.

Back in the saddle

It's amazing how a little shame (self inflicted) can re-instill the desire to blog. But talking with friends yesterday, I realized that the busier I am, the greater my desire to blog. Putzing around leaves little to talk about.

I spent a wicked night out in Crystal Lake last night. Scottie suggested we meet up at the AIESEC conference. However, the drive up was a disaster. Ten miles from the hotel, Whitey blew up! I saw the alternater light come on, and then in the rear view window I saw smoke or steam and as I pulled to the side... no power steering. Yeah, the timing belt shredded after the idler pulley had a hernia and seized. Litterally a hernia - the ball bearings were squeeeeeeezing out of the pulley. Quite a feat actually..

Anyway, I stood on the side of the road in the freezing rain reflecting on exactly what kind burial or death ceremony was appropriate for whitey. A good samaritan stopped by and was kind enough to take me to a service station about 3 miles down the road. The owner wouldn't be able to fit me in that night, but might be able tomorrow morning - ''ish.'' Doesn't really matter, I just wanted a place to tow Whitey off the side of the road and hopefully be under a light. If Dad and I couldn't fix it, then it really wasn't worth fixing.

The biggest service the service station provided was a bathroom. Well, that and a warm place to call AAA. Triple A being called, it was time to get a ride back to Whitey and wait for the tow truck. That waiting thing... sucked. It's cold out there. A broken car can't heat you up. I was able to explain to Dad exactly what was broken, so while I was freezing, he was buying the proper parts.

Tow truck dude and I didn't have much to say to each other. He got me and Whitey down the road in one piece. Dad was still an hour away, and I wasn't going to do that waiting and freezing thing again... Walked a way down the road and found a great italian restaurant called Mandile's. Goooood bruschetta. About the time I finished, Dad arrived with parts and tools.

Back at Whitey, it was a snap to remove the old bearing and idler, and pop in a new one. Winding the new belt around, actually took about... 30 or 45 minutes to accomplish. Not all paths around the pulleys are the same. If I hadn't checked the length of the old against the new, Dad would have called it quits early and bitched out the guys who sold it to him.

Anyway, $50 and 50 minutes put Whitey back on the road, and 10 minutes later I was basking the warmth of my AIESEC family. I love you folks. Such a warm welcome from members old and new.

Scotters and I kicked the conference around till about 7am. Slept till noon. Said our goodbyes (which only took about... three hours. ;) and back home again.

I finally remembered why I couldn't stay a second day about 5pm. Checking my email and looking at my calendar I realized I have class on Tuesdays/Thursdays from 7-9 pm.

It's a statistics class that I need for both UIC and NIU. However it's taught in a computer class... (*sotto voice* ''the post is coming from INSIDE the math class!" )

Anyway, I'll go back to paying attention. Just thought I'd drop some of this real quick.

The snow has started. Hopefully I won't have to dig my car out to get home. Hopefully I won't have to spend the whole day clearing snow tomorrow. Hopefully Heather and I will be able to go sledding tomorrow.

/BG