Alalalalalalalalalalaaaaaa!!!

(It's a middle eastern thing)
Hooray, Hooray, Hooray^49th
for College!
I haven't even met all my professors, and I still think it's marvelous.
Or, to speak soberly, it is good.
A glorious opportunity to display diligence, excellence;
and the "Friendly Jarrett" initiative seems to be progressing.
So -- Good luck to all!

What, you might ask, is my secret?
How do I enjoy it rather than hate it?
It's the same principle as performance anxiety --
Stress is a good servant and a bad master.
You have to enjoy it. You have to Love
how hard it is. Don't expect anything to be easy,
And you'll always be ready for what comes.
LIFE IS DIFFICULT. Get over it.
It's so much easier once you do.


I guess that came out as a prose poem. Oops.

A little too much

Good advice (thinkgeek.com)

• Recursive, adj.; see Recursive.
• Most people are like slinkies. Worthless, but fun to push down stairs.
• When you consider the position of our solar system within the galaxy, and the galaxy's position in the universe, on a scale of 1 to 10, monkeys really do make the best cheese.
• You guys make me feel like I belong somewhere. Thanks.
• Everything I say is always correct...
  Except for that statement.
  
  Don't believe everything you read in a comment
  Especially this one.
  
  This comment is false:
  true -or- false?

• Richard hesitated at the bottom of the stairs and peered upward into the surrounding gloom. Too many little agonies to remember of that fateful night so long ago. To the boyscout he had been, and the man he now was, only preparation mattered. A defibrulator in one hand and a live chicken in the other he put one foot on the bottom stair and made his way up. Now they would all pay!

• Did I leave the kitchen stove on?
• Quack quack quack...
• Lemurs are sexy. You should pimp out lemurs.
• Just because i have a short attention span doesn't mean that i......

• "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
  
  -- Thomas Watson, Chairman of IBM, 1943

Okay, so if you want to see more quotes like the ones you have just read, go to www.thinkgeek.com, click on Fortunes (which is an actual UNIX command) and wear out the F5 key on your keyboard. :)

Thinking

You know what? how could something be a genetic trait if it doesn't lead to perpetuation of the genes? It wouldn't be passed on!

Now, if a certain genetic makeup is susceptible to errors in upbringing and culture that lead to the non-genetic trait I speak of, that's a different issue. I can agree that some people in terms of their particular traits are more likely to get messed up by bad parenting and a diseased culture (as ours is, discernibly).

If I didn't have a religious background -- I tell you what. I don't WANT to know where I'd be.


On a more positive note --
Luckily, there is pure truth, distilled if you will.
and
I am very pleased at the Idealism of Marching Band. It's fun to practice Idealistic behavior.
Good Day to All.

Saphire Bullets

Look out - here they come. But not bullets. More like the pictures from the hike.

Use the password bamboo2u2 and you can view the complete colletion here.

Here are a few for reference:

Mödlareuth

that's all there is to say, really...

Band Geeks Episode CC (200)

Attack of the Cl[arinet]ones

Yes, this is the 200th posting on this blog and I feel somewhat priviledged to be making it. I know that I haven't said much this past while, but I think you can all understand. Hmmm. However, how do you know that I just haven't been up to some strange plot to take over the world and force everyone to obey my every whim? Huh?! How would you know that?! Okay, a good clue is that I am not a Microsoft executive.

Anyhow, I haven't much to post on this 200th episode of the band hall. Hmmm. Kind of makes me wonder how many times we have all congregated in the band hall. Would you assume that it was more than 200 times? Ponder upon that little tidbit, whydon'tcha.

Website of the day: http://www.wemadeoutinatreeandthisoldguysatandwatchedus.com/ That has got to be the longest single URL I have ever seen. And it's maintained right here in Happy Valley (Provorem) Utah. No, there is not actual making out on that site.

Food of the day: Banana split with Burnt Almond Chocolate ice cream and Caramel on top. (Surgeon General's Warning: Consumption of more than two or three spoonfuls of this dessert will almost certainly lead to a cholesterol blockage in the heart, resulting in death.)

Rediscovery of the day: The Score Station

TTFN

The Leavetaking

Today is a day for three farewells.

Farewell the first:
I helped Andrew move his effects to his new flat at the U and then chilled with him at the mall for a while. This one isn't so much a farewell for him from his friends, since we'll still hang out when we can - and there's always Jingles to complete. But he did say farewell to his house. Moving is a weird thing. Every time it happens you look around your now somewhat more empty surroundings for the last time and think to yourself that it's strange that you won't be coming home to the same place anymore. But Andrew is going to make wildly successful films like Mr. Spielberg, so it's ok.

Farewell the second:
This one is both an ending and a beginning. I spent the morning working for the last time as a lab aide in the Library computer lab. Come next week the new Lampros Hall will have its grand opening and be open for use by students. I stopped in to take a look at it after I got back from Salt Lake. New building smell. Very, very nice everything. Fei was just finishing setting up the last bank of computers. After I looked around for a bit, I went over to spend the last few minutes of the Library Lab's open-ness with Dave, my boss, and Jason, my coworker. Every day we announce that the lab will be closing. Today I tacked the word "forever" on the end of the announcement. What fun. After we shut down the workstations and closed the doors we proceeded to take all the signs down off the walls. The few remaining computers will stay in the library and be used for whatever, while the lab will be used probably for some of the circulation desk area when the library gets remodeled here within about the next year. Dave said they're going to take the stairs off the front of the building and make the main entrance on ground level and probably move the media upstairs and the circulation downstairs. That'll be nice. When the first tuesday in September rolls around I'll begin working in the Lampros Hall and the Union Building Labs.

Farewell the third:
Tonight is my last night working for Direction One, LC. Since it is a graveyard shift, I won't be able to sleep during the day anymore as I'll be attending classes. The job was very good experience in my field of study and I learned quite a bit. I often got to talk to amiable people and help them get connected to the Internet. Little successes can bring a good feeling when they're a big deal for the people that you're helping. Of course there were down sides to the job - the occasional cranky customer, being awakened at 3 in the morning by someone who should, like myself, be asleep - but you take the bad with the good, and it all comes out in the end. One really good thing about the job was that it helped pay for the adventure of a lifetime in Europe.

The other thing I might mention is that over on my blog I've started adding pictures to my monologue to spice it up and provide enhanced memory refreshment experience.

That's about all for now. I'll refrain, as I haven't occasionally in the past under similar circumstances, from continuing to type even though I have nothing left to say at present.

Hey, I didn't say this post would be interesting. (Nod to Jack Handy, there.)

song of the day: Take Me Home by Phil

Three deep holes with water in them

That is to say - well, well, well.

Congrats, Jeff on taming the tuition monster. Kind of like a bullfight where each semester is a charge, and it is good to deftly step aside or be wearing sturdy horn-proof clothing. Or maybe it's nothing at all like a bullfight.

I learn something new every day. Or at least I did today. Today I learned this: think. Isn't that a great thing to know. Difficult to practice, unless one makes a habit of it, though.

Tomorrow - dress rehearsal for the opening ceremony for Lampros Hall (the stick). Ricky, you should come to it since we can't exactly go to any part of the actual ceremony on Monday other than the part we're playing for with the marching band. Yeah, surprised me too. But that's the word from Carey and Tom, anyhow. It goest from (I think) 1 to 4 pm.

I learned bar chords today. Now I can play a gamut, even though I don't know how to correctly pronounce the word gamut.

"Eats shoots and leaves." Very different meaning from "Eats, shoots, and leaves." The one is a panda bear, the other a gunman who doesn't want to pay his tab at a restaurant.

Ok, bye.

Anyways.....

So the band hall talks to me today, and it says, "I'm happy, ya know?"
So I says, " Why is that BandHall?"
and it says back, "Because the weirdo Jeff is going to school this fall!!!!!"
THAT'S RIGHT! All of you have to put up with me for another full year, HEHE!!!!!
Question of the day: How much dragons naval goes into a pot of boiling oil to make it a liver? Answer: coming next week, same strongbat time, same strongbat channel

$Title$

Sounds like a rompin' good time, Jarrett. I'll plan on being there.

tune stuck in my head following another watching of the music video: Experimental Film

I really do have nothing to say, but I'll say it anyway. Seems that's how bloggin goes often. Still, one never knows, when one begins typing, just what one will say that may prove interesting.

This post truncated due to lack of anything worthwhile to say.

Then again, sometimes you really do just have nothing to say. Little updates then: Jarrett, Diego wants to film a bit more (duck on pond and all that jazz) - pictures from the last 2 hikes are still pending, but I do have them downloaded from my camera, which is one step closer to being posted here - looking forward to g-force awareness devices later today (rides) - looking also forward to a return to my regular sleep pattern - thinking of buying new shoes today - probably going to go with the latest catalog year instead of 2000-2001 like I have been going with since there's about the same number of classes required and stuff - marching band should be fun this year, if only the line can ever get together for a full rehearsal (we've had one instance of all 5 basses showing up so far)...

Well, that's our show! Thanks for watching. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some serious synapse triggering to do. See ya!

Alliterations and Austen

but not Texas, that would be Austin -- not Austen.

I just thought I would (as a friendly sort of guy) extend to you all an invitation.
Please join me and lots of other nerdy people on August 28th at 5pm for the fourth annual Pride and Prejudice Party, 3P04.
Here is A Map to the host house at 340 North Washington Boulevard. If you choose to attend, please bring some Pesos for Pizza and a Pleasant Prandialization (treat or dish) to Pass around. Preferably something with a P in it, but I'm not Particular.
You know, Pasta, Popcorn, Pretzels, Pop, Popsicles, Pepto Bismol, that kind of thing.

An explanation is required:
The Pride and Prejudice Party is a yearly tradition which consists of one very large activity: we watch, in one sitting, the entire 6-hour A&E movie of Jane Austen's novel, "Pride and Prejudice." There is also food, everything from Pizza to one year's Italian Ices. No one ever asked why -- but if they had, the answer would have been, "because Jane Austen is the coolest EVER," or something like that.

History:
The PPP began with my friends in High School, 'the Gnomes', the oldest of which had the largest Living Room and TV, so we had it at his place. The first year, attendees were almost all these "gnome" friends of mine; but over the years, we gathered from our friends a copmaratively large audience. This year, we have people coming from several different sectors of the population, so there ought to be something for everyone. Especially if you Band Geeks can make a tidy appearance.

If you can come, hey -- let me know. You can come late, leave early, whatever.
Come enjoy the good company of odd folks, young and old, and laugh at the foolish mortals.
Once again, everybody is welcome (there is a standard of conduct, but only becuase I'm the host) on Saturday the 28th at 5 pm at 340 N. Washington Boulevard, in Ogden, almost across from the Harrisville Wal-Mart. Even more specific directions will be inculded in a later post.

Of Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax

Party tomorrow.

To quote the forrest ranger off Bill Nye:

If you grab a red hot poker
or drop live coals on your feet,
it just goes to show that you don't know
the first thing about heat.


Just had to get in my wee hours of the morning blog. Only one more week of this nonsense.

Jeg glaeder mig til det yndigt land.

Peace

Absolutely Incredible

Makes me wonder why I don't get up at 5 am every day.

I walked out to my car this morning and happened to look up at the mountains silhouetted against the sky. Just climbing over the ridge was most of the Orion constellation, and in a direct line north from it, Venus and the crescent Moon. What a sight. And the air wasn't cold at all even though there was a slight breeze blowing. It reminded me very much of getting up that early to go to marching band in high school. We did early morning marching band back then. None of this middle-of-the-hot-and-sweaty-afternoon nonsense.

Actually, I know exactly why I don't get up at 5 every morning. And that reason will become no longer a part of my life next Saturday. Quitting a graveyard-shift job is going to feel so good. Actually, I'll miss the money and some of the people I work with, but I will become reaquainted with my regular circadian rhythm, which will be nice. I actually just got off the phone with a guy in Redding, CA who's on a fire down there that has eaten about 60 houses. So sometimes it's interesting to talk with the people who call me in the dead of night. I'll miss that, too. But I sure won't miss the people that are short on patience and tact, and long on enthusiasm for expressing themselves. PEBKAC; Eye Dee Ten Tea. My drink holder broke. Plugged in? (Is the screen black right now, by any chance?) Those are sometimes annoying, sometimes just funny. The mixed emotions of mirth and frustration are like unto a bag of Chex Mix. And now I'm just rambling.

Hearty congrats, Jeff, on tying the knot. And, yes, we had a wonderful time on the trip.

Jessica, as far as I know, Band Camp will be the week before school starts from 8am to 3pm. Bring water, sunscreen, and $5 (pay to me). I don't know why the $5 for me, other than then I could buy myself a quicker wit. The one I've got has been a bit slow of late. Or maybe I'll use it to buy enough toothpicks and glue to make my very own arts-n-crafts version of an A parking pass.

I've been convinced that to feel inside like one does when one is on a carnival ride such as Freestyle (e.g. your internal organs feel like they're playing Red Rover), one does not actually have to be on such a ride if the circumstances are just right. At least that's what it reminded me of. Great big adrenaline rush and euphoric feeling and stomach doing a flip. Good times, good times. In the Olympia I was a bit confused, yet looking forward to more confusion. Now things seem clear, and I'm tired and going to go put my head on my pillow. What an Adventure. Happy.

tune of the day: As Time Goes By

Jeg glaeder mig til Loerdag. Og i morgen, faktisk.

Go Bears.

HEHE!!! I'M MARRIED, I'M MARRIED!!!!!!!
Jarrett, welcome back from Europe. Hope you enjoyed yourself.
Yes, mud is much more fun than self-pity.
Just wanted to say:I'M MARRIED, I'M MARRIED!!!!!!!!!
laterz

Name that flick: A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes

When You're Fast Asleep

Who? Ray! for Disney toons. and speaking of movies -

movie of the long time: Casablanca

tune of the day: Come On Eileen

cool thing to see of the day: laser light through a diamond on the cave ceiling (now THAT was cool)

Anywho. Great hike today to the Timpanogos Cave. Pictures are pending. They'll be posted right here when I get off my inertia and get around to it.

Yeah, I thought that The Maltese Falcon was a great flick until I saw Casablanca today. I still think that the former is great, but now the latter is one of my very favorite movies.

Consider the following:

This is the official announcement post for all you in the blogosphere who gaze hereon. About the hike(s). And sentence. Fragments and run-ons are annoying, aren't. They?

Ok, well, for anyone who cares to know and wants to go, meet at the band hall at 8 am sharp to hike to the Timpanogos cave tomorrow.

The other hike starts on Saturday at the Smokey-the-Bear sign in Ogden canyon (it's about 1/2 way down the canyon as you're coming from Ogden, on the right hand side). We're hiking the Indian trail which is about 5 miles and takes about 2 hours. Then, from 12 to 4 pm we'll be getting along swimmingly at Crystal Hot Springs in Honeyville (away up north past Brigham City). To get there, go north on I-15 to exit 375 just past Brigham City. Go north on Main Street about 10 miles. Visit www.crystalhotsprings.net and print off the popup coupon for savings. ($1 off swimming, $2 off slides) The address is 8215 N Highway 38 Honeyville UT. Provide your own lunch for yourself (and me) sometime between the hike and the swimming.

By the way, Bill Nye the Science Guy is the best show ever aired on public television. Seriously.

It's on the other one

If you're looking for it, that is.

I mean, my detailed post about the trip to Germany. And by the other one I mean my blog.

Well, since Ricky hasn't yet yet done what he said he might, which is post here and ask if we really do have a concert on Monday or not, I'll continue here with my post and see if you can all make it safely into the Archives. I don't know why, Ben, but this thing you started is fun and challenging. I don't know if it will ever be possible without cheating and posting several times a day, or copying large volumes of text from the web into one's post.

Looks like jetlag is destined to be one of my souvenirs from the trip. I hadn't intended it to be so, but that's just the way it is then.

Well, I just can't wait for school to start. This is going to be way fun. Just listen to me. Saying 'school' and 'fun' in the same sentence. (Not the same sentence, actually.) I know that after school has been in session for a while (like about an hour - if that) I'll think back about this post and cry that reason had left me. This always seems to happen to me though. Summer arrives, and before it's over I find myself wishing I were going to school. Then, before much school passes, I find myself wishing that it were vacation again. Oh, well. Such is human weakness.

I wonder if Dr. Root has anything planned this year yet in the way of trips for the band to go on. Taiwan, Reno, Europe. I think I'm getting severly addicted to band trips. Each one just is better than the last. I guess this is a good thing for me, since from looking at my :( schedule today I :( am realizing that graduation is :( looking further and further :( away for me. If a class required for your major has a prerequisite, don't YOU think it should be included in the list of required classes for the degree? Hmmm? I do. And it doesn't help that they changed the requirements from an A.S. degree to an A.A.S. degree. I'm just going to have to go talk to Donna (the CS dept. councilor) and figure something out.

favorite tune of the day: The National Anthem
favorite funny thing of the day: people who ask where the weight room is. Like I know. I mean, look at me.

Congrats, Lars. Oh, wait, you probably don't read this. I'll have to wait until you're back from Cali to tell you in person.

favorite thing of the while to do, seeing as how I'm really tired often due to adding graveyard shift to long flights recovery: finding myself mentally back wandering around the Folksfest, or at Weisenburger Hof, or at the lake, or in Paris. It keeps happening when I shut my eyes. It's kinda cool. I'm sure it will wear off after a while (both the fatigue and the realistic flashbacks), but for while it lasts it's fun. After that, I'll have to look at pictures, reread my journal, or actually concentrate to remember some parts of the trip. Other parts are just too memorable to forget, like walking up to the Eiffel Tower for the first time and just watching it get bigger and bigger and having my jaw decrease in altitude by degrees. I think other buildings might be impressive by being tall, but since the Tower is so open and uniquely shaped, it gives a better sense of how tall it actually is and even makes it seem taller somehow. And really, how fun is it to lay in a park next to some flat monolith, be it 3 or 4 times as high and look up at its unvarying surface? Not as fun.

Ok, so less talk, more saw.

---

Later that evening... (really, since it's after midnight, it's more like early the next day...)

Just as I got home from Andrew's I saw the first shooting star I've seen in a long time. Good times.

Telephones, I have decided, are a blessing and a curse. Good for talking to friends and associates, bad when my work phone just stopped working. We need to go either to telegraphs or telepathy. Like the good Doctor Root said, "One day is gooder or badder than another." And either of those choices would be gooder or badder than the phones we have now.

"Sleep."
-Locutus

Here we go again

We'll be back in a flash.

Weren't 80's Saturday morning cartoons great?

Well, I'm thinking of trying on Ben's nefarious scheme here and try to banish all y'all to the depths of the Activities... I mean Archives (Our Chives?)

Just converting more of my CDs to mp3s to put on my toy. Then I can be like my hero, Ultimate "iPod" Cory. Actually, Cory's not my hero. More like my arch nemesis. Ok, well, maybe he's not either of those. To be my hero, he would have to dress like Tigger dressed up as Spiderman for All Hallows' Eve. Every day. For the rest of the year. (Do Tiggers celebrate Candy Day? - I would think it's what they do best.)

Well, to aid me in my plot, here are some selected pictures from the trip to Europe. Since they are kind of artsy shots, they don't really have people in them or convey the fun that was had there, but they still are ok. At least I think so. But then I took them, so go figure. At least they improve my self esteem by giving me the delusion that I am some kind of photographer rather than simply a mad shutterbug.





Well, when I post this I'll check and see if my (Ben's) plan worked for me.
My utmost appologies to those on dial-up*.

By the by, I've submitted three (3) of these photos to RitzCamera.com for their photo contest, all in the scenery category. Wish me luck. 10 extra points to anyone who can correctly or otherwise guess which three I chose. I'll give you a hint; one is from Hof, two are from Paris. [Note: I edited this post so that the 3 pictures mentioned are the only ones pictured. Sorry again, Ben, for putting your dial-up through the ordeal.]

Well, Ben, I'm glad I could ride the range and become acquainted with sagebrush. That is, I am pleased to have been a cattle-ist. Hope all that turns out well for you. Following good advice, I was able to arrive home intact on account of your account of the aforementioned events. Another good way to stay awake when driving a car: simply hold a $100 bill out the window. You're guaranteed to stay alert. Okay, not really. Currently listening to Earthrise/Return to the Earth while editing this post. So far, this computer hasn't restarted itself even once yet today, whereas on Tuesday it did it about every hour. Only 1/2 hour more to go before I'm off for my 1/2 hour break before drumline.

Looks like working at the stick might not work out after all. I gave my schedule to the head team leader yesterday and she gave me a look that basically said fat chance. But I'll definitely hang out there a lot, even if I don't end up working there. Counting down then to the 20th. For those of you who don't know (and that's likely all of you) that's my last night in the nursery... I mean, my last day working in the library computer lab. On that fateful day, the lab will close for the last time and I will be carted off to Jacarta. Or just another lab(s) here on campus. 2 Fun.

Peace


*Dial-up does not technically count as the Internet.

On Pins & Needles

Yup. Blogging here at work. It's great. I'm here for more training, which is ironic, considering...

But enough about that. Yesterday I made a fun little mpg2 flick of the first couple of days of the trip. I'm thinking I'll be doing the slideshow here in the near future. I hope. Here, the reader is referred to the Pope quote on my blog from yesterdays post.

Well, looks like my coworker is almost done with this call so...

Laters

For Ben

So, there you have it Ben. Enjoy.

Favorite pasttime of the day: Closing my eyes and thinking about Europe (it's like being there all over again.)

Favorite career move of the day: Reapplying for the job I already have. How weird is that? I just hope to be at the stick when the dust settles. Just ask Ricky about dust settling. A/C, anyone? [Sorry, Ricky. That was just the funniest thing I'd heard all day. Considering I was sitting in a library since 7am, that may not be saying much, but what can you do?]

And yes, now selected pictures from the trip to the grand land of Europe are now available on photobucket.com. Simply log in to the spiderGlass album with the guest password bamboo2u2

I think Josh is right: RealOne is the worst virus ever to plague mankind.

Feelin' woozy.

You Learn to Rollerskate

These are some of the lyrics to the song that plays during the ending credits of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. They are about Frodo as he leaves Middle Earth on the last elven ship sailing into the West at the end of his journey. I post them here because they remind me a lot of how I felt flying west from the trip to Hof, Prague, Plauen, Eger, Paris, and more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lay down
Your sweet & weary head
Night is falling
You have come to journey's end

Sleep now
Dream-of the ones who came before
They are calling
From across a distant shore

Why do you weep?
What are these tears upon your face?
Soon you will see
All of your fears will pass away

Don't say
We have come now to the end
White shores are calling
You and I will meet again

What can you see
On the horizon?
Why do the white gulls call?

Across the sea
A pale moon rises
The ships have come
To carry you home

And all will turn to silver glass
A light on the water
Grey ships pass
Into the West

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The trip was amazing. There were little German towns, castles, cathedrals, museums, towers, wonderful food, lots of walking, climbing, relaxing, sightseeing, singing, and picture taking. Seeing Europe was great. Seeing it with my friends was the best ever. For those of my friends who weren't able to go with, I'll be posting pictures soon so you can see a bit of the trip.

Why walk when you can fly?

Crap!

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
My plan is thwarted yet again. AWWWWWWW, woe is me!
I'm glad Jon has returned as well as the others, for they have been in contact with my family. Jon, did you acquire comic bookage? If not, that's ok, I'll try the online avenue again, even though that didn't work last time.
I'm muchly happy that I'll be not having to take care of the garden/chickens anymore.
S'up, yo.
Later, yo.

oui, oui, oui, oui, all the way home

So here I am again -- Gruß Gott, Band Geeks!
I hope You All are doing well -- I know I am.

I am thankful for very small things here at home in America. There is no such thing as Ice Water in Europe; no such thing as the Indoor Clean Air Act; no such thing as a Drinking Fountain. Three things everyone should be grateful for.

I wish you all an Exquistely Baroque day.
Chuß!