Two posts in one morning...
Today I am especially ambitious about writing and I would like to touch upon a few random topics which hitherto I have not had a chance to blog about. Here goes:
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Drum Lessons: I am giving drum lessons now - or will be very soon - and I am looking for more students. E-Mail me (michaeltperry@hotmail.com) if you are interested in learning.
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Junichiro Koizumi: Junichiro Koizumi is a small Japanese man who is quite cute, loves Elvis, plays the violin, and happens to be Prime Minister of Japan. He is right-center politically and has been Japan's leader since 2001. An example of how cute he is would be the picture below, featured in the "What's Up Around the Prime Minister" section of his Japanese/English website with the caption "Photograph of Prime Minister experiencing the acoustic-related technologies":
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Rockstar: Supernova: I don't know if anyone out there follows the second-tier reality TV show circuit, but Rockstar: Supernova was a pretty good. The highlight of the entire show, by far, was the House Band. They are tight to the point where it is a little ridiculous... I can only assume that this comes with playing with one another every day, but you have to think that there's something extra that goes into truly acquiring a tight group. I think back to
the band that made me a high school rock star and the worship band I used to play in. In both cases, we actually weren't our best during the early days when the band was a daily obsession, we were better when we gelled either as musicians (former) or friends (latter).
I digress. Lukas Rossi won and he should never have made it into the top three. His rendition of the Killers' "All These Things That I've Done" when there were something like five contestants left was horrible (it sounded as though he was singing it whilst being impaled), but it didn't matter. It was clear that from about the third week, Lukas was the assumed winner by the band. For the record, Ryan Star, Tobi Rand, and Magni should have been the top three.
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Thailand: Why have I not heard more attention being called to Thailand in the past few days? Perhaps the news is going crazy about it (I wouldn't know; I don't have TV), but there is certainly no buzz about it around the water cooler. A bloodless coup d'etat just before elections were scheduled (October 15) staged by the military... so far, a new (Islamic) ruler has, taken from wikipedia: "cancelled the upcoming elections, suspended the Constitution, dissolved Parliament, banned political protests, declared martial law, and arrested Cabinet members." He claims there will be a new civilian government, elections, and constitution within a year, but who knows? Utter craziness...
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John Mayer: I really like John Mayer and I'm happy that he's now making music that shows his talent as a musician (see his newest album: Continuim). I have been listening to his things since I heard about him on a Dave Matthews Band web site... at the time he was an up-and-coming singer/songwriter in Atlanta and had maybe a dozen songs on Napster (that's right, folks, Napster). He wrote lovey dovey sappy songs with witty lyrics when I went through my 2003-04 lovey dovey sappy witticism stage ("Room for Squares"). He wrote songs about coming into the next phase in life when I was starting to really realize where my passions are and what I want to be ("Heavier Things") and now this new album. I don't know why I felt the need to make that Mayer's career-My life comparision, but for what it's worth, you can now all see that it's workable. FYI.
The Things People Do
The following five things have been done to or around me in the past few days, and I've been annoyed by them enough to mention them in this post:
- In the computer lab, check to see if my document is theirs as we both wait for our respective papers to come out of the shared printer, creasing the corner of my coverpage in the process.
- In the library, embarrasingly whisper on a cell phone, only to boisterously relate the contents of the call to their friend, sitting about 10 feet away.
- At China Hill, be rude to the women getting their food, treating them as though they are dimwitted (seemingly) simply because English was not their first language.
- On Parsons Street, cut in front of me on two wheels to take a left turn into Skyway Industrial Park, looking at me (both driver and passenger) to see if I would react angerly.
- On the phone, call my cell phone, ask for "Derrick," and then swear at me when I explain that I am in fact not Derrick.
The things people do.
A Thought about September Eleventh.
Today is not the fifth anniversary of September 11th. We've been having them for quite some time now.
Just ask
William Wallace.
1.0 x 10^100
When Microsoft began taking over the world, there was a instant, organized, and commited, albeit small, backlash. Today we call that backlash Apple Computers, Inc. I myself am part of this antiestablishmentarian movement, proudly hacking out this entry on a (now weathered) iBook G4. Microsoft even went to trial and for the most part, its chokehold on world domination is slowly ebbing. The picture of the bird swallowing the frog and the frog's hands wringing the bird's neck comes to mind. Close but no cigar, Mr. Gates.
Another company, however, is taking Microsoft's place as the Evil Empire of computing. I am refering to Google. I first used Google.com in 1999, and seven years ago it was a small search engine with some neat features. I started using it as a way of avoiding over-commercialized Yahoo.com (anyone out there still using Yahoo!?). Less than a decade later, Google has become part of every home, every conversation about researching on the internet, and nearly every major website in the world. Yahoo! even uses Google to power its search engine. Google now has an image search, video search, book search, shopping search, e-mail service, instant messanger, and stock on Wall Street. It is on pace to take over the entire world. Coming soon: New York City, New York (Powered by Google).
The difference between Google taking over the world and Microsoft doing the same, however, is that
I am welcoming Google with open arms. Open up Google.com right now. No advertising. No links to sex or perscription drugs or chatrooms or online games. Just Google.
Getting down to business.So thanks, Google, for making sure the world is efficient and clean by simply deciding its best run by one company alone. After all, a dictatorship
is the most efficient form of government.
Life Update...
So... my life in the five months since my last real post. I think a rambling and nowhere-near exhaustive summary of my life is in order. Here goes:
May:Finished up at Bethany, though at the time we thought it would be for a three month summer vacation, so we packed up not nearly enough. Pat McCleary moved into our utterly cluttered apartment and managed to set it up nicely for himself. Rebeckah and I sadly said goodbye to the Woodards, Weidmaiers, and Erskines, all going off to internship adventures. We packed up and moved to Biddeford to live with Jason Briggs.
June:Secured jobs working for a catering company on the weekends and Camp STRIVE throughout the week. At Camp we were day camp counsellors for young adults with developmental disabilities. So many great memories of the kids, and poor memories of the behind-the-scenes of direct care for people with mental handicaps. A bittersweet and extremely taxing (both physically and emotionally) profession.
July:Same old same old in Biddeford. The highlight of the month was Rebeckah's birthday present for me this year... a train ride to Boston and tickets for a Red Sox game. Though they lost big to the Oakland A's (there you go, Mr. Kendrick), just being at Fenway was an excellent experience. We sat in right field, not too far from the Pesky Pole, close enough to see Jay Payton's arrogant sneer as he robbed the 'Sox of no less than three doubles in one day.
August:Well... we decided not to return to Bethany. Many, many things went into this decision, but above all, we felt the Lord releasing us from Sussex and calling us to go back home. We both apply for transfers - Rebeckah as a early childhood development major at NMCC, me as a history major at UMPI. Our first anniversary was spent at the absolutely fabulous Captain Lord Mansion Inn in Kennebunkport. You must stay here before you die. Probably twice. The wonderful weekend went above and beyond to aleviate the stress of the Red Sox dropping five games in a row to the Yankees. Maybe now the bandwagon fans will go back to where they came from.
The last weekend in August went like this:
Friday: Worked from 9-4 at the camp. Threw ourselves a going-away BBQ. Drove the Metro, packed with our things from the summer, and drove six hours to Presque Isle. Spent the night at the good ole in-laws house.
Saturday: Got up at 5:30AM and went with Rebeckah and June to Sussex. Packed up boxes all day. Steve and Nic arrived that night and we packed up a U-Haul and a SUV. We finished at 11:30PM and managed to pack all of our worldy possessions minus our trash can, RIP (August '04-August '05).
Sunday: "Slept in" until 6:30 AM and drove back to Presque Isle. Moved into our apartment. Unpacked boxes all evening.
Monday: Went to my first class, Art 103, 10-11:50AM.
September:So far, so good. My class schedule is very random... History 491, Geology, Art 103, and English 101. One day I feel slightly over my head in academia and the next, as though I've gone back to English 2 in high school. Regardless, everything thus far has been new, refreshing, and envigorating. I have acquired a little extra spring in my step, and if I can manage to stay on top of my work, I think this will be a watershed semester for me.
...and now you're up to speed. Holla.
- Michael
