Painted Blue

A few pics from my road trip

2006-08-22T12:21:00.000-07:00

This is just a teaser of all my adventures... more pics and narration to follow.

Yes, I know it's been forever since I posted

2006-08-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the several-month lack of posts! Between a month-long road trip I took across the country and a month on the east coast with my parents who still use DIAL-UP (hard to believe, right?) , my life hasn't exactly been conducive to blogging as of late. But I'll start posting again and try to figure out if anyone's still checking this blog.

Like the link says, it's hilariously depressing

2006-05-15T17:33:00.000-07:00

iF you didn't see SNL last Saturday, you must check out this clip. Al Gore made a cameo to imagine what life would be like today if he had become president instead of Bush in 2000:

http://www.bestweekever.tv/2006/05/15/icymi-hilariously-depressing-snl-sketch/

Very funny... and yet so very sad.

Code-lash

2006-05-12T04:55:00.000-07:00

Hee - I'm amused.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/11/us/11davinci.html?ex=1147579200&en=abf9f970b9459d6b&ei=5087%0A

Bush is an idiot (part zilllion)

2006-05-07T14:59:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts, guys. Things are really crazy right now, what with it being the end of the semester and all. But I just couldn't resist posting this article from the BBC:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4982338.stm

His best moment as President of the United States (and "leader of the free world" ) has been CATCHING A FISH!!!! Could this man possibly make me any more depressed?? I always think no, but then he keeps coming up with new ways.

And what's with that part at the end about how he understands why Germans don't want war?? If he understands so well , then WHY are we in one???? Ugh.

Photo of the day: the woods around Crater Lake

2006-04-14T17:53:00.000-07:00

This is my current desktop background. Doesn't look like Oregon in early June, does it? Just shows you what a difference elevation makes! Of course it was much more beautiful in person, but I think this picture at least gives an idea of what it's like there.

Photo of the day: Paul's foot

2006-04-08T22:01:00.000-07:00

When Jess and I went on our road trip last May, we went through the Redwood forest (gorgeous) and stopped at this ridiculously hilarious tourist attraction called "The Trees of Mystery" whose major claim to fame is an enormous statue of Paul Bunyan and his blue ox. They even have a man stationed somewhere with a microphone who pretends to be Paul and talks to the people that visit the statue. It freaked the hell out of me the first time some kid said "Hi Paul!" and he said hi back. I couldn't resist taking this adorable picture of a little girl playing on Paul's foot.

Photo of the day: walking on water

2006-04-05T22:33:00.000-07:00

This is a picture from my trip home to VA over winter break. I took a day trip to D.C. with some friends, and took this shot in the late afternoon as we were walking around. That's actually ice the seagulls are walking around on, but it sorta looks like they're walking on water, doesn't it?

Photo of the day: Vegas fun

2006-04-01T13:17:00.000-08:00

This is the sign from a bar in Vegas. I think we may have gone there at one point, but I'm quite sure we didn't see any bikini bull riding. Oh well - there's always next time.

Snakes on a Plane part deux

2006-03-22T23:34:00.000-08:00

So apparently it's not just a movie, it's a PHENOMENON:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/film/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002234847

Americans are hilarious. I especially love Samuel L. Jackson's rationale for wanting to make this movie: "You either want to see that, or you don't." Hee!

Snakes on a Plane

2006-03-21T00:48:00.000-08:00

I've seen a lot of dumb movie concepts in my day, but I think this one takes the cake:

http://www.egotastic.com/video?ifilm=2710882&w=656&h=530&info=Snakes%20on%20a%20Plane%20Trailer

WTF is Samuel L. Jackson thinking??? It's not like he needs the money.

New Songs!

2006-03-20T02:36:00.000-08:00

My friend Johnathan came over on Saturday and we made some recordings of my newest songs. They're only demo versions, but it's so nice to have new recordings to put up on my myspace page! Head on over there and check them out:

www.myspace.com/annaprince

All three are songs I've written since I moved to AZ - I'd love to know what you all think!

Photos of the day: AZ/CA desert

2006-03-19T16:20:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from my recent (brief) trip to California. I went for a religious studies conference where I sat on a panel about a project starting up at ASU on race and religion in the American West. I had originally hoped to make a longer visit, but a bunch of us ended up carpooling to Arizona (much preferable to spending 12 hours alone in the car and paying for all that gas), so I had to head back to AZ right after the conference with them. It was fun to be riding instead of driving for once, so I could take some pictures along the way. Unfortunately it was somewhat rainy and foggy (which you can really tell in that last picture of the windmills), but I still got a few good shots. Sorry if the first picture gives anyone motion sickness, but I really like it despite the bluriness.

Photo of the day: And speaking of the Pacific...

2006-03-08T18:07:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture taken off the coast of California last May.

This thing is frightening

2006-03-08T18:04:00.000-08:00

"Furry 'lobster' found in Pacific":

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4785482.stm

Live-action Simpsons

2006-03-05T02:50:00.000-08:00

Check it out:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2004580002-2006100428,00.html

Photos of the day: Light trick

2006-03-01T19:31:00.000-08:00

I took these pictures at Mill Avenue, which is the basically the fun downtown area here in Tempe - lots of bars, restaurants, shops, etc. My friends and I don't go there that often because it's a little over-run by the ASU undergrads, but I played an open mic there last week and had a great time. As you can see, I'm having lots of fun playing with the night function on my camera.

Peach war

2006-02-24T18:05:00.000-08:00

Of all the stupid arguments...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4748126.stm

This is what our politicians are wasting their time on?

Photo of the day: After a sail

2006-02-24T13:52:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture from this last summer - a sailboat coming into a dock in southern Maine.

All I can say is ewwww

2006-02-24T13:50:00.000-08:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4748292.stm

Photo of the day: Arizona sky

2006-02-22T00:30:00.000-08:00

There's nothing particularly remarkable about this picture - I just like the way that stripe of blue cuts across the grayish clouds. I took this picture on my trip to Naco, AZ when I volunteered at the U.S.-Mexico border clinic.

Photo of the day: little flame

2006-02-20T17:48:00.000-08:00

I took this picture in the chapel at Claremont. It's very simple, but for whatever reason I really like it.

Photo of the day: Hawaiian waterfall

2006-02-17T12:59:00.000-08:00

I promise to post some new/Arizona-related pictures soon, but for now here's one from the archives - specifically, my Hawaii trip from last winter. If I don't look at the pictures from that trip for a while, when I do see them again I'm shocked again by how beautiful everything was there. Oh, how I long to return! But seeing as it's one of the more expensive places to visit, I fear these pictures will have to suffice for a very long time.

The first one in a while

2006-02-17T12:42:00.000-08:00

So it's been at least a few months since I made a substantive post... not that anything really that exciting has happened in that time. I spent a little time on the east coast over the holidays, then got to visit friends in Claremont for a few days. Now the new semester is up and running, and it's definitely going to be a tough one!

I've been writing lots of new songs, and I hope to make some new recordings very soon (possibly over spring break in march). If I do make any recordings I'll post them up on myspace right away, so I'll let you guys know when that happens. I've also started to get some of my own shows here, which is pretty exciting. I've made a lot of great contacts in the Phoenix music scene, which is definitely helping.

I'm also starting to make some closer friends here, which is great. There are a couple of crowds that I've been hanging out with regularly, and there are especially a few people that I really am enjoying spending time with and I'm sure will become great friends of mine. I'm still adjusting to living alone, and do get lonely sometimes. I really want to get a cat, but it's looking like I may be on the east coast for a month or so this summer, so I'm going to have to wait on the cat at least until I get back from that trip.

I'm also been thinking a lot lately about school/career-related stuff, and about where I'm heading with all that, but I'll do a longer post about all that sometime soon.

I hope all of you are doing well!

The reason I haven't been posting is...

2006-01-27T16:20:00.000-08:00

...I'm not sure if anyone's actually reading this blog. So if you are, please let me know. Otherwise, I might just quit while I'm not ahead :)

Love it!!

2005-12-12T20:34:00.000-08:00

Did I mention that I passionately dislike Creed? And especially its former lead singer?

Photo of the day: A rose is a rose

2005-12-08T17:47:00.000-08:00

One of my many many flower pictures.

The Cult of Elian

2005-12-06T17:54:00.000-08:00

Ummmm.... what???

http://www.religioustolerance.org/elian.htm

Did anyone know that this existed?

Photo of the day: Maui coast

2005-12-05T21:22:00.000-08:00

Here's a beautiful shot from my Hawai'i trip last winter. Sure wish I was there right now!

Photo of the day: El Mercado

2005-12-03T12:21:00.000-08:00

Here's another picture from my Texas trip. Janelle and I went to San Antonio for the day, and while we were there we spent some time at El Mercado, the biggest Mexican market outside of Mexico. We had some tasty gorditas and bought some pretty things - it was really fun.

The good book

2005-12-03T10:59:00.000-08:00

Well, this is one way to bring young people into the church...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4494938.stm

hee :)

2005-11-29T00:35:00.000-08:00

Janelle and I by Lake Travis.

2005-11-29T00:32:00.000-08:00

This is a building downtown with a sort of "gotham city" feel to it. I've decided I really like the night setting on my digital camera.

2005-11-29T00:28:00.000-08:00

This is Lake Travis, just outside the city - we went there on Thanksgiving.

2005-11-29T00:25:00.000-08:00

Here's a shot of the capitol taken while driving into town. Austin is a pretty nice city - we went out a few nights and had a great time.

Back to the grind

2005-11-29T00:09:00.000-08:00

I had a really wonderful time in Austin. It was so great to spend time with my friend Janelle, and to take a few days off from work and stressing. I didn't do any work all weekend, and barely even thought about it until the weekend was ending and I remembered what lies ahead. This week is by far the worst of the semester, as I have a presentation to give on Wednesday and my first lecture on Friday! I still have a lot of work to do for Wednesday (tomorrow will NOT be fun) and I'm really freaked out aboput Friday, but the good news is that once this week is over nothing else I have to do this semester will seem that bad. I'll still have lots of work to do, but nothing nearly as stressful as this stuff. Plus it will all be over in a couple of weeks. How glorious to have a whole month with nothing hanging over my head!

Unfortunately I didn't take that many pictures in Austin, but I will post a few.

Photo of the day: Turning leaves

2005-11-23T13:55:00.000-08:00

Here's a nice fall picture for you! This is from last year in Claremont. That's right - we have leaves that turn pretty colors in the west too!

Austin bound

2005-11-23T13:42:00.000-08:00

Well, despite feeling pretty awful I am off to Austin, TX to visit my friend Janelle for Thanksgiving. Hopefully I'll be feeling better in the next couple of days so that we can go out and have fun this weekend. Actually, I hope I feel better tomorrow, because we're planning to go out to the bars tomorrow night just to see who's out at the bars on Thanksgiving - should be amusing.

We're going to do some touristy stuff too, so I'm sure when I get back I'll have some good pictures to post. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Joshua rocks

2005-11-22T19:21:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of my friend Sara on top of some boulders at Joshua Tree National Park. Don't ask me how she climbed up there! I preferred to stay on the ground and document her climbing adventures.

Kids these days

2005-11-22T19:01:00.000-08:00

So I managed to get a nasty cold just in time for a) thanksgiving break and b) the most stressful time of the semester. Fun, huh? I went to store to pick up some cold medication, and noticed that now all the boxes say "Pseudophedrine free" (pseudophedrine is a nasal decongestant). When I asked the pharmacist why, he told me that people have been extracting that drug from cold medication to make crystal meth, so now they can only sell it by prescription. Lame! And then when I went to the register to buy my pseudophedrine-free cold medication the salesperson actually asked for my ID, because I guess now a lot of teenagers are using cold medication to get high. Even more lame! I'm telling you... kids these days are just out of control (yes, I know I sound like an old lady).

Photo of the day: Maine flowers

2005-11-20T18:25:00.000-08:00

Here's some pretty purple flowers for you.

Photo of the day: Finally it's a new one!

2005-11-17T15:35:00.000-08:00

I took this picture yesterday on campus. This tree is right by the religious studies department, so I pass it all the time. I've been meaning to take pictures of it for a while, and I finally remembered to take my camera with me to school.

Hee

2005-11-15T21:47:00.000-08:00

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2005520728,00.html

Some people are so creative!

Harry Potter age countdown

2005-11-15T21:22:00.000-08:00

http://youcantmakeitup.blogspot.com/2005/11/harry-potter-legal-age-countdown-clock.html

I'm amused. Very amused.

Photo of the day: Sunset through trees

2005-11-15T13:50:00.000-08:00

Here's another one of my favorite sunset pictures, taken in Claremont. It's from last winter, not too long after I bought my camera.

Crunch Time

2005-11-15T13:29:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't posted in a while, which has more than a little bit to do with that fact that the semester is drawing to a close. And this end-of-semester is even more stressful than usual for me, because of my new role as a T.A. Now not only do I have to my own work to worry about, but there's lots of grading to be done too! Luckily I tend to thrive on pressure, so I think I'll be able to pull it out in the end. But I'm definitely a little bit scared about everything that I have to get done in the next month.

The best one of all!

2005-11-08T16:04:00.000-08:00

One more video clip... and this is the funniest of all three! Especially if you're a Harry Potter fan:

http://www.smithappens.com/video_harrypottersnl.php

I'm not a huge Lindsay Lohan fan, but I must admit, she did a great job with this sketch.

Photo of the day: Oahu waterfall

2005-11-08T15:03:00.000-08:00

This is a waterfall we saw at an Audubon park on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. As you can see (if you look closely), some people went swimming under the waterfall, but we didn't feel like getting wet, so we stuck to the sidelines.

Hot Dogs for Homophobes

2005-11-08T14:43:00.000-08:00

Okay, here's one more video clip - a "commercial" from the Conan O'Brien show:

http://www.smithappens.com/video_hotdoghomophobes.php

Not quite as funny as the SNL clip, but still worth a look.

Those were the days...

2005-11-07T20:53:00.000-08:00

Check out this old clip from back in the day when SNL was still funny:

http://smithappens.com/video_snljeffreys.php

Sigh! I miss those guys.

Photos of the day: Glass wonders

2005-11-03T20:38:00.000-08:00

These are a few of MANY pictures that I took of Dale Chihuly's amazing glass sculptures at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA. Check out his website if you want to see more:

http://www.chihuly.com/

Photo of the day: the Space Needle at night

2005-11-01T12:41:00.000-08:00

Here's another pic from my excellent adventure with Jess last May. This is what happens when you put your digital camera on the "night setting" and don't hold it completely still when you take the picture. Can you tell I'm still learning to use the camera? Actually, though, I kind of like the effect.

Well, I must say I am disappointed...

2005-10-31T20:49:00.000-08:00

I only got ONE trick-or-treater at my door! There are lots of kids in my neighborhood, so I had hoped for more. Ah well, that's life. At least the one that came was dressed as Batman. Plus now I get to eat the candy myself :)

Photo of the day: Check out this hotness

2005-10-31T16:48:00.000-08:00

This year for Halloween, thanks to a few pipe cleaners and safety pins, I realized my life long dream of being a Pink Lady! This was last night's costume, anyway. On Friday I was a Catholic schoolgirl, but I won't be posting any pictures of that costume :)

Review: Mail Order Wife

2005-10-29T23:59:00.000-07:00

I ran across this movie and I remembered seeing a preview a while back and being intrigued, so I decided to check it out (but I didn't know anything about it before I saw it except that it was about mail-order brides). I must say, I was pretty blown away. The story is so complicated that I won't even try to tell you what it's about (plus I think the less you know before you watch it the better). I wouldn't give it five stars or anything, but it was very original and kept my attention the whole way through. I would definitely recommend it, especially for people who are tired of formulaic movies and want to see something different.

Photo of the day: A pink sunset for V-day

2005-10-29T14:43:00.000-07:00

This is one of many sunset pictures I took from my apartment in Claremont. This particular one was taken last Valentine's day.

Hilarious!!!!

2005-10-27T00:56:00.000-07:00

Oh my god, this is the funniest thing I've seen in a LONG time:

http://www.devoted1.com/

It's so funny I almost don't care whether it's real or a joke. But it would be that much funnier if it turns out to be real (which I'm pretty sure it is). Just the name itself is hilarious, but it doesn't get much better than "Just toss your old cap habit, pop on the divine iBelieve and rejoice!" This is even funnier than those "Jesus as friend" statues I linked a week or so ago, and that's saying a lot :)

Photo of the Day: Wildflowers

2005-10-27T00:50:00.000-07:00

This one is from Joshua Tree National Park, in March when it was in full bloom. It was so amazing! Hopefully I'll get to go again in the next few years.

The Goonies turns 20

2005-10-27T00:37:00.000-07:00

Recently the movie The Goonies turned 20 years old - can you believe it?? I am definitely among the generation that grew up with this movie, and I still love it (if it wasn't so late, I'd watch it right now)! Click on the link below to catch up with the cast and see what they're up to today:

http://kiddo78.blogspot.com/2005/05/goonies-20-year-reunion.html

Enjoy!

p.s. Who knew Sean Astin was Patty Duke's son? I certainly didn't! Although now that I think about it he does look quite a bit like her. I used to love the Patty Duke show when I was a kid too...

Photo of the day: The Frontier

2005-10-25T11:56:00.000-07:00

Here's another picture from my Vegas trip last February. This is the sign from the hotel where we stayed. I hope I get to go again soon!

Photo of the day: Crater Lake

2005-10-23T01:52:00.000-07:00

Here's an awesome picture from Crater Lake in Oregon. So beautiful!

Photo of the day: Holy Koi!

2005-10-21T15:19:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've ever seen as many koi as I did at this Buddhist temple (see - they are holy!) in Hawaii. In the gift shop they sold fish food, and when anyone started to feed them they went CRAZY as you can clearly see from the photo. I feel bad for the little ones - they must starve!

Throwback to my childhood

2005-10-21T15:12:00.000-07:00

Hey, remember that game "MASH"? I used to play it all the time when I was a kid. Now you can play it online:

http://www.playmash.com/

Wow, that really takes me back. I remember my friends would always throw in the "bad" choices - like garbageman for job, or that boy in our class who picked his nose a lot (you know who I'm talking about) in the spouse category. And I would wish so hard to get the choices I wanted, like some stupid game had any bearing on how my life would turn out. Not to mention that the husband I picked in 4th grade is not exactly the one I would choose today.

Good times, good times. Thanks to Shawn for the link :)

Postcards from the Border

2005-10-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

As promised, here are some pictures from the free clinic in Naco, AZ where I volunteered on Saturday:

2005-10-17T20:37:00.000-07:00

This is the church where we had the clinic. I was actually in another building, but all the patients had to go here first to check in.

2005-10-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

Here's a closeup of the sign.

2005-10-17T20:25:00.000-07:00

Here's the big J.C....

2005-10-17T20:20:00.000-07:00

...and an artsy picture of the cross.

2005-10-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

Here's the actual clinic where I was working. As you can see it's a little makeshift (it is in a church after all!) but they do such a great job with the resources they have.

2005-10-17T20:15:00.000-07:00

Here's the view we had when we left...

2005-10-17T20:11:00.000-07:00

...and some of the view driving back.

One crazy (and wonderful) Saturday

2005-10-16T23:56:00.000-07:00

So my day yesterday was crazy! On Friday I drove with a friend to the U.S.-Mexico border to volunteer as a Spanish translator at a free clinic. The clinic was actually held on Saturday, but it's about 3-4 hours away. We stayed in a really cute hotel on Friday (it was more like a really big house - all the rooms were different), and then got up early for the clinic on Saturday.

The group I went with is called Cathedral Health Services - they go to the border once a month to hold this free clinic, giving health services to people who could not otherwise afford them. It's not emergency health care, but rather screenings for things such diabetes, osteoperosis, cardiovascular and heart problems, etc. They have lots of great doctors and nurses that volunteer their time, but not many of them speak Spanish. Since almost everyone that comes to get screenings doesn't speak English (it's open to people on both sides of the border), my services were definitely needed.

I got assigned to the women's clinic, which was giving gynecological exams - papsmears, STD testing, etc. I was especially glad to be able to help out there, because I know how uncomfortable those exams are to start with, and to speak a different language from the doctor on top of that is awful! So a lot of the women who came for screening were pretty nervous, and I was able to be there to translate between them and the doctors and explain everything to them. I didn't know all of the words I needed (especially medical terminology), but luckily one of the doctors had been working at the clinic for about a year and knew a lot of those words (she just couldn't actually speak to be able to communicate with her patients). But even though I haven't used my Spanish much in the last few years, I was amazed by how quickly it all came back. I stumbled a little with the first patient we saw, but after that it just flowed off my tongue.

It was a really amazing experience, and I'm so glad I got involved with this group. Hopefully I'll get to go again in the future. I've got to go to sleep now, but tomorrow I'll post some more pictures from the trip.

Then after the clinic was over I hitched a ride back with one of the doctors, and a few hours later I went to play at a bar in Tempe! My friend Geoff's band was playing, and they asked him to do a closing acoustic set, so he invited me along to do one as well. I was nervous about it, because I don't really think of my music as "bar music," if you know what I mean. But actually the crowd was really receptive, and most of them were actually listening to me, which was pretty amazing. I got some nice compliments, and I also met some more cool musicians, which is great. I'm really developing a good network in the music scene here, which I was never able to do in CA.

Anyway, that was my Saturday. After I finished playing at the bar I had a few conversations with people there, and then I came home and CRASHED. I was so exhausted I slept 11 hours last night. Unfortunately, that means I'll probably have trouble sleeping tonight, and since I have to be up at 8:30 am that isn't good at all. But it's worth it - I had a great weekend.

What a long strange day it's been...

2005-10-16T02:12:00.000-07:00

I started the day a few miles from the U.S. Mexico border trying to brush up on Spanish words that describe a woman's body, and I finished it playing my heart out at a bar here in Tempe. Details to follow tomorrow after I've slept A LOT :)

Border bound

2005-10-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I head down to the U.S.-Mexico border to volunteer as a Spanish translator at a free health clinic held there once a month. The clinic is on Saturday, but it's about a four-hour drive, so the group is going down tomorrow and staying overnight. I'm excited to finally get to use my Spanish again after so long! I'll tell you guys all about it when I get back.

Photo of the day: Seagull contd.

2005-10-13T21:23:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted - bad blogger! I like this picture because you always see pictures of seagulls from the side (see previous photo) but rarely looking straight at you.

Photo of the day: A seagull on Redondo Pier

2005-10-09T15:52:00.000-07:00

This bird must be used to people, because he (or she) didn't budge an inch when I got closer to take this picture. Then again, I guess birds that live at Redondo beach have to get used to people.

I got a shoutout!

2005-10-09T15:39:00.000-07:00

The website AZNightBuzz.com did an article on Aunt Chilada's open mic night, which is the one that I've been going to regularly on Sunday nights. They did an interview with Joe, one of the open mic hosts, and he gave me a shoutout! You can read the article here:

http://regulus2.azstarnet.com/blogs/daysleeper/915/

If you scroll down to the interview part, they ask Joe who his favorite is and he says that I "stole the show" that night. Sweet! Thanks Joe :)

Photo of the day: When life gives you lemons...

2005-10-08T19:43:00.000-07:00

...turn them into art!

Stuffy nose blues

2005-10-08T19:16:00.000-07:00

For two days in a row I woke up with a sore throat, and a sense of imminent doom started to come upon me, because deep, deep down, I knew the truth.... that I was getting sick. Yesterday it turned into a full-blown cold: the incessant runny nose, that horrible tickly-throated cough, the total lack of energy. So last night and today I've just been sitting around the house feeling crappy and trying to focus through the haze of cold medicine long enough to get some work done. The timing could be a lot worse - I don't have any major plans this weekend, or any big papers/projects due this coming week - but being sick just sucks any way you slice it. And being sick when you live alone sucks even more. It always makes me want to be a kid again so that mommy can take care of me.

Alright, alright, no more self pity. At least I have a good excuse to watch movies :)

I heart technology

2005-10-07T21:33:00.000-07:00

Behold the new love of my life. I've been wanting an ipod for ages and I finally broke down and got one. Of course, now I'm really glad I waited, because the new ones have a standard color screen and more battery life. This little machine has already made my days brighter - now I don't have to anticipate what music I might want to listen to while I'm on campus or wherever, because it's all with me! Plus I can take it anywhere because it's so little.

I also finally bothered to figure out how to program my VCR. So now when I'm out at night for class or fun I don't have to miss the trashy shows I love :) Technology is the best.

Photo of the day: Maine sunset again

2005-10-06T16:19:00.000-07:00

Here's another pretty sunset picture for you. Sunsets are definitely my favorite thing to photograph. I've never seen any as beautiful as the ones in California, but this particular one in Maine came pretty close.

Jesus helps me score

2005-10-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

When I first saw this, I thought it was a joke...

http://www.catholicshopper.com/products/inspirational_sport_statues.html

... but I was mistaken. Apparently there are Catholics out there putting these things on display in their homes. When they say it helps to reinforce "Jesus as friend" do they mean special friend? Because he's a little too close to that boy in the baseball statue.

Photo of the Day: Lobster...Mmm Mmm Good

2005-10-04T23:52:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of my favorite food, and one of the two main reasons that I will never be a vegetarian (the other is of course bacon). My mother is from Maine, so eating lobster is pretty much in my blood. This particular lobster (along with that tasty beer you can see in the corner of the picture) was consumed by me this last August during a visit to Maine.

Touched By His Noodly Appendage

2005-10-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

How have I not discovered this before???

http://www.venganza.org/

Last night some of my friends made reference to the Flying Spaghetti Monster in conversation but I had no idea what they were talking about. Then today I found a link to this on one of my favorite sites, www.dooce.com, and was subsequently blown away. Brilliant! I especially like the chart correlating global warming and the existence of pirates.

After you read the "Open Letter," make sure to visit this link as well in order to feel the full awesomeness of the FSM:

http://wwfsmd.ytmnd.com/

Photo of the day: Bridge Over Oily Water

2005-10-02T13:31:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken during my trip back to the East Coast in August - specifically, in Portsmouth, NH. The water looks almost oily - it's a very cool effect.

A real feel-good movie

2005-10-02T12:17:00.000-07:00

And while I'm posting links, you should also watch this trailer for "Shining":

http://www.ps260.com/molly/SHINING%20FINAL.mov

If you haven't seen The Shining it won't be quite as funny, but you probably know enough about the movie to appreciate the editing genius involved here.

How it really went down

2005-10-02T12:04:00.000-07:00

Check out this hilarious recreation of George Bush's REAL plan about Hurricane Rita:

http://www.livejournal.com/community/_wtf/572027.html?view=3972987#t3972987

Hee!

Some weekend fun

2005-10-01T17:02:00.000-07:00

Well, my social life here in AZ is finally starting to pick up. I went to another open mic last night, but this one was organized by some ASU grad students, so I got to meet some of them. Today I went with one of them to a meeting of a progressive/activist coalition of ASU and other local people. It was nice on a social level, and I'm also glad to be hooking up with other activists here, since I wouldn't feel like my like was complete without some kind of social justice work. I talked to one guy who runs an organization to do with border/immigration issues that is always looking for Spanish translators, so I might end up doing some of that.

Last night I also met this band named Dirty Ruckus made up of four really cool guys. I hit it off with them right away and I joined them and some other musicians on stage for an impromptu blues jam - it was so fun! Hopefully I'll get to jam/hang out with them in the future.

Tonight a few friends from school and I are going to "Oktoberfest" in Tempe, so I'm guessing that there is some beer and heavy food in my near future. And I get to celebrate my German roots! Woot!

Photo of the day: New York street at dusk

2005-09-30T17:14:00.000-07:00

This is just a random picture from my trip to NYC in June, but I really love it.

Open Mic craziness

2005-09-27T23:00:00.000-07:00

Even though my social life in AZ isn't quite what I want it to be yet, one very cool thing is that I've been going to lots of open mic nights. I went to two in the last few days, and I'm going to two more later this week! I'm really enjoying it on both the musical and social levels - I've met some very cool people and already started jamming with one of them so that we can write and perform together in the future. He learned one of my songs last night, and it was so strange to hear someone else sing it (strange in a really good way). I've started going to one open mic regularly on Sunday nights, and this last time it was so fun! There were a ton of people there (who were actually there to listen to the music), and since I tend to feed off the crowd I did really well when it was my turn to perform. Afterward this little girl actually asked me for an autograph - I felt like a rock star! It's a little strange because I feel like I'm living two different lives right now - my school life and my musician life. The friends I've made in the two situations are so different, and as a result I guess I'M different too. My ASU friends keep saying they want to come hear me play at some point, and I'd love that, but at the same time I think it would be really weird to combine my two separate worlds. Know what I mean?

Photos of the Day: The end of our tour

2005-09-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post a few more photos of the center of campus. This should at least give you all some idea of what ASU looks like.

Crazy

2005-09-26T23:59:00.000-07:00

I'm all for human rights, but this is taking it too far:

Cooing at new-born babies banned
A West Yorkshire hospital has banned visitors from cooing at new-born babies over fears their human rights are being breached and to reduce infection.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_yorkshire/4284522.stm

I get the part about infection, but come on! This is just crazy.

Photo(s) of the Day: ASU campus contd.

2005-09-23T17:32:00.000-07:00

See? We DO have plants in Arizona. They're just not . . . the usual kind.

Aaarghh!!!!!!!!!

2005-09-23T16:28:00.000-07:00

Vatican 'to ban new gay priests'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4276912.stm

Just when I thought the Catholic Church had done every possible thing in their power to piss me off, they come out with this idiotic pronouncement. Did they ever think that maybe their problems with pedophilia have less to do with the presence of gay men in the priesthood and more to do with the fact that they force their priests to be CELIBATE! Ugh.

Photo of the Day: Suggestive Cactus

2005-09-22T17:37:00.000-07:00

We have quite a few of these not-at-all phallic monsters on campus.

Photo(s) of the Day: Hayden Library

2005-09-20T12:49:00.000-07:00

Today we continue our virtual tour of ASU with several views of its gigantic library. I've actually only been inside twice so far, and both visits were related to videos that the Prof needed for the class I TA. However, I'm sure Hayden and I will become quite familiar over the course of my time at ASU.

Random rant: Extraneous siren noises

2005-09-19T17:24:00.000-07:00

Several of the pre-programmed radio stations in my car are hip-hop stations (or stations that play hip-hop among other things). I like to listen to hip-hop in my car, because I have way more rock/folk/etc. CDs, and thus am more likely to listen to that stuff at home. However, I have noticed a disturbing trend in hip-hop in the last few years, in which more and more rappers (or hip-hop producers) feel the need to include siren noises in their songs. I can't really afford to be getting any speeding tickets, and cops just make me nervous in general, so if I'm driving along and all of a sudden I hear a siren, it freaks me out every time! After a few seconds I figure out it's just the song, and then everything's cool, but those few moments are never fun. Sometimes I even have to switch to another station, just to make sure it's the song. I say this trend needs to end NOW.

Photo of the Day: The view from my second home

2005-09-19T16:19:00.000-07:00

This is the view from my new home away from home - namely, the Religious Studies department at ASU. It's on the third floor of the building, meaning that the stairs and I are getting friendly this year. That walkway between the palms is the route I take from the department to the building where that classes I T.A. are held (just out of the picture), and if I keep heading in the same direction, it takes me to the garage where I park. More pictures of my new surroundings to follow in the next few days.

No more spam

2005-09-19T16:16:00.000-07:00

I just turned on the "word verification" function on my blog, to avoid getting more comment spam. Now you have to type in a word to submit a comment - that way no automated system can leave comments on my blog. Thanks blogger!

Nothing special

2005-09-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

I'm just in a good mood and felt like posting. I went to an open mic tonight and had an awesome time. I met some really cool people and heard some great music. I even talked to a guy about doing some songwriting together, which would be fun. I haven't gotten a chance to do co-writing in a while.

Before I forget, check out this hilarious article on the Onion:

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/40520

So funny! Sometimes I feel like calling off the search too :)