Osama

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Have we forgotten Chandra?

October 30, 2001 in Life, Politics | No comments

Lets see- it’s been a while since my last update- August 20th to be exact, but who’s counting? I could sit here and make excused as to why it has taken me so long to update the site, but let’s face it- we all know why- there just hasn’t been anything interesting going on. I mean it’s been at least two months since I’ve even heard the name Gary Condit on the news. What is wrong here people? Have we forgotten Chandra?

So these are indeed interesting times. As much as I would love to ignore the events of September 11th, (and believe me- on this front page of my website I will try to as much as possible), life has taken a sudden turn for the complicated in the past seven weeks. People are actually dressing like Uncle Sam for Halloween, constitutional rights have been proven meaningless, and it’s been at least two months since I’ve heard Bennie and the Jets on the radio. I see now that some things have improved.

However, as the saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. I shudder with fear whenever I see an airplane, just like I always did. I sing ‘God Bless America’ every night before bed, just as I always have, and I pray to the east just before opening unmarked mail, just like my papa taught me. And to think- Osama says that he’s the one who scared me.

Be it youth, arrogance, or a healthy mix of both, I am sure of one thing- I am invincible. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I find this supposed national fear quite laughable. Yes, what happened in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington was horrible. Yes, it was this generation’s Pearl Harbor, and yes, it will be impossible for anyone who experienced a part of it to forget. However, the quivering idiots who are keeping their kids from trick or treating, who are stocking up on antibiotics and who are standing by idly as we blindly give unquestioning support to an administration that favors a swift crusade over thoughtful response are doing far more to harm this nation than any four jets ever could.

Am I the only sane one in here? If so, what happened to rest of us, and why won’t all the fools go home, shut up, and put on their latex gloves and masks? I don’t know the answer to this and I’m not all that sure that anyone else does either. Oh well. If we did have the answer, I’ve got a good idea that people are so dead set on ignoring common sense that now it would go unnoticed.

I know that this is ending with sort of a thud, but barring unforeseen circumstances, this will be the last mention of the WTC and related US policy decisions on the front page of this site. I will be posting many articles on what has happened in the past two months, and what will happen in the coming months until this mess is over. Please stay tuned, this should be an interesting year.

Papers and Recording

March 11, 2001 in Life, School | No comments

I’m tired. Actually, I’ve been tired for upwards of a week now, stemming from my all-night political science writing and reading adventure. Yeah, that was about as fun as it sounds. I spent from about 6:00pm Monday night until 11:30am Tuesday morning reading for a midterm and writing a paper on the fight for suffrage and abolition, and how statements made from lead figures in the respective movements were looking for broad social change or simply the enforcement of the rights granted in the Declaration of Independence. Don’t ask me for the answer- All I wrote was “yes.” Actually, it was a pretty good paper. I even learned a lesson from the experience- don’t stay up for more than 30 hours.

Yes, I know, all sorts of drug addicts stay up for days on end, but I’m simply not man enough for it. As of 11:30am I had been up for 27 hours, and had an afternoon of various classes and meetings ahead of me.

When I finally got back to my room at 3:30, I played guitar instead of going to bed. I was certain that if I fell asleep, I would wake up at about midnight and then I’d be screwed. Well, after I realized that at one point I had been staring out my window playing an A minor for about ten minutes, I decided that I could spare a nap. I woke up a few hours later at the insistence of my alarm, and ever since I have been a little less than energetic. It’s pretty sad when I have to look forward to the “comfort” of finals week to catch up on sleep. Oh well, at least I got a B+ on the midterm.

In other news, the Bin Lauden gig actually yielded an award of sorts for Sexshun 14. “51 Feet Away” actually made it to the second round of the new song contest, where it will win sometime next term. In other words, we’re an award-winnin’, singin’ sensation! It was great; all of the judges and audience members were laughing like mad. The only disappointment was that we only had three representatives of our immense fan pool present- Lauren, Melita, and Taka’s girlfriend, whose name I don’t know how to spell. I guess that was ok, seeing as Mary was in Lake Oswego and Vanessa in Redmond. Hopefully we’ll be recording the song in a few days, but based on mine and Peter’s attempt at recording the song on a four track last night, we need some more practice. It’s kinda hard to squeeze out talent from where there is none. However, when it is recorded I will post a MP3 somewhere on this site.

That’s about it for now- tonight I’ll probably make updates on a few pages, including the friends page, sports and music, so go ahead and take a look. For now, it’s laundry time.

Valentine’s Day

February 22, 2001 in Life | No comments

HAHA!!! Take that, God. Valentine’s day did not entirely suck this year, unlike the three previous Valentine’s Days. What was the difference? It could have been the fact that for once I actually bought dryer sheets, so my shirt didn’t cling quite so closely to my body, but then again my new-found comfort doesn’t explain the 63% I received on my Spanish exam. I know, a little less than stellar, but I feel ok since my GTF said that a lot of typically good test-takers saw drops of 20-25% in their grades on this test. For me, it was 30. Oh well- there’s two more exams. Maybe I shouldn’t have written my answers in German.

After the test debacle, I spent about a half hour outside of Condon Hall looking for the elusive perfect two roses to go with the already discovered perfect red rose. After much internal debating, I settled on two very nice white roses. Actually, they ended up being two different shades of white. Oh well- she seemed to like them.

As for the aforementioned “she”… Mary ditched me until about midnight on Valentine’s, which left me to sit in my room and panic about classes (once again, due to the exam). My fears were temporarily extinguished though when she walked in with a weird grin on her face. After talking for a few minutes, and hearing her apologize for not calling to say she would be late, she pretty much asked me if I wanted her to be my girlfriend. This was great for two reasons- first, of course I wanted her to be my girlfriend. Second, for a brief period of about 15 minutes, I was once again in control.

But that illusion has once again faded. Oh well, there’s other news. We (Sexshun 14) finished “51 Feet Away” last week and will be performing it at Thursday’s staff meeting- this should be a giant leap in my bid for stardom, though I never really thought that I’d be a pop star. However, I really need to learn how to play a B and an F so I can finally get some music credits. We’ve also got a gig at the EMU’s Bin Lauden Room, for some kind of new song contest. I think that it’s for the folk festival, but oh well- we’ll tear the roof down with ‘51 Feet’ and perhaps another Sexshun gem, yet to be finished.

Aside from Sexshun stuff and Mary, not too much is really new with me. I have once again been battling illness, and I’m beginning to think that I am in fact cursed. I mean, in almost three months I have had tonsillitis twice, strep throat once and my current nasty cough/sore throat. I think that this is just some intricate plot by someone to murder me. Hmm… perhaps it is God, responding to my boasting at the beginning of this post. I’m on to you, man.

As for the page updates, in the next week or so I will once again be updating my friends page, along with adding two new adventures, a new good & bad list, music reviews, my first article on the politics page, updates on the Mustang page… in short, EVERY page will receive attention over the coming weekend. Stay tuned and keep coming back.