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It seems like I don't really have time for myself, let alone writing introspective and revealing journal entries that would be of interest to myself in a week, a year, or a decade. besides, most of what I'm thinking now is either related to my thesis work or my electrochem final, and it would be difficult to express those thoughts in ascii. They're mostly math and graphs.

Of course my intense workload breeds intense relaxation. And so I'm indulging in the drugs that I can shrug off at will. I finally figured out how to use the VPN and the campus direct connect hub, so that I can more effectively acquire Sopranos and Enterprise episodes. Since I am unwilling to pay for HBO, the network offers me a great opportunity to appreciate a show that I'd otherwise only seen in hotel rooms. I'm impressed by the profound depth of the characters, and the deliberate pace of the show. It's very unique. I wish Enterprise would take a lesson from the Sopranos and slow itself down to get into more depth. I think it's starting to find a stride with the episodes from the latter half of this season. The more it connects to social issues the better the shows are. I really enjoyed watching a copy of "The Judgement", which was pre-empted for a Cavs game, and this weeks episode was a nice look at gender discrimination with a very nice twist on Star Trek's typical morality play. I'm glad that the writers are taking advantage of this time before the prime directive.

Background Music: moe.- Happy Hour hero, Queen of the Rodeo. Vida Blue - Most Events Aren't Planned, Where's Popeyes, Electra Glide.
posted by Ben at (1) comments 11:39 PM

 
Woo Hoo! I passed. Now I need to go get free Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream, settle, and revise my thesis so I can condense it to paper form by tomorrow.

posted by Ben at (1) comments 3:37 PM

 
Vice-grip head excel plots, PowerPoint, memory problems. The big day is tomorrow, but is it big, is it deep, is it shallow. Shall i be swallowed whole by my own unwitting callousness? Is it bad that I haven't finished my presentation? Will I be questioned about the math that I barely understand? Can preparation for the questions change the outcome? Is the outcome pre-determined?
posted by Ben at (0) comments 5:45 PM

 


Panic crept up my spine like the first rising vibes of an acid frenzy.
posted by Ben at (1) comments 10:55 PM

 
Woo hooo! A Jeff Waful interview of Brendan Bayliss. Umphrey's McGee is a pretty big blip on jambands.com's radar.

Bayliss's strange appreciation of Creed surprises me but does not change my opinion of that band. Although, My Own Prison wasn't that bad of a song.... Maybe I can admit that publicly.

Is all about the lego thing anyway.
posted by Ben at (1) comments 10:17 AM

 
I'm terminally twisted on skunky dortmunder and walleye wheat. I am a jazz musician soloing with the tap tap tap of these keys. The music is in these sounds, images and thoughts, incoherently and wild. There is freedom in this expression, sound in the sand. Focus in the distance, let the prtesent become blurred. Tomorrow is standing arm in arm with the past.

I just walked back from Sean Elias’ end of the year blowout/ultimate Frisbee party on Grandview. Sean invited everybody that he had ever emailed to attend, that included Feke. According to Sean, Feke replied saying that he couldn't attend. So Sean wrote back saying that he'd build a statue of Feke in the lawn and we could all do the hero worship thing. Feke's response was a simple thank you to Sean for making him laugh. Sean's a very funny guy, and a perfect spirited companion for the drudgery of ChemE at its darkest. I will certainly cherish my memories of sitting in class with him and making light of the boredom of various subjects. Pound Pound. There is rhythm in this message. there is hope in these words as nostalgia boils up to mingle with the present, and the delicate sounds of Neil Young dance with silver and gold streamers to provide a background.

The party was great in terms of turnout, but lacked any diversity of experience, just people looking to blow off steam. I suppose that would be good enough for some, but it doesn't inspire me. My perfect party was described in the Dharma Bums. Kerouac described a party with three distinctly different things occurring simultaneously. I dug it. That will be my meter, and my dream as few people seem to think in that direction. A couple kegs of beer and a lot of people = party. Not to me. A party is a celebration, a shared experience, it is an experience, it is entertaining. While I enjoy beer, I don't particularly care for the drug within the malty brew, certainly parties should not be built around the drug. That's misguided. While alcohol makes things like Kid Rock much more enjoyable, it is not necessary. Non-Kid rock music could eliminate that need. Anyway, it was a great idea and I appreciate the effort Sean took to get that together. It was nice to see him once more before I graduate and leave Cleveland.

Interestingly, I think I experienced something today that could only work in Cleveland. I went out with my fraternal family tree (all four of us). We tried to get into Mekong River, but the wait was obscene and ill defined. Eventually we ended up at our "usual place". I was intrigued that Pabin and Roper used that phrase. Could a tradition have been born? The Flat Iron Cafe was much more packed than normal, and a band was playing. I've seen the bands set up before, but I've never seen them draw a croud and keep things moving. I may not have seen any perform. Tonight’s act was the Geeze Cats. They did a nice assortment of late 50s early 60s covers, including some impressive renditions of Ventures surf classics. They also hammed it up classically. If they played a Roy Orbison cover, they all donned Orbison wigs. They'd wear goofy false teeth to play the Beverly Hillbillies Theme, dresses to cover girl groups, etc. Their banter was also great. I think their lead man was convinced that we were pre-gaming before heading to a strip club. It was untrue, but an interesting idea. Anyway, I was glad to see them at this moment. Somehow the tacky charm, in a restaurant/bar that I see as being very Cleveland resonated as profoundly real. I think Rope Diggity and Pabin vibed on it too. Thraller may have picked it up as well, but that's unclear.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 1:57 AM

 
Yesterday was a celebration of lasts. I attended my last class at CWRU, and the last class of the foreseeable future. I may get crazy and decide to go back to school, but that'll be in a couple years. I also partook in what will likely be my last set of initiations. There were some frustrating rough spots, but eventually things were smoothed out and worked well. I'm really fond of the Phi Kappa Tau ritual. It's profoundly appropriate and stirring. It was great just to watch the new members as the ceremony offered revelations, insights, and a very memorable experience. I remember my initiation as dark, introspective, and transformative. I'm not sure if it works that way for everyone, or if it was just because I spent the semester in a rather introspective place figuring lots of stuff out. Regardless, it was profound. One source of great reward within the initiation ritual is its amazing depth. I've participated in countless ceremonies and while I may not realize something new every time we perform the ceremony, I walk out of every session having learned something new about the ritual and often about my self.

One of the great tings about ritual is that it is an experience defined by three significant Rs. S good ritual will recognize, reveal, and renew. There is an acknowledgment of truths, past deeds, or scripture that provides the foundation for the ceremony. Throughout the course of the event new ideas, secrets, or experiences are revealed. The new information coupled with significant reflection allows for the ritual to become transformative allowing the participant to have a new outlook, new standing, or newly cleansed self. The transformation within ritual is truly captivating. How can a silly scripted ceremony change lives? It certainly is peculiar, but it is a regular occurrence. Consider marriage rituals. These have been practiced for millennia and are widely regarded as transformative. Is it really the ceremony or the marriage that is transformative? Could there be a marriage without ritual, without some defined beginning? Can a marriage come to be without being born? Can there be a wedding without ritual?

While relationships can come into being without pomp or circumstance, its difficult to adopt a structure without some sort of public or private ritual. Rituals are not just structures of organized religions, secret societies and the Boy Scouts of America. They are a part of everyday life. Private rituals define the transitions within our lives. The rituals involved in going to college, moving, aging, are ill defined but are no less defined by recognizing, revealing, and renewing. They certainly cause confusions in people who don't recognize the form of their transition.

One can argue about the ability of repeated rituals, like communion, to reveal but in that case it can be claimed that the truths are revealed through repetition.

Background Music: moe. - kids, kids toys, shoot first, edison laugh record. REM - Radio Free Europe, Pilgrimage, Laughing, Talk About the Passion, Moral Kiosk, Perfect Circle, Catapult
posted by Ben at (0) comments 10:31 AM

 
This is too funny.

what number are you?

this quiz by orsa
posted by Ben at (0) comments 10:15 AM

 
I just got the PhiTau monthly planner email and it contains a list of donations to the Hole in the Wall Gang Camps. The current national donation is $54,512.95, but looking at the chapter break down (of which I'll excerpt the top 10) something is amiss. Our chapter should take emergancy action to out donate our neighbor chapter at BW, even if its just by a dollar.


Penn State ($14,751.60)
Bradley ($10,000)
Evansville ($3,277)
Bethany ($3,000)
Baldwin-Wallace ($2,700)
St. Cloud State ($2,367)
Case Western ($2,276.11)
Oklahoma State ($2,100)
Cal State-Fullerton ($2,000)
Centre ($1,850)
posted by Ben at (0) comments 9:33 AM

 
On a day that Xanga is riddled with technical difficulties it is clear that Blogger reigns supreme.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 7:22 AM

 
Today's seminar was great, it was given by our Adler Banquet speaker, about the use of flakes to improve barrier properties. It's a nice twist on the research work I did with Prof. Nazarenko a few summers ago. Interestingly Sergei came to the seminar - exactly one hour late. The speaker was really good, and studied at UW Madison under Lightfoot of Bird, Stewart and ... fame. Apparently, Lightfoot was difficult to understand. Or so E. Cussler stated as he began his seminar sitting in the back row, not far from where Christy Lett would typically find herself. His goal was to do the opposite, and he succeeded. It was without question the best seminar of the semester, and covered a lot of ground. The best part was undoubtedly a 4 minute piece of standup. He started out telling us to ignore the equations on his slide, as he just put them there to intimidate people. From there he went on to talk about some of the differences between presentations given by chemists and those given by engineers. The key difference is in the graphs. Chemists don't label their graphs, and they all look squiggly with the key point being that the baseline is not the same. Engineers, on the other hand, label their graphs and plot things increase asymptotically. The thing is that engineers don't label their graphs with anything that is readable, unless its a dimensionless number. He then paused to remind us that chemists like things that sound Germanic. So Cussler suggested that the best dimensionless number to use to intimidate the chemists would be the second Dahmkohler number. Not only does it sound Germanic, so they think that they should know it, they'll stop and think that they don't even know what the first one is. Of course this isn't as funny as it was in person, but if I write it down I can remember it better. This is my electronic journal not a message board to you voyeuristic readers.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 10:19 PM

 
Now this is why I have enormous respect for the Dixie Chicks. Natalie Maines has says some choice words about G-dub and the fact that Texas is the Chicks home state at a concert and a number of fans get upset. I don't necessarily agree with Ms. Maines, but I respect her right to free speech. Many of the angered fans called up country stations (or maybe Clear Channel called for them - who cares) and demanded that they stop playing Chicks singles. Again that's their right; yay free speech. The station does not have to listen. I think that some did, though. While the controversy made headlines, I don't believe that it hurt record sales. It may even have helped them some. Now this EW cover looks like a raw rollingstone cover from its last days of relevance in the early 90s. I also think that its a great move on the dixie chicks part. It’s certainly a powerful response. They should not be ashamed of their ideas or expressions, just as they appear not to be ashamed of their bodies. I'm certain that this shot will ruffle a few feathers in the bible belt. So be it. I'll still buy their cds. I may actually start buying their over-produced back catalog. As long as they keep making decisions that will alienate their "target market" I'll be interested. I hope that they maintain their musical freedom and release more well engineered blue-grass/folk albums.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 1:49 PM

 
Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find a readable online copy of the Bhagavad Gita? I remember having difficulties in 1997-1998, but now its almost impossible. The Hare Krishnas have further spread their exceptionally annotated version with one verse in both Sanskrit, anglicized Indian, and English with lengthy commentary from the Swami Prabhupada. Bhagavad-Gita.org is hilariously unreadable with each verse on a separate page, but with real audio of the verses being read. I do appreciate how the gita is so deep that you can savor each verse. It is very dense, and most of the verses are worthy of such attention but at the same time part of the beauty of the Gita is the fluidity of its poetry. There is joy in reading the gita, and joy in studying it. Unfortunately the theological scholarship gets in the way of the flow of the text. This would be very troubling for first time readers, and still annoys me after reading three or four different translations. The thing that irks me is that the Hare Krishna version is a very nice translation, not that I can comment on its lyrical accuracy, but is presented in such an unreadable manner that it is useless to casual readers. Then there are the boring presentations. This full text is formatted in such a blindingly dull fashion that I can't bear to read more than five verses. It's also rather dry reading. ISKCON, surprisingly, has an only moderately annoying online version of their text. I also like the formatting. I will stop my search at the International Gita Society , which has a readable version of the gita as well as retellings of the Ramayana and Mahabharata online as well as the texts of other hindu scriptures. Their translation is readable, and they also have some discussion of four popular translations of the gita. Unfortunately, I lack the time to reread Arjuna's dialogue with god as he rides into a terrible battle, but I shall remember some of its lessons and be inspired.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 9:43 AM

 
"Abstract and bored" I'm in a post rock pavement sort of vibe trying to focus my mind and get into academic gear. This paper won't write itself: at least, not without a substantial bribe. I wonder if there actually is a seminar today. Lillia hasn't sent out an email yet. There must be or else Alison and Bethany would have been scheduled for today, or I wouldn't have been told that the only available Thursday was 3/27. I'd rather not go to seminar. While an hour of thought provoking or boring discussion is tolerable, the way it slices up my day is not acceptable. For me, paper writing is a groove thing. I can't get into that groove if I know that I have to get out of it at some time in the near future. It doesn't matter that I have enough time to make significant progress. If a stopping point is in sight, my motivation flees.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 8:46 AM

 
I'm still a bit tired from the weekend, or maybe last week. I'm not sure. I'd like to wake up so that I could write more fluidly, with some sort of depth, poetry or importance. I don't think that will happen today: not with this burning desire to close my eyes.

Today's major event was distributing my thesis to my committee. I'm very excited to have taken that step. The defense is coming closer. I'll get to worry about that next week and over the weekend some. Initiation and the end of the year banquet are primed to make for an interesting weekend. I really need to bang out my electrochem paper so that I can enjoy the weekend. Hopefully I can accomplish that tomorrow and on Friday. That would leave me some quality time on the weekend to revise my defense presentation and do my last reactions homework assignment.

Today I entered the Delta Sigma Delta house for the first time. It looked and smelled like a forgotten bar. I needed to sneak into the make-up composite shots.. I didn't realize that they were co-ed. I guess that explains how they always have chicks in the hot tubs at their hot tub parties. Sneaky dentites.

Now the hot tub party is truly an awesome party idea. Its lecherous, creepy, warm, exciting, and provides a safe environment to get some clothing off of interesting people. Unfortunately some people think it's too creepy. I really enjoyed the hot tub party that we co-sponsored with Theta Chi a few spring rushes ago. Hot tubs in January are much better that hot tubs in August. Unfortunately, in January there aren't too many women who remember where they put their bikinis. Turnout was low for that event. It was partly location, partly midweek timing, and mostly a lack of interesting people to get the ball moving. I do recall some attractive, and perhaps a bit naughty, CIA students showing up as the party was winding down. Just our luck. Well it was a rush event so they weren't really our intended participants. Oh well. It was a nice try, and theta chi ate most of the bill.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 11:00 PM

 
Intense vibes of crazy backwardsness. My trainwrek of a reactions test caused delays of my mind, and of my electrochem homework. Doing electrochem HW in class certainly speeds up the apparent passage of time during that late class.

I finally checked out the video of the Phi Tau variety show from the PKT website. The performance looked pretty good despite rampant technical difficulties. One of these years we'll figure out how to use microphones, well that or we'll pre-record all of our dialogue. Now all I need to do is watch the controversial A-Phi bit. Mmmmm controversial A Phis...... Maybe I should watch the root beer chug, but something tells me that it would make me cry. I know our boys did the best that they could, but from the times that I heard we need to recruit people who can chug.

Anyway, I think that its great that the videos of these events are recorded for posterity. I know that I'll watch them next year. It might also be nice to archive a greatest hits of other chapters events. The DU pirate raft race should be remembered.

In other Greek news, I got word today that Phi Sigma Rho received their colony status. This sorority's decision to only admit engineers is a certainly interesting. It has stirred up some controversy on campus. I support the expansion of the sorority system. CWRU needs to have at least 10 sororities to provide a strong community and facilitate diversity amongst the sororities. While there certainly are some differences between chapters, I don't believe that they are as significant as the differences between CWRUs fraternities. I think a diversity in the types of organization increases the number of people interested in joining a Greek organization. An engineer only social sorority is an interesting concept, and will certainly involve some otherwise unwilling people in the formal rush process. Maybe they'll go Phi Rho, but I'd also wager that a fair number would join A Phi, AXO, Phi Mu or Sigma Psi.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 10:43 PM

 
I just realized that the 7/13 Phish show at the Gorge, that my brother and I are trying to go to will be my 4 year phish anniversary. My first show was 7/13/99 in MA. I think it's a safe bet that that was the last show that my companions Carolina and Rhonda saw... Good music, but not what interested them. At least they were willing to give it a shot, unlike a lot of the people I hang at with at CWRU. Of my fraternity brothers, only Shelly, J.Ho, and Johnny Cool have given shows a chance. I appreciate that. You guys rule. For those tracking statistics, that averages to one brother attending a show a year from 1999-2001. Kienitz kept the dream alive in 2002. 2003 seems to be a loss. Although, I'm interested in seeing Umphrey's McGee on 5/16 in Columbus.... any takers?
posted by Ben at (0) comments 8:46 AM

 
I really don't like cell phones, the poor sampling, the poor signal strength, the inconsistent service and the constant interruption all get to me. They're vile devices that simultaneously make someone more connected and more distant. Compressed audio sounds terrible and distant even when a cell phone is working well. Say what you will about things that are plugged into a wall, at least the analog signal can be of reasonable fidelity. I'm not going to rant about how I feel that cell phones disrupt natural life, making people more distant from those they are near. I could write for hours. Right now I'm just mad at Kate's cell phone which is plagued by drop outs and poor reception. I'm mad it for it's mockery, its spiteful reminders that we are apart, and its loathing of fluid conversation.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 10:21 PM

 
Torque brain ache, time lost, sleep deprived by excess, alone. Beating words of a weekend that was too short, but far better than nothing. My trip home was nice. It was good to be back in New England to resonate with my natural environment. It was refreshing to drive in Boston, Storrow Drive, Comm Ave, across the bridge. Cleveland drivers are two stupid, and passive, the streets are dull with lights that control instead of guiding. When driving in Boston,. I feel as though I'm on the same wavelength as the other drivers, I feel their need for speed, to shift lanes, make time with a minimum inconvenience. I just don't feel that connection to Cleveland's street creatures.

Also on a driving related note, on my way to the airport this morning I saw a novel and pleasant form of speed enforcement outside of Litchfield's middle school. An officer was driving back and forth along the section of 3A that is in the school zone keeping traffic at the leagal speed and reminding drivers that school was in session. If only UCI did that instead of pulling a guy over for doing something slower than the average nighttime speed, but still 16 above the legal speed.

I really enjoyed spending time with Kate. I miss her too much, and in ways that I hardly realize. Its the little moments, the undefined, unplanned and unexpected that are truly the best, like taking naps on the couch while using Kate as a footrest, or falling asleep watching the history channel, or going out to Lui Lui's for root beer.

Now I just need to find some way to recover from my cold/over eating/and sleep imbalance. Fortunately, Landau gave the class an extension for our electrochem paper. I can certainly get that done on Thursday or Friday instead of before.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 8:55 PM

 
I had planned to write some nice deep piece about how Maundy Thursday is my favorite part of the Easter holiday. That moment has passed, and it would just be a contrived set piece and not a journal entry reflecting my spontaneous thoughts. I'm heading home for Easter for the first time since going to school. It'll be the first time that I've done anything other than gorge myself on chocolate bunny. I will miss scattering Easter candy around the floor before people wake up. Maybe someone else will do that this year. The Oberon is starting to get to my head, and I need to crash so I can get up at 5:30 and make my flight. 5:30. I used to get up that early in high school so that I could get onto some local BBSes and play tradewars or download porn. If only more people played on the Salem Station. It was great being the evil king of Trade Wars 2002 and kicking Chris Corea's but, as well as annoying Admiral Paquin. The porn thing was a different BBS and it took 20 minutes to download a picture of Cindy Crawford in a bikini. 2400 baud baby. Those were the days. I do miss the tradewars thing though.... there's something to be said for turn based games where multiplayer interaction is relegated to sneak attacks while the other player is offline and writing things on the starport bathroom wall. There's also something to be said about a game that lets you transport colonists and jettison them to lower your alignment... thus allowing you to steal inventory from starports, sell the inventory to an adjacent starport, steal other inventory and make a loop. What a great game.

I was going to get all deep and spiritual but I'm left writing of vices both simulated and real. Jesus died for our sins, we must not let him die in vain, I suppose. Also, as I recall Siddartha took part in some wild stuff before finding enlightenment. It's a different religion, but I see it as equally valid. I'll worship no god that sent word of the one true faith to a certain sect of people and let the rest of the world fumble in darkness until imperialists, capitalists, and power crazed zealots brought "the word". I think a loving god would have a more effective plan, and Jesus did say that he'd herd other sheep, or find another flock, or some such thing. That's how the Mormons tie themselves into Christianity. I wonder what they do for Easter. The LDS church in Nashua has a pretty impressive nativity play in December complete with live animals. I also believe that Christ and Krishna were related. I'm not going to get into all of my reasons, but I will just challenge you skeptics to spell Christ in Sanskrit. Then I'd challenge you to get a masculine name that carried the style of its cast. There would simply be no debate of this issue if Jesus happened to be blue.

I'm going to turn in, but I'll do it wishing that I found a seder to go to today. I did the Que Tal thing. It was not Kosher in a number of ways, especially since this is Passover and rice and beans are added to the "no" list. I've only been to one Seder, during my confirmation class, and I found it to be very stirring. It also provided a delightful opportunity to impress this hot chick in my C. Class, but that's a different story. Our church has a local Rabbi come in every year, one week early, to hold a seder. I imagine that the rabbi is to busy with jews during Passover to entertain Christians. Also, one should bear in mind that the last supper was a Seder. It's a profound ritual that I wish more Christians, and whatever I am, would enjoy. The celebration of Easter is profound but is most powerful if celebrated with some memory of Passover. Admittedly, some of the Passover traditions regarding the coming of the savior are a little out of date by Christian ideals but the celebration of the Jewish journey to freedom from slavery in Israel was important to Jesus and should be a significant part of other Easter celebrations.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 11:23 PM

 
The cooling poetry of a forgotten breeze walks the streets, invisible. Dancing between silence and power chords from someone's window. There's a bus ticket in it's back pocket - also invisible, and a date book with only one name. The breeze stops and asks for Walt Whitman, and then for Allen Ginsburg. It ponders reincarnation, and wonders about death, having never completely abated. It remembers its friends, and running through the fixed hair of its enemies. It hopes to whistle through the streets between tall buildings, but not today. It has to wait for change, for the moment when hopes and dreams mingle with destiny, then it can blow. Blow! Like a bourbon street sax player with a six piece dancing band, blow! Like a mad poet whose words froth with a rabid intensity fearing not water, not excess, but nothingness: words grasping futilely towards forever but ending up shapeless, unrecognizable; just a breeze dreaming of a different day.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 4:47 PM

 
Yesterday, the tides of mail brought Alison Krauss and Union Station's Live cd to my door. I just finished listening to the second disc. It's a really nice two CD set, a very high fidelity live recording of acoustic instruments with some great performances. Alison's voice both thrills and chills, and Jerry Douglass' dobro soars. It is quite a pleasant listen. Now the work must begin...
posted by Ben at (0) comments 9:09 AM

 
My test was a trainwreck. Dr. Martin hasn't quite mastered writing tests to be completed in a reasonable time. They tend to be very computationally intense, and don't give much wiggle room to trackdown crippling math errors. Needless to say, i goofed up on the first of two problems. Solving systems of differential equations by hand is a bit extreme, especially since we are encouraged to use a computer program to solve them on homework problems. I lost time there. I also made a sign error; preventing completion of the second problem, but Dr. Martin is pretty good about giving partial credit for problems that are explained but not actually solved. Hopefully things turn out all right in the end

The pkt BBQ tonight was nice. There are upsides to this vile nice weather.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 9:14 PM

 
I have scheduled my MS thesis defense for Tuesday April 29 from 1:30-4:00 in the ChemE conference room. Hopefully all goes well.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 1:25 PM

 
I just popped in UM 3/19/03 and I'm really impressed with Pony's playing during the Example 1 > drums segue. So melodic, and jazzy. It's a side of Pony that I'm really excited to see, and so glad that he's developed. I'm sure it's been there a while, it's a necessary counter point for Jake's dissonance. I also guess the new drummer would shake some things up. That's what's happening right now in fact. Very strange drums.

Gwar. I have a reactions test today that I should be studying for. I've never really been good at studying for reactions, not even during my undergrad class. There are so many homework problems that its hard not to feel like you've worked through every possibility. I printed the solutions and read through those. That's my typical studying. I should do more, but productive procrastination kicks in. Last night I cut and placed inserts for a stack of CDR jewel cases two feet tall. It's about time that I got around to that. I'm not too worried about the exam. I have all day to study and it is open book and open note. I don't need to memorize anything. I just need to remember to do the steps that I skip on the homework and actually write out the energy balance.

Last weekend was similarly non-productive. I spent some time fiddling with my thesis., watching independent movie channels, and hanging out with my fraternity. Some of the documentaries on these channels seem really interesting. I watched part of a documentary on the culture of conservative jews in the south, that touched on the role of jews in the civil rights movement. That was neat, it was very personal for the director. I also caught the end of a documentary on fairies or little people which went from Ireland to Canada's maritime provinces. The most interesting was a documentary about Timothy Levitch called The Cruise. Its a fascinating look at a very eccentric bus tour guide. Reminiscent of Ginsberg, his poetry and dramatic descriptions reflect a deep love for the city of New York. His diction is captivating, and his discussion of his relationship with New York and it's buildings are quite thought provoking... in a twisted way. In writing this I've been poking around the internet trying to get a handle on this zen lunatic, truly keeping the divine craziness of the beats alive without becoming wholly derivative... This is an interesting quote from Levitch's book Speedology, "Boredom is an illusion. Boredom is the continuous state of not noticing that the unexpected is constantly arriving while the anticipated is never showing up. Boredom is anti-Cruise propaganda. Cruising is an act, the realization that standing still is exalting." Of course the book has quotes that are better representative of the film, of the philosophy, and of the man. None however struck me more than that quote at that point in time. So there you have it. Let it stare at you and bend you mind, seducing you to read some manic street prose by a fellow out to make some money without compromising himself, but certainly by exploiting himself. There's something about his crumpled jazz diction that pulls me in.

Ten minutes of terror pulled short into five or six. The Rope pull is a Greek week event that is loved or hated. The sad thing is that no one who hasn't been on a rope has any idea how profoundly stirring the experience can be. twenty guys entrenched in mood trying to pull their opponents into a pit of disgrace. A rope that bites you as you hold it closer. I wasn’t on the rope this year, having graduated, and thus I cannot comment on what happened to our team. I can comment only on what I saw. I saw pride, regret, frustration, vomit, strength, slippage, love, and sadness. The great thing about the rope pull is that it is won and lost as a team. If one person lets the rope slide, the other nine cannot hold it for them. An ill timed coaching command can similarly effect the outcome. On the flip side, syncopation brings exultation. The down side to the rope pull is the weigh in system. I think it is a necessary equalizer, but organizations differ in how hardcore they are about squeezing guys onto the rope and under the weight limit. This is a well publicized activity, which does in some cases approach recklessness. However, it is not an excuse to justify victory or loss. It is not prohibited and is not cheating. It's also not that difficult to drop 5-10 pounds of water and other temporary weight. That's 50-100 pounds that can be swung in two days with an early weigh in, and a healthy trip to Que Tal or China Buffet. Some organizations go further, but that's just how the choose to play. I don't think that it is wise or worth it, but their dedication and sacrifice could turn the tables. If they care more about victory than personal health, so be it.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 9:54 AM

 
Damn you Cleveland, damn you! This nice weather is foul. I demand three more weeks of clouds, rain, and perhaps the occaisional snow fall so that I can concentrate on my studies with out distracting temptations to go outside and play.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 3:26 PM

 
Greek week is in full swing, and I've been spending a lot of time with my fraternity. 5th Place in the Beach Ball relay, 1st place Raft Race, Sixth Place Obstacle Course, and 4th place Pyramid. I'm very proud. Currently we're tied for fifth place out of the 17 fraternities with Sigma Nu. The sad thing is that I'm not nearly as excited as I was when I participated in greek week, and I'm feeling a bit distant from the fraternity. Logically this makes some sense, but it's a little unsettling. It's also just started sinking in that I'll be leaving these guys in a couple weeks. That's going to take some adjustment. I have every intention of visiting Cleveland annually until all of the guys I recruited are out of the chapter, but one weekend a year is not even enough time to get caught up on chapter activities and the lives of my brothers. The fraternity is really a great organization with great people. I'll certainly miss each brother in different ways. By realizing this now, I shall have the opportunity to make the most of my last month with my boys.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 1:15 AM

 
So, Edwards is now on my committee. I'm glad to have that settled. I hear that he was actually on the defensive during Mike Grossner's PhD defense. Now I'm going to take oneness to the limit, everybody to the limit, and fill out this time consuming but not shallow survey, which I stole from zzyzx.


1) What was the first song you remember hearing?
"The wonderful thing about tigers", from some Winnie the Pooh lp.
2) What was the first album you ever bought with your own money?
hmmm. It was either Billy Joel's "River of Dreams" or something from the Beatles catalog.
3) What was the first concert you ever attended?
Live on their Secret Samadhi tour. And get this, I thought that their lights were really cool. I had a lot to learn.
4) What was the most recent song you've heard, or the song you're listening to right now?
Good Day Sunshine - The Beatles.
5) What was the most recent album you bought?
I recently bought and downloaded LivePhish 2/21/03 from Cincinnati. As for recent real Cd purchase, I ordered Alison Krauss and Union Station's Live cd, but it hasn't arrived yet.
6) What was the most recent concert you attended?
Medeski, Martin, and Wood last night at the agora
7) Off the top of your head, what would you say are the five best songs ever recorded?
Like Zzyzx, I'll limit myself to studio tracks with lyrics. In no particular order:
Umphrey's McGee - Divisions
Bruce Springsteen - The Rising
Neil Young - Down by the River
The Beatles - Nowhere Man
Phish - Rift
8) The five best albums?
I'm going with studio albums.
The Beatles - Abbey Road
Bruce Springsteen - The Rising
Tom Waits - Mule Variations
Neil Young - Tonight's the Night
Leo Kottke and Mike Gordon - Clone
9) What was the best live show you've ever seen?
Hmmm. Phish 6/30/00 - Hartford??
10) What was your favorite song when you were seven?
Coming to America - Neil Diamond. Blame Levar Burton for that one.
11) When you were thirteen?
Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) - the Beatles. Sex, slang, and sitar, a dream song for 13 year old Ben.
12) When you were eighteen?
Harry Hood - Phish
13) What artists did you used to be fanatic about that you hardly even listen to now?
Pink Floyd, and I'm not sure why.
14) What in your opinion are the worst songs ever recorded?
Puddle of Mudd stuff... angst without purpose. I don't really spend much time paying attention to music that I don't find interesting. There's too much interesting music to waste my time elsewhere.
15) What artist is most likely to make you cringe?
Ja Rule – I can stand neither his voice nor that stupid look on his face.
16) Approximately how many albums do you own?
300, if you include my live cdrs we're up in the thousands.
17) What artists do you own four or more albums by?
Not including cdrs of concerts, and counting double albums as 1: The Beatles, Dodgy, Dave Mathews related (4), Phish, Pink Floyd, Tom Waits, Neil Young, REM, moe., Sheryl Crow, Bruce Springsteen, The Presidents of the United States of America, and Ani Difranco. If you include shows, Umphrey's McGee, Charlie Hunter, Medeski Martin and Wood, Trey Anastasio, John Scofield, Reid Genauer and the Assembly of Dust, Percy Hill, and Strangefolk all jump into the mix.
18) What album is your greatest guilty pleasure?
mizundastood - Pink
19) What album are you most ashamed to admit that you ever owned?
I used to have that Ace of Bass cd... maybe I don't anymore.
20) What is the strangest album you currently own?
It depends on how you define strange. Likely, it'd be either the Siket Disc - Phish, or the Dropper- MMW
21) What artists would you recommend to a friend who is looking for music they've most likely never heard?
I'm an Umphrey's McGee poster boy, so that's likely. Since most of my friends ignore the jam scene, I'd send them to moe., and if they had jazz tendencies Scofield or Charlie Hunter.
22) What song is most likely to bring you to tears?
The Rising - Bruce Springsteen
23) What song are you most likely to crank up the volume for on a bad day?
I don't really do this, but if I did I might do it with Okayalright by moe.
24) What song reminds you most of your current or most recent significant other?
Wading in a Velvet Sea - Phish
25) What song reminds you most of high school?
Another Brick in the Wall pt. 2 - Pink Floyd
26) Of college?
Cleveland Rocks - The Presidents of the United States of America
27) What is your favorite radio station?
WXRV 92.5 The River
28) If you were given a music store gift certificate, what album would you most likely spend it on?
Live Phish #5 or Trey's live album
29) If they made a movie about your life, what would you choose as the theme song?
You Enjoy Myself - Phish from A Live One. It's so moving, transcendent, and lends itself nicely to montages.

posted by Ben at (1) comments 4:39 PM

 
I'm writing from purgatory here in Smith Computer Lab. I've just finished my paper presentation, and subsequent thesis editorial discussion, now I need to move on to asking my one committee member. I pitched Baskaran to Feke, but he's pretty busy, so Feke countered with my arch-nemesis (not really, but the closest thing, next to gravity, that I have to an arch nemesis) Prof. Edwards. I though about it, and I'm a game. He can't be that bad, he was in a be-bop band. It also helps that I knew that he'd end up on my committee back when I was taking his course. I also knew that It wouldn't necessarily be by my choosing. Fair reader, don't ask how I knew. I think I just vibed on the universe's infinite irony drive.

Tere was no entry yesterday because when I awoke, nothing had happened since the last entry, and I was busy at school until 7:00 and went to the MMW show at the agora. I don't have a setlist or even an attempt at one, as like the Scofield show I didn't bring my palm because I expected to be unable to name songs or recognize most of the material. They played some stuff off the dropper and combustication that I recognized, but I couldn't name. I enjoyed the show, maybe not as much as Scofield, but well enough to be worth my time and money. It was a treat just to see these three virtuosos play, let alone all on one stage. Billy Martin, the drummer, was a zen weirdo to the fullest looking completely at peace and relaxed as he hit these wild beats, syncopated fills, and did some crazy stuff on percussion. Chris Wood is a monster. He could coax amazing tones out of electric and upright bases while playing these insane lines, and at one point simultaneously providing his own percussion. It's no wonder that the upright looks well worn. John Medeski is simply a mad scientist, that or a monster that is a mad scientist. He could be like Frankenstein (the movie monster) slamming his hands, fingers flayed down onto his keys and sounding these mad chords. Or he could play soft little bits of sound to fill space, dancing sonically. Medeski is also the only person I have seen that could punch a piano and make it musical. MMW is flat out wild. The highlights for me were the set 1 opener, a number of Combustication, and the most melodic piece on the dropper as well as Chris Woods INSANE bass solo/percussive abuse, the 10+minute drum solo to close the second set, and the encore. I can't describe the bass solo. It was notes. It was rocking it was banging. It was great. The drum solo is equally difficult to describe, and bear in mind that I'm typically bored by drum solo's after 3 minutes. Martin was amazing, and the most visually interesting thing he did was when he moved to the percussion stuff and started to play intricate rhythms with both hands while picking up and dropping a go go bells to tad additional sound which was in time. The encore was great, as MMW played half a tune to the point of a bass solo. Chris switched from electric to upright. The upright wasn't plugged in, for whatever reason, so he had to grab a drum mike and bend it over to pick up the sound. Medeski ducked down (as was his habit during M or W's solos and popped up with a wind powered toy keyboard. he motioned to Martin and before I knew it Wood had picked up his base and the three of them went to the lip of the stage to finish the song sons amplification. Medeski on the toy, Wood on Upright, and Martin on some kind of hand drum that sounded a lot like a dj scratching. It was great.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 3:17 PM

 
"The game is over. We hope that peace will prevail and that is all that we hope." - Mohammed Al Douri, Iraqi Ambassador to the UN
posted by Ben at (0) comments 3:54 PM

 
Mr. Big Iraqi Guy in a Black Tank Top Carrying a Sledge Hammer, you are my hero today. Your pounding poetry fracturing marble and cement, chipped at the regime and built an enthusiasm in that crowd of people. Each swing, and hit, sounded freedom for your people. While you could not bring down the statue, and symbol of the regime by yourself, I applaud you and your efforts. I even saw you helping with crowd control as marines wheeled in the M88 to help finish the job that you started. Mr. Big Iraqi Guy in a Black Tank Top Carrying a Sledge Hammer, I salute you. May your children remember your tales of this day, which I am sure will be the first of many great celebrations of freedom for you and your people.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 2:17 PM

 
A misty look of glee spread across my face today, as I watched the US military take Paradise Square, or whatever that giant traffic circle in downtown Baghdad is called. Fox news was fumbling around with their quad view, showing all four state sanctioned cameras in Baghdad and suddenly there was some troop movement in the bottom right. Bradleys and Tanks pulled into a rather empty circle, spread out, and the marines deployed out of their vehicles. The square was mobbed by press, freely walking around the military vehicles. No shots were being fired. Locals stood by and watched. It took some time for what was really happening to sink in. Eventually a bunch of younger guys walked into the square swinging their shirts around their heads, like a helicopter. They gained numbers and made their way to the giant Saddam statue in the center of the green. Eventually the mob pulled the plaque off of the statue, and is now trying to devise a means of destroying it. Some other Iraqi's came out with a go home human shields sign. Others were standing arm and arm with marines posing for pictures. One of the people I saw interviewed was a little hesitant to discuss the regime, still fearing for his safety, but did say "Nobody's shooting and I see everybody happy."
posted by Ben at (0) comments 9:37 AM

 
My tongue dances with delight as a type. Okay alright. Bells knows stouts, you better believe it. It's too bad that in teh northeast they are, at best, poorly distributed. I'll miss these Midwestern brews. Now that I come to think of it, and the idea of leaving Cleveland is sinking in, there's a number of things I'll miss. As much as I dislike parts of it, this city was the backdrop for some important part of my growth as an individual, and I'll forever carry part of it with me. Hopefully it's good things like the color purple that the giant prism on Crawford turned a week or two ago when it was warm and sunny for the first time in months. Hopefully I cary things like Que Tal burritos, blue bridges, class brew pubs, and the like onward in my mind and in my character. I should take more pictures of this city. I haven't really photographed it since I was a freshman. I should start doing that again.

Planning has been gone for my west coast expedition with my bro. Olympic Nat'l Park is on our short list. The gorge is definitely in my plans. It's one of two outdoor Amphitheaters in the country that I want to travel to. The other is Red Rocks. I'll go there in a couple years to see Umphrey's play their first gig at the old CCC masterpiece.

I've been listening to moe.'s 1/29/03 show from somewhere forgettable in Tennessee. It's the first moe. 2003 show that I've listened to, and it was quite good. I downloaded this show for their cover of the flaming lip's "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots pt 1". The album track is all loopy, soft and melodic, a sedate anthem. The moe. version pulses more with waves of rhythm guitar, and some spacey bass work, with Al passionately delivering the vocals. I really enjoyed their interpretation, and was surprised by the _->Meat that followed. There were some great solos in the jam, and it touched on some dark space reminiscent of Yoshimi pt2 before making it's way into the thunderous bass power chords of the Meat intro. This was quality moe. for the masses. Hopefully I'll remember to listen to it again. I worry about some of the cdr shows that I burn, and put onto my shelf. Many never escape it's confines. I'm only a little troubled by this. My collection of shows is a library of sorts, and I envision a future where I'll enjoy listening to the occasional archival selection. Right now I get new stuff almost as fast as I can listen to it. I'm sure that will eventually slow down. I envision a future with a hip basement of trippy relaxation. It'll have a thumper clone (giant beanbag chair of futon material), my lava lamp, framed phish posters on the walls, a great stereo, and my show collection. It'll be the chill room at any parties that I host, and people can come over and listen to some great old Phish, moe., or UM shows. They could even pop in some of the more obscure jazz stuff. The Stanton Moore shows from last march with Skerik, Chris Wood, and John Ellis were something else. I'm sure some of those will get some play. Maybe even tomorrow.

Background Music: moe. - Okay Alright, The Wedge (1/29/03); Umphrey's Mcgee - Jam->Uncle Wally (3/22/03).
posted by Ben at (0) comments 11:39 PM

 
It's 9:42 and the sirens are still sounding in this police state. Recent weeks have turned Cedar road into Cleveland Height's number one speed trap. Cars cue up at the cedar Fairmount intersection as officers on the ground radar gun unsuspecting vehicles two or three blocks before they are in the line of sight of a car. I was a little amused, and accepting of a similar strategy used during rush hour to ticket people who run red lights. Clevelanders have a real habit of running reds, I have a friend from Minnesota who was rear ended because he didn't. While I certainly believe that something needs to be done about people's disregard for traffic signals, I'm not sure how I feel about the use of covert tactics to enforce speed limits. Certainly the extension of covert traffic enforcement to the regime of speed enforcement has me questioning my prior complacency.

The goal of law enforcement should be to enforce the laws in such a manner that they are obeyed, not in such a manner that maximizes revenue from traffic tickets. Cleveland Heights is a reasonably wealthy town to begin with, and their traffic safety bureau has a substantial ticket quota system in place. The quotas are high enough that officers have to resort to trickery to make their numbers. The simple presence of a visible, and even empty patrol car would cause overzealous travelers to slow to a proper speed. The speed on Cedar road could be regulated at a substantially smaller cost, without such devious enforcement. In a roundabout way, the current system encourages people to speed so that the officers can meet their ticket quotas instead of encouraging safer driving practices by showing a presence. Drivers are not encouraged to think about their surroundings and drive at an appropriate speed. The officers are perpetuating the game of speeding when an officer is not around and hoping you don't get caught. Conversely, visible patrol cars for a sustained time period would develop people's habits of driving at a reasonable speed through the neighborhood. It may not pad the bottom line, but it makes for a healthier community. Police officers are not supposed to be the adversaries of free people, they are supposed to be their guardians. It saddens me that they are taking a more adversarial role in a relationship that has long been deteriorating.

Background Music: Phish - Harpua, AC/DC Bag 7/16/94
posted by Ben at (0) comments 9:59 AM

 
A long day of pounding rythym, beating time, and tasks, keeping me on track or wishing I was asleep in a meeting. I punched out my second thesis draft, and printed all 110 sheets of figure fileld paper. My loist of figures is something like twenty pages long. Twenty pages begging for attention, or perhaps total neglect. No the task demanding my time are a little fewer. Unfortunately it'll be a bsuy week.

I think I missed a BOG meeting. I arrived 10 minutes late and couldn't find it. I went to meetingroom C but no one was there. Oh well. I'm sure things stayed in line.

I will eta 10 more Que Tal Burrito's befoe I leave cleveland. After a whole day of not eating, I went to order a take out and nachos. The burrito comprisedack beans, steak, cheese, lettuce, cilantro, black olives, fresh onions, mild salsa, habanero salsa. It was a noble treat.

I'm still time shocked from the hour lost this weekend. I sleep much less on the weekends than I do durring the weeks, and loosing an extra hour is killer.

I think I'm going to start playing eternal darkness and chill out for a bit.... but I definitely need to get up at 7 to catch the Centcom briefing tomorrow. Things are working out interestingly in Iraq.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 11:05 PM

 
I'm not sure if today was productive, or a train wreck, or somewhere in between. I don't have anything to show for my efforts. i didn't finish revising my thesis. I didn't convert anyone to cultish dedication to Que Tal. I didn't pen my witty war related peace. Unlike Zzyzx, I didn't beat a video game and save the Universe. I didn't turn anyone onto good music. I tried my hand at most of these. Well not the last two really, at least I didn't try to turn people onto good tunes by extending any more effort than wearing my moe. t-shirt. I did make some headway in my revision. I need to add some figures tomorrow, and separate some stuff into an additional chapter and develop some new footnoted content. That's for tomorrow. I'm a bit freaked out about how little time is left in the semester. I guess I shouldn't be though. My thesis is almost done again. I should be able to defend in the near future, and the only other big thing that I have to do is my electrochem paper. That project intimidates me as my knowledge of electrochem is a little uncertain. I dig the concepts, but I don't quite have a handle on all of the specifics, at least not as comfortably as I would like. Boom Boom Boom.

I ate my free burrito at Que Tal. Can I eat 11 more? I'm not sure, but I'll probably find out. The manager gave me a free drink too. I was pleased. I think it was a gift for bringing new people in as much as possible. That or maybe he didn't want to break a twenty. I guess it doesn't matter. I tried to get Hickman hooked. I'm not sure if it worked, though. I hope so. Chipotle is so sterile and conformist. Their burritos lack the flair and variety of Que Tal's. I also ended up at Applebee’s for the second time in two weeks and the last time of the semester for $2.99 appetizers. Yes it's a good deal, but they aren't worth the hassle. I'd rather go to the flat iron and get a cup of that French onion soup, or try some new restaurant.

Background Music: moe. - Gone, Organs, Crab Eyes, Bullet
posted by Ben at (0) comments 1:34 AM

 
I'm not sure if this is cool or scary.

http://www.hatrack.com/news-reviews/news/2003-04-04.shtml

Soul Embrace.

Background Music: Umphrey's McGee - Divisions (3/7/03)
posted by Ben at (0) comments 10:59 AM

 
John Scofield Band - 4/4/03 - The Agora Ballroom - Cleveland, OH
1: Signature Scofield Tune, something off uberjam, something new*, Watch Out for Po Po**, Freakin Disco
2. Something Off Uberjam, Everynight is Lady's Night, Jungle Fiction,what you see is what you get, Tomorrow Land, I Break 4 Monster Booty
E: Polo Towers
* With Uncle Johns Band (Grateful Dead) teases
** with It's About That Time (Miles Davis) ending

It was a good show. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I think the crowd started out very light, but filled in towards the middle of the first set. The Agora Ballroom is a little too punkish for jazz, with chipped paint lots of metal and the like. I think the Beachland where I saw Scofield a year ago, was a more fitting venue. It certainly had better acoustics but was a little smaller. Scofield had troubles adjusting to the rooms reverb at first but eventually fiddled with enough knobs to get his sound before kicking into the first tune. I guess this explains why my 9/29/91 Phish cds sound sub-par for 91 recordings. It was a muddy room. Scofield was also rather talkative tonight, which kept the above set list from being a string of ambiguities and comas. There's only two scofield compositions that I know by name: A Go Go and Sco-mule. The highlights of the show for me were "something new" from the first set which was a techno based jazzy piece and they did an amazingly cool key change and dropped into a demented uncle john's band for a verse and a chorus. It sounded like what the tune would have been if the dead played it at the acid test (they may have, but I don't think it was written then). It was truly awesome and almost unrecognizable. The band did a lengthy jazz jam before revisiting the tune with a more traditional interpretation to say "yes, we did play this". Watch out for Po PO has a solid techno base, some silly crowd chanting, and opened up for a good jam which found its way to a miles davis tune. What really I really appreciated was the Miles Davis ending. It rocked. I'm used to UM's version which tends to climax but builds with a lot of keys. The Scofield band is keys free, and they played it like a hard rock number. It was out of sight. I wonder how Scofield played it when he was with Miles? Maybe I should actually buy a Miles Davis cd and find out. Freakin Disco is a GREAT dance tune. I'm looking forward to hearing it on the next album. In the second set there was a transcendental jam in Jungle Fiction. This dance number off of uberjam just built lots of energy without really increasing in tempo much. Tomorrow land was a nice mellow number that I enjoyed seeing. Of course, Monster Booty was a raucous closer.

The band seems a bit jazzier than they were last year, which I think is great. They played the first set very loosely with lots of space for improv and produced the sort of music that I think would have been a perfect accompaniment for driving around in the downpour that was Cleveland. the second set was tighter and dance oriented. Both sets were great, and I really appreciated how the band could play both ways. I was really in the mood for the jazzy first set, but I wanted to get down as well. I was happy that Sco delivered on both fronts.

Also note that the dude makes weirder faces than Jake Cinninger and he freaked me out when we made eye contact (I was 3 feet from the stage). Also, rhythm guitar player Avi Bortnick is amazing. He somehow found a way to play scales while doing funky 70s wha style rhythm. It was amazing. He also had a powerbook and a drum machine for some loops and samples. They were neat treats, especially since they supported the music but didn't limit it. there were mid song tempo changes on the drum machine to allow the improv freedom to explore.

the other big event of the day (Friday, despite the date) was the research showcase. I spent too much time on my feet, but I did enjoy teh experience. My poster didn't win, surprise surprise, but I did strike up a couple good conversations. I also need to note for the future that my font size was too small. Oh well.

posted by Ben at (0) comments 12:40 AM

 
Dreams rise up from shattered glass. Each fracture ends in a new beginning. The shards beg questions, lampoon ideas, and reflect on many sides. It’s momentary discomfort, loss of the material. It's an emotional blow, loss of the symbolic. It's an intellectual stimulation. Why does it matter? Is it a mystery? Do the questions matter? The beer glass shall be appreciated in its death as it was in its life. It shall be celebrated as one which facilitated joy. It shall be remembered for what it was, a souvenir calling out to remember en francais. Great Lakes Brewing Company glass. I shall remember you, but I will replace you. I will move on, but you shall be gone. Until one day you bite into my bare foot with some stray shard to remind me that things are fleeting, and have value only in the memories and thoughts they store. You may not be able to put moments in a box, but moments can find form in material. A stuffed moose is a memory, or more. It can be a message. Time is tangled within the threads holding it together. While it may be impossible to travel back to those points, a mighty moose can drag the past up and onward. It's antlers memory, it's eyes a window back.

Background Music: The Flaming Lips - Fight test, One More Robot/Sympathy 3000-21, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots pt. 1
posted by Ben at (0) comments 11:09 PM

 
I had every intention of settling down to write a deep and involved entry to balance the fluff that I posted recently. It would have been a grand discussion of the war, and the idea of truth and honesty, and speaking of facts. I would have framed the whole thing by mentioning an AIM conversation that I had with my Dad today about his new job, the war, and his respect for General Brook's press conferences. I don't usually get into aim conversations with my parents, but this one sprung up anyway and covered some new ground. I haven't really discussed war politics with them. I mentioned in an email to my mother that Hartman was deployed, but that was about it. I also read Orson Scott Card's recent essay about the war. Besides being my favorite author, I have to give him a lot of respect for being a democrat that supports watching Fox news. He raises some interesting points about shock and awe, that made me realize that I'd been tricked by the stuff we were playing to the media to get to the Iraqis.

I think writing of the war is particularly relevant now because I feel that we are at a major turning point. Things are starting to fall into place, and I believe that we are beginning the endgame. Of course, any go player can tell you that the endgame can last a long while, but I feel it coming. There was the POW rescue, troops entering the red zone, Geraldo getting kicked out of Iraq, the ball is back in our court.

I'm not writing these deep involved things because I have to get up early tomorrow and TA lab for the last time. It'll be grand. I also went to the spot for free wings and a comedian. I don't usually dig standup, but this guy spent a good deal of time making fun of Hickman and a little time mocking Biscuit. It was well worth sitting through. Hickman will forever be known as 5. Yes 5 as in $5. It's based on an unfortunate remark he made after some jokes about some of Michael Jackson's legal troubles, and various settlements.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 11:52 PM

 

You Enjoy Myself! You're a classic, very phishy and
everyone's favorite. You're happy and full of
energy, but your personality is also very
compex... maybe that's why the stuff you say
just doesn't make sense sometimes!

Which Phish Song Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
This is one I'd recomend for you non-phish fans. You don't need to know much about the band to take it. It's short. And it'll suggest an mp3 to check out.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 5:20 PM

 
Wow. A reasonably informed, and objective review of a jamband show. In a college newspaper, of all places, and about Umphrey's Mcgee. Wow.

http://www.sagamore.iupui.edu/32/32-27/27mcgee.html

Admittedly, there's a few poor diction choices and any decent editor would have lopped off the last paragraph. Although I do think it would be important to address the issue of UM dumbfounding newbies. Here's my stab at a closing paragraph. "While the fluidity of Umphrey's sets may be disorienting for new fans, it is one of the many factors that keeps fans returning to show after show. The band crafts each set to be a distinctly unique musical experience. " If there was room to expand, this journalist could add some fan interviews. I'm sure that Sloppy would have a lot to say about why he's seen half a billion shows.

This is a lot better journalism than the Boston globe review of one of Phish's 1999 or 2000 shows. That journalist didn't even attend the show, and completely misstated the setlist saying it was essentially material from the recent Phish record. The band didn't play more than one song off of it, if any.
posted by Ben at (0) comments 10:02 AM

 
After months of not mailing a roll of winter break film to snapfish, I finally did. These are some of the highlights from the roll. You can see what my priorities, other than procrastination. Burrito max is clearly not Que Tal, but it's in Boston which helps raise it up.

I pulled a funny prank on my mom today. She really dislikes facial for, so I sent her that picture of Trey and Mike from a couple weeks ago. I mentioned that it was a picture from an outing club party and that Pat seemed to be growing a beard. My mom was a little skeptical but I think it worked.

-=-

-=-

posted by Ben at (0) comments 10:56 PM