Happy Halloween!

My favorite holiday is here! I hope everyone has a good time tonight! Here are some ghoulish goodies for you:

Seriously?

Okay, here's my gripe for the day. I'm currently taking a college Algebra class this quarter. I'm not that skilled in math of any sort, and this class is pushing my intellect to its limits for sure. So, what do I do? I show up for class early. I sit in the very front so I don't miss anything. I fill page after page with notes. I ask questions. You know what the kid who sits behind me does? He fucking drums on his desk and taps his feet like he's goddamn Tommy Lee or something. I swear, it grinds my gears. I always stop myself from completely losing it with him, but it's so hard. I mean, come on man. Seriously? Yeah, I'll bet you're a hell of a drummer, and I know you wanna be cool and impress the indie girl who sits near us, but shut up or stay home! Damn! I'm trying to get an education here, Travis Barker. I suggest you do the same.

I really don't wanna yell at him, because I don't want to make it awkward for the whole class, and he seems nice enough, but I think I need to be a bit more firm with him next time this happens.

Y'know Who's Awesome?

Rachel Maddow. I am a huge fan of her show on MSNBC. I don't know what it is--maybe the fact that she's a real person in the midst of the gaggle of news phonies that are so dominant on TV and Radio. Maybe it's because she has a great personality. Maybe it's because she's smart, collected, and always up for a good argument. I do mean GOOD argument, too. I've never seen her fly off the handle. Maybe that's it. Maybe it's the fact that she doesn't have to yell, be patronizing, or shut off a guest's microphone to get a point across. It's so refreshing. If you haven't already, check her out.

All Systems No.

Writing songs with lyrics is a lot harder than I remember. I fucked myself with all the instrumental music I'd been working on. I sat writing for an hour and filled up two envelopes, a receipt, and a paper towel with sentences and thoughts, but I ended up with nothing. I felt like everything I came up with was really cheesy or just lame. My question is, how can I change this? I know I've got scads of creative ideas laying around up there in the ol' head, but there is a definite block in place. Can somebody rent a mental bulldozer and ram into my brain with it? Please?

I Am Bad At This.

Goddamn, the last time I posted on this thing was in June? I need to brush the cobwebs off and get busy!

Actually, I have been busy. Here are the three main things that take up my time now:

First of all, I started back to school. It's been really cool so far, except I get nervous about doing well from time to time. It's mainly the fact that I have to take a lot of math classes to complete my degree, and the last time I took a math class prior to this was about five years ago. I walked into class on the first day and had to have some 18-year-old explain to me what 'Quadratic Equation' was. Fucking hell. I'm getting by okay now, but getting back into it was tough. Also, there are two people in the class that are older than me, and one of them is the teacher. I never really thought about it before, but man am I out of touch with the youth of today. I mean really out of touch! Not that it really matters at all. I'm through dicking around, trying to be cool. I'm there to learn, not make friends. I want to get through everything quick so I can ditch my shit job and do something I actually care about.

That brings me to my second time-drainer: work. Ah, the feeling of going to a place where you complete pointless tasks and talk more to people you don't give a shit about than to your family and/or close friends. The rich bastards who own the place get richer off my labor, and the assholes who shop there get more...uh, ass-holey, by treating me and my co-workers like dirt for not knowing if we carry a specific type of fucking yogurt. I switched my schedule, FINALLY, from third shift to first, so I don't have to work nights anymore. That does actually make me happy. I feel more normal now, and my two-year girlfriendless (is that a word?) streak is now my only real source of bleakness and lonliness. I sleep, eat, and live in a normal pattern now, and it is truly great. I know there are some who enjoy the night shift, but I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Seriously, it fucked me up for a long time in more ways than one. I'm out of the woods now, though. I go in at 6 AM, and I'm out by 2 PM. That's great, because then I can be downtown for school in the afternoon, and free in the evenings, which brings me to my third and favorite schedule-filler:

Hockey! I got a season ticket to see all forty-some Columbus Blue Jacket home games. I love, love, love this! For me, it's the perfect way to wind down at the end of a day, and I have something to look forward to in the mornings. The Jackets have been playing really well in the pre-season, too, and that thrills me. I think I picked a great year to do this. If they make the post-season, season ticket holders get first crack at playoff tickets, and I would SO be all over that. I've already met some cool people in my section, too, so that's been fun. It'd be more fun if some of them were lovely young ladies, but what can you do? It's fun to watch with other avid fans and talk hockey during the intermissions.

Well, I'll try to do this more often, guys. Bill, I've got some catching up to do. I need to finish reading all your latest posts. Haven't seen you around SG101 lately, either, but I'm sure you're busy.

Anyway, 'til next time...