Camera Time

Now that I have a digital camera, I have something to fill up the empty void of a life I call exsistence. I'm gonna go get some eyeliner.

These aren't in any space-time order because blogger's photo adding tool confused me.

This is my roomate. It is a fern. I'm deciding what to name it.

This is what you can see from my window at about 5:00 PM. Yes, that is Lake Michigan.
The stuff on my desk after I messed around with the "effects" button on my camera.
My boss sent this to me. Go figure. It holds up my DVD player.

This is what you see when you enter.

This is my ode to sticky tack.

Huh, wonder who that creeper could be....

Anyway, there is my free and unasked for tour of my room (minus the stuff I didn't want you to see, i.e. whips and chains, my Haitian slave). Hope you enjoyed it enough to come back someday.

It's been one week--

Oh, barenaked ladies. I wonder how many elderly perverts went to one of their concerts planning to see a few barenaked ladies. That kinda disappointment just sucks.

I'm not even gonna try to describe everything that's happened since my last post, for one because I don't think anyone really cares....for two, it would be a lot of writing.

What can I say, SOA was a blast. I got to meet up with old friends (yes, you Courtney) and make some new ones (like smelly Larry, and some dude we found on our hotel room's floor). Somehow I was able to abuse everyone's charitable spirit and get the bed both nights. Wary nice!

After getting back at 6 AM Monday, I went back to the 734 at 3:30 Tuesday. And yes, I almost missed the bus for a second time. Tuesday night I hung out with my buddy Eric, and concieved plans for a Toronto trip after I turn 19. Wednesday I worked for a good amount of time, then went to Texas Roadhouse (for the first time in about five years) with another Erik, Dano, Colleen, Julie, and other assorted band chicks. Quite yummy. Then the night continued with a trip to Maxwells to converse with two Houstons, a Hasbrook, and Chrandy (basically we swapped drinking stories).

Thursday was Thanksgiving, which we had at out house for a change. The turkey was a little dry, but I did manage to sneak some wine with my parents. My aunt came with a OSU Taiwanese exchange student who was pretty good at making pie. I thought maybe I should hang out with her, but I had so many people to do and places to see, it was tough.

Highlight of the break: Thursday night was very foggy, and we had the bright idea to go see a movie in Maumee. I was looking for (then passing) the theater in my trusty '93 Honda Accord when the road dead-ended without my knowledge. I slammed on the brakes just in time to take out a sign with a bunch of reflectors on it (first technical "crash" on my list). Some old lady saw and came over to see if I was alright. I thought the whole thing was pretty righteous, but I tried to look somewhat shaken. We put the sign up and made some small talk, and then some lady in the parking lot yelled "hey!" and the lady suggested I take off, and I didn't argue. Good times. Diane, if your reading this, thanks for "not seeing anything," as you said (no, I didn't pay her off).

Black Friday was pretty dark. I got up at 4:20, went with my mother to Circuit City, waited in line for 1.5 hours to get a camera (hooray, now my blog can have some visual media), Tom Petty's Greatest Hits, and Office Space. Bummer. I napped then worked again, then hung out with some St. Pats people and learned some interesting things about people I thought I knew well. Saturday I went to some rich kid's house, lost at pool, then had the first Waffle House grease sandwich in about five months.

Today I laid low, packed, memorized a monologue for audition Monday, and then set off on a Megabus journey back to the 773. I had an interesting conversation with Rami and this kid who goes to Vanderbuilt School of Music about bassists throughout history, and then went on my first cab ride ever with two other dudes. Now I'm listening to the Offspring CD I got a week ago.

Oh yeah, I switch phone plans and broke down and got a Razor (I swear, it was the cheapest one available). No longer am I a virgin (mobile); I'm a T (mobile) man now.

Here's to you, old lady at Chesterfield apartments,
Barry

Party on, SOA

Tonight at 9:30, 10:30 Georgia time, I embark for the second time on a 17 hour odyssey to Columbus, Georgia and the School of America's Protest. This week/weekend is the anniversity of the murder of the four Jesuits and their housekeeper in El Salvador (I actually walked the trail the killers took when I visited San Salvador). Many of the murderers were SOA graduates, as was the killer of Oscar Romero and those that massacred the town of El Mozote. Peace in Latin America is something I feel especially connected with since I went down to Guatamala two summers ago.

That aside, the protest is actually a pretty good time. I am hopefully going to meet up with old friends and make some new ones, lots of free love, hoorah. Actually, the hippie ratio at the protest is pretty good, lots of chicks with dreadlocks (ewwww....you get used to it after awhile). I really enjoyed it last year, so we'll see how it goes again. I hope the bus ride isn't too awkward because I don't anyone well that's going down with Loyola. During the trip I hope to knock out a Virtuous Eating term paper, so I got that to look forward to.

Today I also was able to register for classes (ha, all you other freshman can eat your heart out). Right now I'm taking two more theater classes (to be a major is ridiculous, it's like 48 credit hours, one of the most here), another philosophy for that major, a theology because my Virtuous Eating prof is teaching it (it's titled "Jesus Christ," which I'm sure will be pretty good fodder for jokes), and another anthropology cause I wanna minor in that. I decided I'd sign up orchestra, too, though I don't know if I'll stick with it....17 credit hours again. I'm a little pissed because even I wasn't able to get into a langauge 101...I wanted to take Spanish, or Italian, or Chinese, or Arabic, or something. But I got nothing. Story of my life...no, that would be "Play it Off...Cool."

And yes, my Twisted Sister review got top bill in Diversions. Two pats on the back for that.

Georgia (all the time) and Georgia (on my mind),
Barry

PS--in case anybody cares, you can visit www.soaw.org for more SOA info, and perhaps a pic of me if I get really lucky. Now I gotta pack.

Georgia on my mind

I gotta make this quick, cause I think I'm goin to my first college basketball game soon (r a m b l e r s, that spells ramblers. hoorah.).

I finally got done practicumming (ha, I said cumming) on Sunday, on which day I had to wake up at 5:10 because the certain people at work forgot I requested off and scheduled me to open. I was pretty pissed, and I think if they ever have me open again, I might quit right then and there. Mark my words. And then, after working 5.5 hours, I had to run some costumes and then strike, which actually didn't take all that long for Barry, but it still sucked. Overall practicum wasn't too terrible because I got to get to know some others in the department. What can I say, I build bridges. It's what I do.

And now I'm preparing myself for my Georgia SOA protest trip on Thursday (thus the title thusly). It's gonna be good time. Major hippie fest, free love and maybe free illicit substances, who knows. I'll know at least one girl from John Carrol, and a few others that are going from here....17 hours on a bus, hopefully it won't get crazy. And I'll be in a room with around 7 other dudes. Yeah for protests. Boo for Wal-Mart (yeah, I said it. Watcha gonna do? Hire Asians for miserable wages to keep your prices down? Oh wait, you already do that).

Two days later, I leave for the big Toledo. Ohio. Thanksgiving funtimes.

Also, I'm very excited. The Phoenix comes out tomorrow, and hopefully in the front section of diversions will be my masterpiece so far, my review of Twisted Sister's newest album, "A Twisted Christmas." I might repost here in it's entirety if I feel like it. And yes, I got to keep the CD for free. If I'm in a good mood I might let you listen to it.

Wrecking the halls this season,
Barry

Broken Glass Under Nino's Feet

So, today in the mail I got "The Sunny Side of the Moon: The best of Richard Cheese." It's a bunch of lounge versions of songs such as Rape Me, Closer, Gin and Juice, Creep, Baby Got Back, and other hard rock/rap/other stuff. Not gonna lie, this guy is pretty much my hero. If I could ever scrounge up a jazz combo, I would definitely do the same thing, only we would be better. You just watch.

So for the past week and for the next two I'm costuming running for the production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" here, which kinda sucks. It's not really hard, it just takes up huge blocks of my time. We also have a pretty motley crew, if I do not say so myself. There's me, the semi-racist bigot from rural Michigan, a lesbian, a girl from Kentucky, a girl from Africa, another guy who seems too have a little a clue as I do, our fearless leader, Jeff, and three assorted freshman girls who add something but I'm not sure exactly what. It makes for some interesting times, quite a few of them at my expense it seems. Whatevs, at least I'm meeting people in the department, and it's a decently good time, except for when tonight I had to do laundry until 12:30. Such is life. There is free candy involved. And the girl from Kentucky is cute. I can deal.

Waitress, can I get the..
check, mic check, 1...2...
--Barry