I’m currently listening to: Spoon - Finer Feelings

First, I would like to say that I think if I had a camera, I would be much more likely to blog. Why, you ask? Because then I could just post pictures of the fun stuff I do instead of trying to find the words to describe it.

Last week was filled with job interviews and stress, so it only made sense that I didn’t do any work this weekend.

Instead, Andy and I went up to Chicago to see Hey Mercedes’ reunion show at the Threadless Grand Opening Party. I always enjoy the conversations we have on these car rides, and the band was awesome, therefore it was a good time all around. The concert served as a type of foreshadowing for the fantastic I will be having this weekend as I attend the Pygmalion Music Festival up here in Champaign. I know, you are all jealous.

As a side note, I watched the Red Sox/Yankees game last night, and despite the loss, it was a great game. I am definitely ready for October and post-season baseball, who is with me?

I’m currently listening to: The Hold Steady - Cattle and Creeping Things

I never liked the NBA. I’ll be the first to admit it. Yet for some reason this year, I decided to watch the playoffs. Maybe it was the joy of watching ex-Illini Deron Williams come into his own for Utah, or maybe it was Lebron. Either way, I am glad that I did. Not because I am ready to declare basketball one of my favorite sports, but because it helped me to understand my passion for sports. You see, I’m a sucker for a hero; I love watching one individual put a group of people on his back and carry them through a pressure situation.

After all, isn’t that why we all watch Lost? There is something magical about watching Jack lead a group of crash victims on an island. Just like it was phenomenal watching Lebron put up 48 points and single handedly lead the Cav’s to the finals. You see even though its not my sport, its still incredible to watch. It will never come close to watching Pedro throw those shutout innings of relief in the playoffs, or laughing in shock after Big Papi tacked on another game winning hit, but its still better than nothing.

Now I realize that not many of you read this blog to gain my insight on sporting events, so I’ll give you all an update on life in Austin. Its been great so far. Last night a bunch of us interns went out to 6th street and had some fun. A few of the University of Texas natives gave us a tour of all the different bars and venues, and I must say I was overwhelmed. Although that might have had something to do with the massive (and I’m talking a 3:1 ratio) collection of bikers. Apparently they have some annual festival down here each year.

As for work, its been going nicely. I am done with my training, and started on my project for the summer. It seems to be pretty manageable, and I feel like I have already started making progress. I get along with all of the people in my department really well, and its actually been fun getting up and heading in to work each morning. Of course that might have something to do with the fat paycheck I’m earning ;).

I’m currently listening to: Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde - I Want You

Who has Mexican Hot Chocolate from Moonstruck?  That’s right, its me.  I owe Andy a huge thanks for this wonderful treat.  I might actually be excited to wake up and attend ECE class at 8am tomorrow just to try out my new drink.  Aside from this, I have little to report.  I went to a Christmas Parade and watched It’s a Wonderful Life with my Covenant Group Saturday night.  I had never seen the movie before (I know, its kind of sad), but I enjoyed it a lot.  I feel like I am really starting to build friendships and meaningful relationships with the people in the group.  This should be further increased by Chili dinner/white elephant gift exchange tomorrow night.  Well, I should get back to work, 473 is calling me.

I’m currently listening to: Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run - Jungleland

It looks like the Cardinals have all but locked away their World Series. After a lot of soul searching, I’ve come to terms with this. For some reason it still hurts to watch the Cardinals succeed after hurting me for so long (even though my Red Sox won it first). I guess its the knowledge that they are not (even close to being) the best team in baseball. However, I was recently reminded that the champions of baseball are often found in unlikely places. For example, who would have given the Marlins a chance to win the World Series (let alone two)?

Sometimes– although less so than other sports– the series really boils down to which team is hotter at the current moment. Jeff Suppan and Jeff Weaver are not great pitchers, they just happen to be pitching well. While Cardinal fans will never admit that this was a fluke, a statistical anomaly, I (and the other baseball fanatics of the world) understand this. However, we must also remember that just because it wasn’t supposed to happen this way, doesn’t mean that it didn’t, or that it wasn’t magical for the fans of St. Louis. I guess I’ll let them have their celebration. After all, they watched me have mine in 2004.

I’m currently listening to: The Hold Steady - Boys & Girls in America - First Night

I would like to preface this sincere (but admittedly ridiculous) post by promising all of you that I am not kidding. It’s sad, I know. Judge me later.

As some of you who are close to me may be aware, I have used the exact same model of pencil since my sophomore year of high school. In fact, I have used the exact same color of this model of pencil since that point in time. Over the years, this pencil has become a comfort for me. When I go to do work where I did not bring my own pencil– it feels different– I notice it every time. You can ask my sister about this; every time my mother would come home with a bulk package of these pencils, in an assorted array of colors, I would immediately choose out all of the blue pencils, and leave the rest for my family. It has always been this way, in fact when I left for college my mother bought me my own package of the pencils, and I have since lent away all of the other colored pencils, and kept only the blue ones. Unfortunately, it appears that this year my stock was not replenished. I have only two of these precious pencils left, and both are lacking an eraser and have just one stick of lead.

Today I visited Walgreens, with the hope of refilling my stash. However, to my shock, Walgreens does not appear to carry this model (in any color!). I was offended to say the least. I admit, I have bought a few inferior pencils, in case it comes to the worst. However, I am now petitioning my sister, please send me some more pencils. I know that we probably have a ridiculous supply of them hidden somewhere in the house. I will pay you back for the shipping, but I am dead serious when I say that it would make my week if I were to receive an ample supply of these pencils sometime in the near future.

I’m currently listening to: Rosie Thomas - If Songs Could Be Held - Pretty Dress

Over the last few days, as a result of an email correspondence with a certain individual who shall remain nameless, I have been reminded of the need for professionalism in the workplace. I guess I should use the word “workplace” loosely, considering this is just a professional organization which I belong to at my university. However, I feel that the term should still apply, considering this is a listserv primarily used for communication about various projects the club is working on.

At any rate, Andy and I are the officers for an organization, which is a part of a larger organization. As a result, the network administrator for the parent organization has a subscription to our listserv (even though he does not contribute to the project). For some reason, this person feels personally obligated to respond to every post made on the listserv. I understand that some people feel an urge to respond to everything they read, and I would not be bothered by this.  However this person has posted zero constructive responses since I joined the mailing list. In fact, I would characterize the vast majority of his posts as blatantly aggressive and negative. This has negatively affected our organization, as our members grow tired of constantly battling against a person who does not even attend our meetings. I just think that this problem could be solved easily if some individuals understood the importance of displaying professionalism when you participate in an organization. It seems that this person has badly ruined their credibility within the organization (and of the organization as a whole) because they do not take the time to consider how to respond in a professional fashion.

When you hold a position of power within your organization (or company), you represent, not only yourself, but also the people you work for. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in an argument and forget this, so I figured everyone could use a reminder every once in a while.

I’m currently listening to:Brand New - Your Favorite Weapon - Jude Law and a Semester Abroad

Alright, so last night, I watched the last two episodes of season two of Lost. I’m not going to lie, waiting until October to see a new episode is going to kill me. I’ll probably be going through withdrawl. However, the number of pseudo-answers and mysteries that were developed in the last few episodes have definitely given me enough to ponder. Now my sister needs to catch up so that I can discuss all of my questions and theories with her, or at least post them here without giving her spoilers. However, the story I am telling really starts after I go to bed.

I finally fell asleep sometime close to 1:45am. At around two, I hear Andy open the front door, and some girl asks if we have a cheese grater. Then she asks if Andy is in Fin 300 and something about a screwdriver, and before I know it, there are two girls in our apartment sitting on the lovesac. At this point, I decided I should probably get up and throw some clothes on to investigate. Apparently, when you are high at 2am, tacos are the food of choice, and these poor girls had all of the ingredients aside from cheese. Unfortunately for them, we had just used all of our cheese on the tacos we ate for dinner. Ironic, I know. We then spent the next half hour or so visiting with one of the few social tenants of 1010 W Stoughton (the other girl didn’t really live here), learning about this mythical courtyard that apparently exists in our building, among other things. After a while, they decided it was time to re-embark on their mission of finding a cheese grater, and returning the disguisting one they borrowed from some girl they didn’t trust. This morning, on the way to class, I ran into them again and they informed me that they had in fact found a cheese grater (and a six sided one at that!). I’m pretty amazed because after all, who keeps a cheese grater in a college apartment?  That is my story for yesterday.

-John