Online like a nerd.

So today was a good day...
Got Laura's e-mail, read some good posts on the IV forums, and found out Jon and Mikey found a place for the fall...
I am down...


So other good news, today my character Mjollnir (yes, named after Thor's magic hammer) got some help from a high level knight named Alan who helped me get all the items for the sub-job quest.
Anyway, even though I got totally rocked on by some Ghouls and Bandersnatches in the Gusgen Mines and got killed 3 times, I did get the magicked skull, the challenge of the evening, thanks to the very helpful...help of a couple rowdy Silver Legacy warriors. So they invited me to their linkshell...and I think being in an LS called "Silver Legacy" is a little less gay than the "WarkyExpress" which I am currently in...just wait till I start my own...it'll be called SonsofThor or something silly.

Yes, I'm a total total nerd.

Letter From John

THE PWNAGE TRAIN GOES
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!

so yeah, here's the update.
i qualified on "Julie" wednesday and scored 31/40 = sharpshooter. not my personal best, but dah well. i had to deal with foggy glasses and sweat in my eye.

i volunteered for something today. i think i learned my lesson though, somewhere around a half-hour into shoveling mulch and dirt at the confidence course. oh yeah, i failed to mention that the Range Cadre at Range 10 was named Sergeant Mountain. giggle giggle. also, that day we learned that ISG listens to the Toadies and Faith No More, because he set up a radio in an ammo can and treated us to First Sergeant Radio.

i eat a lot of jello now

thanks fr the pics. you, stemo, and nate look very rico suave. also, tell everyone that has written to me that i'm sorry if it takes awhile to respond, my personal time usuaully consists of showering and dooking.

(insert picture of kildoo)

so we have these things called motivation checks where someone will say "motivation check" and we all answer "hooah" -- GAY! so me and another guy started saying "can i get a bunny bunny foo foo?!?", and at least 12 guys will answer with "bunny bunny foo foo!!!"

i heard some of you guys will be visiting daniel for graduation. if you can tell him i'm at 2-39 Echo, maybe he'll know where i'm at. actually he should, my barracks is the first building you see on your right as you're coming through the main gate. pretty obvious.

subliminal messages follow:
SEND ME PIC OF THE AMAZING GREENSBORO LADIES
few females here have the same style...

ok, i've got fire guard again tonight so i gotta head out. until next time, live long and prosper - like, whoa! oh yeah, tell nate i'll try and write him soon.

also, for your amusement, another cadence:
"i'm a dump truck baby
and i'm dumpin' down the line
so you better get out of my way now
or i'll dump all over you"
-John

ps. irv gross farted, and said "hey"

I realize I've been posting a lot lately...

I would apologize, but I really think that would be inconsequential.
I can even rule this blog long distance, by going into a meditative trance, using my telekinetic powers to tap into cyberspace and blog the freeflowing thoughts of my mind. So there's really little you can do to stop me. I (must) be all powerful. Wait, must omitted.

I be all powerful.

Ok, down to business. The serious tip:

BAD NEWS:
I called my buddies at Trull's Auto Repair today to find out my car might be totalled. State Fam Insurance "Team 73" confirmed this.

GOOD NEWS:
I went by Trull's today, and the actual repair costs to keep my car functional and running are about $400. State Farm is sending me an overnight total check for $1800-the cost of my car, apparently, minus the deductible. Should I complain that I paid a whopping $100 more for it in comparison to their book value? I think not.

BAD(?) NEWS:
Folks at work think I should wear some new clothes. I informed them that I only have 2 pairs of pants and 2 shirts, which isn't completely true, but maybe in some backwards way it'll get back to the director and he'll buy me a suit or something.

GOOD NEWS:
I think the pseudo-Cowboy look is officially out, which means I can resurrect it once more.

BAD NEWS:
I don't work at Chick-Fila right now, which means I miss the privilege of Jacob and Logans' on-the-job antics.

GOOD NEWS:
Any of my former high school associates who check my status on classmates.com will be fooled into thinking I am a Canadian citizen. Bah HAH!

Aight, I'm out.

Flashbacks

A quote from a post I made July 7, 2003:

"in other news, each and every day the reality sets on me that i'm going to serve my country in a real and crucial way. it's really exciting and so much more cool to think about than anything i thought i might have been doing around this time. sorry, but another "internship" filing papers isn't gonna motivate me. instead of answering phones i'll be firing guns, throwing grenades, crawling under barbed wire, and it'll BE REAL!
guys...life is good. REAL good. "

Well, nearly a year later, I would like to think I am a much different man. It's sad to say that a year ago, this was probably the most positive post I made over a course of many months.
Now I'm happy to say that despite the technical proclivities that led to my premature return home from the Army, I do like the idea of working an internship, at least now, because I've got one where I'm actually learning something, and feel like I'm getting paid more than I'm worth. Which is weird.
I have to admit, reading back over my posts from about December 2002 and as far along as July 2003, I realize that should I go on reading up to the time I left for basic, I might find that virtually all of my contribution to this website has been sarcastic, lambastic, and spiteful, not to mention haught with arrogance.
Much of this has been maliciously directed toward Mikey, which was hardly ever justified.

"Given time a true [man] will always understand" that untrue women have a way of clouding their vision. So maybe I should just put that in a song instead.
Without this being a spiteful post in itself, let us rest on the well-proven fact that Mikey, for all his occasional misgivings, has oft been right, particularly about the most crucial of life's decisions. It is why, when I have faced times that have sucked, he has been there for me to lend support and wisdom.
I managed to make a lot of mistakes in my past, particularly around a year ago, but I feel that I have almost been given a chance to travel back in time, seeing as how, precisely a year after my rapid decline, I returned to Greensboro, and henceforth have been making (most of) the right decisions related to my post-college venture that I should have been making a year ago.
And it's from the comfort of the Lord and aid of friends that I have been able to prayerfully consider my destiny, as it were, and choose things by the right priority.

SO, in conclusion,
For the fact that I looked and saw the old me, and realized I've probably hated myself for most of my life and didn't even realize it...I hope that this epiphany actually proves that I am either a different person now or on my quick way to becoming so.
I could probably get specific and write pages of apologies, pages of regrets, but I'd rather think that God will tack on an extra year to my life and use my last seemingly wasted year as a testament and marker to my failures, weaknesses and grievous errors.

You know, so I'll like, maybe make some right decisions now and stuff.

Apology = Unnecessary

Your apology is unnecessary, at least to me, because the combination of no car and no Mikey allows me time to play Final Fantasy XI.
What? A full admittal of my ultimate, unforgivable geekiness?

At least I got out this weekend with the wedding and all. That was rad. Mikey looked trés sexy in his suit.

So if Danny and Jess are both half the size of normal people, shouldn't Mrs. Wulff be able to carry his child to term in half the time?
Just saying, I can't wait to see little Danny's and little Jess's running around. Hoping it'll be just like when Lady and the Tramp had kids and the girls looked exactly like their mom and the boys came out looking just like dad, even though we all know the deviant offspring of a Collie and a waywards, troubadouring mutt would more aptly resemble Moblins of Legend of Zelda fame.
Speaking of Disney, I don't watch enough of it, especially since it quells my evil tendencies.
Speaking of Legend of Zelda, I hope Jon has beaten Windwaker by now so he realizes there are actually cool video games in existence.
Weren't I talkin' about a wedding? Uh...BARM!


P.S.
On the other hand, I think Mikey and Stephen and meself should start formulating rockout riffs and dropdead awesome melodic song structures pretty soon if we ever want a chance to be another generic band on MTV2. And where the crap is Mark? Does he know about this master plan yet?

summertime

i can only imagine everyone's summer going as planned perfect as mine has been. we all stop to think back to the middle of may (or maybe the beggingin of january for those few of you who already at that point couldn't wait for your break) and how you knew EXACTLY what you were going to do, who you were going to spend time with, and all the craziness said people and yourself were going to get in. the mere thought of my own summer plans, as perfect as they were, makes me wanna kick my own ace...

what have i done in my magnificant plan thus far...? i barely hang out with anyone and when i do it's usually not very fruitful or there is definately no growth of relationship or love. i have increased my time at my computer - mostly with battlefield, but with other useless things as well. i knew i would not see laura too often, and it has actually been a pleasant surprise to have opportunities to see her, and serve her family as of late. but when it ultimately comes down to it, i feel like a failure...

now, no worris folks, nothing dramatic from the fizzness... i have not lost all hope or see myself as some unforgivable human being. i just think of how i looked towards the summer with wide eyes ASSUMING (and like danny says, assuming just makes a donkey out of me and you) that i was going to non-chalantly cruise into deep and impactful relationships with some of my closest brothers like brooks, nate, stemo, danny, jon, and nate #2. at first i was complacent making excuses for each of these failed attempts at growth and friendship...

-i cannot possibly grow closer to brooks if he is going to up and go to wilmington for the summer! HOW CAN I do anything about THAT!?
-nate had three jobs and now no readily availible means for transportation - it's just "misfortune" that we haven't hung out yet
-i am glad that stephen (or stephe) got a job, but how am i supposed to hang out with someone who goes into work an hour after i get off...? not to mention the few weekends that i have free he spends with his girlfriend.
-danny's getting married... end of story
-i don't know jon very well and do i really have the time to invest that kinda efort into ANOTHER new friend...?
-nate doesn't have a car and it is a big hassle to have to drive to pick him up just to do something. i will just wait til everyone can hang out and i can get someone else to get him.

all this to say... i have had a reverse in my thinking. an epiphane about relationships God wants to develop. the kind that SOMETIMES requires effort, and being a servant... then i realized my true reasons for not hanging out with people...

-i am too lazy to call or email brooks
-i am too lazy to make time find a time that nate and i are free
-i am too lazy to meet stephen 'halfway' in our schedules, not to mention too selfish to think that when he is free for a weekend i am off spending time with laura, expecting him not to think likewise of me
-i am too lazy to call him
-i am too lazy to invest in someone God is throwing into my life
-i am too lazy to drive 5 minutes to be with someone whom i always enjoy spending time with

catch the pattern... dispite personalizing my laziness, it's all the same. i just want to apologize to all my homies - even those not listed here. don't allow me to become complacent in important friendships - rag me, bother me, remind me, love me... i will make more of an effort to prioritize and get with you guys, and be the grand organizer i am called to be. i love all you guys and my return will be mighty...

as always, keepin it real... REAL real...

Hair.

I got bored again. So I figured that I would turn on the Title-ness for the post-ers to see what kind of general giddiness will ensue. Eh.

Hey, I've been wondering, if you spell Stephen with a "ph" (balance) like Mr. Mayer does, then wouldn't you shorten it to Stephe if you were saying "Steve"? I mean, if you had to spell it? I dunno.

So yeah. As that I am not in the Army, I can grow my hair out like a hermit...if I wanna. But that kind of idea leads me to the thought..."if I can grow my hair any way I want, how would I wanna grow it?"

And it led me to one, un-stunning, mind-dumbing conclusion. I just may grow Emolocks to see what it would look like. Seriously? Yes...why not. I'm feelin' the Cry. Yes me, who was only "emo" when it was still uncapitalized and uncapitalism-ised, and when Cap'n Jazz still reigned king. Yes me, celebrated yet retired Screamo rocker from waaaaaay back in '99. Yes me, the man who puts up the metal façade to keep people from finding out that I listen to weird crap like Yanni and Final Fantasy game soundtracks. Yes me, confused and beleaguered when I figured out that Further Seems Forever's latest album totally rocked, and...Oh I'm babbling non-sensically-




Once it grows out I'm gonna cut it into a mullet anyway.

Long live the Gregory, may he post from Folsom Prison soon.

Indeed, indeed.
It was kind of random for me too, to have sent Stepheremo that e-mail, but then again, all the best things in my life have always been unplanned, so I thought, "What the hey". I had remembered something about Jon Brande mentioning to me his and Stephen's heartfelt, mutual desires to post, and seeing as how of the two, the latter's e-mail was the only one I could find...well, that's how it happened.
Anyway, I'm excited about this newness to the page, as always, fond of adding members, provided they are of the right caliber and physical prowess to do battle or discussion 'cross the cyber-plane.
I'm calling this new phase "The Brotherhood: Expansion Team 2004" as a tribute to one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever, "Expansion Team" by Dilated Peoples.

I feel like we're the Transformers and we just hit season 3 after the movie came out so now we gotta add all these crappy new charac-oh wait. Just kiddin guys.
Seriously though, glad to be the man with the power to fill in a few boxes to get The Emo Warrior to post, cause after I saw his own personal diary, I was duly impressed.

Speaking of Transformers, does anyone have a favorite? Mine is definitely NOT Bumblebee.

it's official...

i have the largest tv... EVER! sitting in my apartment right now...

as many of you know, mike is my new roomate, and has been for some time. he is a pretty good roomate as he does basically everything my old roomate did not, such as clean, install a network, clean, hook direct tv up to my computer, and pay rent... well, let it be known that mike is the master of being 3. this is in no way a put down. laura and i even named him, "our little frankie". so little frank is obsessed with having the latest gadget or gizmo -- whatever the latest greatest saturday morning commercial would be advertising at the time. to make my point, some of our newly added ammenities include: a sandwhich maker, a 'neat' toaster, waffles, a shaved ice machine, and ultimately -- a 46" widescreen television. that's right, we got the hook up...

anyways, all this to say that i am content with my current roomate, and it has been rad to get to know him outside of work. and, most importanly, if anyone needs to watch anything - feel free to do it on our new tv... it's ok if you can't come over, you can still see it from your place.

as always, keepin it real... REAL real...

Alright...so begins my official Summer Movie Reviews...
I'll start with the one I just saw and maybe work backward. Maybe.

You guys understand that first off, I love movies period, but am especially susceptible to loving Summer Movies for pure entertainment value.

As it may be, I saw "The Day After Tomorrow", tonight, and I must say, on more than one level, i enjoyed it immensely.

Okay, first off, it had enough nerdy weather theory to perk the ears of anyone who took Climatology with me in the Geography program. Things like supercooling, temperature inversions, and glacial melt are awesome subjects of fascination for the weather nerd.
Secondly, this movie had, as its central plot, a well-timed father-son theme...placed right before Father's Day, right?
Yeah...campy, but I was a sucker. I started thinking how I wanted to go back a second time to see it with my dear old dad.
And what better actor to play that dad than Dennis Quaid? He is, in fact, almost typecast as the Golden Age America Dad...the guy who always has time to play catch with his son, who loves his wife faithfully, keeps the family strong, and of course, when a random ice age comes along, faces tremendous trials to search for his beloved son.
Then of course, the rest of the colorful cast of characters create a microcosm of the world, or at least, the American world, as most of the movie is centered around the fact that Americans are not at all prepared for living without things like electricity, running water, and general warmth. But yeah, there's the homeless guy, who I guess is the comic relief, and he knows all the tricks to stayin' warm. Yee hah. Then there's the whole presidential cadre, because, just like in Independence Day, you can't have a colorful cast of characters without the President, who will, timedly, deliver a powerful and moving speech to his fellow Americans.
And I'm forgetting the love story, and the crazy Brits, and the aliens.
Ah, wait. Forget that last part. That was the one plot element that didn't make this Independence Day.

Anyway...getting back to the serious side...just with that whole father-son thing, and then showing the power and delicate majesty of the created earth and its ability to surprise us, I just started thinkin' how good this movie made me feel that I've got a loving Father and Lord who is watching over me, whether tidal waves, tornadoes, or arctic superstorms come, He'll always seek me through the mess and the craziness.

So bottom line, this movie appeals to climate nerds, people who have parents, people who feel like the movie "Alive!" wasn't hardcore enough, and most importantly, Dennis Quaid fans.
I mean that's why I went.
Has anyone seen "The Long Riders"?