The Erosion of Sanity

The Unveiling

2010-01-12T20:23:00.002-05:00

NEW News Coming "Soon"

Remeber This?

2009-08-06T20:19:00.012-04:00

It is still around. I promise to start updating this bad boy again soon. I have a few ideas for posts. Here is an update on whats up with me lately

Briefly:
- I have spent my summer doing pretty cool stuff for work.
- One more year to go at Maryland as an undergrad.
- Guthrie Govan = one of the best (if not the best) guitarists alive.
- People are crazy.

Hawaiian Adventure (FSM Days 5&6: Explore North and New Place(s))

2008-06-28T15:17:00.004-04:00

Hey all,

Not much has really gone on lately. We drove up to the north side of our first island to see "the most beautiful beach" in the world. It is certainly nice, and even nice enough to be the stomping grounds of Pierce Brosnan. What a stud he is. After that, we just drove around the island seeing some small cool things. A few waterfalls, a few caves, you know. Typical "this is paradise" stuff.

At night, we have been kinda keeping it chill. Going out to see some nice spots and coming back by around 830 each night. At that point, I usually strap on some shoes and go running for about two miles while everyone else vegetates. The air here is really sick. I went running last night at about 8 pm. It was pitch black but it was absolutely the perfect temperature. Think 73 to 76 degrees with a very slight breeze.

The first place we stayed was a Friday to Friday place, and because we had to book our flight so early, we could only get here Saturday. Therefore, we had a day in between our places and my mom found a cheap hotel to sleep in for a night. This place is what we like to call a "shotel" (show-tell), a combination of the slang word for feces and hotel. While it certainly isn't the best place ever, I think it would probably be one of the sweetest one person apartments ever. But then again, I always had an affinity for living in a hole in the wall somewhere. Regardless of the fact it looks like it was built in the 70's, its not that bad at all.

Today we will take a quick flight to another island and probably explore one of its sides before succumbing to the tantalizing nature of its beach. Hooray for check in at an airport for a 30 minute flight!

I'm slightly friend sick (I could deal with this being my home so I hesitate to say home sick) but I sure as heck am not complaining. I'll see you all soon. If you want (I hesitate to say want because I know its more of a need for some of you [/sarcasm]) a taste of me, just call or text. I swear I have never had so much cell service as I have out here. At least 3 bars at all times.

Oh one last thing, remember that sweet hang loose shirt? Yeah, I got another one, not as cool, but its tight as hell and when accompanied by my $3 hang loose trucker hat, I am ready to take on the malls to get some sweet looks.

Hawaiian Adventure (FSM Days 4&5: Zipline and Laze)

2008-06-26T17:57:00.004-04:00

Hello all,

Yesterday I was lucky enough to do the main thing I was looking forward to this trip. ZIP LINING. It was pretty cool. And by pretty cool, I mean it was awesome. Soaring through the air like a skinnier, more attractive Rambo is very very fun. The best part was the fact that the guides of the trip were seriously two of the coolest people ever. Ralph(ie) and Morgan were hilarious the whole time and encouraged tom-foolery and shenanigans that my brothers and I were willing and able to provide. On the first zip, Ralph referred to John as "fat guy in a little shirt" and continued to call him Fluffy for the rest of the day.

Then John took him out on one of the zips. He apparently had enough speed that when Ralph tried to slow him down, he had some trouble. To have an excuse to make fun of John, he tried to milk the contact and took a dive that ended up messing his knee up. So we made fun of him for that. After a few zips, we got to swim in a natural water hole that was formed by a cool waterfall and eat turkey sandwiches. It was a sweet sweet ending to a sweet sweet trip. Unfortunately, I didn't bring the camera, but the views weren't that insane anyway (especially after the Canyon Drive I mentioned previously).

That night we watched "The Fugitive" and had a good old time until we all basically passed out as a result of being so tired. This morning I woke up fresh as a daisy and had a quick workout followed by some time at the beach/pool. Its now about 12 noon here and I'm not sure whats going on for the rest of the day. I think our plan is to laze around and do whatever comes up.

Hawaiian Adventure (FSM Day 3: Canyon Drive)

2008-06-24T21:50:00.006-04:00

Greetings everyone!

I woke up and felt a searing pain on my shoulders and scalp (and its not because of those bulging muscles either) Apparently I got more sun than I thought yesterday and now resemble a lobster creature. Lucky for me, I'm so manly and strong that I can pretend its no big thing.

Today I was not going to let my skin issue deny me another chance to get out there and "see how freaking awesome the scenery is out here" and we piled up in the rental car and basically went around 4000 feet up in the air and looked over all of those crazy views we saw from the boat yesterday. The landscapes were so awesome that I channeled my inner artist and changed a bunch of settings on my camera to try and preserve some of the scenery. Check out all the pictures (and once again I took a good amount) and be in awe.

Along with my inner artsy, I took what I thought were some cool pictures of John and one of Mike. The view from atop that mountain was really crazy. I didn't realize that I was slightly afraid of heights until I was about two feet away from falling to a severely painful and even more certain death.

After the trip, we stopped by a place called "The Shrimp Shack" and had "the best shrimp in Hawaii". I had shrimp tacos and they were so-so but my moms coconut shrimp were fuhreaking insanely good. Yummy yummy in the tummy for sure. Also, at "The Shrimp Shack" I saw one of the cuter girls there and thanked the weather gods because of the fact they were responsible for her being so scantily clad. (I would say she was eyeing me up, but I was too busy playing it cool to blatantly stare at her, so I am just assuming it was so).

Tonight, I have no clue what is on tap. I'm eating spaghetti and then probably crashing hard hard hard. After being super fly, that is.

Hawaiian Adventure (FSM Day 2: Boat Trip)

2008-06-23T15:45:00.002-04:00

Hello All,

Today was pretty crazy and I am completely wiped out and its only 3:45 right now. Thats because I spent the day out on a big ol' boat seeing the part of the island that can only be reached by boat. That is, the major highway doesn't spread all the way to this part of the island. The reason for this was the apparently awesome landscapes made road making almost impossible. Turns out that was true.

I added another folder to the photobucket so that everyone can see some of the pictures that were taken today. (This is a seperate folder inside of the one I linked to yesterday) I warn you though, I had never taken so many in my life. I figured "what would my mom take pictures of?" and decided any time the answer was "this", I snagged a shot.

These pictures, as I'm sure you would expect, don't even begin to do the views justice. The water was amazing and we got to snorkel with some fish above some sweet coral before we came back to dock. Also, the captain of the boat was absolutely awesome and was able to get us into caves that I wouldn't have even thought about driving my big boat into. He navigated a decent sized boat through sharp, jagged rock walls, all while dealing with a good 3 to 4 foot wake. Very impressive.

I am not sure what is on tap for the night but I figured I would take some time so share some awesome shots of the day.

Hawaiian Adventure (FSM Day One: Welcome) (Now with Pictures!)

2008-06-22T14:35:00.011-04:00

Greetings everyone from 4800 miles.

Well, after about 15 hours of transit yesterday we finally arrived here at about 6pm local time (12 am midnight yours) and it was seriously awesome to walk out of the plane feeling warmth cuddle your whole exterior as a light wind tickled you ever so gently.

Highlight from the multiple plane trips was when John tried to resurrect the Rick the Driver video and the stewardess not only called his bluff, but she offered to our parents that if they had his passport, she could make sure he got left in Mexico when we connected flights in Texas. Great moment.

Navigation from the airport was an adventure as the vowel laden names for roads ended up being butchered by our less than able tongues. "Left at the light on to Wah-ki-too-hoo-lah", anybody? The scenery associated with not knowing where the hell we were going made the trip worthwhile though as we were surrounded my mountains on all sides. It really was a view that I vowed to get a picture of when it was less overcast. We finally managed to find the place and it was awesome. I was totally feeling my FSM mission coming into fruition and then all of a sudden : not exactly Mila Kunis. As promised, I snagged a creeper picture of her for Chris as proof of how hot she would be. Here it is...

So my plan took a slight hit there but I feel that I don't have to follow the script exactly. There were lots a pretty girls at the place we ate however, so there is hope. As long as I keep wearing my sweet cartoon O's hat something will inevitably fall in my lap (I'm looking at you and your soccer hat, DJ).

The actual room is sick nasty. Just click here and you can see everything I'm taking pictures of. Here is the view from our balcony...not bad.

Well there you have it, that's about all that has gone on so far. I'm off for a shoreline run to get my day going. Expect regular updates.

Bill Russell Knows

2008-06-18T13:25:00.006-04:00

Well, Bill Russell told Kevin Garnett that he thinks KG will win two to three championships with the Celtics.

One down, who knows to go.

After such a great playoff in the NBA, I just wanted to share a few things I noticed about our, now world champions, the Boston Celtics. More specifically, the BIG 3.

Lets start off with Paul Pierce. First of all, the good. He basically ruled the finals despite me calling Kobe eating his lunch. However that whole knee thing was crap. Total crap. As you all, or as all of you who care to know, know, I messed up my knee pretty good at school last semester, was basically out of sports commission for a month or so and I put on less of a show than he did.

Another thing...that facial hair, reminiscent of a pre-pubescent teen has to go. I know, I am the last person that should talk, but as a facial-hair deprived young man, I know when to get rid of the little scruff I have. I mean this kid is 12 years old and he's more adequately equipped than both Mr. Pierce and I.

All in all, Paul, congrats for finally getting your ring, but if you are as great as everyone is saying you are, why did it take two more hall of famers to finally bring the Championship back to Boston?

Now its Kevin Garnett's turn. I have always been a tremendous fan of Kevin Garnett. He basically carried his Timberwolves team every year (to where I won't say but he carried them there) and always seemed like a great role model. Funny thing is, for such a great role model, his trademark term "Mother F***er" is insanely funny. While we were watching a game together, Chris pointed out that KG always says this, then, promptly on schedule, Mr. Garnett dunked on Lamar Odom and subsequently said something along the lines of "Bring it, Mother...".

Towards the end of game 6 in the Finals, you saw KG on the sidelines cheering as his scrub counterparts were bringing the game to a close and, right on cue, you see him wave his arms and yell "come on mother f...ers". HILARIOUS.

So congrats to you too Kevin, I am really glad you won. But next time (which I'm sure there will be) lets be a little bit more under control in your post game interview. (Edited MF included)

And Mr. Ray-Ray Allen, you're up. As your team mates said, "shoot the *beep*". Glad to see you picked up your game as the playoffs went on and I'm glad your father's trial went well and he can rest easy now that he doesn't have to deal with it any longer. Good work on rounding out the Big 3 this year. I'm happy for you and your getting traded into one of the best situations in the whole league.

What I want to get to is your calves. How? Are they even real, or are those implants? I dunno much about you other than you are silky smooth, you have a sweet shot and your calves are insane.

Get back to me about how to get those springs behind your knees. Oh and way to give one of the most classic "wtf are you doing" looks to your owner when he hoisted the Finals trophy high into the air and then realized that he would stand on something to get it up even higher. Anyone who saw the award ceremony probably knows what I'm talking about.

MercuryX

2008-05-20T00:00:00.003-04:00

Yes ladies and gentlemen, the day is today...err, was today.

Done year two of four as of 10 a.m. this morning and its a pretty good feeling that not only am I guaranteed housing for the next two years, I'm also about waist deep in a major I can happily see myself in.

Enough lame-talk...lets get to the good stuff.

If you look back two blogs, you can watch a video that I created to celebrate Toms ability to belch like no other. This video was posted on YouTube and received a good number of hits in the first few days and to my surprise, there were also three comments made. I thought the video was on the first page of YouTube or something and people just clicked it to see what was up and then commented on Toms phenomenal burping ability.

Turns out that one of these viewers is much less a casual viewer, and is actually a die hard fan of this kind of stuff. Let me set the scene. I'm sitting in my room when I get an IM from Tom saying "hey dude, I have to show you something crazy, do you have a minute?" Of course, I did...so he came over and said something along the lines of "pull up that video of me..." and we looked at the comments.

Sure they were weird but I didn't go as deep as Tom obviously had. He instructed me to click on one of the members personal YouTube account page. MercuryX as he/she (I'm guessing he) left the comment "let's see some more of Tom burping." No thanks, no good burps, but instead just demands another video. This is where it gets good. Below is a word for word account of his personal "About Me" like section on YouTube.

"Name: Saturn

i like all sorts of weird, "freaky" stuff that other people think is gross lol. I have a deep seated men's foot wear fetish (sneakers, dress shoes and sox), i also got this thing for liking to hear/see guys belch. GUYS only. I can't stand it when girls belch. "

Needless to say, Tom is officially uncomfortable and I don't blame him one bit. Also, to make things worse, MercuryX (or Saturn?) has just about a trillion vids that he has favorited having to do with either burping or dudes putting on shoes. Who knew? The crazier thing is, there are a ton of people who have subscribed to MercuryXs page so they can be updated everytime he scours the internet looking for that stuff.

At the end of the day, Tom is now a fetish porn star in his own little way. If that whole school thing doesn't work out, at least you have a fall back plan of some sort.

While I Was Studying...

2008-05-11T14:59:00.004-04:00

I heard the first few notes of the newest studio album by Reel Big Fish ring out from the doors from across the hall...and promptly told the kid that if he is going to listen to RBF, he better not listen to that trash because that CD is their worst.

He responded with something along the lines of "No way, their older stuff is so crappy, like Viva La Internet..."

Mind you this was a compilation CD released in 2000 (after three studio albums...) for fun and is hardly considered a serious endeavor.

He also had the audacity to say that "Turn the Radio Off is horrible" obviously not knowing that its regarded as one of their best pieces of work. (Beer anyone?) Hell, he inspired me to check out that CD again, just to prove him wrong.

***After double checking, he is definitely wrong***

Bottom line, RBF is cool...people who don't know what they are talking about, on the other hand, are not. Especially the kid who wears a bathing suit to shower at the age of 19 (maybe even 20) and is the main suspect for leaving a not so delicious treat (you can guess what it is without clicking) in the shower a few weeks ago.

People are idiots.

For Those Not In the Know...

2008-05-03T14:40:00.005-04:00

Haven't updated in what feels like forever, but here is some insight as to what I feel like with the onset of pollen/finals season.

Summer...get here soon. (More updates upon its arrival)

oh yeah...

enjoy

(oh and bonus points for those of you who can name the 2 bands that appear in that video and even more points if you can name the songs)

Still Alive And Kicking Harder Then Ever

2008-02-22T16:00:00.010-05:00

Greetings loyal fans/readers!

Contrary to popular belief, I am still breathing and after being motivated by my main man Rod Benson, I figured that I would write a little.

Not very much has gone on that I thought was worth sharing with the my legion of fans as well as the rest of the world but I'll give you a little run through of what has gone on thus far in the 301-Zone.

I have actually fallen ill this semester and am currently dealing with the symptoms of "Takenitis". This devastating ailment consists of either me introducing myself to a particular girl or that particular girl introducing herself to me. After a successful stint of friendly conversation making I realize "Hey this girl is pretty cool, I would enjoy hanging out with her after tonight...blah blah" but then and only then does it come to my knowledge that this great girl is not single.

So far this semester, I am 6 for 7 in picking girls that are just too damn cool to be single. If there is any question about whether a girl has a boyfriend, come to me. Much like the home made TTL Chip Tester Matt and I were forced to build in our damn Circuit Lab, I am capable of finding out whether certain components will work properly.

It seems as though, at least when it comes to College Park, me and cool girls will undoubtedly not work out as planned, regardless of how well I laid out the wiring.

However, in one particular case that entailed me spending a good part of three hours with a really cute/sweet seemingly interested girl by my side, I was boarded against a wall of a particularly packed room by a heifer of a woman flaunting her less than appealing bestowments to the world apparently unaware of how disinterested everyone was. So it appears I don't actually repel single women, I am just attracted to the ones with the qualities that make them worth going out with...go figure, right?

But the girl who I was talking to the whole time was a really cool gal and happens to live in my building. Maybe I'll see her around, especially since I offered her the chance to take advantage of my Beatles fanboi-ness. Might as well just mark that up on the whiteboard of me against the world already.

Another great instance of my trivial pursuit of friendly interaction with girls who end up being taken happened just this Wednesday night. There was a really cute girl reading a Kurt Vonnegut book working at late night in the diner. I got my Total with raisins and talked to her a good bit since the place was so empty. She seemed more than happy to oblige me, asked me if I was going to see the eclipse in about an hour and made a point to say that shes getting her break then to see it and that she hoped to see me out there. I took this as a good thing but got involved with some pathetic circuit simulation and missed the eclipse all together.

Well, my friends wanted to get some food so I went with them to the diner to get some water since the water fountains taste like what I assume water tastes like if you have a roll worth of pennies stuck in your cheeks while drinking it. I get my water, get in her line (not busy still, mind you) and she is hardly receptive of my attempts to initiate conversation. It is then that my friend Tom says something along the line of "Oh, hey...should have told you this earlier, but FYI, that guy shes working next to her, thats her boyfriend." Thanks again Tom...you bastard.

This means I have to make a change from my previous claim that "I'm good looking enough to hang out/dance with when a girl is a little buzzed and the room is loud and dark" to "I'm good looking enough to talk to and maybe even flirt with as long as her boyfriend isn't there, even more so if she is a little buzzed and the room is alive."

The final instance of flirtation was a complete rip from my man Rod Benson (bringing this blog full circle) who wrote a while ago about writing his waitresses poems when his basketball team went out to eat. But first I have to give a pre-story story. After about three hours of balling with some friends, I went to the diner to get some water and apologized to a girl at the register about being so gross and sweaty. She simply responded "actually its really hot." Of course, I'm obligated to take that to mean only one thing.

Back to the story. I was with some of the only kids worth a damn on my intramural basketball team in the diner. The girl at the register who had previously straight up said she wanted me was working so I grabbed a pen and wrote on a piece of paper:

Official Census Survey: 2008 Edition
Check all that apply. You currently have...

Boyfriend
Girlfriend
Money
A cute guy that always goes through your line

and promptly checked the final option. I handed her the paper and said "Please fill this out and bring it to that table when you're done." From our vantage point, my friends could see her and her friend looking at the paper and actively discussing how awesome, original and incredibly cute I was. Matt went in there to get a better view of what they were doing and saw them show their supervisor "something a boy just gave her." Upon seeing the paper, the supervisor promptly took the paper from them. Matt has video proof, ask him.

Hilarious stories of a nice guy finding nice girls who have already met (I'm assuming) nice guys.

Oh well, maybe tonight I'll check out the 7th floor of my hall to find those two girls that yelled across the gym to tell my friends and I to come visit them. I'm sure no matter what happens, it will be interesting.

The Tops

2008-01-24T23:20:00.000-05:00

While trying to come up with something to write that had to do with reflecting over this past month, I came up with a few ideas that were interesting, but not worthy of having a whole post to themselves. To tie the ideas together, I decided to take some of them and make them individual Top 5 lists having to do with Winter Break. Enjoy.

TOP 5 MUSIC ARTISTS AT THE MOMENT

5. Decapitated

You probably don't know much about these guys unless you are Matt, but I don't expect you to. Hailing from Poland, these guys have been slaying since they formed in 1996 when the average age of the band was only about 15. After the release of their first full length, "Winds of Creation", the band gained a lot of attention both locally and globally and have gone on to release five disks since 2000. A few months ago, while on tour, the band was involved in a very serious bus accident resulting in the tragic death of the drummer, Vitek, and leaving the singer, Covan, in critical condition. Vitek was only 23 but was one of the leading drummers of a genre that pushes the envelope when it comes to percussion.

4. Streetlight Manifesto

With only two "real" releases, Streetlight Manifesto stands above a vast majority of all other ska bands out there. The brainchild of popular band Catch-22, Thomas Kalnoky decided to leave his previous band to go to college. Upon completion of said education, and after seeing his previous band basically go down the crapper as they lived the rock star dream off of a CD that he had written titled "Keasbey Nights", Kalnoky decided to form Streetlight and make great music again. Their new release "Somewhere In the Between" is a very solid cd and, for me, got me back into that ska swing again. Thank you, Thomas, you got me interested in ska twice now.

3. Paul Gilbert

Widely considered THE BEST guitarist on the face of the PLANET, as well as one of the best PEOPLE on it, Paul is not only an inspiration to me musically, but also as a person. Starting off as a kid in Pennsylvania, Paul Moved to LA as a teenager to go to school for guitar. Already a very above average player, Paul formed the band Racer-X while at school and released five studio albums as well as a few live albums. From there, Paul was involved with the band Mr. Big and gained popularity with the worldwide hit "To Be with You". After leaving Mr. Big, Paul released several solo cd's but broke it big with his 2006 release, his first instrumental album, "Get Out of My Yard". After playing G3, Paul went back into the studio and recorded "Silence Followed By a Deafening Roar", another instrumental album, scheduled for release early 2008. Do yourself a favor and listen to a few of his songs. He should theoretically be higher on the list, but lately I have been trying to listen to more than the master.

2. Opeth

This band legitimately is becoming one of my favorite bands in the genre of progressive metal. Blending together death metal and progressive metal, Mikael Åkerfeldt is, as far as I'm concerned, a creative genius. The blend of acoustic, mellow guitar parts with heavily distorted guitar assisted by creative bass lines and topped off with drums that can be furious one moment and jazzy the next makes this band a joy to listen to. Their eight studio releases are all highly acclaimed in the world of metal and I feel that they are one of the easier bands to get into. The album that grabbed my attention and continues to standout is the album "Blackwater Park". Give this CD a listen if you are interested in songs that can best be described as "epic" and if you feel like broadening your musical horizons a little.

1. Decrepit Birth

"Who? What a weird name..." Yes, you're right and yes, not many people really know of these guys but let me be one of the first to tell you , these guys are slowly but surely taking over the death metal scene with Necrophagist. Decrepit Birth recently (very recently) released their second full length title "Diminishing Between Worlds" and it takes a very big step forward from their previous release. Blending the brutality of their first release, "...And Time Begins" with the melody of Death, guitarist Matt Sotelo, drummer KC Howard, and vocalist Bill Robinson tear the house down with this CD. These guys seem to just not give a hoot when it comes to what people have to say or think (best demonstrated by their front man's multiple self made living quarters scattered on the coast of California. Pictures on his myspace) and that is what makes them so great. I expect to hear about these guys for years to come and anxiously await anything they as a band, or individually, put out.

TOP 5 MOVIES SEEN THIS BREAK

5. Grandma’s Boy

Chris, I hope you are proud. First and foremost, this movie is retarded. I do not condone the behavior exemplified by the people in this movie, for the most part, and definitely do not condone seeing this movie without being with a group of people that want to watch a horrible movie as much as you do. However, for what the movie was, which is a no brained, (might as well be) plotless, pot-head glorifying flick, it was not bad. Actually, it was pretty funny. Made by the Happy Madison crew, a 35 year old video game tester is forced to move in with his grandmother and her two friends when he is kicked out of his apartment. He becomes interested in a girl that is way out of his league and by the grace of some God like figure, he gets her in the end. Don't worry, I didn't spoil anything for you by saying that. If you have an hour and a half to kill and you have some friends that want to legitimately laugh at some juvenile humor, watch this movie.

4. High Fidelity

If you read my update on this movie, you will know why I watched it and why I felt it was an enjoyable to watch. If not (and if you don't want to go back and read it) let me paraphrase. John Cusak gets dropped by his gal pal and ends up looking back at his "Top 5 Breakups" to figure out what the hell happened. Turns out he was either a jerk, too insecure, inadequate, or a combination of the three. Jack Black and some other dude who nobody cares about are in the movie and contribute well to the lighthearted plot. Its a good movie to watch if you just want to watch a movie. It wont change your life, for say, but it doesn't have to. It doesn't want to. It just wants to be enjoyed, and enjoy it is what I did.

3. Sleepaway Camp 3: Teenage Wasteland

Yes, this movie is probably one of the worst movies ever made. BUT (thats a big but) it is sooo bad, that it is actually a lot of fun to watch. I was introduced to the movie by my good friends Ryan and Ray who had watched it so many times that they were able to point out all the subtle flaws that make the movie what it is. These shortcomings include and are not limited to lackluster acting, looped sound effects, fake/lame (but not very gory) gore, and a boring plot. "Then why is it number three, ROB?!?!?!" I hear you yelling. Its because this movie is fun. Its a typical slasher flick that was never really intended (I hope) to be anything special. It was made to give something more to the cult followers of the previous two movies, the first of which is actually pretty decent (for what kind of movie it is). If you watch this, pay close attention to what is going on as far as what people say and do because their quirks and gimmicks are enough to keep me satisfied.

2. I Am Legend

This movie was a fun watch. Will Smith definitely proved, yet again, he is the man (the man did like 10,000 behind the head pull ups in one take). I'm sure you have probably seen it already, so I wont go into the plot. I will say, however, that the main reason that this movie wasn't number one was because after about 70% of the movie, I was getting bored and did not like where the plot was going. You probably know what I mean and, I know I'm stepping out onto the plank, but am willing to bet you agree with me. The story was good but the major kudos go straight to Will. He was the only real reason this movie was so good. While I'm not too happy with the ending, I can't really think of a better one. The book's ending might have been a little better but I'm not going to complain. This movie definitely deserves the acclaim it received.

1. Cloverfield

I don't want to hear why this movie sucks, please. I thought that this movie was a nice breath of fresh air when it comes to how movies are made and viewed. The hand held camera idea that so many people don't like happens to be my favorite part of the film. Because this movie is not a typical "monster" movie in the sense that a monster is not out there killing people and hunting down the main characters and is instead more of a "documentary" of a situation that people find themselves in (or put themselves in), I feel it threw a lot of movie goers. Don't listen to the people who say "its just a mix of Blaire Witch and Godzilla", they are wrong. While having the feel of being filmed with a hand held camera, it is leaps and bounds above Blaire Witch quality wise. Personally, I think the fact that this baby critter from the abyss isn't just some blood drunk lunatic whose soul purpose is to be a big scary thing is a good thing. If you want a horror movie, there are plenty out there. This movie stands alone, at least this winter season, as the most original, creative one.

TOP 5 EVENTS/GATHERINGS THIS BREAK
(Christmas Excluded)

After basically being a hermit like stranger for a good many months, it was nice to get out and see all my best friends again. These events particularly stood out.

5. Sarah’s “Surprise” Get-together

This little get together basically kicked off the vacation on the right foot by getting a lot of kids from high school together in one place. It was basically a mini reunion of senior week. Watching college basketball and me clench the championship of my yahoo fantasy league on a huge projector while conversing with friends I hadn't seen in over a year is good enough to be in my top 5. If its not good enough for you, you must have had one hell of a break. Oh, and who can forget Sue Johanson and the awkwardness that ensued as soon as the girls figured out what the show was about. I know I will never be able to keep a straight face the next time I hear someone say anything about being a "Head Honcho", thats for sure.

4. Downtown Naptown

This little trip was just a casual "lets walk around the water at Annapolis and smoke cigars" night that was all I could ask for when it comes to reconnecting with friends you had seemingly grown apart from for a while. It was an unbelievable relief to see that nothing had really changed and we were able to kick back and laugh at the same old stupid stuff. I lost my legitimate cigar virginity to a guy that goes by the name Excalibur and is part of the "Hoyo de Monterrey" brand. Pictured to the left, this thing tasted great. After some research, I found out that "The top 10% of the tobacco crop grown in Nicaragua and Honduras and delivered to Villizon is reserved for the Excalibur line." I had blindly stumbled onto royalty and was treated as an equal.

3. New York

The Big Apple, what is there to really say? The place is great. The day started off early, ended late and was spent enjoying the sights and sounds of the city that never sleeps. Highlights include the bus trips both to and from the city and the several conversations had on them, the trip into both the NHL and NBA stores, meeting up with Chris' friend Steve from Jersey and Central Park. What more could you really ask for for only a thirty-five dollar round trip bus fare? I was the proud photographer of Flat Stanley on his first trip to Times Square and I also made Chris look like a complete gentleman on a subway. It was a great time, from the people trying to sell us overpriced Folex watches to the masses of Chinese people that seemed to congregate around us as we got off the bus.

2. Ben’s 20^th Birthday Party

Yet another example of a time where it was nice to catch up with friends. This was certainly fun enough to be number one, and I hope its rank as two doesn't in any way make it seem like I could have had a better time. The people were great and the interactions I had with them were genuine and interesting. Old friendships were renewed and that in itself makes the night great. On top of just catching up with friends, I received some very helpful advice about how to handle certain situations from the perfect people and look forward to implementing said advice in the future. Perhaps the best thing that came from this experience was the comfort I was able to achieve in a situation that broadened my social horizons. It really was a blast and wont be forgotten any time soon.

1. New Years Eve Board Game Decathlon

Staying up till about 6 in the morning playing board games with your closest friends while you watch replays of a big shiny ball slowly descend towards the streets of times square sounds like fun doesn't it? If you said no, you're lying to yourself. It was my first BGD and certainly wont be my last. I seriously have the best friends in the world and this night only proved it to me more. Games ranging from Apples to Apples to The 90's game, the BGD was as advertised, a test of will. This set the standard pretty high for next year's New Years Eve but I'm pretty sure the bar will be raised again.

TOP 5 MEALS THIS BREAK

5. Red Lobster Alaskan Crab Legs

While they are not Maryland crabs, any crab is better than no crab. When combined with the Red Lobster biscuits and sub par service that brought the family together over, the crab legs contributed to a very nice night out with the family. There isn't much more to say about them as you all have probably experienced this before.

4. First Chinese Meal after getting off school

I am a Chinese food lover through and through. Give me Chicken Fried Rice and General Tso's chicken and I'll be much more than content. It had been literally a whole semester since I had shoved this simple delicacy down my gullet and without getting too personal, the act of eating that food for the first time in ages was nothing short of divine.

3. Mom’s Meatballs

Simple and tasty. You show me the man who doesn't like meatballs and I'll show you either a liar or someone with a homophobic complex. You cannot legitimately dislike meatballs, especially the ones I had. Whether or not these are considered real food or just "finger food" makes no difference to me. I'm not trying to be fancy, I'm just trying to get full on something that tastes good.

2. Christmas Dinner

Duh. Turkey, taters, home made rolls, and gravy. Sure there was other stuff, but who cares. I did the whole put the corn on the potatoes and then cover everything in gravy and do your best pig eating out of the trough imitation. I will tell you this...my dad's homemade rolls are the best rolls out there and when combined with turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, you have a meal of epic proportions.

1. Ray Lewis’ Full Moon Bar-B-Que Ribs

Some of the best ribs ever combined with cornbread that had pieces of pepper mixed in. That is all you really NEED to be told to understand. Ribs are great, everyone loves ribs, even vegetarians/vegans. They buy the fake ribs for God's sake. Ribs are the universal food that connects us with our carnivorous past selves. DJ, Chris and I decided to go to the inner harbor to eat and then take advantage of a Washington Capital snip-show the night before and eat at Ray's for free off of a gift card DJ had. Unfortunately that card did not work and we were stuck with the bill. Sure, this meal would have sat better in my stomach if I didn't have to pay for it as planned, but by golly, it was worth every (probably intentionally) overcharged dollar.

I hope this was both enjoyable and insightful and I especially hope that you guys had as great a break as I did.

Life on Film (Cusack is my homie)

2008-01-16T17:55:00.000-05:00

I was notified that I had been letting my fans down by not updating since the last post. Unfortunately for you, not much has gone on, but because of the persistence of my legion of die hard readers and Rob Enthusiasts, I have been persuaded not only to update, but to open up my past for some laughs. Let me insist that this is NOT, I repeat NOT a whiney little ‘Oh my life sucks’ moment, its instead supposed to be an enjoyable thing for one and all. (Seriously, I don’t want this to be taken the wrong way)

And now, lets get to the get go. A few days ago I was talking to one of my friends about girls and the many difficulties associated with trying to talk to them. We both settled on the fact that it is impossible to have even a simple, casual conversation with them if you can’t even muster up the courage to start one. (Yes, something that simple takes almost twenty years to understand when you’re as brain-dead as we appear to be) I’m talking directly to you Boston Red Sox hat girl. In fact, my friend said the situation reminded him of a movie in which the main character says something about how a person must have a certain quality about them to worry about dying alone at 26 and then admits he has that quality. The movie was “High Fidelity”.

My brother had recently seen a few scenes of this movie while flipping around channels and because he said it was funny (and because nobody was really sure what he wanted for Christmas) we got the movie. Last night I watched it. Its more or less about me to a degree and it was good to see I’m not the only person who sucks with girls.

Warning SPOILERS but I highly doubt this would ruin the movie for you. I mean I’m not telling you something the back of the DVD or IMDB wouldn’t tell you.

Movie starts of with John Cusack (appropriately named Rob for this film) getting dumped by his gal pal of two years and freaking out about it and eventually going over his past relationships and why they each failed. It’s a good movie, Cusack is funny and genuine and the stories of past loves seem realistic. He owns a record store (I don’t, however) and has two employees. The first employee is played by Jack Black. It’s a typical Jack Black character, opinionated and kind of a jackass…so logically he is the film manifestation of my friend Chris (only Chris is a little better looking). The second employee is played by someone I didn’t recognize and didn’t care enough to look up and he is a timid, nervous character when it comes to social interaction so for the sake of keeping parallels between my life and the movie, DJ, you got the part. (Don’t be mad, at least you find true love with the Green Day chick). Oh and for the point of having another reality-character realization, Shayne is the random black guy that comes and talks to the guys in the shop. (Shayne you’re not random, if I wrote the movie, you would have worked in the shop and been the soul specialist)

It seems that this character, Rob, has only suffered from bad breakups. His first gal, a middle school fling ended up betraying him by kissing another boy under the bleachers earning her the endearing label “slut” from Rob’s friend (I’m just guessing it was Chris). The other girls essentially follow the same pattern…Rob gets them, its all too good to be true, he gets nervous and starts thinking that he is inadequate, turns out it was too good to be true, he doesn’t want to let go…*BOOM* its over.

The women then move on to their new men at what Rob thinks is an accelerated paste and that only causes more pain (Would you like some extra salt in that wound, sir?). You get the picture. But the good thing is, Rob figures out why things didn’t work out with these girls, and it turns out it wasn’t actually his fault like he had believed and when he meets up with the women, he sees what phonies (*cough*thank you Holden Caulfield*cough*) they really were. The story has a happy ending for the character (not an ending I wanted though) and all is well.

One of the things I liked about the movie was that this guy Rob admitted he wasn’t perfect, and wasn’t looking for anything perfect, he just wanted to be happy. It’s a good story, nothing too serious, but it’s not just a dull, meaningless movie either. Worth a watch (and I’m assuming a read since it’s a book also) if you’re in the mood for a witty movie that is presented in a clever way.

Oh and ladies, for the record, I don’t think I have that certain quality where I worry about spending the rest of my life alone at the age of nineteen so don’t let that stop you from approaching me. Think of it this way, I'm everything you like in a guy, and nothing you don't like. (Email address can be found in the profile)

Juno: An Unconventional Night Out With The Boys

2008-01-10T22:49:00.002-05:00

Got back from watching the movie Juno, and I have a lot more questions than answers.

Let me give a brief, SPOILER FREE, synopsis for those of you out of the loop. (Feel free to skip ahead to the section noted by '***' to signify the end of the synopsis, but be prepared to suffer the consequences should this be the path you decide to take)

Juno, a Junior in High School played by Ellen Page (total cutie) has sex with Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera) and after passing (or failing?) multiple pregnancy tests finally comes to terms with the fact that she is indeed pregnant. Blahblahblah hooked up with yaddayaddayadda for about an hour and fifteen minutes (stamina is key, ladies...am I right? [don't answer that, I would feel inadequate] Of course I'm right) and before you know it, the movie ends in a tasteful and appropriate manner.

Of course there is more to it than that and as a heads up, if you are the kind of person who likes to guess whats going to happen next, go with your gut.

***

For those of you who read the synopsis, I thank you kindly, for the rest of you lazy schleps...skip ahead to the section marked by a '+++'.

First let me explain how the situation of me seeing this in the theater came to be. This is not the type of movie that I would normally think about seeing in a theater but the description I heard was "its like 'Knocked Up' but with a sixteen year old, even has the guy from 'Superbad' so it should be funny" was enough to get me to go (that and the fact I didn't want to be as sorry as those schleps who didn't read the synopsis by sitting at home all night by my lonesome listening to jams).

I rushed home from my tenniscourttrashcanhockeyintherain game and freshened up because I had to impress the fellas I was going with (and I was more a wet, stinking creature than a man at that point) and met Chris and Deej at the Safeway to hop in Chris' custom Buru and make it to Muvico by 7:15. We arrived at 7:10 and were in quite a rush to get inside and out of the rain but our eyes were diverted by the free red bull mini driving right in front of us manned by a pretty young lady who happened to still be older than us and her peer (in both age and caliber of attractiveness) who was the actual red bull distributor (DJ can attest to their looks but don't ask Chris, his opinion is wrong when it comes to this kind of thing). I hate red bull, but the least I could do was try and spark a friendly exchange with these two fine specimens and get DJ not one, but two free bulls. It was now 7:11 (for those keeping along, and yes, it was a very very brief exchange) and we still needed tickets.

Needless to say, they were purchased and we made our grand entrance into the theater accompanied by the dimming of light that I decided was used to signify the vacancy of a chance that any other guy in the room was better looking than my crew and I. Not knowing what the movie was really about, I looked around the dark, simi-crowded room to look at the type of people that were there and after watching the opening credits I immediately said to my friends something along the lines of "if this is a chick flick, I swear, I'm out of here."

Because there wasn't anyone withing close proximity of us in the theater (back row) and because none of us were really on the edge of our seat, I felt compelled to contribute to the story for DJ who, to Chris' dismay, returned the favor (in case you haven't noticed, nobody cares about Chris [thats not true, we love Chris, but it is the kind of love you don't feel bad about repressing so that you can give said person a hard time])

The experience of the movie was interestingly awkward. I felt strange for how much I enjoyed the movie. I thought to myself, "Hey, this movie isn't bad at all, in fact its damn good, but you're watching it with two guys", but this was not enough to ruin the experience. Well that and the fact it wasn't exactly like watching 'The Last Kiss' with one other dude in the movies (you know who you are and you're probably laughing right now, at least I hope you are).

So...if you get the chance, see the movie, its pretty good. I don't know how great of a 'date movie' this would be, especially if your relationship is a fresh one. ("Hey, I like you and all, but lets get one thing straight, I don't want to get you pregnant...you know?")

After the movie, we went to Best Buy so Chris could buy a movie and on the way I stopped in a store to pose a quandary to the person behind the desk (this issue will be subject in a later post, once I have more information). Chick-fill-A, or Chicken Filla for those in the know, followed where I drank my sweet tea (thanks Matt for informing me on the nectar of life) and then we rolled back to Safeway rocking to tunes like "Since You've Been Gone" and "Hella Good" (Chris has a thing for Gwen, I approve).

Is my masculinity in question? I don't think so. Regardless, it doesn't take away from the fact that the movie is good, its fun to sing Jimmy Eat World and Kelly Clarkson in Chris' ear, and it gave me something to write about.

+++ (Maybe next time you will listen to what I have to say. Lets just say this is a lesson learned. You're allowed to go back and read it if you are so inclined at this point, however.)

Over and out

Update: 8/20/2010

I take it all back, this movie sucked in hindsight.

About:

2008-01-09T12:13:00.000-05:00

First and foremost, let me introduce myself and my purpose for having this site.

I am Rob and I signed up for this whole blog-deal so I could have a place to write my ideas. The thing is, my original intent was to keep this little guy a secret, my own little sanctuary to write to no one (excluding myself) so that I could go back to it in later days, months, years and see what was going on in my life. Then, after signing up, I realized how strange that was to do...if I have stuff to say to myself for the future, I have a hard drive for that.

Brief explanation for the Title of the blog (subject to change):

The Erosion of Sanity

This is the title of the second release by a band named Gorguts. I'm a pretty adamant fan of Death Metal and other forms of "Extreme Metal" and these guys blew my brain the first time I heard them. The title "The Erosion of Sanity" has always been a catalyst for thought for me. Just hearing those words gets me to think about things like the quantity and magnitude of all the thoughts that go on inside a persons head. It would only make sense that space in your cranium is (physically) limited and thus, once it is full, you have to replace things (or go crazy), hence the erosion of sanity. You might go insane, who knows, but this is a place to put thoughts and other such things (at least for now, who knows what I will do with it)

Oh and on a side note, I might just have a smidgen of insanity inside me.

If you read this, I hope you enjoy what I have to share and say. We will all see how this goes...