AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 2/16/2004 10:26:00 PM ----- BODY: -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 2/15/2004 10:06:00 PM ----- BODY: Change of Address

It's hard to believe that it's been well over a year since I have started posting my thoughts and experiences for all of the world to read. I have always had dreams of someday making a real website, complete with pictures and links to music reviews. Well, it appears that that day has finally come. My buddy, Andy, was kind enough to help me get started on a new site that will allow me to do basically whatever I want on it. Andy, Jon, and myself tried thinking up clever little names for what the site should be called. We came up with www.oopispoopwithoutap.com, www.bradtothebone.com, www.onemanband.com, www.thenotsofamousbrad.com, www.theotherbrad.com. I thought site titled www.childporn.com could lure in an interesting crowd of individuals, but then realized I've made some anti-religion comments on here before and the Catholic priests would be offended. I'm kidding, of course, the real reason I didn't go with it is because a) it's just wrong and b) the name had already been registered. The new site will be called Bradical Mindspew and should be up and running shortly. Once it is up, I will post my top albums of 2003 list (I want to put a pictures of the albums by the review so that's why I'm waiting) and I will also update past postings with pictures, as well. For example, the posting where I talk about a midget stripper will actually include a picture of the wee man shakin' his groove thang. In related news, one of my best friends from back home decided to start his own blog and so far it's pretty darn good. Nick is easily one of the coolest cats I know so I recommend anyone who is in the mood for thought, a laugh, or just some good rants about music or politics to check his site out. In other news, in roughly 36 hours I will have officially put my two weeks notice in at my work. I have been interviewing with some restaurants/bars in the area and they seem pretty promising. I can't believe the big moment of truth is only 36 hours away, though. I will be writing about any updates as they transpire. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 2/08/2004 12:14:00 AM ----- BODY: Wrecking My Plans

I was pretty excited about my decision to grab a hold of my life and start doing what I wanted with it. It's amazing how just the simple thought of knowing you are going to do something to better your life will actually improve your mentality even though you haven't actually done it yet. Well, I decided to tell my boss that I needed to take a day off of work because I had to get my bills from my surgery figured out. He granted me the day off, and I lined up interviews with about 7 restaurants/bars in the area that I thought would be good to work. Well, it just so happens that the day I had off was the worst snow day Kansas City has had in years. It snowed like crazy, but I thought I could beat the worst of it so I ventured out to start my visits. My rear wheel drive car couldn't even make it up the hill by my apartment complex, and my car ended up sliding down the hill and spinning around, hitting a curb. When I exited my car to see if there had been any damage, I saw that my right rear tire was at an angle instead of standing upright. Eight inches of snow ended up getting dumped on us throughout the day. I had to get my car towed and now it's in the shop waiting to be repaired. It was definitely a setback for my plans because, not only was I unable to get a head start on my post-work plans, but I now have a car that needs to be paid for. Yeah, it's a bummer. I'm still going to do what I originally planned, but I will probably just wait another week. I was getting really excited at the thought of leaving my job. In fact, that's the thing I'm most bothered with about the whole thing is that I have to wait even longer, not the fact that I have to shell out more money. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to roll with the punches. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 2/02/2004 06:47:00 AM ----- BODY: Superboob Halftime Show

For those of you that missed it, a portion of Janet Jackson's outfit was ripped off by Justin Timberlake last night during the halftime show while he sang the lyric, "I'll have you naked by the end of this song". The action resulted in her right breast flopping out on national television. I'm not sure if it was intentional or a mistake. If it was a mistake, why would Janet wear that thing on her nipple? -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 2/01/2004 10:31:00 PM ----- BODY: Getting the Ball Rolling

It has been months since I have done anything with this site. I have gotten caught up with things that aren't important in life. I have allowed myself to settle for a job that strips my freedom and happiness from me and it got the best of me for a while. People had pointed out to me that the overall tone of my posts had turned rather dark and depressing. There was a reason for that, and I am happy to say that I am getting things back on track. I work for a company that brags about how they burn people out while coming up short on ethics. I have worked, on average, 60 hours a week. Plus, I have been on call every third night and every third weekend which means you get calls at all hours of the day or night. My position had a 77% turnover rate in the year of 2003. People stay with the company in hopes of getting promoted. With the promotion, you make a lot of money and are in charge of your own office. What they don't tell you is that the position had a 67% percent turnover last year. I don't understand why anyone would want to be with the company I work for. There have been countless times I have witnessed sad examples of people letting their jobs ruin their lives like the times I would hear my boss telling his daughter goodnight over the phone because he was stuck in the office late. He justifies it by telling us how much he makes, which is really sad to see. There are ten people who work in my office and there are only two that have been there longer that I despite the fact I have only been there for a little over 8 months. There are many other reasons I could go on and on about why I have been unhappy with my work, but the most important thing about the whole situation is that I have decided that after this week I am going to put my two-weeks notice in. I've tried fruitlessly to find a job since November and it's impossible to do when you work from 7am to 7pm most days without a lunch break. I haven't even been able to make a follow up call with the jobs in which I have applied. I am going to apply to different restaurants and bars to see if I can do some part time bartending while I do a good search. Some might think it's a bad idea, but I am actually really excited about it. The thought of working a few times a week to make only slightly less per week than I make now excites me a lot. It feels empowering to survive while not settling for anything less than a life I want to lead. It might not be the ideal thing, but it's definitely a step in the right direction. I will be posting more on this website, including my top 20 albums of 2003 soon. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 11/17/2003 08:10:00 PM ----- BODY: Bidding a Fond Farewell...To My Appendix

Last week, the nagging stomach problem I've been having decided to come back while I was working. It felt like this giant bowling ball of pain was lodged in my midsection. By the end of the morning on Tuesday, I couldn't take it anymore and left to try to get better. After several hours of trying to rest, I realized something wasn't right. Luckily, my doctor was able to squeeze me in his schedule that afternoon, and I was able to drive out to visit him. Right away, my doctor started pressing on different areas of my stomach. I felt no specific pain until he pressed on the lower right portion. It was a horrible pain. My doctor ordered I get bloodwork done and have a CAT scan. The bloodwork came back showing my white blood cells were high and my scan showed that my appendix and surrounding lymph nodes were enflamed. There was also scarring around my appendix which was a sign that I had suffered from an aggrevated appendix in the past. The surgeon told me that I should call him that night if things got bad or else he would call me in the morning to see how I was doing. If it still hurt in the morning, he wanted to operate. Meanwhile, my friend Katie was driving into town to see the Polyphonic Spree concert with me that very same night. I called her to tell her my unfortunate news and she said she was going to come anyway. She arrive later on that night at my apartment and we stayed up for a while catching up on each other's lives. I hadn't seen her for a good six months or so because she was abroad last semester. Sure enough, the pain never subsided and I was under the knife by Wednesday afternoon. I don't remember much. Actually, the only thing I remember is saying hi to Kerry (our director of clinical services) and Katie as I was first hooked up to an IV. Next thing I know, I woke up and they were telling me I was all done. That's it. I don't remember them placing a mask over me or anything. Katie was there waiting for me in my room and was just an amazing friend through the whole ordeal. I was sore and still a little drugged up after coming out of it, but little did I know the worst part of the whole experience was just around the corner... At about 11, Katie left and I gave her keys to my place so she could sleep in a bed and not in a chair all night. The nurses told me that I had to urinate before going to bed because they said sometimes the drugs and surgery can make it difficult to go. I tried several times. It was so frustrating because I felt it coming and I couldn't even get a drip. I tried everything to get a flow going...standing, sitting, tickling different parts of my body, and turning the water on at various speeds. Nothing worked. Finally, after 15 minutes in the bathroom, a nurse knocked on the door and said what I was afraid of. She said, "Well, we'll just have to cath you, then." With those words of doom, I had to lay down on my bed and prepare for the worst. Apparently, they had already stuck the tube up me while I was unconscious which shocked me in itself, but something told me this was going to be much different. Next thing I knew, she lady shoved the tube up my urethra. It was, hands down, the most painful thing I have ever felt in my life. Nothing can compare to the pain. I was moving around violently and the lady had to hold me down with her free hand so I didn't rip her other hand away. She then left it in and pee started flowing into a plastic bowl. Then, they had to pull the tube back out. The whole process lasted about a minute, but I would rather go through two appedicitis' then experience that ever again. I went home early Thursday afternoon when my mom arrived. She took me home and we got painkillers at the drug store. The meds that they gave me are, ironically, the same kind Rush Limbaugh got addicted to. Since then, I've been taking it easy and relaxing. My mom left the next day and my dad, stepmother, and half-sister came into town on Saturday. They are here all week for the American Royal Horse Show so it's been good to see them, too. Tomorrow will be my first day of work since in a week so I am a little nervous about getting caught up. I'm also worried about making through the whole day. My wound is right on my waistline which will not be fun when I have to get dressed up and weard a belt tomorrow for 12 hours or so. My meds also wear me out a ton so I hope I'll be able to make it. The biggest surprise to me through the whole ordeal is that, even though I don't know many people here, the people I do know have gone out of their way to make sure I was doing alright. I had some of my nurses from work visiting me and/or sending me balloons, neighbors brought cookies over, and people from work came over and cooked me dinner one night. I couldn't believe it. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 11/17/2003 06:15:00 PM ----- BODY: Midgets, Concerts, and a Fake Penis

What do those things have to do with me? Well, let me tell you. They actually all have been topics of things I've been meaning to write about in the past few weeks. I'll start from the beginning and work my way to the present... Midgets -- A girl that I work with, Amy, had her birthday on a Friday and her boyfriend decided to have a surprise party for her after we got out of work. Earlier in the week, Amy had revealed to us her discovery that Dante Hall (yes, the stud who plays for the Chiefs) lives right across the street from her so we were excited at the thought of possibly seeing him, as well. Little did she know, though, we hired a midget stripper to surprise her even more! Her place was all done up with streamers, balloons, all kinds of great food, and free alcohol. We cleared off a space for my friend to sit and started the music. She figured out we got her a stripper, but she was in no way prepared for what she saw run in from the outside. As the music blasted, Chris, the midget stripper/wrestler ran in from doing his pushups outside to warmup. He was wearing a black and white Adidas jumpsuit. I must admit, I was a little disappointed in him, though. He was proportional and not "midget-like" and he was really buff. The little guy did put on quite a show. He danced to four songs and stripped down to a thong by the end of his performance. He also had a semi the whole time which, according to Amy, was not fake at all. It was a hilarious night and it had been a long time since I had laughed until I cried. Fake Penis -- For Halloween, I broke out an old house party costume that was a hit with everyone including the locals at the bar we went to. Dressed in retro gear, tight pants, and a cucumber in my crotch, I was Dirk Diggler from Boogie Nights. I've never had so many people touching and grabbing at that region of my body before in my life. Concert -- On Sunday, November 4th, my buddy Colin drove into town so we could watch Spiritualized in concert at the Granada Theater in Lawrence. Our first thought was that we were both shocked at how few people were in the audience. Spiritualized is a band that, only four years ago, was regarded as the best live band in the world by most critics. They even have a live album from a sold out show at Royal Albert Hall. That night, however, I was a member of a crowd of maybe 150 people in a small venue. Colin and I were in shock but were both really pumped to see the band in such an intimate environment. After seeing them, I can honestly say that they are a band that can simply rock. Jason Pierce is a man that I have really admired over the years, and it was great to see him in the flesh. The only problem about him is that you can totally tell the guy is a complete jerk. He sat down in a chair the whole time while the band played and didn't acknowledge the crowd once. That's right, he didn't even say "thank you" or "goodnight" or anything. It was also hard for me to enjoy some of the songs without the massive symphony and gospel choir accompanying many of the song's arrangements. Songs like "Let It All Come Down" just miss that added "umph" without those things. All in all, though, the concert was impressive and the light show was out of this world. The show incorporated the most strobe effects I've seen in my life. It was to the point where my friend and I had to turn our heads away because it was too difficult to stare at the stage at times. At the end of the evening, with my ears still buzzing, I realized that I saw a great band. Though I wish I could have seen them on their last tour when they were on top of their game, it was still an impressive concert. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 10/22/2003 10:27:00 PM ----- BODY: R.I.P. Elliott Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003)

It was early this morning that I found out the news that Elliott Smith had committed suicide at the age of 34 only hours before I had woken up to get ready for work. I had always been a fan of his and appreciated what he stood for. His music rarely ever strayed from the stripped sound of a guitar, his angelic voice and his dark, sad lyrics. Looking back at them, I can't help but find them quite haunting. Everyone who knew him believed he was the most loving and caring man they had ever known. Some even say he would go out during his own shows when the opening act was playing to talk with his fans and get to know them. His songs are a reflection of his inner sadness and I find it very unfortunate that his songwriting alone couldn't help him cope with his pain. His most well-known song, Needle in the Hay, was featured in the movie The Royal Tenenbaums which, ironically, was used in a scene that involved Luke Wilson attempting suicide. The scene already was chilling enough, and I will never be able to view it the same way again. He will be deeply missed by me and anyone else who has ever heard his music. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 10/16/2003 11:43:00 PM ----- BODY: I Hate the Yankees

I was so excited at the thought of the Cubs and Red Sox possibly making it to the World Series to face off against each other. They represent all that is right with baseball. They actually have a create good teams instead of just buying whoever they want. They also have classic old ballparks with some of the most dedicated fans in all of sports. It just seemed too good to be true. Little did I know, it was. Now it's the Yankees and Marlins in the World Series. I can't remember a time in my life where I've been so unexcited to see the supposed best teams in baseball compete in the championship. This may sound harsh, but if you are in my generation and aren't from New York and still root for the Yankees, then you really don't get what baseball is about. The Yankees stand for the very reason that the US has a bad reputation. I put the Yankees right up there with McDonalds food, MTV, infomercials, and shady politics as the list of things that are truly what America has become about and also things that I am embarassed to be a part of. Please, comment below and let me know if I'm correct in my beliefs or if I'm just some crazy baseball fanatic. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 10/15/2003 10:26:00 PM ----- BODY: Two Movies and a Concert

Two weekends ago, I got to see the movie School of Rock. It stars one of my favorite actors/comedians of all time, Jack Black. I was worried when I saw the previews of it at first because the man loves to swear. The man is the funniest swearer on the planet. To be honest, just hearing him talk normally can even make me laugh. Yes, I love Jack Black. I've been a fan of his ever since I witnessed his fat figure for the first time in old, taped episodes of Tenacious D from the 90's when I was a sophomore in college. I have since seen him twice in concert, as well. Anyway, the movie was actually hilarious. Even though it was a little cheesy and for the kids, I seriously believe anyone could watch School of Rock and enjoy it a lot. Last weekend was when I got to see the other movie I had been waiting months for -- Kill Bill. I love Tarantino's work. He's one of the most unique mainstream directors in the business, in my opinion. The film itself is full of action and the plot is really not too complex. It doesn't matter, though, because the scenes are so well done and creative that you really don't notice. The only thing I didn't care for was the fact that one of my favorite things about Tarantino's movies, the dialogue, was pretty weak. In his past films, the man had a way of making the most basic conversation seem so interesting and natural. This aspect was lacking in Kill Bill. It was also unfortunate that you only get to see the first half. It's not like the Matrix or Star Wars where each film is like its own complete story. Instead, you want it to just keep going and it gets cut in half...bummer. In short, I loved Kill Bill and can't wait to own it. It's very, very, violent and there are tons of bloody scenes, but if you view it as a film and put yourself in the mind of the director, you'll end up more impressed than anything. On Sunday night, I went with a friend to Lawrence to see the Starlight Mints, Elbow, and Grandaddy play at Liberty Hall. The venue is just awesome. It holds only a couple hundred people and is designed in a way that it's impossible to have a bad view of the bands. The Starlight Mints played first and didn't really impress me much. Their songs sounded as if they were based off of a cool riff but couldn't do anything else with thei songs. Elbow was next and they played well above my expectations. I have been a semi-fan of theirs for a couple years, but didn't expect their sound to translate well live. I was dead wrong. Not only did they completely jam and rock out, but they played (and sang) with a ton of emotion. The highlight of their set was Fugutive Motel which was accompanied by a neat montage that fit the song perfectly. I liked Elbow before, but I gained a whole new appreciation for them after seeing them live. Finally, Grandaddy came on. They played nonstop through a collection of their new and old songs. The band played very well and everyone had a great time. I was disappointed, however, at the lack of crowd interaction the band had. They didn't stray much from the original songs, either. The lead singer wore a baseball hat with cat faces drawn on it and their sense of humor was displayed throughout the night. For example, during "AM 180", they played a video of a cat and a dog playfully getting into a fight. At one point, the video monitor displayed, "Grandaddy...the band with class". All in all, it was a great night of good music. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 9/30/2003 10:41:00 PM ----- BODY: A Return

So here I am again after multiple weeks of neglecting the very site I created as a means to log my intellectual stimulation. What have I become? Sometimes I catch myself visiting this site to go back and chronicle through my mind spewed out onto a computer screen. I see the number of posts I had created pre-Kansas City and post-college and it just blows my mind away what a difference it is. In many ways, I have gotten frustrated at how much I've alienated my friends and little things in life so I could work insane hours for a company and catch up on sleep. Lately I've found that my biggest fault lies in the fact that I've alienated myself from myself. One of my favorite movies in the past year is Adaptation. In it, Meryl Streep discusses how she is drawn to a man because he has such a passion for what he does. She works, has a marriage, and is very smart, but she lives her life without a passion for anything. She just exists. That's the way I feel like I've become as of late. I work, eat, sleep, and do the same routine over again. My passion for creating music, reading, thinking, bascially anything, has subsided and this thoughless drone of a young man is left in place of it. It's frustrating to realize such a thing. It's even more frustrating to know it and not know how to respark all those things you were once so passionate about. Maybe it'll take a new group of friends. Maybe it'll take me forcing myself to get into a routine of getting back into the swing of things. Maybe it'll take meeting a cool girl to turn that switch on. Maybe it'll just take me getting full nights of sleep. At any rate, I need to make a change. I also need to update this site more (which I will do). -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 9/07/2003 11:31:00 PM ----- BODY: So Many Shows, So Little Time (and Friends)

The following shows are playing in or around Kansas City in the coming weeks/months: Mason Jennings @ the Bottleneck in Lawrence 9/16 Wilco in Des Moines 9/17 Nada Surf @ the Bottleneck in Lawrence 10/5 Grandaddy w/ Elbow @ Liberty Hall in Lawrence 10/12 Pete Yorn @ the Beaumont Club in Kansas City 10/16 Junior Senior w/ Electric Six @ the Hurricane in Kansas City 10/20 Earlimart @ the Bottleneck in Lawrence Spiritualized @ Granada Theater in Lawrence 11/2 Chris Robinson @ Liberty Hall in Lawrence 11/11 Polyphonic Spree @ Liberty Hall in Lawrence 11/12 & 11/13 Obviously, I'd love to go to all of these shows if my work and wallet permited such a thing. Anyone who is interested in going to any of these shows please email me at Sniffy716@hotmail.com or call me. I really don't want to have to go to these alone. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 8/23/2003 10:16:00 PM ----- BODY: Going Back In the Cocoon?

For most of my life I have been considered a pretty personable guy. In fact, many friends have given me a hard time for being the social butterfly wherever we go. It isn't long ago that I remember being able to walk into any bar in Ames knowing a decent amount of people in the bar. For some reason, my social mentality has completely changed since moving to Kansas City. I don't care about going out and meeting people. Even when I go out and am introduced to people I still don't really even bother to continue a conversation to them. I used to think it was because I had gotten so accustomed to living alone that I just wasn't able to converse as well with others. Now, however, I believe it is because the scene here is totally different than anywhere I've been before. In Iowa, I was surrounded by friends I already knew in places where I knew I would likely see those people again. Here, though, I know that pretty much everyone I meet will become strangers at the end of the night. In a city so big, the chances are rare that I will even see them again. I guess I believe it is pointless. I can't figure out if it is okay to have such an attitude or if it'd be more beneficial to not care about the continued duration of newfound acquaintances from my nights out. One thing is certain, though, and that is the fact that I'm alone again on a weekend night which is something that would never had happened to me prior to my relocation to Kansas. I have lived here for almost four months and still barely know anyone. This, coupled with the fact that I seem to get nightly phone calls from friends still in college partying it up before school starts back up, makes me wonder if I should reevaluate my current social life. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 8/09/2003 12:28:00 AM ----- BODY: The Real Reason I Have This Site

A friend asked me recently why on earth I created a website comprised almost entirely of my thoughts for anyone to see. "Is it like a diary," she asked. This is not some sort of diary. This isn't some sort of thing I do to make me "feel better" or anything. There's a reasoning behind it that I want to clear up for anyone who may question the purpose of why I write on this thing. It all starts with my motivation for life which, in turn, actually started when I was roughly ten years old living in Dublin, Ohio. I went to go see a friend play in a Pop Warner football game and we went exploring around the area after he played. We stumbled upon an old graveyard and were compelled to examine the scene further. The markings on the tombstones were very faded so it was difficult to really even make out the names of the individuals who were buried there. For a while, my friend and I attempted to decipher the names and dates etched into each slab of rock. Some of them had old names that aren't even used these days, a few had died on Halloween, and one died on the 4th of July. To be honest, it kind of freaked us out. Thinking back, that experience has had one of the most profound effects on my life. Each one of the people in that graveyard most likely had a career. They had a family they were proud of and they had kinships in which they shared some of their best memories. These people were human beings just as I am today, and their existance had been reduced to nothing but a faded tombstone that allowed two kids to barely even read three things: their name, their date of birth, and their date of death. That's it. Since that moment, I have lived my life almost obsessed with death. I am terrified to live my life with seemingly insignificant acts that will end up not mattering when some kids stand above my faded tombstone someday and I barely even have those three things to show for my life. I've always wanted to do something that would last, whether it was inventing something, making music, or just doing something great someday. This site is a safe bet for creating something of substance that will last the test of time. Barring the chance of a technological disaster someday, this site will always remain accessable to others. My thoughts will be nothing but flashes left in the rotting mind of my corpse someday, but this is allowing me to create something concrete with those thoughts. Someday I would like to create my own domain name with some clever URL address. Who knows, maybe I'll decided to use it to represent me someday. Like, along with my name, date of birth, and date of death, I'll put" "Visit www.[my website].com to learn about me and my life". That is why I decided to to this in the first place. I hope it makes sense. To those of you who got this site from my tombstone, hello and thanks for visiting. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 8/07/2003 09:17:00 PM ----- BODY: Are You Kidding Me?

My 4 year old half-sister has been a big fan of Blue's Clues ever since she was able to comprehend the concept of television. The show bothered me to no end because Steve, the show's only non-cartoon character, was just way too annoying. The guy was a complete dork who was just way too excited about everything. I guess that's why kids took to him so much. I always wondered if he was like that in real life or if he was just that unique that he could act like a complete fool in front of a camera. Well, it appears that my question has been answered. Steve (real name: Steve Burns) is apparently a pretty cool guy. In fact, he has recently teamed up with some members of the Flaming Lips to create his own album after getting to know one of them in college. Yes, the Steve from Blue's Clues is now an indie artist. He even looks halfway normal. I couldn't stop laughing when I found out about this. I now own the album and I must say that it is pretty darn good. Actually, it's really good. Information about Steve's new project and a couple of his videos can be seen on his website. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 7/30/2003 10:38:00 PM ----- BODY: Registration Observation

I had to leave work for a little bit yesterday so that I could run over the the nearby DMV to get my car registered in the state of Kansas. The new tags on my car marked the last change needed to become a full-fledged Kansas citizen, sadly shedding myself of my Iowa roots. What transpired during the course of my visit the Department of Motor Vehicles really left me in a state of dismay. The place was very chaotic as the employees tried their best to hurry people through the process. Not many smiles were exchanged between the workers and customers, but they were overly kind and accommodating to me. It didn't take me long to figure out why. Most of the people in the place were dressed in regular shorts and a t-shirt. They had regular cars that the average person might drive. I, on the otherhand, was dressed in my usual dress clothes and tie that I wear to work everyday. I also drive a luxury car. Once I noticed what was going on, I started picking up on every detail of what was going on around me. I left the place feeling uncomfortable with who I was and slightly irritated at what others had perceived me as. Today was a very sad display of how preconceived notions held by others really do affect day to day lives. Yesrday, I was treated with higher regard than others and I was flat out embarassed. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 7/20/2003 11:02:00 PM ----- BODY: Entertainment Recommendations

There are a few things I would like to pass on to others reading this. Movies: 28 Days Later is a great horror flick and it comes highly recommended to those who are interested in watching some tense, disturbing film. It is done very well, but it is almost too disturbing at times. Remember the queezy feeling you got seeing Jared Leto's arm in Requiem For a Dream? You'll definitely feel that way again multiple times during 28 Days Later. This isn't your teeny bopper scary movie a la Scream. Music: For the past couple weeks it seems like I have not been able to get two CDs out of my player. One is Sumday by Grandaddy and the other is Phantom Power by Super Furry Animals. SFA has really outdone themselves this time around and their new album, in my opinion, is the first great album to come out so far this year. Video Games: NCAA College Football 2004 just flat out amazes me. There really isn't any aspect of college football that has been left out. It's realistic and a blast to play. Internet: Ok, a friend passed this on to me and it absolutely cracks me up. There's this chubby kid who filmed himself pretending to fight Star Wars-style and it's somehow gotten onto the internet. Well, as if that isn't funny enough, people have made their own creations using the fight scenes. There's a Terminator knockoff, a Star Wars knockoff, and a Braveheart knockoff. My favorite, though, is the Matrix knockoff -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 7/17/2003 10:07:00 PM ----- BODY: The Big Two-Three

Yesterday was my birthday which was a new experience for me altogether. This was my first birthday in my 23 years of existance that I was left without the company of family or close friends. To be honest, it was kind of lonely, in a way. Every year I turn older I go through a sort of phase where it bothers me that I'm aging. I swear I have a mini aging crisis for every year that passes with me. I even ended up buying my own birthday cake at a local Hy-Vee so I could eat it by myself in front of a TV. Last night, however, I was joined by about seven co-workers and we all ate and drank for free all night at a bar. All in all, I believe the whole thing was as good as it could have possibly been. I even got phone calls from friends I never would have expected in a million years. Gotta love surprises like that. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 7/01/2003 11:39:00 PM ----- BODY: Lives In My Hands

Today was the first day that I fully realized how much people's lives really do rely on my work. Today, I had two nurses pull a no call/no show on our most critical client. A no call/no show is when a nurse not only doesn't even bother to show up, but they don't even bother to call and let us know they can't make it. This caused a huge problem because the client is new for us and is literally teetering on life and death everyday. In fact, he was just sent to the hospital last week because he wasn't quite ready to be cared for at home. Because of the circumstances today, a lot of the pressure was placed on me because I am in charge of homecare. As I frantically tried to track our missing nurse while attempting to discover a replacement at the last minute, it really hit me just how much my performace as a recruiter would affect this human being's life. I felt horrible about the situation. I felt horrible for the family to have to go through such stress after depending on us, and I felt horrible because a child would have to go to the emergency room or even possibly die because of what was happening. Today wasn't about growing sales or recruiting nurses. Today was about maintaining lives. They say that it is normal for a recruiter for this company to cry three or four times from all the stress that is placed on you, and I can see how that statistic could ring true. After work, my boss took me out to eat. He told me a story about what keeps him doing what he does. His second week with the company, he got a call while on-call one night from a man who was a quadrapelegic. The disabled man's nurse had not shown up to take care of him and it was obvious she wasn't going to come for the night. My boss was stuck trying to call everyone in his roster by himself to take care of the guy. No one was able to do it. After a while, my boss was freaking out because if no one was able to take care of him, the state would come and take his daughter away and place him in the hospital. My boss called the guy back and explained that he couldn't find anyone but was still going to try. He also admitted that he was scared because he knew there was a good chance he wouldn't get a nurse to help him. The disabled man explained his story to my boss. The man was going to a bar one night and there was a guy outside that had a dog. The owner said to watch out because the dog would bite. The man told the owner it was okay and went to pet the dog anyway. The owner took that as a sign of disrespect. As the man left the bar that night, the owner of the dog beat the man with a pool stick, rendering him without feeling in any of his limbs. Two weeks later, his wife committed suicide because she couldn't deal with the state her husband was in. He was left to take care of his daughter by himself as a quadrapelegic...all because he decided to pet a dog. This man, after everything he had been through, told my boss that he should have no reason to be scared. The disabled man, who by now was covered in his own urine and feces, explained that if you have faith you have no reason to be scared. He told my boss to not give up and someone would come to take care of him. The first person my boss called after that agreed to take care of the disabled man. If that isn't inspiration then I don't know what is. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 6/30/2003 11:34:00 PM ----- BODY: Rock, Baseball, and Lesbians

Matt and Colin came into town this weekend to catch a White Stripes show. I hadn't seen Colin for roughly half a year since he was gone overseas for the spring semester. Matt, too, was gone but I was fortunate enough to see him at my friend's wedding a few weeks back. We went to a bar with a couple other friends for a somewhat lowkey night. Saturday was the big show. We got to Memorial Hall just as the opening band was finishing up their act. After catching only a little bit of their performance, I believe it was a blessing that we missed the majority of their set. While the roadies were busy unloading the Whirlwind Heat's equipment to put the White Stripes things up, they played some old time cartoons. It was obvious to me what kind of mood they were trying to set. This is a band that has always tried to capture the beauty of youth and love in their words and the cartoons were, in a way, an example of such nostalgia. I couldn't help but think about how there once was a time that children and adults alike were able to enjoy such simple, pure entertainment. The show was pretty darn good. Jack White is one heck of a guitar player and frontman. He was all over the stage, sliding his feet around as he played guitar. The man would get down on his knees to play a solo one minute and then stand over by the drums to look at drummer Meg White while he sang. Although she isn't the most dynamic drummer nor all that attractive, Meg has got something about her that makes drumming actually seem cute. She would slouch in her seat a little while bobbing her head as she played. My friends agreed that it was cute, as well. All in all, it was a solid show with "Hotel Yorba", "Seven Nation Army", "Ball & Biscuit", and "Cold Cold Night", serving as the night's highlights even though the latter two are songs I had never really cared for prior to the show. The thing that amazed me was how much you could tell Jack White was a huge fan of music. It's like you could tell the man really got what music was all about and had a passion for it and its history. In the end, Jack and Meg held hands and walked together as the two-person band politely thanked the crowd and walked off. Though the night was very lackluster on crowd involvement (barely anything was said to the audience throughout the night), it was still a great rock performance. That night, we went out to a bar with some friends. Shortly after we were there we noticed two women right next to our table completely making out and touching each other. It was, quite honestly, the most blatent act of homosexuality I had ever witnessed by two women. Eventually, they ended up sitting at a table by us and I struck up a conversation with one of the ladies. She explained to me how she was married and had two kids but had a "friend" that she experimented with. She then went into semi-graphic detail about her sex life. After talking a little more, she asked where I worked and I told her. Lo and behold, she was one of the nurses that we had recently hired! Oh boy was that a fun one to share with my peers. On Sunday, we went to a Royals game and saw them get destroyed by the Cardinals. Albert Pujols hit 2 homers and basically proved to me that he is easily the best young athlete in baseball right now. I'm glad I got to see him. After the game, my buddies left and I was left alone again in my apartment after a fun weekend. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 6/24/2003 06:22:00 AM ----- BODY: Those Crazy Asians

Last weekend, a good friend introduced me to quite possibly the funniest show on television. The show is titled "Most Extreme Elimination Challenge " and it airs every week on an irregular schedule on TNN. The premise of the show revolves around painful contests performed by two teams. The events are pretty darn creative and have commentary dubbed in English to make it even more hilarious than it already is. I can't remember a time I laughed so hard so often during a regular television program. I didn't even know TNN played those kinds of shows. I encourage everyone to check it out. The schedule for it this week is as follows: Thursday, 26 10:30 PM Saturday, 28 8:00 PM Saturday, 28 8:30 PM Sunday, 29 7:30 PM Saturday, 5 8:00 PM Saturday, 5 8:30 PM Sunday, 6 7:00 PM Sunday, 6 7:30 PM -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 6/23/2003 09:31:00 PM ----- BODY: The 1st Business Trip

After the wedding, I drove back on Sunday and hopped on a jet to Baltimore. The trip was for work and eleven other young adults from all over the country met up to partake in four full days of training. The days were pretty long with a lot of lecturing and team building exercises. Luckily, every single person that was there was really cool. Our ages ranged from 21-25 and we went out on the town every night. The last night was easily the most fun. We visited the Inner Harbour of Baltimore and ate at a neat little seafood resaurant to start off the night. By the end of the night, everyone was buying each other shots and dancing with each other. Overall, the trip was a blast. We left completely exhausted because we were in class for 10 hours every day, but still managed to stay up at night. It was interesting for me to witness complete strangers from every corner of the country come together and become so close. By the end of the trip, we had all created a nickname for our group as our own "secret society". We have kept up our newfound friendships so far by emailing and using each other as a support system for when things get tough at work. The past week and a half has been a very good relief for me as far as friendships are concerned. After living alone for a while, it's easy to get caught up in your own personal world. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 6/20/2003 08:21:00 PM ----- BODY: A Fantastic Weekend

Last weekend, I was a groomsman for one of my best friends in Ottumwa, Iowa. The entire event proved to be one of the best in recent memory. I took Friday off of work to drive up so I could get settled that night. A bunch of people from the fraternity got together with a crew of Kappas (the house which the bride belonged) and headed off to a local bar. This bar was just as I like them...nice and trashy. There was a dog that wandered around the place, and the overweight, middle-aged lady bartender tried to rally us together to go streaking in the streets of Ottumwa at the conclusion of the night. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't much of a salesperson. The next day was the big wedding. All of the people in the wedding party had to force themselves out of bed so they could get to church. We spent a good portion of the afternoon sitting around and taking pictures. During the ceremony, it really hit me how much I have entered this new phase of my life. Six weeks prior to the event, I was a fun-loving college student. Six weeks later, I was sitting there as a groomsman for a wedding of one of my old roomates in college. Time is just traveling way too fast. Watching them get married put things in perspective for me. I remember always seeing old wedding photos of my friend's parents displayed in their house. The pictures always seemed so old and faded. They looked so young and happy which was weird, in a way, because I couldn't envision them out of their parental roles. That afternoon, we both witnessed and were a part of those pictures that would be a staple in their living room. Someday, their kid's friends will come over and think the same thing about them. It's sad for me, in a way, to know that the circle of life is continuing and there is nothing that I can do to halt its momentum. The reception was great. So many old friends were present so it was almost a last hurrah for all of us which, looking back, was very bittersweet. At the time, however, everyone was about celebrating and having fun. Everyone drank and danced at the country club and then headed over to conquer a dance club. The owners even had to warn us to tone it down because we were at risk of collapsing the floor with all the jumping/dancing we were doing. The night wasn't just about a marriage of two individuals, it was about embracing the phenominal friendships we had developed in just four short years of our lives. Looking back, it was a night I will never forget. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 6/08/2003 10:45:00 PM ----- BODY: The First On-Call Weekend

This weekend was my first being on-call for work. Basically, hospitals and home health patients are able to get ahold of me at any hour of the day. I think it is safe to say they surely took advantage of it. I am sleep deprived due to people calling at all hours of the night. Some of these nurses are really polite and friendly. They understand that my job is to find them work so they are happy to find ways to make money and are understanding if they get cancelled by a hospital that is already overstaffed for a particular shift. Some, however, are flat out rude pieces of white trash. I know it sounds rude to say something like that, but they really are pieces of white trash. On Friday, I had to console a nurse who was crying over the phone to me that she was going to be evicted from her home and that she didn't even have money to fill up her gas tank to make it to work. She was actually polite and kind, though. There is one nurse who refused to work more hours this weekend because then she would be ineligible for welfare. Are you kidding me? I'm getting money taken away for every hour I work so some apathetic lowlife can take it for not working? The irony is just way too thick there. Then, of course, there are the homecare patients. Some of these kids were born with disabilities due to their parents not giving up hard drugs during their pregnancy. These poor kids have little to no hope for a promising future all because they were cursed with having to be created in the womb of an irresponsible crackhead. The worst part of it all is that the parents get free nursing through Medicaid which is paid by the state. This program does a very good deed for most people who are unable to afford proper care. However, there are some cases that the deadbeat parents use this service to serve as a babysitter for their kids. It's sad, but I guess that's why I can see myself liking my job because I consider it providing help for those that are unfortunate, not for the parents. Heck, it isn't the kid's fault they were handed difficult circumstances. I promise I won't always write about work as much as I have lately. I don't like to talk about work away from work because I don't want to feel like that is the extent of my life. I just want to capture my thoughts at this early stage of working where I am. I do find it interesting how your mentality is trained to shift towards being more like that of a business person. It's almost like you're forced to put on an act of being confident and knowledgeable so that others view you with more respect. Just being yourself really isn't tolerated in the workplace which is really funny to me. I need to remember who I really am so I don't let myself get caught up in the whole workplace atmosphere. I've seen way too many people lose themselves in the corporate machine because they can't distinguish their work personality from who they really are. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 6/01/2003 03:40:00 AM ----- BODY: The Stomach Mystery Continues

The reason I am up so late isn't because I went out and had a wild and crazy night. In fact, I had a very tame, boring night by myself in my apartment watching episodes of Mr. Show on DVD. The reason I am up is because those darned stomach pains returned tonight. Mild pains first appeared around 11 and it got progressively worse as the night wore on. I finally took some Asprin around 2 and layed in bed for about an hour twisting and stretching my body in every way imaginable in an attempt to relieve the pain. I tried taking some antacid tablets and now everything is fine. Everytime this happens I seriously worry that it's "the big one" and I'll have to go to the emergency room to get my appendix out. I even pulled up directions how to get to the hospital on my computer before I went to bed just in case. I started worrying about how I would be able to take time off of work and what I would do for medical insurance since I haven't received my new insurance card in the mail yet. My frantic mind then had me thinking about calling the on-call phone from work to get ahold of one of my fellow co-workers to ask how I'd get the insurance number and to inquire as to what nurses were being staffed that night so I could request them or not. I don't understand what the problem with me is. The pain usually comes from the lower right side of my stomach which is what always leads me to believe it could be a problem with my appendix. Maybe they are just warnings. Sometimes I wonder if it could be an ulcer of somesort that is developing. I did have a frozen pizza tonight for dinner and it could have just been too acidic. Actually, the whole pizza thing is quite humorous in itself. I had gone to the store feeling slightly confident in my developed cooking abilities since I've lived on my own. Afterall, it was only a year ago that I had to ask my roomates what the word "simmer" meant while cooking Tuna Helper. I got some cake mix and some frosting and proudly added it to my basket of groceries. Granted, it isn't the most complicated thing to make, but it's a big step in the right direction for me. Well, just as I was feeling good about myself, I got home to put in my frozen pizza. I had to consult my friend, Rommi, to see if I was supposed to include the cardboard underneath the pizza in the oven or if I should just put the thing in all by itself. Instead of receiving helpful insight from her, I ended up just being the recipient of a good deal of laughter and mockery. So much for feeling confident in my cooking abilities. I just stuck the pizza in the oven without anything accompanying it and it turned out just fine...well, as fine as a cheap frozen pizza can end up. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 5/30/2003 09:02:00 PM ----- BODY: A New Low For Shoe Advertising

A week ago, Lebron James signed a contract with Nike for $90 million at the age of 18. This article is a hilarious parody of Nike's antics. It seems to be so common for scouts to look for the "next big thing" at younger ages which is almost scary to think about because who knows how bad it'll get. Well, my question has been answered by Reebok, the company who's profits have plummeted ever since Shaq stopped doing business with them. Reebok offered Mr. James a hefty sum of cash to woo his decision, but lost the battle. Well, it appears that they have stooped to a new low with their latest attempt at increasing their market share. I am shocked at what they are doing now, to be quite honest. Metafilter reports it best: By now, you might already have heard about Mark Walker, the 3 year old hoops prodigy that Reebok is featuring on their website; while the video of him hitting 18 straight shots from various spots on the floor is cute/impressive, the "interview" movie is horrendously creepy. The closing tagline "I'm the future of basketball; I am Reebok" done in the voice of such a small child just conjures up visions of in vitro logo tattooing. (Warning: Movies are in Quicktime) Maybe it's a good thing I opted to not go into the advertising aspect of promotions after college. Examples such as this are sad displays of how gimmicks are just getting more and more ridiculous. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 5/29/2003 11:05:00 PM ----- BODY: My Second Week

Tomorrow marks my second full week as a Kansas City resident and full-time worker. It's really strange to me how quickly I've adapted to such a drastic and sudden change in my life. I've started to get tired at hours that I was normally feeling my most alert, my 10 hour workdays just fly by without feeling long at all, I don't really have urges to go out and drink/party, and I really haven't experienced any feelings of lonliness despite living by myself in a city in which I barely know anyone. Last night, I watched the movie, "Igby Goes Down". It was an interesting movie about the pressures of life and how so many people fail to live up to their expectations because they fear failing. That's what I got out of it anyway. It was odd but I still liked it. Kieran Culkin (yes, the brother of that Home Alone kid) delivers an amazing performance. It's too bad he'll be known as Macaulay's bro and may not get a fair chance. The movie also confirms that Claire Danes is one of the best acresses out there...I would also date her. The movie oozes with dark humor and throught-provoking insight. For example, in the opening scene, Kieran Culkin is talking to a priest and says, "If heaven is really that great of a place, then why was Jesus' crucifixion such a huge f-ing sacrifice." At the end of the movie, Culking beats the living pulp out of his dead mother's (Susan Sarandon) corpse. Yeah, it's disturbing but it's a pretty good flick. Tonight I went to a Royals game with my friend Courtney and her dad. The game was great, but the A's came out victorious. It's so great to live in a place that actually has professional sports for a change. I always vowed I'd live in a place with pro sports and I'm proud to say I've stuck with that promise. I'm sure I'll go more times now that I know the games are so cheap. You can get tickets for as low as $5! I've also been stuck on a new CD lately. The new JJ72 album is really good. It's just about as good as their last, self-titled album. The lead singer really confuses me because the voice sounds sooo much like a woman's, but a man is the one who sings. His voice sounds like a cross between Natalie Merchant and Eddie Vedder. The music is often sweet and and other songs are just plain aggressive and rockin'. They all have great melodies. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 5/27/2003 02:40:00 AM ----- BODY: A Terrifying Nightmare

I went to bed a little over two hours ago, and I am now here in front of my computer because a horrific nightmare caused me to awaken from my slumber. It's important to note that I never have cute, fun little dreams. For me, an element of danger is always included where I'm running for my life, panicking about something, or fighting something off. I don't know if it's because I'm secretly a paranoid or burdened person or what the deal is. I normally just try to remember any dreams I may have for the next day and just try to fall back asleep, but the fact that I have forgetten a good number of dreams that way coupled with the fact I'm slightly freaked out brings me here to type on the eve of my second week as a working professional. I believe this dream was inspired by seeing a video about Ted Bundy at a local Blockbuster a couple days ago and by the fact I read an article about a mass murderer in Louisiana before going to bed. The general idea of this nightmare is that my father and I begin to follow a cereal killer that we had found out somehow was the man committing the crimes. It started one night where I found myself back in Ames at Mickey's with a friend. For some reason, that particular bar was really lame that night and the music mostly consisted of laid back Jack Johnson-esque grooves. An ex-girlfriend of mine was there and we joked around a little which, in hindsight, was probably the high point of this dream because I rarely see the girl out in public being fun like she used to because she was always with her newest boyfriend during the remaining months of school. It was as I left the bar that I got a call from my dad about some murders that had taken place, and he wanted me to help research the case with him. Somehow my dad already knew which person was the murderer (and he ironically looked not unlike Mr. Bundy) and we would follow him to different public events where he would situate himself behind two people each time. The following day, those two people would end up mysteriously slain. We finally ended up at a large football game that took place in a domed stadium. Looking through binoculars, my father pointed the man out to me. This time was different than all the rest of his appearances. He was sitting in a row all by himeself in the balcony with six uniformed Marines positioned in front of him. It was like he wanted the challenge of having to kill six people so he bought a rows worth of tickets just so he could have that many people in front of him. There was a panel loose in a ceiling in the lower level and my dad told me to wait there to see if he would sneak out of the building through that panel. I didn't understand why my dad wouldn't let me just inform the police of the situation, but he explained his reasoning to me. My dad, an attorney, wanted to know as much about the man before he was brought to justice so that he would have a better chance of being allowed to either defend or prosecute him in a large, highly publicized trial. My dad was about to set off to another post to spy on the killer when I realized I had forgetten a camera in a seat right next to the murderer! So my dad waited as I ran to go get it. When I got to my destination, the murderer turned to me, camera in hand, and goes, "I believe you forgot this". I was paralyzed with fear that this monster had spoken and made eye contact with me. What scared me even more was that, not only would he now know that I knew he was at the stadium that day, but I also, for a brief moment, was positioned in front of him. I ran back to where I was supposed to stand guard. As I got back, my dad's cell phone rang. When he answered it, the voice on the other end goes, "Was that your son, Mr. Becker?" The creep knew who my dad was! He let us know we'd be seeing him in the near future and hung up. We didn't know if he meant we'd be seeing him for consultation regarding his murder trial or if we were doomed to be one of his victims. Either way, it was really scary. I woke up at that point feeling relieved it was only a dream, yet also experiencing a bit of anxiety for the first time since living alone. I layed there for a second trying to collect my thoughts and calm down. Moments later I felt a huge weight press down upon me in my bed. It sounds totally crazy, but it honestly happened. It was like someone had taken a gigantic, half-inflated beach ball and pressed it upon me. I am now going to attempt sleeping for the second time. I highly doubt it'll be as odd as the first. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 5/25/2003 01:19:00 AM ----- BODY: Disappointing Efforts or Just Hightened Expectations

I don't know what it is with me but I just haven't been able to like some of the music I've been checking out lately. First, after hearing rave reviews from the Libertines, Longwave, and Idlewild, I decided to check out their albums. After trying repeatedly to get into their music, I actually ended up throwing the burned CD's away. Looking back, I find this behavior slightly ridiculous considering each CD cost me about $ .10, so basically I threw three dimes away to ensure not having them in my extensive music collection. I also have felt let down with the new outings by Marilyn Manson and Spiritualized. Yes, yes, I realize Mr. Manson is an odd choice of mine to have feelings of disapointment, but his last album, Holywood, was actually pretty good. There was actually an artistic, progressive element introduced in it that impressed me. I thought that it would maybe spark a new beginning for the guy. Instead, it was obviously just a phase and Marilyn Manson is back to his usual schtick. Spritualized, on the other hand, has consistantly always impressed me. After lead singer Jason Pierce basically fired the rest of the band a few years ago, I was concerned future recordings were going to be subpar. The opposite ended up happening, though, as Let It Come Down proved to be one of the most grand albums of epic proportions to be released in my lifetime. It was phenominal. It was as if Pink Floyd decided to seriously rock with a 100 piece symphony backing them in full force. A few days ago, I was able to "preview" the new yet-to-be-released Spiritualized album. I must say I was very bummed. I have anticipated this release for a while, and it lacks the sprawling masterpieces that were consistantly included on Let It Come Down and Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space. It's stripped down and is a step back for the band. To make things worse, "Cameltoe" by Fanny Pack is expected to be a radio hit this summer. Download it and laugh...then cry because it is a pure case of how horrible pop music has become. Then, once you've had a good cry, go check out the Christopher Recordings of Sex Instruction. It's a record made in the 1940's to help parents talk to their kids about the s-word. It's really funny to think that in 60 years we've come from a culture that created records cautiously informing niave kids about procreation to one that releases songs about the display of labia through clothing to the masses. Other albums I will be checking out in the coming weeks: Bill Hicks -- Love, Laughter, and the Truth Pearl Jam -- Cleveland 4/25/03 Rolling Stones -- 40 Licks The Angels of Light -- Everything is Good Here Arab Strap -- Monday Night at the Hug and Pint Ed Harcourt -- From Every Sphere The Long Winters -- When I Pretend To Fall Mojave 3 -- Excuses For Travelers Pinback -- Offcell EP Rockfour -- Another Beginning Saturday Looks Good To Me -- All Your Summer Songs Snowglobe -- Our Land Brains Tiara --Titletron Tomahawk -- Mit Gas Voyager One -- Monster Zero The Warlocks -- The Phoenix Album If any of you have heard any of them please give me a heads up and let me know what you think. Gracias. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 5/23/2003 08:13:00 PM ----- BODY: My New Home and Job

I ended up moving to Mission, KS last Friday into a one bedroom apartment in a fairly nice apartment complex. The area is great and I think I'll really like Kansas City. Afterall, Pearl Jam, The White Stripes, Dredg, Phish, Neil Young, Lollapalooza, Ben Harper, and Jack Johnson are all coming here in the next couple months. It's too bad I won't have the time or the money to go to them all. My job is pretty cool, I guess. The hours are going to be pretty darn long, but it's rewarding and the people are cool. I am now a healthcare recruiter for the homecare portion of the company which means that I find clients who are sick or disabled and then recruit nurses that would be qualfied to help them out and staff them to fit different needs. Some of these poor people I provide homecare for could make even the coldest person compassionate for them. One girl, a 19 year old, was jumping on a trampoline a couple years ago and fell off. She landed on her head and is now a quadrapalegic. It's hard to keep all the client's names straight but I try to create little pneumonic devices to memorize them. For example, the initials of the girl that fell of the trampoline are AH. So I just think of her going "AHHHH....I'm falling!" It's kinda funny, I guess, but at least it helps me remember her. One guy is just a year older than me and was struck by lightning while golfing 2 summers ago. He's a vegetable now. Stuff like that just gets to me and only fuels my obsession with the fragility of life. It's so weird for me to be able to walk into my apartment and know that everything that I am surrounded by is mine. I've never experienced that before. The whole process of getting settled is really annoying. I wasn't able to get my internet hooked up until last night, I still need to find time to get my car registered, I need to get car insurance, and I also have to find a couch sometime this weekend since I work during most businesses working hours. It's crazy being an adult. Even though it's nice to make money and do things for myself, I already miss the carefree lifestyle I have enjoyed for the majority of my life thusfar. Now that things are settled a little, though, I will be back to posting my regular postings as I have done up until recently. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 5/14/2003 05:24:00 PM ----- BODY: A Whirlwind of Events

It's been forever since I've posted on this site. Since I last posted, quite a few big changes have occured in my life. For one, I graduated last Friday at the College of Business ceremony. About 15 members of my family came into Ames to celebrate with me, and it was good to have them all around despite the fact I would have been just as happy receiving my diploma in the mail instead of having to sit through a boring ceremony for almost 2 hours. The money I got from family members will be a huge help with me getting my feet on the ground after graduation. Secondly, I found out just a day or two prior to graduation that I got a job with Maxim Healthcare in Kansas City. I had gone down there to interview with them again early last week and felt very comfortable there. Though the hours will be difficult my first year, it should really pay off in the long run. I feel really fortunate to have landed a job before I graduated because so many people I know don't have a clue as to what they were doing. It's a huge weight off of my shoulders, and I start this upcoming Monday already! Third, I just returned yesterday from a two day trip with my sister to Kansas City where I bought an apartment. It's a pretty sweet little one-bedroom thing that provides my own washer and dryer, dishwasher, patio, a pool, fitness center (I really want to start working out), covered parking, and a bunch of other goodies I have been deprived of for most of my years at college. I'm moving there already on Friday so I'll be busy packing things up until then. Though I wanted to head east originally, I think KC will be a great fit for what I want. It's warmer, in a big city, has pro sports teams, has a pretty good music scene, I'll know a few people there already so I won't totally be alone, and I can still take a short trip up to Ames if I want to on a weekend. I will also be changing cell phones with the move which is a little sad for me because my old number was 708-BRAD. Now I just have some random, generic number like everyone else. Oh well, I guess it comes with the territory. So that's basically been my life in a nutshell over the past week or two. I did finally get to see A Mighty Wind a last week with Eddy, Ruff, and Hern and laughed my arse off. Now I just need to see the Matrix! I'm not totally sure when my apartment will be getting hooked up for internet yet, so it may be another week until I post on here. Once that happens, though, I'll be back to my usual odd stories, rants, and commentaries. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 5/02/2003 12:52:00 PM ----- BODY: A Sure Way to Get Kicked Out of My Family

In order to graduate with the College of Business next Friday, each student is supposed to submit their info with a line that is supposed to be read as you cross the stage. The examples they have include: - Stacey will be a financial accountant with Principal Financial Group in Des Moines, IA - Steven will be attending graduate school at Ohio State University. - Amy was president of Business Council The worst thing is that you HAVE to put something if you want to graduate. Instead of talking about a job I don't have the neat things I did at Iowa State, I decided to put the following: The students and faculty at Iowa State University will surely miss this wonderful, talented young man. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/30/2003 09:55:00 PM ----- BODY: Feeling a Little Screwed Over

I found out today that the company I interviewed with in North Carolina offered the job to someone else. Instead of being bummed about it, I'm actually rather angry about the situation. I guess, for that branch, there are two people in charge of hiring new recruits. For some messed up reason, only one of them was in the office the day I had my interview. I have no idea why they would have me fly out there if only one of them would be there. When I left, the guy who talked with me told me he wanted the other missing guy to talk with me and wanted to call me later that week to speak with him. Well, I never got a phone call and was informed that I was out of luck. I'll be going to Kansas City, where I originally interviewed, this Tuesday so hopefully that'll work out. I decided to call the man that I talked with in NC just to see what I could have done differently. I was told three things: 1) I was the best interview he had had since working at the office. 2) The only reason they hired the other person was because the guy who was gone the day I interviewed had met this other person. 3) If I had been able to meet with the other guy in person, there's no question I would have gotten the job. So, yeah, I got screwed and I'm a tad bitter about it. On a good note, the guy who interviewed me felt bad and told me he had no idea that the other guy was going to be out that day. He is writing me a recommendation for the branch in KC and is explaining the situation to them. We'll see how it goes, I guess. I'm just sick of jumping through hoops to actually get a job after graduation. It's kind of scary to think that I'll be officially done with school in about 43 hours, and I'm left scrambling for a job. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/29/2003 01:46:00 PM ----- BODY: Scary Larry

As of yesterday, our head men's basketball coach has been under fire for his crazy antics after losing a couple basketball games on the road. As reported in yesterday's Des Moines Register, he went partying at K-State and Missourri with college students, kissing some of them on the cheek. His comments during the partying included, "Why aren't you going to KU? The girls down there are much hotter" and "My team sucks". Some people are really upset about it while some find it funny. Personally, I think it's sort of cool that Larry would go out and interact with students. On the other hand, the man is the highest paid employee in the state, not to mention he is known around the country. I hope he learns from his mistakes and that he doesn't do anything else to bring more shame to our program. Having an assistant coach arrested for child pornography was enough negative attention to our athletic program. In a way, though, this gives ISU a loophole for them to fire him if he fails to produce teams that were as good as they once were a couple years ago. In his contract, he is signed through the 2011 season as long as he represents Iowa State properly at all times. He obviously didn't. It's sad that now the two big schools in Iowa now have men's basketball coaches who have brought shame to their university's at a national level. ESPN has this funny write-up about Larry's big nights out. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/28/2003 12:57:00 AM ----- BODY: A Formal-Filled Weekend

Holy cow, this weekend was fun. On Friday, I went to AGD formal in Des Moines at a Holiday Inn that had a rotating dining room. It was good to just go all out and have a good time with one of my good friends. Afterwards, we went to Paddy's with our formal attire on and continued to party with more people. After the bars closed, we went back to my date's apartment and joked around with her roommates until I went home at around 4. The next night was my fraternity's formal in Minneapolis. I took another good friend of mine as my date and rode up with another guy in the house. We stopped to see my date's cousins and the Mall of America so I could get some new shoes (my other shoes leaked water in anytime it rained...and no, K-Yo, the new ones aren't white) before arriving at the hotel. We got there pretty close to dinner time so there was a minimal amount of pre-partying done beforehand, but we got dressed and were able to swing by a liquor store to pick up a few beverages before settling down for our meal. During dinner, another guy in our house had compiled a slideshow that basically displayed the many great times us older guys had gone through in the house. In the past year, I have grown a little distant to the house and this slideshow was an excellent reminder of what a great thing it really was in my life thus far. It also served as a bit of foreshadowing of what was to come later in the night. A guy that graduated last year and lived in Minneapolis showed up at the end of dinner and informed us he'd be our leader in showing us a good time out on the town. We went back to our room to gather some things when our ears were greeted with the sounds of Tim Mahoney playing a live outdoor show directly across the street. This was very amusing to me because his music makes me laugh while others (mostly girls) seem to enjoy it. His music reminds me of something you'd hear in a Disney movie or in one of those Fox Family shows. Basically, the guy voice resembles that of a woman and the content of his music doesn't expand past the realm of love songs. Like I said, though, the girls were excited and wanted to go across the street to see him. Luckily, though, there was a long line of people already trying to get in to see Mr. Mahoney so we walked towards downtown where we settled at a bar called "Grandma's". The bar was really fun despite the name, and we stayed there until the bars closed at 1:00. The entire night consisted of all of the over-21 kids going all out and not having a care in the world what anyone thought. The events of the bar and afterwards are as follows: - Tu and I reenacted the street fight scene from West Side Story along the bridge. - We met a girl who immediately introduced herself as being from Iowa. She was from around Muscatine so we chatted about eastern Iowa business. I think she was alone and was looking for a man that night. We all took turns grinding on her on the dance floor while laughing to our friends. I think she took it seriously. - I was given the sandwich treatment on the dance floor by some overweight, older-than-50 biker babes. I got a picture with them. - I danced with a friend's girlfriend and gradually pushed her into a girl that got really mad about it. I ran right over to apologize for "my girlfriend who can't handle herself when she gets drunk" - I performed a mock tap dance while lifting up my pant legs to show the Velcro shoes I was wearing - Tony, Tu, and I bought a couple rounds of drinks courtesy of Donna, the Gamma Phi house mom - A semi-synchronized dance redone from Sweepstakes when "Billy Jean" by Michael Jackson was played - A couple friends of ours peed off the bridge after the bars closed - We took funny pictures while climbing onto a sculpture of a naked, fat man We split off into two groups for the walk home. My group did the above things while the others were not as fortunate to partake in such immature activity. Instead, they were a victim of a hate crime involving some dudes that called them "fags" and used the term "white power". I don't understand what got these guys so angry, especially because the group they were yelling "fags" at were walking with their female dates. The men ended up getting out of their car and wanted to get into a fight. Fortunately, they ended up leaving. My friends were in shock they had witnessed something so ignorant. As they headed back to the hotel, a drunken Bret said, "Ya know, that's just Iowa for ya." We came back to the hotel and had a couple more drinks and ordered pizza. At the close of the night, my date and I got into a friendly little brawl. It started as joking around and ended up transforming into the most aggressive fighting you could get into without actually trying to hurt the other person. I used my dirty, sweaty socks and nun-chucks as I whacked her in the head while she threw shoes at me. We also hit each other with rolled up magazines and pinned each other down while attacking them. It was really fun, actually, except we each had some pretty good sized bruises the next day. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/25/2003 03:59:00 PM ----- BODY: Another Soundtrack Clip

As I have posted on this site a few times, I love The Soundtrack of Our Lives. Apparently, they were on Conan a few months ago and I didn't know about it. As far as live performances on late night talk shows are concerned, I think it's pretty darn good. You can click here to view it, but you'll need Real Player to view it. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/25/2003 10:39:00 AM ----- BODY: T3 Trailer

For some reason, I'm really not that excited about the new Terminator movie coming out this summer. I loved the first two, but I'm just not anxious about seeing a post-50-year-old Ah-nuld play the role of an action star again. I just saw the trailer for it, though, and I must admit it looks kind of cool. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/24/2003 12:20:00 PM ----- BODY: What is Wrong With Me?

Last semester I was awakened from my slumber to the most horrible pain I had ever felt coming from my stomach. I ended up going to the hospital early in the morning to get it checked out. I thought, at first, that it may be an ulcer. The doctors originally believed it could be an appendicitis. I ended up traveling all over the hospital as doctors performed tests, x-rays, and cat scans on me. All of the results were inconclusive, leaving the doctors and nurses baffled. They put me up in a room for a while, and I felt completely fine by the middle of the afternoon. All was well with my stomach until last night. The pain was back again. This time, however, the pain was coming from the lower right sight of my stomach just to the left of my hip bone. Judging from prior experience, I figured I'd just let it pass. I ended up getting maybe an hour or two of sleep last night. I was almost sure it was the big one. I started to panic after a while because I have two group projects due next week and all of my finals which I would surely be forced to miss. I finally managed to get up and take a shower this morning and the pain gradually subsided. I have no clue what it was. The only thing I can think of is that it is gas or something that is causing problems in my stomach. I'm still slightly paranoid about it, and I the only reason I am functioning today is because of my savior in a pill named Ritalin. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/24/2003 02:04:00 AM ----- BODY: Bold Opinions By Musicians and the Backpeddling That Accompanies It

How ironic that the day after I write about how annoyed I am at musicians who don't have the courage to stand up for what they believe in a report comes out that the Dixie Chicks will be making an appearance on national TV to talk about their remarks about President Bush. They will be speaking with Diane Sawyer about how bad they feel for the "mistake" of speaking their mind at a concert. I wish they would actually have the courage to say what this fake appology has them saying. Though I am not a fan of country music, I will say that I have like what the Dixie Chicks stood for ever since they made "Goodbye Earl". This comment about Bush just got completely blown out of proportion and I cannot believe people are still talking about it. People are actually boycotting them at a time when a man who took money from his first record deal to sell crack can have a #1 song with lyrics like "I'm into sex, I ain't into makin' love" and "I got X if you're into takin' drugs". There's something very wrong here. The fact that these women would back down from what they said so that they could be accepted by more people really irritates me. If those people are upset at what the Dixie Chicks feel then who cares? I wouldn't want someone to even buy my music if they were going to care that much about something I said. Heck, Michael Moore's comments during the Oscars were much worse and his sales skyrocketed after the event. Tonight, I finally was able to watch the new Wilco DVD titled, "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart". They really are one of my favorite bands and their approach to music represents exactly what every band should be like. Wilco's latest album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, was #1 on my list of best albums of 2002 last December, and the movie chronicles the difficult obsticles the band encountered to even get the album published. They were dropped by their label, Reprise Records, because the album wasn't commercial enough. The label wanted them to rework the songs so they could be more radio friendly. Instead of giving in, the band stood by their music citing that it had substantial artistical integrity. Wilco was then dropped from their label, leaving them with no one to represent them. Fortunately, other labels offered to pick them up, but it is an amazing story of how these true musicians cared only about the music and not about being accepted or album sales. The best quote of the whole film is in the bonus disc by the man who engineered the album. He said, "I don't think they care if this record sells 2 copies or 500,000 copies, as long as they get a copy of it to take home." It's unfortunate more bands/artists don't have that mentality. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/22/2003 07:11:00 PM ----- BODY: Madonna Update

As I have mentioned before, I really don't care for Madonna. She's a phony who is totally in love with herself. That is why I find this story to be very entertaining: "Last week, the Material One and label Warner Bros. Records tried to thwart would-be pirates by issuing dummy song files to sites like KaZaA and Morpheus. The files appeared to be leaked tracks from American Life, but when downloaded, instead of the songs, fans got a looped recording of Madonna saying, "What the f--k do you think you're doing?" Apparently, somewhere between Friday night and Saturday morning, the hack counterattack began. A digital guerrilla tapped into madonna.com and replaced the home page with a message that read, "This is what the f--k I think I'm doing," along with MP3s containing the full American Life album, according to the Smoking Gun Website, which has posted screen grabs of the hacked site." That hacker deserves a generous reward for sticking it back to that egomaniac. The only thing better would be a backlash against her leading to a boycott of her new album. Did she really think tricking her own fans with a profanity laced statement was a good move? It's obvious that Madonna is unable to find a consistant sense of who she is based on her past and current actions. I mean, her new video was supposed to have anti-war and anti-Bush sentiments in it, and then she altered it to her dancing around with American flags in the background once she faced opposition to her views. If she feels that strongly about the war situation then she should have had the guts to stand up for what she belives in. Not to get off on a tangent, but too many artists today fear having their sales drop after making any sort of bold statement. Instead, they stick to what is safe and sing sappy love songs or rap about "rollin' on dubs". Where's the courage that was once a staple of music? A song like "Masters Of War", one of my favorite Dylan songs, would never be made today. Anyway, I'm getting away from my point. Basically, Madonna is a puppet controlled by two hands, one being money and the other being her self loathing. Peace out. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/22/2003 12:21:00 AM ----- BODY: A Landmark

This site just hosted it's one-thousandth visit in the past 24 hours. The thought of 1,000 clicks to see this website and read what is in my head is just mindboggling. I realize that most of my blogger buddies get way more visitors, but it's still crazy to think about. I'll be back later once I am able to whittle my next wave of marketing projects down to a manageable size. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/20/2003 09:50:00 AM ----- BODY: NC Trip

I took a trip late last week to Raleigh, North Carolina for a job interview. The second I hopped in my rental car, I was able to notice the beauty of the area. It's no wonder Petey Pablo was so inspired. His lyrics accurately reflect the foliage and temperate climate of the region. It is obvious the NC has had a profound impact on his songwriting much like how the Federal Hill Mansion inspired Stephen C. Foster to write "My Old Kentucky Home" or how this grand country inspired Woody Guthrie to pen "This Land Is Your Land". Raleigh felt like a large suburb, to be honest. That's not bad thing, though. There were differences, obviously, between Raleigh and Iowa. The biggest one was in how developed everywhere was in that area. In Iowa, new residential areas look so fake with man-made ponds and newly planted trees. In NC, however, all those those things are already there, so even the newest apartment complexes look really nice. Another thing I noticed was that business signs were never taller than the buildings themselves. I'm used to seeing the golden arches in the sky and billboards along busy streets. Instead, the bottom of the arches were only about a yard from the ground. This had a massive impact on the preservation of beauty in the city, although it made it difficult to find places, at times. I drove by a Best Buy there twice without even realizing it. It was worth the hassle of trying to find it, though, because I was rewarded with finally being able to purchase the new Wilco DVD which was nonexistant in three Best Buy stores I had been to in Iowa. The interview went well, I believe. It isn't my ideal choice for a job, but I figure I can't be too picky considering most of my friends will be jobless come graduation. The most entertaining aspect of my trip had to be watching people's reactions when learning I was from Iowa. The man behind the counter at the hotel I stayed at tried to act like he was familiar to that area of the country -- "Ahh yes, potato country", he boasted with pride. I couldn't count on one hand how many times I was asked what the abbreviation for Iowa was by various apartment realtors. One lady, a cell phone salesperson, even laughed in my face when I told her I might be moving from Iowa. She said she had never met someone from there before, and she couldn't believe that's where I was from. I also made the mistake of ordering a "pop" at an Arby's by NC State. The man taking my order replied, "Umm...you mean, like, a soda?" These encounters have made me wonder if people from the south really are as slow as stereotypes seem to suggest or if Iowa really is viewed that negatively by other citizens around the country. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/15/2003 10:38:00 PM ----- BODY: Proof I (and my family) Have Really Achieved Stardom

Yes, it's true. I have reached celebrity status. The bustling metropolis of Sac City, Iowa has decided to feature our family home in the city's promotional brochure. They even included it on the city's website. It will surely attract fun-seeking individuals to the fastest growing area of the midwest. I mean, c'mon, who wouldn't want to move to the city that prides itself for creating the famed world's largest popcorn ball? -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/15/2003 02:06:00 AM ----- BODY: Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf: The Truthful Iraqi Information Minister

Ok, this guy absolutely cracks me up. Every funny lie coming from Iraq seems to stem from this man, and I've finally found a site that collects his wonderful quotes. My favorites include: "I blame Al-Jazeera - they are marketing for the Americans!" "Be assured. Baghdad is safe, protected" "We are not afraid of the Americans. Allah has condemned them. They are stupid. They are stupid" (dramatic pause) "and they are condemned." "The Americans, they always depend on a method what I call ... stupid, silly. All I ask is check yourself. Do not in fact repeat their lies." "Lying is forbidden in Iraq. President Saddam Hussein will tolerate nothing but truthfulness as he is a man of great honor and integrity. Everyone is encouraged to speak freely of the truths evidenced in their eyes and hearts." "I triple guarantee you, there are no American soldiers in Baghdad." "they are nowhere near the airport ..they are lost in the desert...they can not read a compass...they are retarded." "Blair...is accusing us of executing British soldiers. We want to tell him that we have not executed anybody. They are either killed in battle, most of them get killed because they are cowards anyway, the rest they just get captured." "They are superpower of villains. They are superpower of Al Capone." "We will welcome them with bullets and shoes." For more insightful quotes sure to induce hours of gut-busting laughter, please visit this site. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/14/2003 03:44:00 PM ----- BODY: A Mighty Wind

I am giddy as a school girl over the latest Christopher Guest movie that is being released in select theaters nationwide this weekend. Other than the Matrix sequals, A Mighty Wind is one film I have been anticipating for quite a while now. After reading about it, I discovered that all three of the Spinal Tap members (sans the drummer, of course) will be playing together on film once again. If anyone has any idea when/if it'll be coming to Iowa, please let me know. Meanwhile, I encourage those who liked past Christopher Guest movies (Spinal Tap, Waiting For Guffman, Best in Show) to check out the A Mighty Wind website. On it, you can see the trailer, preview songs, and even view some clips from the movie. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/14/2003 01:06:00 AM ----- BODY: Sucks To Your Ass-Mar!

Talk about a major medical breakthrough! Scientists are starting to think they may have found a vaccine to rid sufferers such as myself of the evil curse of asthma. Early tests have proven positive results and it is believed that the drug should be released in the next five years. I can't wait! -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/14/2003 12:54:00 AM ----- BODY: Veishea Weekend

This past weekend was Veishea, the self-proclaimed "largest student-run festival in the nation" at Iowa State. I believe that, at one point, this claim was true. I've heard all kinds of crazy stories of people coming all over the state to take part in the weekend's events. It was wild, crazy, and most importantly, it made Iowa State attractive to others outside the wonderful utopia that is Ames, Iowa. Luckily, the weather was absolutely perfect over the past few days with highs in the mid-70's and not a cloud in the sky. This was the best thing the festival had going for it because many people decided to partake in the festivities for once. In years past, the weather has been less than favorable, leaving many people opting to skip the parade, campus events, and activies along Welch. I had a good time, but I can't help but notice some serious issues that need to be resolved to ensure Veishea will continue to happen in the future. Being a music freak, I think it is a complete shame that we are no longer able to bring in decent acts for the weekend. Back in the day, the biggest bands in the nation would come to play during Veishea. Now, we didn't even get oneact to come. The people in charge say that they don't have enough money to bring in a top draw anymore. I find this weird since they offer discounted rates to students for bands like the Goo Goo Dolls and Soul Asylum for around $10. Why would they go after bands no one cares about just so they can offer cheaper tickets to students? I've seen more college kids travel to Ames to see a Dave concert at $60 than I have for all the Veishea shows during my college career combined. There are some really popular bands on tour right now like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Everclear, and Bon Jovi that would surely be attractive to people. Heck, Hootie and the Blowfish are on tour right now. They're at least better than nothing. Price of the band should not be a concern for the Veishea committee. The draw of the act should be the most important factor. I also think that being dry almost hurts the event more than it helps. Sure it is good to portray a more family-like image, but no one would be allowed to drink on campus anyway, which is where all the activities for families are to begin with. All because one person got killed five or six years ago when Veishea was wet, now everyone has to pay the price for it. I joked with a friend this weekend that someone should murder an innocent person because maybe the university would change it back to being wet. I think it'd be great for police to block off Welch and ID people. The people of age could be given wrist bands and they could drink along Welch, grab some greasy food at the stands, listen to the battle of the bands competition, and just have a gay old time. The bars could stay open, as well. Many festivals do it this way, including The Bix in my hometown. The third thing they need to do is change the way parade participation is being done. Few floats are even being built anymore which lessons the overall parade experience. This isn't entirely the Greek's fault for being lazy, though. Almost every float was only able to collect sponsers from a handful of businesses, with most of them coming from out of town. Companies just aren't supporting Veishea the way they used to, leaving the students themselves to bear the load to build floats. I've always found it funny how ISU boasts having an active Greek community and uses their elaborate float creations to their advantage, yet they provide no support whatsoever for the houses that participate. It's like they're being used. Something should be done about this or else more houses will decided to allocate their time and money elsewhere. As I mentioned before, my weekend was pretty fun. My dad, stepmom, and half-sister came to town and we went out to eat a few times, saw the parade, and went to see the Stars Over Veishea production of Brigadoon. The musical was done very well, and it was especially entertaining because I knew a few people in it. The bars were packed throughout the weekend and very fun. Some older guys in my fraternity came back in town and we partied at Paddy's. Afterward, some of us came over to my house and hung out. We ended up going to Big Shots at 3:30 in the morning because a couple of my friends said it was still open. Baker, one of the guys who was in town for the weekend, paid our cover and we walked inside the bar. Lo and behold, it was a party for an all-minority fraternity and we were the only white people in the entire bar. Granted, there were only about 60 or70 people there, but it was still strange. The weird part was that I was expecting everyone to stare at us because of our racial differences. Instead, they just did the opposite -- they wouldn't look at us at all. This was just as awkward as if they would have stared, in my opinion. We had a fun time, though, and it really put things in perspective of how they must feel virtually everywhere here in Ames. -------- AUTHOR: Brad DATE: 4/11/2003 05:26:00 PM ----- BODY: Bowling For Columbine Update

When I saw Bowling For Columbine I absolutely loved it. A documentary about America's problem with guns and violence, the film presented facts with humor in a manner that was very interesting. Though I didn't think director Michael Moore's comments about the war situation during the Oscars were appropriate, I appreciated him doing what he believed in. He is a man who actually does something productive with his beliefs. Instead of holding an anti-war sign in a small town in Iowa, Moore would opt to collect facts/evidence and present it to people as a way to see things from his perspective. He doesn't just sit around and complain about problems. Instead, he goes to the root of the problem and tries to fix it. As much respect as I have for the man, I must express some doubt regarding the credibility of Bowling For Columbine. After reading about the truths about the movie, I can't help but wonder if Moore was reporting factual information or if he was skewing the facts that he had so his audience would agree with his beliefs. I encourage anyone who has seen the movie to read about the truths of Bowling For Columbine. --------