Todays been pretty good so far.
i walked out of wilke round 11 for my 11:15 class, looking fairly fratty with my favorite blue button down, white shorts, sandals and my baller shades i got last week. like the past couple of days the weather was SO EFFING NICE. went to my sociology intro class with 424 people in it, did the assignment she gave us as she was giving it to us, took notes the way she teaches: in the book (like literally in the book. i read along with her lectures and if she includes something in her slides thats not in the book, which is extremely rare, i write in the margin. it makes sense because when the test comes im going to read the book and pay extra attention to the parts she went over in class.) then when instead of letting us go 15 minutes early she started showing a second clip from the news, i decided i would leave along with about 50 others. then i had about 45 minutes to kill before music so i made a schedule for myself.
11:15-12:30: soc100
1:00-2:15: mus250
2:30-3:00 put folded clothes away, call local pool at home and tell them im not gunna lifeguard
3:00-3:30: run 4 miles
3:30-4:00: shower, call fraternity president and see if its cool if my friend films movie outside
4:00-4:30: go to wilke center, get ready to do hw, go through all internet distractions (facebook, collegehumor, youtube, footytube-soccer site)
4:30 on: do homework
after: go to woodlawn and see if theres any pickup ultimate goin on
10:00-meeting at the frat
so far ive done everything and its 4:45. right on schedule!
one thing ive been thinking about later is all the aspects of my life that i want to improve on. i usually just think about it and then go do my homework or something. maybe if i list them and see them i can think of easy ways to work on them.
I would like to:
-be closer to my faith
-be in better shape (be faster, go longer, lift heavier things)
-be more musical (music theory, guitar, drums, think up more songs)
-have more money(this one i have been working on A LOT recently, but to no avail)
-figure out what really interests me, become excited about it, and pursue it
-stay in touch with more of my friends (im AWFUL at this)
-be cleaner (by this i mean like when i come home not just takiing off my backpack and leaving my shoes and clothes on the floor but actually having the "clean instinct", where i have to put my stuff away before i can do anything. if i can pull that off i could confidently call myself somewhat responsible)
-eat healthier (lately ive been drinking a bunch of those fruity drink things you see all the time in the c stores and whatnot because i legitimately thought i had scurvy at one point but after a while i feel as though my body craves the real deal)
-and of course, have a better work ethic. but todays a pretty decent example of when my work ethic is where it should be
lots more to do. like comment on everyone elses blogs. PIECE.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Dont Lose Your Wallet
Here's what i had in my wallet and why i need to glue my wallet to my butt cheek
1. campus access card
why i need it: form of identification, meal points aka my only way of acquiring sustenance
difficulty of replacing it: easy. go to eigenmann, charge 20 bucks to my bursar, use my old picture, go upstairs to activate the card immediately instead of waiting 6 hours, done deal.
2. debit card
why i need it: only form of money i have. i realize now that i also had my atm card in my wallet which can be used to get cash when i should have put it somewhere safe in case i lose my wallet...hindsight is 20/20. also, thank god for bursar. if i really need something from the school chances are bursar is a form of payment. sorry mom and dad...
difficulty of replacing it: easy. if you have id. which was in my wallet. i called chase and asked if they could send me a new one and they said sure. but when they asked for an address and i said wilke instead of the CT one they had listed, the man with the indian accent said i couldnt switch addresses over the phone and would have to physically go to the bank. FINE. so i went to the bank and the nicest woman ever was there, listened to my story, and said if i had my school id (which i had recently acquired) and could answer a few questions to verify that i was actually zach marcus, i could have a new card mailed to me in like 10 days. so overall, id give this a medium
3. both of my keys to wilke. one is a metal key thats for the elevator and for keying the floor you want when youre in the elevator. its also your mail key. the other is a card that looks like my id which opens my room and if you happen to be trying to get into wilke after midnight, you need that plastic piece of shit to physically get into the building. ive spent many a night plastic-piece-of-shit-less, waiting outside the locked door for hours, praying for one of the 200 people in wilke south to have to leave their room at 2 in the morning and come down to the first floor so i can flag them down to open the door so i can go to sleep. its extremely annoying, beyond humiliating and ive found myself making deals with God so that He'll wake someone up with an insatiable craving for something at the Village Pantry down the street so he/she will have to run into my sorry ass.
why i need it: to navigate wilke south
difficulty of replacing it(them): the metal key costs $50 and the plastic piece of shit costs $45. i taped my door open (there is absolutely nothing valuable in my room) so i dont need the plastic guy for my door, but i do need it for my late night returns. as for the metal one, i can always bum an elevator ride off someone else who happens to be using it the same time as me, but there's not exactly a lot of traffic going in and out of wilke.
you cant say wilke without "key". youll also have a hard time getting in without one. i guess thats good in terms of security...
4. license
why i need it: ID. it also sucks to get pulled over without one.
why i need it before march 12th: im flying home and i dont have any other form of ID. my moms going to mail me my passport (god dammit i need a metal key!)
difficulty of replacing it: seeing as i live in CT, im still trying to figure that one out. im probably just going to do it when i go home for break.
thank god thats it. aside from, like, a cvs card and that TIS rewards thing. i think im going to make myself a skin wallet. and by that, i mean im going to have a flap of skin that i put all my wallet stuff under and then, idk, fasten a zipper or button or something. while that sounds like the most painful and disturbing shit ever, if it meant never having to go through the process of regaining my money, identity, and access to where i live, im down.
1. campus access card
why i need it: form of identification, meal points aka my only way of acquiring sustenance
difficulty of replacing it: easy. go to eigenmann, charge 20 bucks to my bursar, use my old picture, go upstairs to activate the card immediately instead of waiting 6 hours, done deal.
2. debit card
why i need it: only form of money i have. i realize now that i also had my atm card in my wallet which can be used to get cash when i should have put it somewhere safe in case i lose my wallet...hindsight is 20/20. also, thank god for bursar. if i really need something from the school chances are bursar is a form of payment. sorry mom and dad...
difficulty of replacing it: easy. if you have id. which was in my wallet. i called chase and asked if they could send me a new one and they said sure. but when they asked for an address and i said wilke instead of the CT one they had listed, the man with the indian accent said i couldnt switch addresses over the phone and would have to physically go to the bank. FINE. so i went to the bank and the nicest woman ever was there, listened to my story, and said if i had my school id (which i had recently acquired) and could answer a few questions to verify that i was actually zach marcus, i could have a new card mailed to me in like 10 days. so overall, id give this a medium
3. both of my keys to wilke. one is a metal key thats for the elevator and for keying the floor you want when youre in the elevator. its also your mail key. the other is a card that looks like my id which opens my room and if you happen to be trying to get into wilke after midnight, you need that plastic piece of shit to physically get into the building. ive spent many a night plastic-piece-of-shit-less, waiting outside the locked door for hours, praying for one of the 200 people in wilke south to have to leave their room at 2 in the morning and come down to the first floor so i can flag them down to open the door so i can go to sleep. its extremely annoying, beyond humiliating and ive found myself making deals with God so that He'll wake someone up with an insatiable craving for something at the Village Pantry down the street so he/she will have to run into my sorry ass.
why i need it: to navigate wilke south
difficulty of replacing it(them): the metal key costs $50 and the plastic piece of shit costs $45. i taped my door open (there is absolutely nothing valuable in my room) so i dont need the plastic guy for my door, but i do need it for my late night returns. as for the metal one, i can always bum an elevator ride off someone else who happens to be using it the same time as me, but there's not exactly a lot of traffic going in and out of wilke.
you cant say wilke without "key". youll also have a hard time getting in without one. i guess thats good in terms of security...
4. license
why i need it: ID. it also sucks to get pulled over without one.
why i need it before march 12th: im flying home and i dont have any other form of ID. my moms going to mail me my passport (god dammit i need a metal key!)
difficulty of replacing it: seeing as i live in CT, im still trying to figure that one out. im probably just going to do it when i go home for break.
thank god thats it. aside from, like, a cvs card and that TIS rewards thing. i think im going to make myself a skin wallet. and by that, i mean im going to have a flap of skin that i put all my wallet stuff under and then, idk, fasten a zipper or button or something. while that sounds like the most painful and disturbing shit ever, if it meant never having to go through the process of regaining my money, identity, and access to where i live, im down.
Monday, March 1, 2010
I Need A Job
im struggling with regards to finding things to blog about. this is either good because it means i'm not doing any extra curriculars to distract me from my school work or its bad because my life is depressingly depressing. despite what this struggle means, i can squeeze out another entry until something interesting happens.
i've never really had a legit job. living in connecticut our family could afford a bunch of stuff and i got to spend my summers bullshitting, loitering and doing everything not productive i could think of. then i'd go to my home away from home, YMCA camp belknap on lake winnipesaukee in wolfeboro, nh. its a boys sleepaway camp that i've gone to for 6 years and, to summarize a long and memory filled description, its tops. to be a counselor (or as its called at belknap, a leader) you must be chosen from about the 60 or so 15-16 year old guys by the existing leaders. it is a HUGE honor to be selected as a leader. in fact, there are two years of training before becoming an actual leader with your own cabin. i can proudly say that i was chosen 3 years ago and the past two summers i have been training to become a leader.
here's the problem: belknap is seperated into four 2 weeks sessions. belknap is unofficially ranked the best summer camp in america and the waiting list is several hundred kids long. the result is that most kids, if they get in, go for one session so other kids can go. also one session costs over $1000 so most parents usually wont go over 2 weeks. however, there are some kids whose parents are awesome and let them go for a month. luckily my parents are definitely awesome. most of the time. i was a camper for 4 years, after the first year i was a monther, so i went for 2 months. then i got senior recognition (i was chosen) and went back the next year as a part of the leader corps. leader corps doesnt get paid and you start running activities, taking over different cabins in different divisions (divisions are decided by age) for one night intervals, and you serve the food. you are a substitute, a baby sitter, and a waiter. and the best part is, LC's dont get paid. there are two sets of LC's per summer, one for the first half of the summer and the other for the second (cuz god knows no one could be an LC for the whole summer).but even though you do all that bitch work, theres still another selection process that decides if you come back the next year as a Leader In Training, LIT. not all LC's come back as LIT's just the ones who are "good enough".
so then you're an LIT. you share a cabin with a leader for the whole summer, half the summer is in one division and with two different leaders and cabins and the other is in another division with two other leaders and cabins. the LCs go home when the LITs switch divisions. as an LIT i was paid very little, relative to the amount of work i did and the amount of time i worked. however, no one ever gets mad about their pay because theyre happy just to be back at camp, myself included. and even after these two years, the leadership is so esteemed andregarded with so much respect that there is a third selection process that, if selected, FINALLY leads to becoming a full fledged leader. i find myself in the unique position that my fellow LITs would absolutely kill for where i have received a letter from the leadership director saying that they would love to have me come back and be a leader.
however, recently, my family's financial situation is not as stable as it has been and with me being a capable almost 20 year old, i have a responsibility to make things easier for my family back in ct. sadly, i have no choice but to go through one of the final steps of the "boy to man" transformation and get a job. jobS really. one for now and one for the summer. normally id just say "well that summer one's taken care of, cant wait to go back to camp". but now with my situation i really need to be making some serious bank, so unless i can't find another job aside from belknap...i need to find another job besides belknap. which sort of screws up my closure to belknap. ive gone to this amazing place every summer for going on seven years now, made some amazing friends, learned how to play ultimate frisbee there, along with many of my other cherished memories. and now i have the opportunity to go back, as a LEADER, a chance that every kid who goes there dreams about, and im looking for another summer job.
ill be honest, there are some other factors playing into this decision. one being that i really really REALLY miss my friends from home and theyre always pissed when i say "k bye guys time for belknap" and then i get back and its time for school. and that was when it was a month. last year was the first summer i went for the full 8 weeks and as much fun as i had, sometimes i was way too stressed to enjoy camp. the second factor would be that me saying good bye to belknap is another part of the "boy to man" transformation. there are a handful of men that i know personally that have stayed with belknap since they were campers and are now running the show, but at some point every guy there has to stop living in the "never never land" belknap world where youre a boy forever and start thinking how this summer is going to help me in the future with getting a job, having more money when the fall semester begins, etc.
so thats the summer.
on thursday, i finally did what i kept telling myself i was going to do but with every bit of me did not want to do: i went to college mall and applied to every store. after my last class ended at 2:15 (college life is a dream, honestly, when will my days ever end at 2:15 again?) i got on the 9 bus and headed over. at about 7, 7:30 i made my way home. i lost the sheet of paper that had the list of every job i applied to but after trying to recall them in my head, i know that i applied to at least 20 stores. some were sears, zumiez, a pet store called "pets", inside scoop, journeys, foot locker, aeropastle, abercrombie, hollister, american eagle, old navy, electronic boutique, dicks, rue 21...it was a job marathon.
i just realized that i had a follow up interview with abercrombie today at 9am. but i really didnt want to work there. really really.
target was the worst. its on a computer, which deceives you into thinking its gunna be easy and fast. there were 6 parts. the first 3 were the basic stuff, that took about 20 minutes. the next 2 parts were, like, multiple choice questions, that took about 10 minutes. and then i got to the 6th part and i was like "thank the lord im almost done". the 6th part it a 50 question survey asking questions such as "are you happy with your life thus far?" "when someone insults you do you accept it or do you call them out on it?" "are you a good listener?" that took another 20. afterwards i was furious. luckily i saved the big stores like sears, dicks, and target for last so i ended my job hunt after target wasted an hour of my time.
so hopefully ill have a job soon! i now know the layout of the college mall like the back of my hand so thats an added bonus. i need me sum $$$$$$$$$!!!
i've never really had a legit job. living in connecticut our family could afford a bunch of stuff and i got to spend my summers bullshitting, loitering and doing everything not productive i could think of. then i'd go to my home away from home, YMCA camp belknap on lake winnipesaukee in wolfeboro, nh. its a boys sleepaway camp that i've gone to for 6 years and, to summarize a long and memory filled description, its tops. to be a counselor (or as its called at belknap, a leader) you must be chosen from about the 60 or so 15-16 year old guys by the existing leaders. it is a HUGE honor to be selected as a leader. in fact, there are two years of training before becoming an actual leader with your own cabin. i can proudly say that i was chosen 3 years ago and the past two summers i have been training to become a leader.
here's the problem: belknap is seperated into four 2 weeks sessions. belknap is unofficially ranked the best summer camp in america and the waiting list is several hundred kids long. the result is that most kids, if they get in, go for one session so other kids can go. also one session costs over $1000 so most parents usually wont go over 2 weeks. however, there are some kids whose parents are awesome and let them go for a month. luckily my parents are definitely awesome. most of the time. i was a camper for 4 years, after the first year i was a monther, so i went for 2 months. then i got senior recognition (i was chosen) and went back the next year as a part of the leader corps. leader corps doesnt get paid and you start running activities, taking over different cabins in different divisions (divisions are decided by age) for one night intervals, and you serve the food. you are a substitute, a baby sitter, and a waiter. and the best part is, LC's dont get paid. there are two sets of LC's per summer, one for the first half of the summer and the other for the second (cuz god knows no one could be an LC for the whole summer).but even though you do all that bitch work, theres still another selection process that decides if you come back the next year as a Leader In Training, LIT. not all LC's come back as LIT's just the ones who are "good enough".
so then you're an LIT. you share a cabin with a leader for the whole summer, half the summer is in one division and with two different leaders and cabins and the other is in another division with two other leaders and cabins. the LCs go home when the LITs switch divisions. as an LIT i was paid very little, relative to the amount of work i did and the amount of time i worked. however, no one ever gets mad about their pay because theyre happy just to be back at camp, myself included. and even after these two years, the leadership is so esteemed andregarded with so much respect that there is a third selection process that, if selected, FINALLY leads to becoming a full fledged leader. i find myself in the unique position that my fellow LITs would absolutely kill for where i have received a letter from the leadership director saying that they would love to have me come back and be a leader.
however, recently, my family's financial situation is not as stable as it has been and with me being a capable almost 20 year old, i have a responsibility to make things easier for my family back in ct. sadly, i have no choice but to go through one of the final steps of the "boy to man" transformation and get a job. jobS really. one for now and one for the summer. normally id just say "well that summer one's taken care of, cant wait to go back to camp". but now with my situation i really need to be making some serious bank, so unless i can't find another job aside from belknap...i need to find another job besides belknap. which sort of screws up my closure to belknap. ive gone to this amazing place every summer for going on seven years now, made some amazing friends, learned how to play ultimate frisbee there, along with many of my other cherished memories. and now i have the opportunity to go back, as a LEADER, a chance that every kid who goes there dreams about, and im looking for another summer job.
ill be honest, there are some other factors playing into this decision. one being that i really really REALLY miss my friends from home and theyre always pissed when i say "k bye guys time for belknap" and then i get back and its time for school. and that was when it was a month. last year was the first summer i went for the full 8 weeks and as much fun as i had, sometimes i was way too stressed to enjoy camp. the second factor would be that me saying good bye to belknap is another part of the "boy to man" transformation. there are a handful of men that i know personally that have stayed with belknap since they were campers and are now running the show, but at some point every guy there has to stop living in the "never never land" belknap world where youre a boy forever and start thinking how this summer is going to help me in the future with getting a job, having more money when the fall semester begins, etc.
so thats the summer.
on thursday, i finally did what i kept telling myself i was going to do but with every bit of me did not want to do: i went to college mall and applied to every store. after my last class ended at 2:15 (college life is a dream, honestly, when will my days ever end at 2:15 again?) i got on the 9 bus and headed over. at about 7, 7:30 i made my way home. i lost the sheet of paper that had the list of every job i applied to but after trying to recall them in my head, i know that i applied to at least 20 stores. some were sears, zumiez, a pet store called "pets", inside scoop, journeys, foot locker, aeropastle, abercrombie, hollister, american eagle, old navy, electronic boutique, dicks, rue 21...it was a job marathon.
i just realized that i had a follow up interview with abercrombie today at 9am. but i really didnt want to work there. really really.
target was the worst. its on a computer, which deceives you into thinking its gunna be easy and fast. there were 6 parts. the first 3 were the basic stuff, that took about 20 minutes. the next 2 parts were, like, multiple choice questions, that took about 10 minutes. and then i got to the 6th part and i was like "thank the lord im almost done". the 6th part it a 50 question survey asking questions such as "are you happy with your life thus far?" "when someone insults you do you accept it or do you call them out on it?" "are you a good listener?" that took another 20. afterwards i was furious. luckily i saved the big stores like sears, dicks, and target for last so i ended my job hunt after target wasted an hour of my time.
so hopefully ill have a job soon! i now know the layout of the college mall like the back of my hand so thats an added bonus. i need me sum $$$$$$$$$!!!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
MOTHERBEARS IS THE BEST
let me list the reasons why
1. i was really hungry last week and realized i had been alternating between pizza x and avers to satisfy my pizza needs. after hearing so many good things about motherbears and seeing that one commercial where they go "have you ever wondered what goes into motherbears award winning pizza?" or something to that effect, i decided to give it a try. i went to their online menu and explored for a little while and was astonished that i had yet to experience such pizza options before. thin crust, deep dish, traditional pan, 8 kinds of meats, 4 kinds of sausage with no msg, 7 kinds of cheese (mozzarella v. lo-far mozzarella for the weight conscious), 5 sauces, and a huge list of veggies. AND THATS JUST PIZZA.
http://www.motherbearspizza.com/menu.html#pizza
here's the link ^^. when i am involved in an arguement over which pizza in bloomington is best, i simply pull up this website and the arguement is usually over.
2. aside from the pizza, they will also give you 10 dollars in quarters in a nice neat roll if you ask. sometimes the vp will give you 5 at a time but as far as i know thats the most quarters you can get at one time on third street. my laundry process has never been more streamline.
3. i dont know who is in charge of which employees get what shifts but i have noticed that at any point during they day, there will always be one very personable, very attractive female cashier/waitress working. i walk past this place everyday and watch heads turn as people walk past. i think i might apply for a job there tomorrow...
the only thing they don't have is loganberry, sweet nectar of the GODS. and for that reason avers will always hold a special place in my heart. but you gotta give motherbears sum serious props. they know whats up.
1. i was really hungry last week and realized i had been alternating between pizza x and avers to satisfy my pizza needs. after hearing so many good things about motherbears and seeing that one commercial where they go "have you ever wondered what goes into motherbears award winning pizza?" or something to that effect, i decided to give it a try. i went to their online menu and explored for a little while and was astonished that i had yet to experience such pizza options before. thin crust, deep dish, traditional pan, 8 kinds of meats, 4 kinds of sausage with no msg, 7 kinds of cheese (mozzarella v. lo-far mozzarella for the weight conscious), 5 sauces, and a huge list of veggies. AND THATS JUST PIZZA.
http://www.motherbearspizza.com/menu.html#pizza
here's the link ^^. when i am involved in an arguement over which pizza in bloomington is best, i simply pull up this website and the arguement is usually over.
2. aside from the pizza, they will also give you 10 dollars in quarters in a nice neat roll if you ask. sometimes the vp will give you 5 at a time but as far as i know thats the most quarters you can get at one time on third street. my laundry process has never been more streamline.
3. i dont know who is in charge of which employees get what shifts but i have noticed that at any point during they day, there will always be one very personable, very attractive female cashier/waitress working. i walk past this place everyday and watch heads turn as people walk past. i think i might apply for a job there tomorrow...
the only thing they don't have is loganberry, sweet nectar of the GODS. and for that reason avers will always hold a special place in my heart. but you gotta give motherbears sum serious props. they know whats up.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Random Things
So it's Sunday, my progress day, again and I guess I have a few things to talk about.
The Winter X-Games are on, I've been downstairs watching it and doing homework and various other things. I've seen some snowboarding, skiing, snow-mobile...ing, etc. Well they just had the "Mono-skier" event. This is for people who have found themselves either paralyzed from the waist down or have only one leg but still wish to ski and compete. They ski using like this make-shift chair with a ski on the bottom and two poles with little skis on the bottom for extra balance. The problem is I guess the X-Games made their course way way too hard because in the first heat, only one guy out of like 5 dudes made it to the finish line. So there are like handicapped people strapped into ski-chairs going over huge jumps and coming down hard, probably injuring their one leg. Why is this on TV let alone on the X Games? I'm all for letting everyone compete but I do not watch the X Games to see people whose lives must already be filled with hardships falling down on the slopes.
On a much happier note, I've been doing something this week that I have always wanted to do: record my piano playing. My mom got me a webcam for Christmas so I could Skype with my family but recently I've discovered that it is possible to record videos using said webcam. I started recording in the basement of Wilke in the music practice room but the piano is awful and also the room wasn't good for recording (thoug neither is the microphone on my webcam). So I went to the Music Practice building, which is right next to the Delta Upsilon house (great house). The problem with this place is that it is ALWAYS filled up. I was amazed at how many people 1. knew about this building 2. are better at music than I am. I don't know what I was expecting going to a school with Jacobs.
So anyone who's ever walked into that parking lot to the right of Sycamore Hall (if you're coming from 3rd street) you've heard someone playing piano or violin or opera or something in that circular building. Armed with my laptop and webcam, I decided to explore this building and hopefully find an empty classroom with a piano and maybe even some good acoustics. I found one and recorded three videos before some asian guy who spoke maybe 3 words of english decided to come to class half an hour early so I had to leave. I thought about trying to find another room but I had been recording for a while and needed to do other important things like school and eat.
Then the next day, Friday, I had one class so afterward (did you know afterwards isn't a word? i didn't) I went back into that building and to my dismay, there were no deserted classrooms. But I did notice that there were practice rooms on the same floor so I didn't give up hope. Until I saw those were full too. At this point I was more amazed that this many people played instruments. On a Friday. And every room sounded amazing.
Then I decided to explore the second floor (there are 5 floors not including the basement). I was ecstatic when I realized that this whole floor was practice rooms. There must have been at least 40. So I went to everyone before realizing that absolutely every room was full. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? go play some video games or something, stop being so damn productive. I literally went to every room, looked through the window and with each person I saw practicing and working hard I grew angrier. This anger says something about my own work ethic.
Not losing sight of my goal, I went upstairs to the third floor which, to my delight, was exactly the same as the 2nd floor and once I found an empty room I ran in and locked the door. Three videos were recorded in that room. Also, I connected my google, youtube AND facebook accounts so any video I upload to youtube goes on to my google and facebook pages. This is an easy way to get some feedback on what people think and also connecting with other musicians on youtube/facebook/really youtube and sharing videos and opinions. It's amazing and it is so tempting just to keep recording videos and exploring youtube. But this is the redemption semester and there's work to be done.
http://www.youtube.com/user/ultimateisdumb.
friend me/subscribe/watch/ignore this shameless plug of my youtube channel.
To conclude this useless post, I'd like to tell a story of how I got my phone back after leaving it in Jimmy's car Friday night. So I get into my room and oh shit my phone's on vibrate in the Jimousine. So I can't call him and tell him he has it, obviously, so I think what other ways can I contact Jimmy? Skype. You know when you press video call on Skype and there's that option next to it that just says call? And you're like "Wait, I can call someone's phone using Skype?" Maybe you actually call peoples phones using Skype all the time and I haven't thought that outside of the box yet but this so randomly occurred to me while I was phoneless in my room. So I open my laptop, hook up the webcam from my backpack, and get on Skype. Then I'm like oh shit I don't have Jimmy's number. What do I do? Go on facebook and look at his groups, find one of those groups titled "my phone fell in the toilet, can i have yo numbaaaa?" and see if he wrote on the wall. He was a member of several of these groups and in the first one I found, his number was the first one on the wall. So, after being pretty proud of my problem solving skills, I type Jimmy's number into Skype and press call. It doesn't work. Why? It costs 10 dollars to make a Skype call to a phone. Why? I have no idea.
So I'm weighing this decision for a while: do I pay 10 dollars to get my phone or just get it tomorrow? What if he doesn't answer because it's a number he doesn't recognize? Is there a way to send him a text? Does that cost money? I rationalize that I had come this far, there's no way I'm stopping here. I try and figure out how to pay for this call and apparently Skype has a PayPal. I sign up for one only to be told that I already have one from when I paid for God knows what on some other site. I click log in, put in my email and my universal password and now I'm on my PayPal homepage. Which was where I needed to be but...how do I take money from my account and put it onto my PayPal account? Because it wasn't linked to my debit card. There's an option that says "link bank account to PayPal". Again, I weigh this decision: do I trust PayPal enough to link my money with them? I rationalize that I get a call from Chase (my bank) telling me when a withdrawal or purchase has been made using my account (which is beyond annoying) and I also get a daily account summary, telling me my balance and what transactions were made that day. Thus I would know if PayPal was trying to pull a fast one on me.
If you're still reading this waiting for a happy ending, I'm sorry but this blog is no asian massage parlor.
I click "link my account" but then it asks me for this like 7 digit code followed by my pin number. I know my pin but I had no idea what that 7 digit code was. I then realize that after thinking of using Skype to call someone, going on Jimmy's facebook to get his number from one of his groups, and then agreeing to pay for a Skype call and linking my bank account to PayPal this isn't going to work. I throw a fit.
Finally I go onto facebook chat, tell our mutual friend Matt to text/call him and tell him he has my phone and Jimmy came over 30 minutes later to drop it off. I still feel incomplete.
That's it. I'm gunna go read my other classmates blogs and leave some comments. Hi Mom!
Zach
The Winter X-Games are on, I've been downstairs watching it and doing homework and various other things. I've seen some snowboarding, skiing, snow-mobile...ing, etc. Well they just had the "Mono-skier" event. This is for people who have found themselves either paralyzed from the waist down or have only one leg but still wish to ski and compete. They ski using like this make-shift chair with a ski on the bottom and two poles with little skis on the bottom for extra balance. The problem is I guess the X-Games made their course way way too hard because in the first heat, only one guy out of like 5 dudes made it to the finish line. So there are like handicapped people strapped into ski-chairs going over huge jumps and coming down hard, probably injuring their one leg. Why is this on TV let alone on the X Games? I'm all for letting everyone compete but I do not watch the X Games to see people whose lives must already be filled with hardships falling down on the slopes.
On a much happier note, I've been doing something this week that I have always wanted to do: record my piano playing. My mom got me a webcam for Christmas so I could Skype with my family but recently I've discovered that it is possible to record videos using said webcam. I started recording in the basement of Wilke in the music practice room but the piano is awful and also the room wasn't good for recording (thoug neither is the microphone on my webcam). So I went to the Music Practice building, which is right next to the Delta Upsilon house (great house). The problem with this place is that it is ALWAYS filled up. I was amazed at how many people 1. knew about this building 2. are better at music than I am. I don't know what I was expecting going to a school with Jacobs.
So anyone who's ever walked into that parking lot to the right of Sycamore Hall (if you're coming from 3rd street) you've heard someone playing piano or violin or opera or something in that circular building. Armed with my laptop and webcam, I decided to explore this building and hopefully find an empty classroom with a piano and maybe even some good acoustics. I found one and recorded three videos before some asian guy who spoke maybe 3 words of english decided to come to class half an hour early so I had to leave. I thought about trying to find another room but I had been recording for a while and needed to do other important things like school and eat.
Then the next day, Friday, I had one class so afterward (did you know afterwards isn't a word? i didn't) I went back into that building and to my dismay, there were no deserted classrooms. But I did notice that there were practice rooms on the same floor so I didn't give up hope. Until I saw those were full too. At this point I was more amazed that this many people played instruments. On a Friday. And every room sounded amazing.
Then I decided to explore the second floor (there are 5 floors not including the basement). I was ecstatic when I realized that this whole floor was practice rooms. There must have been at least 40. So I went to everyone before realizing that absolutely every room was full. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? go play some video games or something, stop being so damn productive. I literally went to every room, looked through the window and with each person I saw practicing and working hard I grew angrier. This anger says something about my own work ethic.
Not losing sight of my goal, I went upstairs to the third floor which, to my delight, was exactly the same as the 2nd floor and once I found an empty room I ran in and locked the door. Three videos were recorded in that room. Also, I connected my google, youtube AND facebook accounts so any video I upload to youtube goes on to my google and facebook pages. This is an easy way to get some feedback on what people think and also connecting with other musicians on youtube/facebook/really youtube and sharing videos and opinions. It's amazing and it is so tempting just to keep recording videos and exploring youtube. But this is the redemption semester and there's work to be done.
http://www.youtube.com/user/ultimateisdumb.
friend me/subscribe/watch/ignore this shameless plug of my youtube channel.
To conclude this useless post, I'd like to tell a story of how I got my phone back after leaving it in Jimmy's car Friday night. So I get into my room and oh shit my phone's on vibrate in the Jimousine. So I can't call him and tell him he has it, obviously, so I think what other ways can I contact Jimmy? Skype. You know when you press video call on Skype and there's that option next to it that just says call? And you're like "Wait, I can call someone's phone using Skype?" Maybe you actually call peoples phones using Skype all the time and I haven't thought that outside of the box yet but this so randomly occurred to me while I was phoneless in my room. So I open my laptop, hook up the webcam from my backpack, and get on Skype. Then I'm like oh shit I don't have Jimmy's number. What do I do? Go on facebook and look at his groups, find one of those groups titled "my phone fell in the toilet, can i have yo numbaaaa?" and see if he wrote on the wall. He was a member of several of these groups and in the first one I found, his number was the first one on the wall. So, after being pretty proud of my problem solving skills, I type Jimmy's number into Skype and press call. It doesn't work. Why? It costs 10 dollars to make a Skype call to a phone. Why? I have no idea.
So I'm weighing this decision for a while: do I pay 10 dollars to get my phone or just get it tomorrow? What if he doesn't answer because it's a number he doesn't recognize? Is there a way to send him a text? Does that cost money? I rationalize that I had come this far, there's no way I'm stopping here. I try and figure out how to pay for this call and apparently Skype has a PayPal. I sign up for one only to be told that I already have one from when I paid for God knows what on some other site. I click log in, put in my email and my universal password and now I'm on my PayPal homepage. Which was where I needed to be but...how do I take money from my account and put it onto my PayPal account? Because it wasn't linked to my debit card. There's an option that says "link bank account to PayPal". Again, I weigh this decision: do I trust PayPal enough to link my money with them? I rationalize that I get a call from Chase (my bank) telling me when a withdrawal or purchase has been made using my account (which is beyond annoying) and I also get a daily account summary, telling me my balance and what transactions were made that day. Thus I would know if PayPal was trying to pull a fast one on me.
If you're still reading this waiting for a happy ending, I'm sorry but this blog is no asian massage parlor.
I click "link my account" but then it asks me for this like 7 digit code followed by my pin number. I know my pin but I had no idea what that 7 digit code was. I then realize that after thinking of using Skype to call someone, going on Jimmy's facebook to get his number from one of his groups, and then agreeing to pay for a Skype call and linking my bank account to PayPal this isn't going to work. I throw a fit.
Finally I go onto facebook chat, tell our mutual friend Matt to text/call him and tell him he has my phone and Jimmy came over 30 minutes later to drop it off. I still feel incomplete.
That's it. I'm gunna go read my other classmates blogs and leave some comments. Hi Mom!
Zach
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Time To Tell The Internet About My Life
Not really sure how to start this. How about what I'm doing right now?
I'm currently on the ground floor of south tower Wilke simultaneously doing laundry, watch some prestigious bowling tournament where apparently this woman is breaking new ground by beating this foreign dude (I'm really not paying attention), and doing my homework.
Because I'm the world's biggest procrastinator Sunday's usually my day where I do everything I have to do. I already took out the trash, cleaned my room, called about my fridge that's taking FOREVER to get here (I still can't shop in the refrigerated section of the C store), emailed my mom, and now I'm about to finish this blog entry, do that survey thing, read about 60 pages of sociology, type a one page bio for soc. 100 (where I get to talk about myself AGAIN), translate 7 sentences in Latin, finalize my chant for "choral masterworks",...is that it? That's it! I can do that! Wow this blog is actually pretty useful haha. Then maybe I can watch some football which was the reason I'm watching this bowling business in the first place. If I were in charge of ESPN, the 7 hours before the football games today would be strictly pre-game shows.
And another thing: how the hell is bowling on TV but Ultimate Frisbee, a MUCH more impressive, entertaining, and widely appreciated sport (it's a sport god dammit) can only be viewed in person?! That makes me furious. Bowling < Ultimate. The announcers are hilarious tho.
K there are many more exciting things going on in my life but as i mentioned earlier I gots sum shtuff to do so I''m going to close this blog entry with this:
Bowling sucks. Til next time.
I'm currently on the ground floor of south tower Wilke simultaneously doing laundry, watch some prestigious bowling tournament where apparently this woman is breaking new ground by beating this foreign dude (I'm really not paying attention), and doing my homework.
Because I'm the world's biggest procrastinator Sunday's usually my day where I do everything I have to do. I already took out the trash, cleaned my room, called about my fridge that's taking FOREVER to get here (I still can't shop in the refrigerated section of the C store), emailed my mom, and now I'm about to finish this blog entry, do that survey thing, read about 60 pages of sociology, type a one page bio for soc. 100 (where I get to talk about myself AGAIN), translate 7 sentences in Latin, finalize my chant for "choral masterworks",...is that it? That's it! I can do that! Wow this blog is actually pretty useful haha. Then maybe I can watch some football which was the reason I'm watching this bowling business in the first place. If I were in charge of ESPN, the 7 hours before the football games today would be strictly pre-game shows.
And another thing: how the hell is bowling on TV but Ultimate Frisbee, a MUCH more impressive, entertaining, and widely appreciated sport (it's a sport god dammit) can only be viewed in person?! That makes me furious. Bowling < Ultimate. The announcers are hilarious tho.
K there are many more exciting things going on in my life but as i mentioned earlier I gots sum shtuff to do so I''m going to close this blog entry with this:
Bowling sucks. Til next time.
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