Adding photos

Can anyone (probably Mike) tell me how to add photos to the side of the blog? I gather that it's not easy, and/or that it requires a picasa login. I want to put some more photos of us up.

New Radiohead!

Ahem... the new Radiohead, "King of Limbs," went on sale today! Check it out: www.kingoflimbs.com

A Career-Ending Grammy

I'm working tonight, and I believe the Grammys are going to be airing. I don't really care that I'll be missing them: Muse is the only performing act that I care about, and they aren't even that great anymore. I feel like the Grammys ruin things. If The Black Keys win anything tonight, I hope they don't start sucking. Perhaps I'm being too harsh. My apologies to those of you who enjoy the Grammys and the artists it supports. I just don't know why an awards ceremony that is supposed to honor the best in music can be so repulsive to me, and yet an awards ceremony that is supposed to honor the best in cinema (the Oscars, for example) tends to interest me. Music has always been a huge interest of mine, but the Grammys make me ill.

Three Decades

This summer, I will turn 29. I'm almost 30. If I'm still where I am now in terms of my accomplishments and my life next year, I fear that I'll die from despondency. Seriously, though, I realize life isn't all about achievements, but I never want to feel unfulfilled or at least left with the feeling that I could have done more in the time I was given. There are many things I have done in my life so far that I'm proud of, but it is not enough to quench my thirst for accomplishment. It's almost like an addiction. Anyway, I guess if I ever did feel completely fulfilled, life wouldn't really feel like it's worth living anymore. I suppose my lack of fulfillment is actually a driving force for me to be ambitious and do better. What about you all? Are you satisfied with where you are now in your life?

Super Bowl Party!

If you're having one, enjoy it! And think of me: I'll be working and unable to watch.

Compromised?

I'm guessing since Andrew is feeling like he is the only one who uses this blog anymore, I'll go ahead and write something. All I have to say is, random note: Should I be worried that e-mails keep randomly disappearing from my inbox on one of my many accounts? What's weird is that I had a practically uncrackable password. I'm hoping it's just a technical glitch since I'm syncing between numerous devices and desktops.

On another note, I think the elliptical is the ultimate exercise machine: It's not too hard on the muscles, but you can still feel the burn. I'm only saying this because I used a stationary bike today and barely broke a sweat. I'm guessing I should have increased the resistance or something.

And finally, I miss you all. My current working situation makes it such that I don't see anyone anymore. It's kind of disappointing. But I suppose I should be happy that I at least have a job.

Anyone else want in on music sharing with me, Thom, John, and Brad?

It's easy to start. We use this program called Dropbox. It's awesome, at least it is when people actually share music (I'm looking at you, John, Thom, and Brad). No one has been using it lately, and I'm trying to enliven it, much like this blog. Am I wasting more of my time?

Who did we lose?

If you live in the Chicago/midwest area and don't respond to this post, I'm going to assume you were killed by the blizzard. And if you didn't see my fb post, my building's lobby windows were blown out and there was snow indoors. Proof:

Come see an improv show!

Below is the page for my improv group at the iO theatre. We are called Nogat, which is what we imagined would be a name for an off-brand candy bar. It was that or Tuzzler.

http://chicago.ioimprov.com/io/teams/73

Come see a show! The schedule is on the link, and they're usually free, though we perform usually Monday or Wednesday nights, which I know are not the easiest. And, to be frank, while we are decent, it is improv and in all likelihood you could see a shitty show. Regardless, it'd mean a lot to have you come. If not, that's okay. I'm really just filling up space on the blog. Soon I'm just going to change the name of this to Andrew's Life, cause I'm the only one that posts on this *(@#()*!*$(# thing (this makes six straight posts from me).

I can't believe it

http://www.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/celebrity.news.gossip/01/23/obit.jack.lalanne/index.html?hpt=T2

And I didn't put him on my list again cause apparently he was really fit. I hate the world.

Is it June yet?

My job is quickly wearing me out with stress and frustration. Will one of you please bail me out with one of the following?
1) a time machine
2) a quadrillion dollars
3) students who aren't lazy and uneducated
4) hilarious fart sounds

New celebrity death pool

Thom and anyone else who wants to partake:
It is time to start the new celebrity death pool. I propose the following rules:
1) You choose 10 people
2) If you participated last year, you are able to take a maximum of 5 of your 15 chosen.
3) At mid-year, 5 extra people can be chosen
4) If someone chooses any of the same people as you, the person who submitted the names first gets precedence
5) Each entrant must forfeit $10 to the winner
6) In the event of a tie, monies are split

Any other rules?

Resolutions

This year, I resolve to:
1) Talk to women
2) Do things I don't want to do (see 1)
3) Somehow start having as much fun as I did in college again, which will entail a high amount of productivity, and lots of time with new and old friends.
4) Road trip. I'm really serious about this one. Two summers in a row have failed me. I want it.

One of the following people needs to die in the next 27 days

Elizabeth Taylor
Fidel Castro
Ariel Sharon
Muhammad Ali
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Kirk Douglas
Roger Ebert
Ernest Borgnine
Margaret Thatcher
Dick Cheney
Stephen Hawking
Henry Kissinger
Jack LaLanne
Mickey Rooney
Ray Bradbury

Why, you may ask, do I want one of these people to die? Because the celebrity death pool between Thom and I has put me in the hole. Thom's LAST CHOICE was Gloria Stuart. And I just checked up on all his people and she bit it back in September. Lucky bastard.

Fortune cookie: You will enjoy a trip to Asia soon

... of course, I got that fortune cookie about a year and a half ago.

Still - what's better than a trip to Japan? A free trip to Japan! What's even better than a free trip to Japan? BEING PAID to go to Japan, which is exactly what I'll be doing this December 6th-11th.

Okay, so I might have to give a presentation defending our company's new model train product ideas to a group of 30 individuals who don't really speak English and want desperately to shut the US branch down, and my failure may put both me and five other individuals out of a job as well as hasten the end of an entire hobby industry, but still! Japan! And I'm being paid to go!

Woon.

Word.

This world is strange and wonderful. That's all I have to say.

I WIN.

I am so proud and excited to say that today I found out that I will be placed on an improv team at Improv Olympic. It is the second-best known improv company in Chicago, the US, and arguably, the world. It is something I've been hoping for for about a decade and it means A LOT to me. People come from hundreds of miles away and move their lives to take classes at this place so they can have a chance at performing there. It is the result of a total of about six years of improv classes, reading the improv bible about eight times, and thousands of dollars.

What do I get out of it? Starting in around January, I'll get to perform with a group of people that I've known the past year and a half one night a week in front of paying audience members, I'll get to see any shows for free, and I'll get to interact and work with people I've admired for years. And anyone that's ever thought I sucked at anything, if they see me on stage they can basically just shove it. Please come see me perform so you can share in my joy. Just do it on a night that we don't suck as a group. Cause that can still happen, easily.

I think I need some new music

Does anyone have any they can recommend?

I'm interested in the following, but will take other stuff. Thom, I'm looking in your direction particularly as you're usually the one who reads this and also because you have been my best source for new music.

1) I heard the Walkmen's album "You and Me" is pretty good.
2) I want MGMT's first album "Oracular Spectacular"
3) There's still some Modest Mouse I don't have
4) I need more of The Smiths & Morrissey
5) Likewise for Mos Def and Of Montreal
6) Blind Melon's "Soup"
7) More of the Black Keys (all I have is "Magic Potion)
8) Anything else that you think is great

I need the music because my life sucks right now thanks to my job. New music fuels my fire and I haven't had any new fuel for a while.

You can't make this stuff up.

From the Trib:
"A man described as mentally unstable stopped his pickup truck in rural, out-of-the-way spots in Illinois and Indiana, randomly asking strangers questions about honeybees before opening fire".

I wish I was there to see it.
Man: "You know honeybees? They're weird."
Stranger: Whatever you say.
Man: DIE [takes gun out].

The Lo(a)ner

Dear *Insert Student Loan Company Name*:

Why, oh why, do you think I have money? I selected "income-contingent" because I thought you would realize I don't have a lot of money, but apparently you like getting all theoretical, annualizing money that I don't have, nay, never will have each year as you estimate the "fair" payments I should make each month. Hopefully, my latest letter to you will clear things up. Thank you for your time. And yes, I refuse to be your friend, you lo(a)ner.

Cordially,
The Borrower

P.S.-Somewhere stored away in a closet there is a piece of paper that I paid way too much money for and now I can't make a profit off it. It would've been a good investment had the economy decided to remain healthy. Bummer, just a bummer.