Ground Zero
Well, for those of you who don't like hearing about other people's parties and having a good time. Stop now. Read no further. In fact, by reading the "Read no further part", you've already read past the Stop and will probably continue to read until it is too late. There is no hope for you. The rest of you... Pary on. So last night we had another raging party. All day was rain off and on, which was really our wild-card for the whole shindig. I wasn't sure if anyone would show up or not. As it turns out, there is no stopping a huge crowd from coming to the most notorious party that will ever happen at CMA. I know, I know what you're thinking... That is a lot of partying that this can be the MOST epic one, but just you wait. So, at 5, me and Luke are driving down to pick up 3 kegs of beautiful water, wheat, hops, and barley, and return to find the band has set up to play the Shoreline Ampetheater in our front living room. There are two gynourmous towers of speakers from the ground to the cieling, enough guitars, drums, equipment to fill that whole section of our house, and the skies clearing for what was going to be a good night. It all kicked off around 9 and the beer flowed like wine, the band started playing, and right away, you could tell... It was just crazy. The band was FRIGGIN AWESOME. So they ripped, shredded, and proceeded to make my ears bleed with pleasure whilst in the backyard, people came in and nobody seemed to leave. So we ran out of beer at one point, not sure exactly what time, but early. Everything was gone quick. So the 3rd or 4th time the cops came, we aren't exactly sure, they were there to break up the party for good. About 10 of 'em entered the backyard and a hush fell. They went into the house and everything changed in a heartbeat. One of Vallejo's finest sat right down... AT THE DRUMS! And the band raged through another set or two. It was THE single craziest most awesome moment ever. I cannot put into words the confused emotions pouring through me when they came to break up the party and wound up rockin' with the party. Basically, it was just epic because of the police on the drums. Insane fun... If you were there, you know exactly what I'm talking about. And if you weren't, well, you missed out on history in the make.
- posted by @ Clark 21:12

 
Complaint Dept.

Complaint #45456940

This entry is going to be nothing but complaining. If you wish to continue, consider yourself aptly warned. If you do not wish to continue, I would suggest www.homestarrunner.com as something a bit more light-hearted and fun. Now, down to business...

As most of you know, I am a member of a program with the Navy. Part of this program talks about leadership. Every week we're supposed to send in a report summarizing our lives of the past week and predicting how things are going to go in the next week. There's all sorts of little rules about formatting and what is to go where, and exactly how many paragraphs there are to be and all that typical bull shit. This week, I was out of town so I decided not to do one. Conciously decided to say "Screw this! I'm not around a computer and I'm not going out of my way to get to one". And I got a 300 word essay. This is where my complaint starts. Not because it has to be 300 words long. But the EXTREME bull shit that it must jump through to achieve its 300 words. Following are the exact directions on the essay. When you are finished... Comment on whether you agree with me or not. Personally, I think this essay is going to do more harm than good as I view it more as a block to be filled. However, it has me using some bigger words at present. :)

"1. The length of the essay is to be exactly 300 words (in the body), and the essay must be hand-written. Words must have four or more letters to count; these must be underlined and numbered (numbers go on top of each word with four or more letters). Words with 3 or fewer letters must be circled (these do not get numbered and do not go toward the total of exactly 300 words). You must double-space the body starting under the subject line in order to provide space for the numbering, as shown here.

2. Failure to complete an essay correctly could result in additional Extra Military Instruction, including redoing the original essay and writing another on attention to detail/failure to follow instructions/whatever the assigner chooses. Failure to follow Proper Memo Format is grounds for such EMI. The standard due date will be the next drill day, but this is up to the assigner’s discretion and may depend on the seriousness of the offense.

3. These essays are not punitive in nature; rather, the process helps the assignee understand military culture, knowledge, and values. "

All I can say is double -grr...

Complaint Closed.
- posted by @ Clark 08:39

 
Wise Words of Woeful Wisdom...
"Y'all ain't gonna see a hearse with a luggage rack." These are merely a few words to live life by. Live this life we got till it won't let us live anymore. Money, time, school, everything is for not if we aren't living it up at the same time. You'll never take "stuff" to the grave with you. Money won't mean anything. All you're going to have is memories of the good times. That was my philosophical moment for the day. I hope you're all happy. In other news, my away message for the day depicts my attitude towards school today... "The rain pouring forth from the heavens is merely a physical representation of my internal emotional state towards continued education...AKA- School makes me want to cry" I almost sounded smart for half a second there. Scary. Check crazyclarks.blogspot.com soon for our 70's party update. I know its been a long long ass time coming, but c'mon people, I have a life too... And on that note... Time to make some rub-a-dub-grub for lunch. Keep on keepin on and remember you can't take nothing with you when you leave. So live it up while you can. "Y'all ain't gonna see a hearse with a luggage rack."
- posted by @ Clark 11:21

 
New post! HOLY $#!+ There's a NEW post!
With all the hustle and the bustle of the busy life of a college student (Hey, quit laughing...) I have managed to neglect my readers of something of interest. If you figure out what's missing let me know... I can fortell nothing. Its 1030 in the morning on a cold, over-cast, windy, choppy day and we may in fact still be going out on Fowler's boat. Its a sweet little flat bottom river boat that holds about 3 people plus a cooler laden with refreshments and ice. Its a good time. Last time we went out was a near death (nobody got hurt...Or even close), but it was crazy. Had the sheer pin on the propeller break so we lost propulsion with a tug boat bearing down on us while pushing a barge. Then, with the motor half out of the water, I managed to remove the propeller, pull out the old pin, put in a new one, and re-attach the propeller while underway still... Actually drifting under the Carquinez Bridge and toward the shore really. But that was last time. This time may have some new stories if people would call me back... Saw Team America. All I have to say about that is, I laughed so hard I coulda pissed my pants. America, *$%# Yeah! You'll understand after you see it. I also invested in Ron White's cd, "Drunk in Public". HOLY HELL! That man is one of the funniest people I've ever heard. Granted that list of people is really really really really long, but still. I'm a huge-mongo fan of comedy. Everyone could use more in their life. Anywho, that is all that is new on my end. OH! I'm not longer technologically indignant and stuck in the middle ages! I have a CD player and an MP3 player that can hook into the tape-adapter jobby and play ball! Well, I may be helping Andy change out the clutch master-cylinder on his truck. That should go interestingly. Never done it before, but how hard can it really be? Honestly now. Until next time... Hold you head up high, even in the face of defeat.
- posted by @ Clark 10:34

 
New Stuff...
Hey hey crazy campers! Well, some new stuff in the stuff department. If'n school starts to get you down, you attended one of the Florida St. Shenanagan Shindigs, or merely want to see the coolest place in V-town to go and hang out... crazyclarks.blogspot.com. This site is going to be in a state of change as we move to update it with new cool pictures from recent parties as well as make some of the older pics smaller so the site takes less time to load. The newest accomplishment was making the Mr. Mug section work. Totally bitchin. Anywho, check it out for updates... We just had another party so more pics are on the way with the possibility of some movies of people on the half-pipe attempting to ride it.
- posted by @ Clark 01:40

 
Go Big or Go Home!
Okay, so anyone who knows me, knows of my love of cars and most things automobile. I say most things because I cannot stretch my love for four wheels and an engine to encompass import cars and some other domestic cars, as well as most to all new cars. So basically, I could say I have an affinity for the finer things in life... An open road in the back woods rolling country side of God's beautiful Earth. Blasting down the road with Lynyrd Skynyrd blaring at the maximum volume. Gas pedal mashed to the ground, spraying gallons of gasoline into a huge fire-breathing engine trapped beneath the hood of a steel beast. Hot Damn! If that doesn't get your blood pumping... You're probably a member of the rice-runner crowd or like new cars. But... To each his own. So that is mine. I was cruising the web this evening in an endeavor to find what size carb I should put on my truck and I stumbled across a Mopar page. Since at the very base of my soul resides a 1973 Plymouth Duster 340 with a 3-speed manual transmission... I had no chance of changing web pages without a search. My fruitful search produced a saying which besides having never heard it before, was also witty. "Mopar or No Car!" That shall hang on a sign in my garage. Right next to the sign that says, "There's No Replacement For Displacement!". Some people may argue that I'm obsessive compulsive... Card decks, money in my wallet, my room... but I'd just argue that I'm obsessive. If any of you have talked to me since June, I'd argue that at least once every few conversations the topic of my truck comes up. I'd like to appologize for that. But I'm just so damn happy because of it. Someday someone will understand this love I have. For some, it may be music. They must have it. They cannot live without it. They talk about it incessantly. For others, Hell, I don't know... Everyone has that one thing which the mere thought of will boil blood and send them to excited levels of life. For me...Its the road. The old cars cruising down the wide open expressways from this life to another. The black stretches of asphalt are the stairway to Heaven for me. Who am I kidding, there's no cure for my addiction. I've got motor oil and diesel fuel pulsing through my veins. So now I am going to motor off into Friday night...

- posted by @ Clark 20:28

 
On Swallowing Pride...
So I finally did it people. I swallowed my pride, tucked my tail, and hauled my truck off to Midas. I know I know...I can hear everyone going, "what's wrong with that?" But I don't need someone else to wrench on the Green Lantern. So here's the plan... I pay the 20 bucks for them to inspect the whole thing and the brakes entirely for me. Then...If machine work is needed (i.e. the brake rotors are warped or the drums are worn too much) I have them do it and replace the pads and adjust my pedal. But Hell, I've probably lost a lot of people already. Needless to say, I'm just dropping it off for something I'm perfectly capable of. The clutch is entirely another story though. I have no problem ponying up the cash for someone else to do in a couple hours what would have taken me 8 hours and then some to do. Money sucks. I just thought I'd put that one out there. I personally don't like people's dependancy on money, but there's no way to live without it. They say that money can't buy happiness, but without money, you can't live life like you want to. Thats all I am going to say for now. I could go on about what I want to do with life, with my truck... Perhaps on who I'd like to spend more time with and who I would want to spend less with. This is life... Love it or leave it.


PS - This is what the alphabet would look like if Q and R were eliminated.
PPSS - I'm sorry, I did not learn my AA BB CC's God God Damnit Damnit!
PS - No really, this is my first entry from HOME! WooHoo! I have internet at home!

- posted by @ Clark 18:30

 
Formal Appology...
I want to formally appologize for subjecting you, my reader, to the perils of my mind. This should not ever happen. Most mental capacities cannot handle the simplicity of my thoughts or the way I try to live life. Who the Hell am I kidding? I don't live a simple life. Honestly people, anyone who knows the truth knows how many different lives I lead because I have to. So for now, I'm going to sit here, miss the Hell out of my good time friends, wish to Hell I was somewhere far away with no chance of ever coming back, and thinkin' of how I coulda been out at Kelly's place hanging out tonight if I wasn't in charge of the Engine Room right now. Life's a chance we roll the dice every day...Gimme the damn dice...I'm tired of the roll I'm on... C'mon Snake Eyes... You're more than an animals body parts....

- posted by @ Clark 22:59

 
On Love...
Yes people, this is going to be an entry with some, albeit a little, feeling to it. I know it is not common, but hey... Variety keeps people on their toes. Have you ever had that feeling for someone that they could completely make your day with the mere thought of them? The kind of people who can turn you into a complete puddle of mush when they are having a bad day and you cannot help them. It seems that all people are after these days is physical. Is nobody searching for Love? Have we abandoned all hope and thrown up our arms in defeat? Meh... here's to those of us still searching... I'll raise my glass to that...

- posted by @ Clark 21:30

 

- posted by @ Clark 21:36

 
Grades!
Okay people, I just realized that nobody has seen grades for last semester. So here they are...
I had 30 units, 12 classes, and pulled a GPA of 3.58. Yeah buddy! That's about all I have to say about that. I was going to go through my classes and list 'em all individually, but decided that my 6 A's, 5 B's, and one ungraded class didn't need to be listed. MUAHAHAHA!!! Here's to being one semester closer to gradumatation!

- posted by @ Clark 20:00

 
Reflections...
So walking around this morning I realized just how different life is now than it used to be. When someone says "High Risk" what is the first thing that comes to mind? For me, its jumping off a bridge, or rally racing a car around a dirt road expecting somebody to be coming from the other way at any time. But that is not the context that high risk was used this morning. These people were talking stock market. Its a strange world in which we live. My little brother is trying to get my folks to buy him a cell phone. I didn't get one until I left for college and needed one just to stay in touch. Now you can't walk through a 6th grade class without seeing less than 2 people covered from head to toe in name-brand B.S. and and the entire class probably has cell phones. Culture pushes people into this. I just want to go back to when high-risk meant that you were pullin' some crazy stunt. Now, high-risk is everything. That food is high-risk, the sun is high-risk.... Life is high-risk people. Fact of the matter is 100% of ALL people FAIL to get out of life alive. So we need to get off this high-risk band-wagon and head back to the simple days.

- posted by @ Clark 11:33

 
Deliciously Redneck!
So anyone who knows me at all knows my love of country music, and my ability to wear nothing but blue jeans and t-shirts unless required by school or the Navy. Yesterday was another delicious delve into my southern roots in America. With the gumby-green truck parked in the drive-way, jacked up with one wheel off, I was sittin in a wifebeater and blue jeans with a rattle-can of black spray paint. And just why was the wheel off? And why the paint? Because I was there painting my rims flat black in my front yard! Well, anywho, next stop on the truck department is Flowmaster exhaust, a 500cfm carb, and the body work to straighten everything out again and fix the bed. After that the paint'll be slopped on. Then the stereo. Then ....Then I just cruise and save $$.

Sometimes life deals the wierdest card. I forget what I was going to say. But sometimes you can fall entirely for someone whom you've never in your life met and its alright. Lifes suprises are always the greatest. And on that note...I'm off like a prom dress...

- posted by @ Clark 22:21

 
Devil's On Your Tailgate...
Big truck slidin’ easy ‘round that bend
Foot through the floor board, runnin’ with a friend.
Wanted for havin’ way too much fun,
It ain’t over till you say its done.

Devil’s on your tailgate, good luck and god speed.
You gotta get away ‘fore the Devil does his deed.
Good luck and god speed, life goes on this way.
Just gotta stand on it so he can’t catch up today.

It’s a fight to the finish, that’s a good place to end.
Racing through life, racing with a friend.
It don’t really matter, if you win or lose
Just gotta have fun, no matter what path you choose.

Devil’s on your tailgate, good luck and god speed.
You gotta get away ‘fore the Devil does his deed.
Good luck and god speed, life goes on this way.
Just gotta stand on it so he can’t catch up today.

Tires spinnin’ down the back woods gravel,
Keepin’ it floored no matter where you travel.
You’d think at that’d speed life’d unravel
But you’ll soon see, livin’ life this way
Keeps us all movin’ past yesterday.

Devil’s on your tailgate, good luck and god speed.
You gotta get away ‘fore the Devil does his deed.
Good luck and god speed, life goes on this way.
Just gotta stand on it so he can’t catch up today.


Somedays you just gotta run... This is one of 'em...

- posted by @ Clark 13:41

 
Party Like A Rockstar!
For those of you who attended our little hoopla gala last night... You'll need no reasoning behind the stories. I would like to say that me and my three room-mates threw one fahkin HELL of a party! If you only knew what went on... I can't even say it all. The fact that two kegs were chained to a tree in our backyard with TIRE CHAINS! oughta speak a little. The police were only called three times on us. The third time giving us a "Disturbing the Peace" violation. Which means that if they come anytime in the next 5 days we get slapped with a $600 fine. Yoikes! It was quite the day yesterday. Between Anthony's parking ticket for not curbing his tires, the water getting shut off, and a few other miscellanious problems, everything went off without a hitch. I have tons of pictures and must put them on my computer and shrink them down before I can post them online. So keep some eyes peeled. I don't even know if anyone reads this crap anymore. Meh, I don't really care one way or the other. Sometimes you win, most time you'll lose...

- posted by @ Clark 13:05

 
The House Mom
So every house must have someone who cleans up after everyone (and doesn't mind too much), knows where everything is, and is there for people right? Right? RIGHT? So I guess I am this so called House Mom. I didn't start the day that way. I started it out all rugged and manly. Attempting to make my truck go all the way to the gas station on virtually empty. As I swung it up into the station, it actually died and was damn near out. I was super stoked to even make it. So I pull up to the pump... And realize its on the OTHER SIDE! Dang it! So I crank it over, luckily it starts up and I move to the other pump. As I set the brake and get out to pump my $3.00 of change into the empty tank, I note a HUGE puddle forming under the front end. NOOOO!!!! Thats exactly what I needed right? WRONG! So here I am, barely a gallon of gas in tank, no power steering, and attempting to go home. When I got home, I muscled it into the drive-way. I say muscled because that is what you do when you have a truck and the power steering doesn't work. Its a lot harder than a truck that has no power steering. Almost as if, with a problem, the power steering unit makes life much more difficult. But needless to say, I had my roomie Anthony take me down to the local auto parts store and pick up a new high-pressure line for the power steering. For anyone who has worked on a '92 GMC V-6, more power to ya. If you had to change the power steering line... I give you props for not selling it on the spot. Me, I'm much much much more patient than the average joe, so I was stoked to be in my driveway wrenching on my truck. After taking a few miscelanious parts off surrounding the problem area, I delved into the knuckle scraping world of pulling the old hose. So after about an hour of struggle, I managed to get the old hose off and the new one on. Few quick turns of the various wrenches and I was in business. Or was I? Yeah, it seemed way to easy to me too. Thats why I forgot to put the o-rings on the ends of the hose before putting it in. So I had to pull everything back apart and put it back together with the o-rings in place. Flush the system out, put it all back together again and.... And... Get the keys. Slide 'em into the ignition. Depress the clutch. Turn the key. Sparks fly and... BAM! I have power steering again! So we're off again off again. And then my attention turns from the green beast in the driveway to the place we called a kitchen. I found 4, count 'em 4!, dead mice in our cabinet. So after spending the duration of the afternoon and evening cleaning and cleaning and then cleaning some more....You know what? I'm tired. I'm going to finish this some other time. Stay tuned. Later

- posted by @ Clark 23:56

 
On Growing Up...
I've always lived by the maxim "Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional." So a little over a year ago, my best friends tied the knot. This is one of those "growing up" events. Of course, I was there for both of them when it got ridiculously hard, but since then... There hasn't been a single problem between them. They are the picture perfect couple. And now... A year later... I'm going to a baby shower. Do you have any idea what thats like? I'm amazed at how much those two have grown up... It was a year ago that we were doing Flaming Paularitas and Sizzling Shortys (Both drinks are HIGHLY dis-advised). Last night I was over at their place just kinda hangin out... We sat, laughed, had a great time. I realized I'm still the short funny guy that'll probably never realize when to take any situation seriously, but thats okay, because I've also learned that there are people out there who take EVERY situation like its life or death! But I've noticed... They both seem so grown-up like now. Its scary really. Now, I'm not sayin' its a bad thing... but I don't know... I'm sure somebody else out there knows what I'm talkin' about. It's like awesome - for them. I'm not so sure its for me just yet.

On another note... I need to start attending meetings. Love-Aholics Annonymous.
I took the first step last night. I admitted that I love too much. My weakness... 110 pounds of slobbering heart. Combined with Amie's dog too...Sieux (pronouce Sue) is a killer puppy too... Man... I'm in love with my puppy. She knows when I'm happy, hungry, sad, tired, or just want someone to lay in my lap and stare up at me with the kindest eyes.... Sniff sniff... Yes people! I actually do have a soft side! I'm not an asshole all the time! I try and break it down so there's some equal dispersion, but things like my dog will make me want to do anything... So that is step one. I hope that step two involves treats for no reason, walks in the middle of the night because she wants one, and even more love...Cuz thats what she's gonna get. Who am I kidding? Too much love? "Its like a girl too pretty, a car too fast... Too much money there's no such thing... No matter what they say I've done, well, I ain't never had too much fun..."

Also... If you know about car stereos...I'm going to need some help soon. My old man wants me to put a stereo in his car... I can do the deck and speakers, put in new wiring and stuff, but I don't know how to hook up an amp or a sub. But yeah, advice/help would be great. Anywho...Thas all I gots for now...
- posted by @ Clark 12:39

 
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Whatever You Want...
I'm tired of chasing my dreams. I'm just going to ask them where they are going and meet up with them later. ~Mitch Hedberg

Today was a good day. I did a whole lot of nothing and managed to get nothing accomplished. Watched some flicks, chatted it up on the 'ol computer, and attempted to pack my stuff for a two month summer cruise. Do you have any idea how hard it is to pack enough stuff to keep you entertained for two months? Honestly now. Some people just have no idea how rough it really is. I have my Rubik's Cube, my Rubik's UFO (both of which I'm quite proficient at solving),my MP3 player, some DVDs, and a laptop with a busted CD drive. I have no intention of bringing my nice new computer with me on ths cruise. As cool and groovy as it would be to have something this nice... I know what'll be happening. There is no way that I'm going to come out of the Engine Room everyday smelling like roses. Which means I'll be covered in grease which subsequently covers everything I own with grease as well. Its the nature of the greasy beast. Basically, right now...I would like nothing more than to be sitting down with friends to play some poker or something. However, that won't be happening. Not on this night. Tomorrow, probably. After my best friends' baby shower... They are so happy together. I'm so happy to see them make such a happy couple. Someday, somewhere... That someone will cross paths. I may not know it at the time, but I'm sure there's someone out there for me. Some people already know who that someone is for them... Currently I'm watching a movie that makes me wonder if we have ever lived in the past. Do you ever enjoy something, have something that peaks your interest, but you have no idea why. You can't really explain what it is but it does. For me, its the old school mobsters. Meh, i can't really explain it. But...bleh. Stupid brain. Stop failing me! You're miserable.

Okay, so I must pursue boredom in search of something better. Bleh. Here's to all the lonely single people sittin at home right now...
- posted by @ Clark 21:58

 
Drunk in Public...
"I wasn't drunk in publick. I was drunk in bar. THEY threw me into publick."
~Ron "Tater Salad" White.

Okay, for those of you who haven't seen Blue Collar Comedy Tour. It is a must see. I was up visiting my friends Mike and Paula while on my way up to Nor Cal on an expedition to showcase my truck and see some friends like Steve-O among others. (Sorry to the "others", Steve-O was bitchin' that I never mentioned him... So it was my solid ode to Steve-O and the rest of you are just as important, but the squeeky wheel gets the grease...) While I was there, I again got in trouble. Mike, Paula, you're both great people, but I just wanna do the dishes damn it! C'mon! Is that too much to ask. Actually, I'm really messing. I didn't get in trouble. Although, they do give me that "look" when I pick up the sponge and go to town on the dishes.

So my truck... That's right people MY truck. I am the proud owner of a [God only knows what shade of] green 1992 GMC Sonoma pickup truck. It was quite the change from the "other car". I went from a small, light, 4 cylinder, front wheel drive car to a large, heavy, steel, V-6, beast of a rear-wheel drive truck. Meh, I have officially rn out of the will to sit here and type any longer. I've almost said everything i wanted to say, and I've said it all not how I want to say it. So that is good... It'll make people think. Bleh... Reality bites.

It's going to be a while folks before I can write again. I hate to say "I told you so" to all the people who're going to the Grad and loving it. But I must... I TOLD YOU SO! So yeah, gotta love my love life. You know, the one that I have. I swear I have it... It must be in my pocket... Damn. I left it at home. I do have my Visa card though. Never leave home without it...
- posted by @ Clark 12:47

 
"Sometimes I wonder what I'm gonna do, cuz there ain't no cure for the summertime blues..."
To summarize the events of this summer thus far would be the unintentional demise of a great story. There is no way to capture all the memories and stories that stemmed from my 3 weeks in Japan. I banked a good 15 hours of flight time. This may not seem like much to the average individual. But the people who were leaving as I got there only had 2.5 hours of flight time. And that was at the end of their second week. Basically three weeks time condensed looks something like this...

After a 12 hour flight, what is something that one would want more than anything? To stand up. That's right. I'm glad we're all together on that one. Instead, I was met with another 2 hour wait for my 1.5 hour bus ride to the naval base I was stationed at. Upon arrival, I no longer wanted to stand up. I was merely yearning for my pillow and some wonderful dreams. After waking up at the wonderful hour of 4am (Thank you time-changes and jet-lag!!! WOOO HOOO!!!) I went outside and took a picture. It was sunny. i.e. the sun was way up by 430 in the morning. I hope that is striking everyone else as a bit odd. So I go into the squadron in my khakis (the last time I'll wear those this trip) and recieve a flight suit. I promptly change and am given a patch to put on it so it doesn't look so plain and boring. I am now a "Rotor Cowboy" according to my bright pink patch. I spent the rest of the day off and me and the other two MIDN who were leaving that weekend all went out on the town.

The next week was full of tests and studying. Yes, I know, rough. I had to learn all sorts of Emergency Procedures for the SH-60B helicopter. And not only did I have to learn them, I had to memorize them. I took both an open book and a closed book exam on them. I took a course rules test that quizzed my knowledge of the flight pattern in and around the base, egress procedures for getting out of the helicopter in an emergency, and a whole litanny of hoops to jump through before being able to be put on the oh so elusive flight schedule. At this point there is a rumor that I will be able to jump out of the helicopter. Oh the joy that would bring. It'd be awesome.

So now that my A.D.D. has kicked in (Not diagnosed, but if you know me you'd swear...), I've grown mentally weary of trying to make it sound all interesting and what-not. I'll do my best to get some pictures up so they can do the talking for me. In the meantime I'll summarize and completely be unable to fufill my desire to do the adventure justice. I got to ride in the F-18 Superhornet, H-3, and H-60 SeaHawk. I also got to fly the H-3, H-60 SeaHawk, and S-3 Viking. All of which were a total blast and I had a great time. I also had the privelege of jumping out. That's right. They made it happen. For those of you, one person in particular, who kept askin if I was scared when I was doing this stuff... The answer is no, not until I got under the rotor wash of the H-60. I was swimming along next to the guy who was jumping with me and we were about to be picked up so that we could jump again. To pick us up the helicopter would hover overhead, they'd lower the hoist, and lift us into the back of the helicopter. While the helo is hovering overhead, water, mist, and air swirl around you and pummel you. You can't see a damn thing. All you can hear is the chop chop chop chop of the helicopter blades and you are searching for the guy who was just right next to you so that you could be right there when it was time to be hoisted. That was perhaps the scariest moment of the trip. After the first time however, it seemed much easier to see and work your way through the wash. Kinda like that first time you put on a snorkel and stuck your face in the water. The way your brain says "Just breathe normal.", but your lungs say, "Screw you! You're face is in the water! I ain't doin' nothing!"

My adventure home was much longer than the trip there. Its really not supposed to be that way, but it was. I left at 1200 for the airport. We arrived at 1315. We were supposed to show up merely 4 hours before our 1925 flight. So after arriving so damn early at the airport, our plane is delayed and we can't even board until 2000. And then we are further delayed and do not actually get on the plane and seated before 2100. After flying all night, which if you ever get the chance to do...Don't, we landed. I then had the 2.5 hour car ride home during which I recounted much of my adventure to my eagerly listening parents.

Japan is a great place - for me to visit. I can't wait to be back home.
- posted by @ Clark 11:33

 
What's Happening... (Post 2 of 2)
This one is for my lil' bro. Yes, he hasn't been my little brother for years...I get most of my clothes as hand-me-ups from the guy, but he's graduating in the next few days on the 10th. What a great time that'll be. I just wanted to say what an awesome guy he's been and how fortunate I've been to have him as a younger bro. Best of luck with the future chief!
- posted by @ Clark 18:12

 
What's Happening? (Post 1 of 2)
So here's what has been going on in the last few weeks for me. I am currently beyond broke. My monetary reserves are in the neon pink range quickly moving towards non-existant with every penny I spend. I recently purchased a 1992 GMC Sonoma SLE long bed V-6 pickup truck. Thats right people. The Civic treated me well... But it is time to kick it in gear with my awesome ass truck. Such a beautiful automobile. Well, I picked that up Friday and left for Japan early Monday morning. So sad. I've been in Japan for about a week and a half now. Having a great time. Who woulda thought that BBQ heart and tongue would be so damn good? I wouldn't have, but being in a new country you open to new ideas. So I gave it a whirl. Wicked good to say the least. Been around. Went to the beach... Its an impressive view to say the least. I have also gone up for about 5hours in the helicopters. Once was 2.5 hours in the Navy's Seahawk, which is a version of the Blackhawk helicopter. The other 2.5 hours was in the Navy version of the presidential helicopter. That was fun. I saw a bunch of wicked awesome stuff out the gunner's door. I was lookin' at Mt. Fuji, downtown Tokyo, the beach...Everything. From the birds eye view. It was awesome. So now we have plans to climb Mt. Fuji next weekend. We'll see how that goes. More to come soon enough.
- posted by @ Clark 17:59

 
Good Advice Or Bad?
Pipe Dream: (pIp dreem)N. - A fantastic but vain hope.

So I finally sack up and tell my old man I'm lookin' at a truck. I'm halfway through and he turns away and says, "Nothing but pipe dreams. You have nothing but pipe dreams" and walks off. I was listening to the radio at work today and a song comes on with the lyrics sayin' something along the lines of "how is someone supposed to keep going on with nobody to back 'em up?". Seems so odd that with such a lack of support from one side, I have managed to still be a dreamer. Yes people, I will admit it, I dream a great many things that'll never happen. However, I dream them with the hopes that someday they might. So after my father had doled out his advice last night, I woke up this morning to my ma's great advice. My dog came and woke me up today. As I cut the anchors holding down my eyelids I peered out and saw nothing but the black nuzzle of my dog lapping endlessly at my face. Try as I might I couldn't get away. The harder I tried, the more excited and harder the puppy licked. So I finally gave in and got up. I ran around chasing the dog and pettin' her and doin' what I normally do when my ma stopped me. She was like, "Maybe you should love her less" in her sarcastic voice. Yes, I don't get my sarcasm from just me. I get about 150% of it from my ma. Its always amazed me how my dog could "sense" when I wanted her around. At the precise moment that the time was right, she'd be there with her head on my lap looking at me with those puppy-dog eyes... sniff, sniff...

So, I have decided to follow my mom's advice and love the dog just the same (which is what she was really implying...That she enjoys seeing how happy the dog makes me). And ignore the old man, yet again.

There is a special reason why I have a kinship with the dog. My first dog picked me when I was 4. If you know anything about me or have seen pictures of me when I was younger, I could put on a pair of fire-man boots and they'd come up to my waist and I'd still be up in the air. I was a small kid (still small now). But my dog picked me when we went to pick her out. It was my parents way to get me out of my shell. I was remiss for about a year after my brother was taken out of this life and put into the next.

It just so happens that today is a fairly important day. Its his birthday. The big 22. No longer in the ages that matter much. 21 is the last big birthday from what I hear. Eh, life's funny sometimes. Things may be different if he were still around. I might not even have the two little brothers I do now. Fate has a funny way of working itself out sometimes.

Well, its off again off again. Pipe dreams and love are just around the bend. I'm goin for a small jog with the dog. She'll love it and I need it. Catch you on the flip side...
- posted by @ Clark 18:53

 
And the Survey Says...
So it's as good as written in stone. I'm going to be joining a squadron in Japan for this summer. I (barely) passed the swim qual. I don't know what it is about trying to tread water for two minutes in full flight gear (Harness, helmet, flighsuit, gloves, g-suit, steel-toe boots) that I cannot manage the first try. But when I try for the second time it is much easier and I'm much more relaxed. Bleh. So much for me bein' Mr. In-Shape. I'm an embarrassment to mankind as a whole.

Why do I have such a vivid imagination? It used to be me going insane with the Duster. Now, its a 1984 Chevrolet S10 Pickup which I'm fantacizing about (among a few other fantasies floating around that mind of mine...). My goal is to get this truck. I want it. I need it. Okay, so maybe I don't NEED it for vehicle sake, I need it for sanity sake. I need something other than the same pile I have driven almost my whole life. For a while in high school it was the "shaggin' wagon", a HUGE blue van which has resulted in many a good and embarassing story. The Civic has a lot of history, but I'm getting bored. C'mon people, its a fahkin Honda Civic, how cool is that? I WANT OUT! Its a car club I no longer wish to partake in.

So I have decided that I suck. Everything I want (people included) are falling into two catagories:
1). Too far away that it doesn't work.
2). They don't want me back. (This works for vehicles too as they tend to dissappear when I get close to closing a deal)

So for all you things that are far away or don't want me back, someday it may work out. Whether I am there when it works out or not is not for me to say. Fate has a great many twists that are never planned for.

New favorite song: "Riding with Private Malone" by David Ball. Totally awesome totally touching song. Any by totally awesome I mean totally cool. And by totally cool I mean... HAHAHA, what a laugh...

- posted by @ Clark 19:55

 
If you'd just stay.... Stay gone!!!
So it's been an entire week since school has let out. Have I done anything? You bet your ass I have. I have sucessfully driven more miles in a week than most truckers; totalling out at 2300+ miles. I have managed to visit many friends, work this last weekend, watch a basketball game a friend's house, went line dancing at the G-rad, and sucessfully completed my physical for the Navy. So I will be out of country and out of mind for the next month. Thats right, I'm going to Japan. Who's gonna miss me? I think I see a hand...no, they are just scratching their head. I know my dog will. She went crazy when I was gone for one week! Imagine one month! Then a week at home and two months gone!! She's going to go nuts! I love that dog to death. Its crazy how much a puppy can inprove your outlook on life. Speaking of life... I'm lovin' it!!! School is out, grades are in, and I'm goin nuts just trying to make it through. I start work on Thursday though. So that'll consume the rest of my free time for the next week. Bleh. I don't want to work. Its that same filing in the steel cage with no ventilation or lighting or MUSIC!!! (AAAAAARRRGGHHHH!!!!! That's the real downfall!) Anywho, I ain't complaining cuz life is grand. I'll check in periodically now that I'm home. More to come tomorrow...

This is Matt signing off...
- posted by @ Clark 17:50

 
Meeting The Mark...
So I got my grades, they have been released at a predetermined undisclosed location. They are DAMN good! Booyah!

Plant Operations III - B+ (Can I fix it? Yes I can! Send me your broken ship and we'll fix it)
Manufacturing Processses - A (Can you make something from nothing? I can.)
Mechanical/Material Lab - B+ (Can you say WASTE OF TIME???)
Mechanical/Material Lab Lab - No Grade (What is this crap? It was a semester of labs and reports for no grade.)
Refridgeration and A/C - A (I can work on A/C units now! I'm certified!)
Heat Transfer - A
Mechancial Design - B
Advanced Fluids & Thermodynamics - A- (Thas right! Three, count 'em, three thermodynamics classes.)
Engineering Design Processes - A (We designed a shopping cart. Its rad. Suspension, steering, and a motor. Need I say more?)

This leaves me with a semester GPA of 3.684. Whoop whoop! All the late nights, all nighters, and 4hours/night of sleep weeks have finally paid off. This yields a total GPA of 3.510 with oh too many units towards my GPA. Here's to the good times just gettin' started.

Well, I have my orders folks. I'm going to be attatched to a helicopter squadron out of Japan. I also passed my test saying that I can be a pilot. Here's to hoping...
- posted by @ Clark 21:31

 
Sad Songs and Waltzes aren't selling this year...
After much time saying good-bye to old friends and new friends, I ventured home again. Its always hard leaving the company of the people I spend 8 months out of the year with. Some of those people may in fact be gone forever. But that is no reason to be sad. They are carrying on with their lives as everyone must as they move through the stages of life. So I've been home two days now. I've seen my best friend for 30 seconds as he was off to his home in Monterey again, and my other best friend for another 30 seconds as I made him pull over on the freeway because as fate would have it, we were both headed the same direction at the same time. He on his way to class and I on my way up to set up my physical for the Navy. A grand total of 450 miles has been driven in those two days. With a few miles of bike riding and some basketball with my (no-so)little brother. It used to be that I had a younger brother (who was 3 years younger, but larger than I) and a little brother (who's 7 years younger, but smaller). Now it seems I have two younger brothers. One's 3 years younger and bigger'n me. And the other looks like he could wear the same size shirts as I do. What is this world coming to? When my brother who's 7 YEARS younger than I am is bigger than me, there MUST be something wrong. Lots of miles will be put on the 'ol car in the next few days. As it looks, I'll be in Lemoore all day Thursday, maybe out to Monterey then. If not, I'll be back home and head out to Monterey early Friday. Which leads me into work in the San Fran all weekend, followed by a trip back to Lemoore on Monday or Tuesday and again on Wendesday. So, for those of you wondering how this in some small miniscule way partakes to you, IF I am in Lemoore on Monday, I will be going line dancing at the G-rad that night. Otherwise, I won't. That is how it affects you. I wonder how many people actually noticed that we weren't there on Monday... I'm willing to bet that everyone's lives are already back to normal and they don't even miss us all out there. I doubt anyone asked, "Hey, where're all the rowdy kids?" Eh, ain't no sad songs sellin' this year. Instead you'll get the summer beats of Guns N' Roses "Paradise City" and "Sweet Child O' Mine" or "Ain't Nothin' Wrong With The Radio" for you country fans out there. Wherever you are and whatever you're doing...Crank the good time tunes and let the good times roll.... And drop me an e-mail @ tyrantsupreme@hotmail.com I'd love to hear from friends....Later
- posted by @ Clark 14:50

 
Have you ever wondered...
Have you ever wondered why people turn out the way they do? Products of their environments is a strong argument to make. Take for instance...Me. I have no faith in my abilities to do...well, anything. So normally I just go for it, if I fail, meh, oh well, I'll try again. If I suceed, rock on! So in this trial and error method to life, I made a huge error last summer. Needless to say, 2nd degree burns later, things changed. I had realized what a bad decision string I was making. So I'm on the folks with the Old Man, and I start talkin about cruise. I begin to tell him about how I'm turnin' 21 before Korea and 4 or 5 people have already said that they're takin' me out. Well, this was an instant bomb shell which began to get dropped from 20000 feet. I should have seen it coming, but no, the bait was there, I stepped straight into the snare. So he begins to lecture me on how its "Not a good time to talk about being 21. Last summer you blah blah blah...You're life flashed before your eyes... blah blah blah..." No faith in me and my judgement. You make one mistake and it will haunt you for the rest of your life. I'm not saying that my mistake was minor or in any way proof of my total lack of judgement. As can clearly be illustrated by some of my photographic moments. Backflips off cliffs into remote lakes, backflips on snowboards, 360's on snowboards, attempted 180's wakeboarding.... So yeah, basically, it was like the instant downer. I was ultra stoked about cruise and being done with school, and here's my father being the eternal nay-sayer and lecturing me. ME! This is beyond frustrating. He needs to put it in nuetral and go with the flow for a bit. Fact of the matter is, I still don't think he likes me. Oh, sure, he loves me cuz he must, but c'mon people. All evidence indicates otherwise. We can go through case by case arguments, but I think you'll agree. I'm not what he wants me to be. But tonight...Ain't about that. Its about me havin' a good time. So . And you can take that to the bank. More to come...
- posted by @ Clark 21:31

 
WOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!!
I am DONE with school! That's right people! All that bitchin', moanin', grindin', and everything has finally paid off! I just got out of my last final and am currently dancing around my small little dorm-room in a good-bye dance. This is the last time I'll be spending the night on campus. For next fall I will be off campus in a house with a bunch o' friends. Which'll be more fun than anything so far... Except maybe Monday nights and some other random days/nights on which fun things occured. (Vague? No...Never...) I am so smart! I am so smart! SMRT! SMRT! D'oh! So I will continue to write as long as people continue to read. And how will I ever know if you continue to read? I won't. So I'll just keep writing. Until later tonight when I have something more meaningful to say (Unless I'm at a party)... Peace!
- posted by @ Clark 10:56

 
Lessons In The Swampland...
So not only is it ridiculously hot in my room right now, I have to sit being eaten alive by these little pesky sons-o-bitches they call mosquitoes. Those mothers have taken over my room. Its hard to just sit without a shirt on without gettin' a few bites all over. So tonight, we struck back. We being me and my trusty fly swatter. Thas right, me an my swatter went to town in an effort to minimize the numbers. Many casualties were taken on one side, although I think my fly swatter has seen better days. One would think that they'd make the handle material a weeeee bit stronger. Perhaps its the fact that I'm too damn strong for it, which I KNOW isn't the case, or the fact that they are chosing the thinnest, cheapest, left over coat-hanger wire ever seen. So today, I sent the mosquitoes to their maker and finally felt some of the heat I'll feel this summer. Well... I say some of the heat because thats the nature of the beast. If you haven't noticed I'm an outdoors guy. When I go home I'm never online... I ride my bike the 12 miles to town for work and sometimes I'll manage to actually ride it home too (Its wicked up-hill at the end on the way home...Which is way more pro than I can handle), but I go canoeing...And what the eff people, why didn't you stop me from gettin' side-tracked. I'm talkin about how hot it'll be when I get there. Some days are 113 F just down the hill where we spend a lot of time. Most of the time it'll hit 100 F at work. The real bummer is the fact that I work in a giant metal shed. Hey, that may be why I haven't gained a pound in college...I go home and sweat it off. The shed has no power, no vents, and I spend 8 hours a day out there. Roop roop! Gotta love work, I ain't complainin' though. Its what I enjoy or I wouldn't go back. I love that place... The city ain't nothin' like back home. The sayin' goes you can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy. S'true for some, not for others. I know some people who came from nowhere and are eatin' the city life up. Just ain't for me. So I'll stick to my grass-roots and I'm off to bed for the night. So if you didn't learn anything else, you learned that I'm going to be in good shape after the summer. And thats comin' from me...Which is sayin' a lot if you know me at all.
- posted by @ Clark 02:13

 
"We're Goin To Aspen"
"You take the high road
And I'll take the low road
Yes Sometimes I wish I didn't know now
The things I didn't know then
And give me something to believe in"
Today has been an all-around interesting day. After a random road-trip to Davis, to just turn around and come back to school, I basically did nothing until this morning when I got up and took a final. Perhaps I could have studied more for it, but its too little too late I guess. Then there was work. I love my job...Actually I don't, so when it takes me 2 hours to get there I'm a little upset. As was my boss, since I showed up late. So we clock in, I clock in a friend as he was going to be there in like 5 min. or so we thought. As we go about our tasks, the Floor Manager calls me over and is like, "So, how many people did you sign in tonight?" To this my response, with a huge grin..."Tonight... Just me...and Ben." The "and Ben" part was half said, half just breathed out. She laughed and said that it was completely against policy. And went off on me for a while. So I employed my SAN (Smile And Nod) and everything went well. Later that night it was break time...So I went on break. My Floor Manager was IRATE! She was like, "I didn't say you could go! We need to talk later after we get back..." So during this later talk, I proceeded to get blasted and then got off the hook. She was going to formally write us up with paper-work and what not, but had to give us a verbal warning since the ship was out of the forms for a write-up. So retarded...Whatever, I'm over it. For those of you who read my AIM away message... I did show off some wicked nice maneuvering skills to the people in my car and passers-by... You should all be so fortunate to be in an automobile that I'm in control of. I'm not trying to brag or anything, but I'm a pretty damn good wheel-man. I also sat in traffic for DAYS! Bleh. Damn Bay area... But on the way we saw Lloyd. It was some goofy lookin' guy ridin' a moped like they do in Dumb and Dumber. I turned to Filipe and said, "We're goin to Aspen." And we both let out a roaring laughter. It was pretty damn funny. He was thinking the same thing. Anyway...Nothing else new, so basically my current favorite cd is Poison's Best of Ballads and Blues. Wicked good album...Below are a few lyrics which are fitting to my mood.


"Lay Your Body Down" by Poison

I've spent my life waiting
For that famous final scene
I believe you know the one--
When she falls in love with me

As for you, you've been fakin' your smile
Fillin' your time
on small talk
And cheap wine
Knowing in your heart there was someplace
That you'd rather be

So right or wrong,
I wrote you this song
To tell you how I feel

Don't put up no fight
You just turn off the lights
Walk over here to me

And lay your body down on me
Down on me tonight, oh yeah
Oh, let your tears fall down on me
Down on me tonight, oh yeah

As for me I've lied to, denied to
fight with, and tried to
apologize for all my ways
To all the women
who were fool enough to fall
in love with me

You played your role
like a movie
Got your lines for who is,
who was, who would be
Somehow you lost track
While real love slipped away, yeah

So for tonight, just turn off the lights
And let those real feelings show
There's no wrong or right
but until you try
you're never gonna know

And lay your body down on me
Down on me tonight, oh yeah
Oh, let your tears fall down on me
Down on me tonight, oh yeah

Before you was mine
I was so lonely
Ain't it a shame
Your heart must feel pain
before you get back on your feet again

So let's draw the blinds
Forget wasted time
And let them old demons die
Take ahold of my hand
Then you'd understand
Why love's worth one more try

And lay your body down on me
Down on me tonight, oh yeah
Oh, let your tears fall down on me
Down on me tonight, oh yeah
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

- posted by @ Clark 02:45

 
Riddle Me This... Riddle Me That...
Since someone FINALLY decided they wanted to put down that they will black-mail me if I don't post a reply, I have put up the answers to the riddles from many moons ago. You can find them if you click the comments button.
- posted by @ Clark 14:10

 
Moby What?
Call me Matt. As I commence the story of my last few days, we must begin the adventure 3 years ago. It was a spring day such as this in a small town in the middle of no-where. Finals were coming up within a month or so and College applications were due. So in my small town, middle of no-where mind, I decided I wanted to go to a small school. Flash-forward... As I commence the last few days of my Junior year of further education, I cannot help but feel a mix of emotions. Not because of the shit going on in my personal life, but because...I've made it. That's right people, despite all the bitching, moaning, complaining, procrastination, late nights, lack of sleep, and many other things in the negative department, I have made it. Next semester will be a breeze and the semester after that even easier. 17 units... I'll be able to get a full time job to help afford some of my free time activities. Fahk...So I lied. My free time activities cost me $3/week to go line dancing. I just want the $$. Who couldn't use money? So yeah, I'm totally jazzed about the end of my semester. I konw that this will be the end the daily run-ins with people I'm friends with, but maybe they'll actually try to keep in touch with me. So with that... So yeah, it may not be suprising, but its 2200 (10pm) and I've been awake for 38 1/4 hours, and slept for 45min. HHAHAHAH...Ain't life grand. I bet I could set some sort of world record for most time spent awake. Meanwhile... I'll be adding more later. When I'm actually paying attention to what I'm typing.
- posted by @ Clark 22:08

 
So here's to my "new" life...
You ever done something you thought was right? Yeah, but afterwards it didn't seem so right? Yeah, its been one of them weeks. So... Bleh. Drop a line if you people actually read this thing? I don't think anyone does so I may just stop writing it. I don't think more'n one person actually cares anyway.
- posted by @ Clark 13:59

 
On How Much the Right Thing Feels Like the Wrong One...
Its been one of those weeks. I will spare you the recounts of failure that have spotted this week like the black stripes on white zebras. Yes, zebras are white with black stripes in case you didn't know. I have found comfort in oldies and Comedy Central. This weekend holds plans for watching a movie tonight, going for a run in the morning, followed by flight testing, followed by parties in Davis. Then... Who knows. And Sunday is work. So bleh... Drop a line people. My life went to shit, that doesn't mean you need to stop talking to me.
- posted by @ Clark 18:45

 
King Nothing
Wish I may
Wish I might
Have this I wish tonight
Are you satisfied?
Dig for gold
Dig for fame
You dig to make your name
Are you pacified?

All the wants you waste
All the things you’ve chased
Then it all crashes down
And you break your crown
And you point your finger, but there’s no one around
Just want one thing
Just to play the king
But the castle’s crumbled and you’re left with just a name
Where’s your crown, king nothing?
Where’s your crown?

Hot and cold
Bought and sold
A heart as hard as gold
Yeah! are you satisfied?
Wish I might, wish I may
You wish your life away
Are you pacified?

All the wants you waste
All the things you’ve chased
Then it all crashes down
And you break your crown
And you point your finger, but there’s no one around
Just want one thing
Just to play the king
But the castle’s crumbled and you’re left with just a name
Where’s your crown, king nothing?
Where’s your crown?

Huh!

(spoken)
Wish I may, wish I might
Have this wish, I wish tonight
I want that star, I want it now
I want it all and I don’t care how

Careful what you wish
Careful what you say
Careful what you wish you may regret it
Careful what you wish you just may get it

Then it all crashes down
And you break your crown
And you point your finger, but there’s no one around
Just want one thing
Just to play the king
But the castle’s crumbled and you’re left with just a name
Where’s your crown, king nothing?
Where’s your crown?

Oh, you’re just nothing
Where’s your crown king nothing?
Oh, you’re just nothing
Absolutely nothing
Off to never, never land
~Metallica

This is a summation of my present thoughts and feelings. Fahk it. I'm over it.

- posted by @ Clark 13:56

 
Start Over...
Have you ever wanted to just go back and start things over? Do things the right way the first time, "know then what you know now"? Today is one of those days. I don't want to go to Berkeley for my Navy deal today. I don't want to be a Mechanical Engineer today, hell, I don't even want to be in school right now. There are people graduating in three weeks. They have paid their dues to this place and then some. However, the bull-shit that occurs more and more often now wasn't as bad for them. Bleh, things were going my way for a while there, but the currents are changing and the tide is going back down. Damn the man. Hope it isn't a full moon to draw the waters even further back than normal.
- posted by @ Clark 12:10

 
HAHAHAH!!! I LOVE BEING POOR!
Well people, its official. My bank accounts are both cruising in the Blue. Its what happens when they hit the red and then hold your breath while hoping they both don't zero out. I have invested in a brand new laptop. No more will I be able to make useless entries about how I had to spend a week without being able to watch a single DVD. Or how I couldn't do a lot of work because the entire computer crashed and had to be re-loaded. Damn, what am I going to talk about now?

Anywhosers, due to the outstanding performance of my new machine, I was finally able to watch "The Untouchables" which I was unable to do for the last week and a half since I bought it. Amazing how that works. Such a great movie. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. And if you are looking for other recommendations, go through my DVD drawer. I don't own a single movie that I would suggest ya'll watch.

As for my Navy dance, that was a blast. Maybe I'll get crazy and post a picture up here. Who knows... Ahhh...The freedomes of technology. Gotta love it. Another freedom I'm about to excercise is the freedom to sleep. Catch you all later...
- posted by @ Clark 23:53

 
THE last straw...and the "Keep It" slice...
Well people, I have finally felt the straw that broke the camel's back. After attempting to download a program that would let me read Cd's written on my internal drive in my external drive. Long story short, it damn near crashed my system and I was reduced to nothing with merely a keystroke. I could do nothing on the computer without it completely crashing. It was like, e-mail.....loading loading...Fahk you! So after a restart it was, My Computer...fahk you! A few restarts later, you want to run Anti-virus? Fahk you! So after dealing a few blows to my positive outlook...I said Fahk you back to the computer. A few program removals and some start-up changes later... HAHA! This damnable beast is back on a leash. However, come tomorrow, I am hopefully going to remedy this situation like it's never been remedied before. Its that time... Oh yeah! So here's to draining my wallet.

On a lighter note...
Mitch Hedberg, a stand-up comedian, once commented on slices of pizza and their size.
I got a slice of pizza the other day. It was the smallest slice of pizza ever -- if the slice of pizza was a slice on a pie chart with the topic, "What would you do if you found a million dollars?" my slice of pizza would be "Donate it to charity." I want the "keep it" slice.
So Costco hooked it up with the largest piece of pizza on the rack. I say that it is the largest, but you all know the truth. Every slice of pizza at costco is the size of a compact car. Between Costco and Safeway, one could get a month's worth of food and iced tea for about $50. And that's eating really well.

So this one goes out to big slices of pizza and huge piles of money.

- posted by @ Clark 01:05

 
THIS is what happens...
Do you see what happens when you put me in front of a computer with no DVD player, no CD's, no TV, no homework, nobody around, nowhere to go, and nothing better to do? Do you see that? This is more proof of how bored I really am. Bleh. Double bleh really.
- posted by @ Clark 01:33

 
See if YOU can figure this out...
We'll start you easy (a.k.a. Even I got this one...):
Given: A man was building a house when it collapsed all around him. He wasn't injured or upset, and he calmly started to rebuild it. What was going on?
Hints: Although he constructed it with great care, the man thought that the house might fall down. He didn't intend that he or anyone else live in the house.
Answer: Are you kidding me? Post what you think it is in the comments. I'll get back to you after someone gives it a whirl at least.

Now, step it up a notch, burn some more brain cells off when beating your head against the wall with this one (a.k.a. Why didn't I get this one again?)
Given: A young woman applied for a job as a secretary and typist. There were dozens of applicants. The woman could type only eleven words per minute, yet she got the job. Why?
Hints: She was chosen on merit. She was a good typist.
Answer: You don't need no stinking answer. Make a guess. I'll let you know.

Since we're already baking, lets crank up the heat a bit more (a.k.a. What in the Hell? People can actually answer this???)
Given: Because it was raining, the firemen hosed down the road. Why?
Hints: They used regular water. The road was not contaminated in any way. It was for a special event. They did not hose the entire road.
Answer: You bet your ass I ain't tellin...

An extra one for good measure...
Given: A pennilss sculptor made a beautiful metal statue, which he sold. Because of this he died soon afterward. Why?
Hints: He lived a lonely life in a remote building. He made the statue out of copper. It was taken far away and he never saw it again. He died as a result of an accident. No other person or animal or sculpture was involved.
Answer: This was a good one to kick it all off don't you think? Make a guess. I'll bet you're wrong...

All the Questions and Hints were given in one part of the book and the answers another. You have all been given just as equal an opportunity as I had when going through these questions. No information was with-held (although, in my opinion, it appears that is severely true in some cases). Drop a little answer in the "Comments" and I'll let you know how you did. Runnin' into the intellectual wall is fun... Won't you join me?


HAHAAHAHAH...Who woulda known that celebrating my own stupidity would be so much fun? Hope you all have fun squirming in your pants!
- posted by @ Clark 01:29

 
That's a Good One!
So here's a story, and a damn funny one at that!
So my room-mate (who is hardly ever here) was not here again. Anthony came over to meet up so we could go down and wrestle and brought a little friend along too. She had to be the most perfect woman I've ever seen. Nice perky round... eyes. She was also inflated to 25 psi. HAHAHA That's right people! She's inflatable! So we stick this wonderful individual into my roommates bed and make it look like a sleeping person has invaded C132. So after the bait was planted, Anthony and I went down and wrestled. During this time I had a few people swing by to visit. Person 1 was Andy. He knocked on the door, noted nobody answered and opened the door. He thought it was unusual to be unlocked with nobody around and thus opened it slowly. He noted the lump in the sheets and walked over to see why Rick (my roommate) was sleeping. To his suprise he found the doll and had a good laugh about it. Person #2 was Eric, another friend of mine who was stopping by for some help. He came in, saw the body, and then went to Andy's room to inquire about it. They both had a good laugh about it. So person #3 was my actual room-mate Rick. So in walks Rick and he's like "Who the Hell is sleeping in my bed?!?!?" So then he came in making all sorts of racket and there was no motion from his sheets. He leaned close to the head which was burried beneath the sheets and heard no breathing. So he began to poke it and realized that it was a doll! HAHAHA!!! He was like, "What the Hell?!?!?!" At this point as he tells me what he did, I was rolling on my bed in laughter. IF for some strange reason you don't find this funny, that's OK. I however laugh hard just thinking about it. Hope you find humor in this little prank which holds much comedy behind it.

Current Mood: Mixed Between the Highs and the Lows

- posted by @ Clark 00:44

 
HAHAHAH....Ain't Life Grand?
Oh yes! I love this crap! HAHAHAH!!! LOVE IT! No, actually I don't. Not at all. If anyone would like to see the worlds first flying computer, stop by my room RIGHT NOW! It may not fly, but it sure as Hell will be falling with style. So I go to watch the movie and it starts to play. So I step out for just a second and come back in and the infernal machine has stopped. This is me frustrated. This is me not frustrated. This is me frustrated. This is me not frustrated. Frankly, my computer isn't going to win this war. It has won the battle of boredom for I must now sucker down and do some homework to entertain my brain, but I WILL CONQUER this beast! I WILL!
- posted by @ Clark 10:20

 
Don't Mess with The S!
In this case, the "S" is for Stupid. Which is exactly what this damnable machine I call my computer is. Again the CD problem has reared its ugly head, and this time, I weilded the sword of repair in its face. Before I could strike the problem down with a glancing blow, it jumped back into whatever hole it had sprung forth from the bowels of the earth. Okay people, now that the problem's been put into the writing that would keep me interested, I will put it into normal-speak. CD drive stopped working, I decided to repair it so I'm going to send it in. CD drive started working again. See...Isn't that so much more boring? Honestly now. Damn I love line dancing! Eh...Someday soon enough, people will see what I'm talking about and will have experienced the line dancing experience. Ummmm yeah.... So I'm out of ideas and don't know which movie to pop in while I sit here doing my homework. Its Tuesday again... ;) That means its a good day in the week of Clark! Not only was my morning class cancelled for the past two weeks, I have nothing till this afternoon. Anywhosers, I think its time for a little Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Its been a long while since I've seen that movie. Its got one of my favorite characters in it. The wolf guy in the pin-striped 30's suit. Oh yeah! Its my fave character. If you don't know what I'm talking about, watch "The Mask". In one scene Jim Carey is walking in and the wolf-guy is a lamp in the foreground. He also turns into the wolf guy while howling at Cameron Diaz on stage. Outside of that guy, the Weasels from Who Framed Roger Rabbit are way up there. That 30's style of dress is fahkin awesome! Yeah buddy! Anywhosers...Popcorn's popped and movies rolling... fight the good fight...
- posted by @ Clark 09:58

 
Soothing Tides and Superb Sunsets...
As the gentle hand of nature rocked me to sleep Friday night, I couldn't help but feel completely myself again. The ship had been out all day, as we were brought out to meet her I was ecstatic to be there. Many people complained that this was a waste of time, which it was most definitely being as I learned nothing new, but that feel of being out to sea again. Several had a hard time finding their sea legs and slept for most of the trip, I however, had no trouble and was excited and enthusiastic the whole time. It took a full hour and a half for us to tie up which was a little frustrating, and the deck-side even ran the ship into the pier. This may not have been an inexpensive incident, but everyone is learning. "Boys will be boys" I guess. Eh, we had some problems go down in the Engine Room as well. To make the long story short, we now have 6 weeks to fix the problems developed. The list is long and undistinguished, but all needs to be fixed before we take off for the next 4 months.

As the cruise went on, I realized I'm probably going to have a very lonely future in store. The Navy will have me out to sea for a lot of time and I'm not sure how many people will be able to put up with my shenanagans AND the fact that I'm not around. I want to go back to when life was simple and I didn't have to face the reality that I don't know who I am or what I want out of this life. Have you ever been asked what makes you happy? I tend to ask myself this a lot and come up drawing a blank. Yes, there are people in my life that make me extremely happy, and some of the things I do make me happy too...

Yes, I had an idea going before, but now...Not so much. I'm not sure what I'm getting to or why...So I leave you with this thought...

I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life's realities.
~Dr. Seuss
- posted by @ Clark 20:59

 
Gonna Be One Of Those Days...
This morning started at 5 for me and everyone else here at school. I'm not sure how many of you have heard the infamy of our school to have the fire-alarms pulled. This morning, we awoke to people talking and yelling, the fire-alarms going off, and it being the ass-crack of dawn. So my room-mate and I jumped out of bed as people began shouting "Fire!" The dorms were on fire down the way. It was insane. As I went down the stairs next to my room, I could see the smoke pouring and the orange glow emitting forth into the morning's bare light. So after going down the stairs, we see the people who are climbing down from balcony to balcony in an attempt to get out of the dorms. Due to the great design of our campus, there is really only one exit from the dorms I live in. Its a stairwell that connects all three levels. In the building that went up, this stairwell is what was a raging inferno. People were stuck without exit and stuff. After about an hour and a half, we were allowed to go back to our dorm rooms. My room-mate and I sat and watched the morning news and then went to breakfast. Here I sit, studying it up for the midterm I have today. I'm pretty stoked about the afternoon activities. We get to take the Training Ship Golden Bear and go for an over-night adventure in the San Francisco bay. I shall return at 1600 tomorrow with stories, pictures, and adventures. Until next time... I hope to drop a line that is of humorous nature for my next entry. Perhaps I have been getting a bit too serious of late. Neglecting my duties of making people laugh. Ahh... The tangled web we weave...
- posted by @ Clark 09:49

 
Drink up me heartys, Yo Ho!
Yo ho, yo ho a pirate's life for me.
We pillage, we plunder, we rifle, and loot,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.
We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot,
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.
We extort, we pilfer, we filch, and sack,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.
Maraud and embezzle, and even highjack,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.
We kindle and char, inflame and ignite,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.
We burn up the city, we're really a fright,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.
We're rascals, scoundrels, villains, and knaves,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.
We're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.
We're beggars and blighters, never-do-well cads,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.
Aye, but we're loved by our mommies and dads,
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho.

This is the song pouring through the empty cavern of my skull at present. There is no real reason for this. Perhaps it is that inner yearning for that feeling of freedom. If you have never sailed the high seas, you are missing out. I highly advise anyone who needs to. All in due time, everything happens for a reason. Fate and free-will will continue to do battle as they have for many years past and will for many years to come. It is almost fate how some people meet. However, it is the free-will to go/do whatever you were doing when you first met. It's quite a perplexing paradigm really. Its the whole chicken/egg scenario played out into every-day human life. That ends my intellectual thought for the week. Its almost scary how smart I can make myself sound. One of these days it's going to bite me in the ass when someone actually thinks I have a shred of intelligence...Then I'll be screwed. Perhaps that day I will have the Duster which has eluded my grasps for so long. In that event, we'll go for a ride and they'll forget about the fact that I'm not all that some people think I am. A few trips down memory lane lends to caress my soul which was disquieted with the recent bout of dream-smashing. I hope that the guy who sold the car is happy with the money. Because I know I'm not happy with his choice at all. Its not just any car mind you people... That was THE car. Needless to say, I am in constant pursuit. At first I pondered what I would do if I reached this dream while young. It doesn't matter when I reach it, but only that I do. I over-heard an elderly gentleman commenting on muscle cars and how he was too old for them. I had to interject that you are never to old for it. If you've never ridden in one, there is something to be said for the bone-rattling, ear-splitting, pulse-stopping raw power that is derived from 8 cylinders forcing the back tires to spin in an endless cycle of perfection. Ahh...The good 'ol days...
- posted by @ Clark 13:15

 
"If you don't get in the water, you're never gonna learn to swim...
Life is made for you to live
The best love is the love that you give..."
~"Grandpa Told Me So" by Kenny Chesney

Not sure why I'm typing that, but its whats blasting out the computer speakers at present. It seems that my computer is working fine these last few days. Guess it doesn't hate me as much as it used to. Perhaps it realized just how close to death it was...Hmm...

'Tis St. Patrick's day, a day for people who aren't Irish to pretend and drink 'till their liver is standing on a bar-stool beside 'em pounding a pint. Lucky for me, I am not quite 21 and am not going to get suckered into going to the bars with friends. As much fun as it would be to sit around a pitcher of ale and sip, I would much rather not. It'd be funny though, and I wouldn't even have to pretend I'm Irish, beings as I am about half Irish as it is. Muahhahhahahah.... Anywhosers, I will still raise my glass (although filled with water... Yes, I am out of Iced Tea) to all those who're out for a good time tonight.



Current Mood: Not sure. I'm hot, tired, want to be outside, done with school, and in my car cruisin' around...
Current Song: "Country Boy's Tool Box" ~Aaron Tippin
- posted by @ Clark 14:15

 
Alas!
HAHAHAHA!!! The day is mine! Despite my complete lack of working out, 150% unhealthy diet, and without trying, I have managed to lose 6 pounds. I now weigh in at a startling 150 lbs. Yes! Well, I could lose a little more...So I'm going to. So in an attempt to get back in shape (feeble but an attempt no-the-less) I went swimming tonight. Bleh. I cannot beleive how hard swimming is. Don't laugh! I hear you! Yes you! You in the back row! Don't try to hide! I hear you laughing. Swimming is a work-out and a half if you ask me. For those of you, like myself, who don't float, swimming is an adventure just to stay on top of the water. Needless to say, after jumping off the platform a couple times doing flips and what-not, and swimming about 12 lengths of the pool, I was done for. 3 of those were in one breath mind you. It was pretty savage. To swim from one side of the pool to the other is crazy. The feeling of trying to get to the other side is kind-of wierd too. Its like your body realizes that it doesn't have enough oxygen so it starts to shut things down. By the time I'm almost to the other side, I don't hear a damn thing. Maybe I'm concentrating on making it to the wall so hard, or the fact that my brain said, "Non-Vital" and shut it off. Who knows...But I do know this...I'll probably be sore in the morning. Bleh.
- posted by @ Clark 22:58

 
Eleanor eludes my clutches...Yet again.
Well people, for those of you who put up with my crazed car-madness, which was rightfully acceptable mind you given that it was a dream car, you have reached the end of it. The car has eluded my grasps despite my best efforts. Yes, I am definitely in a state of shocked depression. However, the cool iced tea and support of a couple people will probably get me through it. Yeah, thats right, he sold the car on me. I guess it just wasn't meant to be just yet. However, now all the homework is done. Next time I find one, I know exactly what I need to do, where I need to call, and what needs to happen to make things come through. Damn. I'm def. not happy with this outcome. In fact, I'm not happy about it at all, but I'm going to put the smile on my face and pretend I'm happy. Which, in one sense, I am happy. For it leaves me with that elusive pursuit of my "Eleanor". If I had gotten the car I've always wanted now, despite being extremely happy, I would have had nothing to strive for, to work towards in the means of an automobile. Now, now I'm on a mission. Hell bent and determined to make this happen. The first time I departed a car of this sort, my old man sold it to a lawnmower mechanic for some maintenance costs on his lawnmower and a little pocket change. He told me that it would have been a project and "was too much power". This time, the guy just plum sold it. A fool will tell ya the third times a charm. Well...I raise my iced tea to that one. Here's to dreams...And hoping that they come true. And Eleanor, I'm going to get you, so rest up, for the chase is on...
- posted by @ Clark 00:51

 
We Have Finally Come To An Agreement...
Technology and I, we have it all worked out. I hate it, it hates me more. That's all there is to it. So now that my digital camera is on its way back again (they sent one that was either broken, or it decided to break before I took it out of the box), I'm quite frustrated. We have the formal tomorrow and I was hoping to be able to take some pictures. I guess nobody but people there will see me in my whites. I'm going to have to unlease my new look... Blue Steel... HAHAHAHA...Sorry, just couldn't help myself. I'm in quite the good mood the last few days. Still hoping and dreaming, but regretfully, I am having moments of doubt. But I will stand strong. I think that there are two people who actually want me to get the car. Me and a friend. I know most of my friends on campus are like, "you're nuts...Keep the Civic..." and my folks are like, "we have to talk about it" and other people are like, "Do what you want, but you'll be getting worse gas mileage...and blah blah" in an attempt to put all the negatives out there. I've weighed the positives and negatives out. And when you get a chance, you just have to take it sometimes. It may be for the better, it may be for the worse, but at least you'd know. I think that its better to have tried and failed than to have failed to try. And that my friends, is motivating!!! Old man wanted to know if it was a once in a life-time deal. I wonder if he may be right. I wonder if something better may come along, but then there is the flip side to every coin. What if it IS the best deal I'll ever find? There's only one way to find out... I must find a way to finance this expedition. I must. There is no way around it. Does anyone out in the not-too distant future have any ideas? I am at a loss here. Bleh.

...Maybe one of them souped up muscle cars,
The kind that makes you think you're stronger than you are.
Color don't matter, no I don't need leather seats...
"Speed" by Montgomery Gentry

- posted by @ Clark 14:10

 
Too much to handle...
Somtimes a dream grabs a-hold of you and won't let you go. This is what has happened to me. I want this Duster so bad I can almost feel it in my everyday life. As I climb behind the wheel of the 'ol Civic this afternoon, I cannot help but feel the flood of memories pour over me. The feel of the seats, the sound the motor made. As I wheeled my car around the first of many corners, I drop it down into second and imagine myself sinking down into the seats...Yes people, this is what my life has become. My only hope is that I am sucessful in my quest. I fear the depression that will settle in if this falls through will be monstronious. Yes, some may think I'm materialistic, but it's not really about the car itself. Its more the memories associated with the car. Grr... Here's to hoping...


- posted by @ Clark 21:05

 
Dreams Come True...
So since it is said that good things happen to good people, I can only hope that I may be considered a good person and my turn for a good thing is up. I have found my dream car. That's right people, I have located the 1973 Plymouth Duster to right down the road. To say I have my hopes up is an understatement. It has consumed almost every thought throughout class all day long. I yearn to feel the steering wheel on my fingers and the powerful 360 V-8 motor blasting me down the road. I cannot afford this dream right now, yet, I am going to do my damndest to make this work. Soon enough I shall know what's going to happen. I know I don't NEED this right now, but I want it now and in the future. People may not be supportive of my crazy idea, but I figure that if I get the car now, I won't be buying a car again for quite some time. Ahh... I only hope this works out. I refuse to think of the worse case scenario, and the best case scenario keeps playing out in my mind over and over and over...

Mood of the Moment: Yearning, hopeful, and dreaming...
Song of the Second: Aaron Tippin ~ "Ain't Nothin' Wrong With The Radio"

Sometimes she runs, sometimes she don't
More than once she's left me on the side of the road
The older she gets the slower we go
But there ain't nothin' wrong with the radio
She needs a carburetor, a set of plug wires
She's ridin' me around on four bald tires
The wipers don't work and the horn don't blow
But there ain't nothin' wrong with the radio
I've got sixteen speakers crossin' my back dash
A little bobbin' dog watchin' everybody pass
Dual antennas whippin' in the wind
Lord, there ain't a country station that I can't tune in
She ain't a Cadillac and she ain't a Rolls
But there ain't nothin' wrong with the radio

- posted by @ Clark 20:34

 
Eff'in Computer!!!
So after reloading my computer yesterday, I am going through the same process again today. It appears that I am an utter failure when it comes to technology. Yes, it seems as though my computer has feelings too... It abhors me as much as I hate it. Bleh. However, nothing could really douse the high-spirits and high hopes that inherently come with being close to a dream.

Current Mood: I hate you computer!!!
Current Song:"No-Leaf Clover" ~Metallica
- posted by @ Clark 19:27

 
On Troubles and Un-cultured Swine...
Have you ever had that feeling of trouble looming somewhere in the distance? This feeling has been with me the last few days and the storm clouds appear to be moving in. There's no real explanation, and I'm not sure what to say about it. Everyone around me seems to be getting depressed. Its almost as though I hit a low and everyone else did the same. So, in true Matt-fashion, I am deciding to be happy. It worked for the most part today. I had a rather disturbing phone call with the parentals today. My old man called with regards to taxes. After dealing with that and a few minutes of chit-chat, I informed him that I was getting ready for work so that I could make some money. He was shocked that I took work over Monday nights and so on and so forth. I also made mention of the Duster I found nearby. I think he was ready to reach through the phone and beat me senseless at this point. Andy, my neighbor, then proceeds to knock on my door and ask if I'm ready to go yet, to which I told him we could leave in a minute or two. I get back on with my Pops and was like, "Hey, I gotta jet but..." And before I was even halfway through with the thought, his rage burst forth and I was met with "fine. bye. click..." If anything, this only re-affirms the fact that I think my father hates me. I think he only loves me because he must as a father, but as a person he hates who I am and everything I do. So we left for work. As I sat on my deck with friends talkin' it up as people from a local online-business had their party, I couldn't help but wonder how different life would be if certain things didn't happen. For example, if my bro hadn't died, I don't konw if I'd even be remotely close to where I'm at today. I don't know if I'd have had two little brothers, or even a variety of things. Life is like a choose-your-own-adventure book that you may only read once. If you get a bad ending, you can't go back and try and do things again. So zoning back to reality, I stand clearing plates from hundreds of people as some cheesy elevator music blares in the back-ground. Why in the Hell do I go to work again? After about an hour of the music and wierd people, I went up to the party deck. Up there the music was jumping and people were dancing away. "From the windooooooooows to the wall..." and people were gambling their heads off at 21, craps, and roullette. Amidst all this good time, I couldn't help but have a few more life's "what-if" questions. I know it may come as a shock to some that I am capable of semi-rational thought every once in a while, but its true. Just don't say anything. I have a reputation to uphold here. (Not really though...) I often wonder what people see when they look at me. Like from a 3rd person point of view. Kinda like driving down the freeway, I wonder what me and my car look like to other people. I can see the black Dogde Ram pickup behind me, but I wonder what the driver sees when he looks at the rear-end of my car. The same in life. I can see what I see in other people, and know exactly how I feel about them, but I don't know exactly what other people see and feel about me. If that makes any sense. It'd be awesome to have a 1 day out-of-body experience so that I could see just how I really am. So basically, in all this mind-less meanderings through several thought processes, I have concluded that there are several troubling clouds looming on the horizon. I hope that my ship is strong enough to weather this storm. Who knows... at any rate, you don't see a hearse with a luggage rack, so what the Hell you know? All or nothing. So here goes my all...

Song of the hour: "Turn the Page" by Bob Sieger and the Silver Bullet Band.
Current Mood: Ready to take on the real-world... For now.
- posted by @ Clark 00:49

 
Coincidence? I think not...

What Finding Nemo Character are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

- posted by @ Clark 03:13

 
Life in Bliss...Reason #38.6 to not take more than 20 units...
If people only knew the Hell that others go through on a daily basis. The comment I recieved this evening merely reflected that feeling. "Wow, you look better than you did last semester." Yes! I'm glad I don't look like ass 24-7! Just 23.999 - 7. Granted, last semester I would get minimal amounts of sleep and still manage to survive. I am again torturing my body and mind much past the point of breaking on a daily basis now. I guess I'm just getting used to it. In the last 4 whole days (~96 hours) I have received 14 hours of sleep total. I should have gotten about 32 hours (~8 hours/night). I'm not complaining mind you, because each night of tiny bits of sleep is my fault. My only fear is that this lack of sleep is what is fueling my depression. Which has settled in pretty heavy this evening. I long for the freedom of the ocean and it calls me with each whispering wave crashing against the hull of the ships that pass by. That is all for now. My mood is improving with each passing minute and the help of some distractions.
- posted by @ Clark 20:23

 
Random Ramblings... Take 2...
So in my last random ramblings entry, I told you one of the 2 motivating poems. This time, I shall include the other two, yes, 1 +2 does equal the 2 motivating poems. Here goes...

The Charge of the Light Brigade
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
"Forward, the Light Brigade!"
"Charge for the guns!" he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

"Forward, the Light Brigade!"
Was there a man dismay'd?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Someone had blunder'd:
Their's not to make reply,
Their's not to reason why,
Their's but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to the right of them,
Cannon to the left of them,
Cannon in front of them,
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.

Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air,
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel'd from the sabre stroke
Shatter'd and sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.

Cannon to the right of them,
Cannon to the left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honor the charge they made,
Honor the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred.

Yet another piece of my motivation that proudly hangs under my flags on the wall. Next to "The Charge of the Light Brigade" hangs the lyrics to Lynyrd Skynyrd's "The Last Rebel". Just another little piece of motivation that is read on a daily (if not more) basis. Anywhoser, now that I am sufficiently motivated to continue my homework for the evening and severely depressed because I didn't get to go line dancing tonight... Bleh.
- posted by @ Clark 21:05

 
Of Drinking and Responsibility...
So it's Saturday afternoon, I'm watching girls line dance on top of a bar. If you've seen Coyote Ugly, you know what I'm talkin' about. If not, watch it, good flick, someday I may even have my own Irish pub with country night. So its time to leave, we're heading out to San Jose for a little party. So Kelly is driving me and some buddies down so we can have a good time, this is a rare occasion for me. I am typically ALWAYS the DD, which is cool and all, but not really. Sometimes its nice to be able to cut loose a bit too. Unlike some DD's, I don't drink at all in the night. So, we're at this party and everyone's gettin toasted, I'm doin a little of everything. Downing shots of Capt. Mo in between the beer in my right hand and the So Co and coke in my left. It was quite an interesting night really, had one friend get really drunk and pissed off. I think he completely lost his noggin. The rest of us however, had a great time. I was glad to just be me for the evening and not have to worry about anything. It was a nice change of pace. So at 5 am when we are driving home, I realize that I had a great time, wasn't drunk at all, and it was going to be a long weekend. At 10am when I got up the next day, I attempted to do some homework but to no avail. Not because of the hangover, which I never got, but because I really didn't feel like it. So my folks were visiting the City and came by to see the school for the first time since Freshman year. I think I can say without any apprehension, that I am the apple that didn't fall far from the tree...Riiiiiiiiight. If you ever meet my folks, my ma and I are very similar, but well...I'm not sure if I have a single trait like my old man. Eh, anywhoser, so yeah, I had to stand watch on the ship last night too. From 0000 to 0400 this morning. Am I tired? No. Would you be tired after 8 hours of sleep total in the last 3 days? I didn't think so either. So here I sit, doing the worlds largest homework assignment, wishin I was elsewhere, dreamin of line dancing that I can't go to tonight, and wondering why I decided to help the guy out by taking his ship-watch for him. Okay, so I'm sure there's a point here. I don't know where it may be hidden, but lurking deep beneath the drama and B.S. I call my life, there was a point to this entry. I'm sure someone somewhere will figure it out...and maybe use the comments section and tell me...
- posted by @ Clark 19:22

 
Random Ramblings...
As a few of you know, I now have a new edition to my arsenal of alter-egos. His name is "Matt". Some have heard the story of a friend of mine who called me Matt for two years without me even noticing. There may be a reason behind it, but who knows. Needless to say, he realized my name wasn't Matt, but now continues to call me that for fun. So "Matt" has taken on a very positive upbeat version of me. The last few days I have been quite depressed and didn't know the source. So as I went to bed last night, I told myself that I wouldn't be depressed today. I awoke refreshed, renewed, and happy this morning. Sometimes its better if I just don't ask...

In response to my own entry from yesterday, what makes me tick? Persistance. Thats the only answer that I can think of. When I fail, which is often, I have a tendency to just keep trying until I get it right. I am not typically a person who will think about the results of my failure, or what may have caused the failure. I use "trial-and-error". Some people may view this as a bad thing, but its what I know how to do. I did gymnastics for 13 years, I was okay at it, but persistance is the only way to learn in that sport. Attempting a double back-flip requires that you just keep practice it until you feel confident to do it for real. I guess I just applied this theory to the rest of my life. I know, "Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it." The trial-and-error method is a drawn out history lesson over a long period of time. When you fall off a bike, you just get back on and try again. You don't sit and figure out what you did wrong.

In other thoughts, isn't it amazing how we see ourselves? No matter how another person may view us, we can only see us from our own point of view. At least this is true in my stead. I have stubbornly argued many a debate on how people view me vs. how I view myself. Isn't it just crazy how so many people do it though. Its not like just one or two people view themselves differently, but most people I know see themselves much differently than I see them. Have you ever wondered what someone else really thought about you? If you were to get into their head and see through their eyes, what would they truely feel inside? What would they see from their eyes? I often wonder this and fear that they will see what I see (or don't see) in myself.

Ramblings complete I leave you with one of the two poems that often motivates me through what I do...

The Road Less Travelled
~ Robert Frost


"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth

Then took the other as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet, knowing how way leads onto way
I doubted if I should ever come back

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence
Two roads diverged in a wood
And I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference"

- posted by @ Clark 01:03