More Ramblings!

So I'm a contributor to a cool new blog called Infinite Monkeys. We're calling it a "multiplayer notepad". There are several other bloggers, and I'll link them eventually, but you should definitely check out the site here. I'll try to post something there a couple of times a week, but my trials and tribulations will still be posted here on a semi-regular basis. Look for an extremely corny joke I contributed.

I've added a few new links in my "blog" section - if you've got some time to burn, you might consider checking them out. Good people, and all very entertaining...

Got a job for November/December. I was expecting to get it, but it's always nice to get the official word. More details on that in the next few days.

Listening to the new Kanye West CD...so far, so good. It's very different than the first one, but I think that's a good thing. There's a huge article on him in last week's TIME, as well as a huge flow chart on hip-hop. I'm making my students read it.

And speaking of hip-hop, my hip-hop school will resume next week. The guys are excited. I think we're up to part II of the late '90s. I'll post it soon...

the verdict is in...

The 40 Year Old Virgin is fan-frickin'-tastic. I laughed, I cried, I ate copious amounts of popcorn. It's really funny. One of my friends said it's a "sophisticated stupid movie", and I might agree with that statement. Anyway, go see it and let me know what you think.

I have now gotten drunk four nights in a row. It always starts innocently enough: "Let's just get a quick drink." "Wow, that was a tough rehearsal - I need to have a beer and unwind before going to bed." "Left my card at the bar last night - I should really go get it." "Hey, it's Sunday night. We always go out on Sunday night."

Did meet a dance troupe last night from upstate New York - I believe they do Afro-Carribean dance. It's so nice to see people of color out here. We partied until the wee hours of the morning, and I tried to convince them that they should stay here with me instead of flying back east, but apparently I wasn't persuasive enough.

It's time to make my triumphant return to the gym...

i love that new car smell

Went car shopping with my friend Sarah today - we posed as boyfriend and girlfriend so that the pushy used car salesmen wouldn't push her around. And it was pretty successful - only one really tried to put on the full court press. We're gonna whup his ass on Saturday when we go get that car.

Off to see The 40 Year Old Virgin. I'll let you know what I think.

traveling & posing

I got a job. Exciting, no? One of my friends is doing the coolest thing. She got a job for six or eight months, and she's posting her experience here. Maybe I'll do that.

So anyway, now I go from Sleepy Hamlet to New York City in December to Cowtown in March. (I don't like posting where I actually am because the hamlet is WAY too small...that's also, by the way, why you're not getting any salacious details about my dating life, either.)

I'm exhausted - I spent my weekend doing a big AIDS benefit. One of the things I did to raise money was...and, even as I type this, I still can't believe I did this...pose for a calendar. Except that the calendar never got off the ground, so we ended up just selling the pictures. The group shots are pretty cool, and I actually kind of like the way I look in my individual one. I'm not naked or anything, but I'm not sure if I want to show the pictures to my mother. So I was kind of embarassed showing off that much flesh, but I believe that I need to do whatever I can to stop the spread of this disease. It's killed too many people and ruined too many lives for me to be worried about modesty.

Off to forage for food in the wilds of my refridgerator...

Empty nest syndrome

My houseguests left today. I had a dear dear friend visiting me for 2 1/2 weeks (hence why I haven't been posting all that much), and it was great. Usually I'm ready for people to leave, but part of me wishes she had stayed longer. Maybe I'm mellowing in my old age.

Anyway, it's simultaneously lonely and nice to have the apartment to myself. I can watch football or eat anything I want and I don't have to worry about what anyone else thinks. But it was nice having someone to talk to, and it was really nice having someone to come home to.

Have I mentioned how much I love my iPod? Added a bunch of new songs yesterday. It makes the walk to work like Christmas.

random post

Kind of watching "The Life Aquatic..." right now...it seems like a weird movie. Think I'm going to need a really good reason to watch it all the way through from the beginning. And I normally like Wes Anderson's stuff.

It's starting to feel like late summer out here...remember those last days of vacation, trying to squeeze in as much playtime as you could before you had to go back to school? I'm actually working on a play right now that takes place on the last day of summer vacation. Maybe that's why I'm super sensitive to the time of year.

Not much else to report. More on Monday...

Hustle & Flow

See this now. Saw this movie on Monday while I was in The Big City - excellent. My friend and I ran out and bought the soundtrack immediately. Terrance Howard has been around for a long time, and it's nice to see him get a role that he can knock out of the park.

I must admit, however, that it may not be a movie for everyone. It's really hard to explain this movie if you haven't seen it, but you are basically watching a pimp at work. And when he raps, he raps about his life - two of his songs are called "Whoop That Trick" and "It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp". Yes, they are a bit degrading, but, if you see the movie, you'll understand why they're the new hotness.