JONIZZLE

Yes yes, an update, with lots of pictures.

Been meaning to post this for awhile, but this is what my desktop looks like. Yes, it is as amazing at it looks.


Dual monitors are amazing.


We got a new family cat. My mom calls him Caramel, I call him Carmelo. He looks like Puss 'n Boots, yes? A cool cat, but his cute tendencies are starting to get annoying. Like when he walks on my face when I'm sleeping. And I'm allergic to cats. Jake is now working at Abercrombie & Fitch. How to put this into perspective...Jake working at Abercrombie, or even wearing Abercrombie, is like Ajit eating meat. It just isn't normal.


Get well Wayne. TASCluv.


Off to ITASA this past weekend. Jon Lee is baller.


I got to visit JW at Princeton. We also went to the famed Rutgers grease trucks. Chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, french fries, and marinara sauce all in one hoagie bun. Amazing.


I was tired, so I went to take a nap. But then I saw Seth and Evains, Tim Chng and Rola Chng's (brother and sister founders of ITASA and TAFers) kids. And they're freaking awesome kids.


ITASA Banquet. They had fish in the centerpieces. And Theresa.


The obligatory TAF picture. Missing one or two, but a lot of old faces.


Pseudo-stalker photo of "The girl who looks like Alice." I kept seeing her, and I kept wanting to walk up to her and give her a big hug because I thought she was Alice everytime. And yes, that is Hochie breaking it down on the left.


The sunrising over NYC from the air. That little island on the right side is the Statue of Liberty.


Jessica, sleepy in the Detroit airport.


I. Am. Tired.

when did I get so busy?

Hrumph.

New Jersey tomorrow. Well. Later today.

- I got health insurance back! Whee, after nearly 4 months, I can get sick or injured and not have to financially worry. WHEW!
- Don't forget to mark your calendars, TAF is from July 31 - August 7 this year
- I've come to know many a friend in bands this year. Here is a list:
+ Alanna and Alice - Fascinoma
+ Young - Solari (formerly known as My Two Friends)
+ Jared - Augustana
+ And now, Steve Lin - Freefall
- The OC for spring break maybe.
- Added Erin and Michelle with the long last name. Me thinks I should invest in subscribing to people on xanga soon.

Here is a poker story from last week:


Brian's hand is on the left, 8diamonds and 10diamonds. Mine is on the right, pocket 7's. Like any good player, I raise a pretty good amount preflop and make everyone else fold. Here comes the flop:


It is the 6diamonds, 7hearts, and 10diamonds. To my joy, I hit my set and trip up on the 7s. Brian hits a straight though, but he doesnt realize it at the time. He does realize he is on a straight flush draw though, so reraises my hefty raise. I reraise all-in, he calls. So we flip and show. I, thinking I have the best hand, am sad to see that I am actually losing to a straight right now. Brian now realizes he has a straight. I need a full house. Next card:

I hit the full house with a 6hearts! So now I am Sevens full of Sixes. Brian's straight is now worthless, and even a flush wont save him. There is only one card that he can still win with. Next card:


Another 7!!! I hit four 7s! Yes! Yes YES YES! I haven't gotten four of a kind in a long time. To go from a full house to quads is awesome! We all scream, but then I realize, it is short-lived. And my joy turns to disbelief in mid-scream. It was the 7diamonds.

I look at the board. 6D, 7H, 9D, 6H, 7D. 6, 7, and 9 of diamonds. Brian had 8, 10 of diamonds. Dear God. I just lost my FOUR OF A KIND SEVENS. TO A STRAIGHT FLUSH. On the river no less.


Unbelievable the swings in that hand. Brian had one and only one card that could win it for him after the turn, and it hit. And it made both of our hands huge.

And that, my friends, is how you lose $317 on one hand of poker.



In other news, I was watching Aladdin tonight on the Disney Channel. And you know what Genie said? He said "HUZZAH"!!! I had forgotten a lot about the movie, since I havent watched it in nearly a decade. How sad. It was still great and funny. Must buy it on DVD

TAF College is gonna be cool. Must buy True Colors also.

I watched last week's OC tonight. Sandy kissed the other lady (that bastard!). Marissa kissed Alex (two girls!). And in unrelated news, Alex just kissed me. I'm not kidding.

I am however just kidding about losing $317. It was only about $5. har har.

Happy Normaltines Day! I hope you all be as lovey as you are on Valentines Day to everyone.

Especially single people like me.

Summer Plans:

Erin and I were contemplating the idea of studying abroad in Prague or Taipei this summer for a few weeks. But then I remembered I have weddings to go to.

1. Beth & Jeff
2. Lindsey & Sam
3. Jill & Tyler

So it seems that my summer plans will revert to pre-world traveling with the Erin. That means -
May: Maybe fly off to Europe again?
June: summer school at U of I
July: in Taiwan
August: you know what I do in August

Great weekend.

A Panoramic

True Colors is a fun game. Go buy it Justin. Apparently the majority of the others would prefer to be stranded on a desert island with me the most. Sounds nice, but then Karen told me she chose me for a non-companionship reason.

If worse came to worse on the island...She'd be able to feed herself the most off of me than any of the other PD's.

- Margaret says my blog is becoming too deep. What? I'm just saying, I like baseball a lot yo.
- I re-arranged my Buddy List today.
- Chicago is this weekend. Springfield is on deck (next weekend). Rutgers ITASA is in the hole (The next next weekend).
- Lounging around a pool in the OC for spring break and reading all day, or going back to Springfield and spending extended time at home for the first time in over a year and possibly getting wisdom teeth pulled? It really is a tough decision.
- I finished the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday crossword. I'm on fire. Thursday and Friday will probably kick me in the arse though.
- I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier.

Baseball. Is. Beautiful.

I will play catch with my sons as they grow up. My daughters too. Field of Dreams? Great movie.

Interesting. I know 3 girls who knit. All 3 girls are ridiculously cool and have been/could be ridiculously large parts of my life (they are all at the top of their respective Buddy List sections).

I wonder if there is a correlation between girls who knit, and how much I like them, because it is those 3 girls, and only those 3.

Clearly, the way to my heart is through being able to knit for other people (since I have yet to ever receive something knitted).

And so it begins:



In other news:

Note to self -- stop falling in love with girls who arent in love with you.

Updated below:


Does anyone else do this too? I like to rank the importance of people in my life based upon how high they are on my buddy list. Yes, it is the post-Seinfeld era version of ranking people on your landline phone's speed dial (and landline phones themselves are becoming a thing of the past).

So which of my friends do I like better than my other friends? Oh well I'd be glad to share with you! Haha. Yes, a breakdown of my Buddy List (It's 7am and I can't sleep). But before I get into this, I havent "arranged" my Buddy List in at least a year, so it isn't totally up to date. It is however, somewhat of a time capsule of my relationships.

1. I'm a dork, and felt like putting myself on my own Buddy List since I first had AOL, so Buddy Group "Jonizzle" starts of with the one and only thendxcrd.

2. Grace (GodsGr4ce) likes to be cool so she created her own Buddy Group of just herself and called it "COUSIN". Yes, she decided making the Buddy Group name in all capital letters would more effectively express the fact that she has her own Buddy Group. And no, she is not my real cousin.

3. Next up is the Buddy Group "XX", like the chromosome, for girls (from home) that I know. Traci (Trae Mc) and Adrienne (SpcyDiabla82) lead the list. Interestingly enough after further review, I had Erika (RIKA585) in at #5 after Traci, Adrienne, Jenifer (onenjen05), and Kt Mac (Strlit16). What makes it interesting is that I believe I placed Erika there nearly two years ago, before we ever started hanging out daily here at U of I.

Lesson learned? I think my Buddy List is psychic.

4. Buddy Group "XY", again, like the chromosome. These are ma boys from back home. JW (PurpleBee) leads the men. Now I barely talk to JDubbs anymore, but I left him in that spot to remember the past. Brian (Cndncrippler1) is #2, but just because I met him 2nd in life. Third is...Sam (culfunk83)?!? This is probably where my next tier of male friends begins. I haven't seen Sam in forever or talked to him either. But I will see him at his wedding. Hmm. I still remember when he first got AIM in 10th grade. And now he's getting married to Lindsey (LiNdZ0783, #9 in "XY").

The oddest member of BG-"XY" is Jack from St. Louis (Havi0c). He didn't fit into any of the other categories. He's not from home, he doesnt go to TAF, etc. Thank you Jack for screwing my categories up. Maybe I'll just remove you...

5. BG-"TAF"

Yay TAF. My biggest Buddy Group for the past few years, 83 Buddies strong. This is by far the most talked to Group, and it is so big that it contains many sub-groups. At the top of my list is Christine (ChrisS321), soon to be replaced by Alex Chen (Cheneyboy). Yup, that's a side effect of stepping up and becoming the Executive Director of TAF, you drop down a notch and get replaced on my Buddy List by the new JH PD. Angie (Huan9ie) and Margaret (OoGuay) make strong showings, leading a "staff" subgroup. Howard (BaMBoO KiD) used to be #1 a few years ago, but then he joined a frat and we didnt talk nearly as much. He's now in the pool of staffers (and no, I don't rank how much I like individual staffers, that would be...funny...but mean).

The TAF list continues on through staffers or other bigwigs that I have worked with, from ILTers, to PDs Anna (wuwu4u) and Dave (davefyan9) to Ho Chie (HoChie71), etc. Then I go to tafCrush. This was the most recent editing to my Buddy List. It was out of necessity to have all of tafCrush in the same area on my BL, because scanning 83 screennames to to tell them to come meet for dinner or something was annoying. I don't have a favorite tafCrushee, but by default, Albert (aw091486) is my most important. If my BL really is psychic, then maybe we'll become uber-friends next year as roommates. Funny to mention, I just noticed that current roommate, TAFer, and tafCrushee Alex (QuaGGoRaMa) is near the bottom of my TAF list and not even included in the tafCrush section. Accidently, I would assume. But dang Alex. You better build up your draft status and show me something. And no, do not turn around, pull your pants down and then show me something.

Next in the TAF list are my general group of comrades who aren't part of my staff or tafCrush. The list is led by the trifecta of Triple A: ruth Ann (kcgirly816), Anna's other old sn (azngrl999), and Andrea (IceQbs17). The bottom of my TAF list is by no means an indication of how important you are to me. I actually care about these people very very much. They are my JH campers (don't go "aww"). And no, I do not rank my campers. It's like a parent ranking their kids. It is amusing to see who I have by default as my "favorite" camper though. If you staffed in 2002 in JH, well then I can tell you.

The TAF Buddy Group has also hosted many other Asian-American people. When I was younger, it was rare for me to know an Asian person who was not from TAF. So "TAF" served as the hosting ground for many various people, such as Carol Ku (sn? I had to delete her), who never went to TAF but were Asian. I have grown up and am no longer just inserting Asian American people into the TAF section (see: Jack), but it is still hard. Recently, I wanted to add Christine's younger sister and Europe travel companion Patty (Babieface1), but I didn't know where to put her. But luckily I remembered she went to TAF as a little kid. So yes, she has a legit place on my BL.

6. Moving on, Jamie (jamiejp) decided to create her own group for her own screenname as well. If I wanted to create a stereotype, I'd say there was something about them Korean girls creating there own BG's on a guy's BL. I bet Michelle Kwan does it too. Yea, you would. Har har har. Ok no, not really. Stereotypes aren't good things. Go read this

7. BG-"UIUC"

Yes yes, all people that I have met at the University of Illinois. It's only 16 people strong, since most of the people I associate with here are already on my BL a) from home, b) from TAF, c) create their own individual Buddy Group for themselves, or d) I don't think are worthy enough for me to delete someone else.

I haven't ranked this list. But Erin (CUTEEP2e) did insert herself months ago at the #1 position. She might have just set herself into stone, that we are destined to be best friends. It COULD have been me and Chilin (CHILINTRAN), (a random guy in one of my classes who I needed to ask about homework one night last year) who were destined to become best friends here at U of I, but nope. The Buddy List does not lie. Chilin, I'm sorry, but you just got done usurped.

8. The next, and last BG that I will talk about even though I have four more (yes, I have 12 Buddy Groups total), is PP, for Pleasant Plains. Pleasant Plains was the designation for my church youth group friends, and Pleasant Plains was the small high school where most of them went too. Way to go Tyler (tkast04). Way to go.

So yes. If you're not near the top of one of my groups, well then, maybe you should just rethink your dedication to me and motivate yourself to make me happier. Haha no no, I'm just kidding.

...Or am I?

:)


Thank you for letting me waste your time with this pitifully way too in-depth analysis of my Buddy List. I hope it was amusing and dry for your amusement and liking. I find this all quite interesting, and it's true that the Buddy List is like a time capsule of relationships past and present, and maybe future since it's psychic.

They should do research on Buddy List behavior. Maybe I'll propose it to U of I and major in it.

Wil, did you ever find out with the opposite of Big Media is? Maybe Buddy List could fall into the opposite of that category.

It took me 90 minutes to do this. I wasn't tired and couldn't sleep when I started this, but now I'm so tired I want to vomit.

But yes. This was all for my amusement. If you weren't mentioned, please don't be hurt. My Buddy List hasnt been edited in quite a long time. And odds are, if I talk to you online, you're probably on my Buddy List, and that means youre a really Buddy! But probably more, probably a cherished friend (awwwww!)


***(Monday, 10:08pm CST)***

Alex clearly was clearly not a fan of his ranking, so he decided to do some of his own re-editing.


An interesting move on his part I must say. Amusingly, on his first attempt to move himself to the top by dragging his screenname from the bottom of my Buddy List, an AIM error caused his screenname to disappear and be deleted off of my Buddy List for a moment. Oh my that was funny. That's a bad omen for him.

Can anyone break down and explain this whole egotistical belief that Texas is its' own country, and not entirely part of the rest of the United States of America? I know it was like that once long ago, but come on...

I am sick. I have a fever. I turned up my thermostat to 72 degrees, which is very warm for our apartment. I am wearing a tshirt, a long sleeve shirt, a hoodie, and a poofy vest on top. I have the hood up, along with a baseball cap on. I have boxers and sweatpants on. And gloves and fuzzy slippers for my feet and hands. AND I AM STILL FREEZING.

I have not had a fever in nearly three years. I took two piping hot showers and slept in a lot of clothing to induce warmth to sweat out the fever. It's not enough. I need my sauna.

I googled "Starve a fever, feed a cold", because I didnt remember if it was that or "Feed a fever, starve a cold." It is the former, BUT, apparently, you need energy to beat a fever or a cold, so you should just eat whenever you have either. Lots of grains and veggies. I am drinking a lot of fluids too, but I am still dehydrated, for my urine is quite yellow still. Yes, I had to mention that.

So...very...cold...

Winter Break Panoramics:

:: Christmas Dinner in Lyon
:: Lyon at Night
:: Barcelona Fountains
:: Guadi-designed Rooftop (those are all chimneys) aka La Pedrera
:: Temple de la Sagrada Familia
:: The Rhone River through Lyon
:: The view from Ho Chie's rooftop; Berkeley, San Francisco, and Oakland

Yesterday was easily one of the Top 10 Days in the Life of Jonathan Lee.

The hefty majority of it is owed to one young lady (see entry below). For me, and I'm sure for anyone else who has experiences working with the development/empowerment of youth, or anyone who has a lofty goal set forth, to see all of your hard work, the endless planning, the attention to the minutest details, the nights staying awake and thinking in bed, the nights staying awake working in a staff room, the faith put into achieving an ideal, the stress, the pressure, it just feels really really really...amazing...when something like this happens.

My lofty goal is for my campers to learn something that affects them and those around them in a most positive way, be it by becoming more open and honest, by inspiring them to lead, to act with integrity, to become interested in their heritage, to spread love and happiness and care and compassion. Other campers have done that. And don't misunderstand, I cherish those instances very much. But I don't know if it has ever been done on such a grand scale as this.

In my mind, I picture the poem written by Sue Anna as something her entire class will talk about. And therefore, a poem than an entire class will read. I picture her school and other schools in the district and city, being starry-eyed about the girl on CNN and her poem, and therefore, being exposed to the words she wrote. I picture teachers across the nation finding the poem online, and having their classes read the poem and discuss it. A class, a school, a district, a city, and more. That's a lot of people. That's a lot of students. That's a lot of futures that I hope are impacted.

"To impact mankind in unique and compassionate ways."

Indeed. I'm like a proud dad right now. So very proud of the young lady and of the dreams and ideals that run TAF. I know at least one kid, somewhere in this county, will not be made fun of tomorrow; he or she will not have to feel the hurt in their heart at least one less time.

So very happy. And I don't want to forget to say this, even though I think I sound like a drum. What you learn at TAF, apply it to the world outside. You can make a difference.

And then Illinois beat Wisconsin. Jack Ingram floating those 3's.
And then I talked to someone. And it always makes me happy when I talk to that someone, despite the circumstances.
And then I played poker and won a good amount.
And then I finished all my reading for class.
And now I'm reflecting on one of the best days of my life.

And for fun, I'm going to throw out Gal 2:16. Baller.

SO FREAKING HAPPY AND PROUD RIGHT NOW FOR SUE ANNA AND TAF AND JH! AHHH!!

The CNN article

The poem or below

Congratulations Sue Anna! I am so proud of you and your accomplisment! And it's also quite cool that the JH "Labels" skit was an inspiration, I'm glad we did it (and that I made an impression playing the "Abercrombie prep") but pssh, its ALLL you Sue Anna :)

"Untitled"
Sue Anna Yeh, 13yrs old

Another day at school begins
As you walk down the hall
There're kids and teachers everywhere
Look closely- that's not all

You notice something other than
Their clothes or shoes or hair
They're wearing labels, huge, and yet
Invisible as air

You stop to read a label and
You can't help but agree
That guy who sags and gels his hair
Is such a wannabe

Next you see a guy from math
Who aces every quiz
You don't have to read his sign
To know the nerd he is

And then that girl from history
Who's never out of step
Her Abercrombie clothes make her
100% prep

The labels just go on and on
From pervert, dork, to snob
That football quarterback's a jock
That Chinese guy's a fob

"Who puts these labels on?" you ask
For, yes, you wear one too
And you'll be quite surprised to hear
The guilty one is you

You see, there're labels everywhere
In every single place
'Cause people are too quick to judge
On character and face

These labels hurt much more than fists
They hurt the heart inside
Words like ugly, fat, and dumb
Can hurt somebody's pride

You think about it for a sec
-It's almost time for class-
Then quickly peel the label off
The next guy that you pass

You take another label off
And then another two
A different label then comes off
That wasn't done by you

You watch in stunned amazement
As they come off one by one
You see a guy peel off one more
Then, finally, there is none

And people now are smiling
There's no one left to tease
No jocks or nerds or preps or snobs
Or dorks or wannabes

Unlikely as this really is
A lesson it does teach
A better world without the names
Is not quite out of reach

You may or may not like the poem
Some of you will scoff
But if you truly understand
Please take some labels off!


And then Illinois beat Wisconsin tonight. And there was other good stuff too. Oh so happy.

I didn't take any pictures this weekend. Go figure. But it was a good weekend for TASC and ITASA. Yay sports weekend. Go Illinois for winning...everything...

National Treasure...nice movie.

Would you like to dance around the world with me?

A happy birthday to the Tina Wei


With her homegirls


And best of all, a Britney Spears reunion with Christine, Tina, Me, and Keelin.

And an amusing Kelvin. I won't show any pictures though, puaha.



Last weekend it was Ho Chie. Now it's tafCrush's turn to host a bunch of Taiwanese-Americans. Let the invasion commence.

Before I go to sleep to prepare for the first day of classes tomorrow, here are 26 songs I listened to while traveling for 26 days this winter break.

Patrick Park - Something Pretty
Dios - You Got Me All Wrong
Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah
The Starting Line - Best of Me (Acoustic)
Augustana - Boston
Augustana - Not Alone
Michelle Branch - Goodbye to You
The Album Leaf - Eastern Glow
Halloween, Alaska - All the Arms Around You
Flickerstick - Beautiful
OAR - City on Down
The Killers - Coming Out
Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill
Dispatch - The General
Matt Pond PA - Kc
Incubus - Here In My Room
Hilary Duff - Come Clean
Green Day - Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Nelly - Over and Over Again
Scott McKenzie - San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers)
Explosions in the Sky - various songs
Amelie Soundtrack - various songs
Something Corporate - Hurricane
Dave Matthews Band - The Best of What's Around
Jars of Clay - Worlds Apart (Live)
Something Corporate - Konstantine

tafcollege.blogspot.com

Heck yea, my flag football team is part of a link on Sports Illustrated's website.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/luke_winn/01/06/power.rankings/index.html

Go Ocelot Onslaught.

Whee, back in the U-S of A. I met a pretty girl from Yugoslavia on the flight over. I got her phone number. Haha. But just because she wants to transfer to UIUC from her current university. She mentioned a boyfriend with a 14th National Ranking in NCAA tennis during the conversation. But who cares, she's no Jenny Chung.

And speaking of my Euro-TAF wife, I miss you a lot dear. It is not a fun thing to extremely enjoy spending 17 days straight with someone and then leave them on the other side of the world. Like I said, during the flight to London, I would look to the empty seat next to me and expect to see you sitting there, but alas, you were not. Oh the infinite sadness that is my heart, but no emotional breakdown yet! Cheers, not "ches" or whatever it is the German-Asians say, to you Miss Jay-knee-fer. I am head-over-heals platonically in love with you. You're the BEST!

But yes. Eighteen total days in the lovely and charming and simply elegant continent of Europe, brimming with different cultures and place and people. I had so much fun, too much I dare say, and too much to digest at the moment. At the least though, I know I am too lucky. And I owe it to the world to grow or learn something from this experience. I saw nine TAFers on the European continent too. We're everywhere.

Off to San Francisco tomorrow for the TAF College Planning Retreat. For those of you who are interested, be you a former college student, a current one, or a future one, please find a way to participate or follow along online. There will be some sort of updated Xanga or something as we hold meetings in SF. It is a momentously important (aka VERY important) period for TAF, and you can lend your voice. And if you want to help but can't think of anything for the College Program, help TAF in a different way and brighten the lives of the people around you. Indeed.

More on Europe later, along with more pictures. Huzzah huzzah huzzah!

Jolly Ho from London! I am here at the flat de Yoo...Margaret Yoo. Her mom cooks good food. Her dad is funny. I bought another slick England soccer jersey, AND...




Tiffany Sun?!?!


USA TOMORROW! YEA! CHEAPER PRICES! But no Jennifer :(

europe pics:
http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2132812923

includes Christmas in lyon and fun in barcelona. new years in lyon, teaching english to french schoolkids in lyon, frankfurt with the Chens, and pictures of the guy who stole my camera at a club but was caught by us and arrested (yea, good story) are all to come when I get back.

I arrive in Chicago on tuesday, then San Fran on Wednesday. An amazingly lucky boy I am.

p.s.: jennifer and brad?!?! wwwwwhhhHHHHHat?

p.p.s:

The Chens, Jenny, and me in Frankfurt.

In Europe. I want to live in Lyon. And now Barcelona aussi. Blogger instructions are in espanol here too. But yea. Great time in Europe. It´s hard to describe how pretty everything is. I´ll do it later.

And for all you doubters, horseshoes are AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS.

I'm off across the pond. Have a merry holiday season everyone. Love love love.

I bought a lot of books today for 40% off. My local B. Dalton bookstore is closing. Sad for them, but yay for my mind. My purchases reminded me of a quote a good friend of mine liked to say,

"Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind."

I bought two books by C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity being one of them, and then, ahem, Stephen Hawking's Brief History of Time (yea, we'll see if I can comprehend that...) and a history book entitled Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fate of Human Societies, which is quite interesting so far. It won a Pulitzer, so I figured it deserved a shot. My head is about to get pounded with religion and science, but that should be interesting and stimulating, I hope. And I already read it, but I also got the 5th Harry Potter book in paperback to add to my collection :)

This recent splurge in the written word is a change for me. I dare say I'm excited to be a little bit more scholarly with the history books (teaching myself as opposed to being taught from a set curriculum), and hopefully more enlightened by the philosophies of Thoreau (Walden Pond) and the stories from Kerouac (On the Road). And aside from my already read Harry Potter book and OTR, I've only purchased one other fiction novel of the eight books (yea, eight...) I've bought in the last week, Don Quioxte. Did you know the adjective "quixotic", meaning "idealistic" (and "impractical"), is derived from the protagonist's name? Hmm...idealistic. Don Quioxte. Or JON QUIOXTE?!?!?! Indeed.

I must admit, a little of me likes to buy books because it makes me look smarter. They look good on the ole' bookshelf ya know? But don't think of me as smart. I can't remember if it was Socrates or Plato, but he said he was the most unwise of all. To cut it short, we could all be so much wiser, and there is so much more to learn. Ah yes, tis the thirst for truth and knowledge! But yea, don't think I'm cool or anything because I read. At least don't let me think that.

Got horseshoes at Darcy's tonight with Brian and Erika. Ran into Jill Nash and her parents. Great family. Jill is getting married, to not my roommate but a different Tyler, this August. Another wedding for me to attend this summer. That makes THREE weddings, and I can call all three of the brides and all three of the grooms friends, some being good ones at that. THREE groups of friends, my age, binding together in marriage forever in a few months. I don't know what to say to that.

1) I am old?
2) They are young?
3) I need a girlfriend.

I took a picture of the horseshoe tonight for those of you who wonder what it is:



Underneath all that cheese and fries is a hamburger patty and Texas toast. Delicious.

Went to see Spanglish afterwards. Refreshing and entertaining. Adam Sandler's daughter is a good young female actor, and Tea Leoni is scary. And Paz Vega is pretty. Be Happy.

Back home for the first time in four months. I saw a new Gold's Gym being built as I got into town. Weird. Came home, went online...and then slept from 7pm-1130pm. Indeed. Its 8am now, and I'm going to go help my sister open up the Formosa Cafe for a day of ice cream scooping. Oh the bane that is holiday store hours.

Leaving for Europe on Thursday. Hoping to see a lot of old faces in between now and then. Illinois vs. Mizzou Wednesday night. I'm going to have to holler at the Julie Ashenfelter (even though she never hollers back) and see if she's up for watching it at Damon's with everyone else like last year. That'd be nice. Horseshoes too. Mmm.

It's cold outside.

Holy nuts. I'm going to Europe. My dad managed to find tickets with his miles today. Le cool.

Sidenote: I bought a 19" monitor yesterday for $500. I bought it because I thought I wasnt going to Europe.

Oh nut...haha. I need to win a poker tournament before I leave...

U of I meter maids need to get a life. It's 4:15am, and you're giving me a ticket for my car being parked at a meter in an empty lot. Yes it says No Parking from 2 - 6am, but really. Calm it down.

I'll be home soon. Home. It has been so long (well only 4 months). Interesting it'll be. A little weird. A little happy. Old faces I hope I will see. But you know me. I might escape to some far off place. Europe or Taiwan? Or maybe just this time, neither. I've always been more of a homebody. Springfield it is! I think...

Best thoughts and wishes.

Hallelujah.

A mathematical portrayal of Brian's poker style. Don't try this at home:

iPods rule. And dinners with the fearsome foursome. And those little xangazon things. And Spiderman 2. Good moral lessons. Good character development. A sprinkling of Asian faces. Funny and cheesy lines.

Raindrops keep fallin on my head.
But the sun will shine brightly over a new dawn.
Afterall, tomorrow is another day.

L'iPod is here!

I went to Red Lobster and Ocean's Twelve with , , & . It was alright, not as good as the first one, but not bad. Came back home. made a delicious chocolate cake, and brought a piece down for me. Later on, came over and watched me cut up the remains of the Thanksmas turkey. Indeed.

That was fun. Too bad it looks odd.

Um. Yea...I spent 11 hours playing with my Peeps Page. Addicting? I think so.

Hehe, this is from Christine:

"at recess today, a little girl says, "glasses are for geeks" to a little girl in my class. the "victim" then goes around the entire playground and tells EVERYONE with glasses about what the offending girl said. pretty soon, all of the kids with glasses on the playground hunt her down and confront her. when she sees the mob of angry near-sighted children, she is overwhelmed and bursts into tears.

lesson learned: don't mess with kids with glasses"

Randoms:

- I wish Satchel Paige would have been able to play in the major leagues earlier than he did. For those of you who don't know who Satchel Paige is, which I assume is everybody who might read this other than Brian or maybe, impressively since shes a girl, Erika, Paige played in the Negro Leagues since blacks weren't yet allowed in the majors. He finally was able to pitch a game after he was 40 years old. I would like to see what he could have accomplished if he were in the majors in his prime.

- I've been spending time searching for a Jack Kerouac quote that came back into my mind from long ago. I can't find it though, so I'll recreate it for you:

"I see myself in the center of a high plateau. I want to venture out towards the edge and experience everything along the way, to look up and stare at the clouds and look down and touch the flowers. And then when I get to the edge, I want to lean over the cliff as far as I can and see everything down below, without falling off."

That's what I kind of remember from the quote which I only heard once many winters ago. And actually, it might not be Kerouac at all (but I'm pretty sure it is). I also remember thinking that the quote is about drugs, but whatev. I like the quote a lot. To go from the safety of the middle and venture out and see everything there is to see. To go to the limit. To experience everything. But no drugs. A lesson for all you kids, Kerouac ended up doing too many drugs (he leaned over too far) and died young. I'd like to read his book "On the Road" though. Maybe I'll buy it at the local B&N tomorrow.

- I value my friends greatly. Super super much. But this is a little thing about me. I won't remember your birthday. Sure, I'd like to be super-thoughtful, and I probably remember your birthday a few days before it, but I will forget the day of. Consider yourself lucky if I actually remember. I only know like five birthday's off the top of my head anyways. I always get Brian's and Tyler's (sometime last week...) wrong. Don't feel bad though. I forgot my own birthday two years ago I think.

- Currently Listening To: An obscene amount of music. It is in preperation for the arrival of my personalized iPod next week. "Jonizzle" will be laser-inscribed on it.

Songs:
Halloween, Alaska - All the Arms Around You
The Album Leaf - Eastern Glow
Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah
Green Day - Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Britney Spears - My Only Wish (This Year)
Jars of Clay - Little Drummer Boy
& multiple versions of Carol of the Bells
& everything else. I wasn't kidding when I said obscene.

- Currently watched last night: Amelie. I bought it on a whim in NYC. And because the DVD box was kinda cool (I'm a sucker for "special" DVD cases). It's odd. Every person who has seen it has said it's been great, they looved it. But all those people have also been girls. It wasn't bad, and I got to work on my French, but I think my Y-chromosome inhibits full enjoyment of the film. Also, I have six DVD's next to me of movies I have never seen, yet still saw fit to buy. And then I have probably fifteen to twenty DVD's of movies I have seen, but have never watched on the DVD itself. I'm addicted to buying DVD's.

That a long random.

Herry Thanksmas for all of us! I hope you have a great Thanksmas Eve.

Yea! I was just saying how he was my favorite character earlier tonight!


Which Family Guy character are you?