Ryan's Rants and Raves

My adventures in the OU Library

2006-11-12T18:57:00.000-08:00

I had to go to the library today to actually do research. I have been in the study rooms before for some peace and quiet, but today I had to wonder down into the basement where the microfilm is housed for old-ass newspaper articles.

I had to admit that I was scared. There are a number of stories floating around campus about students who unwittingly try to do research and somehow end up dieing in the library catacombs.

I made it down there in one piece while dodging an asian student who looked too smart to talk to, and a mexican janitor who looked like he didn't know how to talk. I was given a quick tutorial on how to find a newspaper article on the microfilm, found what I needed, and proceeded to try and print it out. It was at this time that things really started to get crappy.

Apparantly you have to be in some sort of super-secret society, and know the super-secret handshake to print out an article from microfilm. Since I am not a member and dont like shaking hands, I had to pay for my copies. But it seemed as though my money was not good enough. After trying to get a newspaper article from 1987 to print, and with no success, I thought I would just check out - yes check out - a book.

I haven't actually checked out a book from a library since doing a research paper on FDR in 6th grade. I have done research on the internet, and looked at books at the library, but attempting to take a book home was pretty foreign territory to me. I found the book that I needed to help with my research paper, but had no idea what to do next. I found the smartest looking white chick who looked like she lived in the library and asked for help. She ushered me to the front counter and told the dude I needed to check out the book. Everything was going fine until he told me I couldn't check it out because it was from the reference section. What? You can get denied from checking out a book? What has this world come too?

So needless to say, after hours at the library I didnt get to print out my newspaper article, and I couldn't check out a damn book. I tried to do some research that didn't rely so heavily on the internet, and look where it got me...right back on the damn internet, that's where.

Back in Oklahoma - For a While

2006-11-10T18:47:00.000-08:00

Back from my second trip to Kansas City. My feet hurt. I am tired. My recruiter got me drunk. I think all went well.

I'm a Jet-Setter

2006-11-08T16:33:00.000-08:00

For the 2nd time this week I am about to embark on a flight to Kansas City for some job interviews - this time for a two day trip. Next Wednesday and Thursday I will be flying down to DFW for a two day interview process also. Managers want me - Business's NEED me. I'm a badass.

Last Minute Trip

2006-11-05T19:59:00.000-08:00

So there I was on a Friday night at home, by myself, doing laundry and drinking a few beverages. I had thought about maybe going back down to Ft. Worth to see everyone, but I decided against it. Then out of the blue Alison called and we were talking, then I mentioned coming down. It was a spur of the moment thing, but 3 hours later I found myself in Texas again.

It was a great weekend. I got to go back up to the pub, where I haven't been in over a year, and got to see a lot of good friends.

Glad I went, but I left a lot of things undone that I needed to get done this weekend. With that being said - I got shit to do.

Well Here It Goes.

2006-11-01T22:34:00.000-08:00

According to Alison, "Ryan P. Starks is officially the WORST blogger ever...he hasn't blogged since Oct 17th!!!" I apologize to the lives that have been extremely altered by my lack of writing. It has all been for good reason though. My schedule as of late has not been very friendly. Next week I fly to Kansas City TWICE for two different interviews for some post-graduation type jobs. Should be interesting, but it will also make for a very long week.

So, something happened to me the other day that seemed strange. As a guy, I am extremely aware of the "one stall rule". For the ladies who do not know what I speak of, this is the rule in which when men use the urinals in a pulbic restroom they always leave a stall in between the next dude taking a whiz. While there are some exceptions to the rule, it is just good try always try and follow the one stall rule.

Now, far be for me to think that all men are just born with this rule already programmed into their DNA, but I was very unpleasantly suprised by a sneak attack set upon me the other day. I was minding my own business in one of the OU restrooms, trying to take a leak in peace, and staring at the drap concrete bricks in front of me. No one else is in the restroom. I am at the far end of a row of 6 stalls. Then BOOM. Out of nowhere, this dude thinks it is okay to just come pee right next to me! What the hell? Luckily I was towards the end of my pee and nobody else came in the restroom to think that we were couple peeing. I wasn't about to stop the dude mid-pee to tell him the bathroom etiquette rules, but I thought now would be a good time to reiterate them for everyone. But rather than just type them, I thought I would keep everyone's attention with a nice video so there are visuals for FULL COMPREHENSION.

On to other happenings as of late, I decided I wanted to build a wine bottle rack. After drawing up some plans I went to Lowes, got some nice sturdy Oak, and Heather and I proceeded with constructing a 30 bottle wine rack. Before going any further, it should be noted that none of this would have been possible without the spectacular sanding abilities of Heather. I have got the thing built, and one coat of stain put on - not sure if I am going to darken it up with another coat, but I think right now it looks damn good. Especially for my first real construction project outside of piewood derby races in boy scouts (in which my dad did all the real work anyway).

Some pictures are below for your enjoyment.

This is the picture after I just got it all assembled how I like it.

Here is a little test run as to how the whole thing will work.

This is after I have it half stained, so you can see the darkness that came about. It looks very expensive with the stain on it - looks expensive, that is the key.

And here we are after 3 hours and one coat of stain was applied.

I am very pleased with how the whole thing has turned out. You cant see it in the pictures, but on the front along the sides are carvings of a grape vine all the way down. We found this wood at Lowes and Heather thought it would be fitting to put it on a wine rack (wine is made from grapes - get it?). I am a little bit of an idiot though and didnt realize that paint thinner smelled so dang bad. Now with it 40 degrees outside I have to have all my windows open with 3 fans, 4 candles, and one air purifier running to try and get the smell out. Oh well, it was worth it.

Finding a Job

2006-10-17T20:07:00.000-07:00

So I have been spending a majority of my time lately looking for post-graduation jobs. Real jobs, for the real world. It seems that looking for a full time job IS a full time job. Between that, school, and the part-time job I already have, I am pooped out.

On to other news:

It seems that Mike Tyson's "comeback tour" has taken an interesting turn. As he is trying to be more the entertainer now, and not just a boxer, Mikey-boy has now given thought to boxing women. Yeah. Good stuff. Click here for the article.

I know Mike is pretty washed up, but I still wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley. Let us not forget he has gone to jail for rape, he did bite off Holyfield's ear, and he threatened to EAT Lennox Lewis' children. Yeah, I can imagine any chick is dying to get in the ring with him.

Although, I would be willing to put a little money on Layla Ali - she is a badass.

OU/TX Pics

2006-10-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some random pictures from OU/TX Weekend.

Sorry for the delay

2006-10-09T21:43:00.000-07:00

Things have been pretty crazy lately. I had a great weekend in Dallas even though we lost the game. Hopefully I will get some of those pictures up this week. I will post more later on this week when things settle down a little.

Respect to the Runner

2006-09-29T13:46:00.000-07:00

One of the funniest commercials out there - and being a runner I really like it.

collecting donations

2006-09-27T14:54:00.000-07:00

I kind of want to go down to OU/TX weekend in Dallas in two weeks to get out of Oklahoma for a bit - however I got almost 0 pesos to go play with. I have already been offered free lodging by Jeff and Betsy. I am open to cash, checks, food or drink donations.

HA!

2006-09-22T22:09:00.000-07:00

I have resisted the dumb craze of getting a MySpace page, and am sometimes a little upset I joined facebook (although it would be easy for me to cancel the acount if I wanted). Anyway, great article by PC World on the Top 25 Worst Websites - MySpace was rated the worst site on the web! Ha!

1. MySpace.com

Yes, we know. With more than 90 million users, MySpace is now more popular than Elvis, "American Idol," and ice cream. But the Web's most visited destination is also its most poorly designed and counterproductive.

The ease with which anyone of any age can create a page, upload photos, share deeply personal details of their lives, and make new "friends" quickly turned MySpace into a one-stop shopping mall for online predators. That in turn has made the site an easy target for politicians who pander for votes by playing on parental fears. In an era when the basic tenets of the Net are under attack by both Ma Bell and Uncle Sam, MySpace is a headache we don't need.

But let's put all that aside for a moment. Graphically, many MySpace pages look like a teenager's bedroom after a tornado--a swirl of clashing backgrounds, boxes stacked inside other boxes, massive photos, and sonic disturbance. Try loading a few of those pages at once and watch what happens to your CPU. Watch out for spyware, too, since it turns out that MySpace has become a popular distribution vector for drive-by downloads and other exploits. And in a place where "U are soooooooo hot!!!" passes for wit, MySpace isn't doing much to elevate the level of social discourse.

In response to a public backlash and some well-publicized lawsuits, MySpace has begun modifying its policies--for example, limiting adults' ability to contact minors. That's hardly enough. Requiring some kind of authentication from MySpacers--or their parents--to validate their ages and identities would go a long way toward scaring off the creeps and making the site a kinder, gentler social network.

Is MySpace totally bad? Not at all. Are we old farts? Yeah, probably. But the Web's most popular site needs a serious security reboot. And probably a makeover. Until then, MySpace won't ever be OurSpace.

Funny

2006-09-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

If you click on the picture, it will show up bigger so you can read the words better.

Crap - seriously...well almost

2006-09-18T17:13:00.000-07:00

There I was in my Ad Media class this morning, minding my own business in the last row. Trying to look alert when in the back of my mind I would obviously rather be in bed. Then it hit me. A gurgle, churn, and slight boil in my stomach. I could feel it coming on. A fart. Not just a fart, but a flatulence with a vengence. Based on my diet from the weekend (20oz steak, chicken, mashed potatoes, spinach, cinnamon-apple desert type thing, bananas, numerous alcoholic beverages, and a huge bag of jelly-beans) I could tell this would be more than a normal fart.

But what was I to do? I certainly couldn't hold it in - I would start to blow up like the little boy in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Yet, if I let it out I would, without a doubt, clear the back row - if not the whole room. I haven't been put in a position where such a hard decision had to be made in a long time.

My solution? The one-cheek-sneak. A simple manuever where I would slightly and discreetly lift my left cheeck off the chair and slowly let the mass of methane make its way into the air - hopefully not smelling, or getting blamed on the blonde chick sitting next to me.

Time to execute....cheeck up...a little abdominal push...and...crap. Well almost. I was about 1 millimeter away from letting out a shart. Yeah, would've sucked. Luckily, my butt muscles rival those of a sculpted Mr. Universe so I was quickly able to recover - and though no mass actually escaped, I do think a tiny amount of liquid did. Things could have been a lot worse.

The smell was rancid, but class let out shortly thereafter and I don't think many people noticed...and if they did, they would have obviously thought it to be the blonde next to me.

Whew. Escaped a close one. I am still alive to tell the tale, and I think I learned from my experience - don't EVER mix spinach, cognac, and jelly beans. It's a recipe for disaster.

Random Things

2006-09-13T20:07:00.000-07:00

At the University of Northern Colorado the backup punter has been accused of stabbing the first string punter in the leg - even better, it was his kicking leg! It probably sounded like a sure fire way to get to be the starter at the time, but it backfired. He was arrested, suspended from the school and team, and kicked out of his dorm room.
I read a real good book by Steve Berry over the past three days called, "The Third Secret". It was very interesting in the plot, and how it unfolded. It was basically about a peasent who saw an abirration of the Virgin Mary and she told the peasent girl all sorts of things that God actually condoned that had been strictly forbidden by the Roman Catholic Church: gay marriage was ok, birth control was ok, women in the priesthood was ok, etc. Of course there was a massive cover-up, but one who wanted to let the world know, etc, etc. Very interesting and a fast read - I finished in a little over two days. Check it out.
Great weekend of college football ahead - 7 games with ranked teams playing each other. I'm obviously rooting for TCU and OU in their respective games, and I just want the other ones to be good nail biters.
I gave in and bought a coffee maker today. I don't particularly like coffee that much, but I really need a pick-me-up in the morning sometimes. I hope this does the trick.
This semester is going to be more involved than I thought - not necessarily hard, but a lot of work to be done.
I have a job interview tomorrow for a part-time job. Not the best thing in the world, but it will give me a chance to save a little money. I hate being poor.
I've really been into this show called MythBusters lately on the discovery channel. I'm watching it right now actually.
Not much else...been leading somewhat of a boring life lately. Oh well.

Football Season is Upon Us

2006-09-10T11:02:00.000-07:00

College football season is in its second week, and the NFL kicks off today. I will enjoy the next few months worth of weekends.

sippin on "yac"

2006-09-04T23:57:00.000-07:00

been drinkin some cognac the past few nights - a lot tonight. this stuff might not be the best drink around - but chilled with some ice it really is pretty good. i'm impressed.

R.I.P.

2006-09-04T21:39:00.000-07:00

Steve "The Crocodile Hunter" Irwin tragically passed away this weekend. From what I have read he was swimming with some stingrays for another T.V. show and got a stinger through the heart. Bummer. I really liked his show, and besides "Crocodile Dundee" I think he was the most famous Aussy ever.

It sucks that he had to die, but at least he did it in a way I think he would have wanted. Seriously, I think he would have hated just dying of old age.

CRIKEY!!!

Seriously!?

2006-09-04T21:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, I am a little upset. So upset, it drove me to get really freakin drunk. I am not going to reveal the name of the person at which I am upset, but for the heck of things let's call him Wayne. Before I get into anything personal, have you ever known anyone who in any kind of argument or little spat decides to bring up everything from the past decade that would be negative and involves you?

So Wayne and myself were in a little bit of a conversation. I asked him a question - nothing major, but you will not find out the details - and all of a sudden he decides to bring up shit from the past 15+ years.

I don't get people like this. You start talking about something like money, and all of a sudden a person is like, "remember 6 years ago when you borrowed $5 from me and you never repayed me? Yeah, fuck you." Or another example, "how about that one time you said you would help me out, and you never did - yeah it was 14 years ago, but still...."

None of those examples have anything to do with this specific instance, but you know the type of person I am talking about. Those people who when they can't find anything to say to you decide to bring up shit from the past that everyone else has forgotten about. I hate those people.

What is the Business World Coming To?

2006-08-31T21:58:00.000-07:00

As I was parusing the Forbes Magazine online articles, I stumbled across something very interesting. Apparantly Radio Shack decided to take mass-layoffs to a new level. Instead of telling each employee individually they sent out one email to 400 employee's of the company's Fort Worth headquarters saying, "The work force reduction notification is currently in progress. Unfortunately, your position is one that has been eliminated."

Seriously, you simultaneously fired 400 people? Honestly, if I would have got an email telling me I was fired I would take my computer screen, walk into my weenie boss' office, crawl on top of his desk while he is still sitting at it, and then proceed with dropping the screen on his head - numerous times.

But hey, at least they were nice enough to fill up the break room with free boxes for all the employees to use to pack up.

Pretty Crazy Stuff

2006-08-31T21:51:00.000-07:00

I did something tonight I haven't done in a long time - watch a tennis match. I sure didn't think it would last almost 4 hrs. Tennis legend Andre Agassi is playing in his last major tournament. Many figured tonight would be his last match against the #8 player in the world Marcus Bhagdatis. Well any man who used to look as fierce as the picture about should never be counted out. All the way to the last point in the 5th set, and Andre pulled it out. Hopefully the run can continue. Good luck.

Oh, and I know you are bald now, Andre, but if you were to somehow find a mullet wig similar to the real thing you used to have I would almost gaurantee you a tournament title...two days to find one.

Something Different

2006-08-30T21:37:00.000-07:00

I was watching Letterman tonight and they had on a stand-up comic named Charlie Hill. His act was something I had never heard before, and it was kind of funny. He was an indian (feather not dot) comic. Most of the time I am not really for the same played out race jokes over and over (I can't stand Mexican comics doing the same immigrant jokes, or black comics doing ghetto jokes), but since this was something I had never really heard before I found it rather funny. Now, if there is all of a sudden an uprise of indian stand-up comics that all do variations of the same material I think his stuff will lose its humor - but for now I really like it.

Damn

2006-08-30T15:19:00.000-07:00

Trying to find a job. This town is kind of funny about jobs. During the summer there is none because there is nobody in this town, the first week of school everyone comes back - but when you go to look for a job because thousands more people are in Norman all you hear is, "we have filled all of our positions." So you have a window of approximately 2 minutes 34 seconds to find a job. I guess I missed that window.

Can They Do That?

2006-08-25T17:50:00.000-07:00

I guess a bunch of science geeks decided Pluto is no longer a planet. Is that allowed?

I would think twice

2006-08-22T10:44:00.000-07:00

India man with two penises to undergo surgery

Agence France-Presse
Last updated 07:36pm (Mla time) 08/19/2006

NEW DELHI -- An Indian man born with two penises wants to get one of them removed so that he can marry, a report said Saturday.

The 24-year-old businessman checked himself into a city hospital for the operation after having lived all his life with the rare condition medically known as penile duplication or diphallus, the Times of India said.

"It is an extremely rare condition. More so because two fully functional penises is unheard of even in medical literature," the newspaper quoted a doctor as saying.

"In the more common form of diphallus, one organ is rudimentary."

The doctor said the operation would be extremely complicated as surgeons would have to ensure that the retained organ was fully functional.

The report did not name the patient or hospital to protect the man's identity.

The developmental abnormality is found in one in 5.5 million men and only around 100 such cases have been reported since the first one in 1609, the newspaper said.

So this dude wants to get rid of one of his members...ever thought of the money he could make in porn? Just throwing that out there.

First Time for Everything

2006-08-21T18:34:00.000-07:00

Starting my 5th year of college I accomplished I have yet to do...attend the first day of class. Yes, that is right. I went to two classes on the first day of school - and I plan on continuing this trend throughout the entire first WEEK! Wow, I will probably be pretty tired when this week is done.

Check this out

2006-08-20T10:34:00.000-07:00

I found this on my buddy's blog ZachIsHere .
After you watch this be sure to check out what he is doing on his blog. Good stuff. Thanks Zach.

An awesome cover of the OutKast song "Hey Ya"

Just click the play button in the middle of it.

I'm Moving to Mexico

2006-08-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

Most of you know I try not to get to political on this blog. Most of you know I am a republican and how I feel on subjects of politics, however I think this is rather poignant. It is a few months old and I am sure some of you have seen it but I really do think it needs to be read again.

Dear President Bush:

I'm about to plan a little trip with my family and extended family, and I would like to ask you to assist me. I'm going to walk across the border from the U.S. into Mexico, and I need to make a few arrangements. I know you can help with this.

I plan to skip all the legal stuff like visas, passports, immigration quotas and laws. I'm sure they handle those things the same way you do here.

So, would you mind telling your buddy, President Vicente Fox, that I'm on my way over? Please let him know that I will be expecting the following:

1. Free medical care for my entire family.

2. English-speaking government bureaucrats for all services I might need, whether I use them or not.

3. All government forms need to be printed in English.

4. I want my kids to be taught by English-speaking teachers.

5. Schools need to include classes on American culture and history.

6. I want my kids to see the American flag flying on the top of the flag pole at their school with the Mexican flag flying lower down.

7. Please plan to feed my kids at school for both breakfast and lunch.

8. I will need a local Mexican driver's license so I can get easy access to government services.

9. I do not plan to have any car insurance, and I won't make any effort to learn local traffic laws.

10. In case one of the Mexican police officers does not get the memo from Pres. Fox to leave me alone, please be sure that all police officers speak English.

11. I plan to fly the U.S. flag from my house top, put flag decals on my car, and have a gigantic celebration on July 4th. I do not want any complaints or negative comments from the locals.

12. I would also like to have a nice job without paying any taxes, and don't enforce any labor laws or tax laws.

13. Please tell all the people in the country to be extremely nice and never say a critical word about me, or about the strain I might place on the economy.

Thank you so much for your kind help.

Sincerely, USA Citizen

WHEW!

2006-08-14T21:31:00.000-07:00

I'm tired. My apartment was attacked by 7 dirty, drunk, ungrateful houseguests, a fat little pug, and a puppy that tried to bite me to death.

It was a fun weekend of golf, poker, beer, and memories. With a lot of friends in town there was not much sleep to be had to I am going to try and catch up in the next few days. We went to this pretty cool night club on Saturday night called Maker's. It is a cigar and jazz bar. I will definitely have to go back there sometime.

On a little side note, there was one unfortunate event that happened this weekend. For dinner on Saturday we went to Chilenos in Bricktown. Chilenos is a decent mexican restaurant, but for some reason on Saturday night our experience was horrid. I realize it was a Mexican restaurant we were eating at, but is it too much to ask that the employees actually speak English? It took 3 different waiters 4 times to TRY to get our drink order right. I actually kind of stayed out of it because all I ordered was a bottle of beer - but everyone else was very understandabily pissed. Stupid illegal mexicans.

Fun stuff.

Last free week before school starts - crap!

A Few Random Things

2006-08-06T21:36:00.000-07:00

First and foremost, I am glad to hear that Fidel Castro is recovering quickly from his surgery. I hope he can return to being a facist dictator very soon.

Second, has anyone seen those "Messing with Sasquatch" commercials from the Jack Links Jerky company? They are probably the funniest commercials I have seen in a long while. Effective in wanting me to go buy Jack Links by the truckload? No. Funny? Yes!

Third, whoever decided to turn the outdoor heater in Oklahoma City up to 105 degrees can please turn it back down now. Seriously. Whenever I can cook my bacon and egg breakfast on my driveway, that means it is too hot.

Looking forward to this weekend.

My First...

2006-08-05T22:52:00.000-07:00

...drunk blog. (Get your head out of the gutter.) This is my first drunk blog, and I am pretty darn proud of myself for going this long. Tonight was a going away party for one of Heather's good friends, so we had a really good time.

So this past week HEather and I went to Missouri for my great-grandmothers funeral. Sad times. I remember going down to her and Granpa Crowders farm and always having a blast - a city slicker kid in the country is always a good thing. Unfortunately most of her kids are fighting over the will and property and such, which somewhat tainted the week even more then it already was. Stupid people piss me off.

This next weekend Stu, Jeff, Alison, and maybe Wes will be coming to Norman. I look forward to a quality weekend of golf, gambling, and general drunken debauchery. Should be some good times, and hopefully I will get some good pictures to capture the glorious events as they unfold.

Paris Hilton should die.

Check this out... I got two B's in both of my summer school classes. Beyond that, out of 9 tests I got 1 A, 5 C's, and 3 D's! Gotta love the curve's.

More to come tomorrow......

On The Road Again...

2006-07-30T20:37:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately I have to go to Missouri tomorrow. Going to Missouri is never a bad thing, but under the circumstances this time will be a little gloomy. My great-grandmother passed away this past weekend, so we are making the trip for the visitation and funeral. The rest of the week will be used as a little impromptu vacation. Going to get to see some family and friends I haven't seen in months which is always a good thing - plus this time my gas is getting paid for!

In other news, my summer internship is over. It was a pretty good internship considering it was not paid. I got to see and do a lot of things that will help me in the future. It seems like it would be a pretty good place to work for - I mean pop-a-shot basketball, free cappucinnos and slushies in the breakroom, beer and margaritas on Friday's, and a whole slew of other perks - not bad. We will see if I throw them a resume once it comes job searching time.

Tomorrow is my Finance final. Last test I set the curve - because I am a genius. C's all summer, then an A. Good thing I got that A, because I am not sure how I will do tomorrow so it will help with the overall average.

Last test before I got my A, I was out until 2a.m. playing poker with Bob. Bob isn't in town this week, but I can still stay out late playing poker. A little superstition never hurt :)

Who woulda thunk it

2006-07-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

So Lance Bass is gay? Get the hell out of town!

Well Crap

2006-07-25T22:06:00.000-07:00

So the beginning of this past weekend was a lot of fun. Bob and his buddy Mike came in town for a weekend of golf and poker. I won a little playing poker, and shot the best golf round of my life. The front 9 was horrid, but the back nine was 5 par's, 2 birdies, a bogey, and two double bogey's. If it wasn't for a couple of missed 5-8ft missed puts i would have been near par for the back 9.

Anyhoo, on Saturday night it hit. A day of not healthy eating, a couple of beers, and a very odd colored golf course hot dog lead to a night of throwing up, nausea, sweats, and # 62's (for those who count when they go to the bathroom like i still do - a 62 is way past a #1, or #2. ha.) I am still not sure if it was just food poisining as I now hear that for the past few days Bob and Mike have been throwing up and now Heather doesn't feel very well. Damn, I guess I gave them the flu or something. Sorry for that.

The new casino down here is pretty snazzy - well for an indian casino it is. You can tell they went to Vegas and looked at some of those casino's so they could modernize this one a little, but you can still tell it is ran by some feather-heads. Oh well. There is plenty of good poker action on plenty of tables - which is all I really are about.

This weekend my dad is coming in town for the first time since I have moved to Oklahoma. He is only staying a few days on the family's way back to Missouri. I am trying to think of a few good things to do as this will be their real first impression of OKC.

Not much else going on this week. Trying to finalize the wedding guest list. If you want on the VIP list to the party of the century send bribe money directly to me in the form of cash, check, or money order.

Playing Host

2006-07-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

This month and next are going to be pretty busy, but should also be fun. This past weekend my old buddy Dustin came into town. Always a good time with him. Lots of drinking, and bullshitting around. Can't complain there. One night we actually went bowling. Haven't been bowling in probably a few years. I can tell my masterful bowling skills have since become merely mediocre due to my absence from the game. One funny thing from that night though is that 5 times in a row, and numerous time throughout the night, Dustin would knock all the pins down on the first roll except the 7 pin, then proceed to miss on his spare opportunity. I don't know why the bowling Gods hate Dustin, but they sent that pin to taunt him all night long...and it worked.

This weekend Bob and one of his work friends are coming down for golfing and gambling. I blow at golf but love the game. Should be a great weekend.

Weekend after that, Dad and siblings in town.

Weekend after Stu in town.

Weekend after a break.

Weekend after Gran and Grandad in town.

5 out of 6 weekends I will have guests, but it really does make the time go by quick. Unfortunately it doesnt leave much time to catch up on sleep on the weekends like I normally do. Oh well. The sacrifices I make are amazing to me sometimes.

BAM!!

2006-07-09T22:23:00.000-07:00

ROCK AND ROLL!!!!

I Got Nothin

2006-07-06T12:58:00.000-07:00

Not a whole lot has been going on lately. My mom, sister, and one of her friends came down for the 4th. It was fun, but 3 chicks in the house for 3 days was almost too much to handle. They left, I slept. It was fantastic.

One of my summer school classes is over with and I am pleased to say I managed a B. Not that impressive by itself, but when you consider that fact that I never got higher than a 72 on any test, it becomes extremely impressive. Got to love the curve!

Internship is going well. It will be even nicer when I can get a job that actually pays me.

Not much else.

Bye.

I paid $25 to get my butt kicked...

2006-06-24T22:12:00.000-07:00

...but I did get a brand new T-Shirt! I decided to go run my first 5k (3.1 miles) road race in about 3 years today. I had forgot that there is a difference between losing weight and actually getting in shape. It wasn't as bad as the picture may suggest...although a 10 yr old really did beat me (seriously, this kid is some sort of freak of nature), and I had to pass the mom with the stroller just before the finish line so as to not lose to her.

I guess for not having run in a competition in 3 years I am really not that dissatisfied with my performance. Yes, there is room for a lot of improvement, but I know what I need to improve on so that makes it a little easier. I am going to try and start running at least one 5k a month. It was fun, I got to work on my tan, I got a break from my finance homework, and my $25 went to a good cause. Not bad.

Next time little Joey will not beat me. He can't run a race with a broken leg!

For Alison -

2006-06-23T21:45:00.000-07:00

I told you I wouldn't delete it :)

Congrats

2006-06-20T21:45:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the Miami Heat for their championship win. Although I pretty much hate everyone on the team except D-Wade, they pretty much outplayed the Mavs most of the series - and especially on their home court tonight. While the refs were pretty bad throughout the series, the Mavs failed to execute good plays and had key turnovers at times in the game when they couldn't afford to.

I think if the Mavs can resign their free-agents and maybe pick up another key player we can expect the same championship run next season...hopefully with a different outcome. I would expect that losing the championship on their home court will leave a fairly bad taste in their mouth and provide some much needed motivation for next year.

Of course, I would have thought that they would have had enough motivation to win tonight...

Good? Yes. Greatest? Hell No!

2006-06-20T17:56:00.000-07:00

As I watch the NBA finals I can't help but notice how good of a player Dwyane Wade has become. It hurts to see him on another team, but thats how life is. What I absolutely cannot stand however is the comparison between him and Michael Jordan. How on earth can you compare a guy who is in his third NBA season, not having won a title, not having won an MVP award (regular season, post season, or all-star game), not having been named to the all defensive team, not having been crowned the scoring champ, etc. to the greatest player the NBA has seen? Can't be done! I don't think it is fair to Michael or Dwyane. There is no doubt in anyone's mind that Dwyane Wade is a superstar in the league and definite comparisons can be made between him and other top players in the NBA, but quit the comparison to Michael Jordan already.

On another note, I have come to realize how much of a chicken-shit David Stern (the NBA commissioner) really is. Today he fined Mark Cuban 250K for remarks after game 5 of the finals - yet he wont go on record with ESPN or any other news outlet to say exactly what the fine was for. It is unfortunate that Mark Cuban gets fined for saying what every other Mavs fan and newspaper columnist says every day.

Good luck to the Mavs tonight. If they win tonight, I really do think they will take game 7.

Dear Mr. Cuban,

2006-06-19T20:19:00.000-07:00

I am a loyal Dallas Mavericks fan yet I am concerned with the current state of the NBA Finals. While the officiating job has completely blown throughout this, and the rest of the playoff series', it cannot explain some of the Mavs play throughout the course of the Finals.

With or without shitty refs, the Mavs never should have lost game 3. Period. Also, I am thorouly convinced that I am a better basketball player than Keith Van Horn. For the series he is shooting 27% (on 3-11 shooting, and 1-6 from 3 pt range) and averaging 1 rebound, 1 turnover, 1.4 points 0 assists, and 0 free throws per game.

Lets be honest, if I were to drive to the basket, get fouled, and even miss my shot attempt, I would still average more points per game this thig guy - AND get Heat players in foul trouble. (See Dirk. Eventhough he can't hit a shot to save his life he is still averaging more than 20 pts per game because he is getting to the free throw line.) If they get smart and stop fouling me I could get an easy layup. I WOULD NOT jack up a 3-pt shot every time down the floor just because I get the chance to play.

While I continue to have faith in your ownership abilities, I feel it is my responsibility as a loyal fan to give you my basketball resume for you to look at and seriously consider as an option - seeing as how nobody else on the team wants to step up and play consistently.

Basically my resume boils down to - I know I can play better than Keith Van Horn (and I am beginning to think Dirk Nowitzki).

I would urge you to consider my offer as I will require a mere fraction of his current salary.

A concerned fan,
Ryan

P.S. I am glad the last two games are in Dallas and am trying to have full faith that they can win two in a row.

Poor Screech

2006-06-19T20:06:00.000-07:00

Seriously, poor screech. Apparantly Dustin Diamond, better known as Screech from one of my favorite shows of all time, Saved by the Bell, is having some serious money issues and to keep from losing his house is selling various t-shirts. I might have to buy one and save Screech's house. :)

If you feel compelled to by a shirt and help Screech to keep from losing his house check out www.getDshirts.com.

From Yahoo news:

A bell can't save Screech...but a T-shirt might.

Dustin Diamond, forever known to children of the '80s as Saved by the Bell's Samuel "Screech" Powers, has taken to hawking autographed T-shirts of himself in a bid to raise $250,000 and stop a bank from foreclosing on his Milwaukee-area home.

The TV nerd turned stand-up comic is selling shirts through his Website, www.getDshirts.com.

"First we rallied to Free Winona. The next time we Voted for Pedro. This time we'll Save Screeech's House!" Diamond writes on the site. (While the former TV star is apparently confident he'll raise enough to save his home, he clearly doesn't anticipate making enough to pay off a lawsuit, adding a third "e" to "Screeech" to avoid violating copyright laws.)

Last Tuesday, Diamond appeared on the Howard Stern Show to relay how his once-vast fortune had whittled away to nothing, putting him in his current near-homeless predicament. And no, Zack Morris had nothing to do with it.

Diamond claimed to have made nearly $2 million for 10-season run on the Saturday morning show, but told Stern that his parents took all but 25 percent of his earnings, leaving him with next to nothing as well as "sh--ty credit."......

For the rest of the article see Screech: Saved by the Shirt.

Anyone got 450K I can borrow?

2006-06-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

As I was driving home yesterday afternoon from a meeting at the state capitol I couldn't help but notice that after I got on the highway I was trailing a brand new, off-the-lot Mercedes SLR McLaren roadster. I immediately thought to myself, what is a $450,000+ car doing in Oklahoma City?
At this point in time I was following the car and wanted to pass it to get a nice profile view (that's right, my 2001 Chevy Blazer whizzing past a car that will do 0-60 in .00072 seconds). I was also think what Heather's brother would do in a situation like this and his genius words of, "I would stick my wang in the tailpipe" immediately came to mind. Except as you will notice from the picture, the "pipe" come out the front side...wierd foreign cars.
Anyway, as I passed I noticed that the driver was none other than the Owner/CEO of Chesapeake Energy Company, the second largest independently owned natural gas company in America. He was the keynote speaker at the meeting I had just left, and now I wished I would have been paying a little more attention to the speech he gave us, but I do remember a few highlights... His company is worth more than $21 billion (he's not worth 21 billion, butI would venture a guess that his share of stock is not too shabby), and he kept telling us not to worry about cash at this age because with hard work it will come later. Yeah, I guess it will Mr. Billioniare.

Dumb Schedule

2006-06-13T21:56:00.000-07:00

Man, with summer school and work my sleep schedule has been real screwed up these past two weeks. I have only been getting a max of 4-5 hours of sleep per night, so i am exhausted during the day. When I get home from work I am so tired that i end up falling asleep for an hour or so watching TV. Then, that nap makes me not tired until around 2-3am, so I don't get any sleep at night. A viscous cycle. I really need to get back on a regular schedule because I won't be able to keep doing that all summer long. Oh well, enough bitching.

I was pretty stoked after the Mavs won their first two Finals games against the Heat, then they decided to blow a 13 point lead tonight and let them right back in the series. Something you can't do when you are facing two dominant players, and one of the best coaches the game has ever seen. I think they absolutely have to win the next game, keeping the Heat from tying the series. Thursday is going to be HUGE.

Summer school has been pretty killer so far. I hate finance. I should like it more because investing is something that has always interested me, but after not doing so well in my accounting classes I sort of have a bad tast in my mouth for any "business math". My marketing class is pretty cool, but the test was a killer. In both of my classes, the class average was in the D range - but me being the genius I am got a C on both tests! With the curve, that puts me in the B range!

Not much else going on lately. Life has been pretty mundane with school and work and such, but I can't complain to much. Work is fun, and I am inching closer to graduating. I will try to update more often. GO MAVS!

George Carlin

2006-05-27T22:44:00.000-07:00

I haven't watched a good George Carlin stand-up special in a very long time. As I sit here watching one of his HBO specials, I have forgotten how funny I think he is. I notice his rerums on HBO all the time, but tonight I actually took the time to watch them again. Good stuff. Good use of time. Here is a quote courtesy of wikipedia (I know it's a little sacreligious, but funny nonetheless):

"I've begun worshipping the sun for a number of reasons. First of all, unlike some other gods I could mention, I can see the sun. It's there for me every day. And the things it brings me are quite apparent all the time: heat, light, food, a lovely day. There's no mystery, no one asks for money, I don't have to dress up, and there's no boring pageantry. And interestingly enough, I have found that the prayers I offer to the sun and the prayers I formerly offered to "God" are all answered at about the same 50-percent rate."

Blah

2006-05-27T12:04:00.000-07:00

I've been in kind of a funk lately. It seems as if things are just becoming really repetitive. With the exception of Vegas a few weeks ago, my life is either:
a) wake up, go to school, run, study;
b) wake up, go to my internship, run; or starting June 5th
c) wake up, go to school, go to internship, study, run

Do you see the pattern? No time for me to do anything because I don't have time to make good money at a real job. Even when I was back at TCU and working with GMAC I was always busy with school or work, but the great salary afforded me the option to take weekend trips to Missouri, or wherever else the wind blew. Memorial day weekend for example; I get to sit home all weekend because I don't have enough money to go to Texas or Missouri to see my old comrades. I miss that. Even though Vegas was a blast, I was constrained by money the whole time I was there.

Added on top of all that a lot of my friends graduated this year, and are all starting their lives in the "real world". Not me. I get another year of college (and maybe more if I want to get a graduate degree, even though I can still have a job while I do that). I know it is not often you hear this, but I would rather just be done with school. At least then my daily repitition would be one of my choosing based on my job, and new assignments at the job every now and again. I just want to move on. Honestly, if any decent job would hire someone without a degree I would just forget about college.

Amen, Donnie

2006-05-23T20:03:00.000-07:00

I know that I will probably step on a few toes with this post, but it needs to be said. As I was watching The Big Idea with Donnie Deutch tonight, he said something at the end of the show that I could not have agreed with more. As he was following up on a piece about Barry Bonds and the steroid scandal he said, "I am tired of everything involving African Americans being an issue of race."

I could not agree more. I know that Barry Bonds is black, and he just happens to be in the middle of the steroid scandal. Yes there are probably white guys using steroids, but with Barry being the one breaking records he is automatically going to be in the spotlight. If Mark McGuire was still playing (who is a white guy for those of you who don't know), he would be in the middle of the scandal too (especially since he has pretty much admitted to using steroids). If Mark was still playing I would be rooting against him also. I just don't like cheaters - black or white. Maybe if Barry would not be such a dick to the media, and also being pretty shady about the steroid scandal there would not be such a shitstorm around him.

Bottom line is this: just because your African American doesn't mean that everything is about race.

On the lighter side of things, I do like my new internship at the advertising agency, and I know they like having the free labor around. The job is good, but the 45 minute drive each way is not. Oh well, such is life.

GAME 7!!!!

2006-05-22T14:58:00.000-07:00

This is huge. It could be one of the biggest games in Mavs history. Game 7 tonight against the Spurs. One of the best rivalries in basketball over the past few years will come to a head tonight. I expect it to be a good, close game. I just hope the Mavs can come out on top.

Back from Vegas

2006-05-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

I had a great time in Vegas this past week. I lost a little gambling, but in the grand scheme of things, I think I got off pretty cheap. Jeff and I had a great time at the taping of the final table of the World Poker Tour - I think we mostly enjoyed the 5 hours of free drinks. Nothing wrong at all with that. There are many more good memories from the week, and we all definitely plan on going back - only next time with a little more money.

I will leave you now with some memorable quotes from the week:

"68 cents mothafucka" - Heather commenting on the cheap corkscrew she bought and never used.

"I have severe cotton-mouth and a slight hangover" - Jeff after a night out at a fantastic club.

"I can't believe I paid $40 for that shit. A bunch of dudes and fat chicks" - Some guy telling Jeff and I not to go into the Coyote Ugly bar.

"I have a small butt and small boobs" - Betsy
"And that is why you don't have a ring on your finger" - Jeff

"I will give you a cheeseburger in paradise" - Me. My roomies will know what I am talking about.

"I have gas, and that makes me grumpy" - Betsy

3.0 Baby!

2006-05-22T14:45:00.000-07:00

Even with that dumb Brittish science teacher giving me a C, I still got a 3.0!

Can you make that a verb?

2006-05-15T17:58:00.000-07:00

Funny story from the poker table the other day...

I was sitting next to this loud guy from California who pretty much thought he was God's gift to poker. All the while he was sitting next to me yapping up the table, he was shedding some serious skin. Obviously he had psoriasis, his forearms were nothing but dry skin, and while his arms were resting on the table it kept flaking off. It was pretty gross, and I don't get grossed out that easily.

The funny part was when he got up and left and the dealer called over the poker room manager to tell her to get the little handy-vac to clean up the table. "The guy psoriased all over the table." The whole table just busted up laughed at the fact he had turned psoraises into a verb.

Hey, after 10 hours at a poker table, shit like that gets funny.

Good Stuff

2006-05-08T18:20:00.000-07:00

From the fantastic show Two and a Half Men:

"You mean he has no idea how much fun he can have between 'hi, how are ya?' and 'what do you mean you missed your period?!'"

Easy A

2006-05-04T10:36:00.000-07:00

I found out today that a class I am in this semester is being offered next semester, but here is the good part. This semester it is a 3000 level class, next semester it is a 4000 level class. The same teacher (the cool one who took our whole class to a bar), the same book (I will save myself about $200), and the same exact cases (i still have all my papers saved). The best part? It is the exact same freakin class, its just that Rayburn is supposed to teach it a little harder. Yeah right. This guy will teach it the same damn way. An A this semester, an A next semester over the same stuff. Fantastic!

Im a geek

2006-05-04T10:25:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but I have been watching the history channel a lot lately. Last night I was up until 3am watching a show on the history about.....shovels! They really are quite fascinating. Not just some steel on the end of a stick - there really is a pretty good amount of science that goes into designing those things.

A few random facts from the show:

the oldest continuous running company in America is a the Ames shovel company which was founded in 1774 illegally by a blacksmith. (Remember all of the raw materials were just supposed to be mined in America and sent back to Brittain at the time, so actually "finishing" and of the raw materials was illegal.)
The Ames company produced over 11 million shovels for WWII
When we were finishing the Panama Canal the workers had steam shovel races to see which steam shovel made the most headway each day. The winner got to put a broom on the top of thier rig and fly it kind of like a flag. They even had magazines in the states about the progress and people would bet on this stuff.
Over 1 million injuries are sustained every year from people shoveling their driveway (back, rotator cuff, herniated discs, etc)
There is actually a shovel museum somewhere in Pennsylvania

Im such a geek.

A little of this, a little of that

2006-05-03T22:27:00.000-07:00

OU finals suck. At TCU there were dead days (aka get real drunk days) when there was no school, not just go to school and the teachers are not supposed to give you any assignments. Well that went out the window when two of my classes decided to give me finals this week instead of next. Oh well, I guess it is not that bad to get two of my six finals out of the way this week.
The Mavs are rolling. Their first playoff sweep in history, and I think it showed a lot. Not only do they have the offensive firepower, they have become a decently well rounded defensive team also. There were a few times when they had to play from behind in the series and they showed they are capable of doing so.
Mario Williams the first overall pick in the NFL draft? Hmm
Vegas is two weeks away. Can't wait. Although I will be doing the Vegas thing on a pretty tight budget, I definitely think it will be a blast
I know this is a few weeks old news, but did anyone see Paris Hilton singing happy birthday to Hugh Hefner at his Playboy bday bash? Seriously, she needs to accidentally fall off the balcony of her New York penthouse sweet.
A girl in my class today was telling me about her finance tutor. She was complaining because he raised his hourly rate from $43/hr to $46/hr. His reasoning for the raise? To compensate for the increasing taxes in packs of cigarettes. Fantastic.

Group Projects

2006-04-19T12:27:00.000-07:00

I would like to take a moment out of my busy schedule to profess my undying love for group projects. It is the inevitable part of every college semester - the last two weeks. The last week is set aside for finals, which in themselves suck very very very much, but the week before finals is what really chaps me in a place i don't like to be chapped. The week before finals is the part of every semester where in all of my business classes i have a group project due.

Trying to coordinate schedules with group members, trying to seperate the different part of the project, trying not to gouge the eyes out of your idiotic group members are all part of the struggles of the group project. Honestly, if I had my way I would rather just do the whole dang thing myself.

The part that really gets me is when a teacher tells me this is what it is going to be like in the real world when you have a group thing to do at work. Huh? To my understanding most of the time in the real world, most of the people you are going to be working with will actually want to be there, and if they are good enough employees to be put on some sort of big project for the company will have a desire to be on that project.

I guess the first sentence of this blog should be rewritten to read - I freakin hate group projects (to put it lightly).

Off to a group meeting. If you see me on the evening news, it is probably because I strangled a group member of mine and I am now a wanted man.

Mommy's in Town!

2006-04-14T16:25:00.000-07:00

Heck yeah, $200 in groceries! (But it was mainly healthy food this time not a bunch of cookies, hot dogs, and beers.) And, maybe if I play my cards right, a new pair of running shoes.

Good Riddance!

2006-04-14T16:22:00.000-07:00

I've lost about 6lbs in almost 2 weeks - take that fat!. The training for my track and road races is coming along fabulously. I just wish I would have never gotten this far out of shape to begin with. But I have been kicking my own ass, and can't complain to much about being sore because it is my own fault I am in this shape to begin with.

I just don't know what to think

2006-04-06T18:53:00.000-07:00

So there I am in the back row of my government class, playing poker on my laptop, taking the occassional notes, minding my own business when out of nowhere the dude sitting next to me offers me $5! Seriously? I haven't had someone offer me $5 since that one time at the strip club in Mexico.... I mean, back to my story.

$5? Hell yeah! What do I got to do? "Just email me your notes from today" the guy says. I was stunned. I am normally the guy getting other peoples notes, or having them let me take a sneak peek at the daily assignment. I wasn't sure if I should be offended or what. I know I was wearing a nice collared shirt, khaki shorts, loafers, and glasses, but I didn't think I looked that much like a nerd. Who does this guy think he is asking me for my notes like I am supposed to be there at his every beck and call so he can sit there and listen to his IPod in the back row. I mean, I know I was playing poker, but at least I was semi paying attention.

I am so confused. Oh well. I got $5 bucks. Hell yeah!!! Got to keep up my end of the bargain and email my notes. Bye.

My Point Proven

2006-04-03T13:27:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I worte a blog that pretty much aired most of my disgusts with fraternity/sorority people. I don't know if today proved my point, but it certainly didn't harm my point.

Get this - In my advertising class today three sorority girls (I will leave out the name of their sorority for fear of some sort of blonde retaliation) showed up about 10 minutes late. They walked in and stopped at the door as if they were waiting for the class to acknowledge their presence. Keep in mind this is a class of about 200 people in around a 250-300 seat room. When the teacher didn't stop the lecture and bow to their feet, they then started to look for a seat. With numerous seats open in class (and two next to me), one girl comes up to me and asks if I will move so they all can sit together! Are you fucking kidding me? You can't sit by yourself for a little over an hour? Will you spontaneously combust? Will you be stripped of your sorority letters for having independence and being able to sit by yourself? I just don't get it.

If class hasnt started and they are there early - go ahead, get seats together. But to walk in late, interrupt, then ask people to move? Seriously. I guess if it were just me it would not be a big deal, but when I said go jump in a vat of peroxide and re-dye your hair, they promptly went and asked the dude on the other side of the two empty seats next to me to move also. He said fuck off too. Good for him.

Ugh, some people.....

A Few Things

2006-04-03T13:11:00.000-07:00

I am pretty disappointed in this years tournament. UCLA and Florida in he final? how freaking uneventful. And the Final Four was even worse! Two blowouts are not what I am interested in seeing. Not really sure if I am going to watch tonight to be honest.
I am tired.
I got the internships I interviewed for at Jordan Associates Advertising for the summer. Should be interesting, but the drive and gas costs will blow since the place is about 40 minutes away.
Go see The Inside Man with Denzel Washington and Clive Owen. Suprisingly good movie. Either Denzel is getting blacker, or his teeth keep getting whiter every movie I see him in. Seriously.
My teacher took our class out to a bar last Thursday and spent a little over $500 on the tab. That could have been one of the coolest things I have seen since I started college. I definitely had my share of that tab - and woke up the next morning with my knees scraped up and my car parked on the other side of my complex. What a great night!
Vegas flights are booked. Looking forward to that trip - Wayne Newton here I come.

Back to School....

2006-03-22T19:29:00.000-08:00

...Back to school, to show my dad I'm not a fool. Spring break was nice. I made a little money playing poker, got to see some friends and the fam, and let my house get dirty beyond belief. I am trying to get my laundry all caught up, but I think I seriously have like 5+ more loads to go.

I have been playing a lot of online poker lately, but at the $.10 tables. It is a lot of fun, a $10 buy in will last a long time. And, when a bad beat comes around, you dont get so mad because you only lost $.70, or something rather small like that.

I have been applying for internships like crazy the past few weeks. I had a real good interview with Jordan Associates (an advertising agency in OKC), and should find out in a few days if I get it.

Oh, and congratulations to Donald Trump for having another kid. Ha! I guess money can buy happiness because there is no way he could ever land a chick like Melania without it. Ugh, old balls.

Thats really it. Not much more going on. Bye.

Stupid Tourny

2006-03-22T19:23:00.000-08:00

Anyone else's NCAA bracket completely screwed after the first few rounds? I mean, I know there are going to be a fwe upsets, but seriously, that was a little rediculous. Although I guess I am kind of glad that I am pretty much out of contention because now I can root for the underdogs. If the final is between Wichita St. and Bradley my life will be complete.

Yes, I Can Read

2006-03-07T20:49:00.000-08:00

I have been reading "Often Wrong, Never in Doubt" by Donny Deutch the past few days for my advertising class. I think it is a tremendous book, very insightful and funny at the same time, and would reccomend it to anyone. However, my reccomendations is not what this is about.

Maybe trying to cram reading a 250 page book into two days has made me delirious, but when I read this one excerpt I started laughing out-loud (much to the dismay of the quiet studiers around me - but fuck them).

When talking about the disclaimer on boner pills saying that if you have an erection for more than 4 hours you should see a physician - "I thought instead of 'Go find your Dr.', they should have said, 'Go find the nearest women's prison.'"

Tell me that didn't make you laugh.

Rent FREE!!

2006-03-07T19:02:00.000-08:00

Seriously, I don't know why I didnt think of this earlier. Plush leather couches and chairs. Free internet. 5-6 restaurants within 30 seconds. Numerous big screens. A game room. Peace and Quiet on the second and third levels. Multi-stalled bathrooms for my pooping pleasure. Huh?!?! That comes very close to being my ideal living quarters, and I have neglected to put all the pieces together until now.

The OU Student Union. I think I will be making it my permanent place of residence. I can keep my clothes and do laundry at Heathers. Other than that I pretty much have everything I need right here, and I could save almost $700 on rent and utilities. I am a genius! I will be heading to the post office tomorrow to fill out my change of adress card.

Oh yeah, did I mention that hot chicks walk by constantly?

So sorry for the delay

2006-03-05T18:29:00.000-08:00

I am a terrible person. I have left my loyal following of people with nothing better to do with their lives than read about mine, without anything worthwile to read in quite some time. Things have just been pretty crazy. This 18 hour per semester crap is no joke! I will try to catch you up on all the great stuff that has happened since my last post.

I was able to take a weekend trip to Ft. Worth to celebrate Alison's 21st birthday. It was a great trip with some much needed time off from school. I am beginning to think, though, that Jeff might be a bad influence on me. It seems as if everytime I go down there he peer pressures the heck out of me to get me drunk. I dont appreciate it, Jeff. :)
I turned 22. Kind of a crappy birthday. Not because I didnt enjoy myself and get some presents, but because it was my 22nd birthday. I mean what did I gain from turning 22? I can already drink, and have to be 25 to rent an RV. I guess I have three years of nothing to look forward to until I can get that RV.
I have began running again. Yeah, laugh it up. I have done this before, I know. But this time I am serisouly serious. I was like this two summers gao, but then had to get some surgery crap done on my kindey's. Last summer with moving and everything I didn't have time. I have really picked it up again lately, and have even looked up some track meets I am going to enter in this summer.
Thursday Heather and I are going to Missouri for a few days over spring break. It should be a lot of fun. Bob is getting a poker game together with some guys he works with, and with the exception of a few people, I think I am going to fare pretty well. I hope I dont jinx myself, but hopefully I can at least get a tank of gas worths of money out of the night. And if I don't win and Bob does? Well, then he can be nice and share his winnings with me for some gas. I like this set up.
Wedding planning. Yeah, more on that later.

All of that plus school is pretty much all I have been about lately. More to come, but right now it is back to homework....

Way to go Dick

2006-02-13T18:35:00.000-08:00

This is just to great. The Vice President almost blows some dudes face off in a hunting trip. Can't wait until Leno and Letterman get ahold of this one tonight. Here is on of the articles about it from the USAToday.

This and That

2006-02-12T11:28:00.000-08:00

I guess I am kind of glad that football season is over because with all the damn homeowkr I have had lately I wouldnt be able to watch any of it anyway. Seriously, 5 tests and 7 papers in a little over a weeks time is just a little too much. Speaking of tests, my ass is somewhat chapped with one of my professors. His grading is based solely on a curve. i.e. top 15% of class gets an A, next 20% a B, next 30% a C, etc. After the first test I have an 84% in the class, yet my grade is a C! A C!?!?! are you telling me that 35% of the class ahs a better grade than me in a Volcanoes and Earthquakes class? Even if they do, I think it is a little rediculous to drop my grade over 4% just because a few people have a better grade than me. He better realize his mistake or else a volcanoe might erupt near his house.

So, uh, the Winter Olympics are on. Yeah, I guess that's about it for that topic.

I am actually a little depressed looking at the t.v. schedule today since football is over. It is pretty apparant that Sunday television is nothing without the NFL, but I guess I have just really never noticed it. Here is the current lineup I have available to me: the Olympics on 4 channels (about 3 channels to many), some crappy NBA basketball game, NASCAR racing, a lot of paid programming, and pretty much every movie Steven Seagal or Jean Cleade Van Damme ever made. Wow.

I would like to say thank you to Hallmark for needing to boost their card sales so much that they created a whole holiday - Valentines Day. It's not enough that men get to buy their significant other's presents on Christmas, mother's day (if applicable), Birthday, anniversary's of the first date, first kiss, first time you held hands, first time you ever spoke, etc., and pretty much every friday night. But oh no, Hallmark needed a little more cash flow, so they made up Valentine's Day. Thanks.

I am saddened by the news that Quinn Snyder is no longer the MU basketball coach. I always liked him, but think his tenure was always made much more difficult by semi-stars thinking they need to go to the NBA after 2 years of college, a scandal from an ex-player/druggy/ex-con, and a pretty tough conference to play in. Sucks to see him go, but I am sure he will land somewhere and make a difference. Plus, he pretty much has the coolest hair ever.

I would like to end by highly reccomeding you see the movie Waiting. I saw it in the theater, and rented it again when it came out. Anything with Ryan Reynolds is hilarous, but this movie is really something else. The whole cast just works together well, and there are laughs throughout. Good stuff.

Alright kids, time to go to a group meeting. Yeah, those blow.

Super Bowl XL

2006-02-05T12:31:00.000-08:00

Here is the official prediction that as Vegas should use to create their point spread. Steelers 27 Seahawks 21. Really, as long as the Steelers win I will be happy.

I'm Officially an Okie...

2006-01-27T20:19:00.000-08:00

...Not sure if that is good or bad. Since I lost my license last week I had to get a new one, and getting one in Oklahoma will also help me get in state tuition for school. Kind of wierd though. My first new license since I was 16. I suppose it isnt all bad. I have gotten a few wierd looks sometimes while trying to purchase alcoholic beverages, and was actually rejected in Texas a few weeks ago since my license didn't scan.

School has been kind of a drag this semester. 18 hours is going to be rough. The crappiest part is my two marketing classes. Don't get me wrong, I like marketing (it is my major), but since my credits didnt transfer I get to hear the same stuff for the second and third time.

I have been playing a lot of poker lately and faring really well. I am consistently winning overall, with a few losses mixed in. It is rather funny how against the good players I make a lot of money, but then there are the shitty players who decide every two cards are worth playing that beat me. But I get even and beat them - in the parking lot and take my money back!

I am still trying to look for a job, and am becoming more and more depressed with the prospect of ever gaining sustainable employment above minimum wage in the state of Oklahoma. Don't get me wrong, I like not having a job, but the money situation has seen better days.

Well, that about catches you up on my life. Isn't it exciting? More to come.

American Idol Returns!

2006-01-18T12:48:00.000-08:00

Yes, I watched the season premier of American Idol last night on Fox from 7:00-9:00 p.m CST. No, I am not a queer. I want to set the record straight - I don't watch it past the first round. But let's face it, everyone loves watching a train wreck, which is exactly what the first few weeks of the show are. I know Jeff knows what I am talking about as we used to have watch parties to see who would make the biggest fool out of themselves. I love to watch everyone who thinks they are the worlds best singer make a fool of themselves. How great is it to hear Simon call someone crazy names on national TV? Good wholesome entertainment. I would strongly reccomend watching it for the first few weeks - once it gets down to all the good singers, it isn't fun to watch anymore.

Finally

2006-01-13T17:19:00.000-08:00

I got word from the business school today that I was accepted. I am not sure if they accepted me on academic merit, or possibly due to fear that I might set their brand new building on fire if they rejected me. Nonetheless, after 5 phone calls, and one trip up to campus I got my schedule figured out. 18 hours is going to be brutal.

On a lighter note, "The Muz" and Kenneth Loyd (the grandparents) are in town this weekend. Gauranteed to be some laughs.

I hope everyone has had a very scary and unlucky Friday the 13th!

It's Been Far To Long....

2006-01-11T20:39:00.000-08:00

...and I am so sorry to keep you waiting. Things have been pretty crazy as of late. Xmas break has been kind of crappy with taking my school intersession and work and all. Christmas was fun with the family in town, but the break as a whole has blown.

I am going to switch gears here a little bit, and really just want to tell everyone out there how much i want to blow up the Price College of Business here at OU. This place has got to be run by a crew of kids from the short bus. I really don't understand the complete incompetance that runs rampant at this supposed place of higher education. I am supposed to be admitted to the business school right now, but due to their fuck up, i am having to wait a few extra days. You might be saying to yourself that a few days might not be that bad, but considering the classes I need to get into I can't yet, and school starts on Tuesday, and these classes are getting full, and I still have to get my books, and this sentence is running on for a very long time.

Here is a little history of my situation: I took an MIS class (computer and database stuff mom, since I know you have no idea :) ) at TCU, and thought it was going to transfer. Well my academic advisor said it would transfer as long as I passed a computer profeciency exam. I passed the exam easily, so I thought getting into the business school would be easy, right? WRONG - dead fucking wrong!

Here is what really gets me. To accept or deny me into the business school, they have to look over my file. The piece of paper (which I have a carbon copy of) that says I can get in if I take the computer test, etc, etc. is in my folder. For them to deny me entrance, they would have to look at my folder. Did they just deny me by flipping a coin? Maybe a paper-rock-scissors thing? Or better yet, I bet they threw darts at a yes or no board. So I call up there today, and here is how the conversation went:

Me: Hi, my name is Ryan Starks, ID 112211690, and I am calling to see why I was not accepted into the business school.

Dumb Business School Admissions Lady: Well, it looks like you didn't take the MIS class you were supposed to.

Me: I took it at TCU, when I passed that dumb computer test, which you gave me the answers to so I dont really see what it tested, I was supposed to get in.

Dumb Business School Admissions Lady: Well let me look at your file.

Me: Good idea

Dumb Business School Admissions Lady: Oh, I see where we messed up. We just didnt look at that paper.

Me: So what exactly did you review when you denied me?

Dumb Business School Admissions Lady: I am not really sure. All I know is that when they examine who gets in and who gets out, sometimes they just choose based on the third letter of you middle name. Unfortunately, yours wasn't Q.

Me: Oh, I completely understand. I will just try again next year, and hope they go for the fifth letter of my last name K.

Dumb Business School Admissions Lady: Ok, better luck next time!

IDIOTS!

Hmmm

2006-01-01T12:42:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year. Hope everyone had a great Xmas. School over Xmas break licks butthole. A spectacular entry will be coming soon.

In The Spirit of Finals

2005-12-15T13:58:00.000-08:00

Why girls are like finals (courtesy of collegehumor.com):

You'd rather get an easy one.
You get in a lot of trouble if you get caught cheating on one.
If you are drunk when you do one, it takes a lot longer to finish.
The less they have on them the better.
If you have more than one scheduled at the same time, you have a problem.
Nothing about them makes any sense.
They just lie there and you have to do all the work.
When you are done you get up and leave.
Good curves make for a more enjoyable experience.

Xmas Cheers and Jeers

2005-12-13T19:58:00.000-08:00

As Christmas nears I am reminded about all of the wonderful things of this time of year. Unfortunately, I am also reminded of the crappy things that go on this time of year. What better way to talk about all of these things than through a long missed cheers and jeers section. In celebration of Ryan's Rants and Raves first Christmas I give you, Christmas 2005 Cheers and Jeers.

Cheers to presents - who are we kidding? Yeah, it is nice to give presents to people to make them happy, but everyone loves GETTING presents. There are only two days a year when you can expect presents, Xmas and Birthdays, so whats wrong with trying to get all you can out of it?
Jeers to shopping for presents - Actually, the shopping isn't really the bad part, it is all the other people out shopping too. Seriously, I think half the moronic population in the world stays at home until it is time to shop for Christmas presents.
Cheers to family - Even though it can be tough to try and remember the name of your second cousin once removed from your mom's side, or to listen to your crazy Aunt "Sally" tell all kinds of off the wall stories, but it is always nice to get around family and just kind of forget about everything else for a short time. And after all, it only lasts for a day.
Jeers to working retail for Xmas - see Jeers above. It's not my fault if there is something you want that is not in stock. If you wait until the week before Christmas to shop, shit is going to be sold out. Period. If I have one more customer come up and tap me on the shoulders, ask me if I am busy (when I clearly am), request for me to walk clear across the store when there is another associate right next to the shit they are looking for, then get mad at me for selling it to some other person who planned ahead in their Xmas shopping, I am probably going to knock them out.
Cheers to white Christmas lights - call me old fashioned, but I like it kept simple. White lights that outline your house are enough for me. I guess as I get older and have kids that might change, but for now I just like some simple lights.
Jeers to Finals - an inevitable part of the holidays that really put a damper on the beginning of any celebration.
Cheers to the Grinch - Rumor has it that last year on Christmas day his heart grew 4 sizes. This year he has been an excellent donor to the Angel Tree Network, and Toys For Tots. A great comeback story for people of all ages.
Jeers to Christmas in October - or November. I love Christmas as much as the next person, but when retail stores start having Xmas sales before Halloween, or people start putting up Christmas stuff before Thanksgiving, I really have a problem with that. There are dates on the calendar for these holidays for a reason. Celebrate them in order. The few exceptions to this rule is my birthday (everyone should celebrate me all year around), 4th of July (there is never a bad time to blow stuff up), and St. Patrick's Day (am I crazy for seeing little green leprechaun's all year?). Each one of the aforementioned holidays are acceptable to celebrate all year 'round.
Cheers to Santa Claus - some kid in third grade told me there was no Santa. Well, Joey, if there is no Santa, how come I get presents under the tree from him every year? Have you ever seen the movie the "Miracle on 34th Street"? It's a biography. Santa is real, his presents are real, his reindeer are real, and his elves are real. You will never convince me otherwise.
Jeers to "A Christmas Story" - Every year that dumb movie plays all day long on Christmas. Here's a break down of the plot. Some dumb kid gets his tongue stuck to a pole and shoots himself with a BB gun. I think after 20 years, we can stop playing that movie on repeat.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

All I Want For Christmas

2005-12-02T20:03:00.000-08:00

Now that Thanksgiving is over, we all can start focusing on Christmas. (I really have a problem with people who start celebrating Christmas before Thanksgiving is even completed.) I would say Christmas ranks about fifth on my list of favorite holidays, preceded by my birthday, Halloween, the Fourth of July, and St. Patrick's day. There has always been close competition with xmas for that coveted top five favorite holidays list from Arbor Day, Presidents' Day, Cinco de Mayo, New Year's Eve, the whole black heritage month, and pretty much any last day of the semester. A little secret as to why Christmas has been able to keep its top five ranking again this year - Presents!

Now, let's all be honest. When people say, "Christmas is all about giving", or some variation of that, I really just want to say horse crap. Christmas is all about GETTING presents. I love them. You love them. I know for me to get presents someone has to give them to me, and for that I am thankful. But seriously, I really like getting presents more than I like giving them. So, in the spirit of getting presents, I have compiled a list of presents I want this holiday season (you can click onthe link to see what retailer near you carries them). Oh, and don't worry if they wont fit under the tree. Just leave me a little card under there to tell me where I can get the big, kick-ass present. The moment you have all been waiting for. Drum roll please....

Phillips 42" flat panel HDTV. Seriously, this would be a great spacesaver for my apartment. Just trying to make the most out of the room I have.
Sony Home Theater System. My ears are very sensitive to crappy sounds. I can only have the best quality sounds around me lest I go deaf at a young age.
La-Z-Boy Couch. A way to decompress after a long, hard day at work. The less stressed I am, the happier everyone else is.
Margarita Machine. Just incase my new couch doesn't de-stress me enough.
Poker Table. Think of it this way, instead of going out and wasting my money at a bar or some other entertainment establishment, I can stay home and make money.
Suzuki GSX-R600 (black). Well, I guess it doesn't have to be black, but that is my preference.
Arcade Game System. This thing is freakin badass. 'Nuff said.

There is more, but since it is still a little ways away from Christmas, I will save the rest for later. Oh, and if you find yourself having a hard time deciding between which of these gifts to give me, I will always take cash, or answer any questions you my have in helping to make your gift giving decision easier. Happy Holidays!

Econo Lodge - Carthage, Missouri

2005-11-27T20:18:00.000-08:00

Wow. Not sure where to start on this one. I am typing this blog in room 108 of the Econo Lodge in Carthage, Mo. But before I explain why I am where I am, I should start with how I got here.

Heather and I decided to head home to Missouri for Thanksgiving break on Tuesday night around 9:30. Things were going great on the drive home. (I always like to drive home at night b/c there is a lot less traffic.) To the best of my recolection around 2:30 a.m. a series of events unfolded something like this: I changed that station on my XM Radio to the 90's hits channel to find the opening beats of 2 Legit 2 Quit, this was soon followed by the mandatory hand movements that go along with the song, soon thereafter I was starting to tell Heather how this girl from high school was going to be having a hip replacement surgery (wierd for a 22 yr old), then.....FUCK!!!...a huge deer decided to walk (not run, gallop, jog, trot, or skip) right in front of my vehicle moving at approx. 80 mph. Being the fantastic driver that I am, I was able to slow down enough and swerve a little as to avoid hitting the deer head on. Instead I hit him in his hip (yeah wierd since we were just talking about hip replacements). This little collision was followed by a few screaming expletives, a very confused dog, and a fiance who suprisingly held it all together and calmed me down in the process. After waiting until 4 a.m. for the Triple A guy to show up to fix my clicking engine, we finally got home around 5 a.m. Yeah, way to kick off a holiday weekend.

The time home was a lot of fun. Seeing friends and family is never a bad thing - although too much of it can be. Luckily I wasn't to that point. Fun times, a lot of laughs, and recalling memories of yore.

Today was the day we would return to Oklahoma and get back in the routine of everyday fun with work and school, but wait! That would be too easy. Heather's mom called and was worried about some storms that were spread out between Tulsa and K.C., so we looked up the weather report online. It looked as though the bad weather would be more along I-35, so we headed back home a different way. Again, things were rolling along smoothly when out of nowhere the sky went black, strong rains and hail started, the weather sirens began to ring, and a tornado watch was in effect b/c one was spotted in the area. This brings me to the here and now. We decided to pull over and get a room at the Econo Lodge to sit out the storm for the night (plus after hitting the deer, I am missing a headlight so driving in the rain at night is not a great idea). Being the fantastic student I am, I started to do my homework in the hotel when the electricity decided it would be a good time to go out. From the information I got from the lady at the front desk, the 40 mph winds knocked over a transformer or something like that. So here we are at 11 p.m. in a room that has electricity due to a generator the hotel turned on.

I am a little apprehensive about talking about tomorrow and Part II of the drive home. I think it is supposed to be a little rainy, but hopefully it wont be anything I, or my slightly damaged yet suprisingly tough Blazer can't handle.

I hope everyone else had a fantastic break, time to do homework. Ciao!

The Big Idea with Donny Deutch

2005-11-19T14:36:00.000-08:00

I have been watching a "talk show" for a while now called The Big Idea with Donny Deutch. I pretty much just stumbled across the show one night, and have been watching it ever since.

I was first introduced to Donny through the TV show The Apprentice. Donny runs one of the largest advertising firms in America (also has an office in Toronto), with accounts ranging from Johnson & Johnson, to Coors Brewing Co. Just his advertising mind alone is something to be admired for anyone seriously thinking about entering the world of advertising. He has done amazing things for some of the largest companies in the world.

Enough of his business side though, I am writing about his show. It can be seen on weeknights at 9p.m. cst and again at Midnight cst on CNBC. It is a very fascinating show for many reasons. First, Donny is a pretty moderate person. He declares himself to be a "purple" state, and while I may not completely agree with everything he says, it is very nice to see a person actually open minded to both points of view. Another great thing about the show is the guests he brings on. In just his first season on television, he has already been able to book some of Hollywood and Washington's most powerful faces.

The overall great appeal of the show is the mix of politics and entertainment. He is able talk about a wide variety of topics with all of his guests, go toe to toe with some of politics heavy hitters, and all the while stick to his own guns.

He, contrary to popular belief and current news articles, is the one who came up with the idea of boycotting Aruba. He has taken a personal, not just a ratings, interest in what happened to Natalie Holloway, and is always having her mother on the show for updates. He is determined not to just have this story fade away out of the public's mind, and he is correct - without America's tourism to the island, Aruba would just fade away. The economic pressure a tourism boycott would put on that country would lead the government to take seriously the search for Natalie.

But I digress - watch the show. It is not only entertaining, but informative, and for the most part presents both sides to all the stories, which is something refreshing to see. He also has a new book out that I am going to be picking up sometime in the near future called Often Wrong, Never in Doubt. I suspect it should be a good read.

Screw Your Freedoms - Your Lucky to be Alive

2005-11-09T17:35:00.000-08:00

As I am watching the O'Rielly factor, I am seriously steaming about some idiot who was just on there. He is a two time convicted sex offender in Iowa. The first time (I belive what he said was a neighbor girl) he only got five years probation for his crime. The second offense (his 7 year old nephew) only landed him five years in prison. That little sentence, I think, is something for a completely other discussion, and is nto what I am pissed about right now.

The whole reason for this dude coming on the show was to say how his rights are being violated as a two-time convicted sex offender. He has the audacity to bitch about where he can and can't live. How he has to register everytime he moves. This, that, and the other. All of his inconviences, rightfully so, are based on legislature such as Megan's Law to protect, mainly, younger children. Personally I think this guy is lucky to be alive. If my kid ever gets molested, that person dies. End of story. He was lucky enough to dodge the wrath of two fathers. Beyond being alive, I think he should feel very thankful that after two convictions he only had to serve 5 years! Are you kidding me? Call me crazy, extremist, whatever you want, but in my opinion he should be locked up for life. If this was a different century - his dick would be cut off.

Beyond saying that his rights were violated - which already had me on the verge of screaming at the TV - he also had the balls to say the only reason he committed the second offense is because he didn't get the proper treatment after the first time. He said something to the effect of, "In jail you can get the treatment you need, when you are not in jail for this, you can't." Are you fucking kidding me? Yes, I do think he should have went to jail after the first time, and not just gotten a slap on the wrist, but who pays for your fucking treatment in jail, pal? ME (and every other taxpayer)! Well, I guess in actuality since this was in Iowa, I might not have footed the bill; but I am sure there are people in Oklahoma, Texas, or Missouri who are in the same position, that I did pay for at one point in time while living in those states.

And for him to say he can't get treatment unless he is in jail? NO, it's more like he doesn't want to get treatment on his own so he can conviently use that as an excuse for his second offense. What excuse is he going to use for his third? Watching this guy on TV made me realize he is very complacent and somewhat unapologetinc about his actions. He is more concerned about his own well-being. He shouldn't have a well being. The only thing America should care about is the kids' lives he forever damaged, and how they can be helped to grow up as naturally as possibly.

This guy pretty much just got me steaming for the rest of the night. Damn him.

Good Riddance

2005-11-08T19:05:00.000-08:00

Terrell Owens is an idiot. Period. This is a man who is debatably the best reciever in the game today, yet he can't keep his damn mouth shut. Recently he has again been outspoken in rather negative terms towards his team and teammates, and got suspended. Great. Good for the Eagles. Personally I don't think they should have let him come back after what he did in the offseason, but they did. Now, however, I think they did make the right decision in suspending T.O. for, what could be, the rest of the season. Hopefully they will cut him at season's end, and every other team in the league will see he is more of a detriment to teams, and therefore not pick him up.

Let him sit out a year. He probably doesn't give a crap about the weekly paycheck he isn't recieving for playing, but the endorsement checks he will stop getting will probably, well at least hopefully, send him a message.

Stupid Chirac

2005-11-07T20:22:00.000-08:00

Ain't karma a bitch? I can't really say I am glad that innocent people are getting injured in the riots in France, but this situation has made French President Jacques Chirac look like a complete idiot - especially after making such moronic statements about the U.S. war on terror. It seems as though he isnt even prepared to fight the terror on his own soil refusing to call up military reserves, instead calling upon backup police officers. Good Luck.

From Fox News:

France Sets Curfews, Deploys 9,500 Cops

Monday, November 07, 2005

ARIS — France will impose curfews under a state-of-emergency law and call up police reservists to stop rioting that has spread out of Paris' suburbs and into nearly 300 cities and towns across the country, the prime minister said Monday, calling a return to order "our No. 1 responsibility."

The tough new measures came as France's worst civil unrest in decades entered a 12th night, with rioters in the southern city of Toulouse setting fire to a bus after sundown after ordering passengers off, and elsewhere pelting police with gasoline bombs and rocks and torching a nursery school.

Outside the capital in Sevran, a junior high school was set ablaze, while in another Paris suburb, Vitry-sur-Seine, youths threw gasoline bombs at a hospital, police said. No one was injured. Earlier, a 61-year-old retired auto worker died of wounds from an attack last week, the first death in the violence.

Asked on TF1 television whether the army should be brought in, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said, "We are not at that point."

But "at each step, we will take the necessary measures to re-establish order very quickly throughout France," he said. "That is our prime duty: ensuring everyone's protection."

The recourse to curfews followed the worst overnight violence so far, and foreign governments warned their citizens to be careful in France. Apparent copycat attacks took place outside France, with five cars torched outside the main train station in Brussels, Belgium. German police were investigating the burning of five cars in Berlin.

The violence started Oct. 27 among youths in a northeastern Paris suburb angry over the accidental deaths of two teenagers but has grown into a nationwide insurrection.

The mayhem is forcing France to confront anger building for decades in neglected suburbs and among the French-born children of Arab and black African immigrants. The teenagers whose deaths sparked the rioting were of Mauritanian and Tunisian descent. They were electrocuted as they hid from police in a power substation, apparently thinking they were being chased.

President Jacques Chirac, in private comments more conciliatory than his warnings Sunday that rioters would be caught and punished, acknowledged in a meeting Monday with Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga that France has not integrated immigrant youths, she said.

Chirac deplored the "ghettoization of youths of African or North African origin" and recognized "the incapacity of French society to fully accept them," said Vike-Freiberga.

France "has not done everything possible for these youths, supported them so they feel understood, heard and respected," Chirac added, noting that unemployment runs as high as 40 percent in some suburbs, four times the national rate, according to Vike-Freiberga.

Vandals burned more than 1,400 vehicles overnight into Monday, as well as churches, schools and businesses, and injured 36 police officers in clashes around the country, setting a new high for arson and violence, said France's national police chief, Michel Gaudin. Attacks were reported in 274 towns, and police made 395 arrests.

"This spread, with a sort of shock wave spreading across the country, shows up in the number of towns affected," Gaudin said.

In terms of material destruction, the unrest is France's worst since World War II — and never has rioting struck so many different French cities simultaneously, said security expert Sebastian Roche, a director of research at the state-funded National Center for Scientific Research.

Villepin said curfews will be imposed under a 1955 law that allows the declaring of a state of emergency in parts or all of France. The law was passed to curb unrest in Algeria during the war that led to its independence.

He said 1,500 reservists were being called up to reinforce the 8,000 police and gendarmes already deployed. The Cabinet will meet Tuesday to authorize curfews "wherever it is necessary," he said.

"The multiplying acts of destruction, the destruction of schools and sports centers, thousands of cars set on fire, all of this is unacceptable and inexcusable," he said. "To all in France who are watching me, who are disturbed by this, who are shocked, who want to see a return to normalcy, a return to security, the state's response — I say it tonight forcefully — will be firm and just."

Villepin said "organized criminal networks" are backing the violence and youths taking part are treating it as a "game," trying to outdo each other. He did not rule out the possibility that radical Islamists are involved, saying: "That element must not be neglected." France's community of Muslims, at some 5 million, is western Europe's largest.

Local government officials will be able to impose curfews "if they think it will be useful to permit a return to calm and ensure the protection of residents. That is our No. 1 responsibility," the prime minister said.

A Socialist opposition leader, Francois Hollande, said his party would closely watch to make sure the curfew law is applied properly.

"This law cannot be applied everywhere, and it cannot be long-lasting," Hollande said. He said Villepin should have put more emphasis on improving life in tough neighborhoods and said the premier's proposals were vague.

Villepin said he wanted to speed up a $35.5 billion urban redevelopment plan, triple the number of merit scholarships for talented students and offer jobs, training or internships to disadvantaged young people.

"We must offer them hope and a future," he said.

But nearly 600 people were in custody Monday night, and fast-track trials were being used to punish rioters.

France's biggest Muslim fundamentalist organization, the Union for Islamic Organizations of France, issued a religious decree against the violence. It prohibited all those "who seek divine grace from taking part in any action that blindly strikes private or public property or can harm others."

The first fatality was identified as 61-year-old Jean-Jacques Le Chenadec. He was trying to extinguish a trash can fire Friday at his housing project in the northeastern Paris suburb of Stains when an attacker caught him by surprise and beat him into a coma, police said.

"They have to stop this stupidity," his widow, Nicole, told Associated Press Television News of the rioting. "It's going nowhere."

Business School Entrance Exam ... or English Test?

2005-11-07T18:56:00.000-08:00

So, last Friday I took the PCAT (which is the entrance exam to get into the business school here at OU). First, lets just get it out of everyone's system - Yes, I am in my fourth year of college, and yes, I am just applying to get into the business school. Done laughing? Great. The process was a little held up since I transfered. Hopefully I will only have to go through one victory lap at college.

As I was sitting listening to the exam instructor tell us what this thing was going to be about, I couldn't help but wonder if I was in the right room. I am not really sure what I had in mind for the entrance exam, but I was thinking it would be something along the lines of what we had to go through at TCU; have good grades, get Microsoft Certified, then go through a professional interview with a big-wig in the DFW business community.

Instead, I had to write two essays. You might be thinking, "Well, if they are essays about business (any aspect of business), that might not be so bad." Hmmm. Well, thats not what it was at all. My first essay (which I had 45 minutes to compose, edit, and finalize) was for me to analyse the quote, "All good ideas come from passion in commonplace things." Are you kidding me? The second essay I had to write (which I only had 30 minutes for ) was a little better, but not a lot. This one was about analysing an argument, which side I was on, and why.

I guess I am just a little confused why me getting into business school is contingent upon grammer, sentence structure, etc. Not to say all that stuff isn't important, but I think there are more important things that need to be focused on when trying to get my degree candidacy and all taht stuff figured out.

Oh, by the way, I got a 5/6 on each one; which I suppose is very good since a 6/6 is real hard to come by. I should get my notification on if i get into the Price College of Business in a week or so.

In other news, for the 6th time in a row the Chiefs beat the Raiders. It's not just that they beat them that impressed me, it is how they beat them. The Chiefs have always been a kind of notorious conservative team. To see Dick Vermiel go for the win with 5 seconds left on the 1 yard line was very impressive. It just shows me that these Chiefs would rather go for the win right then, then play it conservative and try to win in overtime. I love it. Congrats.

The Dallas Mavericks are off to an OK start. They, as always, look good on offense, but letting up 95 ppg isnt going to get you very far.

I know this is a few weeks old, but kudos to Bill Gates. Obviously being the richest person in the world he has a huge obligation to make good with the blessings he has been given. He recently announced that on top of the millions of dollars in donations he already gives every year, he is going to donate an extra $250 million this next year to fight malaria. Chump Change.

DOMINATION

2005-10-28T14:17:00.000-07:00

So, I pretty much destroyed my calculus test last week. A-! I dedicate this victory to my ever wise and knowledgable tutor Jason. He is the light of my mathematical life.

Cheers and Jeers

2005-10-24T18:47:00.000-07:00

Haven't done this section in a while, and I think it is time Cheers and Jeers was brought back from the dead. Here we go.

Cheers to the new NBA dress code - I think it is fantastic that David Stern is trying to clean up the leagues image. Think about it. Is it really that difficult for multi-millionares to by a few pairs of dress pants, a couple of collared shirts, and a blazer or two? I am so tired of hearing the players bitch and moan about not being able to wear their FUBU and huge diamond chains to the game. You're a professional. Basketball is your job. Would you wear gangster clothes to work if you didnt play basketball?
Jeers to Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes pro-creating - The way they have been acting, I really dont think the world needs another crazy scientologist running around. And on a side note, I would never wish anything negative on someone I didn't know, or just really didn't like, but part of me wished that Katie would go through a little bit of post-partum depression. That way Tom could coach her back to normal with vitamins and plenty of exercise.
Cheers and Jeers (yes both) to Danny Bonaducie - Ex-Partridge Family Star. The epitome of a child star gone straight down the shitter. The Jeers is for him as a person. He is worthless at life. A few months ago he tried to commit suicide by cutting his wrists - TWICE! I want to tell him that if he really wanted to kill himself that bad, he should cut up the vain, not across it. He has pretty much thrown his family away due to drugs, alcohol, and steroids. What a winner. However, I do give a big hearty Cheers to his show on VH1. It is a great show. Honestly, it you need to fell better about yourself, watch this show. It is so hilarious how cool he thinks he is. Sunday night, 9 p.m. I highly reccomend it.
Cheers to the Kansas City Chiefs - Two wins in a row, and one on a very short week. Huge intradivision matchup with the San Diego Chargers this weekend.
Jeers to work - I haven't worked a 35 hour work week in a long time. I don't like it.
Cheers to the weather getting COLDER - Yeah, I might be about the only person saying that right about now, but I can't just stand super hot weather. I don't want it to get freezing cold (unless it snows), but a nice sunny day in the 50s-60s isn't so bad.
Jeers to phone soliciters - I don't know what it is, but I have had more phone solicitations since I moved into my new apartment than I have ever had. I know these people have to make a living so I am not necessarily mad at them, but the companies who employ them - they are the ones I strongly despise. These companies have to know that they are probably spending more money than they are bringing in through these phone soliciters.
Cheers to gas prices dropping - Here, in Norman, it is down to $2.07/gallon. Fan-freakin-tastic.

A few side notes

The TCU Football team is doing great this year. I have to give a shout out to my HornedFrog football team ranked #20 in the country.
A few movies I would reccomend seeing: Waiting (with Ryan Reynolds), and A History of Violence (with Viggo Mortenson and Ed Harris).
I hate calculus.

Engaged? What?

2005-10-18T12:09:00.000-07:00

Yep. Sure enough. As many of you may know, this past Saturday night I got engaged. It was a great night. Heather and I went down to the OKC Botanical Gardens (where I popped the question), then out to eat, then out for drinks. My parents made the trip down, along with Heather's parents, and many of her friends to meet up with us at dinner and for the rest of the evening. The wedding will probably not be for about another 2 years b/c I want to finish up school, and we both want to try and save a little money first. Not really sure what else to say. It all just kind of happened. I am a fiance - that sounds wierd.

I KNEW IT!!!

2005-10-12T13:56:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I am an avid Tim Duncan hater. Basketball is supposed to be a faced paced, fun game to watch. Tim Duncan screws it all up. Yeah, yeah, he has good technique, discipline, and all that jazz, but he is just plain boring to watch. I figure once you leave the YMCA, you can throw your good technique out the window. This dude is getting paid millions of dollars a year to entertain - something of which he does not do.

Anyway, enough complaining about that putz. I was watching this A&E documentary about Uday Hussein (Saddam's crazy - and DEAD son) today, and I noticed something very startling...he looks exactly like Tim Duncan! Check it out for yourself.

Sick, Wrong, and....Funny

2005-10-11T20:58:00.000-07:00

Via Ebaums World:

A new father goes into the delivery room to see his newborn baby boy. The doctor pulls him aside and says " I have the most amazing news. Your boy can fly". The doctor sees the doubt in the fathers eyes so he offers a demonstration. He picks up the little boy, holds him high in the air and then lets go. The baby falls to the floor with a loud thump.

"You son of a bitch" says the new father, ready to kill the doctor. " Wait, something must be wrong. He flew this morning. Let me try again". He flings the boy across the room and he slams against the wall and slides down to the floor.

"Oh my god, I am going to kill you" says the father as he is running towards the baffeled doctor. "No no wait, I know what I did wrong. I promise it will work this time". He opens the window and tosses the kid out. The kid of course falls 7 stories and leaves a mess on the sidewalk below. By this time the father is choking the doctor. With his last breath the doctor says " I was just messing with you. Your son was born dead."

I Think This Works

2005-09-30T00:04:00.000-07:00

I ran across a quote today that I found rather funny, especially since Kris and Brandi are getting married this weekend.

"In my house I'm the boss, my wife is just the decision maker."
~ Woody Allen ~

I am pretty sure that most men can relate to this quote, but for some reason I think it was almost meant as sort of motto for their upcoming marriage. It should be a great weekend.

Alright Already

2005-09-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

It has recently come to my attention that a few select individuals rely on my blog postings as a source of everyday survival; for that I apologize for not posting in over a week.

I recently switched my Facebook profile from TCU to OU. In the process, I did some updating to my profile that hasn't been done in quite some time. While I was doing this, I started to think about the Facebook, and what exactly its purpose is. Is their any real functionality to the Facebook?

Now, I don't automaitcally want people to think that I don't like the facebook. That is not the case. I don't particularly go out of my way every day to look at it, once or twice a week is fine with me, but it is kind of nice to look up how some friends are doing a few states away at their various institutions of higher learning.

I guess the one thing I really have the most questions about are the "groups" you can join on the Facebook. This was brought to my attention as I was searching for some noteworthy OU Facebook groups of my own to join - which I must say are nothing of the caliber of the TCU clubs. :) According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, a group is defined as, "a number of individuals assembled together or having some unifying relationship". Has anyone ever held an assemblage for their Facebook group? I don't mean, "I am in the drinking group, and I happened to see a guy from the club at the bar the other night." Can you imagine the 4661 members of the "I went to public school...bitch" group meeting on the first Wednesday following the second full week of every month? Think about it.

Here's a little random observation for you people with too much time on your hands to think about. I conducted a little scientific experiment today that I found rather fascinating. If I stick a laser pointer in my mouth and shine it upwards, the top half of my vision goes red-tinted in whichever eye is on the side of my head I’m pointing it at. Fascinating. If I use a regular flashlight, both eyes go red, presumably because I’m illuminating them both from the inside.

I think I need to see a map of a human head; I can’t figure out how the light’s getting up there. This experiment, I predict, will someday lead to the cure for cancer.

All About Me!

2005-09-16T21:39:00.000-07:00

I will take this little bit of time to update you on my life. Get excited. My days have been super hectic as of late with school and job crap, so here we go.

This upcoming week is the first week of tests or this semester. I have a test on Monday, and 2 on Tuesday. Not to mention that I have to units due in my online classes that I have not even started yet. I know you are probably saying, "well that is what you get for procrastinating." To that I say, "screw off". If there is ever a timein my life I will procrastinate, it will be dring college. This weekend, and this week will be no bueno.
I have been living in Norman, Ok since June and couldn't find a job, yet in one weeks time I find two! I know, I don't get it. Well actually I do get it. For some reason in a COLLEGE town, each business finds it neccessary for employees to work 40 hour a week shifts. Does that sound a little odd to you too? It would seem to be a little more logical for these fine establishments to offer two split shifts so they could tap into the infinite pool of labor offered by the University of Oklahoma. But yeah, whatever.
The first job I got, I think I will really benefit from. I will be working for Primerica, a division of Citigroup (which for those of you non-business majors, is THE largest company in the world). I, yes Ryan Patrick Starks, will be a financial advisor. The man who likes to spend his money on good nights out, and poker, will be giving honest, hard working, American citizens advice on how to better spend and invest their money. It will be fantastic. I actually have to get two seperate licenses from the state to be able to do this. So, I figure if the position doesn't work out, it will still be a good thing; saying I worked for this company will look good on a resume, as will having these licenses. The only downfall is that it is strictly commission based - but the commission is really good.
The other fantastic job I recieved is at.....Bath and Body Works. This will be another great job. Here, I will only be a meeger stockperson, but the hours are good (about 15 a week), and it will be pretty easy. I must point out though, that this position comes with unfortunate timing. As my wise stepfather Bob pointed out, there will be many attractive young females parrusing the stores supply of beauty products. Now, in my younger, more single days, this would have been somewhat similar to a Lion coming upon a whole flock of wounded gazelles. I learned how to give a hand massage with this special creme today, that would knock the ladies out. I will, however, remain professional and stick to my stocking duties.
I FINALLY got all the insurance stuff completed from my surgery last August - and when I say last August, I mean '04, not '05. This is a very sore subject for me, and if I keep talking about it I will become very heated and have to ramble on and on about how freaking stupid insurance companies are. But I will stop whilst I am ahead.
Sunday night is pretty much the highlight of the Chiefs season. I would say that is normally the playoffs, but they either don't make it to the playoffs, or choke in the first round. What might this special occassion be you ask? CHIEFS vs. RAIDERS. For anyone who knows anything about the Chiefs I need not say more; and for the rest of you....well, I just don't want to talk to you. Go Chiefs.

So, that's it. That has been my life for the past week. Studying, job hunting, and dealing with insurance. After Thursday of this week I will most likely be rewarding myself heavily for a job well done on my exams - hopefully. And if things aren't so, "well done", then I will just have to drown out my sorrows.

Forgot Something

2005-09-06T13:37:00.000-07:00

I forgot to add something in my last post that I think is worth mentioning. After TCU won the game Saturday in Norman, many fans were very friendly and supportive of TCU. I would like to acknowledge those nice individuals and say thank you. I think I can speak for most of the TCU fans that were there by saying we were expecting a very hostile and combative crowd when TCU won, but it was just the opposite. Many fans (obviously there were some runk assholes) were very congratulative, and well wishing for the rest of the season. Gracias.

Boomer Sooner - HA!

2005-09-05T17:27:00.000-07:00

What a fantastic weekend this was. Just being able to hang out with some of my friends from TCU was enough to make it a good weekend, but then came the football game. TCU vs. OU. David vs. Goliath. A "small meaningless Christian school in Texas with a frog as a mascot" vs. "the greatest school ever to be constructed on the face of this planet". No one gave TCU a chance. Vegas made us 26 point underdogs. Nobody even took into consideration that (with the exception of last year), under coach Patterson, TCU has consistently had one of the best ranking defenses in the NCAA. Everyone just considered TCU a small bump in the road on they way to OU/Texas weekend (which might I add OU is going to get destroyed), then on to ruling the world.

Well stop the fucking press. TCU WON! That's right, I will say it again for all of you who have not turned on your tv since Saturday.... TCU WON! It's almost like the "Dewey defeats Truman" moment.

Being at the OU stadium will forever be one of the best memories I have. A small section of about 2000 TCU faithful lost in a sea of 82,000+ crimson and white OU fans. I cannot possibly explain how great it was to shut that crowd up, and to silence the infernal "boomer sooner" that rings nonstop from the band, so that all that could be heard was the roar of the TCU section.

Watching the TCU offense and defense completely dominate OU was nothing less than amazing. We ran faster , hit harder, blocked better, forced turnovers, stopped them on third down, and outcoached them. Basically just did everything better than them. The Sooners didn't know what to think. They were completely stunned. To think that a school would not just roll over and play dead for them is just incomprehensible. I am sure Bob Stoops was about to have an aneurism in the locker room at half time; I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall then.

Now, aside from the fantastic TCU victory, I must admit something did kind of rub me the wrong way. How the media handled the outcome of the game was horrible. Nobody wants to give TCU any credit with the victory. Everyone just wants to say that OU lost the game, TCU didn't win it. It is OU's fault they lost, and that TCU had nothing to do with it. OU lost starters, and have a new quarterback, etc, etc... Well, that is horseshit. TCU lost seniors too. TCU won that game. They went into Norman on opening day, shut out OU in the first half, shut down the Heisman hopeful, shut up the crowd, and outplayed and outcoached OU all afternoon. TCU won the game. Maybe if the OU team and coaching staff weren't so damn conceded, they would not have looked past TCU at the rest of the year. After the game, there were 100+ reporters in the OU locker room, and only 3 in the TCU locker room. What the hell is that all about?

TCU is back on the national football map. Whether or not they play well enough to stay there is something to be talked about at a later date. For now, they are rulers of the college football world. The biggest upset in TCU football in the past 40 years, and probably the biggest upset that will happen this year in college football. Congratulations to the TCU Horned Frogs. Not only did you deserve to win the game, OU deserved to lose for looking past you.

Finally Some Good From Oklahoma

2005-08-30T21:37:00.000-07:00

Not that living in Oklahoma has been all bad, but it has been a rough go at some times. Today, however, two of my biggest troubles were solved today taking a huge load off my back.

First, I finally found a job. Not the best job on earth, yet a paycheck nonetheless. I will be a valet driver at Norman Regional Hospital. Work is from Monday thru Friday from noon to 5:30. Not bad, no nights or weekends. I figure that with this little income, and the income I get from poker, I should be doing pretty well.

Second, I got 3 more of my business credits to transfer from TCU. This was kind of a big deal because if they would not have transfered I would have had to retake 3 classes, not only putting me behind schedule, but also costing me more money for having to retake the classes.

Hopefully this will be the start of great things to come. See ya later alligator - and always remember to eat your vegetables.

Fraternities and Sororites - I Just Don't Get It

2005-08-30T18:34:00.000-07:00

Don't get me wrong, I have many friends that are in fraternities and sororities, my girlfriend was in a sorority, and I myself was, at one point, going to join a fraternity. But the more I see them running around campus in a flock like they lost their mother goose; the more I see them all wearing exactly the same damn thing as if they all went shopping the night before together; the more I hear their fake laughs that are either there for attention, or to pretend like they are actually interested in something you have to say; and the more I have to endure their stories every Monday and Tuesday about how fucked up they got over the weekend, then slept with some dumb freshman slut who gave them an STD, the more I want to quit going to class.

Honestly, does the whole damn campus need to revolve around you Mr. "front-tuck, collar-up, gator-shirt wearing" frat man? Or you, Ms. "I have to dye my hair blonde, and throw up after every meal" sorority chick, should I bow at the very presence of you?

At first I kind of thought maybe it was only a TCU thing. I mean, every girl there drives a BMW and is snobby to the 10th degree, every guy drives a Tahoe and suckles at the daddy power tit for money, and MOST every one in a Greek is no good. I really don't know what finally kind of "pushed" me over the top in my thinking of these Greek groups, but I think I can point to at least one thing that contributed. Today in class about 10 minutes after it started, the door in the back of the room opens. In walks about 10 identical twins. And by that I mean all girls, all blonde shoulder length hair, all the same size, all wearing a t-shirt that had their sorority name on it, all wearing jean skirts, all wearing flip flops, all looking like they have been in the tanning bed for about 12 days too long, and all just standing in the back of the room with a completely dumbfounded look on their face as to why the whole class didn't stand up and part like the red sea for them so they could sit together in the middle of the class. I mean honestly, if one petal falls from the flower, does the whole thing die? It's as if they are one collective brain, and without each other will inevitably fail....or at least be unpopular and God forbid unknown, with the people they happen to be sitting around for 50 minutes. This does not only apply to sorority "sisters", it also very much so applies to the "brothers" in fraternities. I have seen that scenario acted out many times with them.

I guess I just don't get how these Greeks act because I am not in a fraternity. And, as I said before, I do have plenty of friends who are members of these organizations. I personally think most of the members are ok people by themselves, but inevitably someone they know has to show up. Then, everything goes to hell. Have you ever been around someone in a fraternity or sorority when one of the "others" show up? Let me preface this by saying, if someone I know whows up when I am with a friend I do stop and say hello. Maybe even ask what their plans are for the rest of the night. BUT, I don't abondan the person I am with. As a matter of fact, I will try to include them in the conversation, and introduce them if they don't already know each other. On the other hand when a friend of a frat. or sor. person shows up holy shit, you are lucky to see that person again within the next half hour or more. It's like they have to recap every thing they have done for the past week up to that point, THEN talk about what they are going to do for the next week.

I guess maybe I am being a little hard, but damn. I don't really give a crap what club or organization you join. Have a blast with it, but don't impose it on everyone else. And for God's sake, get a little individuality.

A Great Weekend - Now Back to School

2005-08-21T20:01:00.000-07:00

Turn $100 into $500? Fantastic!!! I had a great weekend this weekend playing poker. A $400 profit in 3 days is great...especially since I don't currently have a job. If I could, I would play poker all day long. Now, on to more important things. What could be more exciting than winning money playing poker you ask? Going back to school of course!

This semester should be interesting. How is how my schedule stacks up:
- Business Communications
- E-Bus
- Human Relations
- Psychology
- Calc II
- Sociology
- And for some reason I have to take a "learning how to use a computer" class
19 is going to suck, yes. But I can do it. I have faith in myself. Haha. Actually two of those classes I have already taken. I have those classes along with two others on appeal to get the credits transfered from TCU.

To keep this short since I have mucho stuff to do, good luck to those of you still attending school....screw you to those of you who aren't.

So, Its Been A While

2005-08-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

I would like to lead off by saying my blogging skills have been lacking as of late, for that I apologize. This past week has been very hectic. On top of getting all of my stuff ready to move, still trying to find a dang job, and continuing to deal with the OU business school people, I was living in a house with three other women and three dogs (one of which was an untrained hell-puppy).

Monday I made a round trip from Lawton, to Ft. Worth, to Norman, to Lawton, then finally back to Norman again. I had to pick up a few of my remaining belongings from Texas so I borrowed Heather's parents van. Great van. Terrible day with a lot of driving. On Tuesday I finished getting all of my stuff packed up and ready to move at Heather's house. Yesterday I finally got to move into my new apartment. It was a very long day, and I have decided that I am either going to live in this apartment until the day I die, or hire movers from now on. Moving 8 times since my senior year has been less than a blast.

I must say that I am very excited to finally live on my own. Not that I haven't enjoyed living with the roomates that I have over the past few years, but I think this will be good for me. I will try to get some pictures up here within the next few days to show everyone my new palace.
I am honestly not to sure what I think yet about living in Oklahoma. Obviously it isn't terrible or I wouldn't be here, but it just seems there is something missing. I think the word I am looking for is testerone. I must admit I miss going out with "the guys", or any guy for that matter. I do enjoy hanging out with Heater's brother, but since he is getting married in a little over a month he is about to lose part of his manhood. Hopefully I will run into some decent fellows at OU this upcoming semester, I do look forward to it.

Finally a Job???

2005-07-31T10:29:00.000-07:00

I have an interview with UPS tomorrow for a truck loading position. The pay is not the best, but they offer great benefits, and will be able to work around my school schedule. Wish me luck.

In other news, my poker game is still going well. I have found that I can somewhat support myself by playing good poker. It is very interesting this sport/activity/gamble/event that they call poker.

More to come tomorrow after my interview.

Missouri - I, or Missour - AH???

2005-07-25T09:26:00.000-07:00

I am back home now from a wonderful weekend trip home. It was a short trip due to my monetary situation, yet we made the most of it and I had a wonderful time. Here is a short recap:

Thursday night we went oout to eat with my family, then went over to Nick's house. I must say that the duplex they are living in is a nice place, and a good deal for the price they are paying. We just sat in the garage and drank a lot, but it was nice.....very humid, but nice. By far the highlight of the evening was Nick's crazy drunk old neighbor, who was there playing with his night vision goggles that he bought, saying he remembers the days of when he was in the Marines. It was great to see Nick again, and now that I don't live wuite so far away, I think it will be easy to pester his ass into coming to see me.
Friday was a pretty easy-laid back day. We waited until evening when it cooled off, then went down to the plaza. First we went to O'Dowds but it was too damn smokey, so we headed off to McKormick and Schmicks. It was a nice time just sitting at the bar talking with Heather for quite some time. I must say the only thing I didn't like was the $4 Bud Lights. That is just no damn good. I do think though that after talking to our bartenders, we figured out that men can tell if women are bitches by how they order drinks. Ladies, keep that in mind. More on that sibject at a later date. We ended up the evening with Stu at Granfaloon. It was Heather's first time to meet Stu, and the first time I had seen him in a long while. Good evening.
Saturday was just one big busy mess. I went and saw one set of grandparents and got some information about going camping at this place called Johnson's Shut In's in Missouri (I will get some pictures up for that later). We plan on going sometime probably next summer. Then I headed off to my other grandparents house for dinner, which I say I think I am still full from. Menu: Friend chicken, Mashed potatoes and gravy, cucumber salad, rolls, jello salad, homemade brownies and ice cream. MMMMMMM. Then from there is was off to my sister Haley's 8th birthday party. I will write about that when I get the pictures up. We ended up the night with Dustin and Cindy at Clancy's in Blue Springs. I am really happy that didn't turn into a high school reunion like I had thought it might.
Sunday we ate lucnh with Jessica, and headed home.

There you have it. A great weekend, with mahy laughs, packed into a few short paragraphs. I always enjoy going home to see my friends and family, yet at the same time I am always glad to leave. I guess to clarify that statement, I am just glad I got out of Missouri for college so I could experience something else rather than the same routine and seeing the same faces everyday.

A Little Poker Fun

2005-07-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

So lately I have been able to play a lot of poker. It, as always, has been fun. And at the same time pretty darn profiatble. From my original buy in of $58, I now have about $550 to my name. If it weren't for the extreme ups and downs that are inevitable in poker, I would seriously consider just playing for a living. The only thing that is really holding me back from that is that if I don't make any money on poker I won't make any money at all. To that end, I have no problem playing a little cards on the side for some supplemental income. I hope I can keep a little winning streak alive.

On a side note, Thursday I am going home to good ol' Missouri. I expect good times. More on that trip to come.