TUE - 1.4.05 - 12:43 AM
Finally, the day of the Orange Bowl has arrived. I had a dream last week that USC won 22-19, but I think that officially, I'm going to predict an OU win. It seems like more things are pointing in the Sooners' direction in terms of trends and matchups (mostly trends though; these teams are almost perfectly matched up with each other). But again, I'll be happy no matter what happens. I won't predict a score, but I'll go out on a limb and predict it will be close to my dream.

After watching the Sugar Bowl, I really don't think Auburn has much of a claim to the national title. They squeaked out a win over an above-average-at-best Virginia Tech team. Last year, USC was #1 in BOTH POLLS and was left out of the championship game; this year Auburn was a consensus #3 in both polls and the computers. The Tigers had an outstanding season without a doubt, but if there has to be an odd team out, they're the ones.

New Year's was great. Had dinner with a small group at Zio's, then hopped to a couple different places before settling at a friend's house at 11:45. Fun times were had all around.
[Let's Play Steak]

THU - 1.6.05 - 2:15 AM
Well. So much for that.

While I'm glad that USC won, I can't say I'm crazy about the margin. The Trojans are going places now, but this could potentially set the Sooners back a good bit. Hopefully they'll bounce right back, but with so many starters graduating this year, next season could be a little rough.

My actual predictions were off, but my dream had the Sooners' score correct, and if you flip USC's score upside down, you get the 22 that I dreamed. Isaiah tells me that numbers are often flipped or reversed in dreams (I still need to find something to confirm this). I think there's no more denying that I am, indeed, a prophet.

Fight on, Trojans! You are the team of the aughts, and are set up for a historic run. I'll be behind you.

And of course, I'll be behind the Sooners as well, even in times like these.
[Let's Play Steak]

TUE - 1.11.05 - 2:05 AM
Dear Jude Law,

You don't have to accept every offer you get to be in a movie. Really. Please stop.

Signed,
thecorrectdosage

Ben Folds has set a make-up date for the Norman show on February 10. That's a Thursday. I have tickets if anyone's interested.

One more week until school starts. I'm at a loss for what to do until then.

5RSFMWP! (it's back!)
The Unicorns - I Don't Wanna Die
De La Soul - Potholes In My Lawn
Ben Folds - I've Landed (Live)
Rilo Kiley - It Just Is
Stellastar - Pulp Song
[Let's Play Steak]

FRI - 1.14.05 - 11:11 PM
Great day. I went to lunch with the good people of Forbes & Forbes, who I hadn't seen since August. Bought my textbooks for the upcoming semester. I exchanged my old Ben Folds tickets for the new ones, and because I was quick on my feet, my group was moved from the 11th row of seating to the 8th row of the floor. All this, and then Matt Leinart chooses to stay at SC. Sweeeet.

5RSFMWP!
The Argument - Song One
The Coral - Pass It On
Beck - Devil's Haircut
The Pixies - La La Love You
Ben Folds - Make Me Mommy
[Let's Play Steak]

WED - 1.19.05 - 9:17 AM
So I have one day of school under my belt. Both classes were of the architecture variety and we didn't do much. Today I have Human Destiny and People of the World. I'm glad to be back.

Recently I've been getting some ideas and I'd kind of like to do another redesign of the site. However, I just did that a couple months ago. What I may end up doing is offering two different versions of the same thing. I don't know. I'll think about it.
[Let's Play Steak]

FRI - 1.21.05 - 8:01 PM
Had a good week of class. Mostly because nothing much happened. Today, the new wing of the university art museum opened to the public with much fanfare. I attended a brief lecture this afternoon by the architect, Hugh Nowell Jacobsen. I really enjoyed the things he had to say, and though I didn't recognize his name, his career has been well-decorated. He was a student of Louis Kahn, and after his lecture, he showed a film called My Architect. Kahn had two mistresses, and in the film, his son with one of them visits his father's buildings and colleagues to try and learn more about him. It was fantastic, and highly recommended if you can find it on video.

One of the gifts I received for my birthday a few months ago was a digital camera. With this newly acquired ability to take many, many pictures at little to no cost and easy uploading to the internet, I'm starting a new weekly feature where I'll post the most interesting shots I've taken recently. I haven't come up with a good title yet, but I'm sure that will come in time. For now, here's what I've got for the first installment.

One - Entrance to the new Lester Wing of OU's Fred Jones Jr. Art Museum
Two - More of the Lester Wing
Three - The Wing from a distance
Four - Oklahoma Memorial Union
Five - Sidewalk ad for the upcoming Ben Folds concert
[Let's Play Steak]

FRI - 1.28.05 - 7:26 PM
Gone for a week, and with good reason. While I don't think this semester is going to be particularly difficult, it is going to be rather time-consuming. I have quite a bit to read almost every day, plus I am taking on internship duties at the United Ministry Center on campus. I think I'll enjoy things, though.

Today, it snowed completely out of nowhere. Thus, my weekly pictures are all from today.

One - Our backyard, approximately 10:30 AM
Two - The accumulation of snow on my windshield
Three - A representative scene of the day
Four - The north entrance to campus
Five - A statue on the north oval, looking rather out of place
Six - A courtyard on campus
[Let's Play Steak]

TUE - 2.1.05 - 9:25 PM
This afternoon I bought Revolver and a few minutes ago I just finished listening to it all the way through for the first time. I'm going to want to remember that.
[Let's Play Steak]

FRI - 2.4.05 - 3:16 AM
Sometimes, the best part of my day is right before bed, when I take off my socks and shoes and clean the lint out from between my toes. Few feelings are more satisfying. I have gotten much accomplished, but there is more work to be done. This will be a very good weekend, if only for the short break it promises.
[Let's Play Steak]

SUN - 2.6.05 - 3:10 PM
New England 23, Philadelphia 13. MVP: Tom Brady. Just so you know.
[Let's Play Steak]

MON - 2.21.05 - 11:22 PM
Two tests last week, with A's on both of them. Solved a financial crisis on Friday. A week and a half ago Ben Folds played an incredible show at Lloyd Noble Center. School is keeping me busy. Much love.
[Let's Play Steak]

MON - 2.28.05 - 2:29 AM
I've been in the bustling metropolis that is Midwest City this weekend, watching the house and the animals while my folks are out of town. After the butt-kicking of the last two weeks, it's been nice to have my toughest decisions be what to watch on TV. I've seen Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas, Ghostbusters 2, and Matchstick Men all in the last 36 hours.

I know the Royals are going to stink this year, but spring training lights a fire inside me. And it burns, man. It burns. I love baseball probably too much.

Hope you dig the new site. I set it up right after my last update. I was getting tired of the different blue-green combos. For me, the simplicity of this design is its biggest draw. Anyway. I'm done for now.
[Let's Play Steak]

FRI - 3.11.05 - 10:24 PM
Aaaaaand Spring Break is here. Big whoop. I get to work on a model for most of the time. Well. It will be nice to be relieved of my other academic duties for a short while. I've felt awfully loaded down this semester.

Wednesday through Friday, Courtney and I will be in Hope. I haven't been there in four years, so I'm not quite sure what to expect. I probably won't see more than a few people I know. My ties to the town have slowly been dissipating over the last three or four years. At any rate, it'll be a trip of a trip.

TUE - 3.15.05 - 1:07 AM
It was 85 degrees here on Saturday. And since then, I don't think it's gotten above 55. There are snow advisories within a half hour of OKC tonight. wtf man.

I filled out my bracket tonight. In the Final Four, I have Illinois beating Louisville, UConn beating Michigan State, and Illinois beating UConn for the championship. It's weird; I didn't think there was any way I'd be picking Illinois, but I guess that's just how everything worked out. I'll put up all my picks when I get my custom bracket finished.

WED - 3.16.05 - 12:15 AM
My custom bracket
(It's printable, but you have to set the page margins as small as possible).

My tourney picks

Heading to Hope at about 9:30 this morning. I'll have pictures when I return.

TUE - 3.22.05 - 11:45 PM
That huge stinking model is finished and turned in.
(+1)

Ben Folds Five's Whatever and Ever Amen was released today, with remastered audio and seven bonus tracks. I bought it after class.
(+2)

Human Destiny is cancelled tomorrow, so I can sleep in.
(+3)

I have to do some reading tonight for a small quiz tomorrow.
(...not every day can be perfect, I suppose.)

THU - 3.24.05 - 9:51 PM
Awesome upcoming shows alert!

SUNDAY - The Mountain Goats are in Norman.
May 6 - The Shins are in OKC. (!!!!!)
May 20 - Of Montreal are in Norman.
Cake are in Tulsa April 7 but I don't really need to spend the money, and I've got an essay due the next day. Wish I could go though.

I just realized I've been putting 04 in all my dates for the last several weeks. Geez, it's almost April, I need to make the transition already.

SAT - 3.26.05 - 1:21 AM
I added my pictures from Hope tonight. I'm glad that I went. Within 12 hours of seeing everything, it felt almost like home again. It all seemed a lot smaller, though. We saw several familiar faces, which was outstanding. Not much had changed, aside from a few new or missing buildings. I realized several years ago that moving to Oklahoma was a better deal all around for me, but I still have lots of fond memories of Hope. The five and a half hour car drive was well more than worth it.

FRI - 4.8.05 - 4:20 AM
If there's one thing I need more of lately it's sleep.

It's finally baseball season. I predict 66 wins for the Royals.

And so ends another post about sports and/or music. I'll be sprinkling in more pictures soon for a little variety.

MON - 4.11.05 - 12:14 AM
Now I will step to the blackboard to write "I will not get too excited over a 3-3 start" 50 times. But damn, our pitchers look good right now (minus Lima).

Looks like an easy week ahead. But first I have to squeeze out a couple pages of Confucius. And no, I don't get to use any stupid fortune cookie jokes.

I am in love with Burger King's marketing department. They are on fire.

WED - 4.13.05 - 3:27 AM
A few weeks ago, I managed to get something jammed up in my printer that is too far in there to get out. Since then, I've been typing things up on my computer, saving them to a floppy disk, and printing them out in computer labs at school. Tuesday morning I went in to print off a materials list for a model, and as usual there were only one or two open seats. I grabbed the first one I saw, and as I was sitting down, I noticed that the guy sitting next to me had the exact same shoes as I. Same style, same color, same everything, only a little cleaner. I guess the point of this story is that you should never doubt my ability to write a significant deal without actually saying anything.

I've got some interesting pictures finally uploaded, but for now I'll stick with one topic. All day Monday the sky was an incredible blue. As the day went on it clouded up a bit, and I was leaving campus around 7:30, the clouds and sky were mixing in a gorgeous array of grays, blues, and whites. It looked like a painting. I took a few shots, and although it hardly does the real thing justice, some of them came out pretty well.

Sky 1
Sky 2
Sky 3
Sky 4
Sun setting under the clouds

THU - 4.21.05 - 2:07 AM
Here's some pictures of recent studio projects for your viewing pleasure.

Wall/Roof Study
section and side view
For this project, we had to research an assigned building and build a model of the materials used. This is a slice of Odate Sports Hall in Odate, Japan. Mostly wood and metal, as you can see. It's about 15 or 16 inches tall. I'm pretty proud of it, and it was worth a 96.

Treehouse Design
ground view and aerial view
I think the title is pretty self-explanatory. For my design, I created a hypothetical enormous tree, cut the trunk off at 26 feet, and put a circular house on top. The stairs are cut from the trunk (although in the model they're just pieces of basswood glued to each other). The model is about 18 inches tall. I'm less proud of this one, but it still got an A.

SUN - 4.24.05 - 1:07 AM
This is absolutely the least opportunistic baseball team I've ever had the displeasure of following. They can never put it all together in one game. There's always at least one thing that goes completely, horribly wrong. I wonder how many one run games they are going to lose this season. I predict twenty five. And I still hate the White Sox a whole lot.

...

I feel a little better now.

TUE - 4.26.05 - 10:51 PM
This morning I woke up at 9:00, went to Hastings, and bought Ben Folds' new record Songs For Silverman. I came back home and listened to it once, then went back to sleep for about an hour before class. I was excited to get back home and listen again, though I hadn't gotten much of an impression after the first one.

The third time through, I was looking through the booklet of photos in the deluxe edition and listening to the third song, "Jesusland." And somewhere in there, I just locked in with the music. And though it took longer than I thought, I came around to the album. There's only one song ("Time") that I'm still not completely sold on, but everything else is wonderful. Especially "You To Thank."

This thing made my week, at least. Thanks Ben.

SUN - 5.1.05 - 11:44 PM
I have listened to literally one song since the new Ben Folds album came out that was not from the new Ben Folds album. (By the way, it's really good.)

I spent all day reading the Bhagavad Gita, and now I get to write a short paper on it. I'm really glad I took this philosophy class; I've been exposed to so many things I probably never would have been otherwise. On the other hand, I don't like writing. Whatever.

Tomorrow, after class, I get to pick up my check, run to MWC to deposit it, run to Triangle A&E in OKC to get some supplies, run back to Norman for a staff meeting at UMC, go to my night class, then work on my final presentation for architecture until it's finished (at the moment, I estimate I'll be done around 2 AM or so). Then it's a final on Wednesday, and two more next week before the school year is over.

SUN - 5.28.05 - 10:53 PM
Last Monday I started my summer job at Cendant Travel in Moore. The first week was training, and Tuesday I start taking calls to book car rentals. Friday afternoon I took my first actual call and did well. I get to wear t-shirts and jeans and shorts and pretty much anything I want. I think it'll be a nice gig.

The Royals are on TV about 10 times a year here. Last week, they were on six times. They lost five of those games. After a disastrous series against the Angels this weekend, I've given up any positive expectations I might have still had for this season. For my own sake, I'll be doing what I can to not follow them quite so closely for the rest of the summer. If next year looks better, great, but if they show no signs of improvement by 06 or 07, I may start looking for a new team.

Time to gear down for summer. I'm happy for it now, but I'm sure I'll be ready for it to be over before too long.

MON - 5.29.05 - 11:58 PM
Movies I saw today:

Revenge of the Sith - A-mazing. Wow. Whatever was missing in Eps 1 and 2 was definitely there for this one. The action, the tying of loose ends, the sinister edge...it just couldn't have been much better.

Napoleon Dynamite - I liked it better than the first time I saw it. It's goofy, sad, and innocent. A complete original in an era of remakes and formulaic garbage.

Fahrenheit 9/11 - It made me mad, but not any more than I have been at some other point. Powerful imagery but obviously manipulated in places. Still a must-see.

Happy Memorial Day 'n stuff.

FRI - 6.3.05 - 12:28 AM
...Aaaaand the Royals just swept the YANKEES. Maybe I should threaten to abandon loyalties more often.

Work is going well. I'm settling into a nice groove. Still not very exciting.

If I had more, I'd spill it. This might be the norm for a while.

SUN - 6.5.05 - 1:52 AM
I've been in Bricktown the last two nights and managed to spend only $11.25. It's still $11.25 more than I wanted to spend. Was at the ballgame tonight between thunderstorms and wondered why it's still getting so chilly in June.

THU - 6.16.05 - 1:05 AM
The weather got several kinds of hot on Sunday, so I decided to wear shorts to work and see if the A/C froze my legs off. It wasn't too bad, but I probably won't be wearing shorts anymore.

(That's foreshadowing, kids.)

After work, I stopped by Taco Bell in Norman to pick up something to eat. When I reached down to grab my wallet, I got nothing but 100% cotton. Don't worry about my overactive appetite though; I keep a healthy supply of quarters in my ashtray.

Several times, I've found my wallet sitting in my desk chair because it slipped out of the pocket of my shorts. I assume this inability to do a pocket's basic duty is what caused the misplacement. At any rate, my wallet was officially MIA, and I had a problem on my hands.

I inquired everywhere I could think of on Monday, and no one had seen it or heard rumors of its whereabouts. I checked all over my room, my car, and my desk area at work. No luck. The problem had gotten much bigger.

Tuesday, I made sure that my credit, debit, and gas cards were cancelled. Also missing were my driver's license, school ID, Selective Service card, architecture woodshop card, two library cards, an insurance card, $30 cash, and a few more less important items. Not to mention the very nice leather wallet I had received as a gift for my birthday in November.

Today I went to Midwest City to cash a check (which was a problem seeing as how I didn't have an ID, but the teller gave in when I knew all my personal information), and got a new license. Then as I was driving home, a new wrinkle was added to the saga.

I got a call from Lauren that there was a message on the phone from Tuesday night regarding my wallet. I drove with a little more urgency. The call was from someone at the OU police department, and they said that a guy named Jerry Schute (I'm guessing on the spelling) had found my wallet. This was weird for a few reasons. First, I'm pretty sure that our home phone number in Norman was not on my license. Second, if I lost my wallet at work, how did it end up in a place where someone's first thought was to call the OUPD? The caller informed me that Mr. Schute was leaving for Dallas on Wednesday morning, and gave me a phone and room number at which to contact him. They said that they had advised Mr. Schute to leave the wallet with the OUPD if I had not contacted him before he left.

It was 2:00 by the time I got the message, so the first thing I did was call the OUPD. The person who had called me was not in the office, and won't be back until Friday. There seemed to be some confusion about the situation, and nothing was resolved there. So then I tried the number left for Mr. "Schute." (More foreshadowing, see?)

The number was for a Quality Inn, I assume in Norman. I asked for the room number I had been given, and the phone rang several times before the front desk came back on and said that there was no one registered in that room. I mentioned that he might have already left that morning. But apparently there was no one registered in that room for the previous night either. I paused in uneasiness for a moment before thanking the clerk and hanging up.

Okay, so my wallet has been found. However, the man who found it has left town, and if he was even here in the first place, he's leaving no trail. There's no one at the OUPD who can help me until Friday. And in the meantime, I've purchased $20 worth of new cards. Something is fishy in this business.

...Stay tuned for the next installment of WHERE'S MY DAMN WALLET.

FRI - 6.17.05 - 11:53 PM
I was in Midwest City today, and while at the house received a very special package. It was my wallet! I checked for the cash first, but there was only a note; a very nice one from Mr. and Mrs. Schupe (I was close). They had found my wallet at a Taco Bell drive-thru in Moore (not the one where I discovered the disappearance, incidentally) with no cash in it. They had tried talking to the Moore and Norman police departments but received no help, so upon noticing my school ID, contacted OUPD. Since I couldn't get in touch with them before they left, they mailed the wallet from their home in Mesquite, TX to the address on my license. I am incredibly grateful and lucky, and can finally put to rest one of the most bizarre chapters of my life.

This is from a call I got at work yesterday, as close to verbatim as I can remember. Keep in mind that I only handle car bookings; I have to transfer everything else.

Me: Thank you for calling your travel service, my name is Mike, will this be a car reservation only?
Customer: Yes, car only. I want to know how much it would be for two people to New Orleans.
Me: Okay, for what dates?
Customer: It would be June 26th or 27th from New York.
Me: You want to drive a car from New York to New Orleans?
Customer: No, this would be a flight.
Me : Okay, I only handle car reservations; one moment and I'll get you transferred to the moron air department.

The Royals were on TV again today and lost again, which I believe brings their season total of OKC televised games to 1-7. And they've been playing great lately. Camera shy, I guess.

MON - 6.20.05 - 12:47 AM
So the Chiefs agreed to terms with Freddie Mitchell the other day. Couldn't they have saved some money and just signed a literal horse's ass instead?

Prepare yourselves for a critique of the new Yankee Stadium plans released last week. I'll comment on four different renderings individually with some final thoughts.

Interior view ..... This is quite easily the most disturbing of the four. The most glaring error is the positioning of the different seating levels: there appear to be no overhangs whatsoever. Every deck starts at the back of the one below it. This will surely be the least intimate ballpark in major league history. The people in the upper deck will be miles away from the field. The reason that most ballparks have cantilevered decks is to get the fans close to the action. Yankee Stadium is supposed to be a big, monumental, intimidating structure, but this is blowing that way out of proportion.

Not only that, but this view makes the park look like a spaceship or something. It's a startlingly sterile environment. The only things that bear a resemblance to any past incarnation of the stadium are the decorative pieces along the roof and the field dimensions. Other than that, it looks a lot more like New Comiskey before its renovations over the last few years. That's a very bad thing.

Exterior view 1 ..... This isn't too bad, but it's awfully boring. Aside from recreating the original Yankee Stadium entryway, which is a great idea, it's just a flat duplication of one section of glass, concrete, and limestone. And the top of the seating bowl peeking over the limestone looks terrible and out of place.

Exterior view 2 ..... This is apparently an updated version of the last rendering. It's an improvement, but there's still that roof sticking out and curving around like a UFO. The straight lines converging at the entry are definitely better than the soft curve on the other. If there were 3 or 4 levels of seating rather than 5 or 6, it would lower the height of that roof and the view walking up to the stadium would be a borderline breathtaking experience. Of course, then you'd go inside and see a lifeless oval, and you'd forget about the exterior. But whatever.

Entryway ..... The most detailed rendering of the entryway is easily the most exciting part of the new stadium. That's a classic, powerful look. Build it right now.

Obviously, I hate this design. There's still hope for it though. When Camden Yards was built (designed by HOK, just like New Yankee), the original plans were similarly benign. Janet Marie Smith, who I believe was an Orioles employee at the time, whittled down the design into the trend-setting retro nugget it eventually became. Unfortunately for the Yanks, she works for the Red Sox now, so they'll have to find someone else to save them from this...thing.

SAT - 6.25.05 - 4:44 PM
This summer has been flying by for me. I'm glad, because this has been one of my more boring months in recent memory. But I'm going to a Royals game next weekend, and possibly going to Houston at the end of July. Then August will be chock full of things to do and then school starts.

And I still hate the White Sox.