Archive for December, 2004


goodbye 2004

what a year. i was just reading my old posts from this year, skimming, extracting hundreds of memories, unique, crystallized in my brain and brought back to life through my written records of them.

incredible how much can happen in one year. i’ll always think that. and when i’m 80-some years old, i hope i can remember exactly how amazing and indefinite and changing life is, especially during this age.

off the top of my head, some things that happened this year:

acquired recording equipment to start my studio
started working out (and kept it up)
spent my summer at a job for the first time
went through several stages of emotional turmoil
joined a fraternity
broke up with my girlfriend twice
passed all my classes
played music with more people than any other year
developed a tremolo technique on guitar, enough to incorporate it in a composition
met Meryll, a special new friend
wrote my first song with lyrics, and several other instrumental pieces
continued the hurricane season legend
drove more than 8,000 miles
won (and sold) a guitar
saw Bela Fleck and the Flecktones in Atlanta
saw Ingram Hill in Baton Rouge
finished my formal Mathematics education with Multivariable Calculus and Diff.Eq.
stayed up at night later than ever before
started buying clothes from stores in the Mall
got a savings account
spent over $5,000
planned and took my own summer vacation with just the guys (jon and pierre @ Gulf Shores)
went duck hunting for the first time
been so in love that i couldn’t see straight
been so jaded by pain that i couldn’t stand it any longer
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got home, got punk’d

i wrote an entry when i got home and now much has happened but here’s the old entry:

got home for break today, and yeah, it feels good.

as i was coming home i found out that i’ve been invited to go scare some ducks with my uncles this weekend. they asked if i wanted to go hunt, but i aint never hunted no ducks before. so i figure that means i’m not really going to shoot any ducks. I’ll just scare em real bad. with twelve gauge shotguns.
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another semester

obsessively sweeping eraser-dust off the page,
pencil scratches and anxious sighs
white-knuckled and clammy,
curling the edge of the pages
the minute hand is menacing
so i look outside

a distant and dimming sunset, sending last glowing beams
through the golden aspen on the hillside,
where, jacketless, i feel my nose getting cold
and shove my hands in my pockets.
i hear the rustle of paper behind me,
and listen through the glass for the wintry wind
catching in the blanket of dry leaves and bringing
strong evergreen scent and smokey chill.


Whoa!

You must check this video out:

A rendition of the national anthem, Jimi Hendrix style, on the violin.

See it here

Unbelievable.


Done!

Foster Hall web 2.jpg

Now lots more time for things like this!


Finals Update

ugh…three down, two to go.

Which means that finals are almost over. So far, things have gone well. I can’t say how I did on most of my exams, but I have good feelings about them.

Not warm fuzzies, but more like room-temperature smoothies.

Whatever that means.

oh yeah, today is december 9 and I wore sandals to school. word to living in the swamp.

as my co-worker Terry is fond of saying, “Who has any need for weather under 75 degrees anyway?”


THE BEST OF 2004 a.k.a the end of the year wrap-up

Here we are again: college students in the midst of finals, high-school and middle school people at mid-year, working adults anxiously awaiting their christmas break…I’d say it’s a good time to be alive…so much to do, so much already completed, and so much to look forward to.

So, because it’s nearly the year’s end, (and I just can’t wait any longer) it’s time for this year’s installment of Jon’s End of the Year Wrap-Up

Below you will find all things good about the year 2004, including my favorite books, movies, t.v. shows, art, school, music, and of course, much more. And, as always, the final installment (yep, it’s in two parts) will conclude with my own personal top 100 things about this year. so, click on for the lists!
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overheard

in the lunchroom today

“Yeah, i pretty much figure, since i’m such a genius, i don’t need to study for finals. I’ll be playing Halo 2 in my room if anyone needs me.”
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that’s me

You are 48% geekYou are a geek liaison, which means you go both ways. You can hang out with normal people or you can hang out with geeks which means you often have geeks as friends and/or have a job where you have to mediate between geeks and normal people. This is an important role and one of which you should be proud. In fact, you can make a good deal of money as a translator.

Normal: Tell our geek we need him to work this weekend.You [to Geek]: We need more than that, Scotty. You’ll have to stay until you can squeeze more outta them engines!Geek [to You]: I’m givin’ her all she’s got, Captain, but we need more dilithium crystals!You [to Normal]: He wants to know if he gets overtime.

Take the Polygeek Quiz at Thudfactor.com Read the rest of this entry »


The End

Today was the last official day of the semester. Now, only one week of finals to go before Christmas.

It’s been quiet around here lately. If you listen closely, you might be able to hear pens scratching away and pages turning. Study time usually negatively affects blogging time.

The last day of the semester was anti-climactic. Kind of like this post.
Hang in there. There will be lots of Christmas creativity to come.