The Finish Line Is Close

Almost done. One last exam to take.

Got an interview with WGBH tomorrow for FETCH! With Ruff Ruffman. Really excited.

Friends are back for a bit. I'll pay more attention to them when the stress of school is done.

I don't have time to play games with women. This mentality has helped me focus on school work. I've definitely improved 10 fold since last year at this time. No distractions or complications. I know I don't need a significant other in my life right now. And it actually feels great.

That's it for now.

Peace.

Countdown

Two weeks to go; got the finals to study for. Pretty much all of my focus is going to be on that. I've got to pass these classes. Plus I've got some backwork that I must finish this week.

I've got a date... with a lot of books.

Quick Focus

It's the weekend. Time to relax... oh wait. I've got a lot of work to do first.

No distractions this weekend. Gotta focus.

Ugh.

ForceFeed

Sometimes I hate the FaceBook NewsFeed. It forces you to look at things you may not wanna look at or be reminded of. It could be easier just to block the cause of the problem, i.e. the person or item which is causing the "infestation," but it will pan itself out fairly soon enough. Just wanted to throw that out there.

I'm sitting at Nik's computer in NYC right now, getting ready to leave after a fantastic weekend. He was in his 1st New York Show Topdog/Underdog. It was the best performance I've seen him in. Ever. Plus it was great to get away from Boston for a little bit. Something that I really needed to do.

Most of my close friends are returning to Boston for a short while for thanksgiving. It will be nice to see them. I've just got to make sure that I have some time for myself, is all.

A while ago, some college girl stabbed her ex-boyfriend multiple times while he was sleeping. I just read the news report again. That's just fucked up.

On a happier note, The week is almost over. :) And I'm ready for some trivia. Probably some You Don't Know Jack, my favorite game ever. I used to play it a lot, especially last year, but not so much anymore. We're gonna have a tournament this week, so I'm real excited for that.

Password is coming back to TV. Finally.

Everyone enjoy their thanksgiving.


Peace.

The Good Stuff

So...

TOMB went on a fun outing last Sunday to Laser Quest. It was SOOOOO much fun. The best fun I've had in a while (no offense to anyone else). We played 4 games; I got 1st place in 3 of them. Heh Heh...

Someone in my life has found someone cool to be with; they are very happy, and so am I. :)

I would love to go to London to go see the show QI. Awesome show. That, and attend a taping of Just A Minute. Nothing else (mainly cause I don't know anyone who lives there, so why go visit someone who doesn't even exist? That's kinda dumb...)

I bumped into my friend Ruby, who goes to Berklee, last week. It was so awesome to see her. We'll be chillin' in the next few weeks. :D

I have a collective B/B+ average in all of my classes as of the midterms. HECK YEA!

Happy Birthday, Margo!

I shared a bed with a friend I hadn't seen in ages last weekend. I can say that it was the best night sleep I've had with a woman in a little while (mostly because it was soft bed and we stayed on our own sides. Ha Ha. But seriously, it was a pleasant surprise to see her).

Nik, I love ya, bro. Can't wait to see you real soon in NYC.

These last few weeks have been kinda cool, mostly for the friends that I care about immensely, but there have been some sweet stuff for me as well. Let's keep this streak alive and well.

Peace.

Due Up...

Actual happy news this time around. When I get out of class. Hint: it has nothing to do with women. :D

Stick With Me

Been studying for my last midterm for hours now. Can't sleep very well. I need to pass this exam with some flying colors to keep this semester alive. I like the class, I just worry that it is not sticking in my brain.

It's times like this I really wish I had a significant other next to me. Just to lie in bed with. Knowing that I'm not alone and that there is someone there who cares about me like I do about them. I wonder if I'll get that back sooner rather than later.

I know I have friends around me, and for that I am greatful. And I know that I have many other things to worry about (which I do care and take great note of all the time), but I would love a beautiful distraction.

God, I miss that feeling. What I would give to get it back...

It's Crunch Time

Two MidTerm exams today. Back To Back. Then EIV News @ 6. Then Sleep.

I might die of exhaustion.

Peace.

Very Quicky...

I don't have too much time, since I'm working on a brain paper that is due tomorrow. but I haven't updated in a bit, so I thought I would say hello.

I FINALLY got my favorite black shirt back. It's been too long. I missed it very much. Now I can move on :P

School is alright, not super, but just alright.

I don't have time to be distracted by extraneous gossip or drama, which seems to be the bulk of my existence in the last few weeks.

I fear that I am in a deep deep state of depression. Like super big. I don't really know all the reasons why, but some of my friends have called me on it, seeing if everything is ok. It's not.

My computer died last week. It's sad cause I really like it. It's great cause this gives me the perfect excuse to buy a new one.

Happy birthday, Jeremy!

This past Saturday, I learned that there are some really nice people in the world. You never know where you might find them.

That's it for now. Don't Disappoint Me, World.

I Like The Bartender (Uh Huh, Ok)

It's been a while since I've done an update. But I've got a lot of work I need to work on. So let's make this one fast:

*My financial situation at school has been more or less taken care of. I'm set for this semester.

*My classes have been going very well. I'm actually very excited about getting these classes done.

*Jon and I have gone out to the bars every Friday for the last month and a half, and of all of them, the Lir is my favorite. Why? Cause I like the bartender there. Heh Heh. Not like that, but I'm beginning to make nice with one of them. Plus, they have good music. Can't beat that.

That's all I really feel like writing for now. So, unless there's something you wanna tell me...

A Fast One

Just wanted to say hello. I'm not really in the mood for blabbing today. I'm still awaiting a game that I ordered from Ebay.

That and a financial aid award from school. If I haven't paid by Friday, they're gonna drop me from my classes (which, by the way, I like).

Sigh...

C-C-C-Changes...

It's nice to be back in school. I guess I kinda missed it. Parts of it anyway.

I've been doing a lot of reading on the business of game shows: how they are formed, financed, and produced. It's quite fascinating actually. I'm learning a lot of new stuff that I did not know before. It's a very cutthroat business, and if you cannot handle it, it will chew you out.

Two new shows have premiered this fall: Temptation: the new Sale Of The Century and Merv Griffin's Crosswords. I've seen both shows a few times, and in my opinion, Crosswords is very well put together. I would expect nothing less, considering that Merv Griffin had a huge part in it. If I remember correctly, they were in their first week of production when he passed away. The game play itself is fairly simple once you watch it: clues are given and you must supply the word and the correct spelling. There's a bit more to it, which I wont get into right now, but after watching a few episodes, I think it will do fairly well. Now, I personally am not a huge fan of crosswords. In my lifetime, I may have completed 4 crosswords by myself without some sort of help or cheating. But I absolutely love word games. And I can give this one a chance.

Temptation, however, is a bit of a different story. The show is a port from overseas, and that was a remake from the original Sale Of The Century we had here with Jim Perry. I loved that incarnation. I liked the overseas version. I can't say that I'm feeling this new one. While it may look very elegant (and believe me, it does look very nice), I can't help but be nagged by the fact that many of the "mini-games" they have are similar, if not the same, as some previous game show premises. Case in point: "The Fame Game" requires contestants to identify a person, place or thing based on a series of clues that start off vague, but get more and more blatant as they go along. Along with this, on a video board, the number of letters in the name are shown in blanks and are slowly filled in one letter at a time, a la Wheel Of Fortune's "Toss-Up Rounds." Come on, guys. You can do better than that.

Now, it's not fair of me to bash a show completely. I really like the look of the show. It's very vibrant and colorful, not like many of the sets you see now in game shows. But considering this is supposed to be in daytime/afternoon and not on prime time, this choice does not surprise me very much.

Many other shows are either back with new episodes or will be returning with new ones mid-season. I'll be following as many as I can and will be reporting on them as they arrive. I'm particularly excited for The Price Is Right.

On to other stuff...

The term "ball's in your court" seems to be the theme of this month. Some of these "balls" are in my court (thrown in by other people) while I've thrown a few around into the courts of others (sounds a bit disgusting, I know, but bear with me here). I hope to have everything resolved by the end of the month.

I need new clothes. It's time to change the look. I have this kick-ass orange long sleeve shirt that I've been told that I look smashing in, so I think I'll buy some more clothes like that. When I have money, that is. Speaking of...

I also need a high paying job. It's time to be finacially well off.

I would love to meet some new people at school this year. I know that they are here somewhere, I just have to look around and be outgoing...

And on that note, I've got some Ethics homework to attend to. I have to look for examples of logicial fallacies in our society. Much easier said than done...


Much Luv

And So It Begins

The school year has officially started. Can't say there is much more than that. Oh, and the new TV Season has started.

Guess that's it. Big decisions to make in the next week...

Summer Reflections: Part 1

It's taken me a little bit of time, but I think I'm finally ready to write.

This past summer has probably been the one in which I have grown and changed the most. There have been a lot of events and occurances that have happened either to me or to those who I am or were close to, and each one has helped shaped who I have become right now. And I think I'm ready to share my findings.

Being 21 years old has opened so many new doors this summer. It's been kinda liberating actually. And it's nice that my closest friends are also 21; it gives me a chance to hang out with them in a new and social setting. I've also been privileged with meeting some new people and becoming great friends with them. A year ago, I would safely say that I would have not been as outgoing as I was this summer. And I think it really helped.

This summer I think I realized who my true friends are. It doesn't surprise me that it mainly consisted of people I didn't hang out with during the school year. This is by no means a slight to those I did chill with during the school year, but it was made very apparent to me who I could really trust unconditionally. That list is very small. In fact, a few people were removed from it for one reason or another. It dawned on me that friendship is something I truly cherish. I can say that I really love my friends. They have been there for me during every worrying session or venting or solemn moment. I know they have my back. And I have theirs. It's sad that a good number of them have left to go back to school. But they will be back. Plus I still have the buddies that go to school here...

It's been a little over 3 months since I've been in a relationship. It's been kinda hard, especially with the way things ended. My friends know how hard it's been, but it has been easier everyday. They have done so much for me to cheer me up, and for that I thank you. They also chimed in with their thoughts, feelings, and advice (which I have talked about in previous posts). During this time, I made some important discoveries and decisions. It was a bit foolish for me to think that a "break" would not turn into a "break up" before the summer was over. I really liked and cared for the person I was with, and I wished that A: she knew I felt that way during the relationship and B: I had shown that a little more. To me, the "break" meant for me to be alone without her and her without me and see how it went for a few months. Feelings were hurt on both ends, and it's what I think helped propel the events that occurred. But I am so glad that I had that time to think and reflect on the relationship. It has helped me learn more about myself and more about what I am looking for. She's got someone new, and that's fine. It initially hurt a lot (more than I, and she, thought it would). Some people thought that she did it on purpose just to hurt me. But the point is that things happen for a reason, and if we were not meant to be together, then so be it. Deal with it, suck it up, learn from it, and move on. I know that I am capable of loving someone; I just take a but longer than most others (and that's attributed to a few reasons, which I won't go into). I think it will be harder for me to find someone because of this trait, but I have to trust that I will be blessed with someone who understands that and will love me for me. The past relationships I've had have shown me more about who I am & what I want when it comes to relationships. My time will come, and when it does, it will be worth the wait and work.

This summer has also revealed that I am more outgoing than I thought I was. I'm a bit less worried about rejection. Well, maybe not that, but at least I know that I can make 1st moves. Or any moves in general. Plus, some people out there think I'm moderately attractive. So HA!

I want to be in the game show business so badly. It became very clear to me this summer. I TiVo'ed game show episodes all summer. I watched and analyzed them. I've come up with at least 5 new ideas this summer. I'm itching to get this off the ground. And I think I would be great at it. So many people have helped me so far, and many will help in the future. Trust me when I say that I won't forget what you guys have done for me.

There's still more to this, but it's getting kind of late, so I'm gonna go to bed.


Much Love To Those I Love Most.

1 Request

I really wish I had someone to hug me... it's been a tough and confusing week, and that's all I want.

That Does It

Every time I have the urge to post something huge, it turns out that the actual post is a bit on the small side. Kinda like this one's gonna be. But I have been very busy lately, and there's so much stuff that I would love to write about.

So... I think that before I start school, no matter what, I will post something significant. I kinda have to now, since I've been hyping it up for so freakin' long.

Well, back to Casablanca. God, I love that movie.

Ahoy There!

I'm on a ship on my way to Martha's Vineyard for the weekend with Rohan, Jon, Sim, & Ali. They are currently playing hide & seek, and I'll join them a little later. We'll be there until Monday.

There are just a few wees left in summer before school starts. Ugh.

My pitches are almost done; just a little more work to do on them. There have been so many people who have helped me with this, and I thank you all. I really do.

God Bless Merv Griffin.

Alright, I'm out. You'll hear from me soon.

From Bad To, Well...

What started as a bad day turned out to be slightly good. That's it really. I'm just a bit tired and run down right now. Just a few weeks till the new semester, and my friends leave to go back to school.

What I wouldn't give for a nice night out on the town...

Oh, and podcast is just days away.

Peace

New Vocabulary

Beaver Dam (n): the female equivalent of the male "cock block."
I heard this for the first time tonight at a small get together with my friend Sam and a group of his friends. I found it hilarious and logical at the same time.

I recently watched what is, in my opinion, one of the new best game shows produced in a while. Hosted by Drew Carey, CBS' Power Of 10 is a clever game where contestants try to predict the results of a nationwide poll. They can win up to $10 Million. I don't want to ruin anything from the episodes, cause you can watch them online at CBS.com, so all I will say is that you should check it out.

Speaking of game shows, I am less than two weeks from producing the radio game show podcast. I'm just looking for panelist.

Also, I'm about 2 weeks from having my pitch for PBS ready to show. I've got two fairly good game shows targeted towards kids. I am actually very excited about these.

My trip to P-Town was very relaxing. It was great to hang out with Natasha. We'll be keeping in touch.

Only a few loose ends are left to tie this summer, but I'm happy to say that most of the questions I had this summer have been answered. For better or for worse.

I still want to go clubbing with Courtney. So if you are reading this, Court, don't think I forgot...

What I would love this week is to have someone to hold. That or a piece of cake.

Will I See You In September, Or Lose You To A Summer Love...?

Not only is my phone acting up, but my internet is doing the same thing and it's beginning to interfere with my work. Not to mention talking to my friends.

I won't be spending as much time in the Fenway area this semester as I did last semester.

I apologize for these short and erratic postings. How about I write a long one next time to make it up to you.

OK, it's time for bed. I've got a 4 hour shift tomorrow. I need the money.


(PS: I Like You A Lot, More Than I Thought I Did...)

I'm A Travelling Man

I'm on the road to a very fun-filled weekend. This Friday I leave for P-Town. I'm going to stay with Natasha for the weekend. It's been an epic battle of planning and schedules. Originally, I was going to go down to Washington D.C. to go visit her. But I never had the chance to leave Boston long enough to make the journey.

Then it turns out that she's in P-Town this weekend. I live much closer to P-Town than D.C., so I will buy a ticket for a ferry ride immediately after being at the State House, which means that I need to dress down a little that day.

It's a camping outing. I haven't gone camping in years. This will be interesting...


There's more stuff later tonight.

For The Shorties

I'm going to try to keep this one short, but I cannot make any promises.

First, some game show news. A new host has been announced for The Price Is Right, and in my opinion, it may be a good choice. Drew Carey, the comedian who was successful with The Drew Carey Show and Whose Line Is It Anyway?, will be the new host. This was finalized a few days ago. Some people are happy about it; others are a bit skeptical. I think he could do a great job. I guess we'll have to see.

I had an eye appointment today (LONG overdue), and I now have a prescription to get some new glasses. This is very exciting for me, as I really want a new look for myself. I also wanna buy some new clothes, especially some new shirts and jeans. I don't normally buy clothes on my own; usually I bring a friend of mine along to give some input. However, I don't know who I will bring this time around...

Hung out with Rayna today; she came to pick me up from the eye appointment. See (bad choice of words), they dilated my pupils for the exam, and thus my vision was a bit fuzzy and my eyes were very sensitive to light for about 5 hours. So I asked her to come get me so that we could have lunch and stuff. Good times for the most part. Except for the sunlight and my sensitive eyes part.

Yesterday, I was overwhelmed with the feeling of "disappointment."

I've been a bit on the sick side this week, but now I'm feeling a bit better, so I should be set to go spend this weekend with Sim for his birthday bash.

I haven't talked to JDubs in a little while, and I miss that. He's become one of my closest buddies, and I wish he was around so that I could talk to him about some stuff. Don't be offended if you are reading this and you are a friend of mine. At least, try not to.

I was compared to a clam recently.

The podcast is going well. I hope to tape in about 2 weeks. I've have the game designed, and now I'll be looking for panelists. More info on that later.

The Simpsons Movie opens today (Friday). Either it will be very good, or a huge flop.

I really wanna see Ratatouille one more time. It's a beautiful movie to watch. It's definitely one of those movies you should watch with someone you care about. I hope to do that. Too bad she's away right now...

Jealousy is a human trait that everyone possess, whether you'd like to admit it or not.

I'm so ready for my own game show. I just gotta have one. No excuses.

Alright, I'm gonna head to bed. I've got work in the morning. I'll be heading on a trip in a few weeks, maybe even two. It should be a lot of fun. But I'm also kinda waiting for the school semester to begin. Does that make me weird?

Ugh...

Not much to write right now. Just feeling a bit under the weather. Confused. Worried. I want to feel better, but I'm not sure how I'm supposed to go about getting better.

I hate feeling this way...

The Category Is...

"Bar Golf"
Saturday was Bar Golf: you basically go to 18 different bars (hole) and have a drink at each one. What score you get at each bar is determined by what type of drink you get:

Nothing/Soda: 5 Points
Water: 4 Points
Beer: 3 Points
Mixed Drink: 2 Points
Shot: 1 Point

Why is water worth less than nothing/soda? Cause they wanted to make sure everyone was hydrated during the day, and drinking nothing or soda is a little worse than drinking water. Anyway, The course was split into two parts: The Front 9 (Boston) and The Back 9 (Allston/Brighton). The game started at 1PM, but I was at work till 6PM, so I participated in the Back 9. It was a lot of fun to do. Par is 3 at each bar. My score? Well I did better than I thought I would. I scored a 20, or a -7 Under Par. And the best part? No sickness, no hangovers. I'm still not a big drinker, but it's nice to see that I can do a bit without killing myself.

"Internships"
The Press room internship is going well. I'm learning a lot of great things, and there are some great people that I work with. Not much else to say about it. At least, not in this category.

"Crews"
Hangin' out with Rohan, Jon, and Sim has been a lot of fun so far. But I haven't seen much of them in a little while. I guess it's mainly because of work and such. I've been pretty busy with keeping myself sane while doing my three jobs. The last time I saw any of them was last Friday when Jon and I met up after work. They have invited me to go have a few drinks tomorrow and I agreed, though I don't know how much I will actually have. There's not a lot of time left to hang out with them, as school will be starting in a little more than a month from now. So I should try to have as much fun as I can with them as possible.

Now that I only work at TOMB once a week, I don't stop by as often as I used to, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I was getting to the point where TOMB became my second home, which it really shouldn't be. On the flip side, I haven't talk to many of my friends from there in a while, hence, I'm kinda out of the loop. But I did hang out with Megan a few days ago, and that was fun. We're gonna chill again later this week.

The only other crew that I've been in contact less than TOMB are the peeps from Simmons. Why? Well, two reasons actually. One is because I've been dumb and I should be in better contact with people like Courtney and Ren (who, by the way, I would still love to go to the club with). So for that, I should shoot myself. Well, maybe not that, but I should at least drop a line; two of the coolest and funniest people you'll ever meet. The other reason is a bit more personal, and if you don't know what has transpired in the last few weeks, it won't make sense. I think there even may be a separate category for that.


"Loss"
I've lost a lot of things this summer so far. Most recently I lost an extension cord to my Jeopardy Game. I've lost a few shirts, and a couple of socks. I lost out on a chance to hear the Governor speak about transportation. I've lost my fear of drinking socially (although, I still rarely do it, if ever). There are probably many more things on that list that I could rattle off, but I wont. I did, however, lose something fairly close to me a few weeks ago. I know where it is, so that's not the problem. The problem is if I want to attempt to get it back. I've been struggling with this for a while now, even before I lost it. And I've been talking to my friends about it. I mostly get the same response: "You're better off without it. You can get something much, much, much better." I don't know what I'll do yet, but till then, I want to focus my energy on other things.

"Out Of The Box"
It's about time that I step outside of my box and do something that I don't normally do. There is this girl that I know. She's about the same age as me, smart, very pretty, and has some of the same interests as myself. She thinks I'm nice and funny, and I feel the same way about her. She goes to school here in Boston, which works for me. At least we could potentially hang out sometimes cause we live near each other. I don't know if she's interested in me, and normally this would deter me from even considering doing anything. But this one is different. I've changed a lot over the summer, and I think I may have a shot at this. Anyone who remotely enjoys my game show ideas wins some points in my book. I won't see her for a few days, but this gives me time to figure out what I want to do. All my buddies say go for it. What do I have to lose? I could use something happy in my life right now. (Did I mention how pretty she is? It's ridiculous...)

"Love"
Is it possible to love someone, then turn around and love someone completely different in one swoop? I'm not sure, but here is something that I am sure of: "Love" is a powerful word and feeling. I've never been in love. I may have been close once, but otherwise, I would say no. There are things that I love: my family, my friends, games, laughter, fun, frosted shredded mini-wheats, and stuff like that. But it's rare when I use that word "love" when it comes to a person's feelings about them. When I feel it, I'll say it. It'll probably take me some time, but hopefully they will understand. (BTW: I love R&B music; it has amazing powers, heh heh)


A 2nd set of categories are on the way....

In Just A Moment...

This has been a fun weekend. But it's not over yet. When it does end (later tonight), I'll write all about it.

So No One Told You Life Was Gonna Be This Way

Real quick update.

My 4th of July was FANTASTIC! The fireworks were great. Hanging out with my friends was awesome, and I met some cool new people.

Thanks to my friends, they made me realize that there's no good reason why I should question my feelings and myself. They helped show me that I'm surrounded by people who love me and who I love. And that is something I will never forget.

We spent the 4th at our friend Caitlin's place in Mission Hill. We got a nice view of the fireworks from the nearby park. Then Rohan & Sim lit roman candles in the lawn and almost hit one of them in my face. Then we had a few drinks.

Needless to say, it was a night of fun and support, as I needed much of both. It's been a surprisingly tough week for me; I really did not think it would be, nor was I expecting it. But such is life, and life is ever-changing. One of the most important things is to regret little that you do in life. I can happily say that I do not regret anything that happened last week, especially the 4th.

Moving On...

Meghan comes up this weekend, and I will admit: I do miss her. I miss hanging out with her, being able to talk to her in her apartment while watching Aqua Teen, cooking food together, stuff like that. Especially hugging her. That particular activity is one that has been hard to be without. When you do it for so long, almost daily, for months and months, it becomes a bit difficult to have it removed from your daily routine. But it will be great to see her, even if it's for a little bit. I love and care about that girl lots, and she knows it.

It's also time for me to remove some unwanted and unnecessary items and things from my possession. Sorry, no yard sale, though. I don't think many people would want to buy this stuff.

Oh, and BTW...

The "Summer Of Stad" criteria has been completed. YES! (I guess it's time for some extra credit)

Time for a short nap. Got a lot of stuff planned for tomorrow. Be true to yourself.

Rollercoaster

Today started off great, then got really awful, and ended pretty well. I don't really want to get into it. But I have to say, I was not expecting myself to feel the way I did or do right now. I've also realized that I have some tremendous friends as well, who are there for me.

Life is unexpected. And many times, it doesn't work out the way you want it to. But you've got to move on. And I will eventually. This week is going to be hard for me, but I will see how it goes. Oddly enough, I am motivated to do something I never thought I would before. Here's to hoping that it works out.

And now I leave you all. I wnet through a series of emotions today, but it is a lessson that I must learn and ultimatly embrace. I've got to make the most of this week.

Stay True To Yourself.

Ode To The Nice Guys

The following piece was not written by me. In fact, I'm not sure who wrote it. But my friend Matt showed it to me my junior year of High School, and I have loved it ever since. I was reminded of this recently when Megan and I went for a late-night walk a few days ago. I was feeling really down and was questioning myself. After our talk, I came home and read this. And I'm glad I did. It's been a tough summer so far, and I suspect that it will only get tougher. But at least I can say to myself that I am great the way I am:

This is a tribute to the nice guys. The nice guys that finish last, that never become more than friends, that endure hours of whining and bitching about what assholes guys are, while disproving the very point. This is dedicated to those guys who always provide a shoulder to lean on but restrain themselves to tentative hugs, those guys who hold open doors and give reassuring pats on the back and sit patiently outside the changing room at department stores. This is in honor of the guys that obligingly reiterate how cute/beautiful/smart/funny/sexy their female friends are at the appropriate moment, because they know most girls need that litany of support. This is in honor of the guys with open minds, with laid-back attitudes, with honest concern. This is in honor of the guys who respect a girl’s every facet, from her privacy to her theology to her clothing style.

This is for the guys who escort their drunk, bewildered female friends back from parties and never take advantage once they’re at her door, for the guys who accompany girls to bars as buffers against the rest of the creepy male population, for the guys who know a girl is fishing for compliments but give them out anyway, for the guys who always play by the rules in a game where the rules favor cheaters, for the guys who are accredited as boyfriend material but somehow don’t end up being boyfriends, for all the nice guys who are overlooked, underestimated, and unappreciated, for all the nice guys who are manipulated, misled, and unjustly abandoned, this is for you.

This is for that time she left 40 urgent messages on your cell phone, and when you called her back, she spent three hours painstakingly dissecting two sentences her boyfriend said to her over dinner. And even though you thought her boyfriend was a chump and a jerk, you assured her that it was all ok and she shouldn’t worry about it. This is for that time she interrupted the best killing spree you’d ever orchestrated in GTA3 to rant about a rumor that romantically linked her and the guy she thinks is the most repulsive person in the world. And even though you thought it was immature and you had nothing against the guy, you paused the game for two hours and helped her concoct a counter-rumor to spread around the floor. This is also for that time she didn’t have a date, so after numerous vows that there was nothing “serious” between the two of you, she dragged you to a party where you knew nobody, the beer was awful, and she flirted shamelessly with you, justifying each fit of reckless teasing by announcing to everyone: “oh, but we’re just friends!” And even though you were invited purely as a symbolic warm body for her ego, you went anyways. Because you’re nice like that.

The nice guys don’t often get credit where credit is due. And perhaps more disturbing, the nice guys don’t seem to get laid as often as they should. And I wish I could logically explain this trend, but I can’t. From what I have observed on campus and what I have learned from talking to friends at other schools and in the workplace, the only conclusion I can form is that many girls are just illogical, manipulative bitches. Many of them claim they just want to date a nice guy, but when presented with such a specimen, they say irrational, confusing things such as “oh, he’s too nice to date” or “he would be a good boyfriend but he’s not for me” or “he already puts up with so much from me, I couldn’t possibly ask him out!” or the most frustrating of all: “no, it would ruin our friendship.” Yet, they continue to lament the lack of "date"able men in the world, and they expect their too-nice-to-date male friends to sympathize and apologize for the men that are jerks. Sorry, guys, girls like that are beyond my ability to fathom. I can’t figure out why the connection breaks down between what they say (I want a nice guy!) and what they do (I’m going to sleep with this complete ass now!). But one thing I can do, is say that the nice-guy-finishes-last phenomenon doesn’t last forever. There are definitely many girls who grow out of that train of thought and realize they should be dating the nice guys, not taking them for granted. The tricky part is finding those girls, and even trickier, finding the ones that are single.

So, until those girls are found, I propose a toast to all the nice guys. You know who you are, and I know you’re sick of hearing yourself described as ubiquitously nice. But the truth of the matter is, the world needs your patience in the department store, your holding open of doors, your party escorting services, your propensity to be a sucker for a pretty smile. For all the crazy, inane, absurd things you tolerate, for all the situations where you are the faceless, nameless hero, my accolades, my acknowledgment, and my gratitude go out to you. You do have credibility in this society, and your well deserved vindication is coming.

[The original piece can be found Here]

Wild & Crazy Kids

Just returned from a wild night with Garytt, Sam, Sutton, and I along with a few of Sam's friends. We went to a few bars in Cambridge. I had a great time. I also had a good amount to drink that night:

1 Bottle of Magic Hat #9
3 Capitain & Cokes
1 Bottle of Magners
1 Lemon Drop shot

This is the most I've ever had. Thankfully, I had it all throughout the night, and not all at once (which would probably kill me). I will admit, I did get a little on the drunk side, but not enough to:

A. Throw up
B. Pass out
C. Get Arrested

Plus, I trusted the people I was with. I probably won't be doing that much drinking for a while; I enjoy being sober and making sure that my friends are safe.

Probably one of the funniest parts about last night was that since I couldn't afford a cab home, I ended up sleeping in Garytt's car, which was parked outside our workplace for about 4 hours before taking the train home and writing in my blog, which I am doing now. It was surprisingly comfortable. Ha Ha. (BTW: as of this post, Garytt is still there, sleeping, as he's waiting for a co-worker who's coming in at 9:30AM.)

I'm gonna take care of some errands, and then take a nap, and then make some calls. Don't be a stranger.

Hits & Misses

Sim had a get-together tonight, and I went. It was a good time, but I was noticeably down during part of the night: I took a 30 minute walk around his neighborhood listening to music alone at Midnight. I can't say that I wasn't inconspicuous or anything (cause I clearly wasn't). I also wasn't expecting to be in that mood; it just kind of came over me.

I miss my close friends. And I’m not talking about Rohan and Jon and that crew. I’m talking about the Harlem Crew, of Nik, JT, Wilson, and Phil. Those guys are my boys. And it’s a shame that I do not keep in touch as often as I should. They have been always been there for me and I haven’t been around that much lately. I just miss them.

I’m trying to not let girls get into my head too often, as there are other things that I need to focus on. That is not to say that I don’t wanna think about them; it’s just not my top priority. Unfortunately, this has proven to be a problem, cause it keeps popping into my head. And it’s not that I’m looking for someone in particular. I’m trying to make myself realize that I don’t need someone in order to validate how special I am. That’s not to say that it wouldn’t be nice to have a significant other. But it’s important to like myself before allowing someone else to like me as much as I should like myself (if that makes any sense). Plus, I’m trying to take it easy since the end of the semester with Kayte and I, who by the way, just returned from England. It seems like she had a good time. [Side Note: I wrote on her wall: I found a clip from Carmen Sandiego that had to do with Maine, and in one part, Cape Elizabeth, where she is from. I truly thought she would like it. I found it cool and informative, anyway. Haha]

I should be taking this summer and having a blast with my friends, and not preoccupied about things like why I would not make a good bf or why it would never work between me and so-and-so so why even go for it. I should be enjoying the break and the warm (sometimes scalding) weather.

So, whenever I get in this mood, I listen to some great music on my iPod. Or I talk it out to my good buddies. Or a combination of both. Tonight, it’s the music option. And It’s R&B and Jazz, a few of my favorite music genres.

The next post on this blog won’t actually be written by me. It’ll be written by someone else. But I read this piece of work often, and I think it’s well-written. Plus, I like it.

I’m about to go to bed for the night. I’ll be out of my funk soon enough. I just miss a lot of people that I used to talk to on nearly a daily basis. But on a good note, the weekend is nearly here. Sweetness…

Quick Bites

It's been a bit of time since I've posted. And some stuff has happened:

I've started an internship at the State House with the Governor, Deval Patrick. My friend, Jimy works in the Press Office, and that's where I intern. I'll be doing this all summer. I just met the Governor today, and I have to say, he's a very nice and quite funny guy. Well-spoken as well. The other interns that I work with are pretty cool as well. This should be fun.

Joe, one of the managers at TOMB, had his Jeopardy! episode today. So a bunch of us had a potluck and watched it, and then played a few games of Jeopardy! afterwards. I still need to work on my annunciation skills.

Rohan, Jon, Divya, Caitlin, Angie, and Nicole went with me to late night bowling at Boston Bowl. I had free bowling coupons, so we went and played some rounds. It's been a while since I've played, cause both times I failed to break 100. But that's ok; we all had a fantastic time.

I've been talking to the FETCH! folk for a bit, just makin' sure that they don't forget that I exist.

I'm also trying very hard to keep in mind that I'm cool the way that I am. I've been having a bit of a lapse in the confidence department. Thankfully, I've got some people to keep me in check.

Not much else is going on. Nothing anyway that I would write here. So if you wanna know more, tough. Just Kidding. Sorta.

I've got work in the morning. Peace.

Thought Doodles

I'm not too sure what I want to write about, so I'm just gonna write what comes to my mind and we'll see what happens.

Kayte leaves for England in about 2 days, and she seems very excited to go. We haven't talked too much to each other lately. I'm beginning to think that she wants nothing to do with me anymore and is just being polite by talking to me for 3 to 5 minutes at a time. I'm not saying that this is true, but it is the vibe that I am getting. To be honest with you (whoever "you" may be), I had a feeling that this was going to happen when we decided to break it off for the summer. There was a period where things we ok, and then things kinda went downhill for a bit; there was miscommunication problems and hurt feelings. And now I rarely hear from her. But she's working, and is excited to see her friend Darren in England. So I'm happy for that. At the end of the summer, we're supposed to talk about whether we should get back together or not. I've been doing a lot of thinking about that since the summer began; I don't know the answer, and I doubt I'll know until the end of the summer comes. She's a great person, and sometimes I wonder if she knows that about herself. Have fun in England, Kayte. You deserve it.

Rohan is going to a wedding for a family member this weekend in Pennsylvania, so he won't be here this weekend. I'm sure he'll have some fun over there. So I'll be spending my weekend with Sim & Ali at Sim's pool house; he's throwing a party. This should be interesting...

I had a nice conversation with one of Divya's friends, Caitlin (a new friend of mine), about her relationship with her boyfriend of 2 years. She goes to UMass, but right now her boyfriend goes to school in New Jersey (I believe). They met two years ago; they used to go to neighboring schools, but have since transferred. The story of how they met was interesting; I'm not gonna tell it here, but sufficed to say, I really enjoyed it. Why am I writing about it? Not sure really, it was just on my mind.

It's official: I am planning a trip to Washington D.C. And I don't think I'm going alone. Rohan has expressed interest in going, so I'm now in the process of looking at schedules and tickets. Right now it looks like a July visit. So get ready, D.C., cause your world is about to be ROCKED!

I'm on the search to find confidence. It's proven to be a more difficult task then I thought. But last week I had a great conversation with Tali online, and one of the things that came up was confidence. I lack it at times (more often than not), but she made a good point about it:

"Realize that you are awesome and worth knowing."

Up to that point, I had never thought of myself in that way. Honest. But it's something that I've been working on. I mean, I have a fairly good life, with a good family, and great friends. My game show dream is slowly coming true, what with all of these great people and jobs. And I think that it has something to do with showing them that I have some confidence in myself. And I know that i can be successful, so I shouldn't worry about it.

All day Sunday, I watched Robot Chicken online. It's a funny show, and I enjoy it a lot, but I wanted to do more with my Sunday. I went to Rohan's house and we watched TV for another few hours. He's got cable, so it was marginally better than hanging out at home alone watching TV.

Last Sunday i was supposed to hang out with my good friend, Laura. I know her from when I lived in Somerville. But for whatever reason, that did not happen. I tried contacting her in a variety of mediums, but all of them were unanswered. I was really upset that she didn't call me; I was worried that something may have happened. I didn't hear from her until the following Friday when I got a FB message. It was nice to hear from her, but I have not responded yet; I want to make sure I know how want to say to her before I write it. It just stinks to have that happen to someone. I certainly don't like it, and I wouldn't want it to happen to one of my friends either.

I've got Wheelock at 11AM, so I'm gonna watch some Venture Bros. and then attempt to go to bed.

Peace Out!

Peace, Love, And Labor

I've been watching a lot of Password Plus, which is currently featured in the "Screening Room," located to the left of the page. It's my favorite Password incarnation, and one of my favorite game shows. It's one of the few things this week that is consistently making me happy. That and hanging out with my great friends.

Bob Barker has officially retired from television, taping his last episode of The Price Is Right earlier this week. It is a great lost, but he deserves the retirement. Whoever takes his place has got some BIG shoes to fill.

There's actually a lot of game show news flying around. A few new shows will be premiering in the next few months: Set For Life, Power Of 10, Crosswords just to name a few. How many of these shows will stay on the air? I actually don't know, but I'm gonna try to catch as many of them as possible.

In my last post, I was gonna digress about my weekend. Sadly, I have to go back on my word; it's not very important. But I can summarize the weekend:

*I hung out with Rohan, Jon, Sim, Ali, Divya, and Tali more or less all weekend.
*I was introduced to Venture Bros.
*I earned $20 by drinking a cup of beer (which, by the way, Jon still owes me $10 of)
*FIFA for PS2 is a difficult game to master.
*I probably have the best group of friends ever; they are there to support me whenever I need it.

That's all you really need to know anyway.

Friday (the 8th), it's going to be a night of food, drink, and happiness. The food will come from Longhorn Steakhouse. The drink is unknown at the current moment, but the happiness will come from the crazy stuff we'll (The Crew) will be doing. I'm excited.

But first... I have to survive the work day. It starts between 10AM and 11AM and will go from 4PM to 5PM. It will require me to sit at the desk and file and sort papers all day. I've got to pay the bills somehow. Wheelock is an ok place to work, but lately I've been less and less excited to go. I mean, it's a job, yes. But I was told I would be doing different kinds of work, and instead I'm still doing the same things I was doing before I got the "promotion." A little annoying, but I have a meeting with my boss at 2PM about that, so hopefully things will change.

I was scrounging around my computer and I found a couple of short stories that I wrote a few years ago. Both of them are about relationships during high school or college; both of them are not super. I'm surprised that I kept these; I thought I got rid of them a long time ago. After reading them both, I realized that I should write more in general; quality aside, I really had fun writing them.

I leave you with one of my favorite music videos by one of my favorite artists. Say what you will about it, but I enjoy it.



Much Love To All.

Next Up...

It was a faily fun and exciting weekend, and yet, at the end of it, I fell into a slight state of depression.

I'll Write More About The Entire Weekend Later.

OK, Now Get Off My Back...

I know that it has been a while since I've updated, and to those of you who read this frequently, I apologize. I'm currently sitting in Rohan's basement with the man himself playing some "Kingdom Hearts II." It's about 15 minutes to 3AM, but I am anything but tired. I have to go to Wheelock tomorrow, attend my cousin Sophia's High School graduation, and possible go on a pub crawl with Ro and Jon afterwards. I need/want to do everything, and it will be a challenge to get it all done.

Yesterday was Stephanie's birthday, so I am wishing a (albeit belated) FANTASTIC 20TH BIRTHDAY!

Rohan has been kind enough to DVR all of the episodes of FETCH! With Ruff Ruffman on his television so I can catch them; I don't get home until about after 5:50PM from Wheelock so I miss a lot of it. I thought I missed the season premier, but it turns out that the one he recorded for me was a repeat of the premier. And I have to say, after seeing it, I'm very excited to see where it goes, especially with the Blossom plot line (Blossom is the new intern for Ruff; she happens to be a cat: let the hilarity ensue).

I finally caught an episode of National Bingo Night online at ABC.com. Basically, one contestant plays a "mini-game" type of challenge (such as guessing whether the next ball will be odd or even, or red or black) and tries to complete her task (collecting 500 "miles," or going around the world) before one of the 200 studio audience players gets BINGO. Watchers at home can go online and print bingo cards to play along at home and win as well. My opinion on the game? It's alright. I wouldn't say that it's fantastic; I mean, how much fun is it to watch BINGO being played if you're not playing it yourself? Not much fun. I give props to the show for coming up with "amusing" ways for the lone contestant to play with the Bingo balls, though I will say that some of the games are harder to win than others; I guess it's a luck of the draw kind of thing. I believe there are 4 more new episodes left, but it remains to be seen if it will be renewed for another season.


I am working on a radio game show podcast that I would like to produce for the summer. I am still working on the way it would work, but I know that I would want three panelists (which would end up being my friends) and I would want to make at least 3 or 4 of them this summer. If you are interested in learning more or even participating, please let me know. I'm also looking for someone who knows a little bit about making a podcast.

I've been feeling a bit on the stressed side during the past few days. I hope it will be relived as the week goes along.

And now it's time for me to head out. I'm sure you'll hear from me in the future. But please forgive me if you don't hear anything for the next few days. I'll try as hard as I can to update, but I've got a busy week ahead of me.

That said, I'm ready to take on the rest of the week. BRING IT ON!

Shorts & Sweets

So lets see...

Yesterday I spent my night with Megan and her friend Caralie, who I met for the first time. She's a very nice and funny person, and the two of them share a very colorful history.

What was only intended to be a simple dinner outing turned into a overnight fiesta: Wii and a few drinks. A whole lot of fun, capped of with passing out on a huge bed. Add two dogs to the mix, one of which is a huge attention hog, and you've got yourself a crazy night. Crazy, but a lot of fun.

What else?

I've been super busy with work and such, and consequentially, I have not been talking to many people as often. Some of them understand, while others seem to not be enjoying this "status" as much. I'm trying to be understanding, but sometimes I wonder if people understand where I'm coming from. A couple of days ago, I didn't want to get in contact with anyone; I just wanted time to myself.

From The Weekend...

The Pub Crawl on Boylston Street by Hynes was fun. I went to a total of 5 bars: Dillion's, Foggy Goggle, Lir, Pour House, and Whiskey's. My favorite drink was the Bailey's and Milk. I had one drink at each place except for one, and I was proud of myself when we all called it a night and I was very coherent. In fact, I was the most sober of the group that was left. I am excited to hang out with Seaver as he is one of my closest friends.

Speaking of drinks:

Divya and I went to this new restaurant/bar called "The Beehive" which is located right by the Boston Center for the Arts. It's got this great atmosphere and I would go there again real soon.

I'm going to watch a NOVA episode on the Cuttlefish and fall asleep.

Opportunity's Knocking... Anyone Home?

I have just gotten home from a pub crawl from Boylston Street by Hynes with Seaver and his girlfriend Morgan and a few others. I had a blast (and I'll talk about probably in the next post). But first, some other news.

I took in 6 people from FETCH! With Ruff Ruffman, and it couldn't have gone any better. I introduced myself to them, and they asked me if i watched the show. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I would not miss a show like that. In fact I have watched all 20 episodes of the 1st season (so I know my FETCH stuff). The TOMB show itself was great; we all enjoyed ourselves greatly. After the show, I showed them how some of the stuff worked (which they really wanted to know about). But the biggest highlight was when I told them (and proved to them) how much I loved the show and I couldn't wait to see the 2nd season (premier on May 28th) to see where they take the show. I guess I impressed them because I got the contact info from two of the producers. I am going to email them to say thanks for coming to the TOMB and stuff like that. I am so thankful I got the opportunity to do something like that. Here's The Season Two Sneak Peek Video:



I saw Shrek The Third this weekend as well. I had a good time; I found the movie funny to watch, as I thought I would. So no complaints about that.

A group of us went to the Wheel Of Fortune "Wheelmobile" that was located at Suffolk Downs, a horse racing park. Of the 5 of us that went (Me, Steph T., Steph M., Brittany, and Collette), 2 of us (Steph T. & Collette) got their names called to play onstage. This meant that they got their picture taken and played on stage with 4 other players, a host who may have had a bit too much crack (but nevertheless was energetic), and a Vanna wannabe who reminded me of a bartender I once saw at a God-Awful bar once. The game board itself was a bunch of panels that on one side had the green "Wheel Of Fortune" logo and on the other side was essentially a piece of white board. There was also a place to put the category of the puzzle and a used letter board. They played a "Speed-Up Round" like they do in the real game before the bonus round. 1 letter can be called out per turn, and if it appeared in the puzzle, you got 3 seconds to try to solve it. If they thought you are a good candidate for a contestant, then they would send you a letter or an email telling you that you made it to callbacks (location to be in Boston). Do well there, and you're on the show. The most important thing is this:

Just because you made it on stage DOES NOT mean you get a callback. Just because you solved the puzzle DOES NOT mean you get a callback. But not making it on stage at the Wheelmobile DOES NOT mean you don't get a callback. They take all of the applications that were not randomly chosen and take them back to LA and a few of them get chosen for the callbacks.

That said, I would be surprised if neither Collette nor Stephanie got a callback. They were hilarious. To sum up Collette's performance: Doug & June. And for Stephanie: BFF's Forever. (Side note, neither of them solved their puzzle.)

In other game show stuff, before the movie, we played two rounds of Jeopardy! using my console. The first game went well, but the second game's finale was very surprising...

With a pretty good lead, Sam & Brittany were ahead going into "Final Jeopardy!," with Noah & Martha (or as we would later call her, Apple Bottoms) not too far behind, and Collette a little behind them. The category was "All About Animals." The final clue was: "Scientists gave the name "Draculin" to an anticoagulant found in the saliva of this kind of bat." Now, mind you, we were playing with the "Kids" cartridge, so the questions during the game were fairly easy; this one was no exception. So when the 30 seconds were up, I had a fairly good idea of who was gonna win. Collette was first to reveal his answer, as he was in 3rd place. His answer: "What is Vampire Spit?" I felt really bad, I really did, but I could not accept his answer, and therefore had to mark him wrong. In his defense, he claims he read the question wrong and thought it was asking for the anticoagulant or something (yeah, whatever man... :) ) He had wagered everything, bringing him to $0. Noah & Apple Bottoms, uh I mean Martha, wrote "What is the Vampire Bat?," which is the correct response. They wagered everything as well, doubling their score, but keeping Sam & Brittany within reach. So they revealed their response: "Vampire Bat." When I host Jeopardy! I make sure I say the following at the beginning of the 1st game we play:

In "Single Jeopardy!," if you do not form your response in the form of a question, you get a warning/bit of leeway. Anytime after that round, a response in anything other than the form of a question is judged as incorrect.

It doesn't take a genius to see that "Vampire Bat" is clearly not a question. So, sadly but diligently, I had to rule the response incorrect. Since they were behind at that point, there was no way for them, giving Noah & Martha the win.

What did I learn? Never assume you know how things will end up. That and read everything carefully. And listen to instructions.

I want this week to be a good one; better than the last week in terms of consistency. A few things have been annoying me and I hope things change soon, because I don't know how much longer I will be willing to deal with it. Just a thought.

Ok, it's time for a little resting before work. This will be an intense week, so I've got to be ready for it.

Let's Do It.

And Now, A Mood Swing Set

I haven't talked too much about game shows on this blog recently. So I'll quickly mention that tomorrow (Friday) is ABC's premier of National Bingo Night. I don't have too much information about the game; in fact, I won't be able to see the episode because I will be working at TOMB that night (which will be my last Friday for the summer). Maybe someone can tape it or something and I can catch it at a later date.

To make up for this, I have the lucky privilege of taking in a private show of two people. Two people who happen to be Producers of the WGBH/PBS show FETCH! With Ruff Ruffman, a kids reality game show that is taped locally. I am really excited to do this, mainly because anyone who knows me knows that I have wanted to work on this show from the beginning. I was a religious fan of show; I watch all 20 episodes of their first season. The Producers are coming to scope out the place to see if they want to feature it in the show. This could be a great opportunity for me to maybe learn more about the show and process and maybe get an "in" somewhere in 'GBH.

Last night, Rohan, Frenchy, Jon, and I baked a cake. Why? Because Ro wanted to and we had no objections to doing so. It was a chocolate cake that actually came out pretty nice. We played a round of golf (which I schooled them in), and as the night went on, we had some cake and hung out and played video games. I ended up sleeping over, as did Jon, but I did not leave till 3:30PM. Sufficed to say, I did not arrive at Wheelock at the time that I had planned to.

The four of us (including Simeon) have been hanging out a lot lately, and will continue to do so during the entire summer. It's what we do. I'm sure that we will all have some crazy adventures this summer.

Kayte and I have been talking since she has left. Things have been ok, but I don't know how things will transpire as the summer goes along. I also know that she reads this blog. That said, I'm fairly confident that things will be good. She is psyched to go to England, and she should be rightfully so. She gets to go hang out with a great friend of hers.

Justin's birthday is on Friday, and he is down here in Boston for the week. I hung out with him and Rayna and Gabby yesterday. We watched Boondock Saints, which is one of my favorite movies. He lives on Martha's Vineyard, which I have been to a few times. I will be visiting him hopefully sometime this summer.

Turns out, there are a lot of places that I would live to visit this summer, but I know that I don't have the time or funds to do so. I have decided to try to shoot for two locations this summer. I won't say where the potential places are, for fear of shameless promotions and "Please, Stad, come visit me!" by the people who live there.

I am determined to make this a summer of growth. I am 21 years old now, but I still have a lot of growing to do. I am determined to make some needed changes in my life. I know, a bit random, but it's just something that I have been thinking about recently. I've been a bit on the sad side lately. Don't know exactly why; I've been trying to pinpoint the actual reason for a little bit of time, but I can't seem to figure it out. There was even one point when I felt like I was maybe going to cry. Thankfully, I did not cry (don't know why "thankfully" as I don't have a problem with people expressing their feelings by crying). Some of my friends have been asking me if everything is ok, and like I always do, I say "Yeah, everything is cool." As you can tell, I don't share my feelings out loud too often to too many people.

I've been listening to a ton of R&B music in the last few weeks. It happens to be one of my favorite genres of music. I also like to drive late at night, when virtually nobody is on the roads. I find it relaxing. Very relaxing and soothing. Unfortunately, I don't have a car, so I don't get to do that often. I would go late night walking, but I don't trust my streets, mainly because half of the street lights don't work. But I went on a late night drive session during this week. Just to drive, listen to music, occasionally sing along, and to think and reflect. Jon came along with me, and we had a great talk about a plethora of things. And by "plethora," I mean "two or three subjects tops." No matter what they were. It was just something I needed.

I don't know what has come over me, but I've just been on the depressed side. There are some friends of mine who I used to talk to almost every week that now I rarely speak to now. It makes me really sad. So I've been trying to get back into contact with them. The list is not very large, but it's not about quantity, it's about the quality. And the truth is that I really miss them so much. They pop into my head every so often: when I surf Facebook, when I read past emails, stuff like that. They are some of the people who have shaped who I am.

I better end this before I write something really depressing. Plus I have to go to work in about 5 hours anyway; Wheelock's Graduation is happening and I've got to be at my best.

Much Love To All.

Quick Trip Clips

The following is a quick rundown of things that occurred between the Blu Monkey and my return to Boston:

• Choose Your Own Adventure (YouTube): Testers: Dan has been working on a CYOA for YouTube about a Video Game tester, and on Sunday he got his group of actors and a director and began filming the first episode. I appear in about 5 seconds of it in the beginning. It was a fairly good time, but most of the people working on it were a few years older than I was, which made me feel a little awkward. Nevertheless, it was a good time and I think it will come out well. When the video is posted, I'll make a link to it. Make sure that when you watch it, you vote on what should happen next by writing a comment... UPDATE: Here is the link. If you can't make a comment on YouTube, you can make one here on my blog about what should happen next (I'm sure Dan won't mind)
  
• Super Paper Mario: Both of Dan's roommates are video game testers, so there are a lot of systems lying around. I just happen to see a copy of "Super Paper Mario" sitting there, so I started playing it, and now I am hooked. Of course, I did not finish it before I left. But now I wanna Wii more than ever.
• The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Earlier in the week, I scored tickets to the Late Late Show (partially because I was disappointed that I could not see TPIR). I arrived there well before the time they said to and I checked in. I was there alone because Dan had to work, so I sat on the bench waiting. This small group of elderly ladies came and sat next to me. Then one of them began talking to me about how she and her friends came from a cruise ship that was docked here in L.A., which I found very cool. They asked me what I do and why I was there, and I told them about how I wanted to see TPIR and how I wanted to be a game show host. That sparked a discussion about the game shows of the past and how much we loved them. I walked into the studio hallways with the crowd. As I did, I met a British couple who were traveling around the world. They had already been to Japan, Fiji, and Australia. Since I had no one to sit with, they offered to sit with me. They were so nice and had very interesting stories.
  
  Anywho, the taping would last a bit longer than usual because they were taping for future shows. If I remember correctly:
  
• Ne-Yo was a guest (and musical guest)
  
• Larry the Cable Guy was a guest
• The guy who beat Oscar De La Hoya in that fight on Saturday was a guest
• A girl from One Tree Hill was a guest
• and Bright Eyes was a musical guest

Craig is a nice guy, and he interacted with the audience a bit, but unlike when i went to The Colbert Report, he did not take questions from the audience, which I would have liked to see. All in all, an enjoyable way to spend my Monday afternoon/evening.

• Host Your Own JEOPARDY!: It's just like it sounds. It's basically a home version complete with wireless buzzers, a nice scoreboard, and you can even make your own questions and save them on cartridges. It'll help me practice my hosting skills. Plus my friends will love playing it.
  
• The Return Flights: I had a flight that left at 7:30AM. Of course, I get there at about 6:45AM, cutting it real close. I got to the counter and I had to check a bag, but apparently I was a bit late, so there was a chance that my baggage would not make it to my flight. It actually made all the way back home on both of my flights (So Take THAT, Midwest!). AND, on my way to the gate, I bumped into the couple I met at The Late Late show; they were on their way to Cancun. It was a very nice surprise and I wished them a safe trip around the world.

In short, my trip to Los Angeles was productive and fun. I loved every minute of it and I cannot wait to get back. A big thanks to Dan for providing me with a place to stay and fun things to do (even though he was working most of the time). Also a big "1UP" to all the people I talked to about furthering my career; I'll be keeping in touch with all of you in the near future. And A big thanks to everyone who has been reading my blog and calling me and stuff during the last week. It was uplifting to hear from you all.

So, that's basically it. I'll post all of the photos I took during my trip on a Facebook Album so you can take a look at that. And I'm still determined to see TPIR within the next month (crossing my fingers). Jeopardy! Tournaments this summer as well, so look out for those. And I'll be continuing to make and test out my games, so keep reading this blog for any and most updates on that subject; this summer is going to be rockin'!

I Wanna Dance The Night Away

Saturday night was Cinco De Mayo (well, actually ALL DAY and night was Cinco De Mayo), so it was decided that we go to a bar and celebrate.

The Blu Monkey is located in Hollywood on Hollywood Boulevard. HOLLYWOOD! And it is a very nice place. Dan and I meet up with Thadd Williams, who is a recent grad of Emerson College and worked at the TOMB with us. It has a very chill and relax feel to it. Thadd bought me a belated birthday shot of tequila. It was considerably large for a shot, but I drank it all, but after that I had no more alcohol for the rest of the night.

Oh. Before all of this, Dan needed his ID. Long story short, he had lost his license a few months ago and was using his passport as his ID. Then, I guess, he lost it a few days before I came to L.A. So now he has no ID. Well, without an ID he cannot get into the club. So it seemed that he was a little down, which is understandable. He decided to make a stop at his job on the way to the Blu Monkey to see if his passport was there. We searched for about 5 to 10 minutes and found nothing. I had to go to the bathroom, so I went down the hallway while Dan continued to search. I came back and grabbed the mail that was scattered on the floor, and quickly glanced at the envelopes. There happened to be one from The Registry Of Motor Vehicles and it also was pretty small. I shoved it in front of Dan's face. When he opened it, his face lit up. We jumped up and down for about 20 seconds and then returned to the car.

Back at the club, I met some of Dan's friends (who were very cool) and we sat and talked for a bit. The music was very chilled and I talked to the DJ about where he got his music. Then some sweet dancing music came on, and when that happens...

I JUST GOTTA DANCE!!!!

So I did. And apparently, I can attract some ladies to the dance floor. I wont get into it too much, but going to the Blu Monkey was one of the biggest highlights of the trip. Hands down.

I have a few photos:






I should consider doing this once a month or something... Anyway, Dan makes a good person to go out with, and I would totally do it again. But now to a completely different topic...

Weekend Warriors

I know that I have been behind on updating, but that’s mainly because I’ve been so busy doing things here in L.A.

For example, I recently met with a man named John, who is in the game show business, for lunch. I got his number from Marc, who told me that this man was in my position about a year and a half ago. I called him on the phone, and he gave me a lot of advice. Then I asked him if we could meet for lunch. He agreed, and that’s what I did on Friday. He was a nice guy, with some very interesting stories about his journey to where he is now. I won’t go into it too much, but it was interesting to see how his situation and my situation were similar. It was a great time, and he told me to keep in touch with him.

Also during the weekend, Dan took me to Venice beach. It is a very beautiful and diverse place to be. There are so many people and so much to do (not to mention A LOT of sand). As we walked along the beach, we passed by a group of women who had signs reading “Free Hugs.” We almost passed them, but something compelled us to give in and get a free hug. It was cool, I guess.

There was also a man with a very wild get-up, with a cup filled with a little change and a sign, singing the following “Jingle Bells Jingle Bells, Help Me Get Drunk Tonight.” That was it. It was very interesting. And a little amusing.

Dan and I went to Santa Monica Pier as well. Lot's of people, and a DDR machine which we played (and which seemed to kick my ass; I don't like those metal pads for some reason). Dan is also working on a Choose Your Own Adventure mini-series about video game testers, and since we were at an arcade, we had to take some photos. My favorite one was the photo that I posted in the last update.

Dan and I went to the Tar Pits as well. Now, normally I would expect that this would be less-than-exciting. However, add the time constraints of 24, and you’ve got yourself a hair-splitting good time. We parked across the street in a parking lot where every 15 minutes you are charged $2. So that game plan was to spend NO MORE than 15 minutes at the tar pits. 16 or more minutes, and we would have a $4 fiasco.

We quickly parked the car and ran across the street to the Tar Pits. It was a cool place to visit, although it did smell of tar (duh). Running around the perimeter of the pits, we snapped some photos, all the while keeping the time in mind. Then he needed a drink. Dan had to get a drink. He needed a Sprite. Of course, they were all out at the vending machine. We lost about 2 minutes there. We raced back to the car, pulled up to the booth, and gave out ticket to the vendor. And what was the verdict:



You can't see it very well, but the display says "$2.00." We did it. We saved the tar pits. Take THAT, Jack Bauer.

I was gonna talk about the bar, but that will constitute a separate post. Sorry, guys. But trust me, it will be worth it. Till then, help that man have a Merry Christmas and help him get drunk tonight...

Did We Really Just Do That?

A few days ago, I decided to go on a trip to find GSN. There were actually two locations, both of which I found. The picture that I took is from the one located at Culver City. I didn't actually get to go inside, but it was cool to find it.

To find the GSN buildings, I had to park in the street (naturally). So I parked at a meter and did my search. When I came back to the car, I noticed that I just so happened to park in front of a Playboy building. Did not do it on purpose, I just found it kinda funny, so I took a picture of it.

Many hours later, Dan and I drove to Hollywood for the premier of Spiderman 3 (not like a super premier or something, just to a regular old movie theater, but it was a nice theater). Beforehand, we stopped to go take a stroll around and see some sights. So we parked in a garage. We got out of the car and we were making our way to the elevator, when he asked "Where are my keys?" I replied "I thought you had them." Then we heard a rumbling noise. Dan asked "Is the car still on?"

Did you ever have one of those moments where you realized that you just did one of the most dumbest things ever and now there's not much you can do about it? Well, we had one of those. Yeah, we tried opening the doors, but they lock from the outside for some reason. Thankfully, Dan is a subscriber to AAA, and they came in about 10 minutes, which was exciting. The man first took a look at the situation and said "Well, we're gonna have to break the window" to which we said "No way!" Thankfully, he was joking. He went to his car and pulled out two items: A rubber wedge and a piece of metal that resembled a coat hanger that was bent in 5 places. He wedged a small opening between the window and the door and stuck the metal wire through it. He moved it around a little bit, all the while I was wondering ehat he was trying to accomplish. Then I saw one of the wire ends pop out on the interior of the car. He then pushed the window button to roll down the window, stuck his hand through it, and opened the door. All of this in a period of about 3 minutes. It was amazing. I could not believe it. He was so chill and calm about it. Not to mention funny the entire time.

We made it to the movie, and we didn't get out until near 3AM. It was a good movie, although some people had some problems with it. I pretty much passed out when we got back.

(BTW: Comments are now activated on the last post. I don't know why they were not on when I posted the blog, but they are up now, so comment away.)


I know that I am one day behind, but work with me. The next post will cover TWO days instead of one. So here are some pictures (again another preview to tomorrow's post) to tide you over and tease you until I blog again:

You Wanna Talk? Let's Talk...

I just returned from seeing Spiderman 3 at a 12:20AM showing. It was a fun time, but the coolest/funniest stuff happened before the movie, which I will get to the next post. But here's the stuff from yesterday...

Yesterday, Dan picked me up and took me to his work. I met his co-workers from Lean Forward Media. It's a very small office, but they have a lot of stuff there, mainly the "Choose Your Own Adventure" DVDs that they make.

I walked around, and I took a stroll to Television City, where they tape a lot of shows including The Price Is Right. Tickets have been sold out for the rest of the month, so I was not able to attend a taping. But it wa cool to see the audience members come out of the studio with their price tag name tags. I will try again soon.

I called Marc to see how he was doing and see if he had any leads on stuff I should do. He gave me the number of a man who was in my position about a year and a half ago; trying to get into the game show business. I gave this man a call, and he was so nice and helpful. In fact, I have a lunch meeting on Friday to talk to him more.

Later in the day, Dan took me to a nice restaurant because he had a meeting with a recent college grad who is a Production Assistant with the hit CBS show CSI: Miami (which just happens to be my favorite Monday Show). It was so great to talk to him, and he had some great things to talk to us about. We had a great time, and it was refreshing to see someone who is going for their goal (he wants to be a television writer).

We went back to his place, and I met his roommates. Then I went to bed.



Now, here are some pictures that are clues to what my next post will include:


GSN: Get Thru The Gates...


Oh La La...


What The...?


Whatever Could Be The Matter?

Flight #WTF To Boringtown Now Boarding...

It’s about 5:25AM, and I have arrived at the gate C12 waiting lobby anticipating the start of the boarding of my flight on Midwest Air. To get here was fairly painless, but not without a few stories.

Frisky dropped me off and I walked inside the airport. There were not a lot of people there, so I had the notion that the transition from the Drop Off area to the Waiting Lobby area would be alright. I get my ticket from the desk and make my way down the long corridor to a security stop, where a bunch of female employees, some young, some a little older, were waiting. I get there and I was asked for my ID.

As I was pulling out my driver’s license, one of the older ladies asks me “How old are you?” And I reply “I just turned 21, ma’am.” She says “Really? You sure?” Some other employees chime in: “Yeah, are you?” and “You seem a bit younger to me” and “I thought you were 14 or something.” Sure enough, my ID proves my identity (which is what it’s supposed to do), and they let me through, but now without making some lovely comments about how you and fresh I look. I wish them a great day, and they wish me a happy and safe trip.

I walk down some more and come to the x-ray portion of the check-in. I try to read the signs as carefully as I can as well as follow the examples of some other passengers. I take a bin, remove my coat, iPod, cell phone, wallet, and shoes. I also take out my laptop and place my bags on the conveyor belt. I walked thru the metal detector and pass with flying colors.

However… One of my two bags revealed in the x-ray something “suspicious” and needed confirmation from one of the employees. I ask what the matter was, and he said he just needed to look in my bag. I watch him carefully as he takes his blue latex gloved grubby hands and reaches into my duffel bag. I’m racking my brain, trying to figure out what in the world this “Item of Mystery” could be. And guess what it was:

A Pack Of Index Cards...

That’s right. My pack of index cards. Freakin’ ridiculous. But nevertheless, I pass and continue to the waiting area.

Which leads me to this point. I am currently sitting in a chair near the walkway to the plane, with a nice view of the plane’s nose protruding out of the window. Boarding is at 6AM and takeoff is at 6:20AM. The first stop is Milwaukee, WI. I’ve never been there; in fact I have never been outside of the Eastern Time Zone. This should turn out to be an “interesting” sequence of events.

The “airplane mode” is activated on my phone, so I will not be making or getting any calls, but that does mean I can take “secret” pictures of inside the plane and my antics if need be…


UPDATE:

Here are some pictures from today. The next post will have the details on the event of May 2nd after I touched down. The Jet Lag may be catching up to me...


Milano & I Driving On The Roads



Gas Prices Are $3.33! What The Crap?

LA Bound Insomnia

So in less than 5 hours, I'll be leaving for L.A. and the week will begin. My chances to go to a The Price Is Right taping is slim, as it will only be taping 2 days while I'm there, but I must at least try to go. Right now I'm at Frisky's basement watching TV, washing clothes, and checking to make sure my camera works. Here's a sample of the boredom I've been experiencing...















But at least I know that it works, so there should be no reason why I should not be able to keep you updated on what I'm doing at Los Angeles. I'll be sure to update at least once a day and post some pictures of my trip. Send me comments on stuff that I should do while I am there and I'll do my best to do it for you.

Time to watch more cooking shows on Frisky's Big Screen before I leave...