Monthly Archive for May, 2004

Ah geeze, Jughead, another post

Published
by
Andy
on 5/19/2004
in Observations
. 0 Comments

Man, I’m sorry guys. Mondays and Tuesdays just aren’t looking very exciting… yet. I’ll try to at least make up something interesting that could have happened to me.

I went to work and work was work, not much else. I didn’t really “finish” any of the many projects I’m working on, but I did advance them somewhat. After work, I really didn’t feel like going straight home, so I wandered to Borders for a couple of hours. I went and grabbed a handful of books and flipped through or read most of them. The first book was the Worst Case Scenario Handbook: College. This is a good read, I suggest anyone in college go check it out. I would recommend that only poeple who are getting ready to go to college buy it, however, as most of the advice therein would be common knowledge to a large portion of the college-going public. Things included in this manual are:

  • How to pass an exam you haven’t studied for
  • How to eat for under a dollar
  • How to pick a college (The best hint, I thought, was to check the campus newspaper classifieds and compare how many “personal student tutor” ads there were compared to “term papers written - any subject” ads. Also compare the number of seats in the stadium to the number of books in the library.)
  • How to never do laundry
  • How to survive the walk of shame (This includes advice on how to replace missing items of clothing, including creating a makeshift bikini top using socks and shoelaces. Hilarious, yet frighteningly not an impossible scenario.)
  • And, my personal favorite: How to sleep in class

I should have scanned some of the pages and posted them here. Might have looked suspicious at a book store. Plus, I’d need a scanner. Oh well.

The other books I looked at were… guess… that’s right, Hellboy books. One was just about the adaptation of the comics to film, which I thought was interesting. Anyway, I won’t bore you with the gory details of that. Let’s throw in a picture of the man just for good measure, so you can get an idea of what I’m talking about. Or the devil, I guess.

Rock 'em sock 'em

Sooooo cool… If you haven’t checked him out yet, shame on you. These are the first comics I’ve read recently that didn’t look comical. OK, this will be the last time I’ll be really annoying about it and make you think to yourself “what a dork.” Maybe a friendly prod every once in a while, but no more dorkness. By the way, the above image is straight from the Hellboy Web site. Please don’t sue me.

One more thing about comic books. This is one thing that’s bugged me for a while. You know how every checkout lane at every store has 2 or 3 editions of Archie comic books, all published simultaneously? Have you ever picked one of those up and read it? It’s crap. It’s horrible. The writing sucks, the artwork is laughable, and the punchlines to the jokes often make little sense. Archie was a dumb idea, even when he first came out. It’s safe to say Archie has always sucked, in my opinion. So why is there a new issue every week or month or whatever? Why are these comics still being produced at such a feverish rate? Why do I have to go to a specialty store to find good comics while the worst comics ever are put at every checkout lane in the country, possibly even the world. Anyone reading out there who is not from the U.S. but still sees these mags everywhere, let me know. AND HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYONE BUY AN ARCHIE COMIC? I never have, in all my long years (3 of which were spent running a register at a retail store). Well, here’s my theory. It’s a government conspiracy. I’ve read these comics before, just out of curiosity, and while the writing seems inane to me, maybe it’s really code. My theory is that the government or some other world organization uses Archie comics to communicate with undercover foreign agents working in the general public. Super secret undercover agents, like CIA (which is technically not allowed to operate within the borders of the U.S.) or, even more secret, NSA. The self-proclaimed comic about “that whimsical world of love triangles, final exams, homecoming dances and high school proms, being late for class, mistaken identity and slapstick antics” is a commie bastard publication, part of an international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids, Mandrake. OK, so maybe that’s a little over the top. But honestly, read one sometime, and you’ll be scratching your head wondering how such a weak publication could continue for so many years. But seriously, I think Archie comics could be like a newsletter service for spies. Maybe I should research who pays to print them…

No exciting actual events to report, not like the gas thing, except that prices are still under $2 a gallon for plus, which is apparently better than most places. I’m not complaining, especially since I don’t have to tip the attendant. HA!

Well, that about wraps up this thrilling episode. I’m trying to think of another way to sign off in addition to “take care…,” which I like, but it just doesn’t seem like enough. I know, I’ll add what I’m listening to at the moment, like my favorite forum site, murmurs.com, does. It just adds another dimension to what my frame of mind is. Hmm… maybe I should add a list of links to the right side of my blog, like some of the others I’ve seen. Keep an eye out for that. Take care…

ON AIR: R.E.M. - Walk Unafraid

BREAKING NEWS: Buying gas in Jersey

Published
by
Andy
on 5/18/2004
in Log
. 0 Comments

Thanks to constant reader John, I’ve just recieved word that ALL gas stations in Jersey are full service, because it’s the LAW. Yup, it is ILLEGAL for you to pump your own gas in Jersey. For all of my fellow Hoosiers, that probably seems strange. It’s a good thing I didn’t insist yesterday, I could have been thrown in jail. But also I was told that I do not have to tip the attendant, which makes me very happy. So save one socially akward gas buying experience, I am well on my way to legal regular gasoline purchase habits in Jersey. Actually, I usually buy plus.

Nevermind. I’ll try to post again later. Take care..

EDIT: I was also informed by another Constant Reader that my opinion on Jersey accents sucks. I do apologize. There are several different accents, and as I mentioned in an earlier post, I just hadn’t encountered the stereotypical one that I was expecting until the other day. To be honest, most people I talk to out here don’t sound any different than I do. But there are those lucky few… But what do I know, I’m just visiting.

Anyone know what a Benny is? (Not the statue on campus.)

Take care…

The word is pronounced “cwoffee”

Published
by
Andy
on 5/18/2004
in Log
. 0 Comments

First official Monday in Jersey. It’s official, Mondays on the East Coast also suck. Woke up a little late, got to work a little late, and damn it if the cafeteria was out of my strawberry banana juice. I nearly walked out after that. No, not really, but I was dissappointed. I’ve been assigned lots of things to work on now. I’ve got the Jersey ACtion page (AC is for Atlantic City. It’s a gambling page.), the Islander cover and spread, and the new car section which I get to develop the look of. So work is going pretty well. I’m starting to get to know people and actually remembering names. My next goal is memorizing telephone extensions. So work is going well.

I think I’m starting to figure out the Jersey accent. It’s more of just a change on vowel pronunciation. A perfect example is the word “coffee.” Out here, it’s pronounced “cwoffee.” Say it with me now: “cwoffee” Another good example is “talk.” Only here it’s “twalk.” Now, apply that rule and apply to any other case that seems to fit. Now, the degree to which you alter the vowel varies. With some people, you have to listen carefully to catch it, but with others, it’s like a smack in the face. So impress your friends tomorrow with a fake Jersey accent, courtesy of me.

Tonight I actually cooked. I had some pasta and cheese sauce. It was like macaroni and cheese, except I refuse to make it sound that simple since the pasta and cheese came in seperate boxes. (One was a jar, actually.) It wasn’t bad. I’m going to have to do dishes soon. I am doing laundry tonight, though, so I’ll have clean pants.

I did buy gas today. Every gas station I’ve been to so far out here is full service. Why is this? Is it that they’re really considerate out here? Or is this to prevent drive-offs? Either way, I’m not up on the gas station attendant etiquette. Am I supposed to tip the guy? I don’t see why. I mean, if that’s the case, I’d rather pump it myself. But they didn’t give me that option. They practically strong-armed me back into my car. So I followed along with their little game. I didn’t like it, but oh well. I have some fuel now.

I also watched Law & Order for about 3 1/2 hours tonight. Wasn’t much going on. I finished my new Hellboy books. Now I guess I’m in the market for the next. It’s called The Right Hand of Doom. I can’t wait. I was thinking about running to Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash. Hmmm… I wonder if Borders carries that. I remember seeing one of those around here somewhere. Seriously, though, if you haven’t checked out Hellboy, you should. The film is what got me hooked on it, but the comic books are even better. And the more of the comics I read, the more I like the film in retrospect. It seems to have been very loyal to it’s characters, which few comic book film adaptations can say. If you don’t believe me, check out Roger Ebert’s review here. He gave the film 3 1/2 stars, which is one of the best ratings he’s ever given a comic book adaptation. If you’re mildly interested but aren’t ready the shell out the $17 for a trade paperback, check out some online versions of Hellboy comics here. Ok, that’s my Hellboy rant for the day.

So stay tuned for another thrilling episode. Take care…

The Great Sandy Hook Adventure

Published
by
Andy
on 5/16/2004
in Log
. 0 Comments

WARNING: This is the first installment of my blog that should have pictures. I might go back and add some to past posts if I ever get that bored. Enjoy.

I accomplished something today. Before, I said that I was going to stop previewing my plans, as they hadn’t been turning out. So I didn’t. So now I’m going to tell you what I did. I went to Sandy Hook. Sandy Hook is a peninsula sticking off the top of New Jersey.

This is a map of the New York harbor. The red circle is where I stood today. I could see the skyline from there.

It was a lot more cool than I thought it would be. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting beaches at all. I was figuring it would be a woodsy-type state park, with rocky shores. But I was pleasantly surprised to find beautiful sandy beaches. There were lots of people out there. Some were swimming, but most were fishing, like this guy.

This guy caught this fish just as I was walking by. He explained that a spike on the back of its head delivers a nasty sting, so he was trying to persuade it to go back in the water.

That was pretty neat. The most neat part, though, was that I could see the NYC skyline from the beach! Not just like “is that the city?” but like “wow, there’s the Empire State building.” I stood atop an observation deck, where a bunch of signs were which explained what you were looking at. One of the signs pointed out where the twin towers were. It hadn’t been changed.

The view from the observation deck. The photo doesn’t do justice to just how close it seemed. I asked a guy who was standing up there why they hadn’t changed it. “Because they’re building a new one, why waste the money,” he said. Then he pointed out right about where they would have been. I thought that was insightful as the the attitude of most people out here. They take it personally, but they’re itching to get off the crutches. That’s my 9/11 moment for today.

The beach was really beautiful, and there were a lot of people fishing. I took my shoes off and walked along the beach, complimenting the various fisherman on their catches. My pants got all wet, but I didn’t mind. I was in a zone. I called Michelle and my parents and told them to guess where I was. They thought it was cool beans.

The beach goes all around here. On the other side is a Coast Guard facility. As I was driving by, I noticed the sign said “Department of Homeland Security.” If I’m not mistaken, wasn’t the Coast Guard part of the Department of Transportation? Maybe that’s a new change.

This is the beach I walked down. From there you can see one of the major bridges and part of the skyline. Actually, this is pretty small, so click here to get a bigger version of the image.

Sandy Hook used to be mostly a military outpost. There are remnants of very old forts all over the place. Places where huge gun emplacements used to be bolted to the concrete. There are still a lot of barracks around the peninsula. During wartime, Sandy Hook was one of a four part defense screen against attacks on the port of New York. Also, referring to the above map, Sandy Hook was important to incoming ships. The bay may look huge, but it is chock full of nasty sand bars where ships can get stuck. Currently, there is the man-made Ambrose Channel that ships use to get into the harbor. Before that was made, however, ships had to use the natural channel, which took them dangerously close to Sandy Hook. For that and obvious other reasons, a lighthouse was built on Sandy Hook. It was built in 1761, and still stands today. It originally ran on oil.

The light house was a lot farther inland than I expected it to be. It looks pretty small in this photo. Click here to see a much better photo of it, plus an bunch of cool info.

That’s something my landlord/housemate pointed out about the difference between the coasts (she just went to the West coast for a vacation). Everything on the West coast was built after the Civil War mostly. That’s not very long ago on this coast. Most things date at least to the 1700s. Rachel told me about a cemetery up in Red Bank that has headstones dating back to the early 1600s. I’m going to have to check it out sometime. (I’ll be thinking about you, Aunt Cheryl.)

After Sandy Hook, I drove back through Red Bank and stopped at the Broadway Diner for dinner. I had a cheeseburger and a damn fine strawberry milkshake. It was one of those places that leaves the metal cup they make the shake in. Yum. I also walked down a few of the streets. For those of you who know Indy, it’s kind of like Broadripple. For all my family up north, it’s like Michigan City. A very neat place with lots of shops and special restaurants. Kevin Smith owns a comic book shop there. It’s called “Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash.” I didn’t go in, cuz it was closed, but it looks neat. I’ll go back at some point. I did see through the window that they sell Jay and Silent Bob inaction figures. I thought that was clever.

After that, I just drove home. My car’s almost out of gas, but I’ll wait til tomorrow to fill it up. Sorry for the crazy longness of this post. Take care…

A new day brings new challenges

Published
by
Andy
on 5/16/2004
in Log
. 0 Comments

OK, I didn’t post yesterday, but honestly, there was little to report yesterday. Could possibly be the most boring day I’ve had here so far. Not boring, I guess, but ordinary. I ended up not going to the city as I said I might. Just didn’t happen. Oh well. I did cut the grass and shop for a few groceries (wherin I was hit on by a woman who guessed that I was in my forties. Must be the beard…). I ate strawberry pancakes at IHOP, which was cool, cuz they’re damn good. Then I came home and tried to fix Rachel’ surround sound system. I almost had the damn thing, and then for no reason whatsoever the sound stopped flowing from the DVD player to the surround sound. I can’t seem to figure it out. It was working earlier. Oh well. Then at about 1:30 a.m. R.E.M.’s “Perfect Square” DVD was being shown on one of the DirectTV channels. So I started watching that. Sadly, it bored me to sleep. It just wasn’t very exciting. Now, granted, most of you probably wouldn’t find a recording of a concert that exciting, but some of R.E.M.’s in the past have been fantastic. This one just felt cold and detached. But maybe that was what they were going for. Anyway, I only lasted about 15 minutes.

So now I’m up today. I think I’m going to stop writing on here what I MIGHT be doing. So with that, there’s really not much else to tell you today. I guess this post is just an apology for not posting yesterday. OK, I got big plans for tonight, so check back later and if I followed through, I’ll tell you about them. Take care…