And For My 300th Post

I'd like to try something new. It's a bit of an adaptation from blogs that I read that I thought I'd like to try myself. See, the way I see it, I don't have enough fun with the blog and I'm not happy enough. So this is the new deal. Friday's a free blog. I'll call it "Lu's Friday Off The Wall Blog." In the Off The Wall Blog (OTW from now on) I'll cover 4 things whether they're news stories, rumors, opinions....whatever is hot and in my mind. In addition to that I'll have my Friday Fave Five which will be 5 songs (5 new school, 5 old school) that I'm really into. So here goes nothing.

THE FRIDAY FOUR: TOPICS

• UNC IS #1. That's not breaking news to anyone, they are the number one team in men's college basketball. However what does count as breaking news is from Kiplinger.com's Top 100 Public Universities where the University of North Carolina @ Chapel Hill ranks number one in the entire nation! Ahh, what could've been. I could've gone to UNC where they did win a National Championship my freshman year, and wouldn't that have been something? Affordable (only $20,000 a year after Financial Aid) I wonder why I didn't go there in the first place. Do offense to SIU, I love you dearly, but you're talking about one of the most prestigious public universities in the country. Imagine the stuff I could've avoided by going to UNC. I can't help but think what could've been. Sighs, oh well....who says I can't transfer?

• Interesting news from overseas. China will have 30 million more men of marriageable age than women in less than 15 years as a gender imbalance resulting from the country's tough one-child policy becomes more pronounced, state media reported Friday....The tens of millions of men who will not be able to find a wife could also lead to social instability problems, the China Daily said in a front-page report.....China imposed strict population controls in the 1970s to limit growth of its huge population, but one side effect has been a jump in gender selection of babies. Traditional preferences for a son mean some women abort their baby if an early term sonogram shows it is a girl. Look, I have enough working against me in this country. All I need is competition from overseas from guys who are obviously desperate for women; and they're geniuses to boot! But hey, I thought I had it bad. Looks like I gotta refine my game.

• According to ESPN.com, Dodger stadium is ousting their $10 seats in the right field corner to put an all you can eat section. Sounds interesting, I'd be willing to pay $40 a seat for all you can eat Dodger Dogs. I'd be willing to do so. What inspired this you ask. The success it's become in St. Louis' Busch Stadium. All you can eat at Busch...that explains a lot to me about Creepy Cardinal Nation. (Okay, that was my jab at the Cards tonight....don't kill me!)

• Barry Bonds tests positive for amphetamines according to reports. I'm not surprised. What else doesn't surprise me, he snitched on his teammate Mark Sweeney who Bonds said gave him some type of supplement and that's what he tested positive for. Not only is he a liar, not only is he a cheater, but he's a snitch too. There's your Greatest Player Of This Generation argument right out the window!

THE FRIDAY FIVE MIX (NEW SCHOOL)

1. Black Republican by Nas (featuring Jay-Z)
2. Cupid's Chokehold by Gym Class Heroes
3. Gallery by Mario Vazquez
4. Irreplaceable by Beyonce
5. Hate (I Really Don't Like You) by Plain White T's

THE FRIDAY FIVE MIX (OLD SCHOOL)

1. Ain't That A Kick In The Head by Dean Martin
2. Friday, I'm In Love by The Cure
3. Now That We Found Love by Heavy D & The Boyz
4. Bust A Move by Young MC
   
5. Regulators by Warren G
   

"There Is No Joy In Mudville, Mighty Casey Has Struck Out"

As a child who has been obsessed with baseball his whole life, I must say that my favorite child's tale is Casey at the Bat. Everyone knows Casey's story, if you don't then you're obviously an idiot! For the idiots out there I can give you a Cliff's Notes version. Casey's a good ballplayer, I mean really good. Folklore has him like Barry Bonds...with red hair, minus the steroids and snitching. Casey was the shit, but was full of himself and basically his attitude cost his team the game when he struck out with the game on the line when had he been playing the whole game Mudville would've smoked the opposition. So what does this story have to do with anything? I dunno, but I kinda feel like Casey now. Well, not really because Casey's much more talented than I am, but that's neither here nor there. I'm talking about the whole striking out thing, with the game on the line. Striking out sucks, it's the worse feeling in the world. It must have sucked for Casey b/c it was his only at bat during the game so it's like you sit on the bench all game, get summoned for one at bat and then are dispersed to where you came....and on top of that you're team loses. Once again, where does any of this matter? I feel like Casey, that's all. Striking out, for starters. No joy in Mudville (instead insert either Chicago or Carbondale.) It all makes sense. I was watching this show on MTV called Exposed, in which contestants are being monitored through lie detection/voice analysis software by someone in a surveillance truck. The one guy didn't tell one lie, while the other guy he was competing for the girl with spewed countless lies throughout the date. You would think the girl's gonna pick the honest guy. Nope, she picks the liar. Why? Because she thought the truthful guy would be too innocent for her. Are you kidding me?!?!? That's the most ridiculous statement I've ever heard, but it does make a lot of sense now that I think of it. Girls are always picking idiots over good guys, it's been like that for centuries, why would it change for a television show? I guess lying is a damned if you do, damned if you don't type of ordeal. You're lame if you don't lie to a girl, but if you do lie you're gonna get reamed for it. It's why women drive me absolutely up a wall. Later, I watched a news story about a snitch ass 14 year old boy who had sex with his teacher. So we Google the teacher's name and the story...and she's smoookin' hot causing me to question everything I've ever done with women (okay not really, still, makes you wonder.) Shit, I have enough trouble garnering the attention of girls my age....I couldn't get a hot teacher even if I had everything goin' for me. And what really grinds my gears about this (love the Peter Griffin reference) is that the lil' boy had a problem with it and snitched. BASTARD!!!

So here I am, at a crossroads. Sorry if I sound over dramatic, but it's how I feel so hold your horses. I'm 20, and by all accounts I'm going through mid-life crisis. Drama and my shortcomings in life are two primary targets for stress and such. I'm bitter, like, old man bitter...and cranky too. And ooh, I like the word jilted, I'm jilted too. See, once again, I'm not a happy camper. On top of that I feel as if the times are flying right past me. And then I take a look around, and it's not gonna get better any time soon. Valentine's Day is right around the corner, another reminder of my failures. And then June, my former roommate's getting married. No, not that roommate, the original roommate. The one I was at wits end with after my first semester at SIU b/c I was fed up w/his shenanigans. That was the big talk while I was home on winter vacation. First it was the engagement, which was news to me....then a few weeks later during a conversation in which I was giving him the best directions on how to get to the Westin Hotel on Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago he dropped an "oh by the way, I got married today." Now that was breaking fucking news! So quick, so sudden (well at least from my point of view.) I was stunned, heck I'm still stunned....the reception and stuff is in June in Cali. And here I sit, still stunned. I never thought he'd be the first to get married from the group of friends I have, never in a million years did I think he'd be the first to be married. But more power to him, he found himself his dream girl and sealed the deal. I found my dream girl and well everyone knows that story so why re-hash and piss me the fuck off again. I guess that's the difference between he and I. Where he succeeded, I choked and failed. And I look at things from the outside looking in, I'm not getting married anytime soon, heck I don't even see myself dating in the near future unless a few miracles occur. In fact I might be the last to get married, that's depressing....okay, not so much. Still, I saw how the guys reacted to the girl and they were all like you know she's hot and all but blah blah blah. I guess that's my main reason behind being superficial, I gotta have my guys approval because I don't feel like taking shit from anyone anymore.

For the last few years I've been living by an adaptation of the whole Dusty Baker mantra of when he first came to the Cubs. "Why Not Lu? Why Not Now?" And after several failed experiments and even more evidence on why it hasn't been Lu and why it doesn't occur ever, I've come to the conclusion that I need a new mantra, a new calling card. In the end I need something that will make me eternally happy (this is where the 2007 Chicago Cubs comes in.) But that's another blog, for another night, for another site. Good night, from Carbondale.

Carbondale Boredom

Yeah, so I'm back in The 'Dale and really I have no interest in being here. Okay, that's a damn lie, but I'm feeling quite puzzled right now. It's that whole "I'm in Carbondale, but I'm not in school" type of thing that's probably bothering me the most. It's not the same yet, and most of it has to do with Steve not being here and I haven't been out drinking yet. So that will change Friday night, hopefully with guys night out.

I know in a previous blog that I said that I'd write about the things I look forward to this coming year, but I've done that already in a previous blog so why re-hash a blog that's already been done? Though I also mentioned that I'd reveal my New Year's Resolutions.

First, I hate the word "resolution" because in my eyes, resolutions are made to be broken. And seriously, who keeps their New Year's Resolution. Nobody, that's who! Instead of resolutions, I've come up with some things I'd like to do, some goals...instead of resolutions b/c like I said, resolutions are just made to be broken.

For example I'd like to do better in all of my classes. Yes, I got two A's on my report card but as nice as they were, those grades were overshadowed by the F in Econ and the D in Physics. Disappointing indeed. I'm going to resort to studying/reviewing after each and every day of classes in an attempt to stay on task and focused on classes! I'm aiming for nothing lower than a B in each of my classes, hopefully I'm not asking too much of myself. Next, I'd like to lose some weight. I know, it's so cliche but I must say it. I was doing well in the beginning of the semester but then stress took its toll on me. It's not only clinically proven, but I've proven it for myself that when people are stressed they eat more. I admit I fall in that category, and on top of that I cook more too, my roommates can vouch for that. I remember one week of hell where everything just sucked I cooked a cheesecake, a pan of brownies, fried chicken, pork chops, pasta, mashed potatoes and cookies. Cooking's a stress reliever, and that's probably not a good thing. I'm trying to cut out a lot of the soda pop that I drink and instead am drinking more water, because it's healthier. I'm also going to try not to eat past 8 or 9 o'clock because that's when metabolism slows down. Another thing I'd like to do is become more sociable. Not like I'm not sociable, but I dunno, there were several times last semester where I just wish I had never left my room, or got on the phone, or got on the computer, or left the apartment for that matter. Hopefully I can make some new friends this semester, and hopefully they won't up-and-disappear again! Finally, in the words of John Mayer "I'm Gonna Find Another You." I know, sounds like everyone's New Year's Resolution and some of the past statements I've made on this very blog. The point of this however is different. I'm here acknowledging I've absolutely screwed the pooch! I've choked! I've blown too many really good opportunities, to the point where I sometimes sit and wonder if I've blown my chance for "true love." I put "true love" in quotes because I'm bitter and have my doubts about love as a whole. But if you listen to John Mayer's I'm Gonna Find Another You, you'll know where I'm coming from with this whole resolution/goal thingy. I just want to be happy, and seeing some of the things that have happened around me recently (I'll keep the things farther in the past in the past b/c things have really come into focus recently) and I think about where I've fucked things up, where I've failed myself and things like that....and the fact that those things irritate me, pisses me the fuck off!

Notable things I want to do in 2007:

• Go to as many Cubs games as possible. Of course that takes precedent, especially if they're good! I want to be there Opening Day, and as much as possible. I love Wrigley Field, it's like my second home and one of my happy places. I can't wait to go when I'm 21 (and pay $6 for a beer.)
• Find a date for the JT concert. I'll have more on this whole thing in a blog to be posted later. It's either that or go with my mom. Not like that's a bad thing, but if I can't find a date for a JT concert, I wonder if I can find a date period.
• Write more poetry. I'm disappointed in myself because I wrote 2 poems on the train on my way to Chicago and none since that day (more than three weeks ago.) It's not like I don't have ideas (I do), I just don't feel motivated right now, that's all.
• The Vegas Trifecta. There's a motto for my b-day weekend in Las Vegas, when I turn 21, and it's quite simple. "Get drunk, get laid, get married...in no particular order." Need I say more? It's one of the things I can't wait to do when I go out there. Once again, the whole Vegas thing deserves a post in itself.

Well, that's it for now folks. Now it's time to fool around with I-Tunes and see what kinda music I got here to work with!

P.S. I got blogs in the making. I got some new segments that I'll be dropping and then explaining. Should be fun!

Winter Vacation Round-Up

There is nothing like killing time by blogging, I'll tell ya that right now! Since there's nothing better to do and there's no one at the apartment, what better time than now than to blog about my Winter Vacation.

It was a good vacation, nothing spectacular though. There were no road trips or kisses under the mistletoe and my first kiss of the New Year is still to be determined, but I'll say that this was a fun vacation. Granted, my parents and I spent a majority of my vacation at odds with each other for one reason or another, but hey it happens, right?

The highlights of my vacation included the Christmas and New Years Eve parties. Sure, the Bears stunk it up on the field, but that didn't stop us from having fun in the basement and partying 'til beyond 5 A.M. Christmas was awesome, as usual. I got a lot of nice things including some jerseys (Rex Grossman and Ben Gordon), a new razor that will hopefully provide me a closer shave, a really cool Cubs hoodie, a couple of video games and a whole bunch of movies!!! And what I didn't get for Christmas, I budgeted any gift cards and money and bought. I got myself an Alfonso Soriano Cubs jersey which was a must have in my mind! I also picked up the following DVDs: American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile, Accepted, Dogma, Just Friends, The Negotiator and SNAKES ON A PLANE!!!!! I also picked up Nas' CD Hip-Hop Is Dead, a great one if you ask me. Beyond the materialistic good of Christmas I was able to spend time with Grandma, my aunt and my cousins which was totally awesome!!!

The most underrated part of my vacation has to be my Friday nights. My Friday nights in Carbondale were a complete albatross (save the weekend Tony and the gang came down for Christmas) so it should be a surprise to hear that I had 'Happy Friday's' during my vacation. I have Tony and the boys to thank again. Though they feel terrible that I can't go to Merkle's bar with them, they came to my house each Friday after their time at Merkle's and drank with me. It was great! We played pool, Madden and made some drunk phone calls. But they weren't your typical drunk dials, they were drunk singing dials. I'm thinking we shoulda made a greatest hits of songs we sang while we were drunk which included: What Hurts The Most, How I'm Doing, You Ain't Much Fun Since I Quit Drinking, I Got Friends In Low Places, Nobody Knows It But Me and numerous hits from artists like 'N Sync, the Backstreet Boys, Boyz II Men, Barry White and of course Justin Timberlake. Speaking of which, I will be seeing JT in concert in March during spring break which I'm totally lookin' forward to. I'll be looking for a date (more to come in another blog.) Oh yeah, I got JT tix for X-mas too, how was that overlooked? Ooh and a bottle of Hennessey (also not to be overlooked.)

To recap winter break, it's quite simple: Family, Friends, Holidays, Drinking, Partying. Sounds like the recipe for quite a holiday season. ;-)