The Mugblog

Update from Vanuatu

Received an update from Matt in Vanuatu. Here's an excerpt from his latest email:

....After all that I happened to hop on a sailboat and ride to S. Pentecost to see the land diving. It was very impressive and hard to watch at the same time, contrary to what some of the guidebooks say, people do sometimes get hurt. Unfortunately land diving is rarely done for custom any more and is mostly done to win tourist dollars. This came disturbingly clear when the chief climbed on top of the tower and yelled to all the tourists, "thanks for the money". Oh well, it was still a pretty amazing spectacle to behold. Afterwards I was stuck in S. Pentecost waiting for a cargo ship for five days and got to be friends with all the locals. They were so impressed with my tree climbing and kava drinking skills that they invited me to jump next year. I don't think I'll accept their invitation to tie dry leaves around my penis and jump off a 70 ft tower, but you never know, I've done worse.

Photo by Patrick Krohn

I'm Not in Right Now...

Several years ago, my buddy Nick would call and leave these messages on my answering machine. They have been saved, archived, and placed on removable media for years of enjoyment. That's right yo, you never know what'll eventually pop up on the internet.

Download child_protective_services.mp3

Download remington_elbow_wax.mp3

Download pawn_shop.mp3

Download frank_the_cartesian_well_master.mp3

Download Blaaahhh.mp3

Catchin' Up

Oh my god, it’s a mirage, I’m tellin’ yaw….I’m really postin’.

Hell yeah it’s been a while. Class has been windin’ down, so I’ve done a bit of slack control. Finals began today, and end (for me) next Monday; Crunch time. However, other shit has occurred, and there’s some new shit that I’ve learned. There are issues to be addressed, and needs that must be met. Songs to sing and pretty things, and cocktails by the dozen. Friends and beers and laughs and cheers, and a bunch of green-sticky growin’.

Dude, I’m crackin’. Anyway, here’s some stuff to make up for the AWOL.

Plans for Bonnaroo are underway. The man in TX has contacted the man in VA. The man in VA must contact the man in CA for location of pickup in TN. The man in VA also must figure out if he and the woman from VA will be heading to KY to meet the men and women of KY, and perhaps but not likely the man and woman from TX; or if he will be meeting both the man from CA and the man and woman from TX and the men and women of KY in TN.

Speaking of Bonnaroo: Bonnaroo is having a contest to register voters. You can win a pair of VIP tix to Bonnaroo. Details here

Speaking of Music: I just got tix to the last date of the G-Love and Special Sauce/ Jack Johnson Summer tour. I cant wait!!

I’m really excited that Typepad finally gave us a file manager. Pretty serious oversight I thought, but once again Typepad comes through with a fix. Most exciting of all is the addition of word wrapping for images. As I type, I’m testing the file upload utility. I’m attempting to post “Change Clothes” from DJ Dangermouse’s Grey Album ( a great mix of Jay-Z’s Black Album and the Beatles’ White Album. Great!! It worked. Here ya go: Download 08ChangeClothes.mp3

A couple weeks ago Jenn and I traveled back home to Louisville to participate in "Thunder Over Louisville": an annual kickoff of the two-week Kentucky Derby Festival. Thunder is one of the biggest fireworks displays in the country with it’s 45+ minutes of sky-lighting explosion. The pre-game is an air show featuring planes from the past and present. I helped my buddy Gavi sling beer and pizza out of his family’s downtown restaurant. I also helped him, along with several other fellas and ladies, get rid of a bunch of those beers as well as my fill of Jersey-style pizza. It was great to see my buddies and be back home. Truly a whirlwind trip, we left on Friday afternoon and Returned Sunday evening, but it was a great time and I hope to get back soon.

This morning as I returned from Jenn’s house I found myself on the country road that leads to my house. It was a misty morning and the farmers fields were glowing emerald at the base of the lush mountain skyline. The rundown barns looked like images on postcards and even the black and white cows looked as if to be painted in acrylic. The road I traveled was of a worn asphalt, showing its age with every crack and crumbled edge. As approached the final stop sign before reaching my house, I spotted across the intersection, a large, brown puddle. It’s contents were rich as Yoo-hoo, and its feathered edges were outstretched, transforming road to shoulder. As I traversed the crossroad I diverted my course slightly as to dip my one wheel into the inviting pool and splash a bit o’ mud onto my fender…man, that was dumb. That mofo must’ve been 8 inches deep!!! I hit, bounced out of my seat, steered back on course, and checked to be sure the fellas were still in tact. I swear I thought I bent a rim.

Ok, I’m gonna go check the tube. I’ve got more, and there are lots of photos to come once I get them off Jenn’s camera. So I’ll be back soon.

Peace Out

New Gallery

I added a photo album of Jenn and I's day excursion to The Smithsonian Kite Festival and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. It was a beautiful day outside and we had a great time. Check it out.

Lookin' for a Record

My cousins, uncle, and I sent a ten dollar, nylon parafoil kite over half a mile out with the use of several spools of 30 lb test monofilament and the supplied 500 feet of string. To top it off, we retrieved the kite without incident after 45 minutes to an hour of tug-and-wind!! We could have gone further, but alas, we ran out of filament. Im pretty sure we were breaking some kind of FAA regulation (perhaps not, but I really like to think so). Successful day, I would say.

Tangueray on a Mountaintop

So again it’s been a while since I posted. My only excuse this time is mid-terms, the remainder of the liability is left to sheer laziness. John from State of Confession has spotted a trend of late where folks are posting less and less. I tend to agree. I think it’s a possible of wave of posting (or in this case a lack-there-of), spawned by one or a few bloggers and then exponentially stretching to affect us all. This is just a wave though, and the blogosphere is probably a lot more like a wave pool than the ocean. Eventually the wave will end and we’ll all be floatin’ around on big plastic tubes, bellies in the air, and bloggin’ like we used to. Watch out for the warm spots.

I did have some satisfying moments this week, let me share.

1. I watched a Charlie Rose Interview with Bill Gates. Two years ago that wouldn’t have happened, but it did this week boy. It was really interesting to hear him talk about the focus of Microsoft right now, which appears to be security, and the Longhorn phenomenon. Best of all, it was amusing to hear him talk about how he’s basically glad to not be in charge anymore so he has more time to play with software and SAVE THE WORLD.

2. Saw my buddy Eggy play music at a steakhouse lounge. Acoustic guitar and saxophone, it was a good time. They played some fun covers and the room as full of friends. The highlight of the evening was when Eggy announced that they had named their musical duet “Mad Cow”. This could be a long shot, but I’m guessin’ that's a sensitive issue at a steakhouse. Way to go Egg’.

3. Spent last weekend in a traditional-style Japanese house on to top of mountain with a few of my cousins and an uncle, and of all of our respective girlfriends. It was an awesome time and the weather was beautiful. We cooked great food all weekend, the highlight for me being Friday night’s home-made crab cakes. Waking up every morning and seeing the sun rise over the mountains on one side of the valley while on top of another mountain is a scene that really makes me appreciate the beauty of where I live.

4. Created a copper wire sculpture of a nude woman. The inspiration just poured from my fingers to the wire and before I knew it I had an 8 inch nekkid chick fixin’ her hair on a block of walnut. I really can’t believe how well it turned out. I might have gone a bit far, for most of my class turned in sculptures that looked to be created out of paper clips. Whatever, my girlfriend tells me that all the greats stuck out in the classes. I guess there may be something to say for over-achieving; I just ain’t used to it.

Also, thanks to John from State of Confession and Andrew from MMWR for the condolences about my grandmother's situation. I don't care what they say, yaw're cool in my book.

Now it’s the weekend. I’m at my Dad’s house, chillin’, time to put on some jeans, and maybe some shoes since it’s rainin’, and do something with the day. Peace out.

Wassup Everybody!!?

Yeah, yeah, I know its been a week since my last post, but you know, sometimes there's just other shit goin' on. Such was the case this past couple weeks:

1. My grandmother went into the hospital with a broken ankle from a "fall" and ended up having a heart attack. She was transported to a UVA Hospital, and now is at a nursing home for 4-5 weeks until her leg heals more and the doctors feel she is strong enough to endure triple-bypass heart surgery. She's lived on her own for the past 15 years and is now in a 24 hour care facility. I'm sure this will be a great benefit to her physically, but I hope it doesn't break her independent spirit. I wanna see her get out, get better, and go on living on her own terms. Many in the family don't believe this will ever be the case again. I'm more optimistic about the situation.

I was also very dissapointed in the web-presence of information about this nursing home. All I could find was a link through the larger corporation that owns/manages a whole group of "homes" including the one that my grandmother is in. This link led to one simple page describing in serene explicitives the quality of life that can be expected there, and 3 poor quality pictures: the dining area, a woman in a wheelchair doing exercises with the caption "Physical therapy is fun!", and a the facia of the building accented with a shrub. What the hell!!? Sure it's right down the road, and I can go check it out myself, which I will, but what if I lived in Nebraska? That page isn't tellin' me jack. I'd want, and WAS looking for, photos of the rooms, the staff, the grounds. Give me a price chart, a copy of the menu, a list of the staff, a rundown of the services offered, and highlight any special needs that are particularly catered to . Remember, I'm in Nebraska and I'm not able to get to VA to check out a nursing home. Don't patronize me with smiling senior citizens in a cafeteria and a picture of a damn shrub.

2. I'm in a 3D Design class, so lately I've been a sculpter. I've done four pieces so far, and a fifth is due on Tuesday. I usually find myself completing these masterpieces the night before they're due. I think this really helps my artistic process. Nevermind that the paint is usually still tacky when I turn them in, the urgency in which these pieces are created adds to the beauty, and it's the way I do it, it's MY art, eat shit. Apparently there's a Spanish professor that wants to buy my ping-pong ball sculpture. No, really. Whatever, I'm not sellin'. The amount that I could justify selling the thing for (no more than 20 bucks), hardly makes it worth it to me to sell. Maybe I'll play hardball and hold on to it, scarcity breeds value you know.

3. Mid-terms are comin' up. So is my realization that the semester is halfway over and I feel like it just started. I haven't really buckled down and gotten into school this semester. I'm tryin' lately though. Wish I could get excited about spring break, but I'm not going anywhere. I'll probably just sleep more, hell, that actually might be exciting.

4. My sleeping habits have been all crunked up. I was gettin' to bed at like 2-3 in the morning, wakin' up at 8. Now I'm fallin' asleep at 9:30, waking up at 5, back to sleep 'til 8:15. I dunno what's up, been havin' crazy-ass dreams too. One night I was a schoolbus driver, 'nuff said.

So anyway, I'm still alive and I have been readin' everyone elses blogs, so i know what you're up to, Peace out.

February Ninfe

DAMN!! I lost the pics. Matt e-mailed me some photos of the natives in Ambae performing some sort of "Kastom" ritual. I saw them last night, today...NO FREAKIN'-WHERE!! My computer definetly ate them. It doesn't really surprise me though. I probably deserve it. I've been cussin' it the whole weekend.

Muh-man Dylan's been hard at work tappin' out code to update TeacherReviews (currently under construction). He received over 200 responses on his blog concerning the down-time of TR due to threat of legal action against him and the site. Almost all the responses were in favor of the site and the way it was formatted and run. It'll be interesting to see what kind of additions or changes he made.

I accepted an invitation to Orkut. That's also pretty interesting. I'm not really clear on what use it's going to be to me; but hey, why not? It seems to be a pretty tech-trendy thing to be involved with. Now that is typically is totally against ole' Beermugs grain, but screw it. It does however put me within 2 "Friend" degrees of Robert Scoble of Microsoft Longhorn and blogging fame. Why does this in any way excite me? Oh, but it does! I'm really just infultrating for the purposes of scientific observation. Got me? Good.

Cards won this weekend. What a relief. After two losses I was gettin' a bit concerned. They've dropped from #6 to #9 but they're still in the top ten. Worst part though: Kentucky is #8 now. SON OF A BITCH.

In case any of you guys forgot, it's Valentines Day on Saturday. I know this now, I'll forget before then. Hopefully I'll remember once more.

Oh! I almost forgot. Remember Henry Earl? If you go to Google and search for "Henry Earl", #2 result is The Mugblog. Coincidence? hmmmm....

A bit of a devil infestation.

Got a new email from my buddy Matt in the Peace Corps in Ambae, Vanuatu (in the South Pacific). Don't quote me on the exact name of the place. Sometimes I dont even know if the words he is using are proper nouns or verbs, adverbs. Hell, I don't even know what an adverb is. Anyway, here's an excerpt from this newest correspondence:

I've been adopted by a family and given a custom name - Vuti Natinaho which means when you're walking up the hill in the morning and blocking you're face from the bright sun. People are also bringing me food now and then. Also after 6 months of carrying a 20 liter water jug over 1km twice a week, the rains have hit and I have water in my well. I had a bit of a devil infestation at my house for awhile, but Chief Melkio Toko planted a custom leaf in the corners of my yard and it's been quiet at night ever since.

I was curious about Matt's use of the word custom in reference to the name he was given and the leaf that Chief Melkio Toko planted in his yard. While searching for pics of Ambae, Vanuatu I came across this great article on the meaning, background, and future of the word Kastom (custom) and it's ties to the Vanuatu(n?) culture.

As for the devil infestation, that might take a bit more research.

Cards lose but Timberlake Wins

This weekend seemed a rollercoaster of motion and emotion. I departed the Valley Friday afternoon with expectation of many events that would satisfy needs in special little segments of me as a whole. Some occurred, some didn’t. Here’s the rundown on the weekend that brought me to this second day of February, 2004:

Please keep your head back and arms inside the car at all times.

Friday: Drove to NoVA, hung out for a bit, then my girlfriend and I went to Arlington Cinema ‘N’ Drafthouse with intentions of seeing School of Rock and drinking some beers. Of course, after standing in line for several minutes (and never noticing the “Now Playing” sign), I approach the ticket window only to find out that the Jack Black comedy has been replaced with the too-freakin-cute romantic comedy Love Actually. What the crap!? Jennifer had no problem with this, even though she didn’t actually know who was in it, or what it was about. Apparently the fact that it had Love in the title was enough for her. After a concise explanation of my acute allergy to any film that Hugh Grant stars in, and my refusal to drink beer in the presence of 200 girls and their feline-whipped homeboys, Jen and I ran-fer-the-hills and returned home.

Saturday: Woke up feeling the excited expectation of the UofL-Marquette 3 o’clock matchup. The plan was to head to the Steven F. Udvar-Haxy Center around ten, go to the grocery, and be home in time for tip-off. Being Saturday, neither Jen nor I felt overly pressured to get up early. So we didn’t. The Air and Space center didn’t happen but was promised to be put off until the following morning. We did however make it to the grocery. I picked up a twelve of the oh-so-delicious Molson Canadian and Jen a sixer of that low-carb, low taste wonder that is Michelob Ultra and made it back to the house with time to spare before the game. Sloppy game, hurt players, reigning C-USA champs, Cards lose bustin’ up their 16 game streak. DAMN.

After weaseling out of Love Actually for a second time (yeah I know I’m good) Jen and I decided to head to Dylan and Mary-Anne’s for a chill night in. Before we know it it’s 3:30am and we’ve played games (card and otherwise), cooked stuffed salmon, set the oven clock, drank some delicious margaritas, and discussed the social importance of blogging and the pain in the ass that it MS Outlook. Drive home, go to bed. Did I mention UofL lost? DAMN.

If anyone has tips on creating two unique profiles (separate email inboxes, etc) in Outlook, or knows the “official” rules to Asshole, that would be great.

Sunday: I still taste margarita in my mouth. Jen goes to the gym which leaves me plenty of room to stretch out on the bed and get a lovely post-alcohol morning nap in. She gets back and we head to the Air and Space Museum. Feelin’ good that we’ve kept our appointment with ourselves we enter the huge hangar that is the Steven F. Udvar-Haxy Center. What an awesome place! The hangar is packed with airplanes of the past and present and is designed with catwalks so that most exhibits can be viewed from all angles. Most impressive to me were the enormous, silver, Enola Gay, which was the bomber that fed the A-bomb to the Japanese at Hiroshima and the SR-71 Blackbird. Most disturbing was an actual kamikaze plane that was no more than a human-driven bomb. What first looked like an innocent, funny little plane took on a much more ominous persona once I realized that it had a cockpit and wings but no landing gear. We could’ve stayed there much longer, however it was Superbowl Sunday and there were places to be.

Following the museum we went to Giant and picked up a veggie tray and dip and went to Kim and Ray’s for Superbowl festivities. We had a great time. Plenty of food and drink and I got to watch another team of my choosing lose. Yeah, so it wasn’t a great weekend for sports but who really cares when you get to see a half-time breast. Damn CBS for their talented live directing crew that quickly went from “on-field-cam” to “satellite-cam” a mere second after the now notorious Halftime “Presentation”. I don’t care if it was unintentional (yeah right) or not, JT is the man. Oh, and favorite commercial: Ford GT, “The pace car for an entire company”. I REALLY want one of those.

So now it’s Monday and I’ve been at school all day. I’m sure whoever is responsible for the network (aka the geek that kicks you off IM and gaming sites) wouldn’t approve of me blogging from the library computers. Whatever, bite me geek. I’m out. BIO at 5:15 and then Lab ‘til 9:30, what fun.