THE 'LADY NICOTINE' VIDEO

Friends and countrymen, the Lady Nicotine music video, directed by the craziest catt ever, Julie Schieffer, is here. It doesn't officially premiere until next monday, at Stephen's ultimate end-of-school bash, but you kids are special, so you get a head start on the public. Enjoy.

PS. Hope you have the latest version of RealPlayer. If not, get it.

All about me
Not really. But yesterday, we filmed a video for Lady Nicotine. There were car scenes, party scenes, pool scenes, money scenes ... you name it. But the best was the bathtub scene. Yes, I was filmed last night in the bubble bath holding a bottle of sparkling white grape juice and a gun. You'll see the resulting music video very soon. It premieres next Monday night. But I might get you a sneak peek. So stay tuned.

Feels good to be a gangsta
This week has been amazing, I'll have to say. Not necessarily in a "awesome!" kind of way, but I'm just amazed at all that's gone into this week. Lots of effort, lots of procrastination, lots of fun.

Thursday was Diadeloso. I had planned to wake up early and start work on my gigantic research paper over the West Nile virus that was due tonight at midnight - but of course that didn't happen. So I woke up at 10 a.m., and watched "Office Space" with Ballard. Then I showered and lazied myself over to campus, where I saw some of my friends attempt to get hypnotized. It was quite entertaining. Then I flopped around and talked to people. Then, to further the procrastination, I tried to round up a posse to go get some Sonic. The posse ended up being two people, because I'm not a very convincing guy. But that was good times. Cherry limeades all around.

I was reminded, at this point, why I just like shooting the breeze with people over a cherry limeade. I've said it before, but good conversation is really fulfilling. Just like a good lime.

Then I kicked it at the library for a while, doing some reading/research for this crap-o paper. Not fun at all. Then I went to Sonic again. Yep, still good.

And then I continued with the research. After that, I shook it over to the Burleson Quadrangle, where our friendly BU staff was showing "Ferris Be....ler's Day Off." Directly following the movie - student government election results were announced. Crazy stuff. So then I went to work and then went back to the library and did research 'til 5 a.m.

It's morning! Wake up! 8:30 a.m. - I have class at 9. My hair was all nappy and stuff, but my German teacher won't let us wear hats in her class. So I had to wash the junk, ironically making me late for class. So I went to class, then in the SUB I ate some of the crappiest breakfast ever. Two more classes, then library 'til 3 or so. While typing up my paper, I bought a new mic off EBay. Good use of library time? Yeah, I think so.

Hungry - go home. What greeted me at the door? Two friggin' huge boxes. Uh huh. New PA speakers. I open them up and inspect my purchase - very nice. Write paper for 8,000 hours. Blog. Die.

I have the sudden strong urge to visit American Basin.

Can Disney Build a Better Mickey Mouse?

I'm linking to LarkNews.com, because it's one of the funniest things I've ever read.

It's 3 a.m. Ballard is doing pullups on his new pull-up bar. I'm eating my new cereal.

We played a game on campus tonight called "Sardines," with about 15 other people. Random game, but very fun. It's like hide-and-go-seek, but only one person hides, and the rest of the group tries to find her (or perhaps him). When you find the "hider," you hide with them. So it ends up being a bunch of people looking for another bunch of people. Quite entertaining. We had an excellent time, but now I'm hours behind in work.

SPECTACULAR EVENTS OF YESTERDAY

This is Avril Lavigne.



This is Avril Lavigne chillin' wit my boy Jason Weaver.



In addition to the above photographs, Mr. Weaver received a guitar pick, an autograph, and a hug. I dunno how he does it.

I rediscovered some writing, or journaling I'd done back in high school. I'd like to share with you an entry about MORP, which was like a Sadie Hawkins formal thing we did each year. I was definitely at the most cynical point of my life. Enjoy.

MORP was tonight. It’s 2:35am and I am sitting in my room. I don’t understand why all that depresses me so bad, but MORP really is depressing if you think about it. At least it is to me. I mean, all these poor girls hurry to get a date so their self-esteem won’t be shot, and they arrange everything to make sure it’s all perfect and crap. But it’s really just some other crummy Saturday night gig. I mean the food and all is great. Taking pictures, well I don’t really care too much for them. It makes my jaws hurt. And some of those poor girls try so hard to make themselves look perfect that they actually hurt the way they look. The awards were alright this year. I actually won something. That’s amazing. Even that, though, winning- it sounds great and all, but I honestly can’t even remember anything about it. I couldn’t smile for some reason when I was on the stage. I tried, but my face would go into these twitching spasms. It was really weird. But I can’t describe when they called my name or anything. I hardly remember it. And then, oh yes, the dance. Granted, I don’t like to dance at all, but it just made me so sad to look around at this sweaty sea of scantily clad people and know that they were really getting into all that stuff. It made me want to puke. Maybe it’s my morals – I don’t know – but I can’t understand the kick people get from dancing. And all those girls. Man, does that make me sad. You see some girl letting some sleezy guy put his hands all over her, just so he’ll stay there with her and she’ll have enough positive self esteem to last the next week or so. Almost like they’re desperate for attention, affection, whatever. They compomise because that’s the only way they think anyone cares about them. Oh gosh that’s sad to me…that really gets me down to think about that kind of stuff. But anyway, while everyone was having sex on the dance floor, me and ‘ol Brad took a break and went to the bathroom. But not just to go to the bathroom, see. To continue our field research on the percentage of males that wash their hands before leaving the bathroom. That always puts me in a great mood. But for some reason, it didn’t seem as much fun, knowing that we only resorted to our project because this night that everyone beat themselves over, that all those poor girls slaved to make “perfect” and “enchanting” and all that crap, was really nothing but a big fluke. Just a depressing look at the desperate measures of girls with at-risk self-esteem levels. It really drives me crazy. The whole night made me more sad than satisfied. But that’s just me. I’m sure all the other creeps ate it up.

I think I've grown a lot since then. Maybe. I'm not sure.

Played at A&M last night again. I'm quite tired. For real.

I haven't laughed this hard since last night ... The combined comic genius of Jess and Joe Chainsaw makes for a pleasant chuckle. Do read it.

 
Well, friends, the battle has ended. For the last 18 years, my dearest brother Blake has been torn between Baylor and Texas A&M. Today, Blake mailed a letter to Baylor, declining millions of dollars in scholarships and requesting a refund on his housing deposit. With this letter, Blake made his official decision to spent the next four years at Texas A&M University, home of the Aggies and all that is maroon.

I'm quite saddened by his decision, because, frankly, I like that kid a lot. So he won't be around next year to party with me and my homies, who include some of his best friends and closest family members.

I can't blame him, though. I, too, once aspired to be an Aggie, and to be quite honest, I like A&M more each time I visit. I'm going there tomorrow night, in fact, to play at the Coffee Station. The next two years will be years of road trips and speed traps for myself and others who will pilgrimage to see the great red tower.

'Tis with a tear on my cheek that I end this blog.

I went to lunch with my mom at this Asian food place called Pei Wei. It was excellent. Other than that, I've spent most of the day working hard on a photo project. I got some pictures developed this morning, and I bought a big photo album (which I've actually never done before). See, I had this great idea a couple of days ago, to make an album of the best pictures I have from college thus far. I just finished about 48 pages worth of photos, and I must say, it's breathtaking. I'd forgotten the joys of a photo album ... it reads like a magazine or a yearbook.

So ... that brings me to the reason for the blog. One of the last pictures I have is of two people saying goodbye. It's amazing. There's a lot of power in that photo - I seriously started to tear up. THUS I had a brainstorm, and I want to see what the blog community thinks.

"The Book of Goodbyes." It would be a coffee table book type thing, all photos, of people saying goodbye to one another. Why I think this would be so great ... emotions are so strong at the time of parting. It can be a joyful goodbye, a nervous goodbye, a sad goodbye, an angry goodbye ... and so on. I think that's beautiful, as well as powerful.

So that's the idea. Later.

Ladies and Gents, the greatest away message I've ever seen:

MEN: DO NOT SCRATCH YOUR BUTT!!! IT CAUSES BUTT EROSION!!!! just look at old men they have no butt!!!!!!

HOPPY EASTER!

Today's been plain crazy! I was out bowlin' wit my boy Jared last night til 12:30 or so, then I picked Blake up and we came home. This morning we attended the 8:00 a.m. service at church. I really enjoyed the sermon and was reminded of a lot of good stuff.

The family is coming at 2:00 - and by family, I mean the whole clan. All 87 of them. Jess and Joe Chainsaw will be here, so I'm sure we'll blow something up at some point. (*Side note: my mom just walked past my door singing "In Da Club."*)

I just totally remembered something that makes me laugh, but in a sad way. Back in the olden days, when the cousins would come over, our room would end up covered in toys and junk, 'cause we was playin' hard, yah mean? Well, my mom would get frustrated and make us clean up the mess we made after everyone left. So one time, when the cousins came over, Blake and I were ready for 'em. We hung up a piece of paper on the bedroom door that said "No Jessica and Joseph." They cried, and we felt bad.

Oh and I stubbed my toe yesterday and I think I broke it. 'Cause when I woke up this morning it was kinda black.

So I'm here in MacTown... Blake and I just went over to K-Hizzy's house with a ton of other kids, and we played frisbee in the street. It was cool, and my feet got really dirty.

So on the way home, we're flipping through radio stations. Pretty normal. But then we come across my favorite 80s song of all time, I just died in your arms tonight, by the Cutting Crew. I'm rockin' out, freakin' out, whatever. We're driving, I'm absorbed in the music, and Blake all of the sudden yells "GET IT! GET IT!" I come out of my 80s trance to see a possum walking directly in the path of my tire.

What do I do? Well, scream like a little girl, of course. Then I swerve to the right, missing both the possum and the car next to me by about one millimeter.

"You're a woman, because you're more willing to kill us than a possum," Blake said.

By the way, last weekend, coming back from A&M, I had to swerve and brake hard to miss the deer that FREAKING STOPPED in front of my car. I think this is God's way of making me do my part in population control, since I haven't eaten meat for over a month.

Mmmmm, goodtimes.

So I heard the new Avril Lavigne single twice this evening. I'll admit that was actually pretty fond of her first album - lots of really great music going on there. The Matrix really know what they're doing when it comes to songwriting. Catchy stuff.

Granted, it's just one song, but I must say - this new single sure isn't doing much for me. I'm not sure who the writers were, but I was definitely not turned on by "Don't Tell Me." I think what freaks me out, is that the song is exactly where you knew Avril would go. You hoped the new stuff would be fresh, like "Let Go." No such luck. You wished for more mature work? Oooo, sorry.

As the song opens, we're immediately slapped with unsuprisingly teenie-pop lyrics. The first line is forgivable - but not the second: "You gave me the kiss / it was something like this / it made me go 'oh oh.' " ... Yeah, leaves a real bad taste in the mouth.

Then the chorus just seems like something you've heard a million times. Maybe it's a signature thing, but I've heard all the "why-ee-eye-ee-eye" and "cry-ee-eye-ee-eye" I think I can stand. It's exhausting ... I was tired of it the first time I heard it.

Better luck next time, Avril.

If you like to catch bands like Nickelback in musical no-no's, you'll appreciate this.

Some dude's away message:
I'm asleep right now, maybe dreaming about the special someone in my life!!! Have a GREAT day Angel!!


I told this guy about the same away message and this is the face he made:

Last weekend, Arley was kind enough to draw some pictures of the good times we'd shared! Thanks for the encouragement!