I am smrter than you.

Finally!

2004-10-09T01:16:00.000-07:00

1
2

The first out of 200 pics I got from my New York tour.

1: Me in Grand Central Station. The pic turned out bad; it is an amazing sight to see in person. My pic was taken the only moment people moved out of the way...

2: Me in front of the UN building. This pic was around 30 minutes after the first.

That was a tiring day. I had just come back from Boston, and I spent the morning touring Columbia, Morningside Heights, and the area around Herald square. I was pretty fucked-up already.

Around noon, I walked from Grand Central to fuckin' UN building. Not so bad, but later in the day I somehow ended up in Little Italy, China Town, then back to Lower Manhattan around 1 Liberty Plaza (overlooking ground zero).

I even passed by a free concert at NY City Hall, but I didn't stay because I was a fucking retard. For some reason, walking towards Battery Park and the World Financial Center seemed more appealing.

Actually, I was starving and looking for a Wendys... The signs kept pointing away from the goddamn concert, and I ended up walking 2 miles. I gave up looking for the Wendy's, but I was too dead to walk to the City Hall. I just did what I had done on the first night; eat across the street (in an open plaza) from ground zero.

Not because I'm a sap and wanted to "remember" or "honor" some people or something like that... The McDonalds by 1 Liberty Plaza was the only place open after 10:00PM!

1 Liberty Plaza from the 107th floor of the former WTC building... The tiny plaza with trees on the right was where I ate my lonely dinner of chicken nuggets and small root beer. There were no trees when I was there.

I sulked to the PATH station inside ground zero afterwards and went my way to New Jersey, where I fell asleep on the train and almost missed my stop. From the station I walked the final 3 miles to the people I was staying with and collapsed on the guest bed.

I loved that day.

Gun Nut

2004-09-27T19:40:00.000-07:00

Some people find it hard to believe I am a gun nut; by the time they find out, they've already known that I am non-violent.

I announced in the previous post that I am considering buying a new rifle. I mentioned it could be a Mosin Nagant or an SKS. I changed my mind.

Someone reminded me of something I knew; the Assault Weapons Ban sunset into non-existence. Why bother sticking with an old bolt-action from the 30's or a semi-auto that still uses stripper-clips? Why, AK47's are bound to get cheaper these days.

I've been looking at WASR-10's under $200 and SAR-1's under $300... WOW! Damn don't the Romanians make cheap guns.

I wonder how much a Norinco MAK90 costs...

Mark, a guy I knew, got a Romanian one of these a while back. I am jealous. He's in the Army now. I wonder if I can buy it off of him.

Don't think I'm weird for liking guns; I'm weird for other reasons.

Sigh

2004-09-24T17:05:00.000-07:00

I have been putting off updating because I have not developed any NY pictures. I do not like reneging promises, but I feel as I have no choice.

There have been a few update-worthy events in the past 2 weeks:

- Got into German 4 and found people to talk to in German only (Sehr gut fuer mich. Ich liebe der Deutsch sprache, aber ich sprache wenige Deutsch)
- Made it in the High-5 quiz show team at my school, then taped a show (Watch on November 28 to see if we lost or won... I have to find out the times and channel)
- Started working on my Capstone Project at CAL: An airsoft rifle
- The stupid Assault Weapons Ban lifted (Victory for liberty)
- Told Mrs. W about AU's incompetency (Great weight off of my chest)
- Got into AP Calculus (I need it! I also really like Mrs. Lindow)
- Started working in my new position at Smith Barney (I like it, but I am afraid of screwing up)
- My brother's birthday came up on the 18th, and I bought him video game as a present--Star Ocean: Till the End of Time. He's addicted for sure.

Also some strange stories:

- Saw the freeways get sealed off at night by the police and saw hundreds of cop cars swarm after something on my way home from work.
- Saw a sting op against 4 guys [b]on[/b] the MAX on the way to work. The guys they arrested were 2 seats behind me. It was awesome: They stopped the MAX to let inside a couple of uniformed policemen in the very front of the car. Two undercover policemen came from the other end and trapped the guys in the middle and cuffed them. ICH LIEBE DER POLIZEI.

Future plans:

- I will probably get my license soon, when my brother takes his permit test. I kind of do not want it: I have no use for a car. I use the MAX for work! Parking downtown is expensive, moreso than insurance per month ($120 for insurance, $160 for parking, $17 for a MAX pass). Unlike most high school students, I am not stupid enough to pay for the privilege of driving to school. My money is for my summer trip; either Asia or Europe. On the other hand, it does give me some freedom of mobility.
- I am considering buying a rifle soon. Either a Yugoslavian SKS or a Mosin Nagant M38 Carbine. Both have their pros and cons. The SKS is incredibly ugly, while the Mosin is beautiful. The SKS is semi-auto, while the Mosin is bolt-action. The SKS chambers a small-ish round: the 7.62x39mm. The Mosin has an enormous, shoulder-breaking one: the 7.62x54mm. I may end up with the Mosin--much cheaper. My mom and brother disapprove--they think it's a waste of money.

Been listening to...
U2 - Beautiful Day (makes me want to travel more often)
Beethoven - 9th Symphony, 4th Movement:

Freude, Schoener, Gotterfunken,
Tochter aus Elysium
Wir betreten Feuertrunken
Himmlische dein Heiligtum
Deine zauber, binden weider
Was die mode, streng geteilt
Alle Menschen werden Bruder
Wo dein sanfter flugelweilt

Wem der grosse, Wurf gelungen
Eines Freundes Freund zu sein
Wer ein holdes weib errungen
Mische seinen Jubel ein
Ja, wer auch nur eine Seele
Sein nennt auf dem Erdenrund
Und wers nie gekonnt der Steele
Weinend sich aus diesem Bund

Freude trinken alle Wesen
An den Brusten der Natur
Alle guten, Alle Boesen
Folgen ihre Rosenspur
Kuesse Gab sie, uns und Reben
Einen freund geprueft im Tod
Wollust ward dem Wurm gegeben
Und der Cherub steht vor Gott

Froh, wie seine sonnen Fliegen
Durch des Himmels praecht'gen plan
Laufet Bruder eure Bahn
Freudig wie ein held zum Siegen

^All from memory, hah! Friedrich Schiller ist mein gott.

Update from Workplace

2004-09-07T11:05:00.000-07:00

I'm at work, and technically should NOT do this... However, I am inputting during downtime, as I wait for training material to load, so I am still as productive as ever.

I have not updated forever, as I haven't felt on doing so: I have doubts on the current readership of this blog.

At its height, I had around 20 - 30 who looked around: This included both actual friends and people I merely "knew". Many did not like blogs, and stopped reading (I even got hate messages, heh). Many others were annoyed by my lack of posts (I eventually lost their goodwill, some won't even look at links I give them anymore, heh).

Oops.

This time, I've had a good reason: Too many very good distractions.

#1 Went to the east coast (Washington DC, New York City, and Boston... DC, MD, PA, DE, NJ, NY, CT, and MA) for 16 days (not 15 as listed previously)
#2 Got hired at my place of Internship

Let's look at #1 first... I had so many different experiences that I can't post them all in a single post. Starting in my next update however, I will include a journal entry with a picture and a story for every post.

For #2, I am most excited. When I left for New York, someone quit. I was qualified, and I got the job (after it was posted and other qualified people interviewed too, of course).

I am now a Computer Operator for one of the brokers. I help with his client and prospect database and his marketing campaigns. I work late though, 4 hours a day after school.

Well... There go clubs, sports, and a social life... Or so you would think! I still have weekends and bank holidays, and I'm sure my boss is reasonable and flexible for certain things.

Meow. (I meow now to indicate my hapiness... and to embarass my brother)

Today is the day.

2004-08-07T14:28:00.000-07:00

August the seventh. I declare "Seventh Appreciation Day". They're an alternative band out of Wagga Wagga, Australia. They kick ass.

I've listened to some of their music intermittently over the course of 4 years, and only recently have I tried to find out everything about them: where they're from, how many albums they have out, and whatever other details I can find.

If you ask a person who has heard of Seventh to describe their music, you'll hear "It sounds a bit like Korn, Prodigy, Limp Bizkit, Deftones, and System of a Down".

If you hear that, punch them in the throat. The comparisons do them no justice.

This is a link to their mp3.co.au site, which has 24 of their tracks. A lot of it seems to be gaming involved... I didn't know until today, and that's what makes them even more kickass.

There are also other, untitled tracks that cannot be found for download (except from me!), that kick yet more ass.

Seventh kicks so much ass that they put donkeys on the endangered species list.

Personal Recommendations
Darken
Decide
Lifeless
My Life

M&A

2004-08-05T19:47:00.000-07:00

Tired as hell today. I attended a presentation/lunch on mergers and aquisitions by Geneva Companies (specifically divestitures). Their clientele are middle market entrepreneurs (companies worth around $5 million to $150 million) that want to divest...

It was interesting, because I was allowed to come, even though I'm only an intern. I had to sign in to get credit from the NASD (National Association of Securities Dealers) for attending... They were probably just shitting me, but oh well.

The seminar gave me a lot of ideas on making tons of money...

Becoming wealthy is usually considered a goal for most people. Sometimes, not to sound cocky, I feel like that it isn't necessarily a goal, but a certainty; the only uncertainty would the time it takes to get there and how I do it. I see opportunity where someone sees misfortune. I think positively of the future.

I feel like a lucky guy, and I love my life, no matter the ups and downs I've faced.

Current Situation
Downgrade in lifestyle - Where I live only matters to my vanity, but it still has an impact. Minor Down.
Growing apart from friends - I haven't seen or talked to a lot of old friends lately... We all move on and meet new ones, but it doesn't make things better. Minor Down.
Internship - I put my foot at the door... Opportunity! I learned many new skills... More opportunity! Major Up.
Meeting new friends - No need to explain why this is good. FBLA kicks ass. CAL kicks ass. Downtown kicks ass. Major Up.
New York trip - A chance in a lifetime. I will enjoy every moment. Major Up.

Two minor downs, three major ups. Just one of the ups cancels both downs. Hell yes.

Music
Barry McGuire - Eve of Destruction
Blur - Song 2
Dick Dale and the Deltones - Miserlou
Outkast with Rage Against The Machine - Bombs over Baghdad remix
Chemical Brothers - Orange Wedge

Literature
God Knows by Joseph Heller (who else?). It's the story of King David of the Israelites of biblical vintage... In the perspective of King David...

Quotes and Excerpts include:
"There followed one of the few times in both our lives that [King David] was privileged to see [Solomon's] face brighten. 'Last week, my lord, just last week I spent a good deal to buy silver amulets and marble idols from Moab that are already worth more than three times what I paid for them.'

'That was saving, Shlomo,' [King David] explained, as though talking to a child with a learning disability. 'You don't seem able to enjoy the difference between spending an saving.'

'I enjoyed it, I enjoyed it a lot,' says Solomon soberly. 'I Jewed them down.'"

"Some Promised Land. The honey was there, but the milk we brought in with our goats. To people in California, God gives a magnificent coastline, a movie industry, and Beverly Hills. To us He gives sand. To Cannes He gives a plush film festival. We get the PLO. Our winters are rainy, our summers hot. To people who didn't know how to wind a wristwatch He gives underground oceans of oil. To us He gives hernia, piles, and anti-Semitism."

"...Jonathan was older, legendary, cosmopolitan, and not bad-looking. He was a popular man-about town in Gibeah... With me Jonathan held nothing back. He did tend to be efusive on occasion and often expressed himself in a florid way I found disconserting and even incomprehensible--frankly, I hadn't the slightest idea what he meant when he told me that his soul was knit with my soul, and I still don't. But I can tell you this: we were never fags. Not even once... I'll tell you honestly that I did not know what was in Jonathan's mind when he told me he loved me as his own soul and then stripped off the robe taht was on him and other garments and gave them to me, along with his sword and his bow and his girdle..."

"...You want to know who was a fag? King James the First of England was a fag, that's who was a fag. His court was full of fags. And that's why his scholars relied more on Greek sources than Hebrew for their Authorized Version of the Bible..."

"Abraham dumbounds me still for having performed with apparent ease a feat of incredible difficulty. He circumcised himself."

"Unlike [King David], poor muddled Moses felt the full brunt of God's furious ill humor within moments of hearing from the voice in the burning bush of the astounding mission for which he had just been tapped.

'W-w-w-why me?' was the sensible question posed by this simple and unprepossessing man in the Midian desert to the voice in the bush declaring itself to be the God of his father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 'I st-st-st-stammer.'"

"The first time I laid eyes on Abigail--I was girded for battle and thirsting for vengeance as I marched along the road to Carmel--my member grew hard as hickory and I sheepishly and modestly veiled it from her notice with a folded newspaper."

"'...I want to cut a baby in half' [said Solomon]
'Good God! You do?' [said King David]
'I do.'
'Why?'
'To show how fair I can be. Everyone will think I was very fair.'"

Cinema
Nothing on this front, really. I just have Igby Goes Down in my mind almost all day.

Racism and No Turning Back

2004-07-31T00:16:00.000-07:00

Racism
A couple of days ago, my mom and I were walking to the Wells Fargo Center in Portland. She was going to her work, and I was going to get breakfast before my work started.

From out of nowhere, a dirty guy on a dilapidated bike rides past us, flips us off and yells, "Fucking Minorities!"

We were stunned.

My mom then laughed her ass off, and I joined in.

This was the first true racist experience in my life, and it was a lot different than what I would have imagined it to be. I didn't expect it to be so hilarious.

However, I did expect it to come from a pathetic, dirty guy. Oh well, what the hell.

No Turning Back
In other news, I just bought my plane ticket to NY... No turning back now, as the title says. There was only one change: I am staying for 15 instead of 14 days now.

There are still quite a bit of seats on the flight left, and I wish I could convince someone to come with me. Although I haven't really been trying.

Everyone has been supportive (thank you), except for 3 people (thanks anyway).

For the afformentioned 3:
1) Yes, people have done things like this outside of the movies
2) Yes, I know those people, I'm not making it up
3) No, I don't absoloutly need to have people I know with me all the time to have any fun. I'm not needy :p. I don't fret over not having my friends with me while I take a shit, it's not as different as it sounds to 2 weeks in New York or 2 months in Europe.

My Itinerary
To New York
Day 1 Flight 1: PDX to SFO (Portland to San Francisco) ~9:30am - ~11:15am
Day 1 Flight 2: SFO to JFK (San Francisco to JFK Airport, NY) ~1:30pm - ~10:00pm
From New York
Day 15 Flight 3: LGA to ORD (La Guardia to Chicago O'Hare) ~6:00am - ~7:30am
Day 15 Flight 4: ORD to PDX (Chicago O'Hare to Portland) ~8:15am - ~10:30am

Some other spots I may be going to
New York Stock Exchange
My boss is gonna try to hook me up! Apparently, this place is not open to the public. I'll yell "PENIS" to the trading floor.
Citigroup Corporate HQ
These guys are responsible for my internship in 2 ways: They started the program that offered the chance, and they own the company that gave me a job. My mom told me to ask for $120,000 for college in exchange for 10 years of loyal employment. I hope I meet the CEO... The guy paid $5 million to a guy that got the company in trouble in exchange that he quit! I'll threaten to keep my job!
Guggenheim Art Museum
I'm still an Art Nut™.
New York Metropolitan Museum of Art
After reading Picture This, I just have to see "Aristotle Contemplating the Bust of Homer" by Rembrandt van Rijn.
American Museum of Natural History
I wouldn't normally go, but some people insisted. With the previous two museums, I would go because I appreciate art. I feel nothing for natural history. I hope its worth it.
Republican Party National Convention
I wouldn't normally go, but a broker at work is going. I am most likely not going to be able to get in. It's funny because I'm closer to liberal democrat than anything republican. It would be nice to get a picture with Senator McCain or Penis Cheney.
Springfield Armory
These guys invented (read as: reverse engineered Mausers) the M1903, among other weapons. How can a guy like me not go?

Quickie

2004-07-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

Update from work (lunchbreak):

I am so tired, because I had only 5 hours of sleep last night, but I'm also alert at the same time (insanely surreal). The only way you can tell I haven't slept enough are my bloodshot eyes. I think the people in the office suspect I'm a stoner or something... (for the guys monitoring my net usage, no, I am not a stoner, and yes, it really is my lunch)

I just felt like updating from here right now because I discovered something incredible in a meeting this morning: They might have a position opening soon! I already have a position here, but as an intern, which is temporary. I want to keep working here...

The weird thing about the new position is that it is probably lower in status than the job title "Intern"; it is "Copy Room Boy" (yes, "boy" is in the official title).

Whatever, I'd rather be a "Copy Room Boy" for this company than as a bagboy for Safeway or cashier in my mom's store (UGH).

Saving Money is Awesome

2004-07-27T21:13:00.000-07:00

Woohoo. I found out that a flight to New York City is just as cheap. That and the fact that New York City is centrally located and I get free boarding with distant relatives there means I save money on lodging and transportation!

My new tentative route:
1) New York, NY (Columbia, NYU, Fordham, etc)
2) New Haven, CT (Yale)
3) Boston Area, MA (Boston College, Boston University, Tufts, MIT, Harvard)
5) Somewhere, RI (Brown)
6) New York again, NY (rest)
7) Ithaca, NY (Cornell)
9) Syracuse, NY (Syracuse U)
10) Rochester, NY (U of Rochester)
11) New York yet again, NY (rest)
12) Piscataway and Princeton, NJ (Rutgers and one other...)
13) Philadelphia, PA (U Penn)
14) Baltimore?, MD (Johns Hopkins)
15) Washington DC, maybe (Georgetown, George Washington U, American U)
16) New York AGAIN, NY (rest, then fly back to PDX)

THIS IS GONNA OWN.

In other news... "AC" yelled at a co-worker for "whining" when she said, "Yes, that machine is pretty loud". It was funny how he yelled, too.

"Quit whining! You always tell ME to stop whining..."

Jesus, so I'm not the only one who notices it! Yay! Everyone's just being diplomatic, like me.

Literature
In the process of reading "Picture This", by Joseph Heller. Similar style as Catch-22, but less confusing (I guess... Catch-22 wasn't confusing at all for me), and about Rembrandt the painter and Aristotle the philosopher. Minor characters include people like Alcibiades, Socrates, Critias, Aristophanes, Pericles, and Plato... I haven't finished it yet, but I'll probably post a review when I do.

Music
Rhapsody in Blue by George Gerswhin
Welcome to Paradise by Green Day
I'll Never Let You Go by Third Eye Blind
Other Side by Red Hot Chili Peppers (did I already do this one?)
There Goes My Hero by Foo Fighters

Cinema
Almost Famous. I needn't say more. Just watch.

New Trip Planned

2004-07-26T21:03:00.000-07:00

I was helping a broker at work today, when we started talking about my plans for college. She found out that I wanted to go on the east coast and recommended flying to New York to visit all the colleges I was interested. I then decided to do it. I will be in the northeast for two weeks an the end of August.

I'll fly to Albany, NY and go around the northeast region of our great country to visit such schools as: Harvard, Princeton, Yale, MIT, Cornell, Columbia, and more!. Some sightseeing and souveneir-taking/buying will be done too, of course. The tentative route will be: arrival by plane to Albany, NY, taking a train east to Cornell, going south to Pennsylvania, east to New Jersey, then to New York, then to Connecticut, then Rhode Island, then Massachussets, then back east to Albany again for the flight back to Portland.

The only cost I know for sure will be my airfare of $206 (roundtrip). Everything else (lodging, food, ground transport, etc) are still being researched, as is my exact route. I will be going alone...

But I do not want to go alone :(. For one thing, going alone to a new, strange place for two weeks is... lonely... And for another thing, having another other people with me will cut down the costs by a lot. I'm getting $100 a night for hotel quotes! It wouldn't be that bad, because I have some distant relatives around the New York and New Jersey area that I could let me have a place to stay when I'm around. God knows it's payback time for letting obscure 4th cousins stay at my home for months at a time.

This is an open invitation for anyone around my age who is considering going to school in the east. That narrows it down to 3 out of the 4 people that probably read this site... Think about it, guys.

If no one comes with me, I'll go anyway. This will be my practice run for my future 3-month European backpacking tour.

Music
Closing Time by Semisonic
Inhuman Creation Station by CKY
Everytime I Look For You by Blink 182
Aerials by System of a Down
Rapper's Delight as performed by Grand Master Flash

Literature
Rendevous With Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. Aliens visit our solar system in this book. Cliche. However, it differs from the formula in a few ways: One, you never meet them, just their humongous and mysterious ship. Two, it isn't about the aliens, but the characters involved. Finally three, the group of characters are like a microcosm for humanity at this period in time. Like Friday, I especially like this book for the picture it paints of our future. Especially the part where everyone is polygamous and promiscuous.

Cinema
High Fidelity with John Cusack. Really, how could a movie starring him go wrong? Bonus is Jack Black and the good music. I believe when I fall in love it will be forever, nigga. No quotes for this one :/

Why Can't I Take My Jacket Off?

2004-07-22T20:55:00.000-07:00

It's HOT.

Though it got chilly at one point after work, while walking to my mom's office building (the Wells Fargo Center). Apparently, someone jumped off the neighboring building to his death. My mom ranted and raved about suicide for almost an hour on and off. I almost thought she gained compassion for a second...

She could have said, "Everyone has something to live for!"

"Why didn't he take poison instead or something?" was what she actually said, as she winced at the thought of landing face first on pavement.

I love my mom...

In other news, I still listen to music, read books, and watch movies. My picks of the day include....

Literature
Friday by Robert Heinlein. It's not the plot (it's actually kind of terrible). It's not the characters (they're not believable). Definitely not the flow (moves too fast sometimes and drags at other times). It's the setting: The near-ish future of our ever-degenerating world. The US has split up... Lots of private mercenaries armies running around... Giant megacorporations taking over everything... Freaking Acapulco in Mexico was nuked by IBM. I think I remember Hilton Hotel owning an african country or something in a later chapter. High technology is everywhere, but oil ran out so everyone rides around in horses and buggies (even Honda has a model). It's a must-read, but remember my warnings and don't expect a Catch-22 (haha)...

Music (back to 5 random pickings from playlist)
What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong.
Mindfields by Prodigy.
Other Side by Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Last Caress cover by NOFX.
Magic Carpet Ride by Steppenwolf

Cinema
Full Metal Jacket directed by Stanley Kubrick. Yep, another one of his movies. The latter parts didn't really appeal to me, even though I do appreciate straight-up war movies. My favorite is of course the first act, which is set in boot camp. R. Lee Ermey really stands out there, as a hard-ass DI. The way they portray training during the Vietnam War is really disturbing. What makes it more disturbing is that I heard Ermey (who was an actual Vietnam-era DI) claim that what made it into the movie version is actually mild compared to reality...

FMJ is a quotable movie:
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: Holy dog shit. Texas? Only steers and queers come from Texas, Private Cowboy. And you don't look much like a steer to me so that kinda narrows it down. Do you suck dicks?
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: I don't like the name Lawrence, only faggots and sailors are called Lawrence. From now on you're Gomer Pyle.
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: You will give your rifle a girl's name because this is the only pussy you people are going to get. Your days of finger-banging ol' Mary J. Rottencrotch through her pertty pink panties are over. You're married to this piece. This weapon of iron and wood. And you will be faithful.
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: God has a hard on for Marines, because we kill everything we see. He plays His games, we play ours. To show our appreciation for so much power, we keep heaven packed with fresh souls. God was here before the Marine Corps, so you can give your heart to Jesus, but your ass belongs to the corps.
Private Joker: My thoughts drift back to erect nipple wet dreams about Mary Jane Rottencrotch and the Great Homecoming Fuck Fantasy. I am so happy that I am alive, in one piece and short. I'm in a world of shit... yes. But I am alive. And I am not afraid.
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: I'll bet you're the kind of guy that would fuck a person in the ass and not even have the goddam common courtesy to give him a reach-around. I'll be watching you.
Animal Mother: If I'm gonna get my balls blown off for a word, my word is poontang.
Private Joker: I wanted to meet stimulating and interesting people of an ancient culture, and kill them. I wanted to be the first kid on my block to get a confirmed kill.
Da Nang Hooker: Hey, you got girlfriend Vietnam? Me so horny. Me love you long time.
Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: [after hitting Private Joker] You little scumbag. I got your name, I got your ass. You will not laugh, you will not cry, you will learn by the numbers I will teach you. Now get up, get on your feet. You had best un-fuck yourself or I will unscrew your head and shit down your neck.

Angel of Death

2004-07-21T17:31:00.000-07:00

Somewhat boring day at work. Some guy quit 2 weeks ago, so we have to split up and transfer his clients to everyone else in the office. My friend also cancelled lunch with me. The work thing relates to the title because of the look on people's faces when I came by with their new client's files...

In one instance:
D. Stockton: (in his office) *smiles at Marty*
Me: (by the door) *waves papers around*
D. Stockton: (downcast in his seat) *becomes gloomy for the rest of the day*

Another one with some dialogue:
A. Carter: (cheery, with client) "Hey Marty, how's it going?"
Me: (cheery, with papers) "ho hum, I have some papers for you" *drops them in front of desk*
A. Carter: (with client) "Shit."

Now for my music and reading recommendations...

Literature
Yesterday, I mentioned Catch-22, though I didn't actually have it at the time. I borrowed and read "Catch as Catch Can" by the same author, but I felt that i had to mention the other one as a precursor. Catch as Catch Can one is a collection of short stories and essays from Joseph Heller's writing career, which even includes "cut" chapters from his most celebrated novel Catch-22. Sadly for you, I only recommend books and not review them, so you have to get off your lazy ass to find out what this one is really about.

Music
Today, I only have one piece of music to pimp out: Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, 4th (Choral) Movement. This is the peak of musical art. This is seriously my favorite piece of art in the world. It really fucking plays with your emotions. Especially so if you understand the lyrics, which are in German. If anyone has any interest, I actually have a .mp3 of the best performance of this ever recorded. Laufet, bitches, eure Bahn.

Cinema
Clockwork Orange. Even the shittiest Stanley Kubrick movie is much better than all others. This movie is probably one of his best. 'Nuff said? No, I don't think so either. It has everything I ever wanted in a movie: violence, nudity, social commentary, and fuckin' Beethoven. It's too bad that nobody else I have met liked this movie as much as I did.

Until tomorrow...

...you two or three people who still bother to read this...

Better Days

2004-07-20T18:35:00.000-07:00

I managed to avoid "AC" as much as possible today. Though we were unluckily assigned to the same project, I was able to seperate the tasks in a way that we were on opposite sides of the building. I was also able to sneak out without his knowledge to have lunch with someone else.

I think I have had enough of the complaining and venting about "AC", so today the update is about the music I listened to and the book I borrowed from the library when I got home from work...

Random Recommendations from Playlist
Daft Punk - Digital Love
Pleasant song to relax to... I'm not gay, I swear.
Steely Dan - Barrytown
Most depressing song I have listened to. Gives me chills because it describes a lot of people who are still around.
Oasis - Fucking in the Bushes
I cannot for the life of me explain why this song is so good, but it is.
Righteous Brothers - You've Lost that Loving Feeling
Don't tell me you didn't like that scene in Top Gun... No? Shit.
Bloodhound Gang - Along Comes Mary
There's just something about this band and this song...

Good Book to Curl up and Read to Sleep of the Day
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
The author has ironic and sarcastic tone throughout the whole book while telling the story of the only sane man in an insane world. Fucking Awesome™. I choose not to reveal anything important because I think even a little bit of info (like how many pages long it takes before the word "prostitute" shows up) would ruin the book. The only thing I can't stand about it is that only a handful of other people my age bothered to read it, only a pinch could understand it, and much less could appreciate it. Eat dick. Personal preference my ass; I know what's good for you, dick.

Until tomorrow.

A day at work

2004-07-19T20:12:00.000-07:00

Got to work at 7:30 AM today, with my jack-ass co-intern following at 7:45. We talked with our brokers for an hour, and found out that a kid I met in FBLA NLC, Zuben (don't know how to spell it correctly), and his horny friend went to school with a broker's son. I then told the broker that I helped "The Gambler" take $4 from the guy and we all had a brief laugh. We then get to actual working...

This was simple stuff for the day: pull records from the archive hall an box them up. We had to do it because of the branch audit done last week (which I missed, but helped prepare the office for). The monotonous work led to conversation...

I found out that my co-intern, "AC" from FBLA Nationals, spent most of last week in a campaign booth (no wonder he "met so many people"). However, he still thinks that he did more interesting things than I did, and that he thinks I am a loser for hanging out with a smaller, closer knit group. I also found out that people have called him "sheltered" and "goody-goody" to his face, but he doesn't know quite what they mean. He also thinks that the expression "fooled around [with a girl]" in no way means "got laid". Lastly, I found good proof that he's an asshole:

It seems that he thinks that political and religious affiliation are the most important things in relationships. Apparently, my religious friends are just patronizing me.

He left work at 11:00 AM for a doctor's appointment, just in time for the hard work to start. I spent the rest of the day indexing all 22 boxes of records we had finished packing. It was incredibly pleasant because he wasn't around.

The only good thing that came out of his mouth today was the story that he met our classmate, Tanya, (who is also interning, but for a different company) on the MAX on the way to work. I found out where she worked and called her company. We then agreed for lunch for tomorrow. I hope I can find a way to ditch "AC" so I can have a non-awkward work lunch for a change (where I can complain about him).

Other notable things at work today:
- I finally have my work email setup at (secret)@smithbarney.com
- The first piece of email on my inbox was "Tell us your outside brokerage accounts or we fire you in 5 days"
- The ironic thing about the above was that I was in charge of collecting "outside brokerage accounts" 2 weeks ago
- An office announcement's excerpt: "We advise you all to get icecream..."
- A broker asked me at lunch: "Would you like to work here after your internship is over? This is an IQ test..."

A story from 2 weeks ago showing "AC" is a liar:
He was supposed to babysit some employees' kids that were participating in a company art contest. He set it up (he was supposed to lay out newspapers for spilled paint... he covered the goddamn conference room in it). He then pulled me out of my work to help him. The kids then come, and he takes a lunch break. When he comes back, the kids are done and go home. The boss asks us if we had fun, and he answers in a phony fashion: "Yes, of course, mad fun". Maybe becausehe wasn't even there? The company treated the kids to icecream and they also give some to the helpers, including me and "AC".
Where's the fucking justice? That's icecream that was not deserved. Maybe that's why he had "fun" during Nationals in Colorado...

A post?!

2004-07-18T16:53:00.000-07:00

I'm back.

The last post makes the date on this new post funny. I hope people still even bother coming now...

After school ended, I haven't had the time to post here because of work and other things. At least that's what I've said. In truth, I actually had a lot of time, being that I have weekends off. I just haven't felt like doing anything other than relaxing at home with a nice book, loud music, or TV where you don't have to think very much.

Working where and for whom I do is awesome. My co-intern is a dick and whines all the time, but I have fun. Sure some things we have to do are menial, but it still gives him no right to complain... TO OUR BOSS'S FACE.

The company even gave me a membership card to the Portland Art Museum... I need to find someone interested enough to go with me.

Last week was also a big reason: I went to the "FBLA National Leadership Conference" (Future Business Leaders of America my ass, it's mostly competitions on technology -- I competed in actual business events, though) in Denver, CO. It was fun hanging out with some people from my school in a different city that was a whole time zone away from home. While other groups of people there (~5000 people attended) were pretty much chaperoned around with a lot of strict rules applied, our school's delegation had enough freedom to allow fun. There were FBLA events going on too, but we barely spent anytime doing them.

We went to Denver for the NLC the whole week and here are some notable spots:

16th Street Mall - This place is the hobo capital of the world. Panhandlers, street performers, etc. Scary as hell, you had a constant worry of being raped by a bum in the bum. Then there's the black people. I hate black people. (Note: I don't...). Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland rapes this place.

Hard Rock Cafe, 16th Street Mall - It is a nice place, but contains no actual hard rock. They played Moby and Smash Mouth, ffs.

Jamba Juice, 16th Street Mall - I'm sick of this place. I used to go every week in California... Went there in Colorado for half of my meals. Jesus H Christ.

Sonic's, 16th Street Mall - Good food, good price. If I find one in Portland, it's my new lunch spot.

Johnny Rocket's, 16th Street Mall - Bad food, bad price. If I find one in Portland, I'll break its windows.

United Artists theater, 16th Street Mall - Went twice for Dodgeball and then Anchorman, and it was worth it. Thank god I didn't buy any food.

Virgin Megastore, 16th Street Mall - Why the hell did I even go here?! Jesus. For one thing, Virgin is expensive as hell. For another thing, I don't even buy CD's (*cough*). Saw some friends get ripped off there real hard.

Subway, Various - As plentiful in Denver as Starbucks is in Portland.

Six Flags over Elitch Gardens - I wore my contacts like an idiot to the place, so I couldn't do any waterslides. I went to the wavepool anyway, and it ruined my eyes for the rest of the week. Oh well. At least it confirmed that I did get over my irrational fear of heights. Also went on a couple of pretty quick coasters. The wooden one was actually decent, reminds me of one in the Santa Cruz beach boardwalk.

Waterworld USA in Denver - I wore my glasses to this place, so I had actual fun. Got over my irrational fear of waterslides. No more irrational fears anymore for me, I think.

Adam's Mark Hotel - The place I stayed. Decent architecture. Fancy lobby. Shitty rooms. Shittier art.

Denver sucks, but being there for a week was fun.

People, not places made the trip what it was. As part of the post, I made up nicknames that describe what I learned about some people I met or hung out with in the conference. The only part of their real names used are initials, which are for readers to decipher themselves.

PS - Time Waster (Waterworld > Internet, not the other way around)

DN - ??? (Don't know a good non-offensive nickname, but this person was very fun to hang around with)

JG - Gambler (I suck at poker and this person took advantage, but was otherwise fun to hang around)

NH - Mothman (This person drew a self-portrait in Time Waster's laptop... It was actual size [bitch])

RS - Awesome Dude (This person is the best)

AC - Sheltered Prick (This person didn't even know what bestiality was... What a dick!)

S? - Shy Dude (Why?)

NR - Confident Dude (Why not?)

I won something too... 4th place in Entrepreneurship (my team kicks ass), and 2nd place in Investments. I'll steal pics from some people about the whole week and post them soon.

No posts for a while

2004-06-04T18:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry about lack of updates for a while... Or lack of contact with anyone outside of my house for that matter... Been sick; really bad cold. I can't believe my body is so fucked up a cold can immobilize me as it did. AAH

Nothing special to say except that... I wish this guy kept running for president: http://superdean.ytmnd.com/

I promise a good one tomorrow. COUGH COUGH WHEEZE WHEEZE BLAAAHGRArar <--- What I said right as I typed the last sentence.

Internship!

2004-05-18T21:23:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post a couple of days, but now I have something good to add: I just got accepted to a paid internship for Smith Barney "Financial Consulting" (stock brokers)!

It's going to be in the summer for 6 weeks, full time, and paid quite a bit (for an internship). It's good for me in 4 ways:

1) I get paid. More money is always good. Training I could get at that company would probably even let me double the money they pay me in a month!
2) I get high school credit. I don't need as many classes in the schoolyear required... More time for me to slack off at home!
3) I get Academy of Finance credit. It lets me get a certificate that looks good on a resume or portfolio!
4) I get experience. Even if I just sit around spinning chairs, I could put the internship on my resume. (If Smith Barney employees are reading this, I will only do it when you aren't looking)

Also, last update, there was confusion over the file extensions I used. They were .jpgs, but I have to use geoshitties as my filehost (My other webhosts have died... At least I didn't have to pay for them). Geoshitties does not allow linking to image files, so I am forced to change them to .txt's. If you use IE on Windows, it should automatically read them as .jpg's anyway. If you use Opera or some other browser on other OS's, you might have just been fucked. I'm sorry.

This is a short update, but what can I do?

War Movies

2004-05-14T16:03:00.000-07:00

You can't deny it; war movies are the best. They combine completely senseless and bloody violence with mind-numbingly dull and laughable drama... What can beat that? Of course, I concede that there have been war movies that were utter crap before; anytime Hollywood decides to add love into the mix is a prime example (eat shit, Pearl Harbor).

What exactly does this mean to you? For one, it means that you shouldn't bother watching movies in more than two genres (horror-drama and horror-comedy are fine, but people who write horror-comedy-dramas should hang themselves). It also means that if you think I am updating a blog just to talk about my favorite movies, I'm surprised you're still reading.

This post is really an announcement: I'm jumping on the war movie bandwagon and producing one myself. I'm serious! If you don't believe me, I'll give you a brief synopsis:

Title: Call-girl of Duty
Setting: Persian-World-Vietnam War III in Fremont, California
Length: Full; 120 minutes
Genre: War
Plot:
- Action part: Main characters must fight it out with hordes of baddies that outnumber them by 10 to 1. Baddies include Russian communist rebels and black people.
- Drama part: Main characters must exact American revenge upon a suspicious turban-toting, bearded Islamic communist terrorist. Terrorist killed one of the main character's step-cousin's uncle.

Cast:
(Already recruited half of them, but the other half have shown interest and we are in negotiation)
- Captain McHitler - Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Sergeant Whiteson - Brad Pitt
- Private Hesa Narian - Jim Carrey
- Private Ku klux - Gary Sinise
- Private Ray Cyst - Eminem
- Private Token - Andre from Outkast
- Lieutenant Titty McHotty - Rachel Weisz
- Osama Bin Laden - Himself

Still think I'm bullshitting? I can't give you the script, but I've got some images of both the actual movie AND the production...

Photo 1: Members of the Cast hang out near the sound stages of Universal Studios, California
Photo 2: Actor Jim Carrey mistakenly loads real rounds instead of blanks during a shoot, his celebrity status later gains him not-guilty verdict, though he promises to find real killer.
Screencap 1: Captain McHitler (Schwarzeneger) briefs his soldiers alongside a downed blackhawk, including Private Token (Andre 3000) and Lieutenant McHotty (Weisz)
Screencap 2: "The terrorist" (Bin Laden) briefs his gang of Russians and black people

That's it for today, until next time...

I can't believe I started a blog

2004-05-13T18:21:00.000-07:00

I used to think these things were stupid. 6 years later, I haven't changed my mind. Ho-ly-shit. I'm really regretting signing up now. Anywho...

Now... Why should you read MY blog over any others? Am I more interesting? Are my opinions more important? Do I have more to say than others? Do I run a secret nasty webcam service?

Yes to all of them...

Ha! Just kidding on one of them; I don't really have more to say than others.

For this first blog post, I will descibe myself. This will help entice you to keep reading my updates in the future:

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Full Legal Name:
Martin Philippe Dolor Olson III
(Because of the US constitution, I had to drop "His majesty the Emperor" from my name)

Nicknames:
"Marty", "Smarty", "Party", "Farty", "Narty... ha"
(The "Smarty" nickname has no bearing on real-life)

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Nationality:
American as your mom's hot apple pie...
(If you know what I mean...)

Ethnicity:
Filipino as your dad's cold grape cake...
(If you know what I mean...)

Religion:
Atheist as your brother's lukewarm raspberry icecream...
(If you know what I mean...)

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Age: Achtzen Jahre Alt (Nigga!)
Sex: Male as your sister... ...'s self...
(I meant to make fun of your sis, mmkay?)
Location: Gresham, Oreh-gone

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Likes: Short walks to the kitchen, chick-flicks, and dancing the robot
(Hehe, only one of these is true...)

Dislikes: Wearing clothes, brown people, and the Oakland Raiders
(I couldn't think of funny ones, so I had to put real ones)

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Turn-ons: Chewing with your mouth open, natural body odor, and "miniscule proportions"
Turn-offs: Brushing and flossing, laundered clothes, and politeness

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Height: ~5'8" (I don't really know)
Weight: ~175lbs (Yeah, I gotta run more)
Skin Color: ~Light brown (Sechseh)
Eye Color: ~Light brown (Sechseh*2)
Hair Color: Black (Sechseh*10^23)

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School(s) and programs of study:

Reynolds High School, Troutdale Oreh-gone
(Business Administration, Computer Science - Junior)

The Center for Advanced Learning, Gresham Oreh-gone
(Advanced Manufacturing, Pre-Engineering - Junior)

Mount Hood Community College, Gresham Oreh-gone
(Some classes in German, English, Humanities, and Math - Junior @ HS)

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This is all I am allowed to say say, everything else is top secret. I could tell you, but you'd have to kill me. I'll tell you anyway, so stay tuned for the next update...