My Gurnal

chamberk @ 2009-12-15T00:24:00

2009-12-15T05:23:50Z

oh hey this thing is still around

having a gf is cool and so is having cats

making my 2009 best-of list

that's about it

oh yeah, hate my job.

chamberk @ 2009-05-10T15:26:00

2009-05-10T19:37:02Z

Books I own and mean to read:

A Personal Matter - Kenzoburo Oe
The Heart of the Matter, Our Man in Havana, The End of the Affair - Graham Greene
City of God - E.L. Doctorow
I, Claudius - Robert Graves
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman - Haruki Murakami
Vineland - Thomas Pynchon
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test - Tom Wolfe
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich - Alexander Solzhenitsyn
The Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov
The Virgin Suicides - Jeffrey Eugenides
Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf
The Executioner's Song - Norman Mailer
Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace
Right Ho, Jeeves - P.G. Wodehouse
Women in Love - D.H. Lawrence
Histories - Herodotus
Libra - Don DeLillo
The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco
Pale Fire - Vladimir Nabokov
Tripmaster Monkey - Maxine Hong Kingston

Plus I plan to reread:
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
The Wind Up Bird Chronicle - Haruki Murakami
Another Country - James Baldwin
The Secret History - Donna Tartt
The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner

So of course I go to the library and get:
Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer
The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Junot Diaz
To Have and Have Not - Ernest Hemingway
What is the What - Dave Eggers
In Dubious Battle, The Moon is Down - John Steinbeck
The Adventures of Augie March - Saul Bellow
Just Above My Head - James Baldwin
No Country for Old Men - Cormac McCarthy
Fool's Errand - Robin Hobb
The Namesake - Jhumpa Lahiri

I have a problem.

chamberk @ 2009-04-26T03:55:00

2009-04-26T07:56:22Z

I recently told a joke with a friend of mine. The two of us have been habitually unhappy in love. Recently the both of us have, for some reason, had an upswing in our lives. He has a girlfriend that, as far as I can tell, is great for him. I've started dating a girl that, as far as I can tell, is pretty fantastic. She's pretty, funny, and way smarter than I am. Which is definitely my type. Granted it's not hard to find someone smarter than me, but you know. Today, I went to a party for two of my friends who got married today. They're both awesome and completely deserve each other for better or worse. He's goofy and she's sweet. At the party, I met a bunch of old friends and had a grand old time.

"Something must be wrong," I remarked to my friend. "We're both dating pretty sane girls and we're both happy. There's got to be a catch somewhere. Somewhere, an orphanage is burning down to even out the karma out there."

I look back on my education at UGA with fondness. Dr. Fran Teague was my faculty advisor when I was going through the English program. She's a genius and has the greatest sense of humor. She taught me Shakespeare.

Her husband, along with two others, was shot and killed yesterday.

All I can say is that, as dumb and useless as they are, my prayers are with Dr. Teague, her family, and the families of the other victims.

attn parkviewites

2009-02-14T21:07:23Z

Alison and I were trying to remember what they made us read in English

freshman year:
--------------
Great Expectations
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Odyssey
Romeo + Juliet

sophomore year:
--------------
Lord of the Flies
A Separate Peace
Julius Caesar
??? (some classes might have read Merchant of Venice??)

junior year:
--------------
The Scarlet Letter
The Crucible
(maybe) The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail
Huck Finn
The Great Gatsby

senior year (lots - this was AP for me at least):
---------------
Paradise Lost
A Lesson Before Dying
Macbeth
Hamlet
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
Heart of Darkness
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Am I missing anything boys and girls???

murder ballads own

2009-02-03T19:44:25Z

I’m surrounded, each doorway covered by at least twenty men
And they’re going to take me and throw me in prison. I ain’t coming back again
When I was younger, handsomer and stronger, I felt like I could do anything
But all of these people making all these faces didn’t seem like my kith and kin

Colin Kincaid from the twelfth grade, I guess you could say he was my best friend
He lived in a big tall house out on Westfall where we would hide when the rain rolled in
We went out one night and took a flashlight
out with these two girls Colin knew from Kenwood Christian
One was named Laurie, that’s what the story said next week in the Guardian...

And when I killed her it was so easy that I wanted to kill her again
I got down on both of my knees and she ain’t coming back again.
Now, with all these cameras focused on my face, you’d think they could see it through my skin
They’re looking for evil, thinking they can trace it, but evil don’t look like anything

courtesy of jacob

2009-01-27T01:48:07Z

what would come next in this series of letters: C N O I Z E C E H I _ _ _ _ _

i blame alison

2009-01-23T06:17:37Z

She did the 25 things first

1. I am 25 years old.

2. I am deathly afraid of the candiru fish.

3. I like reading a lot. I also enjoy watching television and movies, but reading is what it generally comes back to. I'm trying to read 52 books this year.

4. I often find myself thinking that I should slow down, but I never do.

5. I'm fairly content with where I am right now and what I'm doing. I shouldn't be.

6. My diet is terrible, but at least I'm exercising regularly, and I'm starting to like what I see in the mirror. At least a little bit.

7. I'm a little bit of a slob. (He says, looking at his desk which has one book, two speakers, about 5 dollars in change, one empty water bottle, a checkbook, a tin of shoe polish, four opened envelopes, and three receipts)

8. I am a huuuuge nerd about the Oscars. My family has a contest each year to see who can predict them the best. I like watching movies that get nominated, and I sort of like the ceremonies.

9. I'm fairly sure that if I don't get a girlfriend soon, I'll end up as one of those creepy dudes running a website that posts pictures of women from the Food Network.

10. If I do end up doing that, I'll post Giada pictures, not Paula Deen pictures.

11. Oh god I'm practically halfway there

12. I need new shoes.

13. I wish I could play the kazoo as well as my nephew can.

14. I kind of want to relocate somewhere that's not Georgia, but not quite Japan either. What's keeping me here? Strong attachments to friends, stronger attachment to family, and a great deal of apathy as well.

15. I like listening to music a lot. Sometimes, though, I wonder if I'm even listening to any of it at all, or if I just need a soundtrack.

16. This is the funniest thing I've seen in a while: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypycpKQxXR0&feature=related

17. I still don't feel that I know how to do things most adults should be able to do.

18. She's still the only one in every room she's ever in.

19. I support the Steelers.

20. I feel like I don't live an interesting enough life, and I'm not sure what I have to do to change that.

21. I wish I was half as creative as some of my friends.

22. I feel like I have something really great inside of me, I'm just not sure how to express it.

23. I have been all over the world and can't say I've learned too much from it.

24. I really enjoy my coworkers' company. Which is a good thing.

25. I am straight up tired, peace out folks

was out walking last night w/ friends

2008-12-28T23:27:08Z

I saw a small house in Decatur with a good deal of christmas lights on a bush outside. the lights were reflected in the window and all of a sudden i had a nostalgic rush for my grandfather's house in tampa. it wasn't a big house but it was cozy. i had a lot of good memories of that house, though i don't know if i was ever there when they had a christmas tree up. i was there after the holidays a lot, though - sometimes my grandfather and his daughter/my aunt would come up and take us down with them for the week afterwards. i don't miss them - i'm especially dumbfounded at how they decided to estrange themselves from us because my sister who was currently in middle or early high school sent them some silly chain email - but i do miss that house. it had a dock out back.

oscar movie record:

just cause everyone loves to know what i've seen in my quest to dethrone Chris Gordon, current Oscar champ

Curious Case of Benjamin Button - very good, old-fashioned long movie. the cg was a little uncanny valley at some times, but the makeup was good. solid acting by brad and cate. lightning guy was best. very forrest gump-esque, though not quite AS schmaltzy. worth a watch, but maybe not a contender for best pic. props for using "my body is a cage" in the ads!

Milk - very well-done, excellent acting from pretty much everyone. wouldn't be surprised if sean penn got another best actor oscar for this one, i could never see him as sean penn, just harvey milk. good work at interspersing actual footage from the era with stuff filmed for the movie. near the end the theater got really dusty and something got in my eye THAT'S MY STORY AND I'M STICKING TO IT. also worth watching if: you like dudes making out. that's right paul, a movie for you.

top 20 of 2008

2008-12-26T02:59:50Z

Yeah, it's that time again! My list is better than Paul's.

20. Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue

I'm glad to let this girl back on my list after last year's disaster. Her other group, Rilo Kiley put out an album that was a genuine piece of shit ("Under the Blacklight"), so I wasn't expecting too much from her this time around. Thankfully, this is a really solid album that's a little more country-rock (think "Sweetheart of the Rodeo"-era Byrds) than her previous solo album, the gospel-ey "Rabbit Fur Coat." Doesn't hurt that she has Zooey Deschanel, M. Ward, and Elvis Costello in the studio with her at times. It feels good to like her again, after "Under the Blacklight" kind of made me feel slimy.
BEST TRACK: "Jack Killed Mom"

19. The Duke Spirit - Neptune
I basically fell for the lead singer, Leila Moss, when I saw her band open for Ted Leo in Athens a few years back. An opening band that outperformed the (really good) act I was hyped to see? Doesn't happen too often. They're a gritty rock band with a blonde British bombshell singer who's smoked a few too many cigarettes. And it rocks. That may not seem like the most original band lineup, but what they lack in originality they make up for with attitude. Leila Moss veers between sultry and tough to suit each song, and what she does is transform an ordinary band into an extraordinary one.
BEST TRACK: "My Sunken Treasure"

18. The Decemberists - Always the Bridesmaid Singles Series
I'm pretty excited for their new album for next year if this singles collection was all the stuff they didn't think was quite good enough for the album. There are only six songs, but each of them is quite good in its own way. Standout is without a doubt "Valerie Plame," (which has a part that I swear sounds like "Movin' Right Along" from the Muppet Movie) but this is good proof that these guys have still got it. Bring on the ridiculous concept album rock opera about shapeshifting demons!
BEST TRACK: "Valerie Plame"

17. Tallest Man on Earth - Shallow Grave
Okay, the first time you hear this guy start singing you'll immediately think "He's trying to be like Dylan." And yes, he's got a nasal voice and plays an acoustic guitar. But the thing is, all of his songs are wonderfully written and eloquent. The guitar work is more along the lines of Nick Drake or Elliott Smith than Dylan - a virtuoso's performance rather than a folk singer's, very intricate. But if you can't break the Dylan association, just think that there's a secret and hidden album of Bob's from the early 60s and man, it's great!
BEST TRACK: "The Sparrow and the Medicine"

16. Mono in VCF - Mono in VCF
This album went a little bit under the radar, but it's worth searching out. It's got a very cool noir-70s sound and a Nico-esque lead singer. It kind of walks a line between Portishead's old stuff and Blonde Redhead's album from last year. I feel like this is some sort of album from Eastern Europe 25 years ago, but they're actually from Seattle and it came out this year. Oh well! I'm terrible at describing music, which I suppose is why I decided to talk about 20 albums that came out this year! Hah!
BEST TRACK: "Spider Rotation"

15. Deerhunter - Microcastle
Very cool, fuzzy rock. A grower for sure; I didn't like it at first but the more I listened to it the better it became. I don't usually like dreamy stuff with tons of layers of noise over it but this has some solid moments when the songs kick in. This has got to be the album I've listened to most at work; it's very good to zone out to.
BEST TRACK: "Nothing Ever Happened"

14. Coldplay - Viva la Vida, Or Death and All His Friends
I don't care what people think, this is a good album. This album alone should convince people that I'm not ripping off of Pitchfork, because even Pitchfork would be too embarrassed to put this on a best-of-the-year list. I've been down on Coldplay in the past, but I've got to admit that this time around, they did alright. Granted, Joe Satriani may not agree with me so much, but I'm pretty sure he's even lamer than Coldplay. They've got a new vitality to their sound that I really like, and sometimes I even hear them experimenting! That's right! Coldplay, experimenting! The lyrics could still use some work, but overall... they're not trying to be U2, they're not trying to be Radiohead. They're doing their own thing, and... uh... I like it. Way to go, guys.
BEST TRACK: "Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love"

13. Titus Andronicus - The Airing of Grievances
Sometimes a man needs some really fucking loud rock music that's poorly recorded and that celebrates being angry. This is the music that a man will listen to at these times, and lo, it will do him good. It's also a good bit more intelligent than I make it sound: "Every time's like the first time. Every time is the same, and maybe you don't believe me now, but you will. Until you hang upon such a cross, you won't know a thing about laughter or loss. From Galilee to Gethsemane to Golgotha is a short walk, a short, short walk." I can't really express why this is such a good album, it's just noisy, angry, and smart. And that works, better than you think it would.
BEST TRACK: "Titus Andronicus"

12. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
One day, I'll see these guys live. I've missed them twice, now - once with a ticket in my freakin' hand. In any case, they don't disappoint with their fourth album; there are more songs about religion, drugs, and music. All of that gets mixed up in the lives of the characters that Craig Finn sings about; most of them tend to end up being disappointed by the first and screwed up on the second. And you know what? There are times throughout the album - like "Lord, I'm Discouraged" - that make it seem like the third is the most transcendent of them all.
BEST TRACK: "Lord, I'm Discouraged"

11. Q-Tip - The Renaissance
My token rap album. I'm generally so-so when it comes to rap and hip-hop; some I like, some I think is boring, and some I just get annoyed at when Greg Gillis plays it over a song from the 80s. Q-Tip, though... he just rules. Ain't no doubt about it. This album, apparently 5 years in the making, is just brilliant. It's got a bit more of a soul sound to it than his old stuff with A Tribe Called Quest, which I can dig. I have a feeling I'm going to come off looking like an idiot if I try to talk about beats or flow, so I'll end it here: Q-Tip rules. Q-Tip for president 2016.
BEST TRACK: "Gettin' Up"

10. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
"Hmm, let's see... how can I possibly make myself whiter? Why don't I listen obsessively to a band of Columbia rich kids whose music draws clear influence from African music, and who sing about Oxford commas, girls in frumpy sweaters, and Lil Jon? Oh, and on my year-end list, I'll put them right above the one rap artist on the entire list. Yeah, that'll work." The only thing that isn't white about my listening to this album is the fact that I refuse to complain about it. Best concert memory of 2008: about 70 people joining them on stage for the closing number, "Walcott."
BEST TRACK: "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa"

9. She & Him - Volume 1
Honestly, I didn't expect much from this debut album by Zooey Deschanel. She's always been a passable actress, but why should I be interested in what some actress thinks is a good musical project? I mean, other actresses that have become singers that I care about: 0. However, this was a nice little surprise, since M. Ward showed up to help her create catchy little folk ditties to go with her not-quite-classically-trained, but still charming, voice. Count myself excited for Volume 2, which is apparently in the works.
BEST TRACK: "I Was Made For You"

8. Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
For the first few weeks after I started listening to this album, I was speaking with a Scottish brogue. People didn't hit me, but they should have. Whereas some bands with Scottish singers have rubbed me the wrong way (I'm looking at YOU, Arab Strap) these guys are fantastic. The lyrics are mostly about girls and sex, and this subject matter could be really trite from someone else. But something about that brogue and their folk-pop sound makes it work. Not to mention tracks like "The Modern Leper," which compares a relationship with the narrator to someone having pity on someone whose limbs fall off. Awesome.
BEST TRACK: "The Modern Leper"

7. The Rural Alberta Advantage - Hometowns
This is my, "I'm obnoxious and I'm listening to a band you've never even HEARD of" band. They're from Canada, they're unsigned, and they're genius. If you're not a fan of singers who can't actually sing, this may not be for you, but if you're up for some Neutral Milk Hotel-ish rocker songs with some awesome drumming and great lyrics and songwriting, I'd suggest you try them out. They came out of nowhere for me in the last month, and without a doubt, this is one of the best albums I've heard all year. Possibly the seventh best!
BEST TRACK: "Edmonton"

6. The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride
John Darnielle is one of those hard-working guys who keeps on making great music year after year. I only recently discovered him, so I'm glad his latest new album is just as good as, if not better than, the rest of his stuff. Telling stories of various people trapped in their obsessions and lost in their neuroses, Heretic Pride is an intensely great record. The days of his low-fidelity guitar recordings over tape hiss are over; now that he's expanded his sound there are few better performers - and, in my opinion, no better lyricists - in folk-rock. And did I mention he's hard-working? Not one, but TWO EPs after this album came out. One of which has a song about Toad from Mario Bros. Hell yeah, folks.
BEST TRACK: "Marduk T-Shirt Men's Room Incident"

5. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Occasionally, I feel like this is an album I could have found in a packed-up box in a leaky attic, written and recorded 70 years ago in the Ozarks. Then I remember that this is actually just a good folk album by a bunch of dudes younger than me who have grown long beards and refuse to shower in an effort to seem "legit". Whatever - it's great. They wear influences on their flannel sleeves - the vocal harmonies recall CSNY in particular - but when you can write a 2-minute song as immediately classic as "White Winter Hymnal," I'll let the body odor and My Morning Jacket vocal resemblances slide.
BEST TRACK: "White Winter Hymnal"

4. Okkervil River - The Stand-Ins
Sometimes, as the years pass and a band you like puts out albums that consistently get better, they start to go from "that band I listen to sometimes" to "that band I listen to all the time." This is the case with Okkervil River. Their album last year, "The Stage Names," sang songs about fame and the misfortune that comes with it; "The Stand-Ins" continues that theme by turning an eye on the fans. This might seem a little overwrought, but since singer-songwriter Will Sheff is one of the most talented lyricists in pop music today, it's practically flawless.
BEST TRACK: "Lost Coastlines"

3. TV on the Radio - Dear Science,
I'll admit it - early on I was leery of TV on the Radio. Sure that "Staring at the Sun" song was cool, but the rest of their stuff was dense and kind of weird! However, as the years have gone on, TVOTR has become more and more accessible and, somehow, even more impressive. Dear Science, could be called their 'pop' album - if you were a tool enough to call it that - but to me it's just them rocking out harder than they ever have before, while still being insanely inventive. (And yes the comma is included in the album title. Awesome.)
BEST TRACK: DMZ

2. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
It's surprising to hear something so personal and intimate as this album in this day and age. I have a feeling that if I bared my soul as openly as Justin Vernon did on this record, I would hide away the results for the rest of my life in a safe-deposit box wrapped in chains in a mine that reaches the center of the earth. But then, I'm not musically talented, and Vernon most obviously is. Sometimes all you need to make a masterpiece is a guy, a guitar, some heartbreak, and a remote cabin in Wisconsin.
BEST TRACK: Skinny Love

1. Portishead - Third
Back in the 90s, Portishead sang about broken hearts and lost love. Eleven years have passed, and in the space between then and now, they've become something different entirely - and in my eyes, something better. This time around, they've gone darker and deeper, and what you hear sounds more like songs of a broken person than songs from a broken heart. The music fits these lost lyrics, sometimes quiet and minimalist and sometimes harsh and abrasive. Over all of it, Beth Gibbons's voice is one of the most emotive I've ever heard; every time I listen there's something else in her performance that hits me right in the gut. It's a little weird to go from their slick, sexy tunes to these cacophonies of sound, but there's still the same level of beauty in them - once these songs sank in, I couldn't listen to any album more. It is an amazing, gorgeous wreck of a record, and my favorite of the year.

chamberk @ 2008-12-16T09:27:00

2008-12-16T14:30:06Z

i was going to say i was living under a rock b/c i didn't know that one of TI's new songs sampled that fucking fat kid o-zone song but then i realized there is no possible place or time where i could have heard it.

clubs? yeah i go to those
the radio? since when did atlanta have a good radio station
the real world? i avoid it like the plague

nights

2008-11-24T14:16:13Z

Saturday night:
-delicious food
-hella Rock Band 2 (The Middle, Man in the Box, and Livin on a Prayer = highlights)

Sunday night:
-glorious return of Robbie
-beer trong
-oh my god Brian shaved his head
-LIAN AND DELIA OUT OF NOWHERE. plus I finally met the man with the name Hawk.

tonight:
-?????

chamberk @ 2008-11-19T16:04:00

2008-11-19T21:06:49Z

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Noid

In 1989, Kenneth Lamar Noid, a mentally ill customer who thought the ads were a personal attack on him, held two employees of an Atlanta, Georgia Domino's restaurant hostage for over five hours. After forcing them to make him a pizza and making demands for $100,000, getaway transportation, and a copy of The Widow's Son, Noid surrendered to the police.[1] Noid was charged with kidnapping, aggravated assault, extortion, and possession of a firearm during a crime. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

lollin'

dream journal~

2008-11-19T13:11:01Z

I had a dream that I was over at my parent's house and there were all these cute animals like bunnies and kittens that were getting into our house somehow and turning up dead and we were like what the hell

then we found out that there was a velociraptor loose in our house and we were like "oh well that explains that."

dear everybody

2008-10-17T14:46:54Z

Mother 3 has been translated.

That is all.

Writer's Block: R.E.A.D. in America Day

2008-09-27T23:14:52Z

In celebration of R.E.A.D. in America Day, tell us about what you're reading. How is reading important to you? What would you recommend to others?

View 500 Answers

Haven't written an entry in a while, this might be good.

Since reading is pretty much one of the main things I do (outside working, and listening to music, and playing videogames) I think it's pretty important. It is a way that I can sort of forget about things I don't like about life and just enjoy a good story for a while.

I'm currently reading "A Soldier in the Great War" by Mark Helprin, which is something I'd recommend to almost anyone who has patience and a love of language. The way Helprin writes is amazingly gorgeous, it's like a feast for the senses just through words. He does a great job of creating an image of pre-WWI Europe and making you feel as if you were there. I'm assuming he'll recreate the Great War just as vividly, which is going to be... interesting. (I'd also recommend the last book I read by him, Winter's Tale. It's a weird magic realism book set in an ever-snowy New York and it's as beautiful a book as anyone could ask for.) Helprin is wordy, though - Winter's Tale is around 600-700 pages, and Soldier in the Great War is 800.

I'm also reading "The Power and the Glory" by Graham Greene, mostly because I decided I needed to read Graham Greene. It's very well-written and suspenseful, though I'm not sure I'm a huge fan of it just yet. I bet once I finish it'll come together.

Another major project of mine is Jorge Luis Borges' Collected Fictions. Lots of tricky and twisty short stories about labyrinths, knife fighters, and tigers, among other things. I've been reading this since May, reading a few short stories at a time. I can't say I understand all of them, but I do enjoy most of them.

And of course I have a huge backlog of books I want to read and reread... one of the big tasks when I moved into my apartment was getting my books over here. Luckily we found an apartment with built-in shelves. Niiiice, right?

Actual update coming sooner or later.

updates

2008-09-10T12:59:53Z

Hey everyone. Been a little while. I have sometimes been busy, sometimes not, but I have left this alone for a while, so I'll update it.

-Still working with C2, I like it alright. There was a possibility of working in South Korea, but I think I'll pass on that. Looks like I might have an apartment in Decatur starting the end of this month so you know what that means. (parties??? k, maybe not)

-reading Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham. I started out hating it but now that I'm almost done I think it's pretty amazing. The most interesting parts have been about this horrible whorish slut that ruins the main character's life. Given that Maugham was gay, I'm kind of surprised that he writes women so well.

-the new Of Montreal kinda sucks. The new TV on the Radio rules way too hard.

-I'm catching up on a lot of shows but yeah TV rules for the most part. Looking forward to Pushing Daisies, 30 Rock, and The Office coming back.

chamberk @ 2008-08-03T02:24:00

2008-08-03T06:32:19Z

Hmm. I haven't said anything in a while.

Job's pretty good. Will change soon now that school is starting up again. Maybe for the better, maybe for the worse, who knows?

I got a set of Steinbeck books from Amazon. They look very nice and I'm reading Cannery Row right now. I have been reading a whole lot these days and I don't really see this trend stopping any time soon. I think the lack of reading material in Japan drove me a little nuts so maybe I am overcompensating after returning. My recommendation right now would be Jose Saramago's "Blindness" which is a really interesting book that I am still mulling over. Pondering might be the word.

I would really like to move out - not that I don't like it at my parents' house but yeah, dialup? Not so much. Problem is, any place I look at is going to be about half my salary (before utilities) and I doubt anyone else really wants to get a place in Duluth/John's Creek. Bleh.

Watching Venture Brothers, Mad Men and The Wire right now. Liked The Dark Knight a lot. Looking forward to Pineapple Express.

My life in a nutshell, ladies and gents.

and i wonder

2008-07-24T01:30:34Z

when i sing along with you

IF EVERYTHING WILL EVER FEEL THIS REAL FOREVER
IF ANYTHING WILL EVER BE THIS GOOD AGAIN

(the answer, of course, was no)

chamberk @ 2008-07-11T22:01:00

2008-07-12T02:01:03Z

i need to have an operation or something.

something to take the douchebag part of me out. like a douchebagectomy. so i can stop being a fucking douchebag.

that'd be nice.

chamberk @ 2008-06-30T18:33:00

2008-06-30T22:34:02Z

wall-e is the best

i want to clean up the earth with wall-e him and i just best frinds

not too early to start planning i think

2008-06-26T01:43:04Z

Batman IMAX on opening night! whozin

chamberk @ 2008-06-20T14:12:00

2008-06-20T18:18:34Z

I've heard "Impossible Germany" by Wilco twice when I've gone into Publix to withdraw money from the ATM. At first I just laughed. "This is the gentrification of indie music," I thought to myself.

Then I thought about it. How sad is it that Publix is playing better music than any radio station in Atlanta?

Now it's not funny. It's just sad.

chamberk @ 2008-06-06T01:22:00

2008-06-06T05:23:24Z

not being invited to a friend's wedding kind of sucks

you know what i dislike even more? everyone who went asking me why i wasn't there

also

2008-05-26T20:56:00Z

"Jagshemesh! My name-a Zohan. I come to the United of States to cut hair, very nice. I am not washed-up comedian's attempt to steal other comedian's successful gimmick! Wa wa wee wa. Come see my movie-film in June! Is nice! High five!"

yessss

2008-05-26T20:38:16Z

Just ran 1 mile. Am drenched with sweat, but I managed to touch that milestone at least. I know it's not as impressive as Erik's "i can run 20 lightyears in like 5 minutes woot" but for someone as out of shape as me it's a pretty big thing.

I guess I haven't really updated this thing in earnest since I got back, so I may as well do that now, as the sweat dries on my body. I have been back for about 2 months (minus 2 days) and it is good to be back. Japan was awesome and unforgettable, but the United States has way too many people who are important to me for me to consider Japan home. I miss some people back in Japan, and I don't miss others. My Japanese is dwindling rapidly, maybe I should keep studying it. You know, so I can be more proficient with it here than I was over there.

Home is good. I can't say I'm a HUGE fan of living at home (with dialup internet at that) but I love my parents and who can argue with free lodging and good food? In a lot of ways it's kind of like I never left at all; even when I was coming home from the airport things seemed like they always had. The big change is, of course, the fact that I have a nephew - who is awesome in all respects. When my mom babysits him I really enjoy playing with him, though I'm still not completely comfortable with taking care of him on my own. I babysat him this Friday and nothing horrible happened, so that's a step in the right direction!

Seeing my friends is pretty amazing. I have been hanging out with J, Joe, Ali and Biran regularly, seeing Alison, John and Alexis occasionally, and the rest of my friends I do not see enough. I blame the job, though...

My current job situation is good, not fantastic. I work at a tutoring center in John's Creek (a little up past Duluth) and generally try to work on verbal skills for students, especially verbal SAT training. Some decently cool coworkers, the kids are alright, and the pay is really nice, even if the hours sometimes aren't - this'll change soon enough. Summer hours means I don't work evenings and I get more hours! So, good to know I'm not languishing without a job as was my habit between college graduation and Japan.

2008 sucks for music. It is pretty good for movies, at least of the summer blockbuster kind. TV there doesn't seem to be much of now that BSG and Lost are wrapping up their seasons, though new Venture Brothers is going to rock.

Okay, I think that wraps it up in a nice little package. Hope everyone's doing alright!