"Am I Really All the Things That are Outside of Me?"

There is a good chance that we are going to get rid of our newer cat (Puff) because of our older cat (Neeko). They really don't get along. The two pictures below pretty much reflect how I feel about both animals.

The weather seems like it's getting progressively nicer and my summer cold is subsiding. Brad brought his guitar with him into the woods and I brought my camera. We didn't really get much accomplished today but it felt like how summer days should feel, relaxing and open ended.


Not a whole lot to say this evening. Just letting my brain relax for a change.

Speak easy,
Neil

Decoration Day

I'm wiping off the pollen from screen with my thumb. Today has proven to be a fairly good Memorial Day. To celebrate Jim is hosting a s'more cookout in his back yard. To prevent the ash and the smoke from infiltrating my computer I have seated myself several yards away from the fire although it is getting kind of cold over here. I can't have my cake and eat it too. Sometimes I feel like that is all people really want.

This is a video of the fire right after Jim lit it with a road flare.



I had a chance to talk to my younger cousin Danny, today. For some reason I found myself giving him a lot of advice. For example, if you ever in a fight, punch the guy in the collar bone. You only need to apply 4 pounds of pressure to the bone itself. This will leave your opponent's hands immobile.

Memorial Day is one of those holidays that I just don't know too much about. Sometimes it means no school, sometimes it means no work, and sometimes it means fireworks, and sometimes it means bon fire at 10 pm. Although it does mean all of these different things to different people (as do most other holidays), Memorial Day in particular is supposed to be a day to commemorate those who have died while serving the United States military.

My cat is chewing on a magazine. Does anyone know why they feel the need to do this? I've got an inkling that says that it has to do with their glands.

Speak easy,
Neil

Finished

My rooms so empty that it echos. Lev left earlier today and I'll be heading home within the next 24 hours. It feels really strange to live by myself, even if it is just for one evening. Living in an apartment by myself is never something I want to experience. There would be no one to come home to. I never really understood why people that live alone own a lot of cats until this now. My finals are all done with and all I want to do is sleep.

Note: A duck's quack doesn't echo, I saw it on Mythbusters.

I'm pretty psyched to see The Brothers Bloom when it comes out on May 29th. You can watch the first 7 minutes of the film on its website. It has the same writer/director as the 2005 film Brick, which I thoroughly enjoyed.



Speak easy,
Neil

How Are You Doing Today?

Today, I ate ice cream in the rain. It wasn't nearly as bad of an idea as I thought it would be.

Since my iPod isn't it tip top condition, I have been using a cheap voice recorder/mp3 player to listen to music when I am out and about. In order to get that powered up and running, I had to go to CVS to get one AAA battery. I ended up buying 20. It was the most logical purchase (considering the sale and the savings you get when you buy in bulk).


Only 20 cents more to upgrade to the large cup of coffee. If you go with the combo it'll be 80 cents cheaper, and you get a free bag of potato chips. I can't help but wonder if this is strictly an American problem.

Great cat themed game right here.

Speak easy,
Neil

Water for Words

My name is Neil and I am an English student at the University of Massachusetts. I am currently drinking fresh coffee well into a Friday night. I was supposed to go home for the weekend to do laundry and meet Puff. Puff is the cat that my family adopted immediately after I left for school. She has replaced me and is probably wearing my old clothes, watching my television, and painting the walls of my room as I type this. Because of problems with time and space I am in my dorm room this weekend.

The title of this blog is the title of a chapter of the Nathanael West book, Miss Lonelyhearts. It is really good and I am going to write some sort of thesis paper on it before the semester is up.
For some reason I find it incredibly difficult to name things that are not completely self contained. Bands and blogs and projects. Songs, on the other hand, are usually fairly easy to name...as well as pets (charlie, jameson, keifer, and jeff are all good names). I have a theory that the older you get, the weirder your pet's names should be. For instance a guy like myself would not go wrong naming his dog "Mike", while an elderly person should totally name their dog "Little Stallion". It just makes sense.


Okay, so I was skimming my bookshelf and class notes looking for something that would resemble a good blog name and my eyes fall on 'The Brief Penguin Handbook'. My mind, being the way it is, processed this bit of sense-data as 'The Brief Penguin Handjob'. My roommate, Lev, insists that this is some sort of Freudian slip. The title just raises so many questions. Like "Why?" or "How?" or "Brief?".

Since my life plan seems to change just about every week I thought I would track the evolution of my future...if that makes sense. Right now I am learning French and aspire to become a "Teaching English as a Second Language" professor in Paris.

Stay hydrated,
Neil

P.S
I really do listen to a lot of music on a daily basis and enjoy making themed playslists. With each post I am going to try and compile a new (fun!) playlist. Hopefully this will force me to explore the previously unearthed regions of my iPod. 26 gigs and I listen to the same 3 songs over and over again.

Todays Playlist:
Flux Capacitor (or songs with years in the title)

1. The Smashing Pumpkins - 1979 (Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
2. Yeasayer - 2080 (All Hour Cymbals)
3. Peter Bjorn & John - Paris 2004 (Writer's Block)
4. Architecture In Helsinki - Spring 2008 (Fingers Crossed)
5. The Olivia Tremor Control - Memories of Jacqueline 1906 (Music From the Unrealized...)
6. The Elected - 7 Septermber 2003 (Me First)
7. Los Campesinos! - 2007, The Year Punk Broke My Heart (Hold On Now, Youngster)
8. Neutral Milk Hotel - Holland, 1945
9. The Unicorns - 2014 (2014 Single)
10. Gorillaz - 19-2000 (Gorillaz)
11. The Hives - Inspection Wise 1999 (Veni Vidi Vicious)

And for those with a more eclectic taste...

12. The Robot Ate Me - Oh No! Oh My! 1994 (On Vacation Vol. I)
13. The Fiery Furnaces - 1917 (Blueberry Boat)

*If you have any recommendations that might fit into this playlist let me know*