Is Your Heart Protected?

Snakes smell with their tongues and think with their stomachs. Go figure.



Apparently they don't make emotional condoms. That makes me sad.


The literal Russian to English translation of the word cousin is "Second Brother/Sister".

_________
In my peripheral vision I see a nun sitting at one of the circular tables eating a sandwich. My thought process goes something like this...
...hey, it's a nun having breakfast.
...she looks kind of ugly.
...that nun's a man
...oh, that's right, it's Halloween.

I spent my Halloween watching Kid Nation and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

-THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH 2007
__________

Only eight days of classes left until I have to take my finals. My vacation to Moldova couldn't come soon enough. Mariana couldn't get a visa to meet me in Romania, so this cowboy is going to have to find his way from the Bucharest airport to the Bucharest train station. It seems simple but this is in a country where English is not the primary language. On top of that I will be in a state of sleep deprivation and general confusion.

I went to Andrew's last Saturday for a house party (drinks consisted of Mountain Dew and Mug root beer), and I was happy to be around normal, functioning people. It made me more determined than ever to transfer out of Umass Dartmouth.

-MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26TH 2007
__________

It is currently around 7 a.m. and I have only slept for a few hours. In twelve hours I will be boarding a plane to Romania (with a layover in Amsterdam) and then get on a bus to get to Moldova. It's all very nerve racking/exciting/exhausting. I've never traveled alone, and additionally, have never really traveled. Oh well. I'm just hoping I come back alive.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27TH 2007
__________

Just some exerts from an old blog that I pretty much neglected from the start. The only way I can manage a blog is if I update on a daily basis. That's just the kind of person I am. Actually, this afternoon I checked Wikipedia to see if I possibly have an acute case of Autism. I don't. :(



Instead of doing my French homework I have been watching old episodes of Jake and Amir. C'est la vie.

Speak easy,
Neil

The Old, The Young, and The Oligarkh

I just got back from a poetry reading. The speaker was Tomaz Salamun. He was an older, gracious gentlemen. He spoke softly and genuine. Someday I will be old and will finally be able to always speak from the heart.

The following is a poem of his that was translated from Slovenian.
_________________
The Man I Respected
by Tomaz Salamun

When I returned from Mexico, I looked like
death. My mouth collapsed
and disintegrated. I was paying a penalty
for my sins, my palate had dissolved.
I could touch my brain with my tongue.
It was painful, horrible and sweet.
While Svetozar sat outside in the waiting room,
I tore down the instrument case.
No, I am not being precise: he left the office
before me, I only suspected who he was, I didn’t even
know him. When I sat in the chair,
my energy tore down the instrument case.
To pass from world to world
means an earthquake. Yesterday he died.
_________________

English majors mosh over micro-brews and upper shelf baked goods.

On the way home it was snowing. The kind of light snow that rolls down your arm and only fully reveals itself in street lamps. I know that all snowflakes are different but they all looked the same to me. Still beautiful.

This week for my film class I watched Tycoon: A New Russian. It is a little like a contemporary Russian Citizen Cane, but with a little more intrigue. I would recommend adding it to your Netflix queue.

Although the computer for every child movement sounds like a good idea, I believe that the last thing children need are personal computers. Most kids will just use a computer for 1) video games, 2) instant messenger/social networking sites, and 3) Pornography. Children need to be guided, not stricken with choices and power. A great alternative program would be to create more Internet cafés.

Instead of doing homework today I spent most of my time tending to nose bleeds. There were three total and altogether drowned an hour and a half of my time. If anyone has any recommendations on how to prevent nosebleeds, please send them my way.

Speak easy,
Neil

Зaпoй

It is Sunday and time is boiling slowly. Sometimes I feel really tired and I can't tell if it's from too much coffee or not enough coffee. I tend to side with not enough coffee because that one tastes better. Since I moved in to my dorm I have been using plastic spoons to stir my coffee. There is a part of me that is worried that the outer plastic of the spoons is melting into the coffee and eventually I will develop cancer from all of the toxins. I should probably just take regular spoons from the dining commons. Lev told me that they tag on extra money to your dining fee which covers theft. The same goes for clothing stores. This is why shirts at Hollister are $50.

Yesterday I commented on the elusive squirrel sneeze. The only thing I would like to add is that squirrel yawns are far less rare and much cuter. Check them out, they are amazing. Chipmunks are great too. They are like baby squirrels on Red Bull. The picture below was very hard to take but I was able to sneak up on this little guy while he was performing a Vulcan mind meld on a pile of rocks. It goes without saying that his hands are his best feature.


My roommate, Lev, spent the first 12 years of his life in Russia. You wouldn't know it talking to him. His English is flawless. This morning he was telling me about this phenomenon in Russia, called Зaпoй (or Zapoi). From what I can gather it is some sort of sporadic alcoholism. It begins with a night of heavy drinking. The next morning the drunkard stumbles to the liquor cabinet to fetch some more vodka. The best antidote for a hangover, Lev says, is more alcohol. Apparently when you drink, the blood vessels in your brain expand. After the effects of the nights prior wear off, you are left with incredibly constricted blood vessels in your cerebrum. The alcohol you drink in the morning expands these vessels enough to relieve the discomfort. Anyway the Russians nurse their hangovers with more alcohol until it is late afternoon, and it is only proper to begin another night of "vodka like water". A good Зaпoй lasts about a week. How anyone gets anything done in Russia is beyond me.

When I check my email on Yahoo I usually find myself looking through the headlines on the front page. There are always so many different kinds of news stories. If you haven't seen the 'cat sliding into box' you should definitely go see it for yourself. He is really a 5 star cat. It looks like Obama did something important too.


I have somewhere between 7 and 9 pages to write in the next 36 hours so I should really get to work on that.

Speak easy,
Neil

Today's Playlist:
Under The Covers (or artists who like other artists)

1. The Polyphonic Spree - Lithium (The Wait EP) *Nirvana*
2. Cake - I Will Survive (Fashion Nugget) *Gloria Gaynor*
3. Syd Matters - Hello Sunshine (The OC: Mix 6) *Super Furry Animals*
4. Bright Eyes - Devil Town (Noise Floor) *Daniel Johnston*
5. Rogue Wave - Everyday (Stubbs The Zombie OST) *Buddy Holly*
6. Xiu Xiu - Under Pressure (Women As Lovers) *Queen*
7. Youth Group - Forever Young (Casino Twilight Dogs) *Alphaville*
8. Nada Surf - If You Leave (The OC: Mix 2) *Orchestral Manoeuvres...*
9. Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah (Grace) *Leonard Cohen*
10. Gary Jules - Mad World (Donnie Darko OST) *Tears For Fears*
11. Iron & Wine - Such Great Heights (Such Great Heights EP) *The Postal Service*
12. Fiona Apple - Across The Universe (Pleasantville OST) *The Beatles*

Someone actually covered the Bright Eyes version of Devil Town. It follows the arrangements and instrumentation almost exactly. The song was recently featured in a 'Friday Night Lights' commercial.
I was tempted to put on some Me First and the Gimme Gimmes but it didn't seem right. I would recommend them though if you are looking for more cover songs.

P.S
Lev woke up with fireworks in his pocket. It was a surprise to both of us.
He also told me about some guy who's friends with his dad, a mathematician, that named his dog 'Cosign'. Now that's what I'm talking about!

EDIT: Here are some playlist recommendations I received from Taylor Rose...

1. Jenny Lewis - Handle With Care (Rabbit Fur Coat) *Traveling Willburys*
2. John Mayer - Message In A Bottle (Any Given Thursday) *The Police*
3. The Vines - I'm Only Sleeping (I Am Sam OST) *The Beatles*
4. The Vines - Ms. Jackson (Outtathaway! Single) *Outkast*
5. The Vines - Paint It Black (Unknown) *The Rolling Stones*

It looks like there is some controversy on whether The Vines actually performed that cover or not. Either way I'm going to check it out. Thanks Taylor!