9-30-01 03:35
  • just watched snl and a thing on the history channel about the last hundred years of terrorism. it was quite good. snl was about average.
  • had my first night at work today. my back hurts from standing all day. the people are nice, the manager is kinda curt and might tend towards the bitch side of the street. notice i separate the manager from the collective people...that's because i get the impression the manager feels she ought to be separate from us. my first day at a real job (meaning one not acquired through nepotism or school) and i didn't really like it. however, it was a good experience. i'm getting to see how real people live their lives every day of the work week. i thought about quitting and i thought about how great it was that i had that option.
  • american job is a good movie. glitter appears not to be. funny how the former never saw the dim light of the theater and the latter is advertised on every major network. lame.
  • i still go back and forth between taking the job at the pizza place and not taking it. earlier today i was thinking no way in hell, then i was thinking about the economics of it and thinking that i had to. still haven't decided. if i do, it'll be on a whim; one i may end up regretting.
  • i'm glad 'regretting' has two "t"s in it...that's the way it should be.
  • received some new cds in the mail, have yet to update the cdlist. have yet to listen to them.
  • we got cable yesterday....that's how i was able to see the show on the history channel. earlier today we watched a show on the intercontinental railroad. the history channel and the learning channel are great. naturally espn, comedy central, and clear network stations are also appreciated.
  • still need to change the oil.
  • still awaiting my transcripts so that i may copy them and send them over to csus and get things looked at.
  • october sixth is the cbest, this time i shouldn't forget.
  • both my mom and my grandmother are coming up in october.
  • i should visit my aunt and new cousin in oakland sometime. sometime after i change the oil.
  • saw vern today. johnny was back in santa cruz.
  • if anyone wants fargo on vhs they can have it. i have the dvd now so it's worthless to me. watching dvds on a 13" tv is funny.
  • i guess it's bedtime.


    • 9-28-01 22:07

  • updated movies list.
  • i think we're missing a good opportunity to better our infrastructure domestically and take a long hard look at our foreign policy. we haven't responded nearly well enough, if at all, to the fact that thousands of people are out of jobs because of this. we need a better safety net and a more proactive government. other than that i think bush has done a pretty good job lately. he made a clear distinction between people of islam and terrorists, that is good.
  • been playing a lot of warcraft II lately.
  • first day of work tomorrow.
  • got offered a job at jamba juice and told them no thanks.
  • updated the poll.


    • 9-27-01 02:48

  • updated movies list.
  • it appears as though i've officially lost my ucdavis email account.


    • 9-26-01 12:11

  • got offered the job at the movie theater...around 23 hours a week so i took it. it's enough to pay for rent and food, but small enough of a commitment to not crowd my schedule if i choose to take up something else.
  • melanie might get a job at the co-op.
  • a guy from my high school track team made it to the nfl and returned a kick off for a touchdown the other day. he ran the hurdles and was a pretty nice guy all things considered. definitely the kind of person who was close to getting mixed up in the wrong crowd, but i think athletics, and his dad, kept him straight. he would always take his time in the hurdles, but always ended up winning. it would frustrate people so much because he wouldn't try until the very end. by the time he got to the state finals he had learned how to run better and ended up placing pretty well.


    • 9-25-01 01:43

  • papa murphy's wants to hire me. the interview at the theater went well, might get offered a job there.
  • not having to worry about getting a job is nice, but i still might look into a few more options.
  • i think i'd take either job. it's funny how people tell you to pick up the trash in the backyard and mow the lawn when you're young, but then you graduate college and all of a sudden you're above that. when you're young that kind of work builds character, when you're older it's demeaning. i don't fully understand it. i've got no problem with working at places that pay only minimum wage. everyone i know is really anxious to have more responsibility to people other than themselves...i'd like to postpone that for a bit.
  • sold my camera online so that's out of the way.
  • did a lot of shopping today - moving in type stuff as well as food.
  • updated movies list.


    • 9-23-01 15:16

  • went to a group interview at jamba juice - retarded. "if you were any body of water what would you be?" walden pond, i said. "huh?"... "if you were any animal what would you be?" a moose. "oh."... "if you were any power tool what would you be?" ...really dumb questions and i've decided i don't want to work there.
  • been pretty bored lately.
  • updated movies list.
  • 49ers are losing. shucks.


    • 9-20-01 17:55

  • there is news now that people made bets that the stock of four key companies - american, united, morgan stanley, and another, would drop - before the attack happened. this also happened to such a great magnitude as to indicate that these people must have known about the attacks in advance. i didn't know that there was anything in the stock exchange that allowed people to essentially bet on the performance of a certain stock. according to the report the people who did 'bet' on the stocks would have made over 4 million dollars on just the two airline companies. i guess authorities are trying to follow the trail of money, but that is proving difficult.


    • 9-20-01 14:38

  • i'm very satisfied with the two maps i purchased. the world map has two inset maps which map population density and vegetation/land use. it's also not a retangular map so it's more true to size - e.g. greenland doesn't appear to be as big as it does when it is distorted in the flatening process. maps are good, i only wish i had gotten them long ago.
  • went to border's and had an interview there. i don't want to shelve things all day long so i probably won't work there even if i get offered the job.
  • still downloading all the pictures from the trip....this is taking quite a while.
  • need to change the oil sometime soon. miles is a good car.
  • melanie comes to davis tomorrow. johnny leaves davis tomorrow.
  • nothing on the agenda for the rest of the day.
  • it's about 90 outside.


    • 9-20-01 00:50

  • i want to see the new denzel washington movie.
  • big trouble is being delayed because it has a scene wherein a plane is hijacked - lame.
  • my new email address works. aptpupil@armory.com thanks to johnny for telling me about them.
  • updated movies list. watched american movie for the third time this year, wow.


    • 9-19-01 22:18

  • some people are saying some really retarded things about the world trade center bombing. we're going to war with a country which may or may not have anything to do with the support of terrorism, many of us are singling out people based upon looks, many of us are paralized with fear, and some of us are overcome by rage. the whole revenge/war on terrorism thing is wasted energy in my opinion. i think the billions of dollars we are going to waste on sending thousands of people across the globe to kill innocent people and make them more angry with us could be better spent.
  • we live in a society where the economy is way too important and that shows not only in the attitudes people have and the decisions people make everyday, but in the fact that we are suffering so much because of what is happening with the airlines and the stock market. i wish our economy was based upon art, culture, philanthropy, or something else more meaningful than money.
  • "all we are saying, is give peace a chance."
  • it's nice to have my old keyboard back. i like my monitor.
  • saw jon and monique walking to downtown today. i shall visit them shortly.
  • called phil last night - no answer. i wonder where he lives.
  • cooked in my new wok tonight, it woked pretty well.
  • fiddled with a bunch of old pictures - mostly those from the two trips (hitchhiking and the more recent one) - i think that i made some good changes to them. they look more lively now that the levels have been adjusted. i added contrast and brightness to many of the black and white pics from the hitchhiking trip and they also look better. it gave me an excuse to look over all the pictures from the trips and killed some time in the process.
  • found a number for the education office at sac state; i'll call them tomorrow and get the info on all that.
  • think i'm going to watch a movie.


    • 9-19-01 21:00

  • locked myself out of the apartment today. the bedroom window was unlocked, but had a stick in it to prevent people from opening it all the way so i opened it as much as i could and then used a stick to lift the stick preventing the window from opening. i got lucky.
  • setting up another email account, hopefully it'll be online by tomorrow. we shall see.


    • 9-19-01 10:35

  • went to togo's and had an interview there this morning. hope to be a sandwich architect soon.
  • got a call from border's this morning.
  • johnny is going to berkeley today, decided not to tag along.
  • in the process of uploading all my documents and pictures from the trip so that i can get them on the other computer. that's a pain.
  • talked to george the manager of the apartments this morning; he's nice.
  • johnny is having major computer problems.
  • i only have a few more things to move from the floor to their new home and i'll be completely moved in.
  • johnny talked to some girl at the gap today - he says he's practicing.
  • my back feels better today than it did yesterday.
  • tried watching a movie last night, but i fell asleep.


    • 9-18-01 18:05

  • the pictures of the wtc buildings should be up now that i uploaded them (9-11 update).
  • updated movies list.
  • listening to the radio right now...i have the dvd player and the entertainment center all hooked up...4 speakers, dozens of watts of power, and a 13" tv. it's comical.
  • hopefully melanie doesn't kick me out for putting my posters up already.
  • went to several area stores and submitted applications with johnny today. had an interview with a lady at ace hardware and that went okay. don't think i'll get the job though since i don't have any cashier or framing experience and those are the only two positions they currently require.
  • we went to dairy queen and gave the guy our apps. he looked them over and told us that there was only one spot open. he must have thought we were retarded since we are both college grads looking for a fast food job.
  • most of my room is in order - just have a lot of small stuff to get sorted out.
  • hurt my back the other day while moving; that sucked. it still hurts, but it's getting back to its normal level of hurt. i've come to grips with the fact that my back will hurt for the rest of my life. oh shucks.
  • i have lots of bills to pay.
  • got rid of some cds today in an attempt to thin my cd collection. i doubt anyone will want any of the stuff so i may just take it into tower and ask for 2 bucks for the lot of 8 cds.
  • now that i have a world map and a usa map i'm going to try and get grommets in each of the corners so as to protect from excess wear from hanging them on the wall. i shall call kinko's.
  • mostly been hanging out with johnny and vern lately. moving in and getting a job are the other things i've been up to.
  • selling my digital camera and an extra hard drive on ebay so that i may be able to pay upcoming bills.
  • i think the yankees will either do really well or really badly. i'm leaning towards another world series for them. this isn't to say that i love them or anything, i just think they're going to do it.
  • thecounter.com charges money nowadays so i don't think i'll have a counter anymore.


    • 9-16-01 01:37

  • slowly moving my shit back into the apartment. i say shit purposely - i have a lot of stuff which should just be dumped or given away.
  • it's late. last night i stayed up until 430 talking to vern and johnny.
  • mostly hung out with johnny and vern today. johnny's brother and his troop came up from santa cruz as well. we watched a movie, played ultimate frisbee, and hung out. i'm out of shape.
  • moved in a good amount of stuff today. i think that i'll be able to get just about everything from storage to the apartment using just johnny's camry and my escort. might have to ditch my bookcase, but i think that there won't be space enough for it in the apartment anyway.
  • got my first ny times today...i didn't expect it to start coming until next weekend so it was a pleasant surprise.
  • went shopping for food so now i have a reason to turn on the frig.
  • there were plans in the works for johnny and i to goto lassen national park for a couple days since both of us are unemployed and have nothing better to do. ended up deciding that we're not going though.
  • on monday i should goto the library and talk to the old boss and hit her up for some employment. doubt that'll happen.
  • talked to my neighbor today for longer than i had talked to any of the neighbors at the old apartment (except marina and gina who were actually across the complex and upstairs).
  • i'm tired.
  • the apartment is a mess. my life is a mess.
  • updated movies list.
  • updated cdlist.


    • 9-12-01 12:53

  • going to my dad's today.
  • hope to see session 9, heard it's a good movie.
  • i'm hungry.
  • they've shut down everything below 14th street - that's from greenwich villiage on down to the tip of lower manhattan - that's a really big area and includes Ray's Pizza where we ate while we were in greenwich villiage.
  • there's been too much misinformation so i'm not going to watch anymore.
  • i don't like rumsfeld, he seems slightly retarded. the fbi director and colin powell, on the other hand, seemed pretty sharp...meaning they were at least well prepared.


    • 9-12-01 00:21

  • blair and castro for president.
  • as expected the world economy is suffering from the attacks.
  • i've been watching tv for almost 17 hours straight. i did stop to fix up the house for my mom. the last time i watched anywhere near that much tv was during the olympics - vern and i were glued to the screen.
  • i honestly don't understand the situation back east. from what i understand both palestine and israel made mistakes at some point in the past and both have reason to be upset. why we've sided with israel i don't know.
  • i've got some new pictures from the trip below


    • 9-11-01 6:54

  • just last night while i was falling asleep i was thinking about how amazing earthquakes and other such disasters are. it really boggles the mind thinking about how people come together...the media, public services, neighbors, etc. when there is such an event. one of my fond memories was of the northridge earthquake and all the recuperation which followed.
  • also last night i was thinking about the last report of palestinians who died in the middle east. i was thinking about a compelling article called "give war a chance" - it outlines an argument for allowing two parties in certain situations to fight things out in order to relieve the pressure which has built up. in certain situations it's an argument which is actually pretty convincing, but i don't know if it would work with the situation back east because of the magnitude of the problems over there. in a situation like that i think it would lead only to years and years of war.
  • everyone knows how simple it is for terrorist attacks to happen and this morning it has become even more plainly obvious.
  • i just saw one of the towers collapse...at least the top half. i'm pretty glad i was able to see it before this happened. on a more serious note - we're talking easily thousands of deaths and it is doubtless for no good reason.
  • they're saying that some palestinian group is claiming responsibility.
  • we've got a complete moron in the white house and now this happens. one good thing is that there will be a rally around the flag phenomenon and even people who don't really trust bush's judgment will come together over this.
  • surely there will be talk about the "arrogance" of america and so on and so forth. obviously that holds some merit, at the same time something like this should never happen.
  • the tower with the tv antenna also most likely houses all sorts of other communications relays, etc.
  • it's amazing how much more dangerous believing in something can be than believing in nothing.
  • 7:40
  • both towers have collapsed.
  • a large plane crash in PA...a 767.
  • a plane crash in DC.
  • right now i have two major feelings...awe and a need to do something.
  • bush's first really big test here. a bigger test than most presidents ever face.
  • century city towers (the one's which were blown up in the movie "fight club) are now being evacuated.
  • the only person i'd like to see as president even less than bush is cheney, so i really hope we protect bush.
  • 9:01
  • they have video of palestinians rejoicing "god is good" because of what has happened here. if the video is accurate and not just some propaganda then this makes me really sad. how anyone could ever rejoice the death of thousands of people - american, palestinian, or otherwise - is beyond me.
  • this'll make us stronger as a nation.
  • i hope we don't do anything stupid like retaliate against someone just for the sake of action...what next is (sadly) up to bush and his cohorts. at times like this i really wish fdr was president. i truly feel that he was the best leader of the presidents (except maybe washington).
  • 9:33
  • uss cole, ok city, trade center, embassy bombings, trade center part 2, pentagon. we've actually been under quite a bit of attack once you look back to the last 7 or so years.
  • the frailty of our world becomes exceedingly clear in times like this.
  • 10:51
  • 9-11 will go down in history. 911
  • reports about gas prices rising in CA are going around.
  • i wonder if (when) the west wing, ER, and other shows will capitalize on this tragedy.
  • tony blair has got our back.
  • i'm more worried about chemical and biological weapons than i am about explosives and the like. a relatively small amount of anthrax would wipe out DC before we'd be able to respond....and that's only anthrax.
  • 16:10
  • i worry for people of middle eastern descent right now.
  • phone in davis is now online. i'm leaving on the 15th.
  • i wonder how the daily show, and other comedy programs, are going to treat today's events.
  • i wonder how long it's going to take for people to start selling pieces of the world trade center on ebay.
  • 17:40
  • i give bush's speech tonight a B.
  • despite the propaganda (the beacon of freedom, etc.) i thought it addressed the important points - recovery, mourning, retaliation, and the economy.
  • it's really insane to think that the two most impressive buildings i've ever seen are now gone. more crazy to think about than that, is that i just saw them there about a month ago.
  • hardship has proven to be really good for democracies. in fact there are theories which posit that democracy depends upon hardship in order to thrive. they say that it's a time when action is taken - significant because democracy is usually characterized by inaction. the great depression and the new deal which followed is perhaps the best example of this....of course it was followed by what many political scientists call the most affluent time (50s) our nation has ever seen. it's their theory, not mine.
  • fox seems to have the best camera footage that i've seen.
  • interesting to see that vh-1, mtv, and cbs all have the same coverage. it's a good way to see who owns whom. BET is even broadcasting cbs news. maybe they just have some kind of partnership.
  • i wouldn't doubt if there were bookies entertaining bets on the death toll.
  • think i'll give blood when i get to davis.
  • i was pleasantly surprised to not hear anything about rioting or looting.
  • hearing reports about the car bomb in dc was more scary than the planes because it would have meant a multi pronged attack...as it turns out they only used planes as weapons - that was relieving.
  • it's really surreal to me because last night i was thinking about how great humanity can be in times of stress. i was looking back at the northridge quake, but the response has been very similar....people donating blood, doctors offering their services, the american red cross mobilizing, sports complexes and schools turned into shelters and hospitals, etc.
  • 21:23
  • i wonder if bush's daddy engineered this scheme in an attempt to peg blame on iraq and thus have his son finish what he left undone after the gulf war.
  • peter jennings is kinda pushy with this producers.
  • i think i'll dig up my "terrorism in america" book when i get to davis.
  • bin laden has already been convicted by the press and the masses. that's sad.
  • what would happen if rich terrorists would buy billions of dollars worth of bonds over the course of years and then cash them all in at a time like this?
  • i think that the fed should persuade big money movers like a ted turner or a bill gates to buy more stock in an attempt to solidify the strength of the market. naturally that would be illegal.

    • pictures from the trip...


    9-10-01 21:43
  • i like green day, but the worst thing they did was pave the way for blink 182 and similar such posers.
  • saw this show on E! about freakshows...it had a special section on street performers and long story short it featured the "bushman" who scares the hell out of pedestrians in san francisco. he was interviewed and told the camera about times when people pulled weapons on him for scaring them. that's pretty lame.
  • there was a 4.2 earthquake the other day. big deal.
  • watched part of great escape and young frankenstein today. good flicks.
  • forgot to call the phone company and get that straightened out. should do that tomorrow.
  • going to do some prep work on the house for my mom tomorrow. chip off some paint, fill in some holes and the like and pick up some gas money. that'll help and it'll give me something to do tomorrow. there are advantages of having worked as a painter for a summer...being comfortable on a ladder is just one of them.
  • need to pay my car insurance bill...it's actually cheaper than anyone else i know despite having two cars on the policy and being a 22 year old male. guess i got lucky somehow. if it was much more i'd need a job pronto.



    • 9-9-01 13:40
  • went to the griffith park observatory for the first time on friday. had some of the run of the mill exhibits for a like museum...stuff about mars, the jovian moons, etc. watched a 3D laser light show which accompanied music by the likes of U2, radiohead, green day, seal, the cranberries, and more. some of it was really different, some of it was silly, some of it was just there.
  • went to my grandparents' place last night and had mashed potatoes and turkey. naturally, that was tasty. the peach and apple/blueberry pies were also exceptional.
  • offered to tear up my mom's front yard for a small compensation...not sure whether that is going to happen or not. she wants to redo the sprinkler system and replant the grass.
  • bought a hydraulic jack and some jack stands along with a case of 5w-30 oil a couple days ago...been wanting to have a jack and some stands ever since i got the bug, but i never got around to buying them. now i have them so now i can change the oil and do other such maintenance activities with greater ease.
  • my clmiller email address is going to be terminated somewhere around september 20th. i'll have to get another email address.
  • melanie's birthday is coming soon.
  • i'm going to go back to davis on the 15th.
  • the car should get a check up...when i can afford it.
  • hopefully i get a job quickly. i've never been very good at job hunting.
  • i wanted to watch session 9 today because sundays are exceedingly boring around here, but the only place it's playing is in westwood villiage...that's a good distance away and i don't feel like doing much driving these days.
  • my grandmother had the 8-1-01 through 8-4-01 updates printed out so i'll be able to rewrite those and put them in the august archives where they belong.


    • 9-6-01 22:34

  • read over some of my previous updates and have come to the conclusion that i write at the level of a retarded 7th grader. not being in school will only worsen this situation.


    • 9-6-01 15:00

  • back to normal updates i suppose...
  • somehow i lost the updates from 8-1-01 through 8-4-01...if anyone has them somehow then you should send them to me. it's a longshot, but worth a try. i know that those updates include walden pond through the first part of new york.
  • updated movies list.

    • watching prefontaine right now....does a pretty good job of covering the facts of the olympics at the time...the basketball scandal, the hostage situation, etc. they also use real footage for some of the race scenes, which is the only way to do it.