I decided to play hooky. I woke up at 7 because I was supposed to be at work for 8:30. I looked out the window and saw that the snow wasn't what I expected. I turned on the tele to find we've received somewhere between 7 and 10 inches of snow. I saw school closings scroll across the screen and noted colleges were closed, as were several government buildings. I decided that I wasn't going in. I wasn't going to risk driving in icy conditions to a job where I make next to nothing, especially since I was just in an accident. So my morning consisted of digging out 3 cars from mounds of snow, some soft, and some quite heavy due to the plows kicking it all up against the sides of the vehicles. I came in and ate some Fruity Pebbles and watched some Sportscenter.

I decided to play with my website, and updated my photos section by adding some links with the pics. There are also some new shows listed for the NY/NJ area. No major format changes due to the fact that I can't find the installation disk for my scanner, so it just sits there and never gets any action.

I just got my mail and received my much anticipated No Motiv cd. Daylight Breaking is a damn good cd. It's a bit heavier than their last album, but the ep that came out a few months ago didn't let me down in terms of holding me over until this came out. They also had a song that was featured in the X-games, which just ended, and they played out there at the games, too.

I'll probably be back outside shoveling a bit more before doing more homework today. Class was cancelled last night, but that didn't prevent him from piling on 6 more journals to read for next tuesday. I haven't looked at all of them, but the last one is 35 pages alone. Bloody hell.

First off, I want to thank Rob for calling me. I got your message, but will try to call you tomorrow during the day when I am not half asleep and while I'm home. Secondly, I will also try to call Den, since I owe him a call from about 2 weeks ago. And fyi, I am doing ok in terms of recovery from the accident. My only ailments now are going to be my funds due to having to purchase a new vehicle and increasing auto insurance. I'm still on a 3x a week schedule at the good ol' chiropractor to heal my whiplash and soreness in my neck. Other than that, I think everything is ok, and hopefully will stay that way...

I had my first meeting of my other class tonite. Borrrrrrrrrrrrring. We had a 4 minute break, but he kept us for 5 minutes after the scheduled meeting time. He seems like a nice guy, but he lectured at us the entire night. No interaction as far as discussions go. There are only 5 people in the class too. We don't meet next week because he's going to Michigan to apply for a position over there. So I guess I won't be working with him next semester.

In other news, I'm unwillingly embracing the next storm heading our way. The only reason being that I don't want to drive my dad's car in the snow/ice to school for one class. It's not worth it, especially since my driving wreck a week ago...My job is fucking horrible. My boss is annoying and the customers are obviously annoying, but the routine is unbearable. I graduated school with a degree in communication and certification to teach grades K-8. The only thing remotely concerned with either of those is talking at work. I don't listen to most of my coworkers because they are ignorant(except for a few, one being Kim's mother, of course.) What made it worse was that last Tuesday, I talked with the 7 other people in my class, and they all have at least a decent job, and it has something to do with comm. The only thing I have applied for is a job with the nba, but I have no PR experience, so the odds of me actually being hired are slim. I'm gonna see if my classmates can get me an in or something or give me advice.

Due to the whole accident, our vacation plans are probably nixed. I need to buy a new vehicle, and I mean new, because I don't want a car that will simply hold me over to my next one. I'm just going to invest in something I like and work simply to pay for it and insurance. I'm aiming for a Jeep Wrangler, and hope to bring one home within the next two weeks.

Some dates to look forward to, in no particular order, except for chronological order:

Tuesday, January 27th No Motiv's new CD, Daylight Breaking comes out
Sunday, February 15th Juliana Theory @ Maxwell's 8pm
Friday, February 20th Brian Regan @ Banana's
Saturday, February 21st Hey Mercedes @ Mercury Lounge
Friday, February 27th Ted Alexandro @ Stress Factory
Tuesday, March 2nd Living End new CD, Modern Artillery comes out
Tuesday, March 23rd Weezer's DVD comes out, as well as the Blue Album Deluxe Edition

Just when I thought my luck was even-ing out, guess what happens? Hey, car accident. Car totalled. Laceration to left knee and bruise to forehead. Whiplash and ligament damage in neck. Great times. I now have no car and have missed work for two days. Luckily, I have off from work tomorrow, and Kim can drive me to my first class at night. This sucks. I'm guessing I may be at fault since I was turning and the other car was going strait, but I wasn't the one going 60 down the street. Fucking legal shit. Wonderful timing, considering my health insurance hasn't kicked in yet, and I was in the process of shopping for auto insurance and looking for a new car down the road. I also don't have an enormous amount of money to fund a new car and insurance increases. In addition to this incident on Saturday, my brother and sister-in-law's kitchen nearly burned down on Friday nite, my mom slightly dislocated her shoulder, and my mom/dad's car needed a new axle on their car. Oh yeah, and my brother was at the Eagles game last nite.

So, I infer from Meredith's journal that it was Kev's birthday, so Happy Birthday, Kev. Sorry I missed the date...No offense to Rob, but this Super Bowl is bizarre. Panthers/Pats? Huh? Well, it can't be worse than Tampa/Oakland. Ewww. That's all for now. Misery for a while to come, only to increase with the stress of school and work. Happy fucking 2004.

Listening to my newly-received Dandy Warhols cd. It's an awesome listening experience. It blends 80s sounds(i.e. synths, drum machines) with a club groove. I guess you have to hear it to know what I mean. Anyway, I finally received some letters from Montclair, although not the one I was waiting for. I of course viewed my financial aid status and look to be receiving money as a full-time student. I had to email them to notify them of my part-time status(6 credits). I also had to fill out some interview online to qualify for my loans. I'm finished, but now have to wait for my "adjusted" loan info. Whatever. I only know that class starts Tuesday.

I heard from one of my professors via email as well. He told us about the class a bit and explained we wouldn't have to buy any books! Gotta live the technology we deal with in school now. On a related note, Kim accompanied me to the MSU bookstore to purchase the book for my other class, which ran me $45. Not bad for textbook prices, but it wasn't very thick. Anyhow, that's the school news for now. More to come when I receive more info.

Other news??? Hmm, I got my cds in the mail today if you haven't taken note by my first few lines. I only listened to Caviar before, and enjoyed it thoroughly. It made me miss Fig Dish unfortunately.

I have to agree with Rob. That's pretty sad. He was only 32. Moment of silence...................................................

I'm bored. Just waiting to go to my orientation at Montclair. I've finally received some recognition of my lack of acceptance letter. I got an email from someone who says I'll receive a letter this week. He also acknowledged the fact that a letter was sent on Dec 17th and doesn't know why I never got it. Anyway, I hope it doesn't drag on too long. It's supposed to run from 1-3:30, but I think time was included to buy textbooks, which I'm not doing because I'm pretty sure everyone else will be and I don't want to wait. Right now, the weather bug says its 7 out. Should be a fun walk to the student center. Anyway, I also checked my account status online, since I haven't gotten a bill yet or loan info yet, but under the list of charges it has some loans listed, so I'm hoping that's real, and my semester(and full year) is paid for! Now, Disney World may just be possible. Shweet...Strange dates, but is anyone gonna be home Feb 20th? Brian Regan is appearing around here and Kim and I are probably going...

This entry may take a long time for two reasons: 1)there's a lot of useless information & 2)I have a horrible stomach ache, which I've had pretty much all nite. Anyway, if anyone may remember, I created a team in NFL 2004 called the NJ Vandals. There was this whole expansion draft where I drafted crappy players, etc. Anyway, I finally finished my season and did it in a good way. I won the friggin' super bowl! You probably don't care, but I have always been a fan of good video games, and this game in particular was actually enjoyable, even though I almost lost a few times. Anyway, I'm going to give you the summary of the big game and some stats because I've always been a stat person(hey, it's one of my jobs).

Philly(13-3) vs. NJ(9-7) in the Super Bowl.

1st Quarter-I win toss and receive ball. I get a couple of nice runs and pass plays going and dig into Philly territory. My QB(Jeff Blake) throws an int at the 20. Oh no! Bad way to swing momentum. Eagles get ball and drive right downfield, capped off by a Duce Staley 33 yd TD run(7-0 Phi).

2nd Quarter-I had gotten the ball back after the Eagles drive and began driving before the end of the 1st. I'm running well and passing well again, and find Jake Reed for a 17 yd strike(7-7). Eagles get ball back and go right thru my defense. Thrash with a 4 yd rec(14-7 Phi). I get ball back with 2:00 left. Another good drive with variety and punch it in with a Dee Brown 8 yd run(14-14).

3rd Quarter-Eagles drive again right thru my defense, but I recovered a fumble and controlled much of the clock in the 3rd, before scoring on a Brian Westbrook 1 yd run(21-14 NJ).

4th Quarter-Unfortunately, after scoring in the 3rd, I had to kickoff. Eagles drive thru me again and score with lots of time remaining.(roughly 3 minutes). With the game tied, I try to be conservative at first, but suddenly could not run. I tried to pass and they sacked me. I go for it on 4th because they would probably score on me anyway. Pass dropped. Turnover. Back to Philly. They fumble. I get the ball and can't move again. Eagles get ball on downs and kneel with :02 left in regulation, tied at 21.

OT-Eagles win toss and receive. I think it's over. They drive as usual thru my defense and get to about my 35. On 3rd down, they pass, but I pick it off! Woo! I feel the momentum and begin running them down. I punch it in with Westbrook from the 6 and win 27-21 in OT! Damn good game for a video game.

Blake 14-28 223 yds 1TD/1INT
Dee Brown 11 rush 79 yds TD
Lamont Warren 11 rush 68 yds
Westbrook 7 rush 26 yds 2TD
Freddie Mitchell 7 rec 114 yds
Reed 3 rec 52 yds TD
Pete Mitchell 3 rec 51 yds


So I had an enjoyable experience with an expansion team. Pretty realistic because the players I got were woeful. I traded for a QB early in the season, and created a safety because I needed someone who could tackle one on one. I ended up winning my last 4 games to win my division, the only way I could have made the playoffs. Despite lots of swearing and anxiety, I was glad it was challenging, and surprised I was able to find my defense in the playoffs. Here's some of my final stats:

Blake 159-277 2,482 yds 18TD/8INT 96.9 Rating
Warren 143 rush 1,014 yds 14TD
Westbrook 159 rush 984 yds 13 TD
Brown 47 rush 265 yds 7TD
F. Mitchell 91 rec 1,430 yds 12TD
Reed 33 rec 657 yds 6TD
P. Mitchell 33 rec 432 yds 3 TD
Houshmandzadeh 20 rec 327 yds
Damon Moore 84 tckls 3 INT
Lenoy Jones 42 tckls 3 sacks INT
Darrien Gordon 36 tckls 3 INT

Sorry if you read this, but I forewarned you about the length and subject. Anyway, my stomach still hurts in waves. I'm gonna go to bed soon and hopefully feel better. PS-Kev I tried your link and it didn't work for me. Den I owe you a phone call. Sorry I missed your call the other day.

Hey. Yup a new year. Anyway, I went shopping online tonight for some cds, since I realized I'm sick of my cds that I have. I went to amazon, buy and fye, but wasn't able to find much. I am still unable to find Mare Vitalis by my boys in the Appleseed Cast, but found a few things I liked. Here's my order:

*Jealous Sound~Kill Them With Kindness
*Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros~Streetcore
*Caviar
*Dandy Warhols~Welcome to the Monkey House
*Dane Cook DVD/CD

Explanation-Jealous sound includes the singer from Knapsack, another band who I liked but broke up. Joe Strummer was the guy from the Clash who passed away last year. Caviar is half of the great band Fig Dish. Remember them, Matt? Dane Cook is a funny guy. That is all. I almost got A Tribe Called Quest's Anthology, but changed my mind at the last minute to save a few bucks.

I also agree with Kim and want to start eating better again. I was doing well, but started eating a bunch of snacky cakes and other crap the last few months. I will eat more, but more of the real foods and less of the crap. I also want to start working out more regularly. Work has massively interfered with my bowflexin', and it's pissing me off because I'm not getting much exercise on a regular basis.

I registered for an orientation at Montclair next Saturday. I still haven't received my official acceptance letter, so I have to call them again tomorrow before work to find out what the hell they're doing.

We decided(well, actually I just kind of said we're going) to go to Disney World. Yeah it's a lot of money, but it's going to be money well spent. I have a job and a credit card to put the hotel and car reservation on until I can pay it off. Word.

Once again, I've been stupid in predicting sports. I picked Denver. What the hell was I thinking? Denver? Well I got the other 3 right, thanks to McNair playing for Tenn. It was funny watching the Cowboys get dismantled as well. Go Jake Delhomme.