"What is the What" written by Museumchick on estrip.org

Category: life

08/18/07 09:36 - 66ºF - ID#40615

What is the What

Aaron came up to Jimmytown for the day on Weds. I had a really wonderful time with him. We went to see Stardustwhich I loved. Although the movie changed the ending of the book significantly, it was mostly true to the Gaiman novel. I really liked the performances in it- especially Michelle Pfeiffer's and Robert DeNiro's. Then, we went out for dinner at Ruby Tuesday's and stopped for awhile at the little lakewood beach to watch the sunset.

My friend Roberta got me hooked on the television show Lost and we had our own mini-marathon of the 2nd season this week. Everybody was always talking about it, but I never had the time to watch it. I'm still a little confused about certain aspects of the Plot, but I think the writing is really interesting. I like how they use flashback and memory to further thematic elements of the characters experience on the island.

I just finished reading a book that I couldn't put down: "What is the What" by Dave Eggers. It's a fictionalized account of the real-life story of a Sudanese refugee in the U.S. named Valentino Achak Deng. He spent much of his childhood walking across Sudan to different refugee camps in Eastern Africa. The proceeds of the book go to the aid of the Sudanese.

Here is Valentino's website:

Permalink: What_is_the_What.html
Words: 228
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: life

08/13/07 06:32 - 80ºF - ID#40521

the blobfish

I had never seen a fish that looked like this before:

Permalink: the_blobfish.html
Words: 19
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: life

08/07/07 11:43 - 75ºF - ID#40433

zen and the beat way

Thank you guys for the good advice regarding the computer situation! I'm still mulling my options, but I really appreciated your insight on it.

I was trying to think of a way to make it up to Buffalo for weds because the India Gate outing seems like fun. I wish I could- but I definitely hope that you'll have a terrific time.

I'm doing good, I guess. I'm moving to Albany in two weeks. The next day, I have my orientation for being a TA and stuff like that. A couple days after that, I start my jobs and classes. Right now, I'm mostly just working on packing, cleaning, errands, etc. I have to read a 700 page book on the history of historiography for the first day of class. Yeah. My neighbor sold me a great mountain bike that's almost brand-new for twenty bucks. I'm really excited to have a bike again.

For fun, I've been reading "Zen and the Beat Way"- a series of transcribed radio lectures that Alan Watts did. Watts was kind of a peripheral figure within the beat movement who spent time with Snyder, Kerouac, Ginsberg, etc. I think he was a minor character in one of my favorite Kerouac books, "The Dharma Bums". As a book, it doesn't seem to be very much about the essence of Zen Buddhism. It is more about how eastern culture and philosophy impacted the countercultural scene in the 50's.

Permalink: zen_and_the_beat_way.html
Words: 241
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: tech

08/04/07 12:56 - 77ºF - ID#40376

jess goes hi-tech

Do you guys know of any books or websites that might show me how to install a new cd/dvd drive for my computer (an HP laptop.)? The cd drive on my laptop has been broken quite awhile and I'm thinking of buying one to replace it (at newegg.com or something like that). The problem at hand is that I tend to be a computer moron.

metalpeter writes at 02:15:16 08/04/07 - Comment #21672: What I'm going to say maybe of no help at all to you. It used to be that some stores if if you bought your computer there and then took it back there and bought a new drive for it there they would install it for free. However that store was CompUSA and not sure if they are even in business anymore, and I don't know if any other stores would do that. I'm sure that some places that sell computers would do that for a fee but I have no idea what that fee is. In any event I wish you the best of luck.

theecarey writes at 01:39:15 08/04/07 - Comment #21670: there *so* was not any other comments when I wrote mine, haha. Otherwise, "ditto" to (e:carolinian) comment; atleast they are complimentary to each other!

theecarey writes at 01:36:37 08/04/07 - Comment #21669: laptop, huh? ok. And no prior ripping apart computers experience? ok. Assuming your HP in no longer under warranty (and you've tried different disks, cleaned it and the connection is good)- plug your model info into a search, "HP xxx123abc Laptop service manual" If there is one for your model and you feel comfortable opening up the laptop, then go for it. Ive done desktops (easy enough)-- nothing so far on a laptop, but Ive wondered enough to look into this before (mad scientist).

I know some models require pretty much a quick click of a button to get old out and new in.... others are more complicated and *everything* must be done in a specific manner correctly. So yeh, check the service manual.

even so, I think its doable!

adding an external drive is always an option, if you dont mind the extra laptop appendage.

carolinian writes at 01:25:25 08/04/07 - Comment #21668

First off, what is the model of your HP?

If the CD's drives in that model are removable, you can buy a new drive and just pop it in. You can tell if a CD drive is removable because there's often a button or slider switch on the bottom of the computer that slides back and forth. Probably the best place to buy such drives is ebay.

If the CD drive is non-removable, then you have two choices:

1. Pay someone to do it (disadvantage: $$$)

2. Either get handy/fearless with a screw driver and open up the computer's innards (disadvantage: messy, may not be able to put the computer back together again)

3. Get an external CD drive that plugs into your computer's USB port and use that (disadvantage: not easy to carry around with you, may not be able to boot off it if you need to do a clean install of windows. I don't know).

2 is probably would be my preferred of the second non-removable options.

Permalink: jess_goes_hi_tech.html
Words: 67
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: poems

08/02/07 05:57 - 71ºF - ID#40350

peanuts

Peanuts by Charles Bukowski:

answers that never arrive by Bukowski

answers that never arrive
I sit by the window and listen to the rain
come down
and I think about why we
do these things

we sit with our elbows on these
brick walls,
talking
bickering
lamenting the passing of our youth,
and what it means to be
young.

we write letters to Santa Claus
tell him about how
we've been good
we should get presents
waiting for answers that never arrive.

we spend our days and nights
drinking
screwing
screaming our heads off
and all it ever really does
is make my stomach
hurt

Permalink: peanuts.html
Words: 111
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: music

07/20/07 10:18 - 66ºF - ID#40184

goodbye earl

I love the fact that I'm watching Fast Food Nation while I am having Arby's for dinner. The movie is a series of fictional stories based on the actual non-fiction book of the same name. Interesting to watch, but rightfully disturbing.

I don't know if you would call Me First and the Gimme Gimmes newest album disturbing (entitled Love Their Country), but it certainly is interesting. I definitely like their version of Goodbye Earl much better than the Dixie Chicks versions. T. got me hooked on MFGG awhile back. I think my all-time favorite album from them is "Ruin Johnny's Bar Mitzvah". Of all the bar mitzvah rock cover band albums in the world... it certainly is the greatest.

Oh, and there's a new musical based on the movie "Legally Blonde". Yeah.

Permalink: goodbye_earl.html
Words: 132
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: dating

07/18/07 05:00 - 78ºF - ID#40155

reservation blues

Last week, I went up to Brockport to visit A. I had a great time with him. He's so thoughtful and fun to be around. Anyway, we walked around town, went to a really nice Greek restaurant for dinner, and spent some time watching movies together. One of the places he took me to was a little park with a waterfall near a converted old mill. Here are a couple of pictures of it:

A great book that I read recently was Sherman Alexie's Reservation Blues . It has a heartbreaking ending- but it really is a funny novel. It starts off with the premise that the blues singer Robert Johnson faked his own death; and that he comes to a Spokane Indian reservation to seek refugee from the devil. His guitar falls in the hands of a local rock band and makes them famous. While it's a novel about music, it's also about religion, relationships, and what its like for people who live on reservations.

Permalink: reservation_blues.html
Words: 167
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: news

07/03/07 03:47 - 79ºF - ID#39897

i don't know why

I don't know why that it shocks people that Bush commuted Scooter Libby's sentence.

I also don't understand why people would start campaigns to impeach Bush (well, I understand why they would...). Look who would take over if Bush had to leave office. Would you rather replace him for Cheney?

Permalink: i_don_t_know_why.html
Words: 50
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: music

06/30/07 06:22 - 56ºF - ID#39855

podcasts

Lately, I've really been getting into podcasts for my i-pod shuffle. I like to listen to some of the programs from NPR-such as Democracy Now and Science Friday. Actually, a really cool NPR program that is podcasted on I-tunes is called "All Songs Considered". All Songs Considered features a few select artists each week. Sometimes they are indie or unknown artists; other times they are established mainstream performers. It introduced me to some new bands/artists that I like- "Ok Gogol" (Ukranian rock lounge band), Elizabeth Cook (country singer), the National, and Hypernova (Iranian Stroke-esque rock group).

They Might Be Giants, Hem, and Wilco both have their own feeds. It's interesting to have performers discuss their songwriting process while they play their own songs.

What programs do you listen to?