Time to finish up my account of my weekend-long trip out of town for Mike's wedding. Now, although I didn't get much time to spend with my sister when I stayed at her place in Greenville on the way up, I DID get some decent quality time with her when coming home, which was nice. Before that though, I stopped for a leisurely lunch in downtown Charlotte at this burger joint called Nix. The main reason I wanted to stop at a real restaurant instead of a typical roadside fast food joint was that, up to that point, I hadn't gotten a chance to see the downtown area of any of the cities I had been to, and considering that Charlotte's was perhaps the biggest/prettiest of the options available to me, I figured I might as well check it out.
Anyway, once I got into Greenville, J!Rock and I hit up some Goodwill shopping followed by a trip to the cinema to see Paranormal Activity (review up soon). After this, we headed to the quaint-but-modern downtown Greenville for some sushi and a walk, and then we retired at her house watching Zoolander to keep us entertained until bedtime.
Overall, this was easily the most relaxing day of the trip, and it was nice to finally get to return to Greenville to hang with Jaclyn (something I had been planning on doing for awhile). Although the trip as a whole had its awkward moments, I would say that it was a nice four-night adventure of sorts, and as such, I could certainly see myself doing that drive (and perhaps up to Baltimore/Washing D.C. as well) in the not-too-distant future. Thanks to everyone for their hospitality!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Cartman Sings Lady Gaga
South Park: Go and Hug a Tree (Lady Gaga: Poker Face) - Watch more Videos at Vodpod.
Although I have yet to have seen this whole new episode of South Park, I couldn't help but look at this clip on YouTube when it popped up. Evidently Cartman, Kenny, and Kyle end up getting a Rock Band set and decide to play Lady Gaga's single "Poker Face". Seeing as I love this song (in a guilty pleasure kind of way), and I love Cartman, it was a match made in heaven.
Hopefully the video stays up for awhile, but I have a feeling it won't. Enjoy.
Still frustrated by this whole new YouTube video length won't fit in my blog thing though...
Gay Karaoke Night
Seems like I've been bitten by the karaoke bug lately. While having dinner at this Mexican restaurant in one of the gay districts of Atlanta near the movie theatre where I saw A Serious Man, I was informed not only that it was karaoke night that night, but also that the first three people to sign up for karaoke would be given a free shot of tequila as a way to encourage people to get the party started. Although this was enticing, it wasn't until I heard that the winner of those three participants would be given a $15 gift certificate for the restaurant that I decided to go for it.
Seeing as I wanted to size up my competition first, I waited until the first two guys went to be sure I had a fighting chance. From what I could tell, they were both of the "I'm gay and flamboyant and automatically assume I can sing but really can't" category...you know, the sort of guys that go on American Idol who are entirely delusional about their abilities. Fortunately for me, my assessment was right, and they were both horrible. So, I got up and did my now tried-and-true karaoke mainstay, "Surrender" by Cheap Trick, and sure enough, this guy right here won a shot and a gift certificate. I'm pretty sure one of my competitors was giving me the evil eye the rest of the night, but whatever...
Good stuff. It was a little weird singing karaoke more-or-less sober and with only at most ten people around, but it was still fun. Maybe I'll have to go back and win again!
Seeing as I wanted to size up my competition first, I waited until the first two guys went to be sure I had a fighting chance. From what I could tell, they were both of the "I'm gay and flamboyant and automatically assume I can sing but really can't" category...you know, the sort of guys that go on American Idol who are entirely delusional about their abilities. Fortunately for me, my assessment was right, and they were both horrible. So, I got up and did my now tried-and-true karaoke mainstay, "Surrender" by Cheap Trick, and sure enough, this guy right here won a shot and a gift certificate. I'm pretty sure one of my competitors was giving me the evil eye the rest of the night, but whatever...
Good stuff. It was a little weird singing karaoke more-or-less sober and with only at most ten people around, but it was still fun. Maybe I'll have to go back and win again!
The UnDutchables
While I was in The Netherlands, my best friend there (and my only truly close Dutch friend), Bas van Schelt not only spent some time with me, but also was generous enough to give ME a gift (hell, in my initial plans, I was supposed to be staying with him, in which case I was certainly indebted to him, not the other way around). Anyway, the gift was a very popular English-language book about Dutch culture called The UnDutchables. While I was actually living in The Netherlands, I was in fact aware of this book, but I never ended up checking it out.
Well, flattered as I was that Bas gave me this totally uncalled-for gift, I took it upon myself to start reading it on the trip almost two months ago, only recently finally finishing it (it's rare when I actually prioritize reading). Fortunately, the book was easy to pick up and put down whenever I wanted, as it's written more as a collection of observations about Dutch culture (from an English-speaking perspective), each of which is a more-or-less self-contained (and brief) article.
Now, while the book certainly did have some chuckles, I would say a good bit of the humor was lost on me, as I often found myself defending Dutch culture from the often grossly exaggerated simplifications the book made instead of just taking them as humorous accounts of culture shock. Perhaps I just didn't end up living in the NL long enough to allow me the time to experience all of the small quirks the book so painstakingly describes, or perhaps it really was just a question of differing senses of humor. Regardless, I did enjoy the book and am thoroughly grateful that Bas shared it with me.
I wonder if there's a similar book I could give him that is instead a Dutch account of crazy Americanisms...?
Well, flattered as I was that Bas gave me this totally uncalled-for gift, I took it upon myself to start reading it on the trip almost two months ago, only recently finally finishing it (it's rare when I actually prioritize reading). Fortunately, the book was easy to pick up and put down whenever I wanted, as it's written more as a collection of observations about Dutch culture (from an English-speaking perspective), each of which is a more-or-less self-contained (and brief) article.
Now, while the book certainly did have some chuckles, I would say a good bit of the humor was lost on me, as I often found myself defending Dutch culture from the often grossly exaggerated simplifications the book made instead of just taking them as humorous accounts of culture shock. Perhaps I just didn't end up living in the NL long enough to allow me the time to experience all of the small quirks the book so painstakingly describes, or perhaps it really was just a question of differing senses of humor. Regardless, I did enjoy the book and am thoroughly grateful that Bas shared it with me.
I wonder if there's a similar book I could give him that is instead a Dutch account of crazy Americanisms...?
Sunday, November 8, 2009
A Serious Man
So, I'm behind on blogging, and I want to catch up, but I don't feel like going in chronological order here, so here goes. Last Monday, I went to see the new Coen brothers film, A Serious Man. This is my 7th film of theirs to see, so I obviously knew what sort of experience I was getting myself into.
Ultimately, I wouldn't say I either particularly liked or disliked the film. It's a film about an awkward Jewish guy surrounded almost entirely by awkward Jewish people, and a bunch of unfortunate stuff happens to him. If anything, the film is an exploration of the most absurd of Jewish stereotypes, so much so that if the Coen brothers themselves weren't Jewish, I might say this film was a bit racist. If nothing else, they certainly paint every character varying degrees of neurotic, with the lead being perhaps the worst-off.
There were a few chuckles to be had, but for the most part, they were due to how absurd-yet-serious the film was. I would say that if you were a big Coen brothers fan you should definitely see this film, otherwise, just stick to the classics. I've seen all three movies they've released in recent years, and of them, No Country For Old Men is still the only one I would truly recommend.
Mike's Wedding Visit
So, Mike's wedding festivities have come and gone, as I'm sitting here at a Microtel (I've given up on Travelodges) just outside Durham, NC. After last writing, I made the six hour drive to Richmond from Greenville, stopping for lunch at this place called Biscuitville (more on that later!). Once I got to town, I checked into my hotel, freshened up, and eventually made my way to Mike's rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. After this, I drove Paul, one of Mike and my mutual friends from elementary school, and I over to a bar near my hotel for a few drinks over some interesting conversation. Mike eventually joined us, but only briefly before taking Paul with him and leaving me at the hotel.
Saturday morning, I checked out of my hotel before meeting up for lunch with, of all people, Julie Bondy, my first girlfriend ever (I was a junior in hish school and she was a freshman), and two of her friends who were in town. It just so happens that Julie lives in Richmond (she went to school there as well), so Evan suggested we meet up since I had some time to kill, and it proved to be really fun catching up. After this, I headed over to the wedding itself and the reception that followed, after which I said my goodbyes and drove for a couple hours to arrive here at my hotel.
Overall, the weekend has been a mixture of lots of things (catching up with old friends, celebrating a wedding, seeing my sister briefly, etc...), but easily the most socially-awkward was being the non-religious minority in what was otherwise an entirely seriously-evangelical group of wedding guests and participants. Generally-speaking, everyone was really nice and inoffensive, but it was still hard for me to cope with being around a bunch of people whose ideals clearly don't jive with mine.
Again, it was great seeing Mike, bonding with our mutual buddy Paul, and getting to know Mike's good friends Kenny and Simeon. Plus, the wedding was well-put-together and was pretty touching in many regards, and overall, I was super happy to be a part of something so big to one of my best friends, but even all this couldn't shake how awkward it was for me to be the only atheist in the room. Regardless, I'm glad I came up, and I look forward to hanging out with Mike, his friends I mentioned earlier, and of course, his new wife, Megan.
Saturday morning, I checked out of my hotel before meeting up for lunch with, of all people, Julie Bondy, my first girlfriend ever (I was a junior in hish school and she was a freshman), and two of her friends who were in town. It just so happens that Julie lives in Richmond (she went to school there as well), so Evan suggested we meet up since I had some time to kill, and it proved to be really fun catching up. After this, I headed over to the wedding itself and the reception that followed, after which I said my goodbyes and drove for a couple hours to arrive here at my hotel.
Overall, the weekend has been a mixture of lots of things (catching up with old friends, celebrating a wedding, seeing my sister briefly, etc...), but easily the most socially-awkward was being the non-religious minority in what was otherwise an entirely seriously-evangelical group of wedding guests and participants. Generally-speaking, everyone was really nice and inoffensive, but it was still hard for me to cope with being around a bunch of people whose ideals clearly don't jive with mine.
Again, it was great seeing Mike, bonding with our mutual buddy Paul, and getting to know Mike's good friends Kenny and Simeon. Plus, the wedding was well-put-together and was pretty touching in many regards, and overall, I was super happy to be a part of something so big to one of my best friends, but even all this couldn't shake how awkward it was for me to be the only atheist in the room. Regardless, I'm glad I came up, and I look forward to hanging out with Mike, his friends I mentioned earlier, and of course, his new wife, Megan.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Greenville Stopover (Part I)
So, I'm in Greenville, South Carolina right now staying at my sister's place before heading out for the longer leg of my trip to Richmond, Virginia tomorrow for my longtime friend Mike's wedding festivities there this weekend. It's not that Richmond is all that far from Atlanta (about the same distance as Bloomington), but I haven't visited my sister at her home since my initial visit over a year ago, and considering that staying here does cut down my drive tomorrow by a couple hours, why not, right?
The drive over here was pretty nice, actually. Nothing special to report. I got in around 9:45 PM, but since Jaclyn likes to go to bed around 10:30, we didn't get a whole lot of time to hang out. Still, we did watch some of The Office on DVD, and we hung out with her Pomeranian puppy, Louis.
Now I'm about to head to bed for my six-or-so hour-long drive tomorrow, eager to catch up with my good buddy Mike in person for the first time in four years! I'll be back in Greenville on Sunday on my way home though, and that will afford me more quality time to hang out with my sis. Looks like a nice weekend!
The drive over here was pretty nice, actually. Nothing special to report. I got in around 9:45 PM, but since Jaclyn likes to go to bed around 10:30, we didn't get a whole lot of time to hang out. Still, we did watch some of The Office on DVD, and we hung out with her Pomeranian puppy, Louis.
Now I'm about to head to bed for my six-or-so hour-long drive tomorrow, eager to catch up with my good buddy Mike in person for the first time in four years! I'll be back in Greenville on Sunday on my way home though, and that will afford me more quality time to hang out with my sis. Looks like a nice weekend!
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