inneu-tralinneu-tralLife stories, stray thoughts, and personal observations from a graduate student slash social recluse. 
Articles
Disney Soundtracks
2008-06-07 09:32:00 Top to bottom, Beauty and the Beast boasts the strongest collection of tunes Disney ’s ever put out. It’s catchy, it’s touching, and it’s not even close. I adore the character pieces, with the wistful yet bright-eyed small-town tune sung by Belle, and the over-the-top bar chants with Gaston, Maurice, and pals. There’s the incredibly cute ... More About: Reviews , Soundtracks
On the Line
2008-06-04 10:08:00 Five weeks ago, I was on hand to watch the Lakers dispatch the Denver Nuggets in the second game of their divisional series. At the time, a Lakers-Celtics finals matchup was a lifetime away… remaining but one of a multitude of possibilities, nothing more than mere fodder for sports columnists to toss around. It was ... More About: Line
All Around
2008-05-29 10:27:00 I’m flipping channels (when I’m supposed to be reading, writing, and grading, not necessarily in that order), and I notice the “I’m the king of the world” scene from Titanic. Immediately, however, something seems off. Why? Because a) I see the USA network logo in the corner, and b) the colors appear to be a ... More About: My Life
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Absurdity
2008-05-24 22:58:00 Spoilers follow. It’s been years since I’ve watched anything beyond mere segments of the individual installments, so I don’t profess to know anything about the essence of the Indiana Jones trilogy. Well, except for The Temple of Doom, which for some reason I always seem to catch on cable. But despite the camp of heart grabbing ... More About: Reviews , Kingdom , Indiana Jones
Worlds Collide
2008-05-21 07:00:00 The fragility of the dynasty has been well-documented, both on and off the court. A Game 7 meltdown for the ages. A fortuitous bounce towards #5. Controversy in an elimination Game 6. And plenty of Todd MacCulloch in the Finals. Yet, there was no uncertainty regarding the status of those Laker teams from 2000-2002. Three ... More About: Worlds
Five Years Later
2008-05-19 23:17:00 There’s a great Seinfeld episode where Jerry, under the duress of a lie detector test, succumbs and admits to being an avid watcher of Melrose Place. He tries to play it cool at first, but reaches a breaking point, snapping when confronted with a question about one of the show’s characters. “Yes! That stupid idiot! ... More About: Television , Years
F*ck AJ Pierzynski
2008-05-16 09:35:00 It’s been three years now, and I’m still not over it. For a multitude of reasons, I will never get over it. I have the video on my computer, but I don’t really know why. It’s not like I watch it or anything… I really can’t bear to, unless I feel like getting incredibly angry ...
Game 4
2008-05-12 01:03:00 I just about put a rock through my television set today. I’ve uttered more obscenities than anybody should on Mother’s Day. I screamed murder when Luke got hammered by Price on that breakway. I seethed when Deron Williams laughed it up on the sidelines. When Boozer got bailed out again. When Kirilenko bitched and moaned ... More About: Game
Spring Cleaning
2008-05-11 00:27:00 If I had my way, there wouldn’t be any white appliances in the world. Microwaves, refrigerators, toaster ovens, coffee machines… none of that bullshit. And forget about white garbage containers. And everything, and I mean everything - from bookshelves to tables to televisions and sofas - would have wheels on them, with little kickstands to ... More About: Views , Cleaning , Spring
En Fuego
2008-05-01 22:22:00 I remember back in the day that Domino’s pizza boxes would have reheating instructions printed on the side. Place entire box in the oven, 350 degrees, etc, etc. But did you know that the box itself can potentially spawn ashes from the oven, then have the cardboard corner catch on fire when you stupidly try ... More About: Food , My Life , Fuego
For One Night
2008-04-25 08:57:00 He had 22 points by the end of the first quarter. It didn’t feel like he missed more than two shots through the half, and he wound up with 49 for the night. This time though, I couldn’t count more than a couple of bad shots among the bunch. There wasn’t a single possession where ... More About: Night
The WaMu Way
2008-04-21 08:34:00 I have to admit, it is kind of cool to see “bank error” on the official record. Of course, with board games, these things always went in my favor to the tune of $200. In real life, it’s just a refund of the third $30 overcharge fee that I had to call twice about to ... More About: My Life
Money Well Spent?
2008-04-13 05:38:00 I’m pretty low maintenance (in case any wealthy young ladies happen to be reading this). I rarely buy clothes, I collect a couple of comics, and my only extraneous expenses are movies and baseball games. Once in a blue moon, however, something will catch my eye, and I have to have it - like I’m ... More About: Money , My Life
The Best Part of My Life
2008-04-05 08:56:00 It’s an 11-0 game, and the good guys are on the short end of the stick. Only a quarter of the sellout crowd at Angel Stadium remains, if that. A couple of hours and a $7 bratwurst ago, there was a raucous 43,000+. No more. My friend Roger has joined the departed masses, but I ... More About: Life , My Life , Part
The Chunnel Cross (Part 9)
2008-04-01 16:49:00 April 1. Day 9. A couple of hours at Heathrow, one more on the runway, and then it’s ten in the air. I’m already getting back into the swing of things, having a little movie marathon on the plane instead of doing the wise thing and trying to nap for a few hours. The only form ... More About: Cross , Part
The Chunnel Cross (Day 8)
2008-04-01 03:10:00 March 31. Day 8* *Courtesy of British Airways and the new Terminal 5 at Heathrow. I’m tired. Exhausted. What does it feel like to have an extra, unplanned day of an European trip? It’s obviously not that bad, or bad at all, once I pushed my real-life responsibilities out of my mind. Isn’t that the entire point ... More About: Cross
The Chunnel Cross (Part 7)
2008-03-31 05:28:00 March 30. Day 7. Me and Rog went through all of today with the finish line in mind and sight. Yeah, everything still remained impressive, but when you hit day 7 of your 7.5-day trip, there comes a point when you’re pretty much ready to pack it in. I’m pretty sure both of us had hit ... More About: Cross , Part
The Chunnel Cross (Part 6)
2008-03-30 05:22:00 March 29. Day 6. The real world sucks. I have e-mail access for the first time in a week… and immediately see like six messages from my bank about insufficient funds. Remember that monthly rent check I made out ten days ago? Yeah, it was withdrawn for $5000 more than it should have been. It’s a ... More About: Cross , Part
The Chunnel Cross (Part 5)
2008-03-29 07:15:00 March 28. Day 5. We saw a group of children today at the Palace of Versailles, seemingly engaged at some kind of Easter Egg Hunt. We had another bunch with us tonight, riding the tour boat on the the Seine. There are always a fair number of them in a group, accompanied by a teacher, perhaps ... More About: Cross , Part
The Chunnel Cross (Part 4)
2008-03-28 19:08:00 March 28. Day 4.* The Statue of Liberty just passed by to my left. Well… it’s a statue of liberty. I think it’s the copy that’s supposed to remind the world that the original was a gift. Everything I need to know about European history I picked up from National Treasure 2 - the Book of ... More About: Cross , Part
The Chunnel Cross (Part 3)
2008-03-27 07:00:00 March 26. Day 3. It’s 11:00 pm, local time. I’ve just had a 20 hour day. I’ve been walking so much that my feet hurt, and I’m starting to feel like a hunchback. Four hours of sleep before I jolted awake for no reason at 2:40 am. I stared at the ceiling until 3:15 am, half ... More About: Cross , Part , Part 3
The Chunnel Cross (Part 2)
2008-03-26 05:45:00 March 25. Day 2. One of - if not - the coolest things about the Met in New York is the openness to photography on their premises. Neither Westminster Abbey nor the National Gallery in London affords that same luxury - though, I’m sure, for completely different reasons. At least with the latter, there was a ... More About: Cross , Part
The Chunnel Cross (Part 1)
2008-03-25 14:00:00 March 25. Day 1. It’s 5:00 am, London time. I’ve been awake for the last four hours. Tossing and turning and thinking - a lot. It’s been a long day. We (Roger and myself, a nice change of pace from the solo trips I’ve now become accustomed to) got in at roughly 11:30 am, local. It ... More About: Cross , Part
Spring Breaking
2008-03-22 11:44:00 I’m gone, putting together what will hopefully be the most impressive photo travel blog to date. Yes, better than the Chicago Photo Essay. More historic than The Northeast Compact. And more gorgeous than The Pacific Northwest! Or maybe you prefer the old-school, no-pictures, writing heavy entries, like the East Coast Whirlwind or the Cannonball Run. Costa ... More About: My Life , Spring , Breaking
Down Gene Autry Way
2008-03-14 02:36:00 Baseball is poetic. “Tinker to Evers to Chance.” It’s perceptive. “Spahn and Sain and pray for rain.” It’s hopeful. “Wait till next year.” For the past few years, the refrain for the Los Angeles Angels has been rather simple. “We need a big bat.” Ever since Troy Glaus left for Arizona (instigating the infamous Dallas McPherson ... More About: Gene Autry , Gene
Falling Away
2008-03-11 09:02:00 You know that Sprite commercial where the basketball court somehow turns into a swimming pool, and then all the basketball players dive recklessly into the pool, and that’s supposed to signify how refreshing Sprite is or something moronic like that? Okay, maybe I’m just morbid, but I find that ad incredibly disturbing. I keep imagining ... More About: Views
Semi-Pro, Completely-Awesome
2008-03-08 06:06:00 I saw Anchorman with some friends in a packed house on opening night. It was a ridiculously raucous crowd, and one of the more annoying experiences of my life. One of the worst movie-going experiences, certainly. Now, I lost it a few times. I thought it had its moments. Unlike pretty much everyone else on ... More About: Reviews , Awesome , Semi , Semi-Pro
American Pie
2008-03-06 04:07:00 Normal apple pie doesn’t compare to Dutch apple pie. Except for maybe McDonald’s apple pies - those are pretty good. Taco Bell’s apple empanadas? They’re kind of nasty. More About: Food , American , American Pie
Vantage Point
2008-02-28 09:25:00 The trailer for Vantage Point lost me the second the line, “you can’t give the order - you’ve been shot!” was uttered. What? What is this, Dave? I’m sorry, but that’s pretty much the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard, not to mention it’s the worst possible way that plot twist could have been presented. It’s ... More About: Movies , Vantage Point
Always Coca-Cola
More articles from this author:2008-02-28 04:54:00 I have always loved any cola-flavored candy. You just can’t go wrong with the taste of coke. There are the gummy bottles you can find pretty much everywhere, of course, both with sugar specks and without. With them, you get a fantastically enjoyable kick. But without them, there’s a certain purity there. Either way, ... More About: Food , Coca-Cola , Coca Cola , Coca , Cola 1, 2, 3 |
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