Travels with "Ray" - Day 1

Hey guys,

As the proud owner of an online blog, I have the honor of hosting a travel blog for a

dear friend leading a break trip to Alabama. This friend wished to remain anonymous, so to respect his wishes, we will refer to him henceforth as "Ray". And with that, let's take a look at his first posting!

Day 1

5:15 AM

Dear Bloggy,

The day is finally here! I'm on the plane for points south!

I'm not going to lie - this week has been crazy! There were SO many meetings! I can't believe all the things Claire pulled together while I was shopping for indie sneakers online and making 10 cent bets on obscure sporting events (nailed the curling semis!). I'm sad to say that another big happening has taken some of my time away from Habitat too - NHL 2010. I mean, let's face it, n00bs don't own themselves, it takes hours of dedication. And then there was all this midterm bull - pfft, whatever! I'm helping people, so me and the guy upstairs are like this! You don't hear about Jesus failing any carpentry tests...

It's weird all the things you think about once you're out on the road. I wonder if six towels were enough - I just don't know how much more I could take out of my bag to fit another one in. I'm already rolling on two boxers and one sock for the trip, but maybe I could have skipped all the power tools I packed. I know they said they'd provide the equipment, but you just never know. The Jaws of Life also probably could have stayed home. Eh I'll know for next time.

Got a card from Grandmom today with $10 inside. Okay, four cards with $2.50 in each, but it's how she rolls. I just hope she doesn't expect me to write back this week.

Oh man - I forgot soap! 20 bars is never going to last me! Maybe if I just use shampoo the first week I can make it work. Ugh.

Hey - Chelsea is on this flight too! Hi Chelsea! Haha she waved back. She's heading to Nicaragua to help out with a different trip and I can tell she's a little nervous. I mean, it's one thing to be homesick, but why would she pack her boyfriend Adam? Doesn't he have things to do? Can he breathe in the baggage compartment? So many questions and not enough answers!

Okay time to get a little shut eye before we land. Thing I'll zone out to a little Neutral Milk Hotel. Oh no - forgot the iPod!!! Eh that's okay - good thing I packed the guitar! I'll just glue the neck back on and we're good to go. I'm sure the rest of the plane will love it too!

Night Bloggy!

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Pretty good stuff right? Tune in tomorrow for our next exciting episode of "Travels with 'Ray'"!!!

JFK

And I'm Back!

Let's face it - the world was just getting too excited about this blog and I needed to give it a few months to simmer down. But a dear friend Evan mentioned a certain post about dancing a while back, so here's some more random thoughts for the masses:

• I want to illustrate the sad shape of our music industry by showing you the 25th anniversary of "We Are the World". For one, notice how they just took an old pop song, threw some rap on it and called that a musical innovation. Either a) the producers are hoping that nobody remembers the first version, which would be a tragedy or b) they're paying homage to classic Michael by recycling it with worse artists, which is also a tragedy. Regardless, I'm not impressed. I mean, think about this cast list. Jeff Bridges (what?), Jamie Foxx (biopic singers FTW), All THREE JONAS BROTHERS (*stabs face*), and Lil Wayne round out this amazing cast. Sure there's some talent there (yes to Santana, Mary J, and Lionel Ritchie conducting), but if you're going to remake a classic, GO SOMEWHERE WITH IT! And lock Miley Cyrus outside.
  
  
• If you ever hear a friend saying "Ya know, I like college, but I think I'm ready to get a real job," kick them in the head. As a student trapped halfway between academia and real life, I recommend you savor every second of college. Maybe I just don't fit into your typical "live to work" model, but I'll never take another afternoon nap for granted or wish I could really "experience" what I learn in the classroom. Keep it abstract and fire up the Xbox.
  
  

• I attended a 90's party this weekend and it made me very sad. The party was great, but it brought to my attention that it is no longer the 90s. AND THAT SUCKS! I love the 90s! The 90s were all about me - I wish I could have been born 10 years earlier so that RIGHT NOW I'd just be leaving the 90s and could be sad about it with other people. It was a perfect storm for me - the music was incredible (DMB, Oasis, and Alanis Morisette ruled the world), the fashion was amazing (Jhorts? Yes, please, I'll take 7), and AIM was still cool! Plus the Internet was the place to be - it was full of promise and not yet saturated with porn. I even had my own website, so if you're interested in my predictions for the 1998 Summerslam Matchups, hit me up. Hint: always bet on The Rock for a summer Pay-Per-View.

Back to work - bye for now!

JFK