Scrambled Brain

Spartanburg health fair this Saturday

2012-01-03T20:06:00.001-08:00

Want a free massage? My friend Leslie Bailey is hosting a Health and Wellness Fair this Sat., Jan. 7 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Westside Club in Spartanburg. It's open to the public. Lots of free stuff to be had there! Ask Leslie for more details.

Coffee Table Book

2011-12-30T07:44:00.000-08:00

Fall TV Comedies: Returning Shows - "How I Met Your Mother" (CBS)

2011-12-03T15:54:00.001-08:00

"How I Met Your Mother" (CBS)

UPDATED: Added statement "but should be renamed 'Who Cares How I Met Your Mother'".

When "How I Met Your Mother" first started, I was in love with it all...addicted even. I thought this might have been one of the best comedies since "Arrested Development" had started (that's right). The show still contains the heart and depth (even more than the last couple seasons), but does anyone care who the mother is anymore?? This show is being dragged out to being the "Barney & Robin Show" or "Ted's Weekly Hook-Up Show", but should be renamed "Who Cares How I Met Your Mother". At times, the characters feel like "shells of their former selves" rather than "fully developing" characters. Neil Patrick Harris is still great and talented as ever (as are Jason Segel and Alyson Hannigan, and I think Josh Radnor and Cobie Smulders have both improved greatly in the acting and comedy departments); he was the one consistent variable in this show up until now. As well-developed as Barney is, he is no longer as funny or as quotable as in the past ("Suit up", "Legen- wait for it -dary", "Have You Met Ted?"). Ted and Robin may be the only relatable characters left on the show, particularly Robin. Her character has grown from a single, career-focused woman to one wanting love in a romantic sense. Ted, Barney, Marshall, and Lily all have great moments, especially Marshall in last year's episode when his father dies. My other problem with this show is that the episodes are not as memorable as the ones in the first few seasons (or even last year's). I still watch this show every week, but after watching an episode I can't remember what the plot was (same with "The Office" for awhile before Steve Carell's departure). What was once a great is now past its prime.

"Duck Hunt" gone dark

2011-12-03T15:30:00.000-08:00

What if the beloved dog in the Nintendo classic "Duck Hunt" was not only a nuisance, but a good shot?

Dog shoots man in butt.

"Patient Actors" needed at Spartanburg medical school

2011-12-01T12:38:00.000-08:00

BLOG UPDATE: Information added about future training/testing dates (below first paragraph).

Like acting and making money? Want to help our future doctors? If any of these apply to you, Standardized Patients (SPs) are needed at Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM), Spartanburg's new medical school. Click on the following link for more information: Patient Actors, VCOM.

This month's training takes place tomorrow (Dec. 8) and the testing takes place on Dec. 22. However, there will be future training and test dates, so don't hesitate to sign up!

Contact information:
Jennifer Januchowski
(864) 327-9839
jjanuchowski@carolinas.vcom.edu

Location:
350 Howard Street
Spartanburg, SC 29303

Poem - "Going Fishing"

2011-11-20T21:13:00.001-08:00

"Going Fishing"

I am wishing
to go fishing.

As I wait,
I hook my bait.

First I will hook,
last I will cook.

I am out to seek
right in Mud Creek.

I am going my way,
this very day.

It is so cold,
but I am very bold.

I have on a coat,
and I'm inside my boat.

It is night,
but the moon is bringing light.

I got my wish,
I caught ten fish.

I have a tear in my eye
as I am about to say good-bye.

The moon brings light
as I say goodnight.

Tonight I'm going to eat fish
just as I wished.

written by: Evan Carr
teacher: Leslie McNamara
grade: 7th

Fall TV Comedies: All-New Shows - "New Girl" (Fox)

2011-10-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

WARNING: This content can be blunt, and I can only claim that these reviews reflect MY opinions.

"New Girl" (Fox):
I enjoyed the pilot (and Damon Wayans Jr. was in the pilot before leaving the show since ABC's "Happy Endings" was renewed for this season, and I think he was funnier on "Girl" than on "Endings"). However, something felt a little off in the second episode and I haven't watched again but might pick up later. The cast mostly seem to be talented actors, but Zooey Deschanel carries this show. At first, I didn't think she was "that girl" like everyone says, but her quirkiness and cute charm grow on me and to me she's more beautiful for it. Plus she's an incredibly talented singer. The show itself, I feel, can really grow into the next funny, quirky sensation. I've just been watching all the other pilots and a few syndicated reruns, too, so I had to drop this one for now. But I can get on Hulu and watch the episodes online at the library and catch up to it. I'm not hooked yet, but it could happen.

Possibly a fun fact

2010-05-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

If people find a television comedy funny because it has a laugh track, they may be finding it funny for the wrong reasons.

Time for "Fun Facts"...followed by "Poet's Corner"

2010-05-18T06:11:00.001-07:00

Fun Fact: the words "ridiculous" and "ludicrous" mean the same thing and have the same letters except for the one extra "i" in "ridiculous".

Now time for "Poet's Corner":

The heart wants what the heart wants...
And so does the stomach.
When your stomach wants what your stomach wants...
Eat!
When your stomach wants what the heart wants...
You just might lose your appetite.

(OK that last stanza might not make any sense whatsoever but...whatever).

Now time for an interstitial television slogan:

Watch "How I Met Your Mother", "Rules of Engagement", "Two and a half Men", "The Big Bang Theory", and "CSI: Miami".
Expect the unexpected on CBS Mondays...ONLY CBS!

One quick thought

2010-05-04T10:32:00.001-07:00

If not one person dislikes you or your product, are you being yourself? Are you creatively satisfied with the direction you are taking with your product?

The other big sleep...the second half of the summer.

2009-08-23T17:55:00.000-07:00

Since I last left off with my recovery from a "Hangover", I have been up to so much more this summer. I have tried a few new restaurants, visited a few new places, and seen some great movies.

I visited the small, beautiful town of Tryon, NC, a few weeks ago. Tryon is the kind of place that I would consider settling down with a family or retiring to one year. It has access to some gorgeous mountains, is not far from family and friends in the Carolinas, has charming architecture, and has everything one could need and want (varied restaurants and stores, old-school movie theater, Internet cafe/coffee shop). Plus Tryon is among other quaint towns such as Saluda, Hendersonville, Landrum, and Campobello, and is easily accessible to I-26 to go to Asheville, Tennessee, or back to Spartanburg or the beaches. Their perhaps most-popular and most-delicious restaurant is Sidestreet Pizza, which I tried on my second visit to Tryon.

I also got the opportunity to go to a vintage drive-in movie theater on the Fourth of July to see not only a fireworks display, but two movies: "Public Enemies" and "The Year One". (I will be reviewing these movies as well as others as August comes to a close in another week). On my way to the drive-in, I traveled through the towns of Boiling Springs and Shelby, both in North Carolina.

Speaking of movies, a good friend and I made our first visit to Greenville's Cherrydale Stadium 16 to see "Away We Go". Although similar to Spartan Stadium 16 (tiles behind concession stand and overall set-up), the designs and a few other aspects were different. Spartan Stadium 16 has more primary colors in its tile designs (blue, yellow, red, with some green), with yellow and red being dominant (and reminding me of a fire station). Cherrydale has more subtle, light shades of purple/lavender, blue, green, and silver around the building. The video game and theater set-ups are also different. Spartan has their games aligning the walls of both theater halls, while Cherrydale has all of their games to each side of the main lobby (with an air hockey table). Spartan's halls has nine screens to one hall and seven to another, while Cherrydale has eight screens for each hall. Cherrydale also has their popcorn heaters on display at the front of the concession table, whereas Spartan's are behind the cash registers.

In addition to "Hangover", "Away We Go", "Public Enemies", and "Year One", I saw several new movies this summer:
"Star Trek"
"X-Men Origins: Wolverine"
"I Love You, Man"
"Monsters vs. Aliens"
"Angels & Demons"
"The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3"
"Up"
"Land of the Lost"
"Drag Me to Hell"
"Whatever Works"
"Moon"
"Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs"
"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"
"Bruno"
"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"
"Funny People"
"G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra"
"District 9"
"The Proposal"

I will be checking out a few more this week; then, by next week, I should be reviewing all of these in full and cracking a top ten list.

With several television series on hiatus for the summer, I have became addicted to several new shows, including "Entourage" and "The Goode Family", which I soon will discuss.

Have a good one!

Funnier version of "Big Sleep"

2009-06-15T23:19:00.000-07:00

Evan Carr went on an adventurous trip to Myrtle Beach, jumped out of a helicopter, broke his hand, recovered through bowling therapy, then shot and killed fiddy men. He would go on to become a karaoke sensation and rediscover the greatness that is Rose's and TCBY. He later went on a dolphin tour and nearly got mauled by some hungry fish and dolphins.

The next day he celebrated his 24th birthday taking free doughnuts, visiting loved ones, and making random appearances at friends' doorsteps. At one friend's house a short but chubby nine year-old answered and had an attack dog. The dog chased Evan up the stairs and tortured him with his claws. Finally a man standing around 5'9" and resembling Jon Heder/Ben Stiller meets "Jesus" appeared from the bathroom. They went to a local Bi-Lo where Evan ran into a giant chicken. Evan got in a fight with the chicken, broke the chicken's fingers off, and had the deli staff cook them. Later Evan got himself a jug of milk for his birthday to celebrate. He then indulged in some meat and potatoes, plus some vanilla and chocolate. He later got to have some interesting conversations with his dad, uncle and cousin. He celebrated the rest of his birthday weekend bumming dinners and rides off people, fulfilling his caffeine addictions, participating in several competitions (including miniature golf, go-kart racing, and air hockey), and royally butchering "Walk This Way" and "The Bohemian Rapsody" at karaoke night. Evan also visited the house of God, the star of bucks (or the house of coffee), the market of fleas, and the middle of nowhere (around Woodruff/Laurens, SC).

The next day Evan had a big drive to Easley. Oh, and Evan made sure he did not forget to pack like a camper; he froze his pillow, took strawberries and cold water, two other pairs of shoes, and every mobile hobby he could remember. Not wanting to fall asleep, he made Dunkin' Donuts and McDonald's runs where he met and conversed with a few kindly workers over muffins, Sprite, and water. He also drove by two of those big television car dealerships and witnessed a couple of shootings. He then visited the Captain Kimberly Hampton Memorial Library in Easley only to be disappointed that Crossroads Coffee had abandoned ship there, too. When he got to his uncle and cousins' home, he was greeted with open arms. His cousins had gotten older but still looked mostly the same, while his 45 year-old uncle had lost weight, tanned, grew his hair back out, and turned it blond. He discovered that one of his cousins was a great taco cook, while the other cousin grew up to be a great kid with an obsession with the Disney Channel. His uncle seemed to be happy and at peace with himself...thanks to his new acoustic/electric guitar! Evan spent some quality time with his uncle taking his kids to the house of God and spending some quality time watching quality television. Evan also discovered a great game show in "Cash Cab".

On the ride home Evan met some more charming strangers running the convenience store back in Easley and at the Greenville Red Robin and Cold Stone Creamery; he got his free birthday burger and ice cream at those places. He then checked out the Barnes & Noble and had experienced something a Southern, country boy had never experienced: a Barnes & Noble with musak and DVDs!

Evan spent the rest of the week hustling a date at pool, pushing her off a swing at one park, and pushing her into a fountain at another park. They also decided to pull a "Ferris and Sloane" and sample every art gallery open in the city.

Evan then milked the rest of his free birthday coupons for all they were worth, getting free ice creams and meals. He also went to the library and fulfilled his addiction to microfilm.

Evan ate at a Firehouse Subs on Friday and thought he had discovered a celebrity...but it turned out to be someone he probably met in "the real world".

Now for Evan it's back to the grind of tearing tickets and greeting with a smile. He worked so hard that weekend that he rewarded himself (along with some buddies) Monday afternoon with some caffeine, indulged in a Chinese buffet, and ended it with a hangover...from laughing too hard at the movies.

Recovering...

2009-06-15T23:15:00.000-07:00

from the "Hangover"! If you want funny, solid characters and actors, buddy/guy humor, a bit of raunch, and an original plot, go see this movie nnowwww!

The big sleep...friends, family ties matter

2009-06-13T13:02:00.001-07:00

When I got back from Myrtle Beach, it was the day before my 24th birthday. I went to eat with several friends and family, and we engaged in different activities such as playing miniature golf and arcade games, riding go-karts, singing karaoke, visiting the local flea market, art galleries, shops, and parks, and checking out Woodruff and Greenville (where there is a nice, new Barnes & Noble off I-385 and Woodruff Road).

I also got the chance to drive to Easley on Monday to visit my uncle and cousins who I had not seen in five years. Jeff is currently landscaping, still plays guitar, and looking to form a medical company with his girlfriend. His daughter, Camryn, makes great tacos, and his son, Sean, grew up to be a great kid.

My friends and I also got to meet and know Keith Sherlin, a local minister and police officer in Spartanburg; we all had lunch at Fatz Cafe. Sherlin has a new book out titled "How Can God Be All-Powerful and Totally Loving When He Planned a World with Sin and Suffering?", which is a Reformed Evangelical Despensational Theodicy weighing God's love with God's sovereignty.

Finally, I want to plug the many different restaurants and places that will reward you for being one year older. As a result of joining many different birthday clubs, I received E-mails giving me free/discounted meals and desserts from places such as Moe's Southwest Grill, Firehouse Subs (which was through "snail mail"), Ryan's, O'Charley's, Red Robin, Baskin-Robbins, and Cold Stone Creamery (and boy did I take advantage). Many movie theater chains also offer free movies to birthday boys and girls.

Speaking of free meals, June 5, my birthday, also happened to be National Donut Day at Krispy Kreme and Dunkin' Donuts. So you know I took advantage of the free doughnuts (with some hot coffee and frozen vanilla blend).

That concludes "The big sleep".

The big sleep...fast times at Myrtle Beach

2009-06-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

Well, you all probably thought I went to sleep and dropped off the face of my bed for a month. That's partially true. Since school has ended, I have gone through so much that I haven't had time to blog...until now.

It all started when I had my most "burn-out" semester at college ever. Some certain people were getting on my nerves to the point that I didn't come to a certain class some evenings (and I still made a "B"). The final few weeks of school didn't really involve studying as much as it did writing papers, taking online/open-book tests, and finishing a Web site (which is no longer available).

It was worth all the effort, though. I don't feel like I learned as much this semester, save for a couple of classes. I did make mostly "A"s and made the Dean's List (3.8 semester GPA). That was one of my biggest rewards of the year 2009.

My other reward has been coming in full and is still yet to come. I spent a great four days at Myrtle Beach. While there I went on my first helicopter ride, which can be an exhilarating and educational experience at the same time. We all learned what a school of fish is, so be careful if you see any dark circles in the ocean. My mom and her boyfriend were both revelations on this trip; she rode a helicopter for the first time (being afraid of heights) and he sang karaoke for the first time (I guess having stage fright).

I also visited Broadway at the Beach for the first time. There are so many great things you can do there, such as sample blazing hot sauces, go through the motions, feed fish and predator ducks, and enjoy delicious brick oven pizza (not quite Sonny's though).

I stayed at Coral Beach (recommended by TV's Travel Channel) while in MB, and there was so much going on there I almost never had to leave. We had a bowling alley/game room, a comedy/dance club, a music/karaoke bar, a general store, and some pools, hot tubs, and a lazy river to keep wet (going on the dolphin cruise at Murrells Inlet will also keep you soaked -- and salty). I was a revelation to many (including myself) at some of the karaoke nights. I wound up developing a fan club of many young women and men, and constructive criticism from a friend helped me become more polished for my fans.

We also visited several local restaurants to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Hats off to Hot Stacks Pancake House (with my two all-time favorite waitresses Jennie and Kristen; the breakfast food rivals Spartanburg's The Skillet), Big Daddy's Charcoal Steakhouse and Saloon, I Love NY Pizza (resembles another longtime Spartanburg staple, Cosenza's Pizzeria), Michael's Pizza (kind of like Venus Pie), Amicis Brick Oven Pizza (much different from Sonny's), and a delicious Mexican restaurant on 501 whose name I can't remember. We also visited a Rose's discount store (haven't seen one in Spartanburg for at least 15 years) and a TCBY (delicious parfaits).

Finally, if you want to encounter a dolphin and get a salt bath, the dolphin cruise at Murrells Inlet is the place to go. The cruise is, at first, relaxing, but then goes into high speed with several waves (from people and the water). There were also some nice houses in view from the boat.

Part 2 coming later this weekend.

Random thoughts while still awake...

2009-05-07T02:33:00.000-07:00

School's out for the summer.

I need to look for opportunity.

Thank you, Zach Braff and the rest of the cast of "Scrubs" for 8 great years (which I started watching 3 years ago).

I'm still looking for two more grades on VIP.

As always, had a great time with friends last night.

I love my family.

I'm looking forward to doing more outdoors.

I need to exercise my body and spirit more.

The man who changed history forever...

2009-04-30T08:03:00.001-07:00

Read more about it here. http://www.goupstate.com/article/20090430/ARTICLES/904301090/1112?Title=-Father-of-the-Internet-encourages-students

The Vlog with Evan: The Test Pilot

2009-03-26T22:31:00.002-07:00

Going bankrupt in the wheel of life

2009-03-23T10:23:00.001-07:00

Ever had one of these moments?

The past 2 months, random events, and Internet TV

2009-02-17T17:30:00.000-08:00

Hey all...well I'm sorry to say that, having a hectic school schedule, I haven't made the time to post much about my everyday life. So here's a quick (edit: detailed) update on what's been happening:

Right before I finished school for the semester, I started a Facebook group for me and my friends to join called "Guys' Night Out" (aka "Night Out"). It was a group that I created in order to make sure we all got together weekly to go eat, do something fun, and hang out. With the holidays around all of us went in separate directions with our plans for awhile. We have started getting together again, but this time not on one set night out of the week.

Gary and I got to see Jared for a few days as the semester started. We had a cookout together, had coffee together, did some gaming together, watched a DVD together, and shared our spiritual happenings together.

In related news, I also saw my cousin, Josh, who arrived here from a two-month trip to Australia. He bonded with many of the people and tried many new sports such as skydiving, bungee jumping, and scuba diving. Though he is no longer in Australia, here's his blog if you want to read it. http://glenraven.wordpress.com/

I have also been quite busy with school and work, and I have been trying to balance both of those with my social and family life. I am taking five classes this semester (Professional Writing, Webpage Construction, Ethics in Human Communication, Independent Study in Data Mining, and E-Commerce and the Internet). So far this semester I have been learning to write better letters and news articles, use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)/Dreamweaver/Photoshop, design better Web pages, think more philosophically about ethical communication, and how to do more cool things with my computer and Web pages (tracking data). I am enjoying the learning experiences of each class, but sometimes it gets on my nerves to do the busy work or to have to get up to go to class (particularly when it's freezing cold in the mornings). I was enrolled in six courses this semester, and decided to withdraw from one (Writing for the Mass Media). I have learned the hard way that one needs to be mindful about taking an extra course, and to make sure he/she is not going to give said class less attention than other ones. While it was a fun class, I didn't need this class as much as I needed the others.

I also have rediscovered my love for video games by visiting the local Best Buy store and going to Tilt (at Westgate Mall) and Mr. Gatti's to play. I still enjoy driving games and shooting games, but I am also enjoying the new wave of video game culture which includes Guitar Hero/Rock Band, Wii, and Dance Dance Revolution/Pump it Up. I like these kinds of games because they help test my coordination skills and also help me to get fit.

Finally, I have discovered the true greatness of another technical revolution called Internet television. I started (and finished) a CBS Internet series that highlights the industry of selling pilots and getting work in Hollywood entertainment called "Clark and Michael". Starring Clark Duke ("Greek") and Michael Cera ("Arrested Development", "Superbad", "Juno", "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist"), this show seems to have taken inspirations from acclaimed comedy series such as "Seinfeld", "The Office", "Curb Your Enthusiasm", and "Arrested Development". This is a show so good that it should have been picked up for mainstream television (or at least Adult Swim). I have also been watching "Scrubs: Interns" (the companion Webisodes to the now-ABC comedy series "Scrubs"), "The Office: The Accountants" ("The Office" Webisodes), and am getting into "The Totally Rad Show" (a geekly-news show reviewing movies, tv, music, and video games). Internet television is so great because there are no limits on creativity and content (unlike more mainstream television, where gaining ratings and pleasing advertisers rules).

It was great to catch up with you all. I have some other topics planned for this blog in the upcoming days, plus a possible surprise...

Writing for the media

2009-02-09T16:36:00.001-08:00

http://www.usu.edu/journalism/faculty/sweeney/resources/ap.htm

People get their news through forms of media such as television, newspapers and the Web. The journalists at these media outlets have different writing styles they have to use. Writers and editors working for newspapers, television stations and radio stations have to conform to Associated Press style. There are certain rules that AP style users are required to follow, such as spelling out the numbers one through nine, using numeric figures for numbers 10 and above, and using the word "an" in front of words that sound like they begin with a vowel ("It's an honor"). Knowing this writing style is important in the journalism world.

Happy belated New Year!

2009-01-02T08:13:00.001-08:00

Make it a great one.

A special gift...

2008-12-25T15:09:00.001-08:00

A friend's words of wisdom

2008-12-16T21:15:00.000-08:00

The importance of getting to know people
By William Oscar Worley

There are unlimited possibilities and characteristics in each of us. I find it important to get to know each other so that new situations will be opened to each of us.

From our voices to our fingerprints, no two people are the same.

I'm saying to take the time to get to know each other through interaction (talking and associating with each other).

Though technology is a very powerful tool, I believe it is more important to be in the presence of others. People have different facial expressions and gestures of body language that play an important part in conversations.

From the opportunity of getting to know each other, we may find new friendships. Doors will open to each of us. Take the time to "smell the roses" and get to know one another.

A few inspiring words that I found after writing the importance of getting to know others is at http://www.thecompany.com/get_toknow.htm/

The Santaland Diaries

2008-12-13T11:38:00.000-08:00

Come and watch this funny play at The Showroom @ Hub-Bub (located in Downtown Spartanburg in the old Gilbert's shoe store building). Tickets are $10 at the door.

Nearing the end...

2008-12-07T14:01:00.001-08:00

Well, these last couple of weeks in Writing & Computers, we watched people present their PowerPoint slides about the different topics we were asked to research (user-generated content, participatory culture). In addition to that, Professor Jennings had us finish our class blogs and wiki entries, and sent us a link to what may be an interesting video.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T06:30:00.000-08:00

Today I am going to work to make some extra money. Then I will have the night with the family, food, and television-three American favorites! I hope that you all have a good one and make the most of it!

Your blogger friend,
Evan

Meeting the man behind the mystery...

2008-11-25T21:43:00.000-08:00

Why my life is great...in Spartanburg.

2008-11-24T18:25:00.000-08:00

Great music (Jimi Hendrix), great friends, great learning experiences.

Should the Business I-85 section of New Cut Road and Simuel Road (Highway 295) be renamed: a. The SCC Connector, b. The Spartanburg Community Connector, or c. The Spartanburg Community Connection? (By the way, the community aspect of Spartanburg is one major thing that makes it so great; we used to be home to Community Cash groceries)
My friend - we'll call him "WOW" - is obsessed with cows; in fact, he influenced me to take the picture that evening. Oh yeah, quirky fun with friends makes Spartanburg great.
STEVE HOLT!!! Mr. Holt brings magic to everyone's evening at different restaurants. Here's his Web site: http://www.steveholtmagicshow.com/.
Care for a spot of cheese? (College IDs get reduced prices at Sonny's Brick Oven Pizza)

Week of "Presents"

2008-11-23T10:26:00.000-08:00

We have been working on our presentations for Writing & Computers. The presentations are based on the research essays we did about a month ago. My presentation is going to be on user-generated content. When I have the PowerPoint finished, I'm going to try to figure out a way to convert the file to embed on my blog.

Writing & Computers: The "final" week of class

2008-11-17T20:54:00.000-08:00

Watching Professor Welsch's "Revisiting 'A Vision of Students Today'" humorously reminds me of my surrounding environments in each of my classes. You find people texting, phones ringing, laptop usage, and people doing other things online (MySpace, Facebook, E-mail biggest offenders) while/instead of participating in class. There are bored students, sleeping students, and then the few who actually engage in the learning process through class discussions and teamwork.

There are times when I feel these students' actions, though not always right, are justified. Some classes students are forced to take to graduate, and they are forced to sit through what they deem "uninteresting lectures." Some people may even be required to take classes that do not interest them for their major. I, along with these other students, have felt like I learn more outside of the classrooms and on my own time than in the confinements of those walls and times.

Sometimes we may even feel like we do nothing or learn nothing in the class periods, and are just filling seats and wasting our valuable time (and money). Some teachers we may not like. It could be that we disagree with their teaching style. Sometimes, though, it seems like there are some professors who are just here to collect another paycheck. These professors either do not have the talents to teach or do but are simply uninterested in teaching/lecturing or bringing energy to a subject to make it interesting to the class.

Thanks to technology, we do not only have new ways to communicate; we also have new ways to learn. I learn much about life spending time with friends and family, taking part in cultural activities, watching, reading, and listening. I learned some Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) techniques in a class, but I refined those skills by visiting an HTML tutorial and doing practice HTML code. With this kind of step-by-step practice, I improved greatly as an HTML coder (though I still have a bit to go).

This concludes the "Writing & Computers" portion of Scrambled Brain. However, look for there to be a spin-off blog where I can talk more about technology and writing/communication styles in the near future.

This week at USC Upstate...

2008-11-13T15:51:00.001-08:00

http://www.uscupstate.edu/press/article.aspx?id=22148

USC Upstate's Shoestring Players will be performing Stop Kiss at USC Upstate's Humanities and Performing Arts Center Theatre. Stop Kiss, written by Diana Son, is about two young New York City women brought together by fate and cat-sitting. The progression of Sara and Callie's relationship as well as the after effects of their first defining relationship moment are explored. Ticket prices range from $4 for students, faculty, and staff to $6 for the general public. The play will be showing tonight, Friday, November 14, and Saturday, November 15 at 8:00 p.m., and Sunday, November 16 at 3:00 p.m.

Does NBC comedy "Rock" with viewers?

2008-11-11T19:01:00.001-08:00

According to James Hibberd's The Live Feed (http://www.thrfeed.com/2008/10/30-rock-returns.html), NBC's "30 Rock" returned to a third season on October 30 with a series high. The sitcom was watched by a total of 8.5 million viewers, with 4.1 million viewers in the 18-49 age category, and its numbers were up 21% from its premiere last year. Could people be finally recognizing Tina Fey's hilarity after her impersonation of Sarah Palin on various "Saturday Night Live" skits?

"30 Rock" airs Thursday nights on NBC (WYFF-4) at 9:30 right after "The Office" and followed by "ER".

"Ask a Mexican" questions

2008-11-11T18:02:00.001-08:00

As I noted in an earlier blog post (USC Upstate's Ask a Mexican), journalist Gustavo Arellano came to speak about his book ¡Ask A Mexican! which confronts the stereotypes of Mexicans and other Latin Americans by different groups of people. The event was held in the USC Upstate Campus Life Center's ballroom. Arellano gave us an introduction of who he is and his personal and journalistic backgrounds. Arellano confronted the interactions between Canadians, Mexicans, and Americans. Arellano then read a few questions that many people ask him when he is interviewed or otherwise (and some were quite offensive). He mentioned that he does research for the more serious questions asked, but he does not put up with stupid, rude questions. Arellano will reply back rudely to those kinds of questions. Then some of the students and other guests in the audience asked questions such as "What happened to the term 'lazy Mexican'?" and "What does your family think of your book and comedic reporting style?", and it made for an informative evening. After the question segment ended, there were a couple of doorprizes being given away to people with winning raffle tickets. Among the prizes were a $10 movie gift card and a Wal-Mart gift card. Arellano also had available copies of his book ¡Ask A Mexican! for the attendees.

A trip to the "Volunteer" city

2008-11-11T15:20:00.001-08:00

Knoxville, the "Volunteer" city, is not far from the Smoky Mountains.

Watch out for that daaark, creeeepy tunnel...

Rain...

...or shine.

Some of my relatives attended this fair, including my mom.

The "Chillin' Pavilion"

A golden Knoxville landmark

Neyland Stadium, where the players "volunteer" and the Volunteers "play", far and wide...

...and taking a closer look.

Where the Volunteers "PLAY BALL!!!"

Where the Volunteers make a "grand slam dunk!"

USC Upstate's Ask a Mexican

2008-11-11T14:53:00.002-08:00

http://www.uscupstate.edu/press/article.aspx?id=22368

Journalist Gustavo Arellano is coming to USC Upstate tonight at 7 to speak to students about his book ¡Ask A Mexican!, which is based on his syndicated column about the culture of Latinos and Latin-Americans. Students are free to ask the tough questions they always wanted to ask about the minority; the students are usually afraid to ask these questions. Gustavo will answer questions and discuss controversial topics in Mexican culture such as legal and illegal immigration, the impact Latinos have on our country (economically, politically, socially, culturally, and even sexually), and even why Mexicans often park their cars on their front lawns (Jared Weatherholtz, eat your heart out). He also discusses the stereotypes given to Mexicans by Americans, and how satire can humorously point out the flaws in these stereotypes. Gustavo appears on many daily news and talk programs such as Nightline, The Today Show, and The Colbert Report, as well as NPR programs Day to Day and Latino USA. Gustavo has been a finalist for the 2005 PEN USA Literary Awards for Journalism for his profiling of a disabled Latino veteran of the Iraq War.

By the way, my friend, Jared Weatherholtz, is a Belmont graduate finishing up a two-year stint as an English teacher/Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) minister in Mexico City. You can read his ministry blog and his more personal blog at the links below.

http://jaredinmexico.blogspot.com/
http://iammexico.blogspot.com/

Eight-year-old charged with murder

2008-11-11T08:41:00.001-08:00

An eight-year-old boy from Phoenix, Ariz., is being charged with premeditated murder. The boy used a 22-caliber rifle to shoot and kill his father; he also abused another man with the rifle. St. Johns Police Chief Roy Melnick stated that the father was an avid hunter, so the boy might have been trained to hunt. Reverend John Paul Sauter stated that the father taught his son how to properly use the rifle to kill prairie dogs. Since he had a "clean" record, officials are questioning whether he had been exposed to domestic abuse or whether the father was severely harsh with his punishments. On Friday a judge ordered that he go under psychological evaluation. There is no official statement on how he will be sentenced.

Special thanks...

2008-11-10T20:56:00.001-08:00

to all who contributed to USC Upstate's first Media Day!

http://blogs.uscupstate.edu/evanc/2008/11/winding-down-towards-winter.html

Writing & Computers: TED, Diigo WebSlides, Animoto

2008-11-10T20:39:00.001-08:00

In Writing and Computers, we talked about open-source (collaborative) content and user-generated content, and how these two technologies work together to form the mold for Web 2.0. We viewed these three Web sites below to inform us more about these technologies and what we need to do for our final presentations. The first Web site, TED, shows us different videos and Web mashups of presentations for differing ideas in the fields of technology, communication/design, and business among others (http://www.ted.com/). We viewed a video about the what and the how behind remixing one content form with another content form.

The second Web site (http://slides.diigo.com/) gives us a platform to put together our own remixed mashup presentations (for example, using a popular song and dubbing it over a popular television or movie clip and adding graphics/slides between different clips).

The third and final Web site, Animoto (https://bl2prd0101.exchangelabs.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=b5c0f9e7358e45069a297e37cd27359c&URL=http%3a%2f%2fanimoto.com%2f), serves the same kind of purpose that Diigo WebSlides does-having your images analyzed, your videos customized, and your music "felt".

I think these three Web sites will prove to be quite helpful to me for my final presentation on user-generated content.

USC Upstate Midnight Madness

2008-11-10T19:10:00.001-08:00

Well it appears that I am on a YouTube video that I had nothing to do with (directing, producing, writing, creating-wise). You can find my commercial debut in the clip at 1:44 to 1:47.

"The Senior Experience"

2008-11-06T20:58:00.001-08:00

Want to understand what it is like being a senior nearing graduation at USC Upstate (or college in general)...and more? Check out The Senior Experience at http://blogs.uscupstate.edu/evanc.

This weekend in Spartanburg: November 7-9

2008-11-06T19:50:00.001-08:00

Want to practice for a possible "Jeopardy!" appearance? Mellow Mushroom in Spartanburg is having free NTN Trivia both Friday and Saturday.

Would you prefer to practice for "Don't Forget the Lyrics" instead? Check out Wild Wing Cafe in Spartanburg Saturday at noon for some karaoke.

Prefer live football over being a couch potato? Go to Gibbs Stadium at Wofford College at 3 pm Saturday to watch Wofford take on the Citadel.

Want to check out some gorgeous exhibits? Check out some of Spartanburg's art galleries, including the new Crescent Gallery (located next to the former Cafe Ishi).

Want to bang your head to some live rock? Check out Subcam, Dropside, and Nvain at Spartanburg's Ground Zero.

Finally, there are a couple of plays that are happening this Friday and Saturday. The Spartanburg Little Theater is presenting Noises Off and will be featured Friday November 7 through Sunday November 16 at Chapman Cultural Center (Spartanburg writer and blogger, Lydia Anthony of Spartanburg Spark and blog Long Purple Bike, reported on this play herself for the Spark). The other play is performed by Spartanburg Methodist College's SMC Players, and is called Ordinary People (based on the Broadway drama). Ordinary People is showing at 7 pm on Friday November 7 and Saturday November 8 at Spartanburg Methodist College's Camak Auditorium (my friend William suggested this one).

http://longpurplebike.blogspot.com/

These are only some of the things to do on the after-work playground I like to call Spartanburg. To find out more about what's happening, check out some of these Web links or your local newspapers and magazines.

http://www.upstatelink.com/

http://www.spartanburgspark.com/

http://www.smcsc.edu/

http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:LSUTGl-x504J:www.offoffonline.com/reviews.php%3Fid%3D195+ORDINARY+PEOPLE+Broadway&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us

"King" could find new "hill"

2008-11-06T12:35:00.001-08:00

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tvguide/386307_tvgif4.html/

Looks like Hank Hill (and his family and friends) may find a new lawn and alley at another television network next fall. If "King of the Hill" is picked up by ABC for the 2009-2010 television season, it could mark one of the first times a primetime scripted series airs on two networks in the same season (the other being Fox). ABC can be found in this area on WLOS-ABC 13. Let's keep our fingers crossed for ABC's "The Goode Family" (also from Mike Judge) so that we can get another few dynamic seasons of the propane salesman and his posse of crazies.

Attention Spartanburg, Upstate area bloggers

2008-11-05T09:47:00.001-08:00

I have discovered that a couple of different people in Upstate media have compiled many local and regional blogs onto two different sites. Journalist and blogger Steve Shanafelt, founder of Spartanburg Spark (http://www.spartanburgspark.com/, soon to be a newspaper), compiles many Spartanburg area bloggers on his site Sparkle City Blogs (http://www.sparklecityblogs.com/). Mr. Shanafelt holds monthly meetings at downtown locales such as Interlude coffee shop and Monsoon Noodle House. I have yet to go to one, but it seems to be a great way for us to get to know each other. Shanafelt has also been having an election this week for who the best blogger is in different categories (funniest, most insightful, best design). Steve has a weekly blog report where he compiles different blogs and turns them into news stories; he also has Spartanburg videos of the week, where he showcases many of our fine filmmakers and videographers. Video stories range from news stories (one of his stories comes from WSPA-NewsChannel 7's Jonathan Carlson) to professionally made films, and he even showcases some area YouTube clips (one of which has been mine).

The other new blog site (more of a regional site for Asheville, NC-Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC) is brought to us by WYFF-4 and is called Sound Off South (http://soundoffsouth.com/). The staff at WYFF4.com showcase blogs on the main page from Spartanburg, Greenville, Asheville, and Anderson. They also contribute their own blog posts to the site.

The fall of Arcadia

2008-11-05T06:17:00.000-08:00

For those of you who know me closely I grew up in a Spartanburg County neighborhood called Arcadia. One day for fun I was in the USC Upstate library, and I came across this neighborhood research analysis book for Spartanburg County. This census dated back to 1970.

Arcadia has so much potential. It is located near both I-85 and I-26, it is adjacent to the Westgate Mall/Westside shopping area, the Heron Circle area of fast food restaurants, three colleges (Spartanburg Community College, Spartanburg Methodist College, and USC Upstate), and is within a 10-15 minute drive to downtown Spartanburg and two other colleges (Wofford and Converse). I always said that there needs to be a park or community center in Arcadia so our youth will have something close-by (walking and biking distance) to do. There is the Salvation Army Community Center in nearby Saxon (which has a walking trail, park, and indoor game room), but Hayne Street is not the most walkable or bikable road. I learned recently that there was a park located by the former Mayfair Mills (before all the cotton mills went out of business). The park included a swimming pool, two tennis courts, a baseball field, and a picnic area. Why they got rid of this park is purely beyond me. I feel a bit cheated that I (and other area youth) missed out on this. I know children around here love being outdoors, as I see many of them biking or skating/skateboarding out on the streets and the Spring Street sidewalk. Even with cheaper gas prices, not everyone wants to have to drive to a park.

Writing & Computers: How a mashup is like a paper...

2008-11-05T05:49:00.000-08:00

With digital mashups, you use many different sources of information and content. Some of that content may come in different forms. In writing a research paper, the only difference is that the writing is the only content you will use. However, different kinds of content, such as videos, blogs, and articles, can be cited. You also use different sources of information for your paper.

The foods that I love...

2008-11-04T22:30:00.001-08:00

Change is here...

2008-11-04T21:40:00.001-08:00

Top 5 List: Reasons to vote

2008-11-04T18:09:00.000-08:00

5. A free hot, tasty chicken sandwich with purchase of a meal.

4. A free hot coffee or delicious Bojangle's iced tea.

3. A free hot, sinfully sweet dougnhut.

2. Another free hot coffee.

AND...

1. A good reason to get hot-tempered if things go wrong.

http://www.collegeotr.com/college_otr/from_starbucks_to_chick-fil-a_get_your_free_stuff_for_voting_today_14186

Writing & Computers: "Creative Commons", Mashups

2008-11-02T21:55:00.000-08:00

This week in English 318, also known as Writing & Computers, we took most of the week off so Professor Jennings could go to a technology conference. In place of Wednesday's and Friday's classes we had to review three different Web sites. They all dealt with copyright issues, the sharing of content, and building Web mashups (combining different types of data or content, such as videos or photos with music). For example, Web site and television channel Current (http://www.current.com/) uses mashups that developers created for stories featured on their Web pages as well as in their many news and commentary programs. The Web site Creative Commons dealt with content developers who want to find a middle-ground between having copyrighted work (no one can access his/her content) and having public-domain content (anyone can access, manipulate, and alter content for different, and possibly disagreeable, purposes). Looking at these three sites were helpful to me, and I know I will want to use the knowledge I gained from them in my future in communications and/or technology. You have to be careful about who you are dealing with, what you are doing/how you play with someone else's content, and who was in charge of hiring you. If you are not, many people may merely ask you to remove their content (or take it down themselves). Some people may sue you for piracy and/or other reasons. Those are just some things you may want to think about when creating your own content using another's. I cannot answer all of the questions about this, so the links to these three sites are listed below this post.

http://connect.educause.edu/Library/EDUCAUSE+Review/DrMashuporWhyEducatorsSho/44592

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122367645363324303.html?mod=googlenews_wsj#articleTabs_comments%26articleTabs%3Dcomments

Creative Commons

Evan's News Updates

2008-11-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

Hello friends, I'm changing gears once again for this blog post. I will post about the stuff I did in Writing & Computers this week tomorrow, but there are a few news updates that I feel I need to share.

http://www.spartanburgspark.com/2008/10/brent-glenn-and-the-anointing-of-dracula/

For Halloween my friends and I got together and went to the Waffle House, checked out downtown Spartanburg, and went to a play. The play? Converse College's "The Anointing of Dracula". There was a midnight showing on Halloween at Converse's Hazel B. Abbott Theatre. Tickets were $4 for students and $8 for adults. The play was well-written, well-acted, and the costume design was great. This play was intended for mature audiences, so be prepared to be in for a thrill. Hopefully they will have this play again next year!

http://www.converse.edu/StudLife/CampusSafety/TrafficAndParkingRegs.html

There was one dark spot in my Halloween night. I got a ticket for parking too close to the entrance of Converse (the entrance which faces East Main Street). Friends if you are going somewhere you may not go to often (particularly a college you do not go to), either look for a larger parking lot, look for approved visitor parking spaces online, or visit the campus safety office and have them give you a pamphlet of parking areas for visitors.

I will be back tomorrow with updates from Writing & Computers!

Writing & Computers: "The Dickens Web"

2008-10-27T17:07:00.000-07:00

Hey all. In Writing & Computers we finished that wiki video this past Monday. We then started talking about these two assignments that we have to complete by this Friday and next Monday. One of them is an essay that asks us to define certain topics (phrases) in the writing and computers world, such as digital citizenship, digital writing, and participatory culture. The other is an assignment where we have to research, view, and critique a choice Web site. This week we also looked up different Web pages that include social bookmarking and blogging. One I discovered is called The Dickens Web (http://www.eastgate.com/catalog/Dickens.html). That is all for this week!

Writing & Computers: Trust ANY Internet Source?

2008-10-18T12:31:00.000-07:00

In Writing & Computers we had no Monday class. In place of the class was an important Web research assignment where we had to learn to become more critical of Internet sites we use. I learned that we have to check any URL we use, look at the search engine (Google, Yahoo!, etc.) listings of sites, and we have to watch for scams, urban legends, and parody sites. Below are the Web sites we had to visit to complete the assignments (and these sites include a few quizzes). You also may want to take a look at the example sites linked on these pages.

http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/detective/

http://www.ithaca.edu/library/training/think.html

http://library.albany.edu/usered/eval/evalweb/

http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill26.htm

http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/webeval.html

On Wednesday we turned in that assignment and had further discussion of it.

On Friday we watched a funny three-minute zombie YouTube clip (funny for two reasons: 1. It is close to Halloween, and 2. I was feeling like a zombie for only having had four hours of sleep Thursday night/Friday morning).

Then we watched a more serious YouTube video on Wikipedia.

This group of collaborators (who apparently, humorously, don't get along) discussed the positives and negatives of using it in research and editing.

Writing & Computers: The "wiki" in Wikipedia

2008-10-12T20:07:00.000-07:00

I am shifting gears for the next couple of months to talk about what's happening in Professor Jennings' Writing & Computers class. We have been talking more about blogs as well as "wikis." Both blogs and wikis are user-generated content (one or more people write or create/post photos, videos, sound, or graphics to a page). Wikis are also known as open-source content (anyone who can access or use the page can write or edit content on the page). You may ask, what is a "wiki"? Well, if you have ever heard of Wikipedia, half of that word may make the meaning of "wiki" a little more obvious to you. A wiki is a Web page (or a collection of Web pages) with content that allows anyone who accesses it to contribute their content or edit others content. A great example of a widely used wiki is known as Wikipedia. Many professors and other professionals do not like Wikipedia because of its ability to be edited by anyone. Someone could come onto the page and post false information about something, where in the past content had to be checked for facts and reviewed by peers to appear on a page). However, a few professors I have had say that with Wikipedia (and other wikis), you are getting the best, most unbiased information possible. I believe that with Wikipedia, nearly anyone can edit content without an account, while with other wikis, one has to have a user account. I do agree that Wikipedia can be a source of knowledge about certain topics; however, you do have to check your facts by looking at other Web sites, message boards/forums, and media forms (biased or not) to make sure the information is accurate and professionally checked.

Professor Jennings also gives us plenty of practice with writing and research, as she has given us a Web research and analysis project that is due this Wednesday. Sometimes she gives us a topic and has us write about it for the last few minutes (or half of) the class. This is great practice for anyone going into any communications profession as well as any profession where writing and timeliness are required.

One final note I have to add: my short film, "The Java Addict's Tragedy," got some attention by local blog Web sites Sparkle City Blogs and Spartanburg Spark. You can read more about it at these links:

The Sparkle City Blogs coverage:

http://www.sparklecityblogs.com/

The Spartanburg Spark coverage:

http://www.spartanburgspark.com/2008/09/video-o-rama-java-addicts-tragedy-pot-bubbles-hells-gate-and-bustin-parking-lot-moves/

Using the "green screen"

2008-10-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder how people get those colorful, moving graphics behind them in a video? How about how television weather presenters (better call them meteorologists) point to the map and look at the camera? This is all done using a chroma-key green (or blue) screen. In Mark Apsolon's "The Essential Video Production Guide" on YouTube, Mark shows us the basics of using a chroma-key screen for videography and photography. You have to make sure your background and foreground are well-lit. You also have to know the different settings for using chroma-key for outdoor scenes as well as indoor scenes. Mark also says that there are different ways to edit your chroma-key graphics. The "colorful, moving graphics" I described earlier are called "motion backgrounds." According to Mark's teaser (I did not use the full video for this blog), "chroma-key is the merging of two or more images to create one image; it involves the removal of a specific color or range." There can be problems experienced using chroma-key. Those problems could range from software or computer malfunctions to wearing green (or blue) while standing in front of the screen. Why can't you wear green or blue when standing in front of a green or blue screen you may ask? When people see you standing in front of the graphical background, it will look like some of your body parts (legs, upper body) are missing. I personally experienced that when visiting the CNN Center in Atlanta. I was wearing a blue shirt when I volunteered to stand in front of the blue chroma-screen that the weathercasters use. I found out that if you are going into television news, weather, or anything that requires use of a chroma-screen, prepare to choose your wardrobe carefully (do NOT wear blue or green). Also, I learned that you probably should not wear tye-dye while standing in front of such a screen.

Before...
...and after.

My first "serious" short film

2008-09-27T18:22:00.000-07:00

This is my (and a friend's) first serious effort at a short "independent" film. We had to do quite a few takes for each scene (and graphic) that is on this video. Many of us had to do retakes due to cracking up at each other. My thumb and reflection accidentally appear in the second scene, but they are not that noticeable (and in fact, may add quirky charm to this film). At the end of our lake scene, I shot a toy cap gun. There was a little girl with a young woman near us when I shot the gun. I had to explain to them that the gun was a toy and that we were doing a dark comedy. It was hard to shoot that particular scene because the sunset had nearly passed. There were also other fishermen at the lake who served as our extras. At the picnic area, there was a church service happening as we were shooting. My friend executed his part perfectly in this film.

By the way, neither Gary nor I endorse suicide. This is meant to be a "dark comedy."

To see our not-so-serious efforts, go to my YouTube page at www.youtube.com/ectizzle.

What is "Second Life"?

2008-09-19T06:04:00.001-07:00

Is your life as great as Dwight's?

...moving.

2008-09-15T20:39:00.001-07:00

You can also find many entertainment options in Charleston; this took place at the Market. The Market is not only a shopping experience; it is also an non-profit concert space.

Charleston, still...

2008-09-15T06:08:00.001-07:00

A historic-looking house in the Holy City with a colorful mural and equally colorful message.
Taking a break to relax before doing some more relaxing on the boat.
Where the rivers and the ocean meet...isn't it a bit romantic-looking?
Just one of the major churches in the "Holy City"...I think this is St. Michaels Episcopal Church.
The other big steeple in Charleston belongs to St. Philips Episcopal Church.
If you want to know more about the history of Charleston and of South Carolina, these six flags may tell you a lot about it.
I just had to include this lighthouse; Spartanburg natives will love this picture because it may remind them to go get a Chili Cheese-A-Plenty and a Beacon iced tea.
I wanted to include a decent shot of those "scary" bridges that you WILL ride over in Charleston; there are also many people here who love boats and ships.
There are so many kinds of wildlife in Charleston; the bird on a park bench is classic!
If you think birds are awesome, wait until you ride one of these horses on a carraige ride through beautiful Downtown Charleston.
Some more colorful houses on the colorful Rainbow Row, which is located on the historically colorful Battery.
A colorful arrangement of gum; are people having an outdoor classroom on this street corner? (Fact: Charleston police, like school teachers, have been cracking down on sticking pieces of chewed gum on places that they do not belong - http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/jun/03/city_chomping_down_on_gum_vandalsby_glen43168/)
The great thing about Charleston (besides the city) is that you are only ten minutes away from the beach (this was taken at Folly Beach). Make sure to wear plenty of sunscreen, or you will wind up looking redder than a lobster!

These last four pictures say it all.

"Eyewitnessing" the media part 3

2008-08-30T10:42:00.001-07:00

On my last day of my media encounters I watched another episode of the television program "The Office" and rented the movie "Knocked Up." The episode of "The Office" I watched was titled "Product Recall." Someone from an educational organization called the office complaining of a vulgar watermark on the paper featuring "a cartoon duck and a cartoon mouse." This happened because of an employee, Creed Bratton (Creed Bratton), who skipped a quality assurance meeting and failed to catch the mistake in the watermark. Michael Scott (Steve Carell) holds a press conference to give the lady who complained of the watermark free paper, but she refuses and wants Michael to resign. Kelly Kapoor (Mindy Kailing) trains the accounting staff in customer service. Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey), the head accountant, is more prideful than the rest of her accounting colleagues and thinks she does not have to apologize because the Dunder-Mifflin company has already apologized. Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) are sent to the school to calm the school principal who used the paper to send invitations to the prom. Andy discovers his "frozen yogurt chef girlfriend" is a high school student and goes crazy. Michael makes an apology video explaining that the watermark incident was not his fault and that he was being made an "escape goat." As I watched this episode I realized some of the craziness that can happen in the workplace thanks to a variety of different (and sometimes dumb) personalities. There are many politics involved between people and the people from whom they buy things.

"Knocked Up" is a movie about a stoner/slacker guy named Ben (Seth Rogen) and career-oriented girl Alison (Katherine Heigl) who wind up meeting in a nightclub and going home drunk to wind up sleeping with each other. As a result of their good night's sleep, Alison winds up pregnant by Ben. Ben and Alison go through many stages in their newfound relationship such as like, love, anger, frustration, confusion, and committed love. Ben also has his stoner/slacker friends (played by Jason Segel, Martin Starr, Jay Baruchel, and Jonah Hill) with whom he runs a Web site. Alison has a job working for E! Entertainment Television, where she starts out doing behind-the-scenes camera work and then is promoted to on-camera personality. Alison and Ben also spend a lot of time with this other couple, Alison's sister Debbie (Leslie Mann) and Pete (Paul Rudd). Ben and Pete, as well as Alison and Debbie, have a lot of separate bonding moments in these movies and learn a lot about each other, about themselves, and about how they each handle their respective relationships. This movie taught me more about what it takes to be in a committed relationship, what it is like to go through parenthood, why some people may or may not be right for each other, about trust and honesty, about the value of solitary time away from responsibilities, and about the value of friendships, family, and relationships. It was also a mixture of witty and some physical comedy which made for a few good laughs and, more importantly, a recognition of ourselves and our lives through these characters and their individual situations.

This is the conclusion of "Eyewitnessing" the media. That does not mean, however, that I am finished blogging on here. Have a great weekend!

"Eyewitnessing" the media part 2

2008-08-27T05:20:00.002-07:00

Throughout Tuesday I had many more encounters with the media. I was watching the news for half the time that I had been watching television. The rain (though good for us) was a bit of a horror because of how much there was, the flash flood warnings, and even some tornado warnings in counties near Spartanburg. What I got from the people who cover these things is that we should not take our local news and weather crews for granted. They are hard-working and sometimes have to work long, hard hours at the radio or television stations. They are letting us know that they are examining the weather situations so that we do not have to examine them. Some will go to great lengths to let us know of severe weather. They go to these great lengths when they probably risk angering a lot of people by cutting into their favorite programs with 10-15 minute long weather alerts, they may work around-the-clock (double-shift, anyone?) at the station (day until night), and those who are outside get completely soaked, have to risk driving in the huge storm, and sometimes even get nearly blown away from where they are standing.

I did not have a lot of other media encounters, but I did watch a couple of reruns of two television shows, "Two and a half Men" and "The Office." If you read my first part of this blog (or watch the show), you will understand that "Two and a half Men" characters Charlie Harper and Alan Harper both have trouble relating with women. The episode I watched last night was about Charlie dating a woman who seemed to be exactly like him (playing hard-to-get, having a phobia of commitment). The other part of the show was about Alan having to talk his son, Jake Harper (Angus T. Jones), into doing his homework early on the weekends (and generally doing homework). Jake reminds me of a lot of other people that I knew when I was his age. They will lie to get out of anything, put everything off until the last minute, and I guess you could say their saying was "Fun first, work last." (Hey I was kind of like that, too!) The episode I watched of "The Office" was kind of a battle between the white-collar man and the blue-collar man. Both the office and the warehouse workers (at Dunder-Mifflin, a paper plant) were holding safety seminars. Here comes Dunder-Mifflin regional manager Michael Scott (Steve Carell) who tries to find ways to prove that working in an office can be just as "dangerous" as working in a warehouse (where, because of the machinery and physical work, more serious accidents could happen-including one caused by Michael in an earlier episode). When the office workers had their safety seminar, human resources representative Toby Flenderson (Paul Lieberstein) was naming things that someone working in an office should do to stay healthier (take a walk for ten minutes, leave the computer screen for two minutes, wearing something long-sleeved to stay warm in a cool environment). Michael tries to counter by using Internet statistics that say that working in an office can cause depression. Depression is known to lead to suicide. Obviously the dangers of working in an office are more subtle and not as visual as those of working in a warehouse. Michael tries to prove his point with the help of Assistant (to the) Regional Manager Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) by faking a jump off the top of the building (with a trampoline and a jumping castle on the ground). It is a pretty funny episode; for those of you who have not watched this episode, I will not give you anymore details. I will be bringing you my media encounters for Wednesday later this evening or Thursday morning.

"Eyewitnessing" the media part 1

2008-08-26T20:40:00.001-07:00

For my Survey of Mass Communications class, I have been asked to keep a media diary for three days (which started yesterday) about all of the media encounters I have. My first two encounters happened watching and listening to the television. I was watching a "Malcolm in the Middle" rerun on FX; it was the episode where Reese (Justin Berfield), after being dumped by his girlfriend, deserts his family and his home for the armed forces. It was a two-part episode, so I could not watch the second half of it due to having an 8:00 class. However I have been exposed to the stereotype that many men join the armed forces because of serious relationships crumbling. There is also some sense that can be made of this episode; Reese is someone that easily takes orders and can withstand pain. He does a lot of things without thinking (such as bullying his brothers and other people for no reason). You would have to watch more of the series to see how truly hilarious of a character Reese can be. The other encounter I had watching television was when I was listening to someone in the other room watch the news. Many people I know like to know what's going on and how the weather and traffic are going to be when they first awake. Who can blame them? I know I do not want to rush to school or to work in heavy traffic or a severe storm. Also, much crime and newsworthy events seem to happen overnight, resulting in success for the morning news programs. Also when one watches the morning news, there are lots of human interest stories and even entertainment and other light-hearted topics throughout these shows (to balance out what would otherwise be a cluttered nightmare of crime, bad weather, and awful traffic). Watching the morning news makes for good water cooler talk or for great conversation at one's favorite breakfast, lunch, or coffee spot.

On the way to school I listened to a couple of morning radio shows, New Rock 93.3 The Planet's Rise Guys and Rock 101's John Boy & Billy. Some of the topics on the Rise Guys' show included censorship, "political correctness," and heckling (in relation to the lives of stand-up comedians). I went to get some gum after my first class; heading back to school I listened to John Boy & Billy's show. There was this possibly satirical Christian preacher on the show. He was talking about how he was not crazy for the invention of television. He said that he thought that television took away our time from the more important things in life. This is where the satirical part comes in to play. He was saying that the state of television is even worse now than before (thanks to MTV and "The Real World"). He talked about how unrealistic "reality" shows were, and brought up some reality shows he "hated" ("American Idol Worshippers," "Who Wants a Nose Job").

In my English class we talked about blogs, the ways you can search other people in blogs, what to do with blogs (include SOME interests on your profile), and what NOT to do with blogs (do NOT include TOO many interests to where you look desperate to have online friends). This class is the class that I am blogging for at this moment.

I went to eat lunch at Panera Bread (the half-sandwich, the soup, the bread, two cups of green tea-what more could you ask on a rainy day?). As I was sitting and eating lunch, I read a chapter out of a book for my religion class. The chapter talked about how religious principles have led to wars (by being narrow-minded towards others' views), and how people could be using their beliefs for helping people (fighting social justice, poverty). The man that wrote this article seems to take on principles of Buddha and of Christ. I got from this chapter that we have to really consider why we believe what we believe, why others believe what they believe, and what it means to act on our beliefs in love and tolerance instead of hatred and intolerance.

On the road I also saw a billboard for a low-calorie beer. Beer-drinking college students and party animals who work out, this billboard was tailored just for you. I had never seen such a thing advertised before. I had to wonder how low-calorie this beer really was. In America, many people like to drink beer, but many also like to watch their health/weight. I do not know what is or is not in this beer that makes it low-calorie. I do believe, though, that certain people will buy almost anything that is advertised. The reason I believe this is that (and I myself am guilty of this) people do not want to sacrifice something that they really enjoy for something else they want. They will find an easier way out of that situation so that they can enjoy both (not that there's anything wrong with that...in moderation).

Speaking of advertising, I read an article the other day that said that drinking four cups of coffee or tea a day can lead to better health (reducing cancer risks, better metabolism). Yesterday I did an experiement with myself and drank about four cups worth of coffee (and most of it was hot...except for one iced drink...on a hot day), and four cups worth of tea (two glasses of green tea at Panera, one glass of sweet tea). It was a fun experiment, but you had better be prepared to want to reclaim a mintier, sweeter taste in your mouth.

Finally, I watched three out of the four CBS comedies on Monday nights ("The Big Bang Theory," "How I Met Your Mother," and "Two and a half Men") with my mother. "The Big Bang Theory" was centered around Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) who is kicked off of his friends' academic team because of his constant need to answer questions and be right. Sheldon winds up recruiting a team of his own and decides to answer all of the questions for his team. This show can be a bit stereotypical about "nerds" versus "the popular crowd." However, this provided a message about how we can sometimes be too prideful of our knowledge to the point that we would rather be wrong alone than right with a group of others. On "How I Met Your Mother" the character of Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) did something (unintentionally) to upset his friend Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor). Barney tried everything to keep it secret and to keep from upsetting his friend. The truth then came out, and the trust was gone. This episode made me think of how we make other people feel when we show disrespect for their wishes, but clearly this is not what Barney intended to do. It also made me think of how prideful in ourselves we can be and how we expect even someone like Barney (who is known for doing some sketchy things in the show), who is Ted's good friend, would never do anything to betray us or make a mistake. We have to consider the failings of those around us as well as our own failings. When we consider that, we come to a greater understanding of why and how people do the irrational things they do. On "Two and a half Men" (practically every episode) I learn about the weaknesses of many relationships, particularly those that people of the opposite sex have with each other. The character of Charlie Harper (brilliantly played by Charlie Sheen, who is possibly doing a self-parody) has trouble relating to women. He does not treat them well, and goes from one to another (sometimes two an episode). This is because of the relationship Charlie and his brother, Alan Harper (Jon Cryer) had with their mother Evelyn (Holland Taylor). Alan has trouble relating to women as well, but he relates in a different way. Alan tries too hard to make everyone happy, is a bit neurotic and self-righteous, and cannot say "no" to women who treat him like crap (particularly his ex-wife, Judith-played by Marin Hinkle). It makes me think that I need to find that fine balance between underachiever (Charlie) and overachiever (Alan). There are also weaknesses in the family relationships in this show, but there is a subtle, understated shade of love in that household (not preachy, sugary-sweet, and/or melodramatic like other family sitcoms can be). Well those were the media encounters I had for Monday, and I will post Tuesday's on Wednesday (and Wednesday's on Thursday).

More of Sunday, and All of Monday...

2008-08-19T11:01:00.001-07:00

Hey friends (Jared, Gary)...I wanted to blog a little more about my Sunday and then tell you what happened on my yesterday (which you, Gary, were there for most of). I had to meet this girl at another Starbucks (Hillcrest) to go shagging at Wild Wing (keep in mind that this was an open relationship/friendship). We had a great time on the way there...one of my drinks kept spilling out of the cup onto me and into a cupboard in my car (she made fun of me for liking tea). After the shagging (which I don't think she enjoyed as much as I did), I showed her around Spartanburg at some grub eateries (The Beacon, Holmes Hot Dogs, Wade's, and Ike's) and where Hub-Bub/The Showroom are.

Monday was a great day. I got up, and a few hours later Gary and I decided to go play some tennis at this court in a beautiful mill village neighborhood near Inman Mills (we would have played at North Spartanburg Park, but it was so hot and sunny there). Jared...this is for you. Remember when I told you that you were in our tennis game in spirit? Gary and I did some great impressions of you...but it was all done in love. Then I came home and went out to Fuji with the family. My mom gave me a hard time about liking the pre-meal soups there (calling it "flavored water"). I had two of them because her boyfriend (Jeff) did not want to eat his. After the dinner, Gary and I got back together that evening to go see "Tropic Thunder" (my upcoming blog post will be reviews for movies I saw this past year/summer). We decided to wait and go see the 8:00 one, so we did a couple of things to kill time. We wanted to go to Tangled Web (a comic store), but it was already closed...so we went to the mall. We went to this arcade in the food court called Tilt, and I introduced Gary to Dance Dance Revolution. He was great at it; he beat me! I'm just now getting the hang of the game! (They have something similar to this at Mr. Gatti's, but it is diagonal instead of up-down/across and called Pump it Up). Jared, we then went to visit your parents for a few minutes...and they welcomed us with open arms and open hands. Your mom was surprised to see Gary's hair so short. Your dad said we both looked good (as in healthy) and wants both of us to play some golf with him sometime. We told them about Dance Dance Revolution and "The Office" (Rainn Wilson-"Dwight Schrute"-was featured on a Business Weekly magazine on a table in your living room). They then showed us the pictures they had of you, them, some historic buildings/cathedrals, the huge pyramid you and your dad climbed all the way (your mom only climbed half), your Ivette (sp?), your "Mexico parents", and your team (Diego I think was one of their names). Mexico seems like a great place to visit, and I hope we can all do that one of these days...I liked your apartment, too, and I liked the sense of community that you seemed to feel down there. Gary and I then went to see "Tropic Thunder" and Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr. were probably the most impressive actors in the movie. Gary and I left thinking it was freaky and quirky without being that laugh-out-loud funny (I only laughed at two or three parts). However, I can see why critics like it, because it was well-written, well-acted (for over-the-top acting), and it had its moments of genius (as well as some totally random moments).

Well, I look forward to blogging again to you, soon. Until then, good day.

A day to shag...

2008-08-17T20:30:00.001-07:00

Hi pals, well Saturday wasn't too eventful (barely worked out, ate, went to work, went home, etc.), but today was great. I went to church this morning, got a good nap around 12:30-about 2:00, ate from Wade's, visited with my family (Mom, Jeff, cousin Christina), went to Barnes & Noble (got a hot peppermint herbal tea), went to Starbucks (the one @ Hillcrest that will soon close) to read (newspapers), drink some more tea (a couple of white teas-young woman at counter was extra sweet and gave me a free one because she didn't realize someone else had already made me one), met a friend, and went to Wild Wing in beautiful downtown Spartanburg to engage in some free shag lessons. (Shagging...the dance of South Carolina) I found the shag easier to do than the swing, and most all of my partners were great. Unlike with the swing night, I didn't stick around to dance more after the lesson tonight. I discovered one problem that I do have when dancing (turning around/twirling)...my arm tends to get twisted every time I do this. I have to learn how to be better coordinated for these dances. My friend and I also rode around Spartanburg, where I showed her most of the sideroad restaurant landmarks, and where Hub-Bub/The Showroom and The Hangar are. Speaking of all of this tea drinking, you can thank my friend Daniel for that. It all started when we spent a Sunday evening at Panera Bread chatting and sipping on refillable hot teas. Daniel told me that it was actually good for my health and shape to drink hot drinks/eat hot soups during hot weather. Teas also have all of those antioxidants in them. Starbucks and Panera Bread (have not tried Interlude yet) have great varieties of kinds of teas (green, black, herbal, and white) and flavors of those kinds of teas (Earl Grey, Passion, etc.). When I first started drinking them, I did not think they had much taste...but they are more of that slightly bitter, acquired taste. That is because you have to let the tea bags sit in the hot water for a certain amount of time. Well, that's all for this blog tonight. See you next time.

Total Randomness

2008-08-15T21:57:00.002-07:00

Hey friends, yesterday I was thinking of some random thoughts while I was spending time with my mom and hanging out at Olive Garden and downtown on Thursday. Here are those thoughts:

I am now officially a computer solitaire addict! Anytime I'm on here to use the Internet or to blog (like I am now), I always play at least 5-10 games of solitaire. It is addictive as playing with paint, any kind of photoshop-type applications, just typing random things (DWIGHT DWIGHT DWIGHT DWIGHT), or when I manage Web pages. I told my mom about this and she said that her boyfriend started out as a solitaire addict and now he is an online/computer poker addict. Could I be heading down that road?? Well...like I said to her, there are worse things to which I could be addicted.

I mentioned in my previous blog that I read two articles in the Link (one about a film school, the other about speed dating) and the one about speed dating was one where the reporter said she would try anything once. Well I like to think I usually have that mentality, too (at least unless it's drugs or something)...I tried swing dancing the other night (and almost didn't), and I loved it. I've thought about taking some film classes (because I love making videos/cinematography). I tried racquetball for the first time this summer and am going to try shagging on Sunday evening (God willing). The Link's speed dating article made me think more about how I approach and interact with other people.

I also was thinking about some of the random things that can happen to you while you are at work. Because of the new Star Wars movie being in theaters, there were some people who voluntarily dressed as Star Wars characters. A guy (or a woman with a deep voice) dressed as Darth Vader stood by me while I tore tickets. I introduced a couple of customers to "my friend, Darth Vader" and introduced him to "my customers". Also, work can be very interesting. My co-worker Jamie and I experienced a couple of "amazing" customers the other day (Tuesday). One of them was this man (whose name escapes me) and he supposedly really got into his emotions when he forgot his "Regal Crown Club Card or something" and then he introduced himself to me (and Jamie..."JD"), shook our hands, and had a grin a mile-wide on his face that I think mine extended to two miles! Another group of four came up there from Greenville (because apparently they didn't want to be "seen" around their town) and were they a "scene" in this one! They were very nice, yet crazy, people. Also, work can be as boring as it is interesting. Fortunately, Jamie and I have two best friends at work...their names are Paper Clips and Bubble Wrap. Jamie and I would sneak and pop bubble wrap bubbles when there were no main managers around/no people who were prone to strokes/heart attacks/annurisms/seizures. Jamie also made everyone necklaces (with 3-D pyramids as the stones) out of paper clips. That was such a fun, random day!

Well thanks pals for tuning in...I'm now signing off and will resume my "blogcast" day sometime tomorrow afternoon or evening. Until then, have a pleasant good night...and good morning.

Just another day...

2008-08-14T21:54:00.001-07:00

Hey guys...well today was a more lazy day for me than usual. I slept in until nearly 12:30 p.m., then got up, ate leftovers for brunch, cleaned myself, and watched a bit of tv (mostly reruns-"King of the Hill", "The King of Queens", "Two and a half Men", "Family Guy"). I went to the Olive Garden restaurant with my mom and had a delicious vegetarian soup (Minestrone), some breadsticks, and the Five Cheese Ziti al Forno (all were delicious!). I was also supposed to visit my friend Jared's (you know who you are) parents tonight...and totally forgot at the last minute! I went on a walk with my mom and it sprinkled some rain the entire time we walked. The most exciting part of my night (if you want to call it that) happened when I went downtown to return a couple of library books, and "lo and behold" I decide to check out Music on Main for a few minutes. The crowd was great for the East Coast music, and I walked around for a few minutes...then left. I went inside the library to return the books and do something else. I then headed over to Starbucks and had a couple of hot teas (thanks to my friend, Daniel)...I love hot teas now, by the way! I had the Earl Grey and the Passion. I sat at the shop and drank the Earl Grey while reading articles in the Spartanburg Journal, the Escape, the Link, the Root, and also was trying to fill out a job application (I'm reapplying for USC Upstate's Carolinian newspaper). I read a couple of interesting articles during my time reading and pondered upon a couple of intereting Link articles (one was about speed dating-which supposedly isn't for "losers" hard-up for a date-and the subtle "do's" and "don't's" of speed dating, and I happened across an article that there is going to be a new film school starting up in Greenville). I am particularly excited about the film school because I love making movies and messing with computer graphics occasionally, and I want to take some classes in this someday. I will tell you more about this stuff that is coming in an upcoming blog post "Total Randomness"...

New Swing Dancer Here...

2008-08-13T19:51:00.002-07:00

Hey friends...well I've decided to make this post about something I experienced personally today. I spontaneously (with some thought) decided to go swing dancing at Hub-Bub's Showroom. I had heard about the event from friends of mine who had gone to it on Facebook. Over the last 2 years (especially this past year) I've been trying to gradually eat healthier, exercise more, and come socially out of my "shell".

I went, and I sat in the car at first (rode around the parking lot a couple of times) not sure whether I wanted to go in or not. I finally decided to just do it, went in, and met these kind people (the host-Paul Hoke, and this sweet young woman Aliza). Then I looked around at the art, talked to a couple of other beginners and one young lady who had more experience with the dance.

Next came the nearly hour-long lesson. I learned to do all these steps, including twirling the young women around, twirling myself around and letting them catch me, and doing "back pushes". I had many partners during the lesson. Some of these partners were beginners (just like me), and some had either some experience or were "experts". Some were great partners, and some I felt were just okay. Some were charming (or at the least encouraging), some of them seemed just as flustered as I was, and some seemed a bit more eager for me to learn steps faster (and too many of them too fast). I quickly caught on to some things (specifically high-five twirling-which I love!), but there were other things with which I'm still struggling (doing the "back pushes" and some of the more complicated dance moves that we didn't even go over in the lesson).

After the lesson most of us stayed around (and more people came in) and danced to different songs/kinds of swing music. I found that I really gelled well with some partners (I felt that immediate negative-positive spark of electrical chemistry-not necessarily romantic, but someone with whom I'd have more in common), while with other people I felt like either I wasn't a great enough dancer (or smooth, confident enough person) with or that they were a bit cold towards me. I think I may have been the only guy that showed up without a girl "friend" (maybe that would be a great idea for next time), but some of the ladies showed up alone or with other girlfriends. I feel that I had gradually gotten better over those last two hours, and some of the young ladies seemed to enjoy dancing with me and told me I was doing a great job for the first time. This one girl (whose name I think was Lauren) told me that I needed to come on a more regular basis and join them at their sessions at The Handlebar in Greenville. Some of the girls let me go a little crazier and do more freestyle than others. Some of them were a bit "funny" about my taking too big of steps, not being fast enough, not looking/observing my feet/other people enough, or kicking back my feet a bit too much (one said I looked funny...but isn't dancing supposed to be somewhat funny?).

I went home that night glad that I came and learned some dance steps, and was glad of the new people I met and the newer-found confidence I've been slowly gaining. I still, however, felt a bit self-conscious (and even cried a little on the inside and almost on the outside)...and it can be embarrassing to be the new one on the floor, and alone (particularly if you are a male). Having about three or four other people I knew there made it both a little better (they can be supportive and familiar) AND a little more awkward (familiarity breeds contempt, and sometimes people that know you but not that well may be watching/criticizing your every move more than people who didn't know you before). I do, however, plan to return and do this some more on a monthly/weekly basis (maybe I can get one of my girl "friends" to come and I can either show one of them something or that girl "friend" can show me a thing or two), as well as checking out shag lessons at Wild Wing or classes they might have at the Y or the library. I had a fun time doing it and was glad to do it...and, as a first-time real dancer (besides acting crazy at work/among friends, out and about), I slowly felt more confident and had good talks with the people there.

The Five Month Bridge

2008-07-03T17:48:00.001-07:00

Hey, well apparently I have not posted at all since February of this year. Everything has been going great, though. I finished out school learning some more new stuff. One of the most valuable skills I learned this semester was the use of Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML). For more on that, go to http://www.w3schools.com/html/html_intro.asp. I also learned a great deal more about computers. The things I learned include networking/security, the workings of computer hardware, relational database management systems (RDBMS), and social networking (including data mining). Speaking of relational database management systems, there are at least two kinds of systems that people use to manage relational databases. They are known as SQL Server (SQL = Structured Query Language) and Oracle. To find out more about SQL, go to http://www.w3schools.com/sql/default.asp.

I have also worked quite a bit and gotten to know some new people there. Because a bigger company bought my company out, there have been more new management and more new employees (on what seems like every week).

I've also made a few new friends. We have met each other in classes and other different functions at school. Some of us get together and work out at the gym, play video games, eat out, be social, have coffee, and watch movies. I also try to make sure that I keep in touch with old friends and with family. I am also coming out of my shell more and trying new things (more dating, eating coffee beans), reading new books, listening to different kinds of music, and occasionally watching a new movie or television program. I also went to Charleston and Folly Beach. I had a blast checking out the downtown Charleston scene but got scorched on my last day (which was spent at the beach). I have so much more I want to tell you but I am getting sleepy. I'm going to stop for now.

The Awesomeness of My Break

2008-02-22T08:08:00.002-08:00

Hey guys, well it has been quite a while since I blogged (almost 3 months). Things have been great the last 3 months. Since the semester ended I have found two freelancing jobs with the Carolinian (Upstate's newspaper) doing photography and design layout. I also made the Dean's List for last semester (2 A's, 2 B+'s, and 1 B) with a 3.6 GPA. I learned some new things about programming computers and different kinds of technologies. I made some new acquaintances and even a few new friends (one of them is a workout partner at the Y too). I really love college life and not just learning new things, but also meeting new people and gaining new experiences. Over Christmas break (yeah, I know...2 months ago), I saw all of my family from out of Spartanburg who live in other states (Knoxville, TN and Atlanta, GA) and we really made our days. I also got to see my cousin who has been over in London, England (he is an electrical engineer with CHM2HLL-formerly Lockwood-Greene) and he told us about his experiences in Britain through his stories, his picture slideshows on his laptop, and he brought us different Christmas gifts from there such as bags of different kinds of British tea, British chocolates, and he brought his niece a book about everything about Britain (I think he found this at Barnes & Noble actually). I also got to see one of my great friends (you know who you are Jared) who came to Spartanburg from his two-year stint in Mexico City, Mexico. He is a missionary there who is teaching English as a second language to the college students and helping build churches and RUF (Reformed University Fellowship) units at the colleges. He is having a great time hanging out with the students there and he is perfect for that area because of his obsession with the culture. I also got to see other friends (from here and from places such as Clemson) and we all got to hang out over coffee and other random stuff (we saw another friend over New Year's Eve who is staying in I believe Japan whom we got to hang out with in his basement watching the ball drop and having some great taco salads and margaritas). This was a great holiday and I also watched a few movies over this 4-5 week break (I Am Legend with the legendary Will Smith, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium-great G-rated movie, National Treasure 2-not bad, Hit Man-good action and story, and Juno-interesting movie!) and this is all I am going to type for today...consider this blog...to be continued...

First Timer

2007-11-26T13:56:00.000-08:00

Welcome all to the premiere episode of "Upstate Evan." Today I just wanted to post about what a stressful but great year it has been as my first of two years at USC Upstate. I have been so busy at work, especially with my computer programming class, that I barely get to see some of my friends often or breathe. I think computer programming is a neat science and art, and it is something I would gladly pick up as a hobby...however, I'm not sure if I would want to spend an entire career doing this. To be stuck behind a computer doing that kind of stuff all the time can get boring as well as depressing. I have called these last couple of months the "dark period" of my life. By the way, if you're wondering I'm majoring in information management & systems (on the media/communications track). If any of you are wondering what that is, it's basically an interdisciplinary major that combines many of college students favorite majors (business, communications, computer science, and I believe some sociology and philosophy). Computer scientists are the people that make the computer technology we use and fix the bugs, while information managers figure out how and why we use certain technologies. We are more people-oriented. We figure out the problems people would hate to experience using certain products or programs, and I've learned about all new kinds of technology that have emerged. I'm now psyched enough to want to go buy myself an iPod/some kind of mp3 player, and I'm psyched to tell you that future technology will include gadgets such as digital ink and electronic paper. I'll explain more about those in separate posts. I have mentioned that my dark year has also been a great one. I am adjusting well to the university, learning new things about programming, different technologies, business, and how law and ethics are applied in the mass media, and I have met several different people and made a few new friends (if you are reading this, you know who you are). I also have recently gotten a side job working for the Carolinian (school newspaper) doing part-time graphical design, and may be considered later for some freelance writing. I wanted to let you guys know that I finally have put my thoughts out here, and I will be inviting all friends to visit this new blog. Love you guys and have a good one.

Evan