J.B. Drake's Random Thoughts

Music Mondays: "E.T."

2011-04-04T17:53:00.003-04:00

As a way to get myself back into blogging, I am going to try to do something completely different: On Mondays I will review one song on the Billboard Hot 100. This may or may not be a weekly thing. To tell the truth, I am also toying with the idea of doing movie reviews, but those seem to be a bit tricky in a text-format.

So without further ado, I will jump right in with this lovely steamer:

This is (as of this writing) at the very top, people. Good thing I got rid of that pesky faith in humanity years ago, huh?

I’m going to get one thing clear first: I hate Katy Perry with a passion most people reserve for telemarketers and spammers. I find her performing persona to be obnoxious and her singing talent to be questionable at best. I, like many, first heard of her through her 2008 hit single “I Kissed A Girl,” a tragic tale of a drunk heterosexual girl who pretends to be into girl-on-girl just to get her boyfriend’s attention. Did I say “tragic?” What I meant was “mind-blowingly exploitive.” The single she released before that—“UR So Gay”—makes repeated use of the word “gay” as an alternate to “stupid or retarded.” The offensiveness of both these two songs made me wish she had never existed. She has had a steady stream of hits since—most of which are nothing more than tributes to Perry’s own narcissism.

Now to dive right into “E.T.”:

Let’s start with the video. It seems as though every artist wants to imitate whoever is on top. And as the current big name in pop music is Lady Gaga, is anyone surprised that this video is beyond surreal? Granted, it does fit the song better than the similar video Gaga did for “Born This Way.”

Before we get to the lyrics, I have a few things to say about the other aspects of the song. Does the drum beat remind anyone else of “We Will Rock You?” The synth beat is probably the most clichéd one you would expect in this kind of song. As usual, Perry’s subpar vocals shine like a mushroom cloud over a major population center. Oh, but Perry isn’t alone in this endeavor. She is joined by Kanye West or as he will be called in the rest of this review, Megadouche. Right from the beginning he does the weird stutter effect that Perry (from here on out to be referred to as “The Borg Queen”) is known for.

But what fun is reviewing a song without dissecting the lyrics? Now I’m not going to list all of them, just the dumbest.

It starts out with a Megadouche verse:

“I got a dirty mind I got filthy ways
I'm tryna bathe my ape in your milky way"

Keep your ape to yourself. Wait, he said his ape. And The Borg Queen is rather milky white…. I get the feeling I’m going to need heavy use of the Unfortunate Implications Meter for this review.

“I'll be so faaaaa-ar up
We dont give a fuuuh-uh-uck”

Looks like someone wants to be the most annoying person in this song. Good luck with that.

“Welcome to the danger zone”

I feel safe already.

“Step into the fantasy”

I thought this was SciFi?

“You are not invited to the other side of sanity”

Oh good because I didn’t want anything to do with your side of sanity anyway.

“They're callin me an alien a big headed astronaut”

Everyone with a working brain realized that years ago, Megadouche. Hell, even the President thinks you’re a jackass.

And after a pointless (although this entire verse can be called that) line about Yeezy (whoever the fuck that is) we get into the meat of the song with The Borg Queen taking it from here:

(After a few lines)

“Feels like I am floating
Leaves my body glowing”

You may want to take an iodine pill.

“They say be afraid
You're not like the others
Futuristic lover
Different DNA
They don't understand you”

Understandable since bestiality is looked down upon. And since human DNA is more similar to a goat’s than anything that evolved on a different planet…

“And I'm ready to go
Lead me into the light”

I thought he was an alien, not the Grim Reaper? I’m guessing that necrophilia isn’t involved in this song? Just extreme bestiality? Okay.

And now for the chorus:

“Kiss me, kiss me
Infect me with your loving
Fill me with your poison”

If you’re banging a being from another world that may be carrying STDs unknown on Earth, have the common sense to use a condom. And if his genitalia is incompatible with condom use one wonders how you managed to bang him in the first place.

“Take me, take me
Wanna be your victim
Ready for abduction”

Oh look, the Unfortunate Implications Meter is going off. I have read accounts of people who believe they were taken aboard alien spacecraft. Let’s just say the words “romantic” or “erotic” don’t spring to mind. Is there a trope called “Rape Is Okay If She Wants It?”

(Checks TV Tropes)

Okay, there isn’t but there are still a lot of them that could apply to this song.

Let’s just get to Megadouche’s other verse:

“I know a bar out in Mars
Where they drive spaceships instead of cars”

No shit.

“Cop a prada space suit about the stars
Getting stupid hah straight up out the jars
Pockets on shrek, rockets on deck”

I got nothing. NEXT!

“Tell me what's next? Alien sex.
Imma disrobe you
Then Imma probe you
See I've abducted you
So I'll tell you what to do”

Oh look, the Unfortunate Implications Meter exploded. Why am I not surprised? And I thought the chorus was rapey.

To sum it up, I can say that this song does hold my attention longer than Katy Perry’s other songs do (due in no small part to its bizarre subject matter). However, other than that this song is no different from her others. Add to that the lyrics that seem to imply rape and you have one song that probably shouldn’t have been released.

("E.T." is owned by Capitol Records. The lyrics were used for review and satire purposes only.)

The new blog redesigns

2010-06-21T22:16:00.003-04:00

If you noticed, I have redone the look and layout of Random Thoughts and Crimson Ink (From A Madman's Kitchen is brand new so I'm just now getting it the way I'm liking it). I saw the new features and thought that they could use an overhaul anyway.

I'm curious how they look from another set of eyes (and I'm wondering just how many people read this damn thing), so I set up a poll at the bottom of this page. Please comment to this post as well. So tell me what you think of the look and layout of the three blogs I have on this site (the two others that are mentioned above are linked in the blog roll).

If it was my home....

2010-06-03T13:55:00.002-04:00

Here is a website where you type in your current location and it will "move" the BP Oil Spill from the Gulf to your area. This is to give everyone just how big this disaster actually is.

Here is the Oil Spill as centered from my location:
http://www.ifitwasmyhome.com/#loc=Newport%20News%2C%20VA%2C%20USA&lat=36.9787588&lng=-76.428003&x=-76.428003&y=36.9787588&z=7

And here is the link to the site's main page:
http://www.ifitwasmyhome.com/

Summer playlist is up

2010-05-29T23:13:00.003-04:00

It's the Memorial Day Weekend which in the US is the unofficial start of Summer. As you can tell by the playlist's title, I do not like this season that much. I'm debating whether or not I should leave it up until Labor Day (the unofficial end of Summer in the US) or the Autumn Equinox (the astronomical end of Summer). Since I have no idea what a September playlist would be like and (since it is still in the eighties until around the first week in October around my neck of the woods) it's too damn early for fall I'm leaning towards the Equinox (when I'm planning to post my Halloween playlist).

My only concern is that if I leave it up from (almost) June to near the end of September that that would mean that it stays up for a little under four months and ideally I would like to switch it up sooner so that one season wouldn't be overrepresented.

Thoughts?

Embarssing

2010-03-27T01:11:00.004-04:00

I always make fun of people who keep their Christmas decorations up longer than they should (especially my mom). Well, I neglected this blog long enough for me to forget to take down my Holiday Playlist until late March. I guess I learned my lesson XD

PS: I know this is my old playlist and a brand new one is up in Crimson Ink. I will create a new one for this as soon as I can.

I can not wait until January gets here

2009-11-18T12:48:00.004-05:00

Today is November 18 -- a little bit over a week from Thanksgiving -- and already I'm sick of Christmas. The stores are running their Christmas adds non-stop on TV. I just checked, but they haven't started playing the music on the radio yet. I hate the fact that I have to be subjected to this shit every time I go out in public this time of year.

I would also mention the "War on Christmas" asshats, but I just don't have the time nor the energy. All I will say is that I'm not Christian, so don't make me suffer more than I already am. Put it this way, if I'm in the mall and I hear the tenth version of "Jingle Bells" in the space of one hour, I'm probably already in a homicidal mood. Say "Merry Christmas" to me and you might lose an eye.

I was going to save this for Thanksgiving, but I'm going to put up my new Holiday play list up either today or tomorrow. As a fair warning, half the songs are funny (some of them parodies of the songs I hate most) and some capture the true spirit of the season -- so depressing you want to slit your wrists. Oh and Song #9 is by The Killers, for another fair warning.

Back to Blogging

2009-10-19T21:59:00.002-04:00

I know I haven't updated this blog recently, but I will try to in the future. Life has just swallowed me and I didn't have a chance to do many of the things that I wanted. So to keep it short, I'm back in school, I'm looking for a job and desperately want to go ghost hunting again, but I think I will just settle for taking a ghost tour of Downtown Norfolk.

Fruit Carvings

2009-04-23T14:41:00.004-04:00

Today in class we carved crap out of fruit. Here are the results.

A swan made from an apple (although it has more of a Nessie head):

A rose made from a tomato:

I tried to make a flower out of a cantaloupe. It turned out more like some abstract thing:

And here are all three together:

Since I pricked myself carving that apple, I got my revenge at the end of class:

And that was step one of my afternoon snack. It may be cliche, but revenge is sweet!

Spring 2009 Goals

2009-04-01T11:50:00.002-04:00

Here are my goals for the Spring of 2009. I will be making monthly updates to report my progress. Normally I would post this on the equinox, but since I already had a bunch of post for that month, I held off until today.

Academic/Career

1. Do well for the rest of the semester -- I'll let you know in May
2. Don't let my teachers get to me as much -- Probably a bit redundant now as the class was split up and I don't have to deal with that harpy as much as I thought I would. My teammates on the other hand.
3. Read two chapters a week of the book I need to read for History -- I'll pick up the book again after I post this.
4. Find a job (because in the Fall I need to do an internship to graduate) -- Will start this after I talk to the head of the culinary department.

Creative Goals
1. Work on the two manuscripts I stared once a week -- not this week
2. Edit the first manuscript I have on the back burner once a month -- not yet.
3. Work on other back burner manuscripts every once and a while -- not yet
4. Write at least 20 pages for Script Frenzy -- And I started. See my other blog, Crimson Ink.

Physical Health Goals
1. Cut back on the amount of soda I drink -- I'm debating between a good portion control with what's better on my wallet.
2. Walk to school at least twice a week -- walked four times

Mental Health Goals
1. Finish reading the book I put on hold and read another -- on hold until the end of semester.
2. Try not to murder anyone -- So far, so good

Total Goals: 12

Ambler House Ruins

2009-03-22T15:38:00.004-04:00

The Ambler House was built circa 1750 on Jamestown Island for the Ambler family. It was burnt during both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars and was restored after both. When it burnt again in 1895, it wasn't rebuilt. According to the sign next to the ruins, it was once described as looking similar to the Wythe House that still stands in Colonial Williamsburg.

Poking around the internet, there seems to be an angry ghost named Lydia Ambler that haunts the remains of her former home. Period. On various sites all they give is that one sentence. It's sometimes frustrating when a place is said to be haunted and you get nothing about the history behind it, the causes, the type of phenomena witnesses, etc.

So I googled Lydia Ambler and found a Google Book Preview of The Hauntings of Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown by Jackie Eileen Behrend. Apparently Lydia married a man named Alexander Maupin who left to fight in the Revolution soon after. As the years went on, Lydia came to believe that Alexander deserted her and in a fit of sorrow and rage, took her own life. She has been seen walking about the island near her former home.

Like the Curse Tree, this is another mystery of Jamestown that I would like to investigate further. For more information on the Ambler family, the NPS has an article about them.

Anyway, here are some more photos I took of the ruins:

The Curse Tree of Jamestown

2009-03-21T13:27:00.002-04:00

This story begins with a young lady named Sarah Harrison. She was the daughter of Benjamin Harrison jr. as well as the great aunt of Benjamin Harrison V (a signer of the Declaration of Independence. As a side note his son, William Henry Harrison, and great-grandson, Benjamin Harrison both became President of the United States). She was said to be rather attractive and had many suitors. She eventually agreed to marry a man named William Roscoe whom her parents highly approved of.

However, Sarah was not to marry William. Soon after her engagement became official, she met -- and fell in love with -- a man named James Blair. Her parents were not pleased with this. One, she was already engaged. Two, Blair was almost twice her age. At the time, if a young woman married someone significantly older than her, it was seen as a sign that her family had fallen on hard times (in contrast, Roscoe was only five years older than Sarah). When she married James, her parents kicked her out of the family.

(As a side note, local legend has it that William Roscoe died of a broken heart shortly after the breakup. I can't find anything to verify this so take it with a grain of salt.)

She wasn't forgiven by her family when she died in 1713 and was even denied burial in the Harrison family plot. James put her into a vault next to the plot on Jamestown Island and was buried on the other side of her when he died thirty years later.

It is at this point that the sad story of a young woman who was disowned by her family takes an unusual turn. After James Blair was put in the ground next to his wife, a sycamore tree grew between the graves pushing Sarah's stone into the Harrison family plot. The tree died a few years ago and a sycamore sapling grew in its place and supposedly florishes there today.

(Source: Weird Virginia by Jeff Bahr, Troy Taylor and Loren Coleman)

This story was one of my primary reasons in visiting Jamestown. I can tell you that it looks as though all the gravestones were moved closer to the church. It didn't look like anyone is allowed in the old cemetery so all I had to go by was a sign that pointed out the locations of all the markers. at the opposite end of the graveyard were small iron plaques that bore a number that corrasponds with the numbers on the sign. I assume these mark the actual burial site. I found the iron markers that corrisponded to the numbers listed by the Blairs' names and there was a tree beside them. Not in between them. I'm not sure if they were delebrately placed there or not. I kind of wish that I could try to locate the Harrison plot to compare them with. The book I got the story from was published in 2007 so they could have moved.

This is one story that deserves further investigation and I can definately see another visit to Jamestown Island sometime in the future.

Here is a close up of the stump. My father was with me and he wasn't sure what type of tree it was:

Here is the stump next to the Blair markers:

Jamestown Island

2009-03-20T12:35:00.005-04:00

I went to Jamestown Island on Wednesday, March 11 with my father. We took a ranger guided tour which was probably the highlight of the day. You could tell that our guide was a former drill sergeant. I forget who my father compared him to, but he reminded me of comedian Lewis Black. So here are some photos of the spot of the first permanent English settlement in America.

Here is the James River which was one of the key highways early in Virginia's history.

Here is a monument that was dedicated for the tricentennial of the settlement.

This church tower is the only remaining 17th Century structure on the island.

The tower is now connected to a replica of what historians believe the original church looked like. There is even planes of glass in the floor that allows you to see the original 17th Century foundations. I have an interesting story about two of the graves that I will post tomorrow.

This fence was built on the site of the original fort using period methods.

And here is a scale model of what the fort may have looked like.

And what post about Jamestown would be complete without John Smith and Pocahontas? Obviously, the real story is much better than the fiction Disney pulled out of its ass.

They pulled a lot of artifacts out of this well.

Here is a picture from Jamestown's glasshouse where you can see how glass was made back in the day.

The Augustine Moore House

2009-03-19T16:10:00.004-04:00

Did you know that if you googled "Augustine Moore House Hantings" this blog comes up on the second page? That made me happy.

Anyway, here is the Augustine Moore House where the Cornwallis signed The Articles of Capitulation at the end of the battle. I only got to see the outside as tours of the inside are only offered seasonally. And yes, it is haunted. For information on the general history of the house and it's paranormal history, look here because I don't feel like typing it all out.

A shot of the house's southern facade:

Ye Olde Necessity:

I think this may have been the old kitchen, I'm not sure though.

I have no clue what this could be:

And of course, the family graveyard.

Yorktown National Cemetery

2009-03-18T12:19:00.002-04:00

The American Revolution wasn't the only war fought at Yorktown -- A Civil War battle was as well. I stopped by this cemetery while taking a driving tour of the area. I didn't catch anything paranormal, but I suddenly got this feeling of sadness as soon as I walked through the gate. That is something that almost never happens to me -- normally I feel peaceful in cemeteries. I think it could be a personal experience with the paranormal. Think about it: This was a Union cemetery in the heart of the Confederacy. These were young men who died hundreds of miles from their homes. Many of these grave markers are labeled "Unknown U.S. Soldier" and quite a few say that more than one person was buried at that spot. If that isn't a reason why something might be there (I'm not saying a ghost, more like an energy) I don't know what is.

Anyway, here are some photos of the cemetery. Like most military cemeteries, it is rather unadorned. I think those two headstone in the first photo are the only ones there that are not just simple markers.

This headstone was obscured by a bush. I wonder why....

Yorktown Battlefield

2009-03-18T11:33:00.006-04:00

I went to Yorktown the day after I went to Lee Hall. Now as we all learned in fourth grade, Yorktown was the site of the last major battle of the American Revolution. There have been some reports of paranormal activity here, and I took a tape recorder with me hoping to catch something. It was a sunny Saturday afternoon so of course I wasn't alone that day. I know I must have looked crazy to those people walking around that place talking to myself. I didn't find anything unusual, but I did take some nice photos. These are the earthworks closest to the Visitor's Center. I think they were originally British until either the Americans or French took them over:

See the dark shape at the top? It stunned me just now when I looked at it because I don't remember there being anyone there while taking it and it's just to dark to be a person. I got excited until I pulled up the photo, made it full screen and realized it was just a tree :-(

Anyway, back to the earthwork photos:

Here are some photos of Surrender Field. I hope I don't have to explain why it is called that:

And here are three of the Victory Monument at varying distances and detail:

Next up: We are going from the Revolutionary battlefield to a Civil War cemetery.

Lee Hall Mansion

2009-03-17T20:54:00.004-04:00

On my first full day of Spring Break I went to the Lee Hall Mansion in Newport News. We took a tour which was okay, I guess. The tour guide gave out some "information" that I know to only be myths (such as falling into fireplaces was the number one cause of death for women). Like a lot of these historic houses, photography is not allowed inside. So here are some photos of its exterior:

If you recall, earlier that week it snowed. You can still see some here:

During the Civil War, Lee Hall was the headquarters of Confederate Major General John B. Magruder. Here are some Confederate earthworks that have survived to the modern day:

Here is the old kitchen. Unfortunately it's now a bunch of offices. I would've loved to go in there to.

Here is another exterior shot of the mansion. This time from the other side of the building.

For more information on Lee Hall Mansion, visit there website.

As far as paranormal activity, I've read some things that say Magruder haunts the house and a ghostly mist can be seen on the grounds from time to time, but I didn't have any experience. My mother asked the tour guide if there was any activity and she said that she didn't know. Judging by a blog entry from a local ghost hunter, this may either be the museum's policy or there isn't that much activity.

St. Paul's Church

2009-03-16T12:03:00.003-04:00

As some of you know, I love creepy old cemeteries. So I naturally kicked off my Spring Break by visiting the oldest in the city. So here is a photo of St. Paul's graveyard:

If the church my family went to had it's playground in the vicinity of graves, I would've wanted to go more often.

To give perspective of how old the graveyard is, the date on this headstone reads 1799. I don't know how clear it is, but that's the date. Since it only has one date on it, I assume that it's the date of death.

An interesting piece of trivia: The cannonball lodged in the wall in this photo was left there by Lord Dunmore -- the last Royal Governor of Virginia -- as he fled the colony at the beginning of the Revolution

Of the photos of the church itself, I think this one is the best.

For more information on this site's history, you can visit their website.

I have a few more photos of this site. If you want to see them, leave a comment saying you want to and I'll post them at a later date.

The End of Spring Break

2009-03-14T17:08:00.004-04:00

Last night, I unofficially celebrated the end of Spring Break by seeing Sweeney Todd. I saw the movie and loved it, but the play is much better. I think I liked the play more because it seems darker and has songs and dialogue that were cut out. Given that this is a Broadway musical and I saw it with my mother, I think I have fulfilled my gay stereotype quota for the month, maybe the quarter. Which is good because I forgot to watch the major award shows and critique the celeb's fashion choices.

I'm back at my apartment in Norfolk, getting back into school mode. The photos are uploaded to my computer and I will post them over the course of the week in installments. It's unlikely that I will post any tomorrow as I need to do some work for my online class that's due.

What to expect:
Monday, 3/16: St. Paul's Episcopal Church (in Norfolk)
Tuesday 3/17: Lee Hall Mansion (in Newport News)
Wednesday 3/18: Yorktown Battlefield & Yorktown National Cemetery (possibly two separate posts)
Thursday 3/19: The Augustine Moore House (in Yorktown)
Friday 3/20: Jamestown
Saturday 3/21: The Story of the Curse Tree
Sunday 3/22: Ambler Mansion Ruins (in Jamestown)

Spring Break Update

2009-03-11T22:39:00.002-04:00

It's funny, most college students celebrate Spring Break by going to a beach somewhere, getting drunk and appearing in a certain video series. I spend it stomping around old battlefields and cemeteries with a voice recorder trying to talk to ghost.

Anyway, I completed all of my history and paranormal related plans for Spring Break and am looking forward to my plans for Friday night. I am going to see Sweeney Todd. I love the movie but have never seen the play it is based on. I'm going to do it Friday.

Back to the paranormal stuff. I didn't catch any EVPs that I can hear (I only listened to the tape once so far and I could've missed something). Nothing showed up in the photos I took but I have only reviewed them on my camera's tiny screen. I may see something when I upload them to my computer.

I plan on going back to my apartment on either Saturday or Sunday (hopefully Saturday). I will upload the photos then. I will post the photos throughout the course of next week. The posts I have planned so far are one of St. Paul's, one of Lee Hall Mansion, possibly two or three of Yorktown and two of Jamestown. Since I took so many, I will have to limit the number of photos to post. Figuring out which ones will be difficult.

I also have a poem or two bubbling in my mind, so check my writing blog, Crimson Ink, for updates:

http://drakescrimsonink.blogspot.com/

Spring Break Plans

2009-03-03T19:01:00.003-05:00

After my class on Thursday, spring break will start for me. I plan on spending it at my parent's house and visit local historic sites. My itinerary currently include museums, battlefields, and graveyards (I know that probably excited a certain follower of this blog).

Tomorrow (Wednesday), I will visit St. Paul's Episcopal Church here in Norfolk after I take my US History midterm. I know it will be before spring break officially begins, but I will include it simply because I plan on going to Newport News after my practical exam in Baking. St. Paul's is the oldest surviving building in the city (it was built in 1739) and its graveyard is probably the same age. A fun fact: there is a cannon ball from the American Revolution lodged in one of its walls.

I will visit Yorktown sometime over the weekend. I'm making this my first steps into paranormal investigation by doing some EVP work on the battlefields. (Oh, that reminds me. Memo to myself: pick up some micro-cassette tapes while you're near the mall tomorrow.) I will also find a graveyard and look at historic houses.

I will try to fit in Jamestown as well. I do want to go to Jamestown Memorial Church because of a story I read concerning a pair of graves in its graveyard. If I have time, I may try to fit in a trip to a plantation house as well.

Of course, all of this may depend on whether or not Mother Nature cooperates. If you have been following this, you will know the temperatures have been yo-yoing more than Renee Zellwiger's diets. And I will take pictures of my travels and post them here.

This will be a nice distraction from the fact that after the break I will once again be in the class of the female, American version of Gordan Ramsey. For those of you who are unfamiliar with culinary schools, Garde Manger is pretty much the toughest class in the cirriculum. And I have to have that bitch for it (I need an eye-roll smiley. Why don't these things have those?).

I desperately need this week of recooperation.

Snow

2009-03-02T13:40:00.002-05:00

Last night, I posted a rant about the weather. Well, it snowed. And get this, on Friday and the weekend it is going to be in the 60's and 70's. And today and tomorrow there will be highs in the 20's. Again, Mother Nature, I'm kindly asking you to make up your fucking mind. I took some photos. Like a good boy I bundled up good:

At first it was only a slight dusting:

But by the afternoon there was a solid inch:

More Strange Weather

2009-03-01T22:43:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday it was warm enough for me to walk around with short sleeves and no jacket. Tonight, there is a sleet/snow mix and they say the roads might freeze over tomorrow. Seriously WTF! Make up your fucking mind, Mother Nature!

New Obsession

2009-02-13T20:30:00.001-05:00

My latest obsession is an internet radio program dedicated to the paranormal. How can I ever get any work done while I'm on the computer ever again?

http://www.para-x.com/

Strange Weather

2009-02-11T13:20:00.000-05:00

Right now it's in the 70's and there is a pleasant breeze. And my windows are all open. It's February! It should be freezing outside. Not that 's complaining, but it just seems odd.

I took the bus to school today instead of driving because I wanted to enjoy the weather. On the way back, I took another walk through Ghent and took photos. I will post them later.

Random Quote

2009-02-09T23:07:00.000-05:00

"Hell hath no fury like the vast robot armies of a woman scorned." -- Futurama

Sunny Groundhog's Day

2009-02-02T13:41:00.000-05:00

Today, the weather was unseasonably warm (high around 60 degrees F) and the skies were clear so I decided to take a walk (which, if you remember is one of my goals for this season). Apparently I wasn't alone because a bunch of people were out enjoying the weather. Anyway, I walked around one of my favorite places in the city: the Ghent District. This neighborhood is filled with Turn of the Twentieth Century architecture. I decided to share with anyone reading my walk.

The Ghent District has many stately homes, these are only four of them.

Is it just me, or is it about time for the people who live here need to take down their Christmas decorations?

Some more interesting houses:

There are quite a few interesting looking churches in the city and the Ghent District is no exception. Here is one in at least five:

And Here is where modern buildings interact with the historic ones:

Here is a part of the skyline of Downtown Norfolk:

Interesting tidbit, the building in the middle is Peta headquarters. Yes, I get a craving for fried chicken every time I walk past it, why do you ask?

Winter 2009 Goals

2009-01-11T21:14:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to get back to blogging so I'm going to post my goals for this winter.

Academic Goals
1. Do well for the first half of the semester. -- Starts tomorrow
2. Try not to let my teachers get to me as much. -- Starts tomorrow

Creative Goals
1. Work on first ms once a week. -- Will get to this one this week.
2. Get started on two of my other projects -- Will start them when I get settled down and back into a routine.
3. Work on low-priority ms's a little bit every once in a while. -- Will get to this when I do.

Health Goals
1. Try to cut back on the soda -- I will start this eventually
2. Get back to walking/biking -- I will start this eventually

Other Goals
1. Try to find a job -- I will start this eventually
2. Read and finish a book not related to my classes -- Already done
3. Try not to murder anyone -- So far, so good.

A Grim (and belated) Anniversary

2008-09-01T09:16:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, August 31, 2008 was the 120th anniversary of the death of Mary Ann ("Polly") Nichols at the hands of the serial killer known as Jack the Ripper. With her death came the most famous killing spree in history and an unsolved mystery that has haunted the world since.

May you rest in peace, Mary Ann.

Summer '08 Goals Update 1

2008-08-26T21:29:00.000-04:00

I know I haven't posted in July and I will try to do a make-up post for that. In the meantime, I have a much needed update:

Creative Goals

1. Edit first ms at least one hour per week. -- I tried to last week, but didn't get around to it.

2. Make time to work on either one of the other two ms or the script every week. -- Worked a bit on one of my ms.

3. Try to get a short story published. -- I need to do this

4. Kick my research and plotting for upcoming writing projects into full gear. -- This one seems to be going good.

5. Do that craft project I want to do. -- I will start this as soon as I clear off the kitchen table.

6. Try to write/edit/plot/research for at least an hour per day. -- This one seems to be going good.

Other Goals

7. Update blogs on a monthly basis. -- Need to make August updates and do a makeup post for two of them.

8. ~~Finish reading the book I'm currently reading~~ and catch up on my favorite webcomics. -- The only one left that I have to catch up on is Jack, otherwise, I'm doing good. NOTE: This goal has been changed. Normally I will post such changes.

~~9. Get driver's license~~ -- DONE!!!!

10. Try not to murder anyone (I'm not counting any potential manslaughters) -- None this week

Total Goals: 10
Accomplished Goals: 1.5 (that's 15%)
Failed Goals: 0

Summer '08 Goals

2008-06-27T12:55:00.000-04:00

Every season I make a list of goals that I wish to complete. My Summer '08 goals are:

1. Edit first ms at least one hour per week.

2. Make time to work on either one of the other two ms or the script every week.

3. Try to get a short story published.

4. Kick my research and plotting for upcoming writing projects into full gear.

5. Do that craft project I want to do.

6. Try to write/edit/plot/research for at least an hour per week.

7. Update blogs on a monthly basis.

8. Finish reading the book I'm currently reading and read and finish another.

9. Get driver's license

10. Try not to murder anyone (I'm not counting any potential manslaughters)

Total Goals: 10
Accomplished Goals: 0
Failed Goals: 0

I will update this list whenever any progress is made

Where to Begin?

2008-05-31T22:46:00.000-04:00

Let's start with the basics. I'm a twenty-year-old college student currently studying the culinary arts in Norfolk, Virginia. I am currently on break from school and am looking for a job. I'm gay and single and content about it. I'm also an unpublished writer of homoerotic dark fantasy although I do write straight up horror and am toying with writing plain fantasy as well. Someday I would like to experiment with other genres but not now. I also write poetry and scripts and I'm a mediocre visual artist.

In this blog I will post things that happen in my everyday life, my goals, my reading lists, and if something pisses me off it will become my soapbox.

Now that that's out of the way, I will post my first reading list:

Currently Reading: Savage by Richard Laymon
Next in line: Vampire Transgression by Michael Schiefelbein