DeMizio's Journal

trying...

I'm trying to write a paper now, but for some reason it ain't coming. Its so short - 2 pages at the maximum, and its just syhtnesizing some research, but I can't seem to get it together...

Masque elections were today, and went really well. Despite what I consider to be several terrible speeches, I won for the VP of Business category. Angie is Producer, Pat Whipkey is VP Tech, Graham is VP Publicity, and Britney is VP Personnell. Its an exciting group; I can't wait for the next season to begin.

The RD's are meeting tomorrow to decide placement for next year, for CAs. I'm gunning for Miguel, but am nervous. I've done a good job over the last 2 years. I'm confident in my abilities. I know I could handle that job next year. I've said it before and I'll say it again, though, La Salle likes to throw curveballs.

I'm trying not to be nervous; its been too good a day to have it ruined by anticipation and nervousness...

Off to get this damn paper done...and theres another one after it, if I decide I don't want to ask for an extension...

Philly Quiz

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4 Hours in Search of an Editor

Went to see "Gods and Generals" today.

4 hours later it felt as though I had just sat through the entire Civil War.

The acting feels flat: major characters are given minimal screen time despite their abilities. There is no real plot per se; the film lays the Civil War out as though it were a high school history class, but still, the audience asks why they're being subjected to this.

I may take that back - the film attempts tender moments, such as a scene in which most of the Confederate high commands takes time out to sing "Silent Night" on Christmas Day. I'm not saying that it didn't happen historically, but it seems silly, trite, and overly melodramatic to include such a scene when you're trying to cram the entire war up through Chancelorsville into 3.5 hours.

Other nitpicks include the music - why does everything after "Lord of the Rings" have to sound like Enya? Instead of the Blue and Gray, the music had me picturing Orcs and Elves hurling themselves across the battlfields of Old Virginia. And for Ted Turner's money, why couldn't they find some decent looking fake beards? It looked like beavers attacking these poor men's chins.

It's not a bad movie, its just...long. The cinematography is incredible: some beautiful shots of the Shennendoah Valley, and of all the local-to-Maryland places they shot it in. And, as it trumpets itself all the way through, it is pretty historically accurate - hundreds of reenactors, what seems like thousands of guns and horses see to that.

Without a likeable and engaging plot its all just boring as hell.

So tired...

Another Wednesday has passed, another Wednesday without skipping class. Man, I feel like Wednesdays will be the death of me eventually.

Had to give a group presentation in Gothic Lit today on "Absalom, Absalom!" by William Faulkner. Fascinating reading, difficult as hell - 9 stories told by 9 different narrators, and at the end, not all the information is known and the reader has to interpolate a lot of the story. I was able to BS my way through it with few problems, although the group before us had me sweating - they took up over an hour and a half on their 3 chapters. I furiously read ahead to get material to fill time...

I realized that I'm lacking a level of self-confidence. I had no reason to worry; but it still almost paralyzed me with fear trying to prepare for the presentation in the class...not sure where this all comes from.

Finished writing my third short story tonight: 4400 words, 14 pages with strange margins. Entitled "Even Money," it tells the story of a priest stealing from his parish. I like it; I told it in a very different point of view, and want to see what the class thinks about it.

I'm heading home tomorrow night or Friday morning for my father's birthday. I still have this level of cabin fever here, and feel like I need to go home to renew myself or something...I'm not sure.

One story left to write on, and then I can go to bed.

Snow days

Yet another snow day today, and finally began to get some work done. Right now, however, I should be working on a story for Fiction Writing due thursday. 10 pages, at least, all blank now. My mind too, is a blank; I haven't been able to develop any kind of plot for this story since the beginning of the semester.

So I turned to this, and thought I'd write something down in here: perhaps it will spark an idea finally.

No...don't feel it coming. Aargh!

Theres no Collegian tonight, which makes me happy - no on-line edition to publish! I've gotten it down to a 4-hour science: annoying, but its freaking cool when its all done.

I'm gonna head back to writing/watching TV - Tom, if you're reading this, happy 21st.

More Snow Pictures

Just uploaded the ones that I've taken so far today.

Address is: http://www.demizio.com/snowpics/

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

What a beautiful day for it to snow...that picture was from earlier today, around 3:30 I think, from second Hilary. I have a couple other pictures from today; with nothing better to do, ha ha, I'll probably have them uploaded later tonight or tomorrow.

They finally called school off for tomorrow...My major hopes are for Tuesday...they can't clean 25 inches up in a day, can they?

Happy 21st.

So, the most anticlimatic thing about being 21 is buying liquor and not getting carded at the store. Veitz's theory is that we bought good stuff (Bass Ale/Yuengling Lager) so we must have been old enough to know what the hell we were doing, and not getting Natural Ice (The beer of champions.)

My original dinner plans kind of came unglued tonight when I realized the problems with getting everyone together on a Saturday night with the snow coming. I wound up bailing and postponing on a Masque thing until another time: there just weren't enough people around.

I did go out to get dinner with Fala and Veitz, where Steve and Mary Ubbens wound up finding us...and they all bought me a couple of drinks. It was a fun time...in the end, I was glad to have gone out in a smaller group with them as I just kind of knew vietz and fala better than the entire masque thing. I kind of wanted what Jess had for her birthday...and then realized that I didn't...

I don't know what I want, really, and I feel stupid for not knowing, and bad for disappointing my friends.

Like I hoped, I got nowhere near drunk; nowhere near throwing up, but am extremely happy.

Its really been a good day. Thank you to all the well-wishers who sent me IM's or emails...thanks and apologies to those that were going to go to dinner tonight.

On another note, confession is good for the soul. Tell those around that you love 'em.

And thats not the alcohol talking.

Tomorrow should be interesting. Come on snow!!!

Paper is Done!

The paper is done - 5 1/4 pages, started at 2am, jumpstarted by Wawa coffee. Nick, Mary, Angie, and Elise stopped by: we made a run to Wawa at 1am (just what I thought that I'd need at the time...more procrastination)

The group went nuts...the effect of Wawa on college students maybe? Between Mary sleeping/snoring in my bed, Elise as a troll doll (IT FITS!!!) and Joe's blanket, it was chaos.

Needless to say, Collegian webification didn't get done. But thats normalcy by now anyhow...

Somehow the paper seems coherent, but I don't care. The object of this week has been to get to Saturday. Or at least Friday, when my classes are no more. At very very least, Thursday at 4:45, when my last class lets out.

I have to get up for an 11am class tomorrow. Then, somehow, between 1 and 2, finish up "Absalom, Absalom." After my 2:00, I have to read and understand "Merchant of Venice" for my night class. I feel like I'm screwed, but I don't care: the hardest part of my night was done - the paper, for which I had no ideas on 5 hours ago.

Tomorrow, I'd like to discuss the Oscar noms, and resume coherent and interesting discussion.

Toodles.

paper

I should be writing a lit paper for Shakespeare - an easy, 3-6 page close reading of a scene. I just can't get it started.

Tomorrow becomes the day from hell, the last obstacle before the weekend.

sigh, shouldn't have skipped classes last wednesday.

Weekend Wrapup

The weekend from hell is over. Being trapped in my room for two nights on duty really, really, really sucks.

The best part of duty is rounds, because its the one time that you're out of the room. You're talking to people, sometimes when they're in varied states of intoxication which can make for some interesting conversations. Or, people will see the clipboard and hear the keys and will make a beeline for a doorway and the door will slam.

Between rounds this weekend, it turned out to be a lot of television and random web surfing. People went out of town, or were out, or something, it seemed. Boring, boring, boring duty.

Saturday is my 21st. Anyone up for dinner that night somewhere? Drop me a line... I don't want to get wasted-drunk, but wouldn't mind having a legal drink out somewhere... and maybe sign something in too to the dorms.

Other than that, this week will probably be like every other week. Meetings, classes, papers...ah the drudgery of college.

I hate duty.

It's about 11:30 as I'm starting to write this. I'm on duty, and am bored out of my mind. It seems like everyone went home or out or something, and none of my friends are around...

Oh well, no different from any other night of duty I guess...

I'm looking to this coming Saturday, my birthday, as some universal panacea - that once I get there, stuff will look up. Its the bright spot for my week. I just hope now that it turns out that way...

Last night was fun. Spent the evening with Veitz in NE Philly...went to Bennigans, where Lauren was working, and she talked with us for a bit... Then went over to Tower Records, and wandered there for a bit. Picked up a copy of 2600 and a copy of Weird NJ which is a fantastic magazine all about the parts of Jersey that are off the beaten track. Old forts and cemetaries and stuff...great read.

So I'm hoping that maybe tonight will look up, but I doubt it. Everyone is out doing their own thing. I'm on duty tomorrow night too, unfortunately...although it was a necessary evil to get it out of the way for this upcoming weekend.

So thats about it, I guess...

What OS?

Which OS are You?

Even with a 4 day weekend...

...I still left all my work until tonight.

I finished a bunch of it, but am really worn out tonight, so am going to bed. Collegian online is started for the week; Friday for all of it.

sigh...the work just had to start, didn't it? :)

"The world shines, as I cross the Macon County Line..."

On Saturday night Atom played a version of a song that I fell in love with, "Going to Georgia." Its a cover from a group called the Mountain Goats. The original version is an incredible song; I admit I probably don't understand the story behind it, but the emotion in the vocals is incredible, and the contast to just the acoustic guitar is fantastic... I'd like to find a copy of this album, although it is out of print. They have a couple of live versions of their songs on the website which are equally as awesome.

No class today. I've said it before, and will wind up saying it again, 4 day weekends rock: schedule them as you can. Sat in Backstage, then hung out with Fala (who has done an incredible job with the DSA site @ lasalle.edu.)

I got a hug from Dean Cicala today...pretty random. Also had a really long conversation with my father on the phone, which was great.

I've realized that over the past couple of months I've begun to start acknowldging and acting according to the philosophies that I've thought to have made logical sense. I'm talking thoughts like

• Occam's Razor - that the simplest solution is usually the right one


• Hanlon's Razor - "never attribute to malice what can adequately be explained by stupidity"


• Magrogan's philosophy of choice - that is, after my Senior year English Teacher's thoughts that since we have free will, that anything that is bad in our lives is put there by a conscious choice, and just by exercising another conscious choice, we can excise these bad elements. Theres more to it than that, but I forget right now

The result, from my persepective has been a distancing of a lot of negative feelings in my life. I kinda like it, and hope that it will continue... a couple of people seem to have noticed it, and seem to be looking into the concepts too.

I don't know completely yet...

I'm having lunch with Steve on Tuesday, which I've been meaning to do for an incredibly long time...we've been out of touch for too long.

Sunday

RA Interviews went well...I can't say more than that.

The rest of the day was spent loafing and lounging. I got my laundry done, and straightened up my room a bit. Went to dinner with Brian at the nicest McDonalds in the world off of Germantown Ave.

Haven't touched any schoolwork yet. Tomorrow.

Pete & Pete

Pete & Pete. So, your younger brother has a tattoo
and you don't, what could be worse? At lease
your names aren't Eugene.


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Atom and His Package

First off...this is hilarious: http://www.shef.ac.uk/piratewriters/rejected.wmv ... watch all 9 minutes of it.

Went to the "Atom and His Package" show tonight in the Dunleavy room. Fantastic show, and I have a new favorite song for the time being: "I'm Downright Amazed At What I Can Destroy With Just a Hammer." I think it'll make a great song to hang and focus lights too; the entire new album, "Attention: Blah Blah Blah," sounds awesome.

There were maybe 150 people there, a lot of them high-schoolers. Atom performed on the floor instead of the stage; we were about 5 people away from him. Played a lot of new stuff, opened with "Downright Amazed..." and ended with "Punk Rock Academy." He had been selling T-Shirts and other swag at a table in the back all evening through 3 other punk bands and seemed to be this normal, quiet guy...the facade ended when he got in front of the microphone.

He puts such energy into every song that its hard not to get into them...thats what I like, I think...that and the extremely witty and sometimes thought provoking lyrics.

Friday night was fantastic too, went to Jess' birthday dinner at Macaroni Grill, and then came back to La Salle and went to Karen's for a while. I only stayed for like an hour, because I was tired, but kicked ass in Trivial Pursuit (the questions...not the game.) Dinner was fun: between the war drawn out in crayon on the paper tablecloth, to notes being passed every which way, to Matt trying to get the waitress' number...

I got notice on Friday that I had been rehired for Community Development. Rock on; although the placement decision comes at the end of February. Thats the decision that I'm more concerned with...although it is nice to know now that my room and board will be covered next year if I want them to be.

On Sunday afternoon I have to do interviews for the next batch of RA's/CA's we hire...so I'll be in a classroom in Olney all afternoon.

The new collegian site went live on Friday. Hopefully, it won't fall by the wayside as the other sites have done over the past couple of years...the address is: http://www.lasalle.edu/students/orgs/collegian/

These four day weekends are awesome...