Ok, here’s goes. Like I said, I was actually pretty pleased with the speech and most of my comments have to do with the news coverage since I couldn’t be at graduation itself.

That being said, thumbs down, boos and two scoops of sadness to President Towey and his insistence to drag politics into the day. His introduction of President Bush was the only politicing I really noticed the whole day and in my mind put a damper on the whole thing. He has previously stated that the reason Bush was there was just for publicity, which in my mind made it even worse: instead of getting a speaker who would deliver a good commencement speech and help the graduates reflect and look forward (which Bush did), Towey wanted the notoriety. Towey commented, among other things, about how pro-life SVC is. And yes, there is a very strong Pro-Life club and they are very active, but it was again, polarizing, and of course, one of my favorite bumper stickers "You can’t be pro-life and start a war." (more…)

It’s been a while, and I apologize.  Tomorrow marks the two week anniversary of President Bush’s commencement speech at SVC, so hopefully I’ll get all my comments into an entry (although to be hones, a lot of the article will be discussing the media’s coverage of the events, as it was a decent speech).

I was at Hallmark the other day and a small girl had on wheely shoes…and decided that she didn’t need to walk, she could lean back and her father could drag her.  He promptly told her to knock it off (which I was very happy to see) and she started to move her legs.  I’ve never seen kids with wheelies do that before, so that was weird and sad, all at once.

Speaking of wheely shoes, on a sadder note, Wheely Engberg died on Tuesday surrounded by mysterious circumstances.  Wheely is a character in Myst Online: URU Live, the daughter of one of the members of the DRC.  It made for compelling and very engaging drama as the rescue effort unfolded (and other events happened elsewhere as well).

URU changed to episodic conent, so instead of a small stream of new content throughout the month, one week is packed full of events, content releases and storyline elements.  I think it’s been going very well (this episode is entitled "Scars"), although the lag is horrible when groups gather (which is odd, other MMOs have no problem with hundreds of people in one area, but then again URU is very advanced graphically) and Cyan needs to come up with some way to "echo" the action to all the instanced city and hoods, so things can be experienced by more than 60-150 people at once.  But otherwise, I think it was good, we’ll have the rest of the month (at least until more content comes out) to explore Minkata (and anything else that may come out), which will be nice for me.  I did however have to miss the first few days of the episode due to Spring Ceremonial.

Ceremonial was pretty good, tiring as always.  Things seemed unorganized, work projects weren’t assigned until the work meeting, which meant there was lots of standing around waiting for volunteers.  And the vigil was really short, which was disappointing, by the time everyone got in place it was probably 1:30ish and we ended around 5: so just around 4 and a half hours for some of the candidates.  The ceremonial ring got new benches (much needed) and during the Brotherhood ceremony, the candidates (who were doing very well until that point at following directions and being smart), forgot to put their name in the obligation and "repeated after Allowat Sakima."  Chuck and I laughed a lot, but it was deserved.  There is a new staff adviser, and the lodge adviser (who has a recent, unfounded hatred of me) finally waved to me Sunday morning after a weekend of being blatantly rude.

But the highlight of the weekend had to be when Matt and I were hiking down the road from the ring back to my car when Ranger Ken passed us and told us to wait up for him when we got to our car.  We got to Commodore and waited and when he came back, the three of us lamented things being so crazy, unorganized and we all shared sighs and wishes to go hide places.  We knew that we had made it when Ken asked us to wait so we could all bitch a little bit. /happiness!

Tom’s graduation party was a lot of fun.  I went over the day before and helped set up and construct a fence.  A bunch of us stayed around until about 1:30 in the morning just catching up.

For mother’s day we went to the Radisson’s brunch, which was very nice.  There were flowers, ice sculptures and really good potatoes.  Then we went home and had ice cream cake!

I planted flowers here (and at my grandmother’s house), since I have the greenest thumb in the family (at least I think) and because I love plants.  I’ll post some pictures, but we are trying something different this year, planting Martha Washington geraniums in the large pots.

Heroes, Survivor and Lost all finished their seasons with great finales.  I can’t wait until the fall (or February for Lost)!  You can watch Heroes (and I think Lost, and at least clips of Survivor) online, so check out their respective sites (Lost: abc.com  Heroes: nbc.com  Survivor: cbs.com) to watch.

So after our commissioner meetings we usually go to Kings on 48 in North Versailles.  The waitress is wonderful, as we ask for her section and leave a large tip since we visit often.  She made for me and others (even though it’s not on the menu) a piece of apple pie with melted sharp cheddar cheese, vanilla (or cinnamon) ice cream and whipped cream with a cherry.  It was wonderful and she was a lot of fun.  Conversely, the Kings in Monroeville (also on Route 48) had horrible service when Cat, Brad, Alandra and I went out.  We only saw our waitress twice and even when the manager came by, he only stopped when I asked for more water, even when we were all out of water and he was halfway past our table by the time he finished his question.  Sad, but also because the two restaurants are on the same road, maybe 15 minutes away from each other.

Ok, that’s it for now, long update I know.  Special entry coming hopefully tomorrow, have a great one!

Quick update, look for another one later this week, as well as a special political/media report on the commencement speech at Saint Vincent College.

I finished Christopher Buckley’s new book, "Boomsday," and it was wonderful (as all his books are).  I’ll have a review up shortly, but definitely pick it up (remembering that it is political satire).

I was over at Cat and Brads about a week ago and my jaw cracked insanely loudly, it really hurt.  What amazed me the most though was that everyone could hear it crack, usually just I can.  Thankfully it hasn’t done that since, and I’d like to keep it that way.

Looking for a free, public bathroom in Pittsburgh…how about Antarctica?  Hey, it’s always good information to know.

I was not a computer science major, but I do know a few, and apparently google has a student ambassador program where they buy pizza for study groups as long as the ambassador wears the supplied google gear and does a few other things.  It’s a great program for students and google, so if anyone knows any current (or soon to be) CS or related students, send them to this link.

My brother got a new cat, her name is Willow.  She’s acclimated well to the other two, so that is good.  I really liked playing with her when I was over there.  Hopefully she won’t pick up the desire to go after the fish from one of the older cats.

Like I said earlier, two new blog entires coming soon, new book reviews and hopefully a new skin for summer.  Catch everyone later!

Lets see, lots of cool links and articles to pass on and some cool stuff has been happening as well.

Script frenzy is starting up, we get to start writing on June 1. As of right now, I’m going to do a stage play that is a mix of The Cat in the Hat and Beetlejuice/Death to Smoochy. We’ll see how it pans out.

Joomla, the CMS I use for my website is entering into beta2 for the new version, 1.5. I’m been testing it out, and it’s really cool, some of the new features are great. Chances are (if it’s ready), I’ll change over at the end of the summer. Between now and then, however, look forward to a new site skin, probably a dark gold.

This cabinet looks crazy…and I still can’t find where the handles are to open it up:

So there is a new lawnmower robot, kind of like the roomba (the one that sweeps your floor). It looks like it follows the same kind of pattern as well, mowing until it hits the border, picking a new direction and going. Also, it does banks (up to 27 degrees) and doesn’t require oil or gas and knows when it is too wet to cut the grass (it returns to its charging station and waits until its next scheduled time I guess). And on top of all that, it mulches the grass, putting the clippings back into the ground where they can decompose and release nitrogen into the soil. Sounds cool to me, but still a bit (read: a lot) pricey.

Volvo’s The Hunt has started up. It’s fun to play along with up. I had to go out to the Volvo dealership in Greensburg to get a map, but afterwards Brad and I stopped at Barnes and Noble and looked around for a while. I asked a sales associate if they had a water fountain…and apparently I shouldn’t have. She was all snippy with me, but I found it anyway.

A new survey found that Apples iPhone will be facing an uphill battle when it debuts later this year. The article talks about the survey and sounds a little fishy in terms of sample size and getting a random sample, but we’ll see. It looks cool, especially with the touch screen, but I’m happy with my phone and Verizon, so no switching for me!

I’m very excited for Shrek the Third…and so is Chia Pets!

It seems a bit small, but there is an aquarium that hooks up to your computer through a USB to provide total remote control, video monitoring and optimum settings for your fish. If it was bigger I think it would be something I’d be interested in, who knows, maybe there will be more sizes in the future.

I happened up a great outdoor grilling set up: check it out here.

I went and saw an opera at the Andy Warhol museum: The Sound of a Voice. It was in English, which was weird in a way. Opera is one of those things that seems unattainable and so far off, but to hear it in English (especially them singing about normal, everyday things, like being hungry and offering rice and vegetables) was a bit disconcerting, but still made me glad that I could understand it. The set was awesome, and I volunteered as an usher, which was fun, I would do it again (and I may if they need more help, especially for The Marriage of Figaro).

I was awarded the Arrowhead Honor. It’s an award for commissioners, basically for doing their job. That was really nice (a unexpected, I didn’t think I had enough tenure yet, but I guess I did). Here’s what it looks like (amazingly…like an arrowhead):

I replaced the broken blind in our basement, replacing it with this paper, roman blind:

New blind that I installed!

These last two entries, I feel like I’ve been repeating myself. And I’ve looked over past entries, and I don’t think I have, just feels like it. Anyway, after this marathon update, I’ll catch everyone later!
  

Congratulations to Street Sense, a long-time reader of my blog on his win at the Kentucky Derby (I can wish, can’t I?  Although really, if a horse was one of my reader’s, I’d be excited!).

Letter to the Editor from past SVC President  I’m a little confused, as I thought all the presidents before Will were monks, but maybe I’m wrong.  Either way, a good read.  There is also an article floating out there from some of the faculty, which I was glad to see, it’s nice to hear that some spoke out.

I am extremely disappointed however with SVC at the moment.  Ignoring the entire situation with Bush (which, more and more students I talk to have become so angry with Towey for putting them through all this, including the fact that they don’t even get the chance to take a photo with the President, which at least would have made things a little better in my mind, and they are realizing just how much the day is Bush-centric instead of senior-centric), let’s talk about art for a moment.  I’m all for art.  And there is a lot of art being displayed on campus now, more than before.  It really is nice to see a lot of work from the students as well, I really enjoy it.  However, there is one piece that is hung on second floor Alfred.  It’s a huge (like really, the canvas and frame are huge) painting from the 18th century, a gift from Ludwig of Bavaria, the man (who was an Archduke if memory serves, or maybe that is just his modern-day descendant) who gave the money to Boniface Wimmer to create Saint Vincent.  And in this classical masterpiece, a woman’s nipple is showing.  Well, heaven forbid we let that masterpiece remain…it was painted over, very poorly I might add!  How insane is it that the school is now censoring art from it’s own permanent collection?!

On a better note, parents are actually doing their job, imagine that.  Wow, nice to see parents taking an interest in their children’s lives and the media they are exposed to.  Good job parents!

A few comments about Lost that I haven’t had an option to add here before.  Two weeks ago, the cable went out in all of Monroeville with about five minutes to spare.  We were able to catch the end of the episode through static, but it was very frustrating.

On the subject of TV, that new show, ‘National Bingo Night,’ looks a bit ridiculous…I want to check it out (also because it probably won’t last long).

Also about Lost, the music they are using for the promo spots was used in The Two Towers trailer, but never released on a soundtrack…anyone know what it is?

Also speaking of music, apparently it’s illegal to post lyrics to songs online.  However, Yahoo’s music service, Launch, has entered into an agreement with the music companies to host lyrics for them legally.  Which will make it possible to actually search for lyrics without getting tons of pop-ups and spyware for once!

I went out and saw Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters.  It wasn’t bad, it was very funny, but only if you like the humor of ATHF.  I wouldn’t see it again, but I’m glad I went.  The opening to it was great, where they tell you to turn off your cell phones and such, I hope other movies do something similar.

My Wii made a funny error the other day in the news channel.  It listed an item from Bristol, Indiana as Bristol, England.  Ok, so maybe not hilarious, I still laughed a little bit.

I think that’s it for now, big update, I know.  Another one coming soon, and it will include pictures!

Bigger update coming soon, I wanted to see if I could embed that first though.
   

Many thanks to my friend Sarah and her away message for suppling today’s title.

I have a lot of things to talk about, so chances are some of them will have to spill over to another entry.  Kathy was just asking if anyone had a copy of the book Blink which she could borrow.  I happened to come across an article about the Nintendo Wii and The Tipping Point.  The Tipping Point is the predecessor to Blink, it discusses how larger events and shifts in thinking and paradigm can be explained through seemingly smaller events and details such as the decline of a neighborhood into poverty and crime from a few broken windows.  The book is a very good read (I’ve actually been trying to find Blink as well, although admittedly I have other things to read at the moment) and suggest the book, as well as the article (which is a bit short, but still interesting).

Also mentioning The Tipping Point is an article about online peer pressure and social networking sites.  Another very good read.

The Ponderosa in Miracle Mile has been closed for a few weeks now (it will become a Quaker State).  There aren’t any cars in the parking lot, the windows and doors are boarded up, all the signage is gone and the large street sign says "closed"  While waiting at a red light the other day, I saw a couple drive up, get out and go to the front door, trying to get in.  When they couldn’t, they began to look around trying to find the way in.  I laughed for a good while.

A fun thing to do with Google Maps: get directions from New York, New York to Paris, France.  Pay particular attention to line number 23.

The latest (and domestic) trailer for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is out, with new content (and some from the previous trailer) mixed in.  Overall, I think I like it the best:

The new digital picture frames that are out I think have to be one of the greatest things ever.  I don’t have one, but will definitely get a few eventually.  I was reminded of this while traveling outbound on the Parkway East.  When you go over the bridge overlooking Old 22 between the Rodi Road and Monroeville exits, there is a large digital billboard, which was just cycling through pictures (dolphins, parrots and flowers).  It was very nice to look at, although I joked that it looked like someone just put a screensaver on.

That’s it for now, more coming later in the week!
 

Today’s title comes from Christopher Buckley’s new novel, "Boomsday."  The main character, a blogger who uses the above quote, finds herself dating a congressmen and pushing through a bill to create a voluntary suicide bill to solve the social security crisis.  The book is hysterical, and I’ll be putting up a review once I finish it (which shouldn’t be long), so look for my further thoughts there.

Huge congratulations to my friends Scott and Karen on their engagement!

I saw two game shows for the first time last week that I wanted to comment on, the first was Identity.  It was a cool idea, but got boring real fast.  I did like how they introduce the twelve strangers (probably the most exciting part of the show), there is all kinds of smoke and lasers and flashing lights and everyone is in a pose.  The other one I saw was Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader.  The show was great, Jeff Foxworthy makes a really good host, and the kids were a lot of fun.

There was a really good game of You Don’t Know Jack this week (I also did really good, I only missed one dis or dat and declined to answer one on the Jack Attack, other than that I got them all right for once!), check it out if you want to play a quick game:

There is yet another trailer for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but I’ll post it later in the week.  It includes a lot of what is in the post below this, but a lot of new material as well.

On an actual serious note, the Westboro Baptist Church was planning on protesting some of the funerals of the victims of the VT shootings.  CBS ran a pretty good story about it here.  I know congress and a lot of states have passed all kinds of laws trying to limit these crazies so people can actually grieve at the funerals they protest, but something more needs to be done.  Of course I never advocate any kinds of violence, but I could easily be persuaded to change that stance for the WBC (and of course for the chance to go all "Tanya Harding on their kneecaps" …and the chance to say that).  But sadly, that is how they are able to keep doing what they do, by inciting people to physical violence then suing them.  The only consolation is that over 80% of the church is made up by the pastor’s family, so at least it’s not a widespread thing.

Well, off I go, catch everyone later!

Today’s title comes from Lost. And on the subject of TV, Black Donnelly’s was canceled, not that I’m very surprised. Dirt is in the iffy zone, as is The Riches, but Lost, Survivor and Heroes are all coming back next season, and Heroes starts back up again tomorrow! Who wants to be a Superhero is also coming back this summer, but I won’t be able to watch it, I’ll catch the reruns I suppose (it really is funny).

Yesterday I went with Cat to pick up her bike from Gatto’s and we stopped at Charlie’s on the way back. It’s official summer now that Charlie’s is open. I had jimmies on my ice cream cone…yes jimmies. That’s what it says on their ‘menu’ (various pieces of paper and poster taped to the window), so it must be the right word.

My favorite sales associate at Barnes and Noble, William is back! Not that he was gone I should add, just that we haven’t been there at the same time for probably close to six months. He always has good recommendations, and always makes sure to stop and see how I’m doing, so it was great to see him again.

I put a Creative Commons license on my blog (viewable at my site), so it’s all official and stuff, while still encouraging discussion and linkage. Ahhh, web 2.0. I also posted a link to EFF’s blogger’s rights section, a good read.

Avenue Q is coming to Pittsburgh this November! I am really excited, hopefully tickets aren’t outrageous. Prices won’t be announced for a while, and tickets won’t be available until six weeks before the shows anyway, so we’ll have to wait and see.

The new trailer for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is out:

Well I think that’s it for now, catch everyone later!