in my life.

Dear MSU:

2009-11-12T14:00:00.004-06:00

insert silly-angry-poorly written blog containing frustration of a silly-frustrated-unchallenged-finals week student:

blah blah blah blah...

*edited on 12/31*

i just managed to sum up what was previously written here in four words. efficient, no?

just so i don't lose the set-list from the best concert i've ever seen...

2009-10-19T23:14:00.002-05:00

1 Wilco (The Song)
2 A Shot in the Arm
3 Bull Black Nova
4 You are my Face
5 I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
6 One Wing
7 Misunderstood
8 At Least That’s What You Said
9 Deeper Down
10 Impossible Germany
11 It’s Just that Simple
12 I’ll Fight
13 Handshake Drugs
14 Sonny Feeling
15 Jesus, Etc.
16 Theologians
17 I’m Always in Love
18 Hate it Here
19 Walken
20 I’m the Man Who Loves You

Encore
21 You Never Know
22 Heavy Metal Drummer
23 Just a Kid
24 Kingpin
25 Monday
26 Outtasite (Outta Mind)
27 Hoodoo Voodoo
28 I’m a Wheel

i bet you love this as much as i do:

2009-10-01T02:01:00.000-05:00

don't die on me!

2009-09-19T00:33:00.002-05:00

as in, blog, i'm sorry i've neglected you. just hang on for awhile, eventually i'll have something to say.
actually though, i have a ton to say. being stuck in a hotel room for guard band by myself almost always leads me to post something on here. usually, these posts end up being lame, as i'm sure this one will. it seems like the simple act of pressing some buttons and hitting "publish post" has some sort of value though.

anyways, quick life update.
i've realized that my life is alot like the knob on the air-conditioner in room 231 of the wagon wheel inn (valley city). it has settings for high cool and low cool. i just switched it to high cool. lately, my life falls somewhere in between these two settings. medium cool. comfortable cool. mediocre cool. the kind of cool that involves happiness, but lacks the intensity to be considered high cool. i know that high cool is somewhere around the corner, but that's 2 more semesters and approximately 1.4 years of guard band away. that corner is going to be amazing though.
this semester i'm working in the writing center, and after 3 shifts, i'm absolutely loving it. it's like a small preview of how much genuine fun and challenge teaching is going to entail.
i think that's what my life is currently lacking, if i had to pick just one thing anyway. challenge. every hour spent sitting behind a desk in class feels increasingly more like an hour wasted...being on the wrong side. i could and should be done with this nonsense of school by now, but for some reason my mind has not quite grasped the concept of "finishing school quickly=moving on to the best part." there have just been so many people and experiences and things that i've directed all of my passion toward, college has essentially been the steamed peas on the side of a plate filled with all of my favorite foods.
i'm not sure if it's due to maturity (i hope not), but these past few weeks have felt different. hopefully it's a feeling that will last for awhile. i've been shovelling down mushy and flavorless peas like crazy. and maybe that's what it takes to make them seem interesting.
or maybe i'm just loving helping other people with their writing so much that it's spilling into other things. who knows.

enough about school though.
before i started writing this, i was listening to "debussy for daydreamers," which is an amazing CD that i picked up in the library the other day. i don't really know anything about classical music, other than kickass trumpet songs (which are 2nd only to kickass cello songs). what i do know, though, is that it must be pretty special to command my attention when i'm so head-over-heels in love with the beatles remasters.
you should listen to it. i can copy it and post it on sendspace if you'd like. i felt like rereading the little prince, and 1/3rd of the way in, i think debussy might be the most appropriate soundtrack possible.

enough about geeky music and children's books too.
i should probably do the sleeping thing, since i have to wake up 6ish hours.

i'm going to write it here so that it seems more official:
starting today, september 18th, i am going to update once a week. not because you (whoever you are) enjoy reading this, but because i know that one year from now, i will.

also, i'm instituting a mandatory "5 favorite things of the week" list. and it will be conveniently located at the end of each post.

so,
1. THE BEATLES REMASTERS.
2. the msu writing center.
3. bill moyers journal. if you don't know what/who this is, it/he is the best news show/journalist on earth. congratulations if you figured out that sentence...
4. seeing my 1988 buick skylark today. i was riding astrid (my beautiful motorcycle) to class, and it went speeding past, heading south on broadway. i was late for class after flying dangerously-over-the-speed-limit to catch up with it, but for some reason i just had to verify that it was actually the mothmobile.
5. dwight hulme. technically this was a couple weeks ago, BUT, dwight is one of the coolest people that we met while we were in europe last year. he was in minot for an entire week, and we all miss him like a long lost brother. well, a long lost australian brother. it was amazing having him around for a bit, even though he beat me (FLUKE!) at croquet.

right, so that's the post ladies and gents!
g'night for now.
-matt-

yama k donda vu llama?

2009-08-13T11:34:00.003-05:00

the sooner this t-shirt comes in the mail, the sooner i can throw out every other bit of clothing that i own. except for maybe a sweatshirt to wear under it. and pants, i suppose.

...

2009-08-05T16:58:00.003-05:00

i'm so ready for my life to take a completely unexpected turn.

most exciting news since "europe08"

2009-06-16T03:09:00.003-05:00

i'm letting katie take my car with her to GF, and instead, i'll be kicking around town (and the rest of the known world) on this:

words can't even begin to describe how excited i am. if everything works out as planned, i'll be asking everyone i know to give me a ride down to rapid city to pick her up.

i can't even get to sleep!!!!!

ahh...anyways, i suppose it's been forever since i've posted. so maybe i should give a quick update on my life. pretty much everything is the same way it was in 2006/2007/2008. and i don't mean this in a bad way. i mean that, i have incredible friends, i'm happy to be alive, and i still can't wait to be done with school so i can get on with the more important part of my life.
how's that for an update?

oh also, i'm buying a motorcycle. :)
it's a suzuki vstrom 650, in case you're wondering. not a crotch-rocket, but not a cruiser either. 'tis a dual-sport. which means, that when i get to alaska someday, i'll be able to explore anywhere i see fit.

i guess i can probably go to sleep now. maybe.
goodnight universe!

-an especially happy version of matt.

sogyandlimawndvopt.

2009-05-05T23:17:00.003-05:00

instead of a post, i thought i'd invent a word that's fun to say.

originally posted on me birthday. then removed for illegally linking an mp3. oops.

2009-05-05T23:15:00.003-05:00

hello from fargo! i've been here for 15 days now, i think. i left on easter sunday, which i believe was the 11th, so we'll call it 15 days.

---imagine details of boring national guard style nightshift, driving people between valley city and fargo in large vans, all while enduring the pain of a short haircut---

and on with the real post!
i am pretty sure i get to go home on tuesday night or wednesday morning.

things about this that excite me:
-MY bed.
-MY family.
-MY minot-located friends.
-MY freedom.
-did i say my bed?

things about this that absolutely blow:
-i'm WAY behind in school.

i bought this laptop with the intention of getting ahead in classes so it would be an easy transition when i get home...but we've been working this stupid night shift, and it just hasn't been all that conducive to conditions that would result in my getting anything productive done.

on the upside, it's my birthday.
on the downside, i'm 23 and have yet to accomplish anything outstanding.
on the optimistic side, i feel like i've got about 77 solid years left.
on the even more optimistic side, i have roughly 2 years and 2 weeks left of this guard stuff...then, my footsteps will circle the globe!!!
on the here and now side of things, i'm just looking forward to a frolf-filled summer.

for some reason on birthdays, i always find myself thinking about the future. usually i'm more concerned with things like the future of 'flight of the conchords' (will there be a third season?). but annually, on april 26th, i spend some time thinking about the future of myself.

some things i know:
-i'll never be able to do ONE thing for more than 3 or 4 consecutive years.
-this doesn't include being in love/raising kids, so anne hathaway or tina fey or allison stokke, if you're reading this...i can commit!
-i'll always be madly in love with travel.
-i'll always have a stack of books next to my bed.
-i'll never be able to comprehend how some people can spend most of their time looking angry or way too serious.
-i think that i'll always enjoy longboarding.
-i'll always dream of getting a pilot's license...and when i do get it, i'll dream of getting the money to rent a plane for a couple hours.
-i'll always feel slightly guilty for all of the nice 'stuff' that i own.
-i'll always sing disney songs in the shower.

some things i don't know:
-where i'll end up living.
-if i'll ever get married.
-if i'll ever write something meaningful that i can be proud of.
-if i'll ever look back on college and say, "maybe those classes weren't largely a waste of my time."
-what kind of person it will take to beat me at croquet.
-where yoda disappeared to.
-how people can be so damn closed-minded.
-how long i'll feel so unsure about what i'm supposed to be doing in this world.
-whether i'll ever find an occupation that i love as much as i loved working at oak park theater in high school.

i am going to take a quick nap, and then attempt to stay up all day so i can not be a zombie on the dayshift tomorrow morning. but before i do that, i'm going to provide a link to a kickass song that has been stuck in my head for roughly the past 2 weeks. i'm also going to give you one last little bit of information about my future: i think i'm going to buy a simple/dependable/blue/1982 SUZUKI GS850 motorcycle this or next summer.

good morning from a less than hygenic hotel in fargo,
matt.

p.s. quick copy and paste...
i'd like to repost this poem today. to me, the most meaningful thing to be thankful for on my birthday is my parents. i wrote this while i was in paris and thinking of home/where i grew up.

Holiday Village

I remember most clearly the street.

Seperating two rows of nearly identical homes.

The cracks, filled by two young cousins.

Imagining the best career to be the upkeep of roads.

Or the chasing of tornadoes.

I remember sparklers being lit.

Throwing their wild colors across the road.

Over the painstakingly applied and masterfully smoothed mud.

Reds and neon Blues, lighting the parents’ four faces.

Sizzling, and searing their smiles into permanent memory.

I remember tiny golf clubs.

I’ve seen the Polaroid of that boy with his dad.

Awkwardly trying to emulate that graceful swing.

Wanting to be just like him in every possible way.

Frowning as his ball moves barely three feet.

I remember popsicles.

Homemade with forgotten flavors of kool-aid.

The purple mustaches, existing hours later.

The adults, with their violet tinted grins.

The boys, with purple stained t-shirts.

I remember the police car out front.

It belonged to the toughest, strongest cop in the world.

Monster trucks in the sandbox momentarily forgotten,

The boy would beg to sit in the seat.

He couldn’t even see over the dash.

I remember the deck.

Sun, splashing across the pages of a mother’s book.

And also the expression on her face,

As the boy’s bare feet realize the temperature below them.

Everything in the world paled next to her laugh.

I remember growing up.

Still wanting to make them proud.

Even with mistakes, they always were, regardless.

I remember still feeling like that boy.

Unsure of the future, but thrilled by possibility.

homework masquerading as an update.

2009-03-30T01:36:00.007-05:00

we have to pick an oral tradition/fantasy to retell in my children's literature class, so i picked a simple brothers grimm story called "star money." the coolest part of the assignment is the fact that we were allowed to change the story however we saw fit. so here's my take on it! there are no paragraphs or anything, and i didn't really concentrate on having it be good writing since i'm probably going to mangle it up anyways when i tell it in class....but i figured i'd post it on here since i haven't posted anything in awhile. and also, i do have to admit that i absolutely love the moral of the story...especially without the "give of yourself for a reward in heaven" overtones that were in the original telling. i've always thought that that sort of giving seems more like investing, and that it cheapens true human charity. and true human empathy and charity, to me at least, have always been two of the most divine things that i've found on this earth. anyways:

A Variation on The Brothers Grimm’s “The Star-Money”

Once upon a time there was a sunset in a faraway land. Once upon a time in this faraway land, there was a girl named Ashima, walking down an often-traveled path. Both of Ashima’s parents had passed away, and the only things Ashima had to her name were a loaf of bread and the clothes that she was wearing. After some time, she stopped upon a tent pitched beside the road. She heard the sort of cry that a child can only make if he’s dying of hunger. Ashima felt emptiness in her stomach as well, but her heart knew that the right thing was to give her bread to the hungry family inside the tent. Walking on, she was still hungry, but every flower she passed on the side of the road seemed a bit more colorful to her. After some time, she came upon a man, sitting shirtless on the side of the road. He looked hungry too and she wished she had another loaf of bread to give, but upon noticing how terribly his upper body was sunburned –layers of burnt, peeling skin, with even redder skin beneath- she offered him her cloak to protect his skin from the sun in the morning. Now, the sun was really beginning to set, and she began to feel the first chill of night without her cloak. She knew though, that her jacket would be enough to keep her warm. Walking on, she encountered an old woman, sitting just outside the edge of the forest that the path would eventually lead through, shivering with no outer garment to keep the warmth of her body from escaping into the night air. She knew though, that it would be a little bit warmer in the forest at night, so she knelt down beside the old woman and draped her jacket over her shoulders. When the old woman smiled, Ashima knew that it was the deepest sort of thanks. The kind that words can’t quite convey. As Ashima walked into the forest, she knew it shouldn’t be so, but she felt even warmer than she had with her cloak and jacket, though she had nothing more than a light dress on. She couldn’t be sure, but it seemed like this warmth was spreading outward from the place that her parents had taught her contained her heart. The last person she’d run into that night was a girl, no older than herself, slumped against the trunk of a tree. She was bruised, shivering, not wearing a thing, and her eyes had lost that look that most people call “hope.” Ashima knew that nobody would see her naked in the forest, so she removed her dress and sandals and gave them, without a second thought, to this girl that she knew had been assaulted and robbed. Now Ashima walks off of the path to go deeper into the forest to find something to cover herself in. As she walks, she literally feels like she is glowing, and eventually she comes to a clearing. It is then that she realizes how much she misses her parents. She walks out into the middle of the clearing, it is night now, and the moon and stars are out in full force. Ashima kneels down in the very center, transfixed by the beauty of the night sky, still warmed by how much love she has shared with complete strangers, and suddenly a single star begins to glow. In fact, it glows so bright that she can no longer see the moon and stars that surround it. Ashima blinks, and the next thing she knows the star is sailing downward, right towards her. All at once, everything is white, and when Ashima looks around her, the grass in the clearing is twinkling silver, seemingly reflecting the stars in the sky that she can now see again. She reaches down to touch what looks like a shining star in the grass below her, and it is a piece of pure silver. She can’t believe it! She runs around the entire clearing, gathering, in her hands, all of the pieces that have fallen from the sky. When she returns to the center of the clearing, a garment of linen, the exact color of the moon's iridescent pearl awaits her. She puts it on, lies down, falls asleep, and has dreams of people she has never seen before, smiling with the most radiant eyes. As she dreams, she thinks that the way that these people’s eyes shine and shimmer are even more beautiful than the star that dropped for her.
It is said that for the rest of her life, Ashima walked the earth, knowing no countries or borders, and each day she gave away everything she had. I’m not sure if this is true, but it has also been said that a few people, all over the world, from different countries, backgrounds, and faiths, were moved to live life the way Ashima did. And that every time you see a falling star, it falls for someone like Ashima.

i changed the ending quite a bit too. in the grimms' version, it ends with "and she was rich all the days of her life." but i thought that was the lamest kind of lame. after spending an entire night giving away all of her possessions, i didn't think that she'd ever want to become rich. maybe that's a bit romantic, but hey, it's my retelling!

i love when quick and simple assignments sneak up on you and become something more. i wish it happened more often.

well, now i'm going to hop in bed and finish a book for a different class...
goodnight!
and, be in a good way.

winter, i shall vanquish you!

2009-03-21T02:12:00.011-05:00

3 amazing facts:
i'm alive.
today the sun was brilliant.
tomorrow will be the definition of a new beginning.

this was something i posted on myspace awhile back, but i'm going to post it here too. it's my favorite word of all-time, and one of the few things that i have absolute belief in.

possibility.
if you stop to think about it, like really, truly, honestly stop to think about it, it can take your breath away.

well, sleepytime.
-matt-

p.s. bedroom eyes has a full-length debut album coming out soon. if you have never heard their music, i will burn you a cd. you could also check out their myspace.
p.p.s. tell all your friends to start a blog on here. imagine the fun we could be having, you and i, and everyone else we know...

...

2009-03-12T14:42:00.002-05:00

i need to start doing this more often again.

i.
just.
wish.
that.
i.
had.
something.
that.
i
needed.
to.
say.
to.
you.

so far this semester, i have had ONE cool assignment. for my children's lit class, we each had to compile and create our own poetry anthology. so naturally, i used me typewriter! erin and i even tea-stained the pages to make them look old...plus, now they smell like chai tea. tasty, tasty, chai tea. i have a really neat idea for how i'm going to bind the pages, but there are quite a few poems that i want to add first. when it's finished, i'll post a few pictures on here.
other than picking poems that we thought would be good for children, we had to have examples of 8 different kinds of poems. i couldn't find any haikus (is that how you pluralize haiku? it looks silly.) that i really liked, and it's been forever since i've tried writing them, so i figured i'd include myself in my anthology. it's a rubbish poem compared to the other ones that i picked, but i thought i'd post it on here anyways. i can never say what i want to say in just one haiku, so i sort of cheated and used multiple haikus (still looks silly) as one poem.

LISTEN

The wind, breezing past,
has no idea of time,
no set place to be.

It brushes us all:
I, right here, and you, right there.
Transcending distance.

The wind understands.
Eternally everywhere,
it mocks our borders.

It gently whispers,
urging us all to realize
what it's always known.

We are all the same,
sharing the glory and glow
of being alive.

It's not that well-written or anything, but I still like the idea behind it.
Shower time? I think it is.
-matt-

why not?

2009-02-13T02:33:00.002-06:00

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/12/henrietta.hughes/index.html

give that some thought.

and then, give me some gummi bears.
the white ones please. thanks.

sometimes.

2009-02-01T22:32:00.011-06:00

instead of doing homework i like to redesign my layout.

AND
order a new disc:

you have no idea how she'll soar.
she will be breathtaking.
she will be beautiful.
she will slip the bonds of gravity.
she will tear the sky and touch the sun.
she will test the boundaries of the universe.
she will be an effortless extension of my right hand.
you have no idea how she'll soar.

p.s. michael: it is indeed shakepeare & co.

good morning world.

2009-01-31T23:23:00.000-06:00

you're cold, you're much too white, you're frighteningly windy, you usually allow the wrong sort of people to get ahead, and more than a few of your inhabitants are quite selfish.
but i guess i'll go shower, put on clothes, eat an edible lunch, brush my teeth, and become a part of you anyways.
although the alternative, with its grey sheets, blue blanket, jean quilt, two pillows, and neighboring stack of books, is looking mightily appealling as well...

silly word of the post: neighboring.
it would be a cool word if it meant what it should.
and everybody knows that it should mean:
adj. uninteresting and tiresome, in the context of watching a horse race; dull.

right. so shower time.
good morning and goodbye!
-matt-

UPS, be nimble. UPS be quick.

2009-01-29T23:38:00.007-06:00

UPS bring me my Olympia SM-9 Manual Typewriter!!!

yep. i finally found one. i've decided that i'm going to buy one vintage typewriter per year for the rest of my life. if you can think of a cooler, more cost effective thing to start collecting i'll reconsider. for the past few weeks, i've been spending embarassing amounts of time scrolling through typewriters on ebay. i've bid on quite a few, but they all invariably ended up going for 80+ dollars. when not on ebay looking at typewriters, i've been looking at all kinds of other typewriter related websites. there are lots of people who are absolutely obsessed with collecting and restoring typewriters, and they're just as passionate about sharing their experiences and opinions. so i've been doing research, in short. at first i was drawn to the older, more exotic (read: expensive) typewriters. and when i say older, i mean 1930's. when it comes to these super-old sorts, they are either gorgeously restored (more than $150), or they look like they've sat in a swarmp (typo, but in the spirit of typewritering, i'm going to let it slide) for the past 70 years (less than $50). so logically, you'd think that i'd decide to get a newer one, and save my dream typewriter (remington streamliner) for when i've got a bit more money. now normally, i'd defy logic and say screw money. i hate money. money is for bitches and boring people. but, for some reason, i fell in love with a less valuable, more easily attained typewriter. i'm not sure how it happened, because when i first went off on this "i need a typewriter" tangent, i would have never imagined ending up with such a modern (60's) looking design, but it's classy. i hope that my more design-minded co-blogspot-havers (ie. brian and jenny) can objectively agree with my decision. but if not, feel free to blast away.

after clicking buy it now, i've done quite a bit more reading about what my snap-judgement told me that i NEEDED to have, and it's seeming like more and more of a kickass choice. supposedly the SM-9 set the industry standard for smoothness when it came out, and many modern writers stuck with it, even after the advent of electric. example: paul auster writes exclusively on an SM-9, and co-created a coffee table book with writings and impressionistic paintings based on his. i've never read paul auster, but now i think i'm going to have to.

but i'll get on with it. this is the real exciting part right here. in fact, if you skipped down this far because you caught a glimpse of a pretty picture, i'd totally excuse you for not reading anything above this line.
here she is, in all her glory:

now that's not my exact typewriter. but that is the first original edition (and allegedly the De Luxe-iest), which is the one that is currently on its way to my desk, all the way from morgantown pennsylvania.
another reason that i fell in love with it so quickly is it has a scratch. right on the top left shoulder where the return bar is.
when i saw the scratch, i immediately had this vision of a writer in the middle of some sort of artistic frenzy, mashing keys and creating something disarmingly beautiful. i'm going to imagine that the scratch happened just at the end of the story, and that every time the previous owner looked at the scratch it provided inspiration. i'm hoping it'll have the same effect on me.
i think the first thing i'll write with it will be the story of the previous owner. maybe flash fiction style, or a quick poem. we'll see.
i'll post pictures, and scan a typed page, first thing, when she arrives.
this is definitely going to be a yearly blog occasion that happens in january.

peace for now, i gotta take a quick nap before waking up at 2:30 for nadal vs. verdasco.
i wonder what life will be like after the australian open and i resume the habit of sleeping between the hours of 2:30 and 5:00.
crap, one other thing. this semester, after i do a few hours of "observing," i'll be working in the writing center here at MSU. ask me whether or not the typewriter will be incorporated into tutoring sessions....
goodnight!
-matt-

edit!

here's the ebay picture:

since i just posted a blog on myspace:

2009-01-23T02:16:00.002-06:00

i figured i'd post a myspace survey on blogspot!
spread the love around, you know?
actually, if anything, this is penance for getting far too much sleep last night.

whats your name?
matthew allen black.

is there that one guy/girl that you'll always have feelings for no matter what?
actually yeah, but it was the right decision to go our seperate ways. i be happy, she be happy, we all be happy!

what was the last alcoholic drink you had?
breakfast.

what is bothering you right now?
winter. 67% of the things i love to do are not possible with snow on the ground.

what will you wear tomorrow?
something clean.

what was the highlight of your week?
roadtrip to bismarck!

what is your favorite color?
blue.

where is your number one person on your friends list?
hmm.....that would be wilco. somewhere in the world making music? i don't know.

when was the last time you had your heart broken?
too long ago. leaving paris was similar.

if you could have one thing right now what would it be?
a savings account stocked for 2 years of travel.

is there a high chance of you going out to the movies soon?
only if i have a night involving free time someday...

are you easily scared by horror/thriller films?
i don't usually watch them. but no, not really.

what do you dislike currently?
closed-mindedness

if you had $100 would you spend or save it?
if i had ONLY $100? i'd wonder where the rest of my money went. so i'd probably spend it trying to find out.

if there was a large spider in the room, would you stay?
what else is in the room?

last place you went out to eat?
the walrus!

where are you right now?
in my room.

are you listening to music right now?
yeah, bon iver's new EP.

do you have any enemies?
slow drivers.

what are you thinking about right now?
how i just made my grandmother my enemy.

next time you will go to the doctor?
by choice? never.

when was the last time you cried?
it's been a pretty long time.

do you think someone is thinking about you right now?
probably not me specifically. but you never know, i think about ALOT of people throughout the course of the day.

what were you doing at midnight last night?
i had just woken up from a nap at 11ish, and was reading the great gatsby...before going back to sleep fairly quickly.

are you afraid to grow up?
i'm actually not worried about that ever happening.

is your worst subject in school?
i guess i was pretty lucky not to have any subjects that i had to work too hard at, but that was probably more due to my substandard education. the biology class i took a few semesters ago was challenging though!

what is something you wish you had less of in your life?
material possessions.

are you usually the first to say sorry when you're in a fight, or the last?
i truly can't remember the last time i got into a fight. i'm usually quick to apoligize and forgive though.

is there a person of the opposite sex who means a lot to you?
yeah.

do you plan on hugging the last person you hugged again?
that would've been ross!!!! in bismarck!!!! so yes, of course!!!!

who was the last thing/person you took a picture with?
my cousin tyler while we were up on our grandparents' roof shovelling snow. 'twas up to my knee.

could you forgive someone who murdered your best friend?
i'd try. i'd really try. but wow would it be hard.

who last sent you a friend request?
probably one of those fake porn-looking girls.

when was the last time you talked to your number 1?
i just listened to "via chicago" today, does that count?

is there someone on your mind that shouldn't be?
no.

where will you be in an hour?
dreamland.

when was the last time someone yelled at you?
when i was putting up letters on the video magic sign.

did you have a dream last night?
yeah, i actually had a great dream last night. it involved a plane ticket to australia, AND croquet!! for real.

do you have nice eyes?
they work, though i'd rather have 20/20.

whose birthday is coming up?
everyone's technically.

who will always tell it to you like it is, no matter if it's going to hurt or not?
most people.

are you proud of yourself?
some aspects. i'd rather spend my time being proud of other people.

your room messy?
it's somewhere between messy and clean. tidier than usual though!

are you a bully?
how could i be a bully when i can think of like 2 people that i could MAYBE take in a fight.

how's the weather right now?
f-u-c-k-i-n-g shit.

how many kids do you want to have?
however many it takes for our family band to get a nice, full sound.

last night, did you go to sleep smiling?
no, and i'm not sure that i ever have. i went to sleep happy, but i think at the actual moment of sleep your muscles are all relaxed.

what do you hear right now?
an extremely majestic melody being sung in icelandic.

are you mean?
my frolf discs would think so, i'm always throwing them into chains.

did you mean it when you said "I love you" last?
i'm sure i did.

Have you had sex with more then 25 partners?
well, i've only had sex once....but that was with 24 swedish models....at the same time. so, it's close, but no.

Do you think the last person you kissed is nice?
psh yeah, she probably still thinks about how great of a kisser i am. trumpet lips, you know.

Have your friends ever randomly stopped by your house?
yes.

Who's the last person you had a deep conversation with?
my dear friend william.

Did you sleep in past noon today?
nope. should've though.

Cry yourself to sleep?
no.

How many different colors are you wearing right now?
black and white. i'm very high contrast.

you could have something right now, what would it be?
i feel like i just answered this....but right now i could go for one of those orange ice-cream push-up things.

Do you want someone back in your life?
doesn't everyone?

When is the last time you cried really hard?
what's with all of these repeated questions!

Has a boy/girl put their arm around you the past five days?
not that i recall, so no.

Do you have friends of the opposite sex you can talk to?
yup yup.

Is anything annoying you right now?
dumb questions.

Does anyone call you babe?
not on a daily basis.

What is the last thing you did before you went to bed last night?
finished a chapter.

Is this year the best year of your life?
give it about 11.5 more months.

Are you trying to avoid liking/loving somebody at the moment?
no. that would be a dumb thing to do.

When was the last time someone called you babe?
i can't even think of a witty way to answer that. honestly, i picked a HORRIBLE survey to do.

When was the last time you were really confused?
flipping through channels and catching a few seconds of the british parliment.

Has anybody ever given you butterflies?
yes. but with a few it's been more like fireworks.

Would you do anything to have someone back in your life?
no, i would not commit genocide to bring back somebody that is gone.

What are you doing besides this?
dumb.

Do you have any plans for tomorrow?
school, work, definitely not a survey.

What's the first thing you did when you woke up?
pulled a blanket over my head.

If your friends warn you about someone, do you listen?
i'll form my own opinions about people, but i'd compare notes later.

Does it take a lot to make you cry ?
to really full out cry, yeah, kind of. but i get choked up occasionally.

Are you satisfied with what you currently have in life?
yeah, but i'm not satisfied with what most of the rest of the world has.

Are you currently frustrated with a girl?
no.

Would you ever get a tattoo?
someday i kind of want to get a tattoo with an outline of john lennon's glasses with the word "imagine" printed beneath. but i'm not sure where.

What made you happy today?
life, and many other specific things.

If someone liked you would you want them to tell you?
yes: anna ivanovic, if you are reading this, call me already.

Would you date someone twenty years older than you?
i can't see myself being attracted to someone that far ahead of me in life.

Are you close with your mother?
quite.

Did you speak to your father today?
yeah.

Do you hate the last girl you were talking to?
i hope i'll never know what true hate feels like.

Have you ever broken someones heart?
yes, hardest thing ever. i'd much rather have mine broken.

Do you hate anyone?
i dislike hate.

Do you miss your past?
some parts of it, but to me, the great parts still exist.

Are you listening to music right now?
yep.

Do you think your a good person?
mostly.

Has anyone ever sang to you?
whenever i listen to celine dion i feel like the stars were made for us....
no, not really.

Is there someone who meant a lot to you at one point and aren't around much anymore?
yeah, that's life.

Is there any emotion you're trying to avoid right now?
no.

Have you ever skipped school just because you were tired?
yeah, but only if it was a class that i perceived to be skippable. which is actually most of them. college: largely wasted time.

Anything you would change about your life right now?
i'd love to have the means to travel much more often, but that would mean that someone else would have less. so no, i'm alright thanks!

This time last year, can you remember who you liked?
i just thought really hard about that, and yes.

Can you admit when you're wrong?
yeah, that's much easier for me than attempting to prove that i'm right.

wow, usually these surveys ask random enough questions that you can have fun with them...but this one was kind of rough. it will probably be a good 6 months to a year before i do that again.
goodnight for now!
-matt-

lame-o ka-blame-o

2009-01-17T15:28:00.003-06:00

i guess i'll have to wait on that "best of '08 deal" since most of the movies that look like they'll make my top 10 are not possible to see in this frozen, good movieless, and largely lame state of ours. but at least we've got my bloody valentine 3d! it may be april by the time it's possible to post a properly informed list. and by then....i'd probably rather be frolfing. so we'll see!

today i feel like being inspired by something.
do you ever feel that way?
i'd love nothing more than to have some meaningful and momentous event to recount to you, in quick words that would be like frenzied brushtrokes on a wall sized canvas. probably bright colors on a black background.
but instead i'm going to throw a frozen pizza (cheese) in the oven and watch a bit of DVRed top gear.

first i should tell you this:
in my literary criticism class, we will be spending the ENTIRE semester picking "the great gatsby" apart with each of the different schools of criticism. this is quite possibly the only way that a professor could ever inadvertently get me excited about the wealth of overly large, unnecessarily blustery, and cloyingly academic words that literary criticism forces students to use. sometimes it seems like university english programs are designed to produce a bunch of boring literary poseurs, rather than unique and creative critical thinkers. anyways, if (when) discussion turns into a battle of who can pull the most half-understood big words out of their vocabulary, i can ignore everyone and read one of my favorite books of all time. bonus? bonus.

anywho, on to pizza (cheese) and top gear!
-matt-

a belated

2009-01-11T19:33:00.004-06:00

happy new years!

just got home from a week-ish long national guard thing. it was actually alot of fun. i play guitar for our dixieland jazz band, and we toured a bunch of small town high schools in southwestern north dakota. at most of the places we played we were the first live music act that the kids had seen in at least a year or two. sure it's dixie (lamestyle jazz), but almost all of the kids we played for really got into it.

i'm almost done reading gandhi's autobiography, and over the past few days i've been trying out being a vegeterian! gandhi thought that everyone should at least try it for a few weeks. it's definitely not going to be a permanent thing, but when i think of chickens with cut-off beaks, born and raised just to be overfed, cut open, and wrapped in plastic for our convenience....it kind of makes me want to not contribute to it. it honestly makes me sick. so anyways, i think i'm going to shoot for a vegetarian january, and then afterwards i'm going to try to eat significantly less meat. thanks gandhi!!! (for everything)

what else....OH! i know! one of my bestest friends in the whole wide world who i didn't think i'd get to see again for quite awhile is still in town! his train got cancelled....and hopefully this next round of snow that we're supposed to get tonight will cancel tomorrow's too.... i believe we're going to watch wall-e tonight with his fiancee (i STILL almost typed girlfriend!) which i have been wanting to see FOREVER. i have no idea how it's taken me this long, it definitely looks like my kind of movie.

this was going to be longer, but i guess we're heading to video magic NOW to get movies.
peace!

p.s. expect a top-10 sort of post about 2008 within the next day or so.
p.p.s. expect blitzen trapper's, sigur ros', and okkervil river's new album to all make the cut!

A matter of perspective?

2008-12-22T00:18:00.010-06:00

Tonight I’m looking up at streetlights,
wondering what I’d think if I’d never seen them,
tirelessly showering my street with photons of artificial white.

Tonight someone without streetlights is also looking up,
wondering what they’d think if they’d never seen the stars,
night's iridescent whisperings of eternity, breathtakingly bright.

It’s kind of funny that what we're each individually wondering,
would probably answer the other’s question,
while we both look upwards tonight.

g'night,
matt.

with friends like these...

2008-12-19T00:33:00.007-06:00

so, while i was having the time of my life in paris, this is what those other 3 cheeky fuckers were doing in switzerland: convincing random people from literally all over the world to (violently and aggressively) verbally insult me. i might be a bit biased, but this is my new favorite youtube video (with the "literal version of take on me" in a close second.)

watching this video makes me even more happy that i stayed in paris for an extra week. in fact, it makes me wish i would've ditched you guys in belgium! i know i could've biked alot further...
but truly, pure cinematic genius. i think the academy needs to give "best editing" to andrew walter. if not, it'll be the biggest mistake since "return of the king" beat "lost in translation" for best picture. OR when "crash" somehow won over "munich."
and i'd like to think that best supporting actress should go to the guy from ireland who tries to say that chelsea ISN'T the best football club in the world. that must've taken some serious acting skill to actually look like he believed that nonsense... incidentally, i've no clue as to what else he said. well, except for arsehole. that part's my fav.

anywho, i'm off to my nice warm bed and part two of anna karenina. which, if you didn't know was a book, would sound kind of dirty. i hope you enjoyed the video as much as i do!

-matt-

p.s. if anyone can tell me what the spanish girl says, i'd appreciate it mucho.

p.p.s. a few slight factual errors:
i've never "had relations" with anyone named shannon.
and also, i did not go to high school with that guy.
i do not own a handbag.
i'm not blond. (though my hair does turn, admittedly, a bit lighter in the summer.)
i don't shave my legs like a girl.
i only sit down to pee if i'm inebriated at someone else's place. common courtesy, and i'd expect you to do the same at my home.
i am, and this is provable by basic science, not a twat.
i do not throw a baseball like a girl, in fact i throw a baseball more like nolan ryan.
and the guy who makes a reference to my UNDERAGE sister? i've never met him, but he is a sick, sick person and clearly needs some sort of counseling.

brrr.

2008-12-14T16:31:00.003-06:00

everything is so peaceful and white outside. looking out our front window, it's a winter wonderland that i'd like to go outside and adventure in!
but then, you actually go outside. and it's physically painful when you come back inside and your face, fingers, feet, and ears thaw out. SO, moral of the story: adventuring in negative 42 degree weather is a bad plan.

last night a couple girls i work with at barnes and noble threw a big B&N Ugly Christmas Sweater party. all in all, i'd say it was a great time! you should have seen the zip-up-kindergarten-teacher-during-the-winter cardigan sort of thing i found at walmart. to give you some small grasp of just how tacky it was, a large faux-snowflake hangs from the zipper on the front. i think the snowflake may be beaded? without giving you too many details, i think it may be my new favorite article of clothing. but rather than describe that, i should probably just say that it was a pretty massive night. i think? OH, fun quick story: one of the guys there knew a small bit of sign language, and we made THE BEST game out of it. he'd sign something, and the rest of us would have to try and guess what it meant. whoever got the closest got a jello shot, and if everyone was way off, the guy doing the signing got the shot as a reward. needless to say, i think that guy got pretty messed up. one of my greatest disappointments of 2008 was not being able to guess "friendly llama" when he signed it. the llama part of it was so obvious!

literarily speaking, i think i may have a new top 5 author. jhumpa lahiri. i haven't read "the namesake" yet, but i've read "interpreter of maladies," and i'm halfway through her new collection of short stories. she has this simple, and perfect, way of telling a story. by the end of a 20-40ish page story, you're more connected to her characters than most characters from well written novels. her stories hit you in a place that most literature doesn't, you know, that place where it's usually life that's doing the hitting. i think the only way you'll know what i'm trying to say is if you pick up "interpreter of maladies" or "unaccustomed earth" and read for yourself. i think you'll agree with me, and then you'll probably write a blog and tell your friends to read her as well. hopefully you can describe the magical way she paints life with words better than i can.

there sure isn't anything like a hot cup of tea on a (life-threateningly) cold day!
-matt-

pancakes sound so good right now.

2008-12-12T14:37:00.004-06:00

how long has it been since you've had a good plateful of pancakes? for me, it seems like an eternity. food for thought, i guess.

being as i don't really have anything important to say, i'll say this instead:
i need a new pair of shoes. my socks get wet whenever i walk over snow.
i blame my longboard.

and, since i still have nothing of significance to report, i'll say this as well:
i sometimes dream what life would be like if north dakota had an indoor frolf course.

and lastly, just to take up a little bit more space:
i need to go places. about one week after getting home from backpacking, the comfort of home and familiarity turned into the deepest sort of longing to be on a plane or train to a new place.
i'm not sure if home will ever quite feel like home again until it's a home that i've created with someone else.
i sometimes feel like i'm standing on a diving board that's attached to a moving vehicle, and all i'm waiting for is the right pool, but the car keeps driving up and down the same street. i think part of the reason i miss travel so much is because everyday felt like diving into the right place.

anywho, toodle-loo!
-matt-

it's been 18 days

2008-11-30T14:31:00.003-06:00

since my last post.

a few interesting developments have developed.
BOTH of my computers are dead. the ibook is gone for good (motherboard....motherfuck.), and the dell is presumably fixable, but that takes cash, and cash could go towards a glossy new macbook.
i have to confess, i still remember the days when i didn't have a cell phone with a smile on my face. in fact, i would love nothing more than to throw my brick of a flip-phone off of a tall building, but i don't have the courage.
now when it comes to my computer, i would also have loved to destroy it. possibly office space style. but in all honesty, i'd never have enough conviction to actually do that. now that it's happened naturally, life has been great! i suppose that i'm "less connected" to people and all of that, but really, how well connected does facebook really help us be? if the only news you've heard of a former classmate or friend getting engaged, or hit by a meteor, or attacked by an angry hoard of rabbits, is through facebook, chances are you weren't really connected to that person in the first place.
that's not the point that i want to make at all though.
without a whirring hunk of silicone, plastic cords, and an lcd screen sitting on my desk, it's literally covered in books now. in the past 2 weeks i've read more books than i have in the past 2 months! all because of the simple fact that i no longer have a computer in my room to distract me.
i think the only thing that could make me more content with my current technological situation would be my cell phone dying. or spontaneously combusting. or being stolen.
well, that and buying a typewriter. which i was going to do until my computers died.

so i guess that's the update on my life over the past couple weeks. working in a bookstore. reading lots of books. and not wasting away hour upon hour of my life sitting at a keyboard on the internet.

hopefully soon i'll be blogging from a new macbook. we'll see. peace!
-matt-

and old poem, and a promise to carry out a previous promise.

2008-11-12T19:16:00.004-06:00

so for the past hour or so, i've been sitting here at my trusty old dell, reading through ALOT of old papers and short stories and poems and other things that i've written for school over the past couple of years. most of it blows, lots of it is below average, and a few things i'd kind of like to edit a bit, because i think they would've had potential if they wouldn't have been rushed (everything i've ever written for school has always been last minute, which i hate about myself). anyway, i figured i'd share an old poem with you!
it's about how silly war is, especially when it’s based on a bad decision. i wrote it in a nursery rhyme sort of scheme to help convey a sense of how blatantly dumb the concept of war is. i also figured that i'd use countries that are close to us, because i think part of the reason people don't realize how pointless war is, is because of how far away and abstract it always seems to be. well it's not. the world is actually a pretty small place, and getting smaller (read some freidman).

Vengeance Blinds.

A small group of Americans,
allegedly Hispanic, from Vermont.
These men hate Canada,
fiery death is what they want.

This small group of Americans
strap explosives to their chests.
Vancouver, Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal.
They figure crowds are probably best.

Four watches simultaneously beep.
Four fingers, synchronized, depress.
Thousands die instantly, in a blink.
It’ll be endless pain for the rest.

The world mourns. Canada cries out,
“Vengeance! Let not a one die in vain!”
All the men in suits and ties consent,
“Clearly, it is Mexico where these killers train!”

They proclaim, “Patriots! Honor your country,
join us. Put down your hockey sticks!
One shot one kill, fight for those lost,
unleash our wrath on these spics.”

So to Mexico the Canadians go,
bringing guns, bombs, planes, and hate.
Mexico City’s streets erupt in gunfire
and explosions, forever increasing in rate.

Though not sure why they’re being attacked,
the Mexican Militia arrive quickly to defend.
Now five years later, the bombs never stop.
Most have forgotten how to even hope for an end.

And look, on the side of the street, another.
Another child, killed by the blast
of a makeshift roadside bomb
meant to hit the enemy driving past.

And still, after hundreds of thousands more are dead,
the collective cry still reverberates, “Revenge.”

and just so you know, i haven't forgotten about my promise to post frolf pictures. i promise that i'll make good on that promise soon. i also might post some more writing, we'll see!

peace,
matt.

there might be something wrong with me.

2008-11-09T13:46:00.005-06:00

because i've been home for less than a month, and all i can think about is where else i could be. it's a pretty long list of "where-elses."

in other news, i got hired at barnes and noble, where i'll be working full time until classes start in january. i've worked 4 days there so far, and it's pretty cool. my favorite thing that i technically get paid to do is to open up awful looking romance novels and read one random sentence to someone else. always entertaining. usually kind of gross. and, one time, completely inappropriate.

within the next couple of days i'll post those frolf pictures that i promised awhile ago!

see ya later,
matt.

wow.

2008-11-05T20:01:00.002-06:00

IF there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.
It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It’s the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.
I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he’s fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation’s next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House. And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics – you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you.
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington – it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.
It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.
I know you didn’t do this just to win an election and I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor’s bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek – it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers – in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.
Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down – we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security – we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright – tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.
For that is the true genius of America – that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing – Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America – the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

it will take 120 minutes to properly get from 1:00 to 2:00.

2008-11-02T01:18:00.007-05:00

is what i keep thinking.

tonight the clock goes from 1-2 twice.

an annual hiccup in the fabric of time.

i'd take advantage of it if i didn't have to be up so early.

sometimes a hotel room, late at night, with no roommate, and a great book, is the best thing in the world.

lastly, i'd like to take back what i said about sarah palin. she is not a monstrous woman. i'm sure in real life she's a fairly pleasant person to be around. i'd like to stick up for her -without voting for her- and say that she's just under the influence of politics. maybe i'm a bit of an idealist, but i believe that a person wouldn't waste their time with running for a public office if they didn't truly have good intentions. why would anyone put their family and friends through such ridiculously close scrutiny if they didn't hope to make the world a better place through their efforts? i think one of my greatest personality traits is empathy. yet sometimes with people i don't know, especially in politics and rap music, i tend to jump to hasty, and occasionally nasty, conclusions. so dear sarah palin, i apologize. i guess i made the same sort of mistake that you have been making so often: speaking (though in my case, writing) purely from a gut reaction without taking the time to properly consider the concepts of perception and truth.

i know i said "lastly" up there ^

but, one more thing:

i realized that i've missed driving long distances. i think being behind the wheel of a car, on a 4+ hour drive, is my favorite time to think.

peace,

matt.

an epic frolf odyssey.

2008-10-31T01:11:00.003-05:00

i have guard band this weekend, so i'm off to fargo.
if you know me, you know that i don't particularily enjoy very many aspects of the national guard... but, this weekend, i'm making a lemon meringue pie out of lemons!
my goal is to be out of minot good and early, and play every course along my way.
washburn. bismarck (hillside and sibley, but not mandan...). jamestown's klaus park. fargo/moorhead (oak grove and woodlawn).
i'm going to hopefully borrow my parents' fancy canon powershot and take some pictures along the way. then when i get home, i'll upload a bunch of pictures on here, so you can see what my friday was filled with.
well, one episode of arrested development, then bedtime.
peace!
-matt-

really?

2008-10-30T08:15:00.008-05:00

sarah palin.
the fact that this monstrous woman could be one heartbeat away from the presidency of the most powerful nation on earth is terrible. i honestly don't understand how anybody with the capacity for intelligent thought could even begin to think about electing a person who blatantly make things up. it also scares me that she seems to think it's a terrible thing to have friends or colleagues that have different opinions or worldviews. if this monumentally unintelligent and shallow woman ever becomes partially in charge of our country, i'll be absolutely ashamed of the american people. but on the upside, it would just be another great reason to move to paris!

to me, this was the scariest part of the couric interview. and it's even more ridiculous than anything tina fey said in any of her amazing impressions. tina fey makes me laugh until my tummy hurts. and, for this interview, i'd like to give katie couric a high-five.

katie couric: you recently said 3 times that you would never "second guess israel if that country decided to attack iran." why not?
palin: we shouldn't second guess israel's security efforts because we cannot ever afford to send a message that we would allow a second holocaust, for one. israel has got to have the opportunity and ability to protect itself, they are our closest ally in the mideast. we need them and they need us, and we shouldn't second guess their effort.
katie couric: you don't think the united states is within its rights to express its position to isreal, and if that means second guessing or discussing an option?
palin: no absol....we need to express our rights and our concerns and uh...
katie couric: but you said "never second guess them."
palin: we don't have to second guess what their efforts would be if they believed that is...that it is...their country and their allies, including us, all of our best interest, to fight against a regime, especially iran who would seek to wipe them off the face of the earth, it it it...it is obvious, to me, who the good guys are in this one, and who the bad guys are. the bad guys are the ones who say israel is a stinking corpse and should be wiped off the face of the earth. that's not a good guy who would say that. now one who would seek to protect the good guys in this, the leaders of israel, and her friends, her allies including the united states, in my world, those are the good guys.

ok i'll be done now, i'm sure that 90% of you wonderful people that would ever read my blog already agree with me. i guess i just needed to express a little bit of my frustration with the way a large chunk of our country thinks (actually, i'm not sure if "thinks" is the right word). can you imagine how horrified our founding fathers would be to see how palin and mccain have conducted the last few weeks of their campaign? i used to like john mccain, alot. it's sad to see what running for president can do to people whose convictions are not strong enough to keep them from descending into spouting whatever sort of negative nonsense and blatant untruths it takes to gain a few points back in the polls. especially when it's all based on fear. i would've never guessed that john mccain would be one of them.

i wish john steinbeck was still around, because i think he'd have some pretty choice words.
plus, how awesome would it be if my all-time favorite writer was still alive. i'd send him so many letters that he'd HAVE TO reply, and then meet me for a few drinks someday. preferably in paris!

well, i'm going to hop in bed for a couple more hours of sleep. i'm actually not quite sure why i'm awake right now and writing on here...

i'll close with this, one of my favorite steinbeck quotes.
i'm happy to tell you that it has nothing to do with politics.

"I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit."
-John Steinbeck.

p.s i'd like to throw this out there, yet again. if you are reading this and you don't have your own blogspot blog: MAKE ONE. and, if you are reading this and you do have a blogspot blog, but you haven't posted in awhile: YOU SHOULD.

a soundtrack for a blog.

2008-10-29T13:48:00.002-05:00

All four of these tracks have great lyrics, but one specific line from track 2 is one of my all time favorites.

"i'd like to marry all of my close friends and live in a big house together by an angry sea."
i like that. alot.

if you take the time to listen to all 4 of these songs, i hope you enjoy them just as much as i do.

i think i'm going to try and update this blog at least every other day, and i've decided that a mixtape will be a weekly thing. maybe starting next monday.

well, back to watching arrested development from my nice warm bed. jealous?
-matt-

some reading.

2008-10-28T17:28:00.003-05:00

if you're at all interested in the election and the new direction our country could be headed, you should read this.
i think it might just be one of the best campaign speeches i've ever read.

barack obama's closing argument speech

that's all for now.
-matt-

a beginning.

2008-10-28T00:37:00.003-05:00

hi.
i've decided to not add any more nonsense to my europe blog.
this is where i'll be occasionally writing random things, and also writing about how i should really sit down to write more often. mostly it's for myself, because it's fun to go back and read what your past self wrote about, and the older it gets, the more entertaining! for example, a few times a year i'll go back and read my old xanga blog.

so, quick update on my life now that i'm back home:
the past week or so has been absolutely filled with doing whatever i feel like doing, which has been mostly hanging out with a few of my best friends that are around: michael, will, my cousin tyler, family, and oddly, i didn't get sick of him...andy. they'll never quite know how thankful i am that they exist, because without them here in minot, i'd be absolutely miserable to be home. i'll try not to mention europe too much in this blog, BUT, i do need to say that if i learned anything during the trip, it's this:
people are the largest factor that determine how i feel about a place.
this is why i fell in love with paris, and it's also why i'll always be tied to minot...whether i like it or not.
right, so on with life update!
i love my friends that i've been spending time with, is the point that i was trying to make.
in approximately 12 hours i have a job interview at barnes & noble! i applied there, and at starbucks. i think i'd probably rather work at starbucks, because it's probably slightly more money, and andy works there, BUT, they haven't called me back, and i think i'd love either job. so we'll see what they have to say at the interview tomorrow.
another thing i really need to do within the next few weeks is head to MSU and talk to a few professors. i've been planning on graduating with a double major in english ed and special ed, but i've realized that what i'm truly passionate about teaching is reading and writing. so i might talk to my advisor and see how much time/money it would save me to just do special ed as a minor. because if i could shave a semester off, i would absolutely love it. i'm getting sick and tired of classes. higher education, especially in the english field, has basically become a boring form of theatre, where the professor is a terrible actor, out to prove their intellectual superiority. not all of them, but enough that i think it's a fairly accurate generalization. i guess the real reason i'd like to get done as soon as i can is to prove to myself that i can become a great teacher, and even more exciting to me: start REALLY learning.

so yeah, quick summary:
a.) i've been having a wonderful time with some of my best friends.
b.) i have a job interview at barnes & noble tomorrow.
c.) i'll probably spend half of my paychecks on books there.....
d.) i am getting slightly restless about school.
e.) i honestly can't wait to be a teacher.

that's enough for now.
and, i don't think that this blog is going to always be a "this is what's happening in my life" sort of thing. i think usually it will just be totally random observations or comments on life in general.

it seems like my blog posts usually fit 2 categories:
1.) long, tedious, and dull. or
2.) quick, clever, and entertaining.
this one, i'm sad to report, is definitely a category 1. sorry.
one of my biggest hopes is that someday i'll find a way to combine the two categories, but as for now, i'm aware of how wordy this is getting, so i'll say goodnight.
goodnight for now!
-matt-

p.s. if you're reading this, i wish you'd start a blog! this could be really fun if a bunch of us started writing and commenting a few times a week.