April 15

Wow. So check this out errrbody, Mr. Rhett Blankenship is moving to Washington D.C. He got an amazing job as of 5:14PM. I actually was at his place of work dropping something off when his phone rang. I realized it was something important when he immediately dashed outside to take the call. I didn't realize how important it actually was. So this is the "CONGTRATULATIONS, RHETT" post. Seriously, it was only a matter of time until something like this came up. A little sad that another good friend is moving away, but such is life. Now I have some pretty big decisions to make. What those may be...

See you at halftime,
B

April 14

It's official: Tori will be attending the University Of Redlands in California for grad-school. She's sending in a "no" to MSU tomorrow so as to give another student a spot in their program. Now begins the tedious preparation of planning a move in August to the Golden State - at least for a couple years. I guess that means I'll finally be visiting the West Coast and a few friends/family out there. Hmmm...

Other than that, I've just been keeping myself pretty busy with multiple projects. I'm trying to do simple word animations that have a smooth, clean look. I like what's been cooked up so far.

Depositing money is awesome. You don't feel as bad as when you're withdrawing it.

Aim and ignite,
B

April 13

It's the 13th o' April...and nothing special happened today. I was thinking I need to start organizing some of the paperwork I've accumulated over the past few months. I realize now how amazing file cabinets are...and how I wish I had room to put a couple in my room. Oh well.

The Pistons dug their own grave tonight. If they would have played with a little bit of effort (excluding McDyess, who always does) the past 2 games, Detroit may have been able to slide into the 6th seed and meet a Magic team we've eliminated from the playoffs the last 2 seasons - and swept this regular season. Instead, they decided to play lackluster defense down the stretch of both last night and tonight's games and lost in the final minute. We're still in the playoffs...but we get the 8th seed...against a crazy Cavaliers squad who, as much as I hate to admit, are playing out of their minds. It helps that LeBron James is a freak of nature, and could very well beat Chuck Norris in an arm wrestling match. So basically, we're F&$@ed. If we win 2 games, I'd be surprised. Stranger things have happened, though...

If anyone knows an easy way to convert DRM protected .WMA files to .MP3's on a Mac, let me know. I already tired the first pieces of software that come up via a Google search, so don't bother looking that way. Haha. If you know some amazing, secret software, I'd be forever grateful. For-ev-er.

I'm Good (Bret Hart),
B

April 12

Happy Easter. Just got back from an early dinner with the family and, let me tell you, I'm stuffed. That was some great food. Amazing prime rib, leg o' lamb, macaroni and cheese, bread, lemonade, apple pie. Mmmm. Good people, good food, good day. That's really about all that went on today. Tori left to go back to State earlier this afternoon because she was scheduled to work at Barnes & Noble. If Best Buy is closed today, why in the hell are they even opened? Who knows.

In other news, the Tigers ended up scoring 6 runs in the bottom of the 8th to beat the Texas Rangers 6-4. I only got to see the first few innings before we had to get together with the family, and by then we were behind 0-4. Not a great start, but a fantastic ending...which I didn't see. No worries, though. There are 4,395 games in the MLB regular season (slight exaggeration).

Labi, this is tough, nobody killed it yet,
B

April 11

I'm writing this entry now because I was just eliminated from a family game of "Dumb & Stupid." It's basically a marathon of random card games that tend to be...well, the opposite of Bridge. Fun times, indeed. Went to an early morning meeting at the Buy and found out we're changing our operating model. It doesn't effect me, but does some good friends (unfortunately). Someone will be "demoted" by April 27, and if it's a specific someone, I'm pretty sure my last day will be April 27. We'll see what happens, though. I hope the best. I had to work a measly mid-shift and quickly returned home to await the family's arrival. Great ham dinner was served with all the fixings and some nice birthday cake (Aunt and Uncle) followed. That's about all for now. Sister's back for the night and I'm not tired.

Oh, you should've seen me a couple of years ago,
B

April 10

Today was a lot of getting ready for the weekend. Tomorrow the entire family is headed over for some dinner (including sister coming home) and Sunday we're headed out with my Grandma and Grandpa for, you guessed it, another dinner. Lots o' food. Love it.

Oh, so tired,
B

April 9

I'm tired out and heading to the bed. Before I do, though, I figured I'd let you all know how my night at the casino went. I came out ahead $40. Haha...that's it. I know, not too exciting. The $2o I went in with went through a roller coaster of a ride until I hit 4 Aces on a Double Bonus Poker machine and it turned into $85. I cashed out, gave a small amount to Brandon, and took $20 and tried again. Nothing. So, in the end, $40 up. I likes it. This much closer to ordering another external hard drive, now.

At least I'm not as sad as I used to be-e-e-eee,

B

April 8

I got up this morning and had some more amazing errands to run. I don't want to tell you how much fun I had, because it'd probably get you all jealous. Hint of sarcasm? Maybe. Anyway, I got back home and headed out to meet Rhett at his place o' business to pick up a hard drive filled with 1080i'd goodness. Or at least we thought...until it refused to work properly on my computer. So we decided I should head over to his place later tonight and work on the raw footage there. Good idea. So after dinner I headed to Owosso (at 7:00PM) and left around...1:50AM-ish. Yeah, that's about right. I was going to stop and get some food, but by the time I got back to Flint, everything had closed - except WacArnolds. And I can't stand no WacArnolds. So I'm sitting here, snacking on left-overs, and typing on a laptop. Tomorrow I think Brandon, Laura, and I will be heading up to Saginaw and then to a casino - where I plan to gamble away all my drinkin' money. I've built up a pretty decent amount, considering the amount of alcohol consumed by this guy is equal to the number of blue-footed-boobies you've spotted at your local park today (the bird...don't get nasty on me). OH, guess what. The Tigers and Pistons both won tonight. Cools.

Within his dreams he sees the life he made,

B

April 7

Still trying to get over the big loss last night. So lame. Oh well, hopefully all our players will come back next year and we can attempt another run. Today I was busy running around and working on a few projects. I have a ton of laundry to do tomorrow, so here's looking forward to that. The Tigers lost their second game of the season tonight in a heart-breaker. Seriously, Edwin Jackson pitched an amazing game into the 8th inning and our bullpen F*&#'d it all up. I hope this doesn't become a trend AGAIN. Oh, sports. The Hold Steady's new album came out today. I'm thinking of picking it up, but I haven't heard a thing about. I guess that's what the internet is for. Oh, technology. Doubt also was released on DVD. Oh, Netflix.

Oh darling,
B

April 6

We got blown out of the building tonight. On top of that, the Tigers also had their asses kicked in Toronto. Way to end one season and start another. Not really in the mood to say anything else. Sorry.

Out,
B

April 5

Today was relatively easy. I drove over to Laura's again for Sunday dinner with the gang. Hung out afterward and watched The Lucky Ones which starred Tim Robbins, Rachel McAdams, and Michael Pena. It was a good flick. Everyone felt like playing a little Euchre action so we threw down a best 2-of-3. Matt and I ended up winning in the third round on the last hand. Final score: 10-9. Nice. The clock showed it had passed 12:30 so we left...but it wasn't that easy. See, I like snow, I'll admit it. But not in April...and not a blizzard (we're expecting 5" - 8" tonight). Driving home on the expressway in that was terrible. No...it was TRRRBLE! I was going about 45 mph and felt I should slow down. I can't believe the weather outside of my window. Just imagine some really thick, nasty snow/rain/ice mix. It's like mini-snowballs falling from the sky. These flakes be HUGE, SON! But I'm home now. And warm. And dry. So life is good. MICHIGAN STATE vs. NORTH CAROLINA TOMORROW NIGHT FOR THE NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP!!! YOU BETTER BE IN FRONT OF A TELEVISION!!! GET READY!!! 9:21 PM!!! WOOO!!!

Green and white are sexy,

B

April 4

MICHIGAN STATE DEFEATED CONNECTICUT 82-73 AND WILL BE GOING AGAINST THE WINNER OF THE NORTH CAROLINA/VILLANOVA GAME ON MONDAY NIGHT!!! WOOO!!!

LET'S GO STATE,
B

April 3

Busy day again. I left in the morning to check out this "Ritz Camera going out of business" situation. Come to find out, the Ritz store by me is one of the 3xx stores that will be closing, but they haven't received word from corporate on when/if any items will be going on sale or liquidated. However, anything you buy from there from this point forward is sold as is. You will not be allowed to return anything. Basically...until you see any "going out of business" or "liquidation" signs posted on your local Ritz, just avoid the damn store.

Next I headed out to Owosso to meet up and catch up with one Ryan VanLoon. He took me to his current place of employment where he has a nice mini-production studio set up with editing bay. For a place to get away and just focus on work, I enjoyed it. Next we stopped to get a bite to eat at a local sandwich joint (which is amazing) and ran into Nic, Jon, and Travis. We pulled up a table and took some time to chat. Nic had just gotten back from his "Kettering job" yesterday, Jon's birthday is coming up, and Travis was having a good ol' time (like we all were). Conversation went from what we were ordering, to Face Off, to cannibalism, to Jon's Uncle's amazing basement - not particularly in that order. Next was the bank, then to the guys' church to see all the renovations, then back to Ryan's. Come to find out, his Dad took the GM buyout and their family is moving within the next few weeks. Also, Ryan's contemplating going to school in Virginia for his Masters degree (he'll be visiting the campus next week). This came as a bit of a shock, but I wished him and his family the best. They're good people.

I headed on back to Creek and stopped by The Cage to see Brandon for a while. Hung out there, had some food (thanks to Aubrey for picking it up), and closed down the place. While I was in town, I stopped by Mike Jones' to see if he was ready for tomorrow. Yes...he is. Should be a good time. Hell, a great time. Nothing like BWW's and a game or 2.

Finally, I headed on home and turned my computer on. Boom. Here we are. I recommend all of you to find a TV at 6:07 PM EST tomorrow. Whichever way the ball rolls, it should be entertaining. That's all I'm hoping for...that and a STATE WIN!!! We'll see.

LET'S GO STATE,
B

April 2

Charles Hamilton doesn't sleep. It's official. What's also official is he's by far one of my favorite hip-hop artists right now; Especially after the release of his latest mixtape, At Most I'm Just..., early this morning. You know why this mixtape is amazing? Because it's all Incubus. Seriously, you all need to hear this (Mike...Meg...). Follow the link above and download. Sonic the Hamilton has stated in different interviews before how he's always been a huge fan of Incubus' music. He's mentioned how Brandon Boyd's mannerisms and way of thinking of have been an inspiration to him and his creativity in the studio. Here's a snipet of an interview he did where his fatuation with said band was mentioned:

"Whenever I turned off one of my songs, and I wanted to feel like someone understood, I would put on an Incubus song. I wrote a song called 'Anger Management' and the whole concept was I have a flea collar on...and that sucks. And then I listened to 'The Warmth' on Make Yourself. Don't let the world bring you down. Not everyone here is that f'd up and cold. It's like, OK, I don't. So I need to stay out of the zones that I go into and I write and accept them as creative thinking modes as opposed to actual state of being zones that I can live in and have people fuck with me in my head with. Listenin' to Incubus was like, yo, these was the hardest melodies I've ever heard and this dude is writin' some soft, emo lyrics and I'm like you are the most tough, punk ever as a songwriter, Brandon. Cause, it's like, he's comin' from the heart with brass knuckles."

Awesome. I've said before, Incubus will be - to me - one of those bands I'll always be a huge fan of. I'll always buy the newest album and look forward to the next concert. They're everlasting. And I love the Charles Hamilton feels the same.

Brandon and Jimi talk fire,
B

April 1

April FOOLS.

It's a joke that I'm posting this early, but I have to get some of these down before I forget. Thus far today there have been some great April Fools pranks that I've either heard or read about. The first involves the Michigan State basketball team. Apparently some local radio station earlier this morning announced that a few unnamed players from MSU were going to be suspended for the weekend (Final Four) for their involvement in an illegal gambling ring and other tomfoolery. That resulted in said station's phone lines blowing up with angry callers; None of whom gave a thought to the day they were calling on.

Next is a video that leaked involving Nintendo's Wii and the game Super Smash Bros. Brawl. A third party publisher known as "Wii Expand" demoed their new downloadable content for the game which gives it Mortal Kombat-style violence and gore. Blood gushing from uppercuts and kicks, Mario being decapitated, etc. The video game industry loves April 1 for reasons such as these. So many things to make up. Good looking fake video, though. For you 360 enthusiasts, try this one on for size.

This one may be my favorite. Early - and I mean early - this morning, news broke that BitTorrent giant PirateBay had finally settled it's drawn out lawsuit with Warner Bros...in the form of the U.S. media conglomerate buying the website for $13 BILLION (10 Billion Euros). Hahaha. Awesome. Reports indicated that after Warners got the notion that the to-be-rendered verdict was going to fall against them, they decided on buying their long time opponent. For $13 Billion. Hahaha. Awesome. Dig the header image on PirateBay's website.

Hahaha. Awesome.

Here's some more fake fun from today:

• Mark Cuban announced via his Twitter account that he has just purchased a majority share of the Los Angeles Lakers from Jerry Buss.  He said that if L.A. were not to win the title this year, he'd make lopsided trades to bring over Dirk Nowitzki and others to the Lakers to guarantee a championship next season.  (Credit: Forum Blue and Gold)
• A pair of Christopher Nolan/Batman tidbits: The first came from JoBlo.com where it was announced the new film would be tentatively titled Battle For Gotham, have an "R" rating, co-star Johnny Depp as The Riddler, and - with the help of James Cameron - feature a "computer-generated version of Heath Ledger as The Joker using ultra-realistic texture-mapping and advanced personality algorithms designed by Cameron's company."  Wow.  Another website (NolanFans.com) released a statement that gave the new Batman film the title Badman Redemption with a summer of 2011 release date.
• 2011 pops up again in this post from About.com.  I'm excited to say that Apple Computers are getting into the automotive industry with their just announced iCar.  It will be available in three models: The iCar Nano, iCar Pro, and iCar Air, with a lower cost version known as the iCar Shuffle to be released the next year.  Just read the article.  Hilarious.
• Yahoo announced it's new "Ideological Search" that allows users, for the first time, to search the interwebs for information that filters out only Democratic or Republican results.  Just click on the donkey or elephant icon, type in a few keywords, and bada-boom, you're subject to information more biased than any programming on Fox News or MSNBC.  Awesome.  Speaking of Fox News...Glen Beck.  No, that's all.  That's the joke.

I love that this actually turned into a decent size post.  Besides coming across some amazing fake news - that didn't involve Fox News for once (Sad Trombone) - I was busy working in AE on a few things.  That's about it for today.

So I grab my bags and go,
B