First Post in So Long

I have unintentionally neglected this blog for quite some time, and for that I apologize. I will try to be more thorough about getting new posts up, but as the semester continues to grind along I am getting busier and busier with various projects.

I am continuing to review products for Blogcritics.org, and I have actually fallen a little behind in my reviews. I have two television series I need to publish a review for, in addition to several documentaries. I also some products I need to review in other publications. I plan on writing for the local campus newspaper, The Oklahoma Daily.

I watched the movie Paranormal Activity yesterday at the Warren Theater in Moore. This movie has received a ton of buzz after a fantastic marketing campaign that features the terrified reactions of audience members. Also, the movie's budget was a paltry 15,000 dollars.

Whenever I watch a movie that has such a vast amount of hype behind it, often times I leave the theater disappointed. Sure enough, the same amount of people told me that Paranormal Activity was overrated as those that told me it was positively horrifying. I was extremely excited to see the movie, but after getting some lukewarm feedback I tempered my expectations slightly.

The movie ended up being very frightening. The story is told in a pseudo-real manner, and no credits run (except one, to establish copyright). The entire movie was filmed in just one week. I really enjoyed it, but I fear that a whole slew of copycat movies will flood the theaters now because this low budget horror movie has become such a rousing success.

Next week is homecoming, so I expect I will be rather busy with various school-spirit-motivated deeds. I hope that the weather is nice for the parade on Saturday. I'll check in with a post-homecoming update, for sure.

Great Lake Swimmers Concert

Friday evening a band called Great Lake Swimmers performed a free concert in Meacham Auditorium in the Oklahoma Memorial Union. This band is not merely a local act desperately seeking recognition. Rather, Great Lake Swimmers are a Toronto based band with multiple successful albums who are leaving to tour Europe (again) next November. Fortunately, the University of Oklahoma has been privy to many fantastic concerts by amazing independent bands over the last several years, and there is no sign of this changing anytime soon.

In a few weeks, the hugely popular Owl City will perform on campus. Last year, Manchester Orchestra and Amos Lee played shows on campus. The Rocket Summer has played here on several occasions since I've been a student. There is ample opportunity for someone to see a great deal of really good concerts as long as they stay abreast of what the Campus Activities Council Concert Series Executive Committee is doing.

The Concert Series Exec is a group of students who schedule, promote, and work concerts that happen on OU's campus. From hanging up posters to chalking to carrying equipment to purchasing food and drink for the green room, Concert Series does the majority of the behind the scenes leg work that goes into making a show come to fruition.

I have been on this Exec since the first semester of my freshman year. As such, I have worked numerous shows. Each one is different, and new challenges constantly present themselves. I always enjoy being tasked with purchasing food for band members, especially when they request some obscure organic dish that is nearly impossible to track down in Norman, Oklahoma.

I am in no way complaining--I love being on this Exec. I am a big fan of music, so this is very fun for me. As the semester progresses I will post updates of upcoming shows and maybe even relay some entertaining behind the scenes tales, depending on if I will violating any statutes of limitations on outstanding warrants.

The Agony of Defeat...

Last night the University of Miami defeated the University of Oklahoma by a single point in a nationally televised football game. This marks the second defeat in four games for Oklahoma; the Miami team lost last week for the first time.

This loss upsets me because it essentially eliminates OU from playing in an illustrious bowl game at the season's conclusion. Instead, OU will most likely play in a mid-tier bowl against a decent opponent. If recent history is any indicator, the team will probably lose the bowl game too. (I realize I'm being overly pessimistic. Just give me some time to mourn.)

Tomorrow night, my beloved Green Bay Packers will take the field against bitter division rivals the Minnesota Vikings. This game is even more important than usual when you consider that current Vikings quarterback Brett Favre made his career with the Green Bay Packers for over a decade. Now he is wearing the purple and gold, and Packers fans across the nation all feel as if Mike Tyson circa 1987 personally punched them in the stomach.

I don't think I can properly describe how badly I want the Packers to win Monday night. I would classify the feeling as more of a need than a want. With Oklahoma's season in disarray, my one last bastion of football glory rests with the Packers. They lost in week two against the Bengals at home, but they absolutely trounced the Rams last week. A win on Monday night will see the Packers stand alone atop their division, while a loss will see Minnesota remain undefeated and poised to begin pulling ahead of the rest of the teams. in the NFC North.

So Monday night sit back, relax, and watch some intense football action. If there is any justice in the world the Packers will come out victorious, and I can step back from the ledge I will no doubt crawl onto.

A Little Bit of Everything

This post will fluctuate and cover many different topics and themes. Try and stay with me.

• My phone is really messed up. I need to get a new one. On Tuesday I drove forty-five minutes to the nearest store with a phone technician with the understanding that a simple part needed to be replaced to restore my phone to full working capacity. After the man replaced said part, he immediately noticed the continuing malfunctions. Thankfully, I was not charged for the services of the phone technician. The fact remains, however, that my phone is nearly useless. This upsets me.
• The Green Bay Packers football game is not on television for the second week in a row. This is bad for a few reasons. I really enjoy watching the Packers on Sundays. When their games are not shown, I want to stay abreast of what is happening, which means I usually watch other games and pay attention to the scores from around the league for updates. This actually keeps me from being productive and studying until the Packers game is over.
• I received the DVDs of the first season of a television program on DVD in the mail this week. The release date for these DVDs is not until the thirteenth of October, but I received mine on Friday. I am supposed to watch the program and write a review for a website. After my review is posted, the DVDs are mine to keep. I think this is a fantastic deal and I'm really happy about this agreement. The show is really entertaining, and the fact that I now have a fifty dollar DVD set that I didn't have to pay for really speaks for itself. Hopefully as the semester progresses I can get more good DVDs and books to review.

Have a good week!

High School Pal Shines

This has been a fantastic sports weekend. Yesterday the University of Oklahoma beat the oddly singular named Golden Hurricane of the University of Tulsa. The game ended up being an absolute blowout.

I enjoyed Saturday's game for a different reason than just the victorious efforts by Oklahoma. A boy from my high school is on the Tulsa football team. Now, many of my friends went to giant football powerhouse high schools in Texas. To these people, the idea of watching a high school classmate play college football is standard fare. The high school I graduated from, on the other hand, has had a notoriously incompetent football program for quite some time.

This football player graduated from high school the year after me, and he was red-shirted last year. In high school he was a quarterback, but at the collegiate level he has converted to defensive back.

Although he didn't start, my high school classmate saw limited playing time on punt and other special teams during the first half. During the second half, both teams began putting in backup players to give them some experience and to get the starters off the field and reduce their risk of injury.

Everyone within earshot of me had heard me talk about how I attended high school with one of Tulsa's defensive backs, so whenever he came onto the field to play I was very excited. He was involved with several tackles, much to my delight. Little did I know something even more exciting was about to happen.

Late in the game, my high school comrade caught an interception. It was a very poorly thrown pass by the quarterback that hit my friend right in the hands, but that in no way takes away from the accomplishment. At this point I had left the game and was watching the remainder of the game on television. I was very excited for my friend, and even though his team was losing by 40 points he was visibly elated. Good for him.

9-11

Today serves as a melancholy reminder of the worst tragedy that has taken place in my lifetime.

Dwelling on the events of September 11, 2001 for any extended amount of time only serves as an all-too-sobering reminder of how quickly things can change and how fragile lives can be. I promise this won't be a melodramatic bleeding heart post, but I'll just offer some food for thought before I change subjects. Be appreciative and don't take anything for granted because the people who went to work and boarded those plans that fateful Tuesday morning didn't plan on never seeing their loved ones again.

In other news, Thursday I saw Jerry Seinfeld perform stand-up comedy at the Oklahoma City Convention Center Music Hall. I have been a fan of his for years, but in December of 2008 I acquired the complete series of his television program on DVD. So in recent months I have gone from a casual fan to a more hardcore Jerry Seinfeld fanatic.

My father purchased tickets several months ago for my 21st birthday present, as the performance took place four days after my birthday. So my dad took the afternoon off and picked me up in Norman on the way to Oklahoma City for the show. We had a fantastic time eating and drinking before the show, and the stand-up act was the most entertaining I had ever seen. If ever I get the chance to see him again, I absolutely will travel a great distance and pay a large amount of money to make it happen.

Upon my return to Norman, the fun was just beginning. I went to The Deli and watched a band perform with some friends! I ended up staying up entirely too late, but I still made it to work on time at 8:30 the next morning. Sweet Victory.

Birthday Post!

Today, I turn 21 years old. At this time in 1988, I was not quite 12 hours old.

As previously mentioned, I have been desperately staving off illness the last few days. With the long Labor Day weekend coupled with my birthday, my mother recommended I come home to both heal and celebrate. Although I was at first reluctant, I did in fact return to my home town Friday afternoon.

My mother ended up being correct, as mothers are wont to do. I had a fantastically refreshing visit, and I have returned to Norman feeling as though I may not fall into the germ-infested clutches of all-out sickness.

I still have to talk about my first radio show, but today is my birthday. I can write a blog post any day of the week, but a birthday only comes once a year. So I'm off to celebrate for the evening!