I Wish It Was Real

Just got back from the Training Trip yesterday. Real post to follow sometime soon. For now though, some unoriginal content. Super Mario Brothers Fake Video Game Trailer as done by Rockstar Games (the guys that do GTA):

Flowchart Blogging

This is a "hello, it's been a while" post so it will have a wide breadth of topic and thin grasp on organization. I've created a flowchart to help you navigate it and make the most fruitful use of your time possible.

FLOWCHART!!!

Yes the flowchart is clickable, try it!

The Jump!
First off, I've messed around with our template code a little bit to make our blog just a bit more professional. The first change is that our template is now compatible with jump breaks. Follow the jump to read more!

Why I'm not coaching anymore

I was threatened with this. It was unjust and untrue but sometimes girls just have leverage on you.
It sucks and is a load of this.

Bottom Line: Be Careful of Who You Date



So here yah go.

Sexual Harassment Panda
Tags: SOUTH
PARKmore...

It's business time.

Enough with the jokes, friends. It's business time. Actually, it's stream-of-consciousness music review time, but that's just semantics (by using the aforementioned phrase, I am implying that the point is purely a verbal quibble and in fact, nothing more. In this case, it's not really a verbal quibble at all, but actually a correction of my explanation of the proper type of "time" that it now is, so in retrospect I'm not sure why I said 'that's just semantics' so nevermind! (p.s. if you haven't watched that whole video, do it now!))

Anyway, this post is to inform you all of my latest musical entertainment. I've recently begun listening to The xx. They're a pretty awesome indie/electro/minimalist band from the inner city of London. They've picked up some pretty big awards in the past year or so, so it seems like I'm not the only one that thinks they're kind of a big deal. Their debut album, eponymously titled "xx", is wicked awesome.

Many of their songs feature both a male and a female vocalist. They work incredibly well together, and the chill, smooth beats that they vocalize with just make you want to do nothing but melt into the moment. The single from the album is "Crystalised" (yes, British spelling). The album shifts from faster (but mellow) tunes to slower (but equally mellow) tunes, undulating in pace up and down like a sine function (that's a positive, since it makes for variety) but never really changing the overall feel of mellowness that emanates throughout the entire album (also a positive, since it makes for a unified sound).

Notable songs on the album include "Islands" and "Night Time", but in reality, listen to the whole effen thing because it's just that good. I would like to think that you all could appreciate this music.

P.S. They also have done some sweet remixes, including one of Florence and the Machine's "You've Got The Love"

Señor Year

I haven't really checked in this year. And a lot has been going on in my life. So here we go:

Lets start with what's first: Location, Location, Location.
I've been settled in at 519 College for a little more than 2 months now. And its been pretty good. Some of you have been able to see and stay here, and saw that Pete's mom really did-up the place. We actually have been pretty good at keeping it clean too. Pete is a clean freak and Eric is just tidy. Dinger probably is the messiest, with me close behind. But I keep the messy to my room, not public spaces. There haven't been any conflicts yet, except Pete and Erin arguing over whether Frisbee is a sport (REALLY fun to watch - Pete doesn't consider diving or swimming a sport, btw). We've had some fun pre-gaming here, and the Alumni Party has been the only big rager. That's mostly because there's been big stuff goin on every Saturday night.
Other notables:
-We all, cept Pete, wanna bring Louise's dog down for a few weeks
-Pete never walks or bikes into campus - he drives.
-We call it our "Fake Nice House" because every once and a while something goes wrong or breaks or leaks (our front door literally fell off with the wind storm last week), but our landlord is a jolly guy who comes down the next day

Skool
I'm taking 3 of 12 credits of comps. Those three credits were gained when my comps proposal was accepted last week. Writing the proposal was difficult because it involved doing a lot a secondary research and finding a set of primary sources I was going to use. Something I should have done more in the summer, but did none of. So now I have 10 pages of my comps due the first day of Winter Term. We'll see how that pans out because currently I have not touched my comps binder since I turned in my proposal 3 weeks ago...

Next term is nice. One class (a 100 level African History Course) and 9 credits of comps. Holla.

I also decided that I am going to graduate early. Finances have a big role to play in the decision, but I also think that it will provide me with a lot of really cool options and opportunities with how to spend my time. I may audit a class, play around in Boliou (especially in the wheel-throwing studio - I miss it!), volunteer a lot more, study for and take the GRE, find a job, attend lectures and presentations, walk dogs, etc. I went in to talk to Hudlin Wagner and she said, "I think you should do it. It would give you an almost spiritual experience during your last few months here than many students don't get the time to have." Hm.. Dunno about the spiritual part, but it would give an experience that most people don't have while at Carleton (and during great weather). There is the other side of it too. For example, Hannah N. said, "Well that means, whenever I or anyone wants to drink, no matter what or when, you're gonna have no excuse not to." My pocketbook and my liver are cautiously excited.

Other Shtuff
A lot of personal shit has been going on too in my life. My dad is getting married this month. When did he decide to schedule the wedding for? Oh, just during Finals. Thanks dad. It is no doubt going to be a show. He also is moving from OP to Chicago - somewhere on the redline. The condo he just moved into a few years ago isn't big enough for him and his new wife (That sounds like a fat joke, but its not). I don't know the fiance very well, but she is a VERY good polish cook. And then my grandma died too? Did I mention I have pneumonia? That prevents me from being in the pool for at least 10 days. VERY frustrating. What an eventful month already!

But it's been a fun term though so far. Some of us tubed down the cannon the day before classes. Stevie P threw a hell of a inauguration ball, fireworks and all. Swimming was going great before I got sick. The freshman are a fun bunch. We had one of the better cocktail parties I've been to. And I attended the best Sayles dance ever (and I normally hate sayles dances) - lemme just say it was a big swimmer contingent in the core of the dance, we a had a fancy bottle of some pink drank, and the next day everyone called it "Sweatfest 2010" and was very sore.

Aight. That's all for now. I'll leave you with this:








Also, Elliot have fun in da OP!

Let me tell you a little story...

...about a man named Charlie Moore. Charlie, aged 51, lived a quiet and mediocre life in the 12th most populous city in our great country - San Francisco. Charlie had a wife of 26 years, whom he had met while attending the City College of San Francisco. Charlie and his wife, Lily, actually both were from the same area of the city, and had consequently spent much of their life within a twelve block radius of each other, but for whatever reason had never actually been introduced before. When they finally got to college, they met.

Charlie attended CCSF to study business, but his real passion was transportation. He figured that one day he would use his business degree to begin working for the local transit authority, and then eventually he would weasel his way into a training program to be a cable car operator. Since childhood, Charlie had watched, ridden, studied, and adored the cable cars of San Francisco. He had told himself for as long as he could remember that one day he would operate one of those beautiful things.

Lily attended CCSF to find a husband. She was a somewhat dim girl, but studied hard enough to get into college. She figured that if she got into a decent school, she could find a decent husband, and spent the rest of her life cooking, cleaning, and caring for her decent husband and the children of hers that he sired. What Lily studied at CCSF is irrelevant to this story, but since you're wondering, I'll tell you. She studied Child Development and Family Studies. Fitting, right?

After they both graduated, Charlie and Lily decided it would be best to stay in San Francisco. They were from the city, had lived their whole lives there, and frankly, they both loved it. "Why leave now?" they asked themselves. They were young, in love, and could be around their family. Plus, they were in a big city that offered many opportunities for Charlie to apply his knowledge from his CCSF business degree - there were many job opportunities.

For the next few years, Charlie and his wife lived in a decent-enough neighborhood eating decent-enough food. Charlie worked decent-enough hours, and they had a decent-enough social life. Overall, their life was quite, well, decent. Charlie had used his business education to get a job as a customer service manager in a call center at a local manufacturing facility. He made decent-enough money. His employees were decent-enough people. His boss, Lawrence, however, was less than decent. He was a vile, evil man that rarely if ever gave Charlie the benefit of the doubt with regard to anything. Lawrence was a narcissistic man, a neurotic man, and a tyrant. Charlie despised him, but given that Charlie was a decent-enough person, he didn't make that obvious. Charlie avoided Lawrence at all costs, and consequently his career path was secure, but stagnant.

Soon, Lily began to realize that their life was less than decent, as their friends all moved into better houses where they served arugula and organic beef tenderloin at their housewarming parties. Charlie and Lily would come home from these parties late in the evening, and have a glass of chillable red as a nightcap. It was clear that Charlie's employment situation was less than ideal. Given that Lily had a degree that was, well, worthless, it was up to Charlie to find a new job that would allow him to move up in the world.

Charlie took his experience to firms in many different fields. He interviewed with banks, manufacturing firms, non-profits, dispensaries. He had decent management skills, and he figured that these companies needed his expertise. However, they all said no. Flat-out. Nein. Nyet. And Charlie hadn't the vaguest idea as to why!

So, with Charlie swallowed his pride, took a month or two off, and thought for a while. He thought, and thought, and thought, and finally his mind wandered back to his childhood. Remembering those cable cars that he adored, he decided that since nothing else was working out for him, maybe he should pursue his dream. Charlie, self-assured as always, told his with Lily. He said, "Lily, I'm going to be a cable car operator."

Lily thought he was out of his mind. How could a cable car operator possibly make enough money to keep up with the Joneses, giving Charlie and Lily the opportunity to move to a bigger house, and host a housewarming party where they served organic beef tenderloin and fresh arugula tossed in a light balsamic dressing? As a cable car operator, they'd be stuck with their chillable red, Lily claimed. She told him she couldn't support it. She said, "No Charlie, I can't allow this. I've lived my life with you, thus far, with the expectation that you would turn into something big. In return, I've cooked for you and cleaned for you and cared for the two children of mine that you've sired. I need you to go make more money."

So, Charlie, being the decent husband that he was, went and did just that. He abandoned his dream of becoming a cable car operator and instead entered a training program at an international bank to become a financial analyst (much like the infamous Chris Garnder, portrayed by Will Smith in the biographical film with the oddly spelled title "Pursuit of Happyness"). Let me tell you, my friends, Charlie was a natural! He was so damn good at analyzing finances that he soon climb the corporate ladder and was a manager of (count them!) three (3) inferior analysts. His decent managerial skills were being put to use. Furthermore, his wife, Lily, was quite happy. Charlie was making money, the kids would be put through college with little problem, and Charlie and Lily were saving quite a hefty chunk of change as well. Things couldn't have been better.

Charlie spent many years at this finance firm, and climbed the ladder higher and higher. Finally, one day, Charlie had had enough. He walked into his boss's office and quit on the spot. No two weeks notice, no reason, just quit. While he didn't make it clear, he made this decision based on a dream he'd had. He had dreamed that he died in Lily's arms from an acute myocardial infarction, due to his lack of exercise and poor eating habits that were a result of his work schedule. With this monumental realization now firmly implanted in his brain, he was motivated to get out of his day-to-day, drab, decent-enough life and pursue his dreams. After all, due to his hard work and dedication, Charlie had saved a hefty nest-egg. He could live many, many years on his the money he had stashed away, and thus he decided it was finally time to pursue his dream. He was going to become a cable car operator.

Charlie walked down to his street until a cable car passed. When he was given the opportunity to board, he did.

He inquired to the conductor, "Who must I talk to become a conductor, like you?"

The conductor responded, "Sir, you must speak with my boss, Mr. George Jefferson. He's the director of the cable car company. But let me warn you, he only hires who he think will be the best. And, I'll tell you this, only the best of the best succeed at the job. I, for one, have worked on this car for 22 years. As you can tell, I'm the best of the best."

Charlie responded, "Well, sir, I have lived in San Francisco my entire life, I've made my fortune here, and now I want to pursue my dream. Since it is my lifelong dream to be a conductor on a cable car, I have no doubt that I will be the best."

The conductor simply responded, "Good luck, Sir," and continued to man the wheel of the car, greeting new passengers and driving along.

Charlie eventually disembarked from the cable car at the office of Mr. George Jefferson and inquired about open positions. Jefferson was happy to speak with him, since Charlie was now a man of money. Jefferson, however, was taken aback by Charlie's question.

Charlie asked him, straight up, "Mr. Jefferson, what can I do to become a cable car conductor?"

Jefferson responded, aghast, "You want to become a cable car conductor? I figured you were here to make a donation!" Jefferson had doubts about Charlie, but when Charlie flashed a wink and a wad of Benjamins, Jefferson had but little choice - he had to train Charlie to be a cable car conductor.

The conversation continued, and Jefferson and Charlie came to a conclusion. Charlie would train to be a conductor under the tutelage of the best conductor in the system. In exchange, Jefferson would receive one hundred dollars for every hour of training that Charlie received. After 1000 hours, Charlie would be given his own cable car. His dreamed would be realized.

Charlie's training went fairly well. Jefferson had reason to think that maybe Charlie wasn't the best, but he loved the money, and so he let him continue. As his training, ended, Charlie took control of the famed Car No. 62. Things quickly spiraled out of control.

On his third day, Charlie was driving the cable car when a small black and white cat ran into the tracks. Charlie had no choice but to hit the cat - he couldn't stop. Some speculate that Charlie was driving the cable car a bit too fast, and thus did not allow himself the time to react, but an investigation quickly ended with no blame being placed. Charlie continued in his job.

On his 13th day, a similar incident happened, but this time with a small child. It turns out, Charlie was distracted because he was talking to a passenger. The child died upon impact with the cable car. Unlike the best of the best, Charlie couldn't carry on a conversation and conduct safely at the same time. An investigation began, but was soon hushed by Charlie's money. Charlie continued in his job.

A series of these events continued, and it became clear to Mr. Jefferson that Charlie was not the best of the best at all, but in fact, quite poor at his job. On the day before he was to be go, Charlie was operating his cable car and began to go down a hill. Charlie, again, got distracted, this time by an attractive female passenger that had boarded, and he didn't stop the car. The car ran one intersection, then a second, narrowly missing vehicles and pedestrians both times. It ran a third, and a fourth, sideswiping two cars in the process. Finally, as it picked up speed, it ran a fifth intersection and brutally killed a family of six as they crossed the street. Nobody in the cable car was hurt. People were shaken, though, and exited as soon as the car finally screeched to a halt.

This time, an investigation could not be stopped by Charlie's bribes. It continued, and Charlie was found criminally liable for his negligence, and was charged with second degree murder of an entire six person family. Charlie's demeanor throughout the entire ordeal inflamed the souls of the jurors, and they recommended the death penalty for Charlie. The judge concurred, and soon Charlie was on death row.

He threw more and more money at the case, but his lawyer could do little to change the circumstances. Soon, Charlie's day of reckoning arrived. Charlie had his last meal, a healthy helping or arugula with balsamic and organic beef tenderloin, and then got one last visit from Lily, before he tearfully said goodbye.

In California, at this time, the death penalty was carried out by electric chair. Charlie was escorted to the chair, strapped in, and given a chance to speak his last words. He stated, "I regret what I have done. While I've lived a decent life, I hurt too many as I followed my dreams." Seconds after, the executioner flipped a switch and the electricity was flowing. But, nothing happened to Charlie! He just sat there, smiling. The executioner tried again, and again, but Charlie did not even flinch. Everybody sat there confused, and then finally, Mr. Jefferson (who as in attendance, because Charlie had disgraced his entire company and Jefferson wanted to see his final demise), stood up and said:

"Friends, I know the problem. And frankly, I always had an inkling about this, but Charlie's money always made me keep my mouth shut."

The rest in attendance all murmured, collectively wondering, "What could Jefferson know that the executioner doesn't?"

The executioner yelled, in panic, to Jefferson. "What the hell is it?! Why won't he die? This electric chair has never failed!"

Jefferson simply responded: "Charlie Moore is a bad conductor."

An Open Response to VFA's last two blog posts

Dear Mr. Voice From Above,

My name is Dave and I am an avid reader of Stadium 110's blog. I often turn the musing of Ted, Bk, Marky Mark, Elliot The Terp, and the other contributors. It is a respite from my everyday life. Nay it is an escape into a world of memories and fun observations.
Lately, the usual smile that I wear when reading the blog as faded. For the past week Voice From Above has posted two posts that have made me turn my smile upside down. The two posts: I need Answers and The most current one listed below are not posts, but rather open ended, ambiguous statements and ramblings.
I am sorry VFA, I believe you are a smarter human being than myself, but your two posts have not brought me joy or anything of the sort. Even though you pose questions, I do not feel I should answer them. Even though you share stories that end in a horrible joke, I do not laugh.
I remember the days where your posts were the highlight of my week. Your fun banter was enough to bring me up from the doldrums of my depression, however, lateley, they have only worsened my emotional state.

I am asking that you, nay pleading with you, to go back to the way things were. Where your posts brought sunshine to my day. When your posts made me think about life. When your posts truly were a voice from above.

Kindest Regards,
Dave

Rare Exports

This isn't exactly original content, but this is something I'm fairly enamored with/excited about. In 2003, a Finnish short film was released, entitled Rare Exports, Inc.

This short film tells the story of a group of elite Finnish hunters who seek the most elusive prey of all... Father Christmases. In 2005, the same group made a follow-up video, which tells of precautions one must take while around Father Christmases.

Now, the same people have finished a feature-length film, which is to be released in the US sometime this year. The trailer is on Apple trailers here. It has been successful at some smaller film festivals, including the Locarno film festival.

I'm excited.

I need some answers.

I'm not sure whether I woke up, or arrived home, but when I realized I was at my childhood house, I could tell it was on fire. This was the house that my parents had lived in for twenty years, the house they had bought when it was small, and the house that they had renovated to make bigger. The house wasn't actually my house, because my house was never renovated, and it was actually situated in the neighborhood where my neighbors across the street had their house. I'm not completely sure that the location of the house really matters though.

Anyway, I arrived home, and realize that it was on fire. But, it wasn't a normal fire, because parts of the house were fine. Other parts though, specifically the parts that were near my parents bedroom, seemed to emanate a dull orange glow through the windows. Had to be flames.

I went in, searched around, and things got warmer and colder depending on where I was, but I never saw any flames. I was sure the place was on fire, and so I kept searching around. Then, I went outside to look around, and came across a gigantic stuffed animal crane game. I'm talking huge, like with stuffed animals larger than humans. I busted out a dollar bill, uncrinkled it, and put it in the machine. I went for the gem: the giant purple people eater stuffed animal. With one go, I missed. After failing, I decided to continue investigating the fire. But just think about that for a second, how badass would it be to play a stuffed animal crane game that yielded stuffed animals larger than humans?

I kept walking around the house (which had this giant stuffed animal crane game attached to the back) and decided I'd better call the fire department. I called them and then went inside to chill (non-pun?). Soon they came, and my dad went outside to talk to them. But, given that I had managed the investigation of the fire and the dispatching of the firefighters, I emerged from the house and quickly took the lead. This happened only after I had gone into the basement and done a little last minute investigation. The results were mind-blowing.

Right above the washing machine, I saw a spark. This spark was coming from a broken 4" PVC pipe that had a few wires coming out of it. I then realize: this was an electrical fire! We'd been fighting this fire intermittently with water, throwing it towards the dull orange glow, but never actually seeing flames. The floor of the basement was wet, the insulation above the sparking wires was smoldering. This was all happening around the brick chimney of the house that ran through to the roof. The fire was solely running through the insulation around the chimney. This was a slow-mover, for sure, but unless we stopped it the house would eventually be in ruins.

I investigated the wiring a bit more and realized something incredible. The wiring was specifically powering the washer/dryer in the house (which were peculiarly branded with the Facebook logo), AND (wait for it..), the gigantic stuffed animal crane machine! So, my question is, despite the fact that the circuit had clearly shorted and was causing my childhood home to burn down, how did the crane machine still work, initially giving me hope of winning, and then ultimately denying me the pleasure of having, my own giant one-eyed one-horned flying purple people eater stuffed animal?

A View From The Deck

So,

Do you remember those times you were in the middle of a death set and you would look up and see Craig, Andy, or Brooke talking on the benches? Yeah I do too. Well now I am one of those coaches.

This year I am an assistant coach of the Chapman Panthers Women's Varsity Team. Yes, I did date one of my swimmers the past year. Has it come back to bite me in the ass? You bet. But that is neither here nor there (although her and her friends have tried to get me fired multiple times).

Anyway, the point of the post is to offer a former swimmer's view of what it is like to be a coach:

Firstly, it is a lot more fun to be out on deck shooting the shit with your peers than in the water doing a super hard set. For example today I gave two people a "training effect" practice that pushed them almost to puking. I was encouraging, but at the same time thought how awesome it was that I did not have to swim.

I will say though, it is really hard being a coach, especially when some of the seniors are only a couple years younger than I am. You want to help everyone, but at the same time it is a women's team and we all know the challenges that are associated with those. It is like a drama-fest every time I walk on to the pool deck. It has taken awhile, but I think people are actually starting to think I know what I am doing.

As a coach you still have to get up for mornings, and taking after our own goddess assistant I like to do the circuit with the group.

All in all it has been a very interesting start to the season. It has taken a lot of adjusting, especially in the social aspect. Rather than going to party with the team you just go and go out with your other friends. Its a little weird and I'm still getting used to it.

Any who, that's all I have so far. I will say this though and it is the best advice CJ ever gave me.

"Be a person first and a coach second"

Post-Game Report: The Wish List

Let's see how we did. Bold means accomplished. More recap to come soon.

1. Honor the Entry
2. Get Basils no earlier than 1:30am
3. Somehow break into west
4. Tag Stadium 110 somewhere on campus
5. duct tape someone who hasn't graduated (from Carleton) yet.
6. Get Mark riled up about something that no one really cares about
7. Dance to Yadda Yadda Yadda
8. Consume more than one bottle of the cobra.
9. Play stadium 110 or chandeliers
10. drunk dial toto
11. drunk skype Alfredo
12. Cheers the Mark Olson Way
13) Raveball
14) Duct tape Nonberg
15) Let the good times roll
16) Buy a keg
17) Drink beer from the keg
18) Have a keg toss
20) Go through the Gauntlet
21) Play YES! by LMFAO
22) Have a damn good time
23) And duct tape Nonberg
24) Shotgun in Stadium
25) Make a freshman do a keg stand
26) Make a freshman drink the cobra
28) Eat tavern breakfast
29) Drink in the afternoon
30) Present a Powerpoint
31a) Get accosted by security because they think we're students
31b) Explain to security that we're alumni
32) Play Beirut / Flip Cup
33) Get Basil's before 1:30 AM
34) Make plans with drunk Craig
35) Evade Security
36) Talk about how great Stadium 110 was, and how other people "don't even know"
37) Oh yeah, swim to victory


21 out of 37 = 56%.
BUT we are grading on a curve.
So I'd say we did quite well.

2010 Summer Music Mix

So this summer I started realizing that a lot of the indie shit that I was listening to had a similar surf-pop feel to it. I thought it would make for a good summer mix, so I started putting together a playlist. I decided to include only music which was released this year (by this I mean it was on an album or single released this year). I included a good amount of other stuff besides the surf-pop, if you're not feeling that. I wanted to post this earlier (looks like I starting writing it a few weeks ago), but didn't get around to it until now. But hey, you can enjoy summer music anytime, maybe even more so once the weather starts turning cooler.

Wish List

I think to go into a lengthy explanation of what I want to happen this weekend would be far too obtuse of a blog post. So instead I have narrowed down the key things that need to happen this weekend.

1. Honor the Entry
2. Get Basils no earlier than 1:30am
3. Somehow break into west
4. Tag Stadium 110 somewhere on campus
5. duct tape someone who hasn't graduated (from Carleton) yet.
6. Get Mark riled up about something that no one really cares about
7. Dance to Yadda Yadda Yadda
8. Consume more than one bottle of the cobra.

I guess I'm looking for you guys to add in the rest.

The Future is Upon Us

Martin Aircraft has announced that they are finalizing their prototype jetpack that they hope to begin selling within a year. While the first will be sold to emergency workers, they will be sold to wealthy buyers as well. The estimated cost: $100,000 (I would choose a jetpack over a Porsche any day). They will have a range of 31.5 miles (due to FAA Ultralight regulations) and a maximum height of 8000 feet. To see it in action, go here:

http://www.martinjetpack.com/video-gallery.aspx

WHO IS READY?!

Living My Life To The Tune of Toto

Hey All,

So first off, I know this post is long overdue. Over the past couple months my life has been a fire storm of events, emotional ups and downs, and other such things. So with all that said, how about I give you and update as to what I have been up to.

First and foremost, the biggest part of my life has involved going to Africa twice this summer. The first time I went was for a scholarship program. A group of 6 students and two professors traveled to Tanzania (Specifically the island of Zanzibar) to film a documentary on an NGO (Non-Government-Organization) doing unique works to charity. Now you are probably asking: "Hey Nonberg, where are the sweet pictures of the pirate flag?) Well, to that I would say, it was impossible to take pictures with the pirate flag considering the airline lost my suitcase with the flag in it. I did not get the flag back until the airport. At that time my camera was out of batteries. I could write volumes on what happened in Africa, but hopefully I'll be able to share my documentary with all of you when its done in the next month or so.
My second trip to Africa was for a family vacation. For my parent's 60th birthday, they decided to give each other the gift of a safari (their life's dream forever.) I saw some animals I never thought I would ever get to see in person. If you guys are interested in seeing some of the pictures I took check out this link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/nonbergsinkenya2010
So that's my life in a nutshell over the past couple of months. Right now I am currently starting my second year at school and am now the new assistant coach here on the team. I can't wait to see everyone in a couple of weeks.

I'll Leave You With this

that's mt Kilmanjaro in the background. I'll be summiting that in January.

I'm in Bolivia!

Hey you all so I finally made it down to Bolivia. I guess I really never explained why I made the trip down to South America and some of you probably didn’t even know I was down here to begin with. Well I was offered a job to work for an alumn managing some stores he owns in Bolivia. I figured this was a once in a lifetime opportunity so I accepted. The job in itself is only ok. I work in a bookstore here in La Paz. We have a decent selection of used books that we sell at reasonable prices and we also sell different camping and hiking supplies like backpacks, tents, sleeping bags, pretty much anything you would need to travel or hike. To be honest it almost feels like I’m hustling out on the streets since I’m constantly bargaining for prices with our distributors and trying to get people to buy from us. Our sales have also dropped in the last few months since other stores that sell the same stuff have opened up. La Paz is also not the most attractive city, so I was amazed to see that the majority of our clients are tourist. From far away the city looks really cool since it’s surrounded by mountains, but once you get close it’s pretty dirty and poorly developed. Other parts of Bolivia are supposed to be really pretty so I may travel out some once I get my first paycheck.

I’m staying in an apartment that my boss has rented out for us and has subsidized part of the cost. My roommate is a Carleton grad from ‘09 who works with me and has been in South America for a while. He is pretty familiar with the city and the store so he has pretty much been showing me around until I get the hang of everything. We also went out with a group of his friends last weekend and I proceeded to get really drunk. To make a long story short altitude makes you get drunk faster and I blacked out got lost in La Paz, lost my phone, that I had just bought a few days ago, and got home at nine in the morning to find out that my boss had spent most of the morning trying to find me to help him get stuff from the market, so much for first impressions.

I plan on staying here in South America for a few months unless I get offered another job but I’m not holding my breath on that. I’ll most likely end up returning in May and start applying for grad schools and looking for jobs. This means I’ll miss the alumni meet, which kinda blows, but I might pass by Carleton in the spring. Also what is the deal with the Brocation? I really don’t mind if you guys plan it while I’m out here but lets get the ball rolling. Alright well I hope all is well in the states have fun at the alumni meet and will keep everyone posted on my trip.

Segway chief hoist with his own Segway

If you missed it, here's the tragic, but not really ironic story, and one of the many takes on the whole event. I thought there must be some sort of literary term for this kind of thing, but the closest I could come up with was the he was hoist with his own petard. But replace petard with some equally French word meaning complicated, expensive contraption that is really no better than the alternatives. But you can get around faster than walking without all the costs of driving a car! . . . Bicy-what-do-you-call-'em-now?

Anyway, I really just wanted to use this as an opportunity to post on my favorite world-revolutionary product that wasn't. And to post a bunch of pictures of people looking ridiculous on Segways:

Senior Year WTF?

This is senior year? Really? I've actually been here for 3 years? This is what goes through my mind every morning. Then, I think: "What do I have to do today? Hmmm I have work, then one class, and then like 5 meetings. Oh, and I should work on one of my compses, maybe. Or drink. Hmmmmm."

So, what's new about this year? First, I'm living in basement Memorial, otherwise known as The Pit, and it's amazing. Our common room isn't quite as large as the Stadium common room (it's hard to tell), we only have a half kitchen, but my room is gargantuan, nearly as large as the triple I lived in last year. We threw our first party last night, a triple-kegger (yes that's right) and it was a major success. I did realize that the Stadium carpeting made throwing parties sooo much easier, but we had a mopping party today and our room is as clean as ever. We also live down the hall from a pool table and a foosball table.

Secondly, comps. So I'm double compsing this term and next term, meaning that I only have 2 classes and subsequently, no class on Friday. This is awesome in terms of scheduling, but I have not been doing enough to prep for my Russian test in 3 weeks (case in point: this post).

Third: I've joined the equestrian team! Which means that I have an hour-long horseback riding lesson every week and I'll probably do a show sometime. I am very likely the only male on the team, but there might be another one. I decided to join the equestrian team because I felt like a bad Kansan because I'm not very experienced with horses and because I would like to live in southern Siberia next year, where horseback riding is a very useful skill. Maybe not so much jumping, but still.

Fourth, the FLOOD! So it started raining sometime Tuesday night and continued raining moderately hard until Thursday night. On Thursday, the fields surrounding West had already flooded and the Lakes had risen substantially. By Friday, the river had grown beyond its banks and inundated the entire town. Stadium and West were islands in a very large lake. The football field/track are destroyed. Allen house (and those other ones next to it) had to be evacuated. Froggy's was damaged heavily and the fire department was flooded. This is the worst non-tornado natural disaster I've ever been in.

So yeah, that's a glimpse of what I've been up to. Life is busy, but I've done that intentionally because I want to get everything out of this year that I can.

Hey guys

I haven't written in a while, partly because I've been busy studying for my prelim exam and the beginning of the school year. That and I guess I've just been too lazy to write to update y'all on the goings on in my life.

The prelim exam is a two day test, covering everything that I should have learned in 4 years as an undergrad and in my first year as a graduate student in physics. So: Electricity and Magnetism, Special Relativity, Classical Mechanics, Quantum Mechanics, Statistical Mechanics, oh, and lots of math. All of the Ph.D. candidates have to pass the preliminary to continue on in the program, we generally get two shots in case we don't pass the first time. So about the last month of the summer I spent trying to be prepared for the exam. More than once during the process I was struck with the impression that I had learned too much, that the sum of human knowledge was too great, and that maybe solipsism would be a more tractable philosophy.

My New Theory of Everything:


Back to the point. The prelim exam kind of sucks, and it certainly isn't the best way to test our propensity in physics, but I guess I made some connections while studying. And--yes--I did pass, so that's what matters at this point.

So the day after the prelim was over classes started--as a grad student, I do miss having long breaks of not having to do anything school related. This term I'm taking Gravitation (General Relativity) which I think will be a fun course.

I have a light course-load because I've found a professor who actually has some extra grant money lying around and is willing to give me some of it to help him do his research. This part of grad school, I've found, is not always as easy as it sounds. Anyway, the professor that I'm working for has been researching granular materials, particularly their critical point where they transition between being liquid-like and being solid-like.

Starting out with a research group can be slow, and my first simulation seems to be... inconclusive at this point. But I can tell you about one aspect of my work that has been interesting. That has been learning how to do general-purpose computing on graphics processing units (GPGPU). So what does this mean? A GPU is the primary component of the graphics card in your computer which carries out many of the computations necessary for displaying graphics on your screen. Compare this to the CPU (C for Central) which carries out all of the other instructions from the programs running on your computer. What you may not know about your CPU is that while your task manager or activity monitor tells you that you are running many processes, each of which are in turn running several threads (a single set of instructions) all at the same time, your CPU can only actually handle one set of instructions at a time. So it actually cycles through all of the threads, but does so so quickly that to you, your iTunes music plays simultaneously while you type your paper and search for distractions on the internet. (Many computers now have dual, quad, or multi-core processors where each core actually can run threads simultaneously with each other). What makes a GPU special is that it has hundreds of cores and can run at least that many threads at once. This was originally useful for computer graphics, especially in video games, where, for example, you might have some 3D object which you could represent with a large array of data. Then in order to figure out how to display the object on the screen, how to light it, etc., you need to perform some calculations on the entire array of data. While GPU's generally can't do a single calculation as fast as a CPU can, their ability to do many calculations in parallel can make them much faster at this type of calculation. So these types of calculations are offloaded onto the GPU greatly increasing the overall speed of the program and allowing programmers to make more detailed graphics.

Of course, computers are being used to handle very large sets of data for many more reasons today, including research. So it is only natural that researchers and others would want to get in on the power of graphics processors. One company that has made that possible is NVIDIA with their CUDA architecture, which is what I've been learning to use. They created a library extension to the commonly used C++ programming language that can be used with any of their graphics cards in production today. Learning to write programs in parallel has been interesting and difficult at times. I have to worry about things like two threads accessing the same memory which can make algorithms to do simple things much more complicated. But I'm finally getting the hang of it and pretty soon we'll see what kind of a speedup it can have on our programs. Anyway, I think it's kind of interesting stuff and it's a pretty safe bet that computers and computer programs will increasingly rely on massively parallel processors like GPU's in the future.

Finally, I realize that got kind of long and I don't know if it's really interesting to everyone else, so I'll leave you with the youtube video I've been enjoying this weekend:



Someone needs to mash this up into a debate between Phil Davidson and Basilmarceaux.com. I smell youtube gold! Get on that internet.

Behind the Scenes: A Look at the Statistics of Stadium 110

Right after I finished packing to return to Carleton, I began browsing the blog editing section of Blogger and realized that they added a wonderful new feature without me noticing. Once again displaying its tendency towards world domination and evil without being quite evil, Google has begun recording statistics about how many people visit Stadium 110. One can see how many people visited on a certain day at a certain hour, what OS they were using, which browser they browsed upon (through? is it a window into the internet?), and from what country they were surfing this complicated series of tubes known as the World Wide Web. These results are, of course, fascinating.

These statistics reveal the demographics of our pageviewers. While Stadium 110 has an obviously strong appeal to citizens of the United States, I must say that I was proud to see 7 pageviews from Russia. I believe that the most surprising statistics may be found at the bottom of the graph: 4 people in Latvia and 3 in India and Luxembourg have experienced the force that is the Ocho. If YOU happened to be one ofour international viewers, well done sir (or madame)! You have discovered a future cornerstone of American society.

Our viewership is also surprising Mac-oriented, with both Safari and OS X taking the top spots in the browser and OS categories. I must admit that I am surprised by the fact that Internet Explorer defeated both Opera and Chrome. If YOU use IE: SHAME! I am also interested in the fact that Android defeated iPod and iPhone. If I had to guess, I would say that the typical Stadium 110 viewer is an upper-middle class American who just can't use AT&T. Google can make a fortune on this info!

Another interesting feature of Google's statistics is that it reveals the search keywords used to find Stadium 110. As can be seen above, our blog has provided valuable advertising for Middlebury's Moscow Program, MSTRKRFT, and Guido van der Werve. It has also provided valuable information for those looking to find naked black men and Elliot Bartis. Dave showed a lucky person just how wonderful being funemployed can be and Tim brought it to Minnesota, while Alfredo didn't exactly answer the question regarding the safety of pajaretes but provided priceless information about milking cows for the sake of alcohol consumption.

I look forward to using this data to make Stadium 110 more user friendly and appealing to its viewership. With the help of Google, Stadium 110 is already one step closer to the oh-so-lucrative joy of Monetization. This post here already contains every single element that has made Stadium 110 a phenomenon that has taken 3 of Earth's continents by storm! My goal: a view from Antarctica by graduation.

UPDATE: At approximately 1:00 PM on September 11, 2010, Stadium 110 received a milestone 50 page views. This is unprecedented in the history of Stadium 110 and is a sign of the pageview potential of Stadium 110. A stock broker would be unable to handle statistics like this if we went public.

It all makes sense now!

So, the trailer to Megashark vs. Giant Octopus is no stranger around the Ocho, but I know that there have been questions about the validity of this documentary - specifically around the scene (which is shown in the trailer) that has mega shark jumping up and munching on a plane. Now I know for sure that Elliot and I have actually watched this fine film, and I recommend it for anyone who enjoys bad acting and great movie music. Because I've actually seen the whole thing, I, of course, do not question how such an act can occur.

For those of you, who have not seen it though, do not fear, let me calm your worries: Enjoy this explanation.

Back From the World of Russian

So, now that I'm allowed to speak English again, I figured it was time for a summer update.

Russian School was excellent, it was literally summer camp/school/partying in Russian 24/7. I hardly slept, but mostly because in addition to classes I sang/danced/played instruments in the choir, played soccer on the Russian school team, DJed two radio shows, and saw several films and lectures. Here is what I look like in traditional Cossack dress playing the drova (literally means firewood):

I also played the block (kindergarten all over again) and learned a few traditional Cossack dances.

Playing soccer was another major highlight of Russian school and made me seriously question why I ever started swimming in the first place. For those of you who know soccer strategy, I played stopper. Even though we only played together for 9 weeks, by the end of the season we really started playing like a team and had thoroughly mastered cursing at the other teams in Russian.

DJing radio shows gave me the opportunity to find and seriously listen to Russian music, and I have decided that Russian pop is unquestionably better than American pop. A few examples:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mACqXv0cWU8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFl7D1RqHeM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YqUhE9JZ3c&feature=related

I also discovered two fantastic Russian rock bands: Kino and Mashina Vremeni (Time Machine). Kino's lead singer is Viktor Tsoi, who is pretty much the Russian version of Jim Morrison, both in style and in following.

Perhaps the best part of Russian School were the people I met and the connections I was able to make. There are 3 Russian majors at Carleton. There were 140 people at Middlebury. Being surrounded by students with very similar interests was intellectually exhilarating and I loved every minute of it. In addition to other Russian/IR double majors, I met diplomats, businessmen, and FBI agents. I can honestly say that I spent most weekends at Middlebury drinking with FBI agents.

Middlebury also made me very thankful of my decision to go to Carleton: there isn't another Russian program in the US that is as well-rounded as the Carleton program. I often talked with students who were at Middlebury to receive their Master's, and found that in most cases I knew more about Russian lit/history/art than they did. I also learned that there isn't another Russian study abroad program in the US that travels as broadly as the Carleton program, or studies at a university as prestigious as Moscow State. I'm consistently surprised by Carleton, and this summer took my pride in Carleton to another level.

In the end, my Russian improved drastically at Middlebury. I am a fluent reader, my listening comprehension is between advanced and superior, and my speaking is on a grad student level. At the end of spring, I was deciding between accepting an internship teaching English in Russia and Middlebury, and I absolutely made the right decision in going to Middlebury.

After Middlebury, Anna Gallagher picked me up and I spent 2 nights at her house in Burlington. If you haven't been to Burlington, check it out if you're on the East coast. It's small but very cultured, I thought Church Street was a great little pedestrian road. We got to hear a MGMT concert while we were there, they pretty much sounded the same as they do on their albums. Anna left to see Louise in Boston on the second day (after a 20 mile bike ride, which was great), and I spent the rest of my time hanging out with her parents, who are some of the nicest people ever ever. Case in point: Anna's mom baked me a loaf of banana bread to take with me on the train.

Amtrak was a new experience for me. I arrived in DC early, which I didn't expect. The train wasn't even half full, it took 13 hours to get from Burlington to DC, but all in all it wasn't half bad.

In DC, I stayed with a friend from high school, Ashley, and we went to the Modern Art, Natural History, and American Art museums, as well as Arlington. I was fascinated by one work in particular at the Modern Art Museum: "The Day I Didn't Turn With the World" by Guido van der Werve. Essentially, it's a work of timelapse photography that is 8 minutes long. The artist stood on the geographic north pole for 24 hours, slowly turning in the opposite direction of the Earth. The camera stood still, and one can see the sun going in a circle around the artist. There's also a great Norman Rockwell exhibit at the American Art Museum.

I got back to Wichita yesterday, and I really have my work cut out for me this summer. First, I have a Fulbright proposal due on the first day of classes, and I have a good idea of my project but I need to write it out and get a letter of affiliation from Buryatia State University in the middle of Siberia. I also have my Russian comps test in the 3rd week of fall term, so I need to be prepped for that. That's a 6 hour long written exam on Russian history/art/lit and how they're all interconnected. I'm excited.

I had the Middlebury Radio Station music library open to my disposal this summer, so I've found some awesome new music. The three major standouts:

Charles Hamilton - Sonic the Hamilton

Sonic the Hamilton may be the best hip-hop concept album of all-time. It is told from the perspective of Charles "Sonic the" Hamilton, who after waking up finds that he is stuck within the Sega Genesis game Sonic the Hedgehog and has to play through it to get out. The sampling is top notch and the lyrics are much deeper than just following video games. Highly recommended.

The Glitch Mob - Drink the Sea

This is one of the most interesting electronic albums that I've heard in awhile. I think I can best describe it as: epic. The beats generally take the form of war drums, the bass is always rumbling in the background, and the melodies intertwine well with the beat. Very much a head-nodding album, but much more sophisticated than Deadmau5 or other house DJs.

Midnight Juggernauts - Dystopia

Think David Bowie vocals, Beatles/Beach Boys harmonies, and highly brushed 80's synth pop, and you'll have an idea of what the Midnight Juggernauts sound like. This album is not always the most complicated or dynamic, but every song is solid, well-produced, and well-constructed.

For you guys who obsessed over The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time like I did, I present you with The Ocarina of Rhyme. And if you like Explosions in the Sky, check out Four Tet.

Well, I have a lot more music that I found, but I don't want to take up any more of your time. I hope I see you all at the alum meet, or sometime in the near future!

Long Time No Blog

So I’m finally back from spending another in the woods. A great time to be sure, but it was more exhausting then it ever had been before. My position was the Teen Director, so I developed and implemented the three Teen Programs we have at camp, and then when not leading those programs, I oversaw the counseling staff and helped the other support staff members run the camp. I don’t know about whether I’ll return or in what capacity. The executive director hinted that as the camp buys more property and expands that he may want me part of that process. But who knows. All I know is that I feel like I’ve been working at 90mph since spring break and so I am excited to just chillax for a month before school revs up again.

I had originally thought that this month was going to be full of absolutely nothing, but things have of course come up. I had toyed with the idea of heading out East to see Elliot, Annie and my sister, but too much is going on. For one thing, my dad is trying to move, which means my room at his place needs to be packed up to look presentable for prospective buyers. That blows. This coming weekend is also when all my OP friends head back to their respective colleges, so we all getting reckless this week. Typical college drankin stuff. Also, Alfreddy and I are gonna meet up and chill too.

I also joined a last minute trip to West Virginia to go white water rafting. This group of friends of mine said that one of their crew dropped out and asked if I wanted to go. The drive, food, gas and the rafting will all only cost like $180, so I said what the hell – once in a lifetime opportunity. So I’ll be doing that Aug 24th – 26th. Toto, I don’t know if it’s the same place as you went. I then have a family reunion on my Dad’s side of the family during Labor Day weekend.

I head up to my house to move in and chill before classes start on the 1st as well.
Have I talked about my house? I feel like not really. Well here are the details:
I am living with Pete, Eric B, Louise and Erin H. A house full of swimmers and divers. It’s a nice house, but the seniors who left it after their lease ended in June left it in shambles. The Cormier Family to the rescue! Last week, Pete, Grace and their mom went up to the house and scrubbed the carpets, cleaned the bathrooms thoroughly and brought some nice furniture up. I think its going to look great. We’re pumped because we have a nice side yard, an awesome garage and this bitchin front room. BBQs, parties and good times are bound to be aplenty. Obviously guests are welcome, so stop on by for a weekend or whenever.

I’m starting to think about Jobs after school. I’m also toying with the idea of graduating early and pulling a Karin Brown and just doing whatever the hell I want during spring term. It would sav my parents and myself a big chunk of change and maybe they’d be willing to still pay my rent. If I did that I think I would spend my time traveling and visiting friends, while also spending the big weekends (progressive, oleball, spring concert, rotblatt) at Carleton. When I was in Northfield, I’d study for the GRE since eventually I’ll head to grad school for teaching.

BUT SPRING TERM IS A LONG WAY AWAY!
Gonna just enjoy what I have left of the summertime chi.

MOLSON OUT.

Boys Night Out

Awesome Video.

Life Update, and Stoking the Flames of the Brocation

Hello friends. Time for Tim's life update. I forgot where I left you all last. Anyway, I quit my job at the place named after Mark, and moved to another agency that shares the name of the current host of Late Night on NBC. This place is a step up in every way and I'm very happy with what I'm doing. I'm not using names because I feel weird commenting on my job on the internet, but nonetheless I want you all to know what I'm doing.

The client I am working on is a resurging American luxury car brand that currently produces the fastest (production) sedan in the world. Yes, you bitches will try to tell me that the M3, M5, and E65 AMG are all faster (and I would venture to say the same), but the numbers don't lie. We recently started with this brand, and it's going to be crazy, but really really fun. Advertising agencies are very interesting places. The people are smart, they are convinced they can do ANYTHING creatively, and they love pressure. It's a fun environment to work in. The job I am doing is "account management". I am an "account manager". This means that instead of playing with Excel all day (my old job), I talk to the client on the phone, meet them, find out what they want, tell everyone else at my company, and then work to make sure it all gets done. It's involved a few late nights so far, a few mistakes, but a whole lot of interesting/fun experiences. Account management is also cool because I get to touch everything (not physically). I see production, I see concepting, I see finance, I see the client. Despite the fact that it's the "business side of things", I still get a chance to be creative at time. I'm convinced it's a great job for someone with a liberal arts background.

Work has been much of my life, with the balance being taken up by playing men's league soccer, hanging out with the lady, sleep, eating, etc. Viv has an internship in Minneapolis this summer so we snagged a sweet loft to live in. It's been great - obviously there have been the ups and downs (as expected), but I've really enjoyed it. Living with a girl isn't all that bad, but I hate having to put the toilet seat down. Next weekend, I'm headed to my family's cabin for a week-long respite from work and the city life.

After that, it will be close to the end of August, we will move out of our place. I will then move back to Uptown to live with Joel Winer, Lena Tjosvold, and Laura Myers.

BROCATION: what is the deal? WE MUST DECIDE. The next time we will all see each other is homecoming/alumni weekend. So at worst case, let's make a plan then whilst we drink aplenty.

peace outs, cub scouts.

hey doodz, summer update

Similarly to a few other Stadium members, I’ve spent my summer starting up with a real, honest-to-goodness research project. At the moment, my main task is helping gear up for a test in early August of a system that uses a laser frequency comb to calibrate an infrared spectrograph. This will (hopefully) enable us/someone to build a spectrograph that can detect sub-m/s radial velocity shifts (from an Earth-sized planet) in M-dwarfs (the most common type of star, they are cool and small). I’m pretty excited about the synthesis of a laser physics project and a planet hunting project that I’m getting into, and spending a few weeks in August at the Hobby-Eberly telescope in Texas will be fun. I’ve also been enjoying the vastly increased amount of free time I’ve been having this summer. “Vast” because any free time is like an infinityfold increase over zero.

So I’ve gotten to spend plenty of time outside the astronomy building lately, and I’ve done some pretty neat stuff. First and foremost, I accompanied Scuba Girl on a trip to Ireland a few weeks ago, and it was awesome. It was only rainy/cloudy for two of the eight days we were there, and it was like the Irish didn’t know what to do. Many had old “summer” clothes that looked like they were from the 90’s, and the majority of them were suffering from varying degrees of sunburn. But they were quite happy, and everyone we met was very friendly.

So we drove around, mainly around the western coast. We hiked around the Ring of Kerry region (beautiful, but not how you would imagine Ireland), visited Galway (a cooler city than Dublin, in my opinion), saw the Hill of Tara (with the oldest man-made thing I will probably ever see: the 5000 year-old Mound of Hostages), visited the Guinness brewery (overdone, but the gravity bar at the top gives free Guinness pints and has a gorgeous 360degree view of Dublin), and ate/drank in plenty of good pubs with good music. The coolest part, for me, was being in a place that has more than 300ish years of history. And it was hard to forget that history, as you could hardly throw a rock without hitting some ancient church/castle/monastery.






After I’ve got back from that, I started research in earnest. Of note recently: last week the astro department here held their annual “Astro Fest,” concurrently with the gigantic Central PA Arts Festival. We had about 1600 people go through, playing with the telescopes, going to presentations, and doing the kids activities. It was a really fun outreach event, and it was really fun for me to talk to kids (and adults) who have self-selected to come learn/talk about astronomy. A very different tone of conversation than you get used to, talking to only astronomers and people taking astro classes. Also, I got to make a giant tub of oobleck (corn starch + water), which was amazingly entertaining. If you’ve never played with this stuff before, I strongly recommend it. If you can build a big enough tub to walk on, let me know and I’m flying out to play with it.

I also went whitewater rafting for the first time (Ohiopyle Park), where I got to be the “captain” of my raft and miraculously no one died. One of my friends got launched off on the first rapid, but we hauled him back on, and after that we were good.

Finally, this past Sunday, two friends and I impulsively decided it would be a good idea to participate in a biathlon. We paid $20, drove down to the Altoona Pistol/Rifle Club, and ran a 5k with two stops for target shooting. I can hardly run without falling over, and I certainly can’t shoot, but it was a blast. My final time was something like 26:48, and I hit 3/5 targets prone and 2/5 standing. As you might imagine, it’s not easy to aim properly when you’re breathing hard. The top guy had about a 19:50, which I can’t even comprehend. That’s amazing for running alone, let alone the facts that it was a difficult course and there were stops for shooting. Obviously, he hit all his targets and didn’t have to run any penalty loops.

Ok that’s enough from me. I’m off. I hope everyone is having a great summer.
One more thing actually: we swam masters with a guy that was 50 yesterday, and he kicked all of our asses. For example, I was doing about 1:20-1:25 100m frees, and he was wasting me. Holy shit I hope I’ll have that kind of speed when I get old.

So I just recently returned from the motherland, which I call Mexico. My brother and I decided to drive down taking a total of 36 hours and according to Google.com 2030 miles. This was way too much time to spend in a car. I hadn’t visited Mexico in 2 years and with the drug wars and kidnappings that have started in the last few years the trip was a little tense for me when I crossed the border in Mexico. Also driving in Mexico makes you appreciate the roads and driving in the United States since double semi trucks drive at about 70 mph and have no disregard for other vehicles on the road. Anyway, it’s a little sad to see that the drug cartels have begun to infiltrate my parent’s hometown and violence has slowly begun. In the last few months there’s been two shootings and this one guy was brutally beaten and tortured and executed in the town. Like I said this trip was a bit tense, but I was assured that I would be safe as long as I didn’t go looking for trouble. So I usually kept my distance and actually had a lot of fun during my short stay.

For starters, the day I arrived there was a huge party. This party was a bit special because it was essentially my cousin’s prom. However proms in Mexico or at least this one was a bit different from the ones we’re used to. This prom was not necessarily a party for the graduates as much as it was a party for everyone in town. Also since my cousin pretty much organized the party he sat us down at a table right next to the band and set up two bottle of tequila on our table, which later multiplied to 5. Needless to say we were pretty drunk and we had to wake up the next morning at 9:00am to vaccinate the cattle on our ranch. It was quite an interesting day especially since the sun was also blistering hot.

As far as parties went that was pretty much the craziest it got while I was there. However, I am sure my liver is glad to be home since on average I think I consumed at least 2 beers or 1 drink a day. My excuse, I was just partaking in the culture of Mexico but it seems like Mexicans just really don’t stop drinking sometimes. They even wake up to it sometimes. My brother was really excited about drinking this drink that is pretty common with people who work on ranches and farms. The way the drink, known as a pajarete (pah-jareteh) is set up is you take chocolate powder and sugar in a cup you pour some alcohol that makes everclear look like water and then you add freshly milked milk. And I mean fresh the milk goes straight from the cow to your cup. I was a bit skeptical at first, but it was actually quite tasty and I also didn’t get sick, which often occurs to people who don’t regularly drink fresh milk of this sort. With this drink I also got my first crack at milking a cow. This task is a lot more difficult than it seems but I did get some milk out. However, the cow did not like my milking and almost knocked out my teeth. Luckily her back feet were tied up.

While in Mexico I also got a chance to try Mexican moonshine raicilla. It is no wonder some of this stuff is illegal since I’m sure I could have run my car on it, but when it was mixed with something it wasn’t too bad.

Aside from drinking I did some things that I thought were pretty cool. I taught myself how to drive stick. I drove a truck that was stick for the first time and only staled once which is cool considering that the road was windy with many ups and downs and was significantly bumpy. I also fired a firearm for the first time. That’s what happens when rival drug cartels come onto our turf, no I’m just kidding. The person who takes care of our ranch when we’re not there loves to go hunting and has quite a few rifles and guns. So one day when we were out working he brought out his rifle and asked if we wanted to shot some cans. For being my first time I was pretty good I managed to hit 2 can on three shoots and the cans were about 50 meters away. The next time I was not so good though. This guy brought out his favorite rifle, which is a 243 and has a scope on the top. After the last time I was feeling pretty confident about my shot but the last rifle didn’t have a scope and it didn’t have as much of a kickback. Well anyway we put the target much farther about 150-200 meters away. I set up to shoot and when I fired I realized I had setup with my face way too close to the scope and the kickback from the rifle caused the scope to split part of my eyebrow. Luckily it didn’t split deep enough to require stitches but it still bled a bit. I didn’t give up though; I went up again this time with my face farther away from the scope and managed to hit the target. Take that scope.

Well I hope all of you are enjoying your summers and I will post more of my adventures as the summer goes on.

Alfredy out.

You Just Got Nonberged

It finally happened; my name has been turned into a verb.

So as many of you know, virtually no one on the planet calls me by my first name (David, wait are you serious that is your name?). Yes, I know its strange, but since I got to college I have been known to most as Nonberg. The same continues to hold true in my graduate student years.

Nonberged (verb) Non-berg-ed From the latin Norburgium meaning to or as related to Nonberg.
To be Nonberged is to be put in an awkward situation by David Nonberg. Even though his intentions are good, when one is Nonberged, they often find themselves either not hooking up with a girl they wanted to, or placed in an uncomfortable situation.

Well there you go.

As far as other things go. I am going to be making a documentary in Uganda this summer and would love your input on the other documentary I have done (see facebook profile). Please let me know your thoughts. I am sorry I have not updated you all on what has been happening with me, but here is a short list of things that has been going on in my life.

Named Assistant Coach of Chapman's Swim Program (Go Panthers!)
I have been dating someone for 7 months.
Got accepted into a scholarship program (Uganda Documentary)
Filmed a Documentary while Hiking to Machu Picchu
I am currently interning at Fox Sports
I am set to Produce a Sports Show for Chapman's Athletic Dept (Similar to what I did at Carleton)
That's pretty much about it. Working hard and still Nonberging people as I go.

Miss you guys,
The Giver

P.S. If you like Eminem his new album is really good

Смешной Русский Фильм

Неделя назад мы посмотрели фильм "Особенности национальной охоты," очень популярный русский фильм. Если вам скучно летом, я советую вам смотреть фильм. Это похоже, по-моему, на канадском юморе, примерно "Красный зелёный шоу." Ссылка на фильм здесь: http://www.lovi.tv/video/play.php?Code=zcksubasdr

EARTHQUAKE!

Between game-winning goals in stoppage time and my building shaking I've gotten hardly a lick of work done today. And so I thought I'd come on here to waste some more time and tell ya'll about it.

The entire summer I spent at Stanford and the other various times I visited California I kept hoping to feel an earthquake (not a big one obviously--that would be scary--but a small one to see what it's like). Today I can finally cross that one of the list of random geological events that I've experienced in my life. But surprisingly, it happened in Rochester, NY, not in California.

The quake was 5.5 magnitude, centered just north of Ontario, Canada. This is probably not all that exciting to our Californian readers, but it was pretty exciting for me. I was on the 4th floor of our building, and I could see and feel the entire building shaking for a few seconds. After the quake I trekked over to the Geology building on campus and got a shot of the seismograph there.




Apparently there are some fault lines along lake Erie and Ontario, and earthquakes like this happen every couple decades. Learn something new every day.



Anyway, I should try to get something done now. Right now its looking like the Krauts in the next round. U.S.A! U.S.A!

The Next Step In Life

So if you haven’t heard yet I recently graduated from our very own Carleton College. I took the next step in my life and entered the real world. So what did I learn…well that I can get a chemistry degree without really knowing much about chemistry and a bunch of other stuff that I’m not sure if I’ll use again. As cliché as it might seem what I enjoyed the best were my memories and my accomplishments. So what were my accomplishments while at Carleton. Well here is a list no particular order.

Joined a Varsity Sport

Went tubing in the Cannon River

Roomed with a Jew

Roomed in Stadium

Became a Captain

Played an Instrument

Made a best friend

Got drunk before 9:00am

Got drunk before 6:00am

Peed on a couch

Stole a newspaper sign

Stole a street sign

Went abroad

Wrote a paper while drunk

Tasted the rainbow

Met First Mate Charlie

Worked reunion

Those are among a few that I can think of right now. I have also come to realize as I am sure most of you have that there are only two remaining stadium residents. Mark Olson and Bkay are going to have to hold it down next year. This also means that we should start organizing our stadium reunion brocation. I really don’t care where we go as long as it’s with you guys.

The big question: In the last few months someone has asked what I am doing after Carleton more times than I wish to remember. Instead of having all you ask me I figured I’d let you all know my plans for this summer and the year to follow. I actually leave this Thursday for Mexico to visit my ranch and actually do some ranching. I’ll be there for two weeks which means I’ll get to celebrate Mexican 4^th of July while there. After I come back I will probably hang out here at home and maybe do some volunteer work for a month. Then I’m going back to Northfield at the end of August to potentially hang out with the 6^th and College house. This depends on when Mark Olson heads back as well. If anything I’ll head back to see my lady friend and then we’re taking a trip to South Dakota to visit Badlands National Park. I’m sorry I’m just not as cool as Toto who took his lady friend to Ireland, but it should still be nice. Then I actually start life. I just got hired by an Alumn named Dave Halman. I will be managing a bookstore called The Spitting Llama for him in La Paz, Bolivia. I will be doing this for 6 months to a year. Since I’m not getting paid much and tickets are expensive as hell I will not be back in the U.S. until I’m done with my job. I will keep everyone posted with my experience in Bolivia and throughout the summer, but hopefully I will get to see all of you before I leave.

What the Poll Said

This is what came up when I went to look at the poll. Google
	Error

Not Found

The requested URL /reviews/polls/display/-1263449581994894108/blogger_template/run_app?txtclr=%23000000&lnkclr=%237f7f7f&chrtclr=%237f7f7f&font=normal+normal+90%25+'Trebuchet+MS'%2C+Trebuchet%2C+Verdana%2C+Sans-Serif&hideq=true&purl=http%3A%2F%2Fstadium110.blogspot.com%2F was not found on this server.


I believe its a sign...we are meant to go to San Francisco, Corporate HQ of Google. So grab your bread and your rice-aroni and lets go! I promise to update you on my life later.