blakerson.com

Kurt Vonnegut is my new hero. He's already hero for some of you, but I've just now discovered him. I guess I'm slow or something. Anyway, he wrote an essay called Cold Turkey for a liberal magazine called In These Times (I've never heard of it either). Go read this essay now - it's not a long read at all. If you don't like this essay, well, chances are you shouldn't be reading my site. Vonnegut's a real master with his words and you better believe some of his stuff is going on my reading list right away.

Another hero: the wonderful folks behind Groove Armada. Run, don't walk, to your nearest music source and grab the single Lovebox. There aren't words to describe the swankness of this song. It's easily the best Song of the Week I've had in a long, long time.

So I finally convinced Mom that a decent router would solve our problems with our horrendously configured $30/month DSL line. $50 later for a refurbished Netgear router, my connection woes are gone *and* my laptop's on by 802.11b. So from now on I can just chill on IM and post from anywhere in my house when I feel like it. This makes me very happy.

So I spent the last week trying to settle in and wound up busy like a crazy boy. After I had barely started unpacking, it was off with me again to Austin to help my brother move out of his apartment for the summer. And I hadn't even gotten my computer set up at that point. After 48 hours and a couple well-earned meals courtesy my brother's mom (whom I'm beginning to call my second mom, Karol), I got home with a sore back from all the sitting still in my car seat for drives to and from Austin.

Back home, I managed to kick it up a notch and finally get my own computer online, get the PS2 mod working (I love Gran Turismo 4 Prologue), and relax on my own damn couch. It's the uber version of the moment when you plop down on the couch and go 'ahhhhh.'

So after 5 days I'm unpacked, somewhat starting to settle, and getting into the groove of summer. Right now I'm posting from a chill little event at Max's house where there's a handful of people playing Generals, and damn that game looks stupid fun. Tons of things blowing up. Gaming, lounging, city driving: yep, looks like I'm truly back home.

Maybe I really should make this picture into a t-shirt.

Thanks, Jason.

and it feels weird. There's been a whole lot of thoughts running through my mind about it which I don't really think would make a great huge long post. It's certainly bittersweet, to say the least. It's not fun saying adios to all my friends at UT, and the hordes upon hordes of hotties running all over campus all day. That said, I'm happy to be living in a more 'posh' environment: a room all to myself, an uber-comfortable bed, and (for the time being) no worries about how much sleep I get before I go to work/class the next day. Finally, I'm going to have time to pursue some of the smaller things I've been wanting to do lately: read some more books on my list, catch up on some car / scientific reading (read: Car&Driver and Popular Science), and work on music (my Heavier Things sheet music was here when I got here).

So A-town kids, give me a ring! I'd love to see each and every one of ya.