Day 18: Freezelvania

Greetings from Gettysburg!!! Ever since I arrived here roughly 8 hours ago, the temperature has not risen above 20 degrees. O.O I'M COLD-D-D-D-D-D-D-!-!-!-!-! I know that Pennsylvania is a northern state, and I know its January, but seriously does it have to be this cold!??!?!?!?! :P

Other than the fact that my ass is freezing right now, my adventure to the southern Pennsylvanian mountain range has been rather enjoyable for the most part (ignoring the fact that my brother seems to scream or yell every 5 seconds). Me and my family spent a large part of the day snow-tubing. If I had ever forgotten how amazing snow-tubing was, I was definitely reminded today. I mean, what can beat the experience of wind slicing through your hair as you barrel down a slippery, smooth slope with a velocity comparable to most roller coasters? I think you can figure out the answer on your own ;)

We ended the day, ironically, at Dairy Queen (thank goodness we ate inside....). I have to say that the Oreo blizzard is my favorite desert by far at Dairy Queen......or any other ice cream chain for that matter. Its impossible to explain, but the texture and taste make it a treat unlike any other. You seriously haven't lived until you've had one of these. Quick, grab your keys (assuming you're over 16 and don't drive /like/ you're 16), and take a trip to Dairy Queen for a midnight snack. You won't be disappointed :D (and if its closed, break in..............I'm kidding of course.........i think).

Thanks to the Word Nerd and youtube, I discovered two more kick-ass songs you're bound to enjoy. It was difficult to pick between the two, but I eventually settled for "Believe" by Yellowcard as today's musical recommendation. A strange combination of upbeat sound and depressing lyrics; this song was written to commemorate those who sacrificed their lives to aid those in need on September 11, 2001. It could almost be called a musical memorial, one that your ears will adore, but at the same time one that will help you never forget what happened on that fateful day.

My computer has only 24 minutes of battery life left, and I have to get some sleep if I'm gonna shred properly tomorrow :)

G'nights Interwebs!

--HaufeCoffee

Day 17: I Get Distracted EasilOMG A CHAIR

So for the past couple days, I've been mulling over how to tackle this bear nuts blog deal. It sounded like a great idea last week, but after the stamina-draining nature of this week, I've pretty much lost the will to write well-thought-out reviews, let alone 8 more of them....

I was chatting with The Word Nerd about my dilemma, and she suggested that I write something along the lines of:

"guess what, i didn't feel like talking about the bears. i'm a teenager. i change my mind. deal with it. meanwhile in canada....

omg a chair."

Due to my recent diagnosis of ADOS (Attention Deficit OOH SHINY), I was tempted to use this quote as an escape from a potentially dry and long review based on only a single topic. However, I felt a little guilty stealing a quote from the Word Nerd to use in my blog. That's when she gave me another quote:

"good writers borrow from other writers. great writers steal from them outright"

A very wise statement indeed. Thanks word nerd :)

Of course, I'm not totally giving up on my favorite web-comic of all time. My plan of action goes as follows: Every Monday for the next eight weeks, I'll write a review for a bear nuts character of my choosing. I'll also include a link to the latest page of the website, and, if I feel like going the extra mile, I'll write about that page in addition to the character review. Does that sound like a good plan? No? Deal with it.

In other news, I'm going on vacation this weekend!....something I have not done in a very very very long time :P. I'll be staying at a ski resort somewhere near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania for a couple days where I'll be, you guessed it, snowboarding. Yes, I'm aware that I don't seem like the kind of guy who would "shred" on the slopes, but its actually an activity I've enjoyed for several years now. I'm sure skiing is fun and all, but there isn't much variety and creativity involved. On the other hand, anything goes with snowboarding, and let's face it, you look much cooler on a board then on two sticks.

What do you guys think? Skiing or Snowboarding? Leave your opinion in the comments.

Thanks to an amazing guitar-playing crazy Italian friend of mine, I've recently come across a number of old songs by well-known artist Mat Kearney (I believe I recommended his song "Never Be Ready" somewhere around Day 2 or 3). A lot of them have rap in it, which shocked me considering the fact that his new album has absolutely no rap in it at all. However, there was one song I came across that stood out among the rest, a song I'd thought I'd share with you guys: "All I Need". No rap involved (in case you haven't noticed, me and rap don't get along very well), but more importantly its deeper meaning (a reference to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina) and powerful lyrics make it a song of great importance, a song capable of adjusting our view to fit a different light. Take a listen and you'll see what I mean.

Oh yeah, before I leave, I'll leave you guys with a link to the beginning of Bear Nuts. If any of you have never read it, I strongly recommend that you take a look at it within the next 42 seconds. True, the first page is highly inappropriate and messed up, but once you get past the first 10 pages, you'll get hooked, 100% guaranteed (if you are not satisfied within 10 pages, then you're not satisfied. Get over it.)

I have a long day tomorrow, so I shall bid thee farewell. G'nights Interwebs!

--HaufeCoffee

Day 16: Thursdays Fail, But You Don't

I don't know what it is, but me and Thursdays have yet to organize a truce in this battle of crazy schedules and painful homework assignments. If that wasn't enough, Thursday took an extra blow at me today with a number of low-quality test grades given back to me.....but then again, what do you care? I'm here to entertain you, not to bludgeon you with all these rants and misfortunes. My apologies....let's move on to the real blog, shall we?

I was significantly surprised earlier today when I found out that YDCoH boasts a larger viewing audience than originally anticipated. It seems as though word has spread around my school about YDCoH, and that my random blurbs are gaining a gradual popularity among the student body. All I can do is thank y'all so much for your continued following of the blog. Without you YDCoH would never have been able to exist...(well, it might have existed if I felt like blogging to myself. But of course I'd never do something like that...................i think....................).

So, as a measure of my gratitude, I'm recommending two songs today. One is an old favorite of mine titled "Pinch Me" by the Barenaked Ladies (no, not what you think :P). The lyrics are strange, and the video is even stranger (in fact you might just want to minimize the screen while listening), but it maintains a level of amusement that makes up for all that. I mean, doesn't the line "I could hide out under there/I just made you say underwear" make you crack a smile? Of course its immature, definitely immature......it still makes me laugh though :D.

The second recommendation is "Goodnight Goodnight" by Maroon 5. It's a bit more depressing and deeper in meaning than Pinch Me, but its a good listen if you're a big fan of Maroon 5 or groups within the same genre. Let me know which of the two recommended songs you enjoy the most in the comments and why. If you absolutely despise both of them, suggest a song I should've recommended today (although if you don't like either of them, something is seriously wrong with your taste in music. You should get that checked out ;) ).

*sigh* just one more day until freedom! But until then, G'nights Interwebs!

--HaufeCoffee

Day 15: Blogger Procrastinitis

Thats the new disease spreading around the mid-Atlantic, and unfortunately it has affected me. I know I said I was going to finish the Bear Nuts blog today, and trust me, I've been /dying/ to finish it, but this week has just been tough on me physically and mentally. I don't remember being this tired since December exams, and quite frankly, I just can't find the willpower to spend thirty minutes giving a complete overview of a 144 page web-comic.

*insert reference to cute puppy picture located above here*

Friday begins a four day weekend, and coincidentally it will feature the first Friday update of Bear Nuts since last year, so you should expect part two then. I /promise/ I'll do it then.

Don't believe me? Listen to this song, and you'll get a sense of how trustworthy I really am.

Luckily, my horrid case of blogger procrastinitis does not limit me in my endeavor to provide you with the most amazing music possible. Today I recommend "The Heart of Life" by John Mayer. One of my favorite Mayer classics (contested only by "Stop This Train"), it reminds me of how beautiful life can really be if you just stop..................

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and take a moment to appreciate it. My friend Lucas tried his best to play it on his guitar today, but the awkward rhythm used by Mayer made his efforts futile. Therefore, on his behalf, I figured I'd recommend the song to you guys so y'all can appreciate just how insightful this song really is.

And so the 2 day recovery period from blogger procrastinitis starts now. G'nights Interwebs!

--HaufeCoffee

Day 14: Intermission

I know I said I was going to finish up with the Bear Nuts blog today, but with a ridiculous AP US History reading assignment (30 pages of fine print :P) and an upcoming AP Physics C test looming ahead that I've been cramming for (needless to say, the studying hasn't helped much), I've simply run out of time.

So, enjoy this intermission while I continue to slap myself into remembering that the gravitational force an object exerts on another is equal to GMm/r^2 and that if one of those objects is a pole you have to take the integral of that equation :P.

Of course this random intermission wouldn't be complete without another music recommendation. Thanks to a recommendation from my friend Foggy Dew, I was inspired to share a good song from the rock group "Audioslave". The song is titled "Like a Stone", and for some reason it reminds me of driving through a rain shower at night (probably because I first heard the song on the radio when in the car driving through a rain shower at night, lol). I think the darkish tone of this song significantly relates to this imagery, and perhaps thats why I like it so much. However, your interpretation of the song is what really matters...

Wish me goodluck, and G'nights Interwebs!

--HaufeCoffee

Day 13: Bear Nuts! (Part 1)

Hey, so not much happened today. I'm really tired so I'm gonna go to be early...

G'nights Interwebs!

--HaufeCoffee

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Haha, you believed me for a second, didn't you? Before you strike me with a sharpened-baseball bat or the like, please note that I'm only pulling your chain. There's no mistake, today is the day for....

BEAR NUTS!!!

First lets start with bit of background information: "Bear Nuts" is a web-comic produced by artist Alison Action of DoomCat Studios. It began as a side-project in August 2008 and has gained a significant reputation in the internet community since then. Over the past two years, one book ("The Book of Prozac", 97 pages) has been published and a second book ("The Book of Evil") is under construction.

The web-comic tells the amusing lives and adventures of 9 male bears who take residence in some zoo...somewhere. Each bear has their own unique personality, as denoted by their name and an insignia etched into their skin. These significantly different personalities often cause conflict between the bears (I mean, if i lived in the same house with 8 other people constantly pulling your chain, I'd probably go insane). This makes for an inappropriate, yet highly amusing comic that anyone could enjoy.

Right now I want to take a moment to review every character of the Bear Nuts ensemble for your amusement.

Prozac Bear: He's the de-facto leader of the bunch and the centric character of the earliest story-arcs of the comic. He's probably the kindest bear (next to Gimp) and the best mediator of the bunch (without him, Gay and Lech would have probably killed each other by now....actually, they'd already be dead because Evil would have been able to experiment on that Atomic Bomb he's always wanted to "experiment" with), but he, alas, also has his share of issues. Not unlike House M.D., Prozac is addicted to pills (take a wild guess which drug). If Prozac loses his pills, he loses his mind, that simple. I wonder what would happen if Prozac, off his meds, caught Evil in the act of the hypothetical experimentation with a nuclear bomb. That would be one "explosive" story arc ;).

Unfortunately my time on the internet today is wearing thin and I must depart before I can finish the Bear Nuts special. Therefore, I shall finish on Tuesday with an extravagant part 2 and resume normal blogging (including a short recap of events from today and tomorrow) on Wednesday (Day 15).

G'nights Interwebs!

--HaufeCoffee

Day 12: Pink Books Kill

As a semester reading assignment , all juniors at my school are required to read "Once Upon a Quincenera" (sp?), a book about latina girls coming of age in the Unites States.

wtf? why are we reading this!?!?!

This book has no influence at all in regards to American Literature and seriously...what guy is going to /read/ a book about girls freaking out about a party (we get enough of that crap from MTV :P). To maintain my role as a respectable student, I have forced myself to read it, but for the record I hate this book. Unless you're a latina girl who loves dressing up, don't read it. Just don't.

Today was a bland Sunday, as Sunday's usually go. I spent most of my day finishing quizzes and tests and doing pointless readings. It doesn't help that I have 2 tests and an exam this week since its the end of the semester. yay.

On a happier note, the bearnuts blog is coming up! Thanks to the word nerd's constant reminders, this special blog should be online by 10:45 tomorrow night! Stay tuned.

Originally, I wasn't going to include a music recommendation for this blog (I recommended "1,2,3,4" today in yesterday's blog...if that made any sense), but I recently read the word nerd's blog and was reminded of the song "Nothing Left to Lose" by Mat Kearney. This was the first song I encountered from Kearney, and since then it has opened me up to more of his music and the genre in general. You can take a listen by going to the word nerd's blogged, hyper linked above.

It's been a relatively enjoyable weekend, but now I must sleep....maybe ;).

G'nights Interwebs!

--HaufeCoffee

P.S.: Apologizes to those who are under the impression that I hate Quinceaneras and those who have them. That's not the case...its just not something I'm not interested in, that's all.