09/17/2003 - 1:59 p.m. | and the ghosts are lining up outside your door

Another telltale LAS evening. While Kyle and Spritz frantically worked on their homework, I slept from 10 'til 1:30 or so. From there, I got up and played Nintendo until 3 (rather, until the constant strain on my resources from constantly saving and loading Megaman got to be too much) then went back to sleep. Sorry state, I agree. And APPARENTLY they were out eating blackberries and ice cream while I was dozing. Did they wake me? Noooo. "You were sleeping!" Fuck that! Let it be known that anytime you are doing anything, whatever time it is or however boring it may seem to you, you wake me up. I mean it. Time is all I have to offer.

Up at 9 this morning and over to DKH to see what crazy nonsense Professor Elliott was gonna spew forth today. After making vague, wrestling-esque threats about punctuation ("Use incorrect grammar, and you will be in a world of hurt!" He scares the crap out of me), he spent most of the day talking about PR - in the context of the budget cuts once again. I will learn something about journalism someday, I swear. From an episode of FUCKING MURPHY BROWN.

I grabbed an issue of The Daily Illini today. Interesting headline: 'Advertising has imploded.' At first, I thought maybe the building had collapsed, but then I remembered that we don't actually have a building and read on: "...a committee report was released, stating that the college's advertising department 'has imploded' and 'should be disbanded.'" They talk about possible options for revamping the College of Communications, including separating the journalism department into its own school, putting the other communications fields into other schools, and fucking reaming the advertising department altogether. Swell. I really know how to pick majors, don't I? Don't hear about this shit going on in engineering, do you? Of course, they try to reassure us by saying that so far these are merely recommendations, but typically, if something is recommended, action will be taken at some point toward those ends. Shoot. The thing that I find very interesting, though, is this quote from the interim dean of the CoC: "The committee did a lot of good work, and I think they did a good job of examining us from the outside in... Obviously they didn't have the advantage of having worked within the college... so they don't know all about the culture of this place. But I think they were able to gleam some of that from conversations they had with the faculty and students over the summer." WHAT?! We've got this little board of people making all these recommendations about the College of Communications, and none of them are even involved in it?! They talked to some students?! Ooh - and the head of the committee that decided all this stuff? Engineering professor. Fine, there might be problems with College of Communications. I don't really know. But there should have at least been some insiders on this committee to provide some experienced perspective.

Wow, I just realized this is the first thing I've felt passionate about in, like, ever. I'm even thinking about writing a letter. I never write letters. I mean, if not something as lame as, "Please no stop advertising! I liek it!" at least that the issue should be looked upon more fully. Needless to say, I am a little worried.

Anyway, in JLit today, we watched a movie about Japan (but not the one with Ian Wright :( Too bad). The best part was the 80s techno soundtrack. And then the one kid who actually went to Japan went into his whole spiel again. I mostly focused on what he said about pachinko, this hilarious Japanese pinball, slot machine game that sounds oddly reminscent of "The Price is Right"'s Plinko! Did a little looking around on eBay, and it looks like I can get "most sophisticated Pachinko Pinball machine ever made" for less than 200 bucks. Add it to the list.

The list, by the way, being all the really big, stupid, expensive shit I want to buy that none of you would probably actually consider worth the money. Roomba was on the list, so is big Dry Ice pillow, and now, we have pachinko. Of course, even though I do have the money, these things are not purchased on a whim. I got Roomba, for instance, because I managed to make it through my last year at the factory. Something equally good will have to happen for me to consider buying the other stuff. Finding another girl who is attracted to me, for instance. Or building Talking Invicible Crab costume according to my exacting standards (Yes, I could just use a box and some tubing, but that would be cheating my artistic vision). So never.

Rode back here, grabbed my book, and drank almost an entire carton of vanilla fortified soy milk. The sad thing is that I don't hate it in the least. It reminds me of something... I can't put my finger on what, but it's actually sort of delicious. And it's pretty much healthier than anything I ever consume. So good habit to start. Which we will offset with the opium. Made for sort of an unpleasant ride to class, however. Cotton mouth and rumbly tummy.

More reading in stats today. Two cell phones rang, and each time, the professor picked up his calculator and started talking into it. Ring! "Hello?! Oh, the battery must be dead!" Ring! "Oh - I'll just let my voicemail get it this time..." I love that crazy Russkie. Not his class so much... but those brief flashes of personality I get while glancing up every few minutes.

"Say hello to the rug's topography
It holds quite a lot of interest with your face down on it
Say hello to the shrinking in your head
You can't see it but you know its there so don't neglect it"

I nearly hit like six or seven people on the ride home. And they act like it's my fault. I rang my bell, fucker. You walk a little faster or at least not down the middle of a path. And I keep seeing Paul Malina EVERYWHERE. I think I even had a dream about him. He was playing basketball at IMPE. One thing I think bicyclists should do while passing in opposite directions on the little bike roads is high five. I have tried to initiate this little ritual, but I think they think I'm trying to karate chop them and veer out of my way. My new favorite passtime is hitting people on the back of the head and calling them a dolt. It feels like a sitcom!