RyanHarne.com

Today has been productive. No less. I got up early for my job ‘interview.’ I basically already had acquired the position, but I just had to talk to the guy in charge about the details and such. So I start working in mid-May as a groundscrew employee at Centra Health. I am excited. I really am.

Also today I got out my mom’s PowerBook that was assigned to her by her elementary school. I just started it up and looked at its specs out of curiousity. 200 MHz PowerPC processor, 32MB of RAM, 2GB harddrive. Anyways, I just wanted to check it out because its been sitting around here unused for a very long time. The battery was completely worn down; I let it charge just a bit for caution. She’ll likely find it not in the exact position she left it in last time. I just find it interesting to use old computer equipment in this age of never-slowing technological breakthrough.

Jumping back though…I hit up Starbucks after my interview. I sat and read for well over an hour, not that I was wasting space though…the place was neither full nor nearing capacity. Even though our new Starbucks is not like many of the other more originally-decorated ones, I can still truly relax and focus in that atmosphere. Much like a Bollo’s away from school. But, I don’t get an Abigail with me at this Starbucks like I do at Bollo’s ::sadness::

Speaking of Abigail, her spring break plans took her away from nearly all contact with me. Hopefully she is having a good time shopping and spending time with family. But I do look forward to our Sunday return to Tech. It will also be her birthday party What fun will commence!

I tried my hand at this iPod concept contest thing. I used AutoCAD to work up a design. After realizing I didn’t have a chance, even though I had a very plausable and aesthetically-pleasing design, I just gave up because I was sincerely wasting my time. Oh well.

I have made a new site design concept. Jeremiah says it looks good. I’m not so sure about it myself. Perhaps it may earn a launch date. Maybe.

Yeah. So this is just a time-filling mid-day blog. Um…Friday looks like a small roadtrip to C-Ville for some shopping and fun. Maybe I’ll get a roadtrip partner?

Oh well. End of blog. Now.

It has been a while since I’ve seen a movie that plunders into each cavern of my soul and causes me to truly dwell in thought. After today’s mundane setlist, I really appreciated tonight and what it had to offer.

So today: doctor’s appointment, prescription, Starbucks with reading. Being able to sit down and sip a caramel latté with my present book was rather consoling, although my current state of dreariness won’t totally cease until Sunday when I will return to Tech and also to Abigail.

The rest of my day was filled with wasting the hours that were appropriated to me.

Tonight I watched Saving Private Ryan for the first time. The movie is self-shuddering and ‘fearfully and wonderfully made.’ Movies based on American wars tend to fail in their description of the brutality that both sides faced constantly. War movies often glorify the ends while neglecting the actual means necessary, in any war, to accomplish them. I appreciated the fact that Speilberg did his homework, per se, in the production and direction of this film. World War II is a defining moment, a not-so-long-ago defining moment, in America’s history.

Many people are afraid in recent times to join the armed forces in fear of having to witness and engage in combat. However, combat of today is remote and robotic. Reconnaissance, intelligence, and scouting highlights the tactics used in each given case. Bombings are standard routine before any ground invasion. The troops of WWII commonly had no such resource before an attack. War today is not the war of yesterday. And the war of yesterday is not the war of yester-year. But the American cause for war has remained very constant - to protect those under the injust fist of oppression and tyranny and to defend our nation, and its people, from any attack that could compromise its security.

The Second Gulf War (Iraq War etc etc) has been duly justified by the Bush administration. America stepped into a Middle Eastern region that often despises americanism and other such forms of socialization, but America has done this nation, Iraq, a favor in ridding it of a viral pest that scourged away at its citizens. Hussein’s ‘reign of terror’ was real. Perhaps not as evident as Hitler’s or Stalin’s, but Saddam had in mind to even further threaten his own people and nations opposing him, particularly the USA. Weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq: several mobile chemical trucks were located late spring ‘03 that had clearly been used as testing facilities; over twenty Soviet fighter jets, fully armed, were discovered buried in the sand (you could say “embalmed”) in an Iraqi desert in the summer of ‘03 (search my summer blogs for the news links). However, the liberal American media will not report on such events because it would conflict with their interests to subvert the opinion of the American people against a president that has performed amazingly under a pressure few other leaders have faced.

Additionally, our nation is now faced with character issues that did not exist in the era of WWII. Moral definitions have been altered and tailored to make people feel good about themselves instead of providing a discipline to better their self. Weight loss programs put the blame on fatty and high-sodium foods while common sense would cry for a balanced diet and regular exercise. Teen media is now absorbed with behavoirs that promote haste, material satisfaction, and promiscuity. I could say more and provide more details but our lack of self-control in these post Y2K times is obvious. The concept of citizenship is now a definition of birth and naturalization and no longer includes mention of community or civil service.

In brief, Saving Private Ryan has motivated me. I like movies that motivate me. Syllogism would say that I like Saving Private Ryan. I say…I like Saving Private Ryan.

Suddenly, I’m feeling even more ill. This is likely due to my new location at home again (have you ever noticed when you spend a long portion of time in place A that you have a tendency to get sick when you are suddenly moved to place B?). Anyways, I think a doctor’s visit will be required this week.

I spent this afternoon running around at 50 mph. I took my one amp to Stringfellows to get the input jack fixed but they told me to bring it back Monday. I won’t complain. It’s being fixed for free because they guarantee any amp their sell for 5 years. Then I stayed at Given’s Books for a while checking out some used books. Nothing caught my interest, although I normally have a hard time picking out a new read at a bookstore. So I went over to Lynchburg Music Center to check out the latest in equipment that reaches L-burg.

I talked to Ryan, from D.I.Y., for a while about music and his band. He explained a lot to me regarding tube amps and let me try out several configurations. After leaving there I realized I needed to pick up a Musician’s Friend catalog and just study the latest products. I’m so ‘out of the loop’ in terms of knowing what even exists in music equipment and technology.

So yeah. Tonight I’ll be doing something at a local location. Likely some Starbucks or corrupted-Starbucks. Plus I need some reMiX because I left my supply at school. If you feel the need, mock me with an email. I’m going to read now.

Celebrating one year of domain blogging, this is my RyanHarne.com!

In honor of the recent festivities, I looked back over much of my older blogging material, specifically from about one year ago. Reminisce is great Plus I added a *few* of the designs that didn’t make it to launch into the graphics portion under Past.

The weather today is great. I actually just turned the fan on in my room to get some circulation a-goin on. It’s a nice pre-spring break day.

But I am pretty sick. I think (know) this is another one of my pneumonia recurrences. Oh well. I’m used to it by now. I’m rather pneumatic wouldn’t you say?

Yeah, my mind totally went blank…and I wanted to say something. I’ll do an extra later if I can think of whatever it was…or I’ll just write some more later regardless.

*This is my later update.

Well I could never remember what it was that I wanted to mention. Perhaps it was the news that I won’t be a Theme RA for next year. Arg. Oh well, I’m still in the running for a regular RA position. Anyways.

Tonight I was at the Emporium. It was exciting. I found a question without a fully correct answer. It needed choices (a), (c), and (d) as an answer, but it only had an answer for (a) and (c) and one for (a) and (d). I ended up choosing the ‘wrong’ grouping of choices, so I refuted my case with some emporium workers. They both agreed with me that the question was wrong. So I took a screenshot and wrote a long explanation of an email as to why the problem was not written correctly (and why I deserve full credit). So yeah. It was a long night of emailing.

Blah, one more day to spring break. And almost nothing tomorrow anyways. In fact, this week has been overly easy. Perhaps the three insane weeks preceding this week create a comfortable equilibrium with this slacker week. Well…I’m not complaining.

OH! I just remembered what it was that I wanted to say. I need help. Real bad. Not just any help…but fashion help. In a more detailed sense: I need to get new shoes. I don’t know what kind/style/color of shoes I want, so you need to help me out. Please email me (see contact email above right) with some ideas. I truly am open to anything on this front. Thanks much

In conclusion, today was overcast and rainy. Although, the rain decided to be fickle and only shower on us once every half-hour. It’s obnoxious to have to follow such an irregulated pattern for using an umbrella. But life cannot be perfect.

This morning I woke to feeling very ill. A forcing-myself-out-of-bed-and-going-to-the-gym workout fixed that right up. I still feel light-headed and have been coughing (my perpetual pneumonia lingers) but overall I am rather sharp and active.

Post-workout was a trip to Au Bon Pain (assuming you understand that I had taken a shower before leaving my dorm). Abigail had mentioned the bagels there are incredible when toasted, so I tried a sesame seed bagel myself. Wow! I’ve never enjoyed a sesame bagel in my life up to that moment. Best 89 cents I’ve ever spent on my dining plan. Then I went further on to Wachovia for some bankin’ fun. Then a walk back accompianed by The Juliana Theory and my iPod.

I’ve started reading a new book. This is actually one I purchased over Christmas break but never had any time to begin it. Thus far, I am really enjoying The Discovery Of Heaven by Harry Mulisch. The two main characters, at least the two main characters of the first 57 pages, remind me so much of how Jeremiah and I are as friends. We both engage each other in intellectual chatter every chance we get, plus our friendship is heavily entwined and established. Anyways, I like the book. Definitely will become my spring break reading.

I’m 6 for 10 in the Pepsi iTunes Music Giveaway. As far as I can remember. But those are good odds. I’ve noticed that I only win when I actually want to drink Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, or Sierra Mist. Each time I nonchalantly pick a Diet Pepsi up at Owen’s (a dining center here) I don’t win. However, that’s just a mental component to this ‘contest’ of sorts. ..So, I am happy and enjoy my iPod even more with my 6 free songs.

I watched this video at CNET.com today about home theaters. Since they have a stupid format of linking video I can’t give the direct link at all, nor can I provide an article link because it was solely video. But regardless, the whole thing was about what to look for and how to put together a nice home theater. They had a good example as their focus, but it was incredibly too much for any normal human. The total cost was, according to them, about “$10,000″ but I know the costs and brands that were presented in the feature and the real total was actually around $14,000. Who would spend that much on a home theater, especially when our plasma tv technology has not been adjusted enough to work at refresh rates better than the human eye? I could go into a more in-depth rant, but I’ll leave it at that. ::sigh:: I’d rather spend $14,000 on a Jetta. On my Jetta.