Thanksgiving was really nice. I've probably said this to anyone who reads my blog already, but it was the first time my entire (remaining) family has been together in one place (for a non-tragic event) in about a decade or so. My brother Jamie actually showed up, which is unusual. The routine is, he promises to come and talks about how great it's going to be and then never shows up and never explains why he didn't come. This year, though, he came with my brother-in-law, nephew, niece and grandniece. The grandniece (Kirsten) had a brief territorial dispute with her first cousin, once removed Geneva, but they eventually settled it and went around basically being photogenic.
My nephew came home with us and he and I spent the rest of our break playing computer games and watching movies. He's a really good kid--considering the insane household he grew up/is growing up in, he's got his head on straight. I only hope he can maintain it through his high school years.
And considering the crazy family in which I live--I am completely astounded and gratified that this year's Thanksgiving didn't end in a fight or a drama. I dunno what's wrong with us...we're not being our (ab)normal selves.

Gryffilion D., Adventurer tells me he is now suffering from abandonment issues

What a fun weekend. My friend Peter Glanville, yet another EYC friend, came down from Tech for the weekend. He was floored by the "all you can eat" thing on weekends--apparently it's fend-for-yourself at VT on the weekends. And I thought I had it bad with the Caf. So we lazed around a lot--though I did less lazing than usual, since I had an Archaeology take-home quiz (due to the mercy of Prof. Gallivan) and an Orgo test on Sunday (hey, it gave me two extra days to study). Ah yes--one of those days of studying being spent with a senior girl who asked me to study with her...
*shakes off reverie* Anyway, on Sunday Peter and I hung out with our mutual friend, Constance, who was the first person he came down to see (me and Lynn being the other two people). Saturday we ate dinner with some of the D & D people and then he and Lynn went off with them to the Dart Gun Fight. We stayed up late mainly because Mike Schobel (lives across the hall from me) was drunk and randy and griping about how much he wanted to find a girl with whom to hook up. He got quite eloquent at one point:

"Guys, just for a minute, let's go back to Walden Pond. To Henry Thoreau, and transcendentalism--or even existentialism. Imagine that we live in a society without rules or boundaries. That we are all individual actors with the power to shape our own destinies. If you lived in that world and you could have any one thing, what would it be? Because for me, I know it would be sex. Right now."

Yeah. That pretty much sums up his mood for the night. It was quite funny but when we realized he wasn't going to wind down anytime soon we all went to bed.
And now it's almost Thanksgiving Break and I have a quiz and an Orgo Lab on my last day. Talk about needing a reprieve...

Wow. What bravado. What false hope. Face it, Libbies--you failed. You set out to unseat Bushitler. You set out to "re-eject" Dubya, to end the 43rd Reich. And all of George Soros' bucks, all of Michale Moore's propaganda films, all of Al Franken's "Lying Lies," all of the mainstream news media's attempts to paint our president as a lying coward FAILED. You not only lost the election--you lost the American people.
Some of you like to take the election results and say "That means I'm smarter than 51% of the country." Fine. Have it your way. But just remember--it isn't always the billions of dollars and the hate-filled rhetoric that gets you what you want. Sometimes you have to recognize what the American people really want. And what the American people want right now is the right not to be murdered in their homes, at their workplaces, by some Islamic fanatic with access to a plane and a bunch of explosives. And in my opinion, they placed their bet on the Right Man.

Note to my liberal friends: this is NOT an attack on you. This is an unprovoked rant that I felt the need to express. I love you all dearly regardless of whom you voted for. :-P

Way to go, Episcopal Church. Way to make us look even more scattered and secular. Way to cheapen our already tainted image and to further the notion that we are a wordly, spiritually vapid church. Way to promote pagan and non-Christian ideals under the guise of those Holies of Holies, "diversity," "tolerance," and "acceptance."
I am definitely switching to Catholicism.

A nice note from Danny Schmidt

"Hi Will --

Sorry for the slow backs. Just wanted to say hello, and thanks for the nice note. Sorry you're feeling a little homesick. Cville will do that to you -- I feel it myself often. Hope Williamsburg is treating you well, though -- and that they don't make you dress up all funny toooo often. Hopefully I'll see you back in Cville one of these days.

Have a great autumn --

Danny"


I feel better. :-D

SUCESS!!

Rob Leventhal, a professor who taught me when I was in 9th grade and who now works here, has graciously offered me an override for his German Self-Society class so that I can get in. He is probably one of the best teachers I have ever had--middle school, high school, or college combined. This is the perfect end to a rough and time-consuming week. Thank God for favoritism!

Okay, the answers to the silly song lyrics thing are as follows:

1) Jimmy Eat World, The Authority Song. (From the album Bleed American)
2) Pink Floyd, Learning To Fly. From the album A Momentary Lapse of Reason)
3) Damien Rice, Amie. (From the album O)
4) Horslips, I'll Be Waiting. (From the album The Man Who Built America)
5) The Who, Baba O'Reilly. (From the album Who's Next)
6) The Wallflowers, One Headlight. (From the album Bringing Down the Horse)
7) Radiohead, No Surprises. (From the album OK Computer)
8) Danny Schmidt, Cleopatra. (From the album Make Right the Time)
9) Straylight Run, The Tension and the Terror. (From their self-titled album)
10) Flashbulb Diary, The Life I've Grown Accustomed To, from the album of the same name.

So yeah. If you saw some lyrics that you liked or that intrigued you, now you know whom or what to look up.

All righty then. Will's Spring Semester schedule:

Monday
11:00 - 11:50: Physics 102
12:00 - 12:50: Chem II
1:00 - 1:50: Gen Chem II Lab Discussion
3:00 - 4:20: Study of Language

Tuesday
11:00 - 12:20: German Self-Society
2:00 - 4:50: Gen Chem II Lab

Wednesday
11:00 - 11:50: Physics 102
12:00 - 12:50: Gen Chem II
1:00 - 1:50: MiliSci 102
3:00 - 4:20: Study of Language

Thursday
11:00 - 12:20: German Self-Society
1:00 - 1:50: Physics Problem Session [every Physics class is a "problem" session]
4:30 - 6:00: Physics Lab

Friday
11:00 - 11:50: Physics 102
12:00 - 12:50: Gen Chem II
1:00 - 1:50: MiliSci 102

I'm actually fairly surprised; registration didn't kick my tuchas like I thought it would. And there was a small miracle of the online Add/Drop feature which I shall impart to you a later time...have a good day, everyone.

I register tomorrow at 8 A.M. for spring semester classes. Wish me luck, all.

Usually, this sort of thing is done on Live Journals, but I think I'm going to try it out on here anyway. The deal is, I put down ten lines/lyrics from ten songs and you name the song and artist (and album, if you're especially knowledgeable). I don't expect many responses on this but whatever. Maybe some new reader stumbling across it will happen to recognize a favorite line. Or something. I can keep hoping, I guess. And anyway, it beats me just putting down random lyrics without any preamble.

1) "I got no secret purpose--I don't seem obvious, do I?"
2) "There's no sensation to compare with this/Suspended animation, a state of bliss..."
3) "I'm not a miracle and you're not a saint/Just another soldier on a road to nowhere..."
4) "Can't let love spoil my chances, can't let that girl stand in my way..."
5) "The exodus is here, the happy wander near/Let's get together before we get much older..."
6) "So old, I feel just like somebody else/Man, I ain't changed, but I know I ain't the same..."
7) "I'll take a quiet life, a handshake of carbon monoxide..."
8) "...The story of your life is always yours to trade away."
9) "You take in everything with a certainty I envy/It's somehow all I need/Just keep me guessing, please..."
10) "And at this rate I'll swear my life away to make you stay/A lonely boy who steals love he can't borrow..."

All righty then. Have at it, if you care to.

Those of you who know me well know this doesn't happen often, but...



...tell me that Miss Bryce Dallas-Howard isn't worth getting star-struck over. I dare you.

(Incidentally, guess whose daughter she is)

I feel a little bit leery about posting my thoughts on this matter, given that certain people read my blog on a regular basis, but I guess I might as well...
I've been struggling lately with a moral dilemma. It's not tearing my life apart, per se, but I'm feeling kind of, well...usually moral issues are fairly clear cut for me. I don't lie, talk about people behind their backs, steal, etc., etc. I don't sow malice or discord. I try to preserve unity and live for, if not goodness, then common decency. But dammit, sometimes the id in me just takes over.
There's a girl I really like, to the point that I feel an intimate, yet non-romantic connection with her. This isn't to say I don't want the connection to be romantic--I am unable to take it to that level due to a relationship she is currently in. However, in most conversations in which her partner comes up, she seems relatively ambivalent about their relationship (or maybe that's just wishful thinking?). Either way, I wonder sometimes if she's just a really open and affectionate person, and I'm reading too much into it (what? ME? Never!). It's disquieting, though, that I find myself there was a way I could work myself into that dynamic and maybe just wait it out until the ambivalence resolves itself.
I suppose it's pointless to worry about it, when I'm not actively doing anything to destroy the relationship, but the feeling in and of itself is disturbing. To what lengths am I willing to go to feel re-affirmed about being a romantic person? Am I just attracted to her because I need someone to feel close to, to reassure myself than I can still feel that way? Because sometimes I have my doubts...sometimes I think I just like the idea of being that close to someone for closeness' sake.
Anyway...I'm rambling here.
Hank was joking about it with me the other night: "So, Will, how is [name here]? Has she broken up with her boyfriend yet?" And I said, "No, I wish. Actually, he's pretty cool, I guess." And Hank replied "Wrong! If he's her boyfriend, he automatically sucks! That's the way you have to think!"
I guess, even if he was joking, he's right. If I was really inclined to destroy a relationship, I'd have to have that merciless mindset. And I don't. So I guess I'll continue to hang on in quiet, desperate, optimism.

Hear You Me

There's no one in town I know
You gave us somewhere to go
I never said 'thank you' for that
Thought I might get one more chance

And what would you think of me now?
So lucky, so strong, so proud
I never said 'thank you' for that
Now I'll never have a chance

May angels lead you in
Hear you me, my friends
On sleepless roads the sleepless go
May angels lead you in

So what would you think of me now?
So lucky, so strong, so proud
I never said 'thank you' for that
Now I'll never have a chance

May angels lead you in
Hear you me, my friends
On sleepless roads the sleepless go
May angels lead you in

And if you were with me tonight
I'd sing to you just one more time
A song for a heart so big
God wouldn't let it live

May angels lead you in
Hear you me, my friends
On sleepless roads the sleepless go
May angels lead you in
May angels lead you in...

(-Jimmy Eat World)

TALIAFERRO REMINISCING, PART SCHEVEN



J.P. grabbed Cassie right as I took this picture of him. Luckily, she's so damn photogenic it made the picture that much better.

Mike and Danny demonstrate their...affection for each other while sitting in a bemused Matt's lap.

Eric looks kind of god-like in this picture. Lighting is everything.

Alaina, Liz M., and Liz K. enjoy slices of my birthday cake. Hank looks menacing in the background.

Cassie, Kate, and Mike. Another just-returned-from-Spring Break picture. Something about this shot really appeals to me. Maybe it's the spinning frisbee.

Dave shows his...erm...well, let's just say Dave's very outspoken. "Often wrong, but never uncertain."

Okay, I know it's a bit early for this type of thing, but here are my predictions for my end-of-the-semester grades:

Orgo: B-/B. It looks as though unless by some miracle I start getting A's on tests, I'm going to have somewhere in the low B range.
Physics: A-. I'm being a bit optimistic here--it could be a B+, but I doubt I'll get any lower. I've been acing the tests (A- average there), I have a B+ in the homeworks, and Labs are going fairly smoothly. Unless I suddenly tank, I should be fine.
Linear Algebra: B+/A-. It's probably going to be a B+, though I suppose an A- is possible. It all depends on the final. I did okay on the midterm, and so far my test average is fairly good (95, 75, 95--kind of balances out to a high B). This is one that will be determined by the layout (not necessarily the material within) of the final.
Archaeology: B-/B. To be completely honest, I have to say I expect a B- in this class. I like it, it's fun, it appeals to me, but it's low on my priority list. I set out to do well in Orgo and ace Physics, and so far I am achieving both those goals. A low B in Archo would be jes' fine with me.
Military Science: A. It had better NOT be an A-. I put a lot of energy and passion into that class, and CPT Mensch damn well knows it. Hell, I'm not even in ROTC and I know more than a bunch of the kids in my class (hey, I was honest in criticism of myself, I can be honest in approval of myself too). I expect either an A or a REALLY HIGH A-.

So there. This is my predicted outcome of classes at large. If this holds true, I could end up with a ~3.0 GPA by the end of first semester. Let us hope...

Yesterday was nice (would have been even if W hadn't won the election). One of those great Autumn days that we regret not having more of, etc. I put on my new, $10 suit after Physics and went to MiliSci.

Captain Mensch: "You don't have to wear a suit, you know, even if it is Election Day..."
Will: "I'm celebrating, sir."
Zotto and Eckstein: "And boy, is it worth celebrating."

We did Land Navigation for the whole period--sometimes I'm glad I have a map freak for a father; it helps when you have to do orienteering--and then afterwards Eckstein (Sasha, when we're doing non-military activities) and I went and had lunch with Derek Power. We discussed the victory, world issues, policy, and the concept of "being on top of things." My belief was that it's better being in the state right before you achieve complete supremacy, because at that point, you know your'e great and everyone else knows you're great...but you still have that final step to achieve, and all of that together is like Christmas if you're power (or love) hungry.
Anyway, later in the afternoon, Lynn and Liz and Lynn's boyfriend Jon and I got together for coffee at Aromas. Actualy, I don't think any of us had coffee. I had hot cider, in celebration of the leaves finally falling off the trees (hey, it's Williamsburg, we have green leaves on the trees up until December--and anyway, hot cider is a must when it's November). I think Liz and Lynn had tea or chai or something, and Jon had Root 66. Anyways, Lynn, Liz, and I were hungry, so we all walked over to the Caf (on the way Lynn groped me) and I showed them the magic ringing table. I discovered this table with Hank and Alan the other night--when you turn the tabletop on its axis, it makes a magical "ding" sound. This entertained Hank greatly, and it tends to amuse most people to whom I demonstrate it.
I guess it really is the little things you treasure...

TALIAFERRO REMINISCING, PART SIX

Did you really think it was over? Ha! *derisive snort*



Danny, using the Matteo-bus as a new form of public transporting.

Wow. Sarah and Lauren are hotness incarnate.

Me, shortly before King and Queen's Ball, 2004. (Matt, who took the shot, told me before taking it to "smile and say 'Taliban.'" Hence my silly grin.)

(l-r) Alan, Tyler, Andy Idaho, Cassie, Joe, and Mike watching Austin Powers. Kind of a boring picture, I know, but I always feel all warm and fuzzy inside when I see it.."it feels like I'm home again..."

Is it just me, or does Hank look like a hired goon sent to collect money from a protesting and insolvent Alan?

Sally, Catherine, and Christine. Three good reasons to live in Taliaferro.

I'd like to say that I have gained respect for Kerry, for his gracious concession speech and his expressed desire to help re-unite the nation. I hope that he is sincere in this, for I would like to see the "Loyal Opposition" return to American politics myself...
And no, I'm not going to take an oppurtunity to gloat, as some people have expected me to do. I never had any plan to, and I don't have any desire to do so now. I am only relieved that the fight is done and over, and that we can focus outward now instead of inward.

This is pretty damn cool. (Requires Windows Media Player)

And this is awesome. (Requires QuickTime)

This is all I have to say, really. Hat tip to the Eden Watchdogs.
(And I don't want John Kerry protecting my family, either. Hell, I wouldn't want Kerry protecting anything of any value to me whatsoever. Other than that I suppose he's a nice enough guy. After all, no matter what you say he'll agree with you.)

For those of you who might be puzzled by the new layout of the Blog, the TR series is an amatuerish attempt a photo montage, made up of various combinations of the 224 pictures I took last year during my stay at Taliaferro Hall, courtesy of The College of William & Mary established 1693 so help me God until death do us part. *ahem* Anyway, I try to balance pictures that have sentimental significance (a picture of the Tower? Who else but me cares?) with those that have humouous content (any of the ones containing Tyler). I hope they meet with your approval, or at least with your indifference. It's something new to occupy my time, and no doubt I'll find a middle ground, but right now I plan on going crazy with the photos.
On another note, my nephew visited this weekend. He was disappointed that we couldn't find a real college party to go to--it seems all the frats were out of town on their Pledge Retreats. We went over to the Spanish House for the dance party but it didn't quite meet our fancy, so we just stayed up late again, playing video games, downloading music, and doing various things on EBaumsWorld. Hopefully, next time he comes down I can bring him to a real party.
And no, I don't plan on getting my nephew wasted. I'm sick, but not that sick. I just want him to get a full taste of the college experience: sleeping in, bad food, and wild parties.
What? You mean those aren't the three most important elements of my four years here? Well, damn, what are we paying ten grand a year for, then?

TALIAFERRO REMINISCING, PART FIVE



Danny displays his "Hitman 2" skills as Liz K. looks on in admiration. Or bafflement. Or something.

Poverty-stricken Tyler bemoans his fate.

Alan, Joe, Mike, and Matt enjoy the spoils of a midnight Wawa run.

Belgium (a.k.a. Lauren) lights Catherine's birthday cake, while (l to r) Liz S., Chrissy, Mike (foreground), Andy "Idaho," and Tyler look on.

Dave, a newly shorn Hank, and Ben play Gladius. Hank has either just said or is about to say, "Ben, stop sucking at life."

Kate in front of the Wren Building. (Strangely enough, I took this picture without recognizing her until after I put the picture on my computer.) I've always been kind of proud of this shot--it goes to show that anybody can take a good photo, provided they have a little bit of luck and ample oppurtunity.

TALIAFERRO REMINISCING, PART FOUR



Liz, after Matt transformed her into Princess Leia.

Cassie gives Sarah an effusive welcome home after Spring Break.

Fetal Danny sleeps on the couch.

Matt plays the bass like the clown he is.

Hassan bin Sober, the Shikker Sheikh, contemplates reality. Or the wall behind me. I'm not really sure.

The last picture I took, Spring Semester '03-'04. This is the famous Taliaferro Tower. My room is the one with the air conditioner in the slightly broken window.