tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57409282012-01-19T21:22:37.599-05:00"Where there's a Will, there's a May."Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.comBlogger5211100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-73191265241012340162010-10-30T11:54:00.007-04:002010-10-30T12:08:42.781-04:00

On Gentlemanly Character When I was perhaps six or seven years old, my mother started her own housecleaning business. Her clients tended to be wealthy people who owned expensive apartments or luxurious homes in the Charlottesville area. One of the married couples who employed her had two sons, to which I will refer as Chris and Daniel and with whom I soon became fairly close friends. Our

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-61165412367374425782010-06-26T22:01:00.012-04:002010-06-27T08:31:09.123-04:00

The Beautiful Side of SomewhereSince moving to Floyd, I’ve been amused to consider that oft-mentioned correlation between negative emotions and the spate of creative energy. By that measure, my life here makes for boring writing:I got up. I went to work. I came home. I ate dinner. Life is wonderful and I have no regrets.It makes a good epitaph, I suppose, especially if you dig Hemingway and his

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-58000392066865094392010-03-19T19:49:00.014-04:002010-03-19T20:08:24.441-04:00

MBTI/Firefly DemotivatorsI put this together the other night on a whim, and figured that fans of either or both of these would find the results amusing. Enjoy!

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-36379838849367320152010-03-08T11:20:00.024-05:002010-04-17T02:32:12.658-04:00

Just one breath away from being home(The two italicized quotes in this post come from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.)The Lenten tradition is associated, in the cultural mainstream, with giving up meat or chocolate or even Facebook, now that the latter has become such an addictive phenomenon. However, traditionally, it's associated not merely with deliberately punishing one's epicurean

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-70089790238720159182010-01-08T12:33:00.003-05:002010-04-08T19:57:08.839-04:00

Happy 2010!It's good to be back. I got sick back in November with the swine flu, which worsened into pneumonia. That took quite a while to get better, and by the time it did, Christmas was close and I was still looking for a job, et cetera, et cetera.Things have been a bit rough recently, but rather than simply whinge about it on here, I decided to start 2010 off right: with a rant directed a

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-11863011236980328662009-10-08T18:02:00.011-04:002010-01-05T16:05:17.589-05:00

Bill Watterson Would Be Proud-or-Death Is The Mother Of BeautyScary-Go-Round was an excellent comic. I ranted about it to friends, family—anyone who would listen—and I read it faithfully ever since I found it, sometime during my sophomore year. Now it's over. John Allison had the guts to end his beloved comic and wrap up the narrative it had spun over many years, and his blog post on the subject

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-89285614868946939972009-09-29T09:45:00.000-04:002010-01-05T15:51:34.784-05:00

A Belated Call To Arms(I'd actually forgotten I'd written this until someone said something to me yesterday regarding my problems with grad school. This was an essay I wrote in September of 2008, which shows how far back my resentment and dissatisfaction go. I was originally going to print out a hundred copies and tape them all over the Virginia Tech campus, but I ended up not having the guts. So

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-35189867218564574752009-09-28T09:37:00.008-04:002009-09-29T19:04:45.127-04:00

One Mountain Outpost-or-Why Would I Want To Leave Serenity?"You old sorcerer!" the boy shouted up at the sky. "You knew the whole story. You even left a bit of gold at the monastery so I could get back to this church. The monk laughed when he saw me in tatters. Couldn't you have saved me from that?""No," he heard a voice on the wind say. "If I had told you, you wouldn't have seen the Pyramids.

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-61264160217011176202009-04-13T12:52:00.008-04:002009-04-29T15:29:33.143-04:00

A new Will to honor all God's creationNew flag on the mast Without any secrets, without any past All things are new again, within and without Sooner or later the ending begins Just then it can be said that all things are new againWhile the days leading up to Easter were, as Mal Reynolds might say, "not my best Holy Week ever," Easter itself was quite lovely. I've been singing in the Christ

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-37627210215053695762009-03-09T20:38:00.008-04:002009-03-09T22:56:57.420-04:00

Who Watches “The Watchmen”? Why Watch “The Watchmen”? This weekend, I had the misfortune to watch the film adaptation of the famous graphic novel The Watchmen. It was a movie I had every intention of enjoying — the trailers looked fantastic and everything pointed to it being a thrilling, if gruesome, ride through yet another untapped franchise. Sadly, it proved to be nothing more than a

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-76082582679409552282009-02-24T14:17:00.011-05:002009-02-26T22:55:15.674-05:00

An Interlude: The Girl and Her HorseEllen O'Mara, 1905. (source)There is a story on my mother's side of the family that my great-grandfather, James Sullivan, attended a horse show with a friend of his not long after being appointed to a diplomatic position by the U.S. government. While at the show, he noticed one Ellen "Nell" O'Mara, the daughter of the mayor of Limerick, riding by. Upon seeing

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-82115265164788443822009-01-23T21:14:00.007-05:002009-02-16T02:12:37.535-05:00

I got back to Blacksburg a bit before Break ended to help out with the Enology/Grape Chemistry Group's "Short Course" for winemakers. It's basically an introduction to laboratory analytical techniques that are useful (and sometimes necessary) for determining wine quality and characteristics. Some of the equipment is beyond the range of a small-scale winery's budget, but I suppose it's a good

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-62557389282108729182008-12-28T21:37:00.003-05:002009-02-24T14:31:16.060-05:00

It's Impressive What Grad School Can Do To a ManWell, the semester is finally over. My first term at Virginia Tech was a fruitful one; I got A's in all my classes—Food Processing, Packaging, and Chemistry (or Food Proc/Pkg/Chem as they became known)—and some of my thesis proposal work out of the way. I won't deny that it's been stressful, more stressful than college ever was. Grad school is a

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-40761439222778784982008-12-27T14:23:00.037-05:002009-10-08T18:02:20.699-04:00

Questionable ContentI’m going to start this off by saying that I am well aware that I am not another John Solomon. This fact may still be pointed out to me at length in the comments, even with that initial assertion. However, there is a webcomic that merits the merciless eye and the red pen of the reviewer, and I consider myself inspired enough to take on the job. This comic been called many

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-52197037988685272952008-12-05T11:23:00.013-05:002009-02-10T13:19:38.163-05:00

Mr. Mistletoe’s SundialIf you ever walk along Charlottesville’s University Avenue, you'll go past what's called the Corner. The name is misleading—it’s actually more of a long stretch of restaurants, bookstores, bars, and kitschy little shops between Chancellor and 14th Streets. Or at least it used to be; the restaurants and some of the bars are still around, but a Starbucks replaced one of the

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-54168502384955965172008-11-02T23:42:00.014-05:002008-12-06T14:16:21.915-05:00

Hallowe'en 2008: "You can't take the sky from us."I haven't dressed up for Hallowe'en in a long time. It's not because I consider myself too old, or that the desire to find a costume disappeared when trick-or-treating lost its allure--I just didn't have any ideas that I thought were either feasible or would inspire recognition.For that reason, I was prepared to go as Simon Tam from Firefly to the

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-87990790247084155192008-10-19T23:36:00.005-04:002008-11-04T00:23:16.391-05:00

Handy Dandy and Changes PlacesShepherd Book: I believe, I'm just...I think I'm on the wrong ship.Inara: Maybe. Or maybe you're exactly where you ought to be.Firstly, to those of you who think that there isn't a Firefly quote for every occasion: you're wrong, and I won't have you reading my blog.Secondly...well, maybe there isn't a secondly. I just realized I hadn't been posting on here really

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-28469883782520435482008-09-16T17:29:00.006-04:002008-12-03T13:05:32.301-05:00

Because I Used To Do It At College...It's class schedule time again! When I first started school in the seventh grade, I wrote down my schedule meticulously in my diary. Why, I don't know, but I did it again in eighth grade and it became a tradition, continued for more pragmatic reasons when I started this blog (it kept my parents from asking repeatedly "When are you in class, again?"). Later on,

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-68921354591336805912008-09-06T11:53:00.002-04:002008-11-04T00:30:58.200-05:00

More Incipient AdulthoodA friend's mother (and a friend in her own right) left a comment on my last post, and my response become so long winded that I decided to make it into a post of its own. So, Mrs. L, here you go--a dubious claim to fame, to be sure, but your words inspired the Adventurer to do some more thinking. (And quote mine some more.)ML said...Some days I'm still faking it at age

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-69562244952896749342008-08-30T22:06:00.001-04:002008-09-19T11:46:26.451-04:00

Was Every Other Grown-Up Faking It, Too?I'm on my own, I'm sure I'll feel it nowI'm on my own, I'm sure I'll know it nowA few weeks ago, I moved into my apartment in Blacksburg. Now that I'm here, it's a very different feeling--different from any other time that I ever moved, even when I moved to Richmond in 2005. I've put a lot of my stuff into storage and all the things I never brought to

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-78496211078817978322008-07-28T20:23:00.006-04:002010-04-17T22:17:47.163-04:00

Close your eyes and you can feel all right in the teeming nightAnd set your face against the rush of feetAnd the sidewalk heat and the cafe lightJust remember what they said at home when you went aloneThat no one here is going to take the timeTo read your mind or save your soul...And you said "Hey New York, come on, tell meCan this be the Promised Land?"Up until recently, the only major

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-23964622966497123302008-06-21T18:11:00.001-04:002008-07-25T21:36:35.128-04:00

I've been meaning to post on here for quite a while, and I do have quite a lot to write about. However, it's going to have to wait until I'm not so damn tired, so for now I'm crosslinking to a series of posts (or post, at the moment) on the wineblog I've started writing about my experience at the Virginia Vintner's Table back in May. Enjoy, and expect more posts (here and on the wineblog) in the

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-4063259433793608662008-05-20T20:59:00.010-04:002008-11-12T21:55:42.181-05:00

Mayday, MaydayplusProm'd At Last(orWho Will Chaperone The Chaperones?)So May has been a busy month. Two weeks ago I went to the May Day celebration at Bryn Mawr with Naomi whilst up in New Jersey visiting her. It was quite the event--for a school that's been around roughly half as long as William & Mary, they certainly have enough tradition to go around. One of those traditions involves, happily

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-73160911021575794822008-05-12T01:06:00.005-04:002008-11-12T21:55:42.280-05:00

The Adventurer Apparently Suffers from Hereditary SartoriasisI have often recieved comments regarding my choice of wardrobe. Both complimentary and derogatory comments often note the somewhat archaic character it has. Well, there is a good reason for that:Behold my great-grandfather, F. Scott May, standing with his beloved some half a decade before the stock market took a swan dive. At least good

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-2529524782994318382008-04-04T23:51:00.003-04:002008-04-05T00:00:25.744-04:00

Will's Soapbox(or Another Example of the Mouse That Roared)I happened to be searching news briefs on Wikipedia under "2008 in the United States" when I happened across this article. There's something really sickening, to me, about the fact that Japan, who has to this day not apologized for the Rape of Nanking, taking America to task for this crime (which, if you notice, had not yet been

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-61488637350189728932008-03-18T00:01:00.005-04:002008-06-02T22:58:50.715-04:00

St. Patrick's Day 2008(This post should have gone up back in March. Many thanks are due to Blogger for having a changeable "Post Date" in the Post Options.)I took a trip up to Naomi's for Saint Patrick's Day this year--or rather, since the day itself falls on a workday, the weekend preceding Saint Patrick's Day. That weekend will now occupy a special place in my memory, for it was a weekend of

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-4697603817547499952008-02-27T20:14:00.001-05:002008-02-27T20:16:41.802-05:00

So I promised the state of things since the fall (of last year, for God's sake), and here it is.Late November - Early DecemberThis is the period of time I'd rather not remember. I'd just quit working at the winery, and my departure was, shall we say, not rung about with fondness and warm wishes. Rather, it was a leave-taking accompanied by a sense of relief and finality. It's been a policy of

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-47853949263187855002008-02-22T15:10:00.003-05:002008-02-26T17:07:36.512-05:00

Winter Brings Out The Worst In MeHmm. Yeah. This hasn't really been a journal lately, I guess. So much has happened between when I last pasted and now that I feel like a catch-up post is both necessary and insufficient, at the same time.The problem is that it's often not economical to blog at work (*innocent whistling sound here*) but when I get home, I'm tired enough that I don't want to have to

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-80514299574841238982008-01-08T19:44:00.000-05:002008-01-08T19:58:42.753-05:00

This Avalanche, I'm Not AfraidAnd it's been a while...again. I have some earlier posts and ideas written during the Christmas season (and before) that I probably need to put down on here. But honestly, being unemployed for so long generated fewer interesting stories than you'd think. I'm happier having a job and not so much free time than I am with the converse.After much searching, I managed to

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-85052658284916649632007-10-30T17:55:00.000-04:002007-11-13T20:43:39.658-05:00

The Lengths That I Will Go To, The Distance In Your EyesWell, I know this isn't being posted in October, but I have this crippling fear of there being an empty space on Blogger where a month should have been. Some people tell me this problem could be solved by posting more often. Madness! Madness, I say. Insane ideas get you nowhere in this world, except maybe Congress. No, wait, that's bad

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-65251570725922379602007-09-21T22:26:00.001-04:002007-09-21T22:36:46.049-04:00

A Change Of PaceIt occured to me tonight, as I was driving home from housesitting for a bunch of eternally hungry cats, that since I like blogging about wine so much it might be a good idea to devote a separate space to doing so. I'll probably keep talking about my personal insights and experiences with the wine industry as here, but I think that I'd like to sort of keep a running commentary on

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-91054351184334394182007-08-30T21:20:00.000-04:002007-09-07T00:38:40.120-04:00

Not too long ago, I was talking with a friend of mine about how I try to post at least once a month, just for the sake of routine. I suppose this post is kind of an extreme example of such an impulse, coming at the end after more than a month of radio silence.So...what to talk about? I've been doing a circuit of the local wineries in the Albemarle/Nelson County area. As of now, I (and sometimes

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-3479697175582863512007-07-24T22:47:00.001-04:002009-07-29T01:21:40.984-04:00

Scott's Two Cents And A BiscottiThis is the interview I promised about, uh, nine months ago. Yeah. I know. Think of it as a long time in the arriving but worth the wait. Think of it as...hell, it took long enough, think of it as a child if you want.Scott runs the Daily Grind at the College of William & Mary. I figured if anyone had ideas on how to run a successful small business, it would be the

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-84892701925105338712007-07-06T20:13:00.000-04:002007-11-02T18:43:32.649-04:00

"Welcome to Vineland The Good," I heard them sayJuly 4th was not a good day.I started work at a local winery (which shall remain nameless for confidentiality reasons) the day before. The managers knew that there would be a great demand during a county-wide Independence Day festival. Since they needed all hands on deck, they asked me if I could come in and fill in wherever there were gaps in

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-60124431489820377952007-06-19T14:55:00.001-04:002007-06-20T12:40:39.600-04:00

I never really considered this blog's career, post-college. Of course, I will be going to grad school in another year, so the subject matter won't be academia-free until 2010, but even so the prospect of a year of posting non-college related material is daunting. Why is that, I wonder? Why is this blog daunting at all, when it serves as the proper outlet of my thoughts, or at least what passes

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-52394609106504887612007-05-20T01:44:00.001-04:002010-05-15T11:33:08.753-04:00

"I told you foreverI love you foreverI told you I love youI love you foreverYou might have laughed if I told youYou might have hidden a frownYou might have succeeded in changing meI might have been turned aroundIt's easier to leave than to be left behindLeaving was never my proud..."Here I am, on the eve of my graduation. I promised myself I wouldn't get worked up over this. "It's like a surfeit

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-25628652591359086382007-05-16T03:23:00.000-04:002008-11-12T21:55:42.585-05:00

So Much For Eternal Vigilance

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-80705304413779959252007-05-09T01:54:00.001-04:002008-11-12T21:55:42.881-05:00

Almost Too Good To Be True My roommate has kept this in the cabinet for some time--he just hasn't had the heart to drink it. It really merits a post of its own, unphotoshopped and unaltered. The way God intended.Suggested Slogans:-"Lutherbier: It Nails You to the Door!"-"Here I Stand; I Can Drink No Other."-"For When You're Tired of a Diet of Wurms."

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-10902427913667252012007-05-08T11:00:00.000-04:002007-05-10T20:47:32.602-04:00

He That Plays His Tune With Me Shall Be My BrotherThis year, Phi Mu Alpha instituted a novel concept for the scavenger that takes place during the pledging process. We told our pledges they had to cook us a meal. Naturally, being guys, we assumed that they would cook us something fairly foul, and we would then tell them that they had to eat it. Har har, great joke. Imagine our surprise when one

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-87474444721185905382007-04-22T12:59:00.000-04:002007-04-22T13:01:36.121-04:00

Emphasis AddedWhen I was one-and-twentyI heard a wise man say,"Give crowns and pounds and guineasBut not your heart away;Give pearls away and rubiesBut keep your fancy free."But I was one-and-twenty,No use to talk to me.When I was one-and-twentyI heard him say again,"The heart out of the bosomWas never given in vain;'Tis paid with sighs a plentyAnd sold for endless rue."And I am two-and-twenty,

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-827804777106497882007-04-20T11:16:00.000-04:002007-04-20T11:44:41.773-04:00

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."(-John 15:13)I waited a while before posting this, due to my natural hesitance to speak out during times of mourning. Even when people close to me die, I feel uncomfortable talking about it, or reflecting on it--at least out loud. In the face of the shooting at Virginia Tech, I sort of shut down for a few days and

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-37003231848652231002007-04-13T14:00:00.000-04:002007-04-23T11:46:07.583-04:00

Money For NothingThis post is going to convey a large amount of bafflement, so I hope you will excuse the somewhat confused tone. I am still not sure whether to laugh, cry, or just shake my head cynically and say "The hell with it." Someone I know wheedled me into coming along with her for this SDS thing she and her friends are doing. Apparently, they're having some East Coast SDS conference

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-54276180787396086332007-04-09T11:49:00.001-04:002009-01-24T02:06:17.249-05:00

If April Showers Bring May Flowers...What Do April Snow Flurries Bring?Answer: bitterness. College students greet sudden winter snowstorms with the eagerness and joy of, as Dr. Cox put it, "an un-pottytrained Labradoodle." Some of you may remember my posts from January 2004, when it snowed hard enough that classes were actually cancelled for at least two days if memory serves me correctly. Every

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-57240892433770359032007-03-26T12:10:00.001-04:002010-06-29T17:10:43.139-04:00

Look on my works, ye mighty, and giggle like delighted childrenHow does your average William & Mary student spend his Saturday? Don't ask me. Do I look like an average W & M student to you?? This is how I spent MY Saturday:I am not alone in my expertise, however. Julia demonstrates her proficiency even as a neophyte in the school of bubble-blowing:To those of you who have harassed me about my

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-19091723239933130372007-03-22T16:40:00.000-04:002007-03-26T12:18:52.813-04:00

"These are crazy days, but they make me shine..."Or not. You'd think, that with all my midterms out of the way before Spring Break, that things would be relatively quiet. But those complications have a tendency to crop up, as Mal Reynolds once noted. Of course, the complications in his life--getting in a shootout at a whorehouse, that sort of thing--were a bit more exciting and somewhat less

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-85156591223414096392007-03-17T17:33:00.000-04:002007-03-17T17:36:29.036-04:00

Happy Saint Patrick's Day, Adam. Be at peace.I cannot write a fitting epitaphFor you, my friend; I fear that I would notDo justice to the sad and lonely pathThat culminated in a single shot.No one else could share the load you bore,No one could drive the demons from your mindBecause you never let us past the doorWhere all the secret monsters were confined.So what's to say, my friend? I wish I

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-35363262966339954242007-02-24T12:13:00.000-05:002007-02-24T14:30:15.705-05:00

"We came with the faces of innocentsAnd we left with the bodies of men."Yesterday was the Undergraduate Research Symposium, in which everyone who had done summer or fall research in 2006 and wanted to present their findings did so, either of their own volition or the volition of their advisor (or in my case, a little bit of both).As most of you know by now, I like to say that my research means

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-10519188188578429792007-02-10T14:56:00.000-05:002008-11-12T21:55:45.514-05:00

Will Hit The Atmosphere"Every time it rains I just feel a lot better..."Me and my lovely date Em.Tex and I reunited once more.Em and I at the very end of the Ball.(I am not only still flying--but soaring.)

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-92112146977683987192007-02-08T00:31:00.000-05:002007-02-08T00:45:06.639-05:00

This Quantum ExistenceToday in my Archaeological Methods class we talked about various research questions and the various ways in which they approach the investigation of a site. Perhaps this roots me in the "has beens" section, but the processual questions appeal to me best. The piece I wrote about this time last year apparently belongs to the processual school of thought (I didn't know it when

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-50523115000535219762007-02-04T12:44:00.000-05:002007-02-04T13:02:08.818-05:00

Each Day Is A BlessingSometimes, in the course of my free time, I will browse through this blog. Sometimes there is a post about an event that I remember fondly (the snow that covered the campus in January 2004 springs to mind), but oftentimes I just want to see how my writing has changed and hopefully progressed since I started writing almost four years ago.Well, I noticed in reading my recent (

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-44034020398543835312007-02-02T11:22:00.000-05:002008-11-12T21:55:45.640-05:00

A Code Broken, Crucifix UncrossedLast night was the debate between Dr. David Holmes of the W & M Religion Dept. and the renowned and esteemed Dinesh D'Souza, Professional Conqueror of Academic Pseudointellectuals. The debate was over the Wren Cross controversy. Unfortunately, I missed the debate; by the time I got to the Wren Building, both the Great Hall and the Chapel were full to the brim with

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-41780383997635170422007-01-28T22:15:00.002-05:002008-11-12T21:55:45.773-05:00

What Would Thomas Pynchon Think?"Don't Ever Antagonize The Horde," perhaps?

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-84386276740616520982007-01-25T09:57:00.000-05:002007-01-27T03:36:25.323-05:00

As of today I've gotten an inkling of all the classes I'll be taking this semester:Monday/WednesdayU.S. Military History: 8:30 - 9:50 AMAdvanced Inorganic: 10:00 - 10:50 AMArchaeological Methods: 3:00 - 3:50 AMTuesday/ThursdayAdvanced Analytical: 8:00 - 9:20 AMFridayAdvanced Inorganic: 10:00 - 10:50 AMAs you can see, this has its myriad joys and sorrows. Joys--it's slack! 12 credits! No more

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-56194004880878857542007-01-24T21:51:00.001-05:002007-01-27T03:37:43.827-05:00

Breathe, Releaseon the dawning of my last semesterI know I'll have to let you go one day--I guess I always knew I'd have to leaveAnd yet I never learned to stay away.Would it bother you? Would you ever say?Would my departure give you cause to grieve,Knowing I had to let you go someday?I'd always hoped there'd be another way--That there might be a reason to believeBecause you never learned to

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-22428035501406819752007-01-20T03:04:00.000-05:002007-01-25T10:09:52.644-05:00

Perhaps a Mission StatementOne of the things we've been doing at my house over break, both as part of the New Year and new beginnings (i.e., the beginnings that will come to pass after May 20th when I get that all-important piece of paper) is gathering together all the artifacts, mementoes, papers, and various other accoutrements that develop over the course of a life. Especially a life like mine

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1166109350679836852006-12-14T10:00:00.000-05:002007-01-25T10:09:43.340-05:00

"I been away a long time." (Last sentence of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest)Where do I begin?I realized that if I didn't post on here for any longer that I would never post on here again. It's kind of sad that this blog, of all things, has become a gumption trap. You'd think that something I do ostensibly for fun, or release, would always be voluntary. Alas, I used to feel guilty over forgetting

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1164945063940651942006-11-30T22:49:00.000-05:002006-12-02T12:08:21.373-05:00

I meant to post these pictures a while ago, but due to malfunctions with my Canon software I postponed it indefinitely. I rescued this little painted turtle (whom I named Fuzzy in a fit of ironic whimsy) from the sidewalk near Blair Hall. How a baby turtle got from the Crim Dell (where I assume he wanted to be) to Blair, I have no idea. Through some stroke of good fortune I happened to spot his

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1160405226396548792006-10-09T10:30:00.000-04:002006-10-09T17:15:57.960-04:00

I promised a post sometime this month, and I intend to deliver. Looking back through my archives, I see a whole plethora of posts that were apparently written before they wanted to be written, and one of my projects is to avoid writing those types of entries. A post should be like a wizard according to Gandalf--arriving exactly when it intends to. As for future posts, I have an interview lined up

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1159888143572173532006-10-03T11:06:00.000-04:002006-10-03T11:09:03.596-04:00

So I promise to make this blog more than a once-a-month deal. Just not right now. I have three midterms this week that are threatening to pull me under. However, I lined up an interview with the owner of the Daily Grind for next week that should provide some interesting material. Until then.

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1158165825429533152006-09-13T12:14:00.000-04:002006-09-13T12:43:51.956-04:00

This past Monday there was a memorial service in the Wren Yard to observe the 5th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. I went down there with some trepidation, because I expected the event to be overly political. Instead, I wound up lighting candles with my friend Andy Badke. The people organizing the event were understaffed and needed help lighting each and every candle (one for each

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1156955056205078312006-08-30T12:10:00.000-04:002006-09-26T08:58:25.263-04:00

I figured I needed at least one post for August, this being the third anniversary of this "blog."Today is, as my friend Sally put it, "My last first day of college." Except maybe not really, assuming I get to go to grad school for oenology as I hope to do. As I mentioned at the tail end of one of my infrequent earlier posts, I want to start a winery. There's an oenology (winemaking) master's

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1152203042286195382006-07-06T11:55:00.000-04:002006-07-06T17:05:52.946-04:00

"...Even if you see 'em coming, you're not ready for the big moments. No one asks for their life to change, not really. But it does. So what are we, helpless? Puppets? No. The big moments are gonna come--you can't help that. It's what you do afterwards that counts. That's when you find out who you are."Things surprise me all the time. I used to remark that the more time I spent alive and

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1149736015216122682006-06-07T22:54:00.000-04:002006-06-09T09:30:53.920-04:00

Updates, obviously.I have moved into my summer housing at W & M. I have a Madison double (approximately 200 sq. ft.) to myself until early July, since my roommate isn't arriving until the second session of summer school. If you're imagining wild parties, orgies, raves, or such, you're mistaken--there's no one here except first session summer school students and the Poor Research Bastards (like me

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1147394066333071122006-05-11T20:26:00.000-04:002006-05-11T20:34:26.363-04:00

Back to your hiding placeThere is nothing to see hereMove out, move alongIn the unbearable lightThere is nothing revealedThere is nothing to see hereSo ends my junior year. As opposed to last year, I'm not going to end this with insights, or musings, or reflections on what this year meant to me. It's not that I don't want to, I just don't have the energy and I don't see the point. I stopped

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1145638413225435932006-04-21T11:56:00.004-04:002009-04-07T14:55:25.774-04:00

Those of you who have read this blog and its archives may have come to the conclusion that I have bad luck when it comes to women. That assumption is wrong. I have terrible luck with women. In fact, you could argue that my luck is worse than Marten's (although not quite as bad as Davan's). And sometimes it's enough to make want to toss in the towel and join a monastery. Sadly, every intense

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1145511507630645682006-04-20T01:27:00.000-04:002006-04-21T01:52:30.386-04:00

This week has been awful, but today was wonderful. Even in the face of a PChem test at 7 PM last night and a Biochem test at 8 AM this morning, sat through a PChem class while barely conscious, and lost my notebook an hour before lab--it all seems minor in retrospect, even the two tests seem small. Even the paper I had to write seems small. The weather's nice, my birthday is coming, and I have

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1144084277323569382006-04-03T13:02:00.000-04:002006-04-03T22:51:42.876-04:00

A Tardy RequiemThis post is a bit late in coming; nonetheless, here it is. I had written something earlier and saved it as a draft, but after re-reading it I decided it was too wordy for what I was trying to say.Adam, I miss you. I never understood your strength until it was gone. I hope you're at peace with the pain you wrestled with. Rest well, my friend.Though Adam was a friend of mine, I did

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1143406728908367072006-03-26T15:47:00.000-05:002006-03-26T16:35:00.803-05:00

Originally, there was a post here about Pandora. I'm going to put it back up later, but I wanted to devote this to something else--i.e., another song I heard that made me stop, listen, and notice.About two months ago, I broke up with Maria. It was not easy for me to do, and I didn't do it because it was something I'd planned on doing. Some guys let go of their girlfriends because the fire has

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1143398242943785802006-03-26T13:22:00.000-05:002006-03-26T13:39:03.760-05:00

This one's for me, this one's for meNot for anyone else, I need it you seeI threw all I had into the seaNow I want a little back, this one's for me(-Tom Petty)This weekend was Waltz Ball. So yeah, I guess my pledge to be a misanthrope lasted the better part of a week. Give me the chance and I'll leap right back in with both feet. It's kind of a strange combination, being a gregarious extrovert,

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1142605705669477052006-03-17T09:00:00.000-05:002006-03-25T15:38:24.160-05:00

"You see? This is why I'd rather be alone."(-Ben Folds)During Spring Break (last week), I talked over AIM with a girl I knew while I was in high school. She's three years younger, but she'd been really nice and friendly when I was going through a rough period in my life. When she added me as a friend on Facebook, we got back in touch and talked for a while. I asked her if she'd be interested in

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1141313794673345552006-03-02T10:32:00.000-05:002006-03-20T23:18:33.286-05:00

It's Sunday night, I am curled up in my roomthe TV light fills my heart like a balloonI hold it in as best I canI know I'm just another fanBut I can't help feeling I could love this secret agent manAnd I can't wait anymore for him to discover meI got it bad for David DuchovnyDavid Duchovny, why won't you love me?Why won't you love me?My friends all tell meYou know it's just a showBut deep within

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1140795067154343272006-02-24T09:59:00.000-05:002006-02-27T01:33:40.713-05:00

Looking for serenity in unlikely places And they say you can maybe find forgiveness afterMaybe find a place to stand alone...(-Horslips) If y'all will forgive me another Firefly themed post, I promise to make this more meaningful than some of my previous bordering-on-fanboy enthusiasm.Last night, I was watching the episode Out Of Gas. If you want a full plot summary, you can go here. Basically,

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1139950715298788972006-02-14T15:50:00.000-05:002006-02-14T15:58:35.323-05:00

I found this over at Sci Fi Wire:"Underhill said that he wants to acquire the rights to produce a second season of Firefly and has gone on the Web to solicit fan's support, though not their money. "We're looking at actually doing a direct pay-per-view model for this series, where the consumer could choose, if they wanted to, [to] view it on their computer, on their iPod, on direct-to-DVD sent to

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1139939366837109272006-02-14T12:30:00.000-05:002006-02-14T12:50:41.103-05:00

Today in my Middle Eastern Archaeology class the professor talked about the origins of agriculture from two points of view: the natural forces hypothesis and the cultural change hypothesis. Put simply, these two notions cover the fundamental question of what man is: a creature of action or reaction? A creature who shapes his life or is shaped by it? The natural forces theory holds that man is

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1139693429855049142006-02-11T16:21:00.000-05:002006-02-13T15:49:35.543-05:00

You'd have a wonderful dayIf you could see how lucky you are-The WallflowersSome random things:This weekend has been good so far. My Firefly DVD set came, no thanks to the W & M postal service (motto: "Service With A Snarl!"). They gave me two packages in return for three package slips. The math didn't seem right to me, so I went back and asked the angry man to check for another package for me,

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1138814304626715542006-02-01T11:53:00.000-05:002006-02-02T10:08:51.410-05:00

WARNING: The following is a misogynistic rant. May not be suitable for easily offended readers, or people without a sense of humor.Here at William & Mary, we have a little shindig called the Charter Day Gala. It's a celebration of the grant of a charter by the King and Queen of England to the College, and there's a dance and speeches (this year's is by the Hon. Tim Kaine), etc. So, basically, an

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1138730683413390302006-01-31T12:38:00.000-05:002006-02-02T23:58:32.493-05:00

This weekend, my friends Lynn and Becky came over to my room for a movie, with their friends Darin and Jody--old high school buddies, apparently. Anyways, no one had any major objections to me putting on "Serenity," which seemed like the best choice out of all the available DVD's. I have to say, I liked it better the second time around, although I was ready to view it with a more critical

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1138479193780437782006-01-28T14:57:00.000-05:002006-01-30T10:08:16.396-05:00

What you give is what you getThese days I'm worried about your debtsWho carries evil out, evil will comeWho will defend you when I'm gone?He says, who will defend you when I'm gone?Here he comesHere he comesBe still the wooden heartThat wouldn't ever partWaiting on a sparkThat hasn't happened yet...(-The Wallflowers)I neglected to mention in my other post that one of the more social events of

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1138377170339005042006-01-27T10:42:00.000-05:002006-01-28T15:16:54.680-05:00

I don't have much time to post (class at 11), but something happened last night that really bugged me. I was having an online discussion with a girl who lives in a freshman triple, and she was complaining about her roommates and basically looking for sympathy--which I can understand, given my freshman experience. I'll abridge the conversation somewhat for clarity's sake:Girl: they personify about

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1137965772197363002006-01-22T16:17:00.000-05:002006-01-28T15:17:35.996-05:00

The first half week of classes is over. All of my professors seem, for all intents and purposes, okay. Here is my evaluation, thus far, of their personalities:Professor Coleman (BioChemistry). The kind of man who seems like the kindly uncle who is always giving you candy. Probably gives nice Christmas presents. Would expect him to be married to a woman that can bake the most delicious

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1137131299921549222006-01-13T00:31:00.000-05:002006-01-13T00:50:28.000-05:00

I've been thinking, recently, that several genres of music have become adjectival in nature. Specifically, "metal," "punk," and "emo." From what I've been able to gather, metal and punk are distant cousins in that they were the natural offspring of the rock period that peaked in the late 1960's/early 1970's. Led Zeppelin is an example of what I consider proto-metal--paving the way for the metal

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1136876307178465442006-01-10T01:40:00.000-05:002006-01-23T21:54:23.536-05:00

The final reports have come in. After many prayerful finger-crossings, I went to BannerWeb. Turns out I got an A- in Poetry, bringing my total GPA for the semester to a 3.10. Things are looking up. So now I have somewhat of a lighter heart going back on Sunday. If I can get a 3.25 or better this coming term I have a shot at doing an honors thesis.Ten years ago, on Christmas Eve 1995, a couple of

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1135275478796411212005-12-22T12:59:00.000-05:002005-12-22T13:17:58.866-05:00

Well, the reports are rolling in and Will's grades are taking a beating. Up until P-Chem everything was dandy--B in Instrumental Analysis, A- in German...but then that damned C in P-Chem came along and shot my GPA down below a 3.0 (again). However, all hope is not lost yet. Apparently, in order to do an honors thesis in Chemistry, one must have a 3.0 or petition to do a thesis. I'm wondering if

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1133998997506468402005-12-07T17:59:00.006-05:002010-01-13T03:39:01.413-05:00

A mixture of philosophy class and an amateur understanding of some psychological systems has gotten me thinking this semester. Apparently it is--or maybe was, fifty years ago--popular for philosophers and thinkers to give hybrid names to their various phenomenological designs. Therefore, I'm going to designate my frame of reference as the "enough-for-itself." Put simply, this is the

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1133856790188359232005-12-06T03:11:00.000-05:002005-12-06T03:13:10.200-05:00

Okay, I apologize that the last post had more quote than actual content. I promise that I'll post a non-whiney piece soon. William & Mary giveth and William & Mary taketh away, and right now it taketh away my sanity. So as soon as I recover a semblance of it and begin the healing I'll post some quirky, ironic, but ultimately optimistic reflection on the year at large.

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1133816422325435852005-12-05T15:54:00.000-05:002005-12-06T23:25:41.803-05:00

Whew. Classes are over, I finished my German paper, and I had my last IA and P-Chem tests. So now I can settle down and relax.Ha ha! If you believed that, I have some swampland I'd jes' love to sell you. I get to stress out even more now, thanks to impending (comprehensive) P-Chem and IA exams, a take-home German final, and a Poetry portfolio complete with a semester-long journal. Not only that,

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1132113950642475182005-11-15T22:49:00.000-05:002005-12-06T23:26:35.563-05:00

So my horrid poetry professor finally redeemed herself. Let me explain her shortcomings to you as succinctly as possible:1) She has no "tactful" setting.2) She has no mental filter between what she is thinking and what she says. So, for example, a typical sentence about Emily Dickinson might run something like this: "She's writing about the *gasp* and the *whoosh*. In all of her poems, you've got

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1131458515047555312005-11-08T09:01:00.000-05:002005-11-08T20:00:52.173-05:00

Two posts below...the happy one on the top, sadder one on the bottom. Consider yourself warned.

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1131457853670266192005-11-08T08:56:00.000-05:002007-01-25T12:43:08.626-05:00

Got into most of the classes I wanted. It's strange...for some reason, I always feel like I should be getting more credits for the courses I'm taking. I guess it's the lab--you always feel cheated for only getting one credit for three hours' worth of work.Anyways, here's my Spring '06 schedule, pending the discovery of any mistakes on my part (then again, 8:00 Biochemistry is a mistake no matter

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1131458262490474872005-11-08T08:50:00.000-05:002005-11-08T10:58:25.276-05:00

R.I.P. Moe, 1999-2006What lies below should explain the situation pretty well. I don't want to dwell on it too much at this point in time.Dying AloneI wish I could have been there when you died.Part of me knows it's better this way;Would it really make me feel better to have been thereWhen your neck snapped,When the blood flowed from your lifeless mouthWhen the dogs left your broken body on the

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1131036137418880272005-11-03T11:42:00.000-05:002005-11-08T09:07:29.523-05:00

Maria and I at Normal Formal. I know, I know, it's a little blurry...but I kinda like the lighting better. Plus there's no red eye. And the pseudo-time-laspe stuff in the background is pretty cool.

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1130613326024024722005-10-29T14:57:00.000-04:002005-10-29T15:17:39.120-04:00

So Maria and I went to the PMA/NKE Normal Formal last night. Pictures to come, as soon as Tex sends them to me. Stupid re-chargeable batteries not re-charging on time...Anyways, although I had a wonderful time and so forth, and got to spend time with my wonderful Maria (always a plus), there was something that really struck me for some reason. It was this one slow song that seemed really familiar

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1130343495446830362005-10-26T12:01:00.000-04:002005-10-27T17:03:26.026-04:00

Hmmm. I guess I should have updated this a while ago.Things between the fair Maria and I have improved vastly since the previous, rather bleak post. I think part of the reasons we had such a hard time was a confluence of stress and unhappiness on both our parts due to school and work related things. I usually refrain from such candid appraisals of my personal life on here--preferring to hide

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1129511559352786742005-10-16T21:05:00.000-04:002005-10-16T21:13:30.480-04:00

In my handsA legacy of memoriesI can hear you say my nameI can almost see your smileFeel the warmth of your embraceBut there is nothing but silence nowAround the one I loveIs this our farewell?Sweet darling, you worry too muchMy child, see the sadness in your eyesYou are not alone in lifeAlthough you might think that you are...I was very afraid that this was going to happen. That the relationship

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1129163510668648322005-10-12T20:31:00.000-04:002005-10-13T01:58:35.603-04:00

This looked kind of funMy sphere is Guardian (Person of great Love and Altruism), and my class is Defender (Peaceful, yet Potent).I am a Warden.To be a Warden is to be the ultimate Guardian. Whether a physical Guardian or an essential Guardian, is up to you. You may be both. To be a physical Guardian is to be a living, breathing testament to the love you carry for a person, or people, whose lives

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1128974585586988172005-10-10T15:59:00.000-04:002005-10-15T09:43:24.916-04:00

Cloak and Dagger!Check it out! The infamous Baron Bodissey goes undercover to do his part in uncovering the network of international Jihad. Perhaps in Episode Two, Gryffilion Darkblade can accompany him on his mission...UPDATES: More info on the Red House compound here; more info on al-Fuqra[n] here. These seem like some pretty bad folks living almost literally in my backyard. Remember: John

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1128929088307672732005-10-10T03:20:00.000-04:002005-10-12T08:37:00.433-04:00

This...is hilarious.Before everyone starts screaming at me for repeating these lyrics, I want you to start humming "Money For Nothing," by the awesome band Dire Straits. Now read the lyrics while singing the words below to that tune.Now lookie here peopleListen to my storyA little story 'bout a man named JedYou know something, that poor mountaineerThey say he barely kept his family fedNow, let me

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1128395967898466732005-10-03T23:15:00.000-04:002005-10-03T23:19:27.900-04:00

Mathematical Woes"If I got 100% of my ideas done, I would change the world. If I did something with 99% of my ideas, I would be amazing. If I worked on half my ideas, I'd be a totally fulfilled human being. If I even tried to use a quarter of my ideas, I'd be improving every day. Even if I only acted on one percent of my ideas, my life would be noticeably better. But instead I sit here and

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1128394515755344832005-10-03T22:43:00.000-04:002005-10-04T00:39:36.096-04:00

This week we were assigned a dramatic monologue for our poetry class. Professor Burch urged us to read "Home Burial" and "My Last Dutchess" as examples of forms in which we could write. However, I've always had an aversion to long poetry--not necessarily others', but my own. I've found that I always tend to cut myself off fairly quickly because otherwise I kind of ramble off into vague thoughts

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740928.post-1128203371033746562005-10-01T17:15:00.000-04:002005-10-01T18:19:51.996-04:00

Hegelian musings on a Saturday evening(A continuation of the ramblings I had sometime last spring)In one of the "Ender's Shadow" books, Orson Scott Card makes the assertion that Adam and Eve had the option of choosing Knowledge or Life; thus, in choosing Knowledge, they brought mortality and death upon the world. However, it is important to note that without the concept of mortality and death (or

Gryffilionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14326158632676811873noreply@blogger.com5