Journeys with Jrod

My new personal blog

2009-10-28T13:11:00.004-04:00

To anyone who may still be subscribing or stopping by here, I have started a new blog at http://jarredtaylor.com. You can also continue to find my more formal writing at http://tropophilia.com.

Tropophilia has launched

2008-01-11T13:45:00.001-05:00

We have launched our new blog, Tropophilia, at http://www.tropophilia.com/. Check it out, subscribe, become a fan on Facebook, leave a comment, and tell your friends!

From the ashes, a phoenix will rise

2008-01-02T16:36:00.000-05:00

Hi all. Thanks to those of you who still stop by to see if anything is going on in these here parts. I'm sure you're all disappointed that you find little is happening with Journeys with Jrod. I apologize if I've let you down, but I just don't seem to have the same interest in writing about the details of my own life right now.

Besides the obvious changes of graduation and starting a new life in the nation's capital, there were emotional dramas at play that did not bear discussing in the digital realm. And since those dramas consumed most of my thinking time, there was really little else to write about; and what little there was to write about, there was no motivation to make it happen. Instead of turning to blogging to confront my emotional demons, I turned to my family and friends to help me survive the last eight months of 2007. It was definitely the wiser choice. If any of them are reading, you know that I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being there for me. And so does my mama.

Maybe one day, when I'm sorted out enough to reflect properly on my day-to-day experiences, I'll bring this blog back to life. I really enjoyed the year or so of work that I put into Journeys with Jrod. Right now, though, I'm going to let it hibernate.

Personal chaos aside, I'm still a geek. Indeed, many posts here were devoted to technology-related subjects (usually Google). While I might be taking my personal blog off life support, this is not the end of Jrod's blogging career. Indeed, it may just be the beginning.

The more observant among you may have noticed that the text in your address bar changes to a different address when you visit this blog. This is part of some technical testing that I am doing for a fresh and shiny new project that I am starting with three of my friends. The forthcoming Tropophilia -- due to launch in the next week or two -- will explore the massive changes that our world is undergoing. Climate, technology, politics: it's all a-bubblin' with change. Good and bad ramifications come with that change, and my friends and I are making it our mission to assess both.

I know this sounds broad, and it is. Our baby will take more definite shape as it rolls along. Right now, all we know is that we are tropophiliacs -- lovers of change. We want to make our blog accessible to the general reader by providing context through both explanation and links, but we also want to reach out to kindred spirits who read about and are excited about the shake-ups that are happening across cultures, industries, political lines, and all other demographics. Hopefully if you're not a tropophiliac when you first start reading our blog, you'll be one by the end. I'll let you know when we launch fo' shiz.

Thanks for every visit and comment made to this blog over the past two years. When we do anything -- read a newspaper, watch TV, spend time with our loved ones, read a blog -- we're literally "paying" attention. You're giving the gift of your awareness to someone else. That gift is precious, and I think we forget that too often. So thanks for every second of your attention. I hope, on the whole, it has been worth your investment.

For now, this is Journeys with Jrod's final yawn before going into the cave for the winter. Don't worry. I think we'll meet on this page again in due time.

The Dawn of E2K in India - New York Times

2007-11-07T09:01:00.000-05:00

The Dawn of E2K in India - New York Times

Someone read the last sentence of the second paragraph and let me know if it makes sense to you.

Oh Friedman... stop drinking on the job...

I am still alive

2007-09-20T12:27:00.000-04:00

I'm alive, loyal readers. Most of you probably don't check this site anymore, have unsubscribed from the feed, and are even letting those glory days of JwJ fade out of your memories. I wouldn't blame you.

I am really hoping to bring this blog back to life. I have felt somewhat uninspired over the past two months, as I have broken into the real world and have become distracted by the excitement - as well as the heartbreak, exhaustion, and frustration - that it brings. But I have come to realize that this is exactly the time of my life that I need to be cataloging my thoughts. I don't keep any other journal, and in thirty years I (and others) will wonder what I was feeling and thinking in this time of unparalleled change in my life.

So, I won't make any promises... but I really want to get back on the blog wagon soon. Just give me a while to find my groove again. Who knows... maybe even the satellite challenge will come back from the depths!

Back after a while

2007-08-08T23:41:00.000-04:00

Hey blog readers, thanks for checking in on me. Give me a little while to get on my feet with my new job, and I'll report in as soon as I have my routine down. Thanks for your patience.

Check out Mac's blog

2007-07-29T15:21:00.000-04:00

Read about his adventures in Yemen this year here.

Well...

2007-07-29T12:32:00.000-04:00

I guess it's about time. Work starts tomorrow morning. I have two days of orientation, where I guess I'll learn about computer systems, some legal terms, discover the office, etc. I'm sure there will be no shortage of paperwork, either - it's a law firm after all. I'll have details tomorrow. This will be the final big step on my journey from college to real life. It's definitely scary, but also exciting.

Yesterday I slept in for a while, then went to Starbucks to read through the Davidson Journal (the alumni magazine). There was big tear-jerker about Bobby Vagt, the outgoing president. Last night we went to Rocklands Barbeque, quickly becoming our favorite local restaurant. We're thinking about having a weekly outing there. Then we came back and listened to music for a while until going out again for a few beers. There aren't that many good bars in our area, we've discovered... next time we'll take a bus to Georgetown or Adams Morgan. I tried Guinness for the first time last night, and it was actually great. It tastes more like chocolate or coffee than it does beer, in my opinion... which is nice.

This morning I cooked pancakes for Erika, Dan, and Joel. Now we're just sitting around reading and stuff. I think at least Dan and I are going to church this afternoon. It'll probably be an early night, since I have to go to work in the morning (!).

The rest of the week

2007-07-28T00:38:00.000-04:00

The rest of the week has gone by pretty well. I had a copy of the apartment keys made for me, and I replaced my busted desk lamp. I got all my financial and insurance documents sorted and filed, too. Yesterday I went down by the office to check out places to eat, get coffee, etc., and then I did a little museum hopping.

I hit the National Archives first, where (besides the big three: Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights) they had an exhibit called "Schoolhouse to White House", which showed pictures, report cards, and other relics from the youths of the U.S. Presidents. It was pretty cool. I also saw the Magna Carta, which I forgot they had a copy of. Sweet.

Next stop was the National Air and Space Museum, one of my favorites. I have been here many times, but there were two new-ish exhibits that were really fascinating. One told the history of modern astronomy - telescopes, dark matter, observing galaxies... The other chronicled the lives of the Wright Brothers, beginning from their childhoods. It was neat to hear their whole story, much more complex than what we get from the "legend" version of their lives.

Final stop was the new National Museum of the American Indian, which I had been in for only about 20 minutes last summer. It was really great - a bit confusing as far as the general layout of the museum goes, but it was cool to get glimpses of the past and present lives of the various tribes and nations.

Today I basically slept in, did laundry, and went to the grocery store before heading to a dinner party. There were about 15 people from GraceDC, the church I attended two summers ago, who were "meeting and eating." We had delicious kabobs, German style potato salad (warm... mmmm), salad (made by yours truly), and a strawberry-pineapple crumble for dessert. It was a lot of fun, and I met some cool people.

No real weekend plans besides church on Sunday. Probably gonna take it pretty easy before starting work on Monday. Wow... it's getting close...

CNN-YouTube Debates

2007-07-25T10:10:00.001-04:00

I watched maybe 20-30 minutes of the CNN-YouTube debate on Monday night (if you didn't see it, you can catch the highlights here). One of the question/answer series that I did watch was really good, and resonated with some things that I have been thinking about recently.

I find myself in a similar situation to John Edwards in the global question of how personal and political views interplay. There are lots of things that I personally believe, many of them influenced by my Christian beliefs, that I try to carry into my personal, daily life. But just because I believe these things doesn't mean that I should support any effort by our government to impose them on others. It's taken me a while to realize this. Just because I think marriage is for a man and a woman doesn't mean that I have to support a constitutional ban on gay marriage. Don't know why it's taken me so long to figure this out.

That's where Obama comes in, and I liked his answer on this specific question. It's up to churches to decide who can get married and who cannot. Marriage is fundamentally religious. But there are certain civil rights that are granted by the state to married couples. In that spirit, I fully support civil unions with all the rights that the state can bestow upon them. Personally, maybe I don't believe members of the same sex should be able to adopt... I don't the answer to that one yet. But neither is it the role of the government to tell them they can't.

When I hear "full marriage rights", that automatically introduces religion for me. Just as religious evidence shouldn't dictate political decisions, neither does the state have a role in ordering churches (or other religious institutions) how to conduct their rites. The state can and should give all the benefits in its power to couples of the same sex - but to me, marriage is an inherently religious term that should be saved for the rite conducted by faith institutions. It is up to these institutions to decide whether they will marry a man to a man, or a woman to a woman.

Anyway.... it's been a while since we've had a Jrod rant. I just wanted to share how that resonated with some things I've been thinking about. I welcome your comments.

Mission Accomplished

2007-07-24T19:11:00.000-04:00

Car inspected, tags acquired and installed, residential parking permit decal successfully applied. I'm totally legit up in this.

Take that, D.C.

2007-07-23T16:34:00.000-04:00

D.C., you just got owned by Jrod. That's right, dear readers. In the past eight hours I have opened a new checking account, closed my former account, finalized auto insurance and renter insurance, picked up a copy of my apartment occupancy form, and - after waiting for two hours - received my brand new D.C. driver's license. All that's left on my to-do list for the entire week is to get my car inspected and then to get my DC tag and residential parking permit (which will probably take almost a whole day, but I've got four of those left!).

C'mon.

More photos

2007-07-22T21:58:00.000-04:00

Check out the apartment album for new photos of the kitchen, living room, etc..

Y'all ever made a budget for yourself? Kinda scary.

Sierra Nevadas 2007

2007-07-22T10:34:00.001-04:00

Here it is: the mega post on my recent trip to California. Pull up the "best of " album of photos to see images along with the story!

We did around 65 miles over six days of backpacking. We carried all of our food with us (there was no point at which we could resupply). We were in the "backcountry" the whole time - never saw a car or a road, crossed paths with maybe five people at most each day, and took no cellphone, radio, or other means of communicating with the outside world. We were entirely self-sufficient.

Travel and Base Camp
We flew from Birmingham to Los Angeles via Atlanta on Delta. All the flights went smoothly, and we were picked up from LAX by Jim, an alumnus of the troop who is now the chief test pilot for the F-22 at Edwards Air Force Base. Since our first flight left at 6am (meaning we were at the airport with our gear at 4:15am), most of us slept on the plane and in the van. We drove about halfway to camp before stopping for gas, lunch, and last minute camp and food supplies.

We arrived at the Whitney Portal campground later that afternoon. This campground is about 10.5 miles from the summit of Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the continental United States (interestingly, Death Valley - the lowest point in the Western Hemishpere - is only 80 miles away). We took our gear out of the U-Haul, set up camp, and then drove up the store for a final large, greasy hamburger (delicious). Around this time, two of my friends decided that - instead of going on the ~5 mile day hike that the rest of the group would undertake the next day - they would make the 21-mile round trip day trek to the summit of Whitney. I thought briefly about joining them, but I decided that I didn't want to wear myself out before we even started the real hike. And besides, I didn't think that going from more-or-less sea level elevation in Birmingham to 14,495 feet was a very good idea.

The next day we played cards all morning, then later set out for Lone Pine lake a few miles up the trail. Even without packs (we carried only water, pumps, and trekking poles), we were winded. We felt for the two who had left at 5am to attempt the Whitney summit. We made it to the lake and decided to dive in. It was freezing, but felt great. Amazingly, we met the Whitney duo on the way back down - they were worn out, and the back of their legs were almost charred from the sun. But they made it to the top, took pictures and video, and were officially beasts.

We rested that evening, cooked dinner (red beans and rice), and then went to bed early. After breakfast the next day, we packed up the U-Haul, piled into the vans, and headed for Horseshoe Meadow. This next campground would be our departure point for the trail the next day. On the way up the mountain we saw a group of hang gliders preparing for launch. We hustled on to camp, set up tents, and then drove back to watch the gliders take off. It was pretty amazing. We spent the afternoon repacking our food from giant tubs into our tiny bear canisters. Each of us would carry a full canister on the trail - all of our "smellables", including food, toothpaste, sunscreen, first aid kit, etc. would have to fit inside. When they were full, they must have weighed at least 10 pounds each, and maybe 15. So, I arrived with a 37-pound pack. With 8 pounds of water and then this 10- to 15-lb canister, we're looking at 55- to 60-lb on my back for the 65-miles we were about to negotiate. This would go down as we ate more food, but still...

After packing up food, the three "geezers" (my dad and two other fathers, including the main trip planner), myself, and one Scout decided to take a second, short day-hike. We hiked 2.5 miles, with the Scout stopping along the way to take a swim in a creek we passed. The adults and I found a meadow to explore, and then we started back. Well before we arrived at the creek, the Scout walks - briskly - towards us. When we asked him what was up, he told us that after swimming he decided to lay down on a log and wait for us to come back. He heard the water make a funny pitch change upstream, and when he sat up he saw a medium-sized black bear staring at him from about 25 feet away. The Scout - correctly for the situation - didn't do anything, and let the bear walk off. Dinner that evening was a "buffet" of the Mountain House meals, dehydrated packs, and other food that we couldn't fit in the canisters.

Hitting the trail

Day 1
Early the next morning, we hit the trail. Day 1 was an easy 8 miles - not much climb, lots of shade, and plenty of water along the way. We arrived by lunch time at Long Lake, our final destination. We set up camp, and goofed off the rest of the afternoon: cards, naps, bathing in the lake, pumping water. A little later, an F-16 made a low pass over the camp, and then returned for a second look about five minutes later. This was Jim, checking in on his troops. Dinner that evening was rehydrated curry with delicious chocolate curry for dessert.

Day 2
This was arguably the most difficult segment of the trip. We left at 6:30am to climb New Army Pass, which at around 12,300 ft would be the highest point that the whole group would cross on the journey. It was easier than we had imagined, and were confident that the rest of the day would be a downhill/flat breeze. Boy were we wrong! Yes it was downhill and flat for much of it... until we got to Guyot Pass. This was 2-3 times as difficult as New Army Pass simply because the switchbacks were so poorly designed and constructed. They were extended climbs with much higher steps-up than are considered sane (by me). It took us a really long time to get up this second pass, and by the time we reached the top I had noticed my left hip flexor starting to hurt. It would bother me for the rest of the trip; my dad taught me how to stretch it out. For the duration of the trek I would have to stop every few miles to stretch it out.

After a few more downhill miles that day, we made it to camp at Cottonwood Lake. We had done at least 15 miles that day.

Day 3
Our third day on the trail was pretty much all downhill, which can be just as painful as going uphill. It hurts your knees and feet big time, and my hip flexor didn't get much relief either. To make things a little worse, we were walking across an exposed cliff face in direct sunlight for much of the time. The view was gorgeous, however. We got a view of Kern Canyon, at one end of which we would spend that night and then, 12 miles later, we would spend the next night at the other end.

I don't remember much about the hiking from that day, probably because it was overshadowed by what happened that evening. Just before we started cooking dinner, one of the guys looked up and saw a bear walking on the periphery of the camp. It was about 50 yards away and didn't seem to notice, though it was obviously sniffing around for some food. We watched it for a while until it disappeared, and then we proceeded (warily) to cook dinner (chili). An hour or two later, one of the leaders spotted the bear on the opposite side of the creek, moving towards the area across from which we'd been washing clothes and pumping water. He started to make his way towards the edge of the creek, as if to cross, at which point we started to yell and throw rocks at it. This is actually the park-recommended procedure, because if the bear enters the camp then you have to report him. At that point, rangers track the bear down and kill it because it has become too used to being around humans. So, in effect, by yelling at the bear and throwing rocks at it, you save its life. Anyway, the bear got the message about 30 rocks later and scampered off. It took me a long time to go to sleep that night.

Day 4
Today was our long, flat-ish hike down Kern Canyon. There were several stream crossings (two of our number slipped on a moss-covered log), a hot springs that we SHOULD have gone in but didn't want to stop for, and lots of boulders and great views. There was one really annoying section where the path was made up of softball sized rocks that could have easily sprained an ankle or two - we were lucky. Twelve miles later we made it to Rattlesnake Creek campground, where we got back in the creek to wash and cool off. That night we had couscous for dinner, which was probably my least favorite of the meals but still not bad at all. I also took a hydrocodine to relax my hip flexor before the next day.

Day 5
This was also a pretty difficult day. We decided to divide the group in two: "regular" and fast. The regular group, which I was part of, left camp at 5am to get a head start on the 2000 foot ascent that took place in the first two miles. We thought the other group would catch up before we finished that first leg, but they didn't join us for another mile or two. We continued as one group for a while, but then broke in two again when the steep ascents continued. This was pretty much a day of constant ascent. We climbed another 2000 ft over the remaining 6.5 miles, making into camp in the early afternoon. We met the only ranger we would see on the trip at this campground, and wouldn't you know it? - she's from Birmingham. Not only from Birmingham, she lives a few houses down from one of the guys on the trip! Small world.... We cooked dinner (Oriental Chicken and banana pudding), then hit the hay for another early morning.

Day 6 - final day
We left camp by about 6am and made our way to the base of Franklin Pass. This was quite a climb - not only were the switchbacks in poor shape, but the second half of the climb was basically on sand. Imagine walking up a dune with 60 pounds on your back, at around 11,000 feet. Not all that fun. Getting to the top was worth it, though. The views were magnificent, and we knew it was literally all downhill from there. We had another 10 miles in front of us, but we were on a mission to get to those vans. We made it out by around 1pm after stopping just short of the trailhead for lunch. Jim picked us up and took us to our hotel near LA where we showered (first time in 6 days), and then went out for a nice steak dinner. We crashed early, proud of ourselves for a successful and accident-free trip.

I'm in!

2007-07-21T20:50:00.000-04:00

All that's left for me to do in my new apartment is hang things on the walls, which I'll do tonight or tomorrow! Check out these pics of my room... images of the kitchen and living room will come later!

Real life: go.

2007-07-19T01:10:00.001-04:00

Ok, so this is it. Tomorrow I pick up my Penske truck, load it up, and start the journey to DC with my mom. I'll move into my apartment on Friday, do some shopping Saturday, and then drop my mom off at the airport Sunday. I'll spend the week taking care of logisitical things like insurance, driver's license, car title, etc. On the following Monday, I report at 9am to my new job as a paralegal.

I'm really excited, especially with the frequent traveling I've been doing this summer, to be moving up there. But this move feels a lot different than the many times I uprooted from home to head to Davidson, to France, etc. It feels slightly more permanent. This place where I'm living will really be mine, not a college dorm. This job I have is going to pay me real money. I'm going to have real responsibilities. I'm going to be in charge of my whole life - no Residence Life Office to take care of things, no Dean of Students to call my parents if I get hurt, no skipping work just to sleep in (not that I did that in college, but still... I could have). This is the big dance.

This has been an emotionally draining summer. Hell, an emotionally draining year. I'm dead tired - body, mind, and heart. I haven't really had too much of a chance to just breathe since graduation, and before that there was way too much going on to think much. I'm praying that the routine of "real life" that will establish itself in the coming weeks will allow me time to process what has happened to me in the past six months. I've had wonderful friends and family help me make it to this point, and I'm ever grateful for their wisdom and their love.

I know I promised a long post on the hiking trip - it's coming. I'll have some time next week to catch you up on that, and I'll have pics of my new apartment too!

Real world, here I come

2007-07-16T18:43:00.001-04:00

Hey guys, I'm back from California. I'll have a post on that trip up tonight or tomorrow, but right now there's exciting news.

I'm (almost) employed. I received an offer today from a law firm in Washington, DC. I told them I'd like 24 hours to think it through, but I am going to accept it. I am very excited!

To protect myself (and my job), I am going to try not to mention the name of my new employer, nor anything beyond the first names of my new co-workers. Companies have been cracking down on employees who blog about work, and I'd rather like to keep my job for a while. So, while you will probably hear stories of what I do every day, the details will be sparse.

OK, I have to run to dinner... but soon to come are pictures, stories, updates, and more!

I gave in

2007-07-03T17:20:00.000-04:00

Yes dear readers, I gave in. I resisted the temptation to check out
an iphone at my local apple store for a long time. A whole three
days. But it was too much. After following the blog and media
coverage all weekend, I had to see what it was all about.

A few hours later, I had bought one.

I know. I'm a sucker. But trust me. Spend more than 2 seconds
playing with this thing and you'll be hooked too. I am writing this
post on by iphone and it is not that hard. The web is sweet on this
thing as is email. I haven't actually haven't had a chance to talk on
it yet (call me!), though I am sure it is good too. I have the same
number, so don't worry about that!

Ok... Jrod's iphone signing out.

11,000 visitors

2007-06-28T21:17:00.001-04:00

....and as Journeys with Jrod makes it triumphant return, it hits 11,000 visitors.

C'mon.

Pretty please take my money?

2007-06-28T20:49:00.001-04:00

So we almost had a crisis today. The realtors who we are in process of leasing our apartment from called me and told me that my application had been declined because my credit report failed. My credit report failed because I don't have a line of credit (I don't have a credit card, student loans, etc.).

Now wait a second. Isn't not having credit usually about the same as having decent credit? Well, to normal humans like you and me, yes. But not to these realtors. No - you have to convince them to take your money, and to do that, you have to jump through illogical hoops.

Luckily, my future roommate has a credit card and so we simply have to substitute his application for mine and we're on our way. It still doesn't make sense though: my parents are cosigning and they have their credit approved. Why do I HAVE to have a line of credit to rent an apartment?

Whatever. Crisis (hopefully) averted, and we should still be on schedule to move in a few weeks from now.

Hoke came up today, and I helped him move some stuff up to his SICK apartment across the street. His roommate's mom took us out to lunch, which was nice of her. It'll be cool to have so many Davidson kids around.

No real plans for tomorrow besides walking over to the realtors to give them Dan's application. If it's not raining, maybe I'll finally head down to the mall for a little bit.

the district sleeps alone tonight

2007-06-28T00:32:00.001-04:00

Interview went well today, I thought. It sounds a little more appealing than the other big law firm I interviewed with, though I think I would take either one should they offer it to me. I did a lot of walking after that - from the apartment to the Cleveland Park metro, then down to the Woodley Park metro and back to the apartment. It was a fur piece, as we say in Alabama, but good exercise.

I met my friends at the grocery store (a few blocks away) and we bought stuff for taco salad, which was delicious. After dinner we listened to music, read, and watched the Daily Show. I think I will enjoy the working life, once I finally start it.

Hoke is coming to DC tomorrow, so he's gonna give me a call. I think I'll head down to the Mall tomorrow and hit a Smithsonain or two until he gets here.

Today was a scorcher - high 90s, I think. Looks like rain tomorrow... maybe I'll just hang out in the apartment instead of those museums... lame fest.

It's fun to be back from Peru and thinking about jobs and housing again. It's helped to keep my mind off of other less enjoyable things to think about. It doesn't feel right, to be honest, but it's what I have to do. My mind is churning with these "new life" details, but other parts of me are clandestinely churning and I'm deciding not to turn my attention to them. Hopefully I'm not setting a time bomb for my self... but I'm sane for now, and that's the best I can hope for, I suppose.

Incoherent rambling was always my speciality. Time for bed...

Man in a Suitcase

2007-06-25T12:30:00.001-04:00

Wow, I'm a little tired of traveling. I leave tomorrow for DC, after being home for Peru for only a few days. I'll have a week once I get back before going backpacking in California. I am the man in a suitcase.

I got an interview offer this morning for Wednesday, so that's good. With another one or two interviews, this trip will totally be worth it. I'll get to check out our apartment, too, or at least one similar to it. Maybe I can even take care of some banking/driver's license kind of stuff too... who knows. Exciting times, but tiring times...

--------------------------------------------
"Man in a Suitcase" - The Police

I'd invite you back to my place
It's only mine because it holds my suitcase
It looks home to me alright
But it's a hundred miles from yesterday night

Must I be the man in a suitcase?
Is it me, the man with the stranger's face?

Another key for my collection
For security I race for my connection
Bird in a flying cage you'll never get to know me well
The world's my oyster, a hotel room's a prison cell

Must I be the man in a suitcase?
Is it me, the man with the stranger's face?

I'd invite you back to my place
It's only mine because it hold my suitcase
It looks like home to me alright
But it's a hundred miles from yesterday night.

A short pause

2007-06-24T10:58:00.001-04:00

I'm back at home for a little bit in between trips. Today I am going to my friends' wedding reception at Oak Mountain; Jeremy and Stephanie are the first of my friends to get married. On Tuesday morning, I am flying to Washington to continue job hunting and interviewing, as well as to finalize some housing things. I'll come back Saturday to spend the next week at home, finalizing preparations for our big backpacking trip in the Sierra Nevadas!

It looks like we've got ourselves an apartment! I can move in as soon as I get back from California. It's a building near the National Cathedral - very nice, good size, and not too expensive! I'm pumped.

Headed home!

2007-06-22T09:49:00.001-04:00

My luggage has arrived! Shower, pack, lunch, and then back to Sweet Home Alabama!

Peru Pics

2007-06-21T16:24:00.000-04:00

Cusco and Machu Picchu

Concepcion and Huancayo

Lima

Peru

2007-06-21T15:06:00.001-04:00

I just returned from my mission/sightseeing trip to Peru! Pictures are (slowly) going up on my Picasa Web page, which you can access from the sidebar.

It was a pretty amazing trip. We flew from Miami to Lima, where we spent a day or two sightseeing before heading by bus to Concepcion. It was in this town where we would stay and work for five or six days. I was a memer of the construction team - you can see from the photos that the majority of our work involved picking, shoveling, and carting dirt and rocks back and forth. We eventually worked with the Peruvian workers to mix concrete (by hand!) and pour the foundation of the building we were working on, a future cafeteria and afterschool center for local children. I definitely got some sun and bulked up a little on this trip; I can actually feel the muscles in my lower back, which is pretty cool I guess.

We stayed in a very nice hotel in Concepcion, where we would eat our breakfast and dinner (lunch was a boxed meal of sandwiches, fruit, juice, and cake that we ate on the work site). Some other activities included a delicious dinner out of roasted chicken on Rachel's birthday, a tour of a local artist's studio (we later saw his work in a monastery near Concepcion), a traditional "Pachamanka" meal that is cooked underground, a tour of a trout farm, and shopping at local silver artisan shops.

We were in Lima on three separate occasions during the trip, and did interesting things each time. We had a city tour (they have a Hooters, Cara), ate at a delicious bakery (once on my birthday!), shopped at a giant market, ate Chinese food (Lima has the largest concentration of Chinese people outside of China, so it was good), tasted Pisco Sour (tastes like a margarita without ice - really good), and other fun stuff.

The most spectacular part of my trip to Peru was our three-day excursion to Cusco and to Machu Picchu. The pictures speak for themselves. We had an excellent guide who took us to ancient ruins around Cusco, and then the next day accompanied us on the five-hour journey by train and bus to Machu Picchu. We spent the afternoon up on top of this giant mountain with llamas, ruins, and an unbelievable view.

We arrived in Florence at about 1am this morning after many flights, missed flights, and - in the end - some delayed luggage. That will hopefully arrive today, and then I will head back to 'bama tomorrow. After attending a reception for my friends' wedding (they got married in Jamaica!) on the 24th, I'll probably be off again to DC to hunt for jobs some more. There will hopefully be good news on an apartment near the National Cathedral soon. More to come on that front.

I graduated

2007-05-25T18:40:00.000-04:00

And hopefully that helps explain my lack of posting recently. Just like last semester, the end of this semester was unbelievably busy. I am back home now, looking for jobs and housing in Washington, D.C. I leave next week for a 3-week trip that will take me to Atlanta, Florence, D.C., and Peru. After that I have a two week break that will hopefully include moving up to D.C. The I go backpacking with the Scouts in California in July. After that, I'll hopefully be in D.C. with both a job and a place to sleep.

Check out my pictures from the past few weeks for a visual catch-up with my life. I'll try to summarize what's been going on recently in my next post. I wouldn't expect Journeys with Jrod to relaunch for good until I'm settled in D.C. Rest assured, though, that even if I'm not blogging you can keep updated with my photos.

To test out the new embeddable slideshow feature of Picasa Web, here's some photos from graduation:

Technological dependency

2007-04-19T12:11:00.001-04:00

You know, I love technology. Everyday I use so much of it that I don't realize how dependent I am on it. And I think this probably applies to a lot of us. Reading this story on Gizmodo, and the linked story from Reuters, was a wake-up call not only on a personal level, but on a national one. I mean, what if terrorists blew up Google and all its computers? Or hit key communications towers in DC? They could bring us to our knees because we are so dependent on these resources for our daily lives. Makes me shiver.

I'm back

2007-04-19T11:46:00.000-04:00

...and it's been way too long. Sorry about the absence, as they say in those insurance commercials: "Life comes at you fast."

Over Easter break, my mom hired a photographer to capture me in my headed-out-of-college state. There were some great pictures that came out of it, the best of which you can see on the photographer's website as a slideshow. Check out his other stuff, too. He's really talented (this is the same photographer that took my brother's picture for Portico magazine).

Man, this dog does NOT want to get wet

2007-04-02T13:24:00.001-04:00

Around campus

2007-04-01T14:49:00.000-04:00

Some photos I've taken recently, from my room and from long walks around campus.

Around Campus

Dancin' on treadmills

2007-03-29T21:08:00.000-04:00

I know this is way old, but I saw it for the first time tonight while taking a break from my paper. Pretty freaking sweet:

You've got to be kidding me

2007-03-28T22:39:00.000-04:00

Unreal.

NCAA Slideshow

2007-03-17T12:33:00.001-04:00

Whew!

2007-03-16T00:38:00.000-04:00

I have been a big time road warrior the past few weeks! From Charleston, SC to Navarre, FL to Buffalo, NY - and with little burts of time at Davidson in between - I've been everywhere, man! After Davidson's tough loss to Maryland yesterday, however, I am now back in town for good. We came back from Buffalo earlier than we thought; we were hoping to spend another night, see the town, experience Niagara Falls, etc. Unfortunately, the NCAA was setting our itinerary and not us, so they shipped us home quick.

Below are links to pictures from the trip:

Wildcats NCAA 2007

Exactly

2007-03-12T16:26:00.000-04:00

Found this on Cara's blog. Good.

Videos from SoCon

2007-03-12T09:53:00.000-04:00

Photo update

2007-03-11T23:30:00.000-04:00

Here are some photos from the SoCon tournament and from the Spring Break beach trip!

SoCon Tournament 2007

Spring Break 2007

The Wildcats are playing Maryland in Buffalo on Thursday, and I'll be flying with the pep band to cheer them on to victory! Go 'Cats!

Beach Bloggin'

2007-03-09T17:52:00.000-05:00

Two exciting things to talk about!

WILDCATS GO TO THE BIG DANCE! After a big victory at the Southern Conference tournament, the Davidson Wildcats are headed to the NCAA Division I Tournament! We find out where and when we'll be playing on Sunday, so stay tuned. I'll be traveling with the band wherever we go!

SPRING BREAK! I am blogging from our beach house in Navarre Beach, Florida. We've had a great week of beachin', reading, eating, and we even spent a day Habitatin'.

(P.S.: Pictures from all these events will be up when I'm back at school)

Senior Night video

2007-02-28T10:46:00.000-05:00

Here's a short video that Rachel took of me receiving my award on Senior Night last week:

Battle of the Bands is on

2007-02-28T01:34:00.000-05:00

Check out the announcement from the WALT blog.

Senior Night in Belk Arena

2007-02-24T22:04:00.000-05:00

Thursday night was the last home game for the Wildcats this season. This also marked the last time I would play drums for the Pep Band in Belk Arena. It was also Senior Night, so I was honored for "my leadership of and commitment to the Davidson College Pep Band." I got a nice plaque during a little ceremony.

Senior Night - Pep Band

The 'Cats head for the Southern Conference tournament in Charleston on Wednesday, and I'll be there with the Pep Band to support them. Hopefully after a big win on Saturday, I'll be back at Davidson for one night before heading to the beach via Birmingham for Spring Break!

The State of the WALT

2007-02-19T14:23:00.000-05:00

One of our sometimes-eboard-members for WALT also serves on the staff of The Davidsonian, our college newspaper. She sent the eboard an email letting us know that she was going to write the staff editorial on WALT in the next issue, and wanted our opinion on "why people don't listen to WALT." Taylor responded immediately, and I followed up with the email below. I copy it here because I had never really thought through what I thought about WALT, whether it was succeeding or flourishing, growing or stalling, etc. I think it presents a positive image and vision of WALT, and also an accurate one.

Hi Paige,

I agree with Taylor that the problem is not money, and that WALT is generally doing really well. I think WALT is just another manifestation of the reality of Davidson activities: we have lots of cool things on campus, but a scarcity of people and time. No one can dedicate themselves enough to WALT to make it their “thing”, but that’s OK. Compared to several years ago, we have really grown. The on-campus streaming and podcasting have really helped us to grow to our current potential.

To put it simply, I think that the majority of us would agree that a lot more is right with WALT right now than is wrong with it. In fact, the next big steps that we’re considering (you put your finger on one, which is internet streaming) have caused the e-board to reflect deeply about whether or not we’re ready or even wanting to grow to something more than we are. We all think WALT has a lot of long term potential, but right now we’re still trying to keep up with the avenues of distribution that we already have.

I used to lament that we didn’t have a lot of people that “listen to WALT.” But that’s not really how it works (yet, at least). People don’t listen to WALT, they listen to their friends’ shows ON WALT. WALT is like a shell organization for a variety of products, and is not a product itself. If we succeed in providing the possibility for people to get their shows out to the audience they want, then I think we’re successful. If we start pushing our agenda beyond the wants or needs of the DJs, I think we’re not doing our job.

As far as your editorial, I think it would be more accurate to portray WALT as a success story rather than a failure or in trouble. We have 60+ DJs every semester, we have hundreds of podcasts downloads every month, and we put a killer music competition every year. Compare that to four years ago, when all we had was the weak AM signal, probably half as many DJs, and pretty much zero campus presence, and we may be the most successful campus organization in recent history.

Valentine's Day

2007-02-19T00:43:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day was great this year! I cooked Lemon Chicken, couscous, and julienne carrots for Rachel, accompanied by white wine, flowers, and some presents (burned CDs, warm hat and gloves). She got me a scarf and The Science of Sleep on DVD, which we watched this weekend. It was really nice to be able to spend this day together after being in two different countries last year. :-)

Here are pictures of the dinner:

Valentine's Day 2007

My new MacBook

2007-02-18T23:30:00.000-05:00

Ladies and gentlemen, I am officially an Apple man. I received my MacBook on Thursday and I've been playing with it every since. I love how easy many things are to do, but I am still getting used to some aspects of OSX. I think I'll have Windows withdrawal for a while.

Here are some photos of the MacBook itself:

MacBook Photos

And here are some things I've done with my built-in iSight camera:

Photo Booth Fun

Journeys with Jrod: the radio version

2007-01-31T10:38:00.000-05:00

I did my last "first" radio show last night. I was about 20 minutes late, and I couldn't play my own music, but I found some cool tracks in the studio to share.

Check out my show page here.

Click here to subscribe to my podcast.

Check out the full schedule (it will be added day by day this week) here.

10,000 and counting

2007-01-30T17:57:00.000-05:00

Thanks for each and every of the 10,000 times you all have accessed my blog. I can't believe that number... wow.

Some recent news: I've made it to the interview round for the Smith Scholarship, which would pay all expenses for a year of graduate school in France. Exciting!

Two weeks in

2007-01-27T11:05:00.000-05:00

The first two weeks of school have gone by fairly well. It's weird, because out of eleven days back on campus, I've only had to go to class on four of them - my only classes are Tuesdays and Thursdays, which means four-day weekends every week. This will eventually be good when I get focused on my French major paper, which is going to start happening today. I am also going to be doing lots of studying for the LSAT, which I will take on February 10.

But now I'm jumping all over the place. Let me see if I can be a bit more methodical.

My extracurriculars are pretty much back in swing. WALT is getting off to another good, quick start. This semester I'm the blog manager, which doesn't take a lot of time and is kind of fun. Our schedule is not as full as usual, but we're hoping to pick up some more shows along the way. I will be broadcasting the radio version of Journeys with Jrod on Tuesdays at 8pm, so if you're on campus check out our stream and if you're off-campus check out our podcasts (I'll post these links when they're live).

Yesterday, I turned in my application for the W. Thomas Smith Scholarship. This Davidson-only scholarship covers all expenses for one year of graduate study in a foreign country. If selected, I would attend an institut d'etudes politiques in France, hopefully the one in Aix-en-Provence. I will be interviewed in the next week or two. I'm a little nervous, but I am confident that I am a strong candidate and that I have a good chance of receiving the award.

I've promised myself to get in shape and lose weight this semester. So far I've lost 3-4 pounds in two weeks, which I think is pretty great. I am running the treadmill or doing the exercise bike for 20-30 minutes, and then lifting free weights for another 20-30. I can already tell it makes me feel more energetic. I am also trying to eat healthier. So far, so good.

It's official: I'm getting a MacBook. I think I will order it in the next 2-3 weeks. My current laptop, a Dell Inspiron 700m, has been great. But, it's getting to that full-hard-drive, buggy, slow stage where you know it's time. I was hoping that the new version of OS X would be coming out before I bought it, but it doesn't look like that will be until June. The great thing is that Davidson gives students Microsoft Office for Mac for free, so that's an incentive to get it now. I've decided to start using the Macs on campus to acclimate myself to the new interface, and it's been pretty easy. I am excited.

Last week, I went to go see something called Tiny Ninja Theater in their rendition of Hamlet. As their website tells us:

Tiny Ninja Theater is a New York City-based company dedicated to the principle that "there are no small parts, only small actors." It was founded in 1999 by company director Dov Weinstein. "I had noticed that there were these tiny plastic ninjas in vending machines all across the city," says Weinstein, "but no one was using them to perform classical theater. Something had to be done."

Basically, this guy manipulates tiny plastic figures and reproduces an entire Shakespearian play. He has it fully memorized. I wish there was a way I could convey the experience properly. Basically, he uses two snake cameras (the kind you see cops use in the movies to search rooms before they enter) to show different angles on the figurines. He sometimes even uses the cameras as first-person; there was an entire duel that took place between the two cameras. It was weird, but hilarious.

Last weekend I took a 16-hour LSAT class spread over two days. They were pretty long days, but I learned some good tips and strategies, and I think my score will go up significantly. If you're thinking about taking an LSAT prep course but don't have the time for a week-long or multi-week course, check out the weekend programs available through PowerScore. My instructor, a third-year law student at Northwestern, was very intelligent and qualified. She breaks the test down to its elements, and after a while the answers will sometimes virtually jump off the page at you.

The last news that I have been waiting to report on is very sad, but will hopefully be getting much better soon. A few days before I left home to return to school, my dad's mother discovered that she has pancreatic cancer. A series of tests and consultations have led her to be referred to the Mayo Clinic, and she will leave on Monday with my dad to travel there. She will undergo several more tests, and if they determine she is a candidate for surgery then she could be going in for that as soon as the end of this coming week. Please send your prayers and thoughts in the direction of her, my grandfather, and my whole family. We're all confident that things will go according to God's plan.

Well, that's it for this giant update. I'm off to read for my paper and maybe study some LSAT stuff. Big game tonight versus Western Carolina for the Davidson Wildcats, and the Wildcat Pep Band, armed with out new shirts, will hopefully be there in force to carry them through.

Makin' Pasta

2007-01-27T01:42:00.000-05:00

Here's what Taylor, Katherine and I made for dinner tonight. We made our own pasta!

Pasta Night

Tempting 10k

2007-01-25T18:05:00.000-05:00

Alright dudes, we're approaching 10,000 visitors for Journeys with Jrod. I know I've been a little out of touch, there's be a lot going down. My four-day weekend starts today, so I'll try to post sometime soon.

Flippin' sweetness

2007-01-17T21:37:00.001-05:00

Check this thing out:

Last first day of class

2007-01-16T17:14:00.000-05:00

Today was my last first day of college classes. A little weird, no?

Today was long. I got up at 7:30, showered, and did some emailing until 8:15 or so. I grabbed a little breakfast and met Rachel to walk up to our first class - Classical Buddhism. It was a good intro - he's a really deep professor, and made it sound like it was going to be a rich and interesting semester. After that was Foundations of Liberalism with one of my favorite professors. Again, another good intro, but lack of coffee was making me a little tired. Caffeine and food helped me out, and I did some more emailing and stuff over lunch until 1:00. This last course, studying the French presidential elections, is going to be good. I did well on a quiz he gave us to see what we knew (it didn't count, but oh well).

After class, Taylor and I played some racquetball. I have done some reading for that French class, and now I'm waiting to head back over to the sports complex for the basketball game tonight against the Citadel. We get our Pep Band shirts tonight, which is exciting (and overdue). I am excited that tomorrow is Wednesday and I will have nothing to do except some reading, laundry, and working out. This is gonna be a sweet semester.

And so it was

2007-01-14T00:51:00.000-05:00

Well, the break's over. Tomorrow I drive back to school, and on Tuesday I start my final semester of undergraduate education. That is scary.

It has been a really great month at home. I was able to "reset" after a difficult fall semester, and I am looking forward to the coming months. Lots of exciting things to which I can look forward (I'll admit I rewrote that last sentence so that it didn't end in a preposition - is that nerdy or legit?).

I am making this brief since I have to get up early and I have a long drive ahead of me. I leave you with this:

Davidson web news

2007-01-08T10:09:00.000-05:00

Two things concerning Davidson on the web :

I just discovered two new blogs that cover Davidson, especially athletics. Check out Davidson College Basketball, a blog run by Wells Black '94, and Will's World, run by Will Bryan '08 (he writes for the Sports pages in The Davidsonian).

The Davidson webpage has received a makeover recently. I'm not overly enthused - they don't really seemed to have changed much content, just the presentation. I was expecting something a little more stunning. But, anyway, if you refresh the main page enough, you'll eventually get a photo of a canoe at the top. I'm the bearded wonder paddling away at the top left. Here is that photo in case you can't find it:

Jay Chitty

2007-01-04T01:35:00.000-05:00

For the second time in the past year, Davidson has lost another student. Jay Chitty, who is on the far right in the above photo from his Facebook profile, died in a plane crash along with his two parents and younger brother several days ago. His sister, who was not on the plane, lost all of them in a single accident. This is such a terrible tragedy for their family, their home community, and for Davidson. Jay was a senior math major and one of the tennis team captains. He was close with several of my friends, and I think he lived on my hall sophomore year. I never really got to know him well, but he always seemed to be happy and smiling.

There will be a memorial service at Davidson for him when we all return after January 16th. Please keep his family - especially his sister - in your thoughts and prayers.

Hope is Emo - chapter 1

2006-12-27T14:06:00.001-05:00


Funny podcast from the makers of Ask A Ninja and Crista Flanagan of MADtv. Chapter One: Hope talks about the importance of words and how unfair it is for Marna to go to Senior Prom.

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-27T00:17:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas (a day late), one and all! My day yesterday was great: I got lots of iTunes gift certificates, a racquetball racket, a new storage card for my camera (2 GB!), and lots of other great gifts. We woke up around 8 and did the Santa thing, and then had a big breakfast. This was followed by the tree-gift opening, which lasted for a while since my grandparents were joining us this year, too! The rest of the day was spent playing with new things, more eating, talking to relatives on the phone, etc. Wilson and I had prepared some tagliarini the night before, so we had that for an early dinner with Tutu and Ann, my mom's cousin.

Today, I woke up late and played on the computer until lunch. We had BLTs with Memaw and Grandpa before they departed to spend time in Nashville with my cousins, aunt, and uncle. My family then went and saw The Good Shepherd, which was really good but fairly depressing. We then went to the Pelham's house for dinner (chili and beer - delicious), where I got caught up in a lively discussion/debate about the Internet, "Second Life", Facebook, etc. It was very interesting to see how older people reacted to some of these things.

Tomorrow I am going to continue my essay for the Smith Scholarship, work on some LSAT things, and either play racquetball or get on my parents' stairmaster. I need to work off this Christmas chub, stat.

Hope everyone has had an enjoyable holiday!

Check out Kdice

2006-12-23T18:11:00.000-05:00

So much of my break has been spent playing a game called "Kdice." It's pretty much like the board game "Risk," which I never thought I liked... but now I think I would. Kdice let's you play against 6 other people. The goal is to take over the entire map. Check it out.

Headin' towards Xmas, and next semester

2006-12-23T01:03:00.000-05:00

Everything continues to go well here at home in Birmingham. I've played racquetball a couple of times with my brother, and this morning I played tennis with Mom and her friends. We had the Porters and Crawfords over for our annual party - check out the photos using the new gadget in the sidebar to the right. Last night, Tutu took us out to dinner with Dr. Roller, the doctor who has taken care of her and Grandad. He's a cool guy, and dinner was delicious.

I've done all my Christmas shopping and wrapped it all up, so I'm ready for the big day. I don't expect anything too big for me - Wilson and I got an Xbox 360 and a new TV as early gifts, so we've been enjoying those. I have asked for a bigger storage card for my camera, as well as a racquetball racket and some new shorts. Mom took me clothes shopping a few days ago, and I got some sweet deals from this store that was closing down.

My grades came in, and pardon my French, but I pimped the hell out of those classes. This ended up being my best (graded) semester in college, even though it was my toughest. Could it be that I work best under pressure? Who knows... but I'm happy.

Next semester is looking like fun. All my classes are Tuesdays and Thursdays, meaning four-day weekends every week. :-) I am taking Classical Buddhism for my cultural diversity credit, and also just to study anything except politics or French. I am taking Foundations of Liberalism, a theory class taught by one of my favorite political science professors. I am technically taking a course called "Ou va la France" for the second time - the syllabus is completely different however, so I signed up for an independent study and will take it again. We will be studying the French presidential elections, which will take place in May; I'm excited. Finally, I am getting a credit for writing a 20-page thesis in French; this paper will look at the ideas being considered for a "Sixth Republic" in France.

And then I'll graduate (fingers crossed). I am applying for a scholarship that would fund a year of graduate study in France, but if that doesn't work, I'll either do that independently or teach English in France for a year. I'm taking the LSAT in February, and might apply to law schools from France.

So, here's to the end of 2006, and the beginning of 2007.

Hello... am I a Mac or a PC?

2006-12-19T15:13:00.000-05:00

The voices have been whispering in my ear for years now: "Getttt aaaaa Maaaaaccccc." I have resisted, probably because I am so comfortable with PCs. I have been afraid of learning something new. But I am leaning more and more towards getting a Mac for my next computer. I have had my current computer, a Dell Inspiron 700m, for about a year and a half, but the hard drive is already filling up, and I've noticed that it's been getting a little buggy lately.

So should I do it? I think I would get a MacBook Pro, and I would ideally wait until they started shipping them with the updated operating system, OS X "Leopard", but before I graduate in May so I can take advantage of the education discount as well as Microsoft Office for Macs that we get free at Davidson.

Any insight? Hit me up by email or in comments.

Back in Bama

2006-12-16T16:32:00.000-05:00

Well, I did it. Twenty-eight pages in English, twenty pages in French, and about two weeks later, and I am done with Fall 2006. That was seriously the hardest two weeks of my college career: I usually have a healthy mix of exams and papers. This year was an unhealthy mix of one exam, one 6-page take home, two 10-page final papers, and one 20-page major paper. I knew it was coming from day one, and that there was really little way to start early. Originally, ALL of that was due on December 6. Luckily, my profs moved everything around so that I had at least a few days to work on each project.

Anyway, I'm home now. I closed up my room, and drove from NC to AL yesterday. I ate dinner with Tutu last night, took a bath, and went to bed. I have been playing video games all day - it has been glorious. Mom and Dad gave me and Wilson our big Christmas present early - an Xbox 360. I played a Ping Pong game on it last night (don't laugh, it's sweet), and have been playing Need for Speed: Most Wanted all afternoon.

Now it's shower time, and then calling around to see if anyone wants to go to dinner. If not, I'll be headed back to Tutu's for steak tonight. Wilson gets in in about an hour, but Anna is picking him up... so I'll see him tonight.

OK, that's it. I'm off to shower (got a little sweaty after playing my drums for a little bit). I'll check in again soon!

Santa Trivia

2006-12-13T11:23:00.000-05:00

Here are some facts on the fat man from mental_floss:

This week, some Santa trivia, culled from our Cocktail Party Cheat Sheets book:

* St. Nicholas' list of patronages is one of the longest in all Christendom. His connection to children led to his role as Santa, but Nicholas also watches over notaries, pharmacists, poets, soldiers, and the imprisoned, among many others. In fact, he's such a versatile saint that he also serves as a patron for both prostitutes and virgins. (Honestly.)

* There's long been a theory that Clement Clarke Moore did not write "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," but plagiarized it from obscure poet Henry Livingston, Jr. The notion gained credibility when literature professor Don Foster, who utilized computer software to out Joe Klein as the author of the previously anonymous "Primary Colors," claimed that Moore's writing style was utterly incongruent with the classic Christmas poem. Moore still has plenty of defenders - but it's quite possible the man who helped invent the modern Santa was a sham.

* In Greece, the Santa role is still sometimes played by St. Basil the Great, who delivers presents not on Christmas, but New Year's (his feast day) riding atop a donkey. Basil, who lived about the same time as St. Nicholas, came from a family of saints: the Eastern Orthodox Church also sainted his mother, grandmother, sister, and two of his brothers.

* It wasn't until the Civil War that Santa landed his world-famous outfit. In 1863, a cartoonist named Thomas Nast, who incidentally also drew the first version of the Uncle Sam we recognize today, published a drawing of a fat, bearded man with a thick fur suit in "Harper's Weekly." Over the next 20 years, Nast's annual Santa portraits became a staple in "Harper's."

* Many children figure out the non-existence of Santa Claus when they begin to contemplate the enormity of his task. And, indeed, Santa would need some rocket-powered reindeer: assuming the world contains two billion households and Santa visits every one over the course of 24 hours, he would have to travel at a rate of 8 million meters per second, leaving him precious little time to dip cookies in milk.

An Early Christmas

2006-12-13T10:44:00.000-05:00

Last night, Rachel and I did our second Christmas together. She gave me the softest and best looking sweater I've ever seen, as well as a scrapbook of memories we've shared together since we first met last year. I gave her this:

From Rachel's Chri...

This is a custom painting done by an artist that Rachel and I saw at a Christmas merchandise market a few weeks ago. The image is made up of the letters in "Rachel." It's totally sweet, and came out perfectly. See if you can find all the letters. :-)

Rachel is headed home today while I start pumping out my last assignment - a 10-page paper on the writing of Nathalie Sarraute. Any insight?

2006-12-12T14:24:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos from the Davidson basketball game versus Charlotte this past weekend:

Blackout Belk Arena Night

Presque fini!

2006-12-12T12:17:00.000-05:00

Well, this morning I took my only exam. Because of the Honor Code I can't divulge details, but it went pretty well for me. Now I have a 10-page paper and a 2-page peer critique, and I am OUT OF HERE! Wooo!

Tonight, Taylor and Rachel are putting on a Moravian love feast, so I'll be going to that. Then Rachel and I are exhanging our Christmas presents. Can't tell you what I got her yet, because she might read this... but it's totally sweet. Pictures soon!

I'm getting excited about posting here again... it'll be good for me to keep on logging a sort of journal about my life!

Be sure to check out my pictures so you can get some sense of what I've been up to for the past few months!

Yoo hoo...

2006-12-11T15:41:00.000-05:00

Hi folks! Bet you thought you would never hear from me again, huh? I bet nobody is reading this anymore... I don't blame ya. It's been over a month and a half since I last posted, and even longer since I actually posted something worth reading.

I hope that next semester will afford me the time to bring this puppy off of life support. I am waiting for Blogger to let me upgrade my blog to the new beta version, which allows for better management of content layout, etc. In addition, I believe the service I used for labeling my posts has shut down; the Blogger beta has this feature built in, so I will go back and relabel eventually.

[UPDATE: My blog is now updated to the new beta!]

In other news, given my obligatory retirement as Program Director of WALT, I will be taking my new job effective January 16 as Blog Czar. Hopefully this will also jumpstart Journeys with Jrod again. Stay tuned to both sites.

I am in the final days of exams here at Davidson. I have written 36 pages in the last 7 days, and I have 12 more to go, plus an exam. I have spent most of my time next to the fireplace in our student union... people think I live there.

I will be glad to get home to rest, work on a scholarship application, and study for the LSAT. I am going to drive up to Florence to spend New Year's with Rachel, and then she'll come down to Birmingham for a few days.

I'm headed back to study now, but I just wanted to plant a glimmer of hope in your hungry hearts that the journeys with Jrod have not ended. Stay tuned.

Back for a worthy cause

2006-10-24T16:41:00.000-04:00

I know it's been way too long, and you shouldn't get your hopes up for many more posts the rest of this semester.

But, here is something worthy of posting about. Click the picture below and raise moiney for books for kids! Just be sure to click on the "Davidson College" tile after you click the big red button on the page that opens up.

Jrod's Photos

2006-10-04T23:58:00.000-04:00

Hope you're enjoying the latest addition to Journeys with Jrod. This is a feed from my Picasa Web Albums, so the album listed first should be the newest one. You can scroll through and click on any album and it will take you straight to the pics.

I also changed the way my links are presented, and moved a few things around. Hope you like.

Also...

2006-09-28T19:35:00.000-04:00

9,000 visitors since June 2005. Not bad!

Life goes on

2006-09-28T19:04:00.000-04:00

I hope people are still stopping by to see if I've posted anything new. What's it been, two or three weeks since I posted last time? I'm sorry... I just get carried away with other things! I'll do the best I can to give you all a rundown of what's been going down.

Discarded the Fulbright application due to miscommunications between myself and the scholarship coordinator. I was more relieved than anything else, since I wasn't so sure I wanted to do it anymore. There is another scholarship I am thinking about, so all is not lost.
Decided to apply for the Journey to Nicaragua, a "reverse mission trip" over Spring Break. If I am selected (it's pretty competitive), I'll go to Nicaragua for a week to experience Christ amidst the poverty there. It is a very emotional and life-changeing trip, and I hope I get in.
Celebrated 10-month anniversary with Rachel on September 14th. Double-digits is a big deal in my book. Bought her flowers and took her to dinner.
Rachel's coming to Birmingham with me for fall break next weekend! We're going to watch Bama walk all over Duke in Tuscasloosa, and play with Lou. Done and done.
Got an A/A- on my first take-home review for Modern Political Theory, which is 25% of my grade. C'mon!
Still addicted to HALO, which has led to an intra-apartment rivalry: Taylor and I versus John and Gagan. It's a pretty even match-up, and lets us vent our stress with animated violence. Lovely.
Received a giant goody box from the parents today, headlined by the actual magazine where Wilson is on the cover. What a beast.
I am not bothered by the Facebook changes.
My radio show is still going well. I had a particularly good episode last week. Check out Episode 3 here.
Bobby Vagt, President of Davidson College, bought me a beer on Tuesday.
It's getting colder, and I like it except for the fact that I can't wear shorts and sandals anymore. If I could wear those and still be warm, that would be money.
Got a haircut. Not bad.
WALT has started a blog. Check it out.
OK, so Bobby bought the whole senior class a beer on Tuesday... but still, it was sweet.

That's all I have at the moment... maybe there will be some pictures of random things soon. For now, here's the WALT eboard at one of its meetings:

Hewwo

2006-09-13T22:18:00.000-04:00

Hi blog readers. I hope you will forgive me, once again, for not updating. I have forgotten how busy life at Davidson can get... academics tends to consume us. It's a sad thing - I feel like I've lost track of a lot of things happening outside this campus.

I have toyed with the idea of putting this blog into retirement, but I don't like that idea. It's would be like having to put your dog to sleep - you think it would be best for it and for you, but there is some emotional attachment. I've put so much work into Journeys with Jrod, it would be sad to let it go.

I'm not so silly as to think that it could last forever... but I say we give it a little more time. I'll be making my posts shorter and less thought-provoking, probably - links to videos, news stories, other friends, and then trying as best I can to report in on my life. I hope you'll check in every now and again and see what's up on this digital bulletin board of sorts.

Until the next update...

Now on-air: Journeys with Jrod

2006-09-05T12:15:00.000-04:00

I mentioned this in my last post, but last night was the inaugural episode of Journeys with Jrod: On-Air. This is my radio show that I will be hosting weekly on WALT. Because WALT is so cool (I'm the program director, so I'm biased), we have all of our shows available for podcast subscription, in-site listening, and MP3 download.

Visit http://www.listentowalt.com/jrod to access last night's show!

"La Nature est un temple..."

2006-09-04T10:00:00.000-04:00

Everything continues to go well during these first few weeks at Davidson. There's always something happening every day... too many things to be able to blog about each one. I'll try to hit on as many as I can:

I'm working on resurrecting the Davidson Pep Band from the murky depths. Basically, due to a lack of student participation, the DPB may not exist. This would make me sad, so I'm leading a recruiting effort to save it.
WALT goes on the air today. I actually have a show at 10pm tonight. About an hour after the show ends, you can download the MP3 or listen to it online at http://www.listentowalt.com/jrod. You can also subscribe to the podcast there, and have my show automatically downloaded to your computer every week. Our schedule is finally filling out, which is good - it should be an excellent semester for student radio.
Last night we had a Davidson in Tours reunion at Dr. Sutton's house. Paul and I put together a slideshow, and we had clafoutis and wine. Today, I spoke to one of Dr. Sutton's 202 classes about the program, showed them some pictures, answered their questions, etc. It made me miss France a lot.
Classwork is OK; lots of reading in short amounts of time, but oh well. Most of it is interesting, which helps. But the merde hasn't hit the fan yet; next week I'll get my first take-home review from Dr. Shaw, and from there on it's a barrage of papers, reviews, proposals, outlines, bibliographies, and more academic fun. It won't stop until December 6, the day I have a final review, two final papers (in French), and my major paper for Political Science (20+ pages) due. And then I will sleep for a few weeks.
I had to memorize a poem in French for today.
I've been playing some tennis with the club team, which has been a good break. I'm hitting alright, though it could be better.
Of course I've been able to hang out with Rachel a lot, which has truly been the best part of being back. We do our French homework together, watch movies, eat lunch after class. We're like some sort of normal college couple or something. Weird. :-)
HALO has made a triumphant return to the daily routine. TopSpin has made intermittent appearances, but pales in comparison to the therapeutic treatment of a good killing spree.
We've been doing lots of cooking, which has been fun. I'm also excited that most of my roommates and friends are into drinking wine, which I prefer to beer by like 1000%.
My friend Will is going to India this semester. Check out the blog he's keeping here, and the official trip blog here.

My brother is totally sweet

2006-09-01T09:10:00.000-04:00

Over the summer, my brother was chosen as one of "20 people who will change the world" by Portico, a magazine in Birmingham. He was interviewed, and had his picture taken. Well, it turns out that he got a little more out of the deal than we had ever imagined.

What a beast.

Wilson update

2006-08-28T23:28:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures Wilson has taken of himself and his room. What a view!

Wilson's Room at USNA

Aug 17, 2006 - 8 Photos

Wilson is doing well - still getting used to college life, but so far so good. Shoot me an email if you want his new email address!

One week down

2006-08-27T11:49:00.000-04:00

Well, I survived my first week back at Davidson. I have determined that this will probably be my hardest semester so far, and since there's only one semester after this one (!!!), it will probably be my hardest of my college career.

I am taking my Political Science major seminar on European Integration, my French major seminar on "nouvelles" (pretty much short stories), another French class on "Poetry, Passion, and Painting," and finally a course on Modern Political Theory.

European Integration will be a good course - I like the topic and the material we've read, and the class discussion is pretty interesting and informative. At the end of the semester, however, I will have to turn in my 20+ page major paper. Luckily, the last third of the semester will be devoted to working on the paper, so I'll have some milestones along the way to gauge my progress.

My French major seminar takes place one day a week for three hours, and that's rough. We've only had one class, and it wasn't so hot. But, I think that was because she had assigned us a lot of reading a day before our first class, and no one except my lovely girlfriend was able to read more than one or two of the several assignments. So, the discussion was awkward and painful. I think (or hope at least) that it will get better as we go along. We'll be reading some good stories this
week, so that should make it better. I will have a 10-12 page paper due for this course on the same day as my European Integration major paper. And also a final exam. Seriously?

"Poetry, Passion, and Painting" was my worst feared class, but it's turned out OK. Our professor is a little strange, but very funny and obviously very enthralled with poetry. We have spent three days on one poem, while we have read six or seven for homework... so hopefully we'll get moving again soon. It's one of the more laid-back classes. But, what do you know?... I have a final paper worth 50% of my grade due on the the same day as those two other final papers. :-/

Modern Political Theory is a good course, taught by a professor I had freshman year. I had forgotten how engaging he is, and how funny. We are reading all sorts of great books that I've always wanted to study: Utopia, Leviathan, The Prince, The Wealth of Nations, and The Second Treatise of Government. We have no papers, but just three take-home reviews. Ohhhh... what the heck?! The final review, worth 35% of our grade, is due the exact same day as the other three papers? November is going to suck big time.

Besides class, I am also working on getting WALT off the ground. This year I am the program director, meaning I am in charge of running the returning and new DJ meetings, and then setting the programming schedule for the semester. After that, I become something more along the lines of an assistant station manager. Things are going well there.

I am thinking of applying for a scholarship for a year-long graduate program in France, so that will be taking up some time as well. I am also trying to resurrect the pep band from the murky depths, since it is threatened with extinction due to low student participation and the possibility that we won't have someone to direct us this season. My friend Hank and I are also trying to launch this new online publication, but so far it is slow going - I haven't even finished my article yet, and we're having trouble getting the professors who we've recruited to finish theirs. Oh well... we're looking at an early September launch date, so I'll have more on that then.

Otherwise, I am just glad to be back on campus. I get to hang out with my friends a lot, and get to hang out with Rachel a whole lot, both of which are nice. Rachel and I went to dinner the other night and then saw Little Miss Sunshine, which was pretty excellent.

I hope you're all doing well, whoever and wherever you are. I will try to update regularly, but what with all this work I'll have, it might be rarer than usual. Bear with me!

Photos of our apartment

2006-08-22T10:58:00.000-04:00

Senior Apartment

Aug 20, 2006 - 17 Photos

Everybody Ready For Jetpack Man?

2006-08-22T01:33:00.000-04:00


Totally sweet.

Beatboxen Bush

2006-08-22T01:25:00.000-04:00


Drop a beat, W.

Back to school

2006-08-21T21:20:00.000-04:00

Sorry if I'm a little incommunicado for a few days. Classes are just getting started back, so I'll need a good week to get back in the swing of things. I'll be back and blogging (I hope) soon.

Photo update from Tours

2006-08-17T09:38:00.000-04:00

Here are pictures from the summer in Tours. The first eleven pictures are what I received recently from Kathy.

Summer in Tours

Jul 1, 2006 - 16 Photos

Family Weekend at USNA

2006-08-16T18:22:00.000-04:00

This weekend, my family and I went to visit my brother at the U.S. Naval Academy. He is currently wrapping up his plebe summer there. It was a really marvelous experience, getting to see how much he has changed. You can tell how tired he is, but you can also tell how proud he is to be there and doing what he's doing.

Below is about an hour of video that I took during the weekend. After the video, I have listed links to specific parts of the video if you want to zoom around to different events of the weekend.

-PEP
-Parade
-Reaffirmation Ceremony

We arrived on Thursday around noon. We did have a little delay from both rain and the new security measures, but we weren't in any rush since we wouldn't see Wilson until the following morning. We went to the Midshipmen Store and got t-shirts and stuff, talked to advisors and professors at an academic fair, listened to a concert, and met other parents from Wilson's platoon for ice cream. One of the dads had made t-shirts for everyone, so we collected those as well.

The next morning, we woke up at 5:00am, left at 5:30am, and arrived on "the Yard" at 6:00am for the Class of 2010's last "PEP" - Physical Exercise Program. Every morning for the past 7 weeks, they have been up at 5:30am for stretching, pushups, situps, running, etc. It was pretty impressive to see 1200 eighteen-year-olds doing pushups in unison against the rising sun. I filmed everything while we all cheered Wilson on. It became pretty obvious that the plebes couldn't acknowledge us, but Wilson was sneaky and gave us a little thumbs up as he ran close to our side of the field.

After PEP, we went and met with his sponsor mom, who happens to be from Birmingham. Then we made a run to Starburcks for coffee and the New York Times. Soon after was a presentation by the Superintendent, the Provost, and the Commandant of Midshipmen. The Director of Athletics also spoke, and announced the release of 100 extra tickets for the Navy-Notre Dame football game. Needless to say, my dad ran to the ticket office afterwards to grab four of them.

Around noon, the brigade formed up in front of their dorm (Bancroft Hall, which happens to be the largest dorm in the world). We couldn't get a spot to see them, so we just waited by the "T" section where we would meet him. Anna - Wilson's girlfriend - and her mother joined us to wait for him. A few minutes later, there he was, looking super-sharp in his white uniform. We hugged and laughed and stood in awe of the new Wilson. He took us to his room (one of two chances we get to do so during his four years at Annapolis), and we met one of his roommates for the academic year (a prior Navy, 22 years old).

The first thing Wilson wanted to do, of course, was get off the base. We went and ate in a restaurant close by, then came back to the Yard to see a few things. We went into the chapel and saw the tomb of John Paul Jones. We then retired to our hotels where Wilson got to take his first long shower in a while and listen to some music on my iPod. That night, Wilson and Anna went to dinner by themselves while the adults and I (wait... am I an adult too? Oh man...) went to a different place. We met them later outside the gate to the Yard, where Anna and Wilson said their goodbyes. Wilson had to spend the night at the Academy to get ready for the parade the next morning.

We got up early again to watch the parade. It was very impressive, and Wilson's company won the award for best drilling. After the marching and music, we went to the arena to wait for the brigade to get showered and changed before coming to raffirm their serivce oaths. Another impressive ceremony, though the speaker went on and on. Afterwards, we met up with Wilson and had him to ourselves until 6pm the next day.

Wilson went to gather his things, and then we went to Burger King. Wilson was in heaven. After that, we found a movie theater and watched Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. We bummed around until dinnertime, where we had reservations at a really nice restaurant. Afterwards, we all sat in the hotel room and talked for hours. It was the most we had ever heard Wilson speak, and he told us story after story of his summer. There are too many to relate here - you'll just have to get them from him. I wonder if they let midshipmen have blogs...

After breakfast at McDonald's the next morning, we payed a visit to a friend of the family who lives in Annapolis. Then we went to church in the Chapel, which was really fun. One more trip to the Mid Store to grab some supplies for Wilson, and then back to the hotel. Dad went and got California Pizza Kitchen to-go, and we sat in the hotel room and listened to Wilson tell more stories.

Sadly, it came time to give Wilson back. We walked him to the Yard, took a family photo, exchanged lots of hugs and kisses again, and sent him on his way.

We were sad. We watched two movies (The Pink Panther and 16 Blocks) in the room, took a break for Ben and Jerry's ice cream for dinner, and then came back and watched Poseidon. It was the unhealthiest day of my life, probably.

The next morning, we were up early and to the airport. Since then, I've been at home working on things for WALT and Curious Davidson, and trying to get myself geared up for next week. I am both ready and not ready for classes to start on Monday.

Sam in Tours

2006-08-16T11:47:00.000-04:00

Sam, a junior at Davidson, leaves in 15 days for France. He'll be staying with my host family in Tours for the year, so I've been filling him in on life there.

Actually, on that front, some news. Annie has left the house for a more disciplined environment, and Angelique has a new boyfriend. There is a new French girl in the house, Roselyn, who will be staying for 2 years. I'll post some photos as soon as I get back on my computer.

Anyway, Sam has started a blog to chronicle his adventures in France. Check it out now and during the year at http://davidsonintours.blogspot.com.

Randall's Island: Day Two

2006-08-15T09:14:00.000-04:00

The second day of concerts at Randall's Island was much better than the first. I slept in after that first long day, and after showering and such, went to the same restaurant where I had breakfast the previous day. I decided to go ahead and have lunch, and also bought a couple of bottles of water so I wouldn't have to pay $3.50 every time I got thirsty.

Well, that backfired on me. When I finally arrived at the gate, they told me that I had to take all the caps off of the bottles "because people throw closed bottle at the stage." What kind of an idiot would do that? So, I had to double fist two open bottles of water - and I decided to just go ahead and pound them. I found my seat in the reserved section, which was pretty good - right next to the sound boards, and on the end of my row. Since neither Bill or Taylor would be coming to join me, I also had an extra seat to give me some room.

I exited the reserved section to go and listen to Tea Leaf Green, my favorite new band from the previous day. They rocked once again. Next was Yonder Mountain String Band, who was later joined for a few songs by Bela Fleck. They were OK... something about their sound didn't agree with me. I definitely liked their style and most of their music, but sometimes it got pretty messy. I skipped out on Slight Stoopid - once again, they just failed to impress me. I went and ate a $10 burrito for dinner, drank a $3.50 Coke, and then made for the reserved section.

Listening to the Flecktones from the reserved section was so much better - the sound was pumping this time, and I could actually see them. They played some great songs this time, too, including Big Country, one of my favorites, and Kaleidoscope, from their latest album. Following them was David Gray. He was pretty good, I enjoyed a handful of his songs. His drummer was kind of nasty.

The obvious highlight of the evening was Dave Matthews Band itself. They were on fire. First, the setlist (courtesy of AntsMarching.org):

Everyday ^{G1 G2}
Pantala Naga Pampa ^{G1 G2}
Rapunzel ^{G1 G2}
Say Goodbye ^G1
When the World Ends ^{G1 G2}
So Much To Say ^{G1 G2}
Anyone Seen the Bridge? ^{G1 G2}
Too Much ^{G1 G2}
Sleep to Dream Her ^{G1 G2}
Break Free ^{G1 G2}
Lie In Our Graves ^{G1 G3 G2}
The Last Stop ^{G1 G2}
Can't Stop ^G1
Crush ^{G1 G2}
Jimi Thing ^{G1 G3 G4 G2}
Louisiana Bayou ^{G1 G2}
Encore:
Steady As We Go ^{G1 G2}
Tripping Billies ^{G1 G2}

Guests:
^G1 Butch Taylor
^G2 Rashawn Ross
^G3 Bela Fleck
^G4 The Flecktones

This was my first time hear "Pantala Naga Pampa" and "Rapunzel" live (this is around my 10th show or so), and it was absolutely amazing. It is one of my favorites, and it was rock solid. Carter had like a 5-minute solo before "Say Goodbye," which is impossible to be bad. Other highlights for me included a nasty version of "Anyone Seen the Bridge?" Other first time listens live for me were "Lie in Our Graves" (with Bela Fleck as a guest - not. bad.) and "The Last Stop" (which I wish Bela had stuck around for, but it was still bumpin'). All the Flecktones came out for "Jimi Thing," so there were of course some crazy solos taken there. The encore was well chosen - a slow but powerful "Steady As We Go" got us ready for an all-out "Tripping Billies."

After the show, as I exited the reserved section into the parking lot, a squad of security guards rushed from behind a gate to stop us from crossing the road. Seconds later, five or six black SUVs roared from behind the same gate. It was the stinkin' band! The crowed rushed to the cars, blocking them. Carter Beauford, the demi-god drummer, was literally 10 feet away from me, waving at us out the window. I had to get closer. As his car zoomed out, the crowed rushed the next. Rashawn Ross, the trumpet player who's been touring with them, was in the front seat. I waved at him. He gave me the peace sign. It was good.

The bus ride back wasn't as bad as the previous night, and I made it home earlier than before. I awoke the next morning, packed my things, and headed for the airport via SuperShuttle. Once in Charlotte, Rachel and I went to retrieve my car at Davidson and eat dinner in Cornelius. We then headed to the house where she was housesitting, and spent a lovely evening together watching The Princess Bride and eating ice cream. The next morning, I got on the road for Birmingham as she headed to work.

A crazy weekend, but a weekend well-spent.

Annapolis

2006-08-14T18:47:00.000-04:00

I'll blog soon about the second day of DMB in NYC and my recent trip to visit my brother at the Naval Academy. For now, enjoy pictures from Plebe/Parent Weekend!

Family Weekend at USNA

Aug 11, 2006 - 172 Photos

WhirlPad

2006-08-09T13:50:00.000-04:00

I found a cool site called WhirlPad that lets you keep track of trips you've taken. It also grabs my blog feed and republishes there, which is neat. Check out my page here.

Photo update

2006-08-09T00:10:00.000-04:00

post-DMB dirt

Aug 5, 2006 - 3 Photos

Photos of me all dirty after the first DMB concert.

Lou scruff

Aug 8, 2006 - 4 Photos

Photos of my scruffy puppy. :-)

Randall's Island: Day One

2006-08-06T11:06:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was one of the longest, hottest days I've had in a really long time. I arrived at Randall's Island via bus at around 12pm, walking up to the gates just as they opened. I strolled around the little village of stands as I waited for the first band to play - the One campaign was there, as was Camelbak, Verizon, and other sponsors. They even had this giant metal ramp set up where former Olympic aerial skiers performed their stunts, landing on a giant inflatable pad. It was sweet.

It was about when the first band started up that I realized I hadn't put on any sunscreen that morning, and it was blazing sunny. Luckily they were passing out little sampler packets, so I put some on. I think my feet got pretty burned, but the rest of me was OK.

Tea Leaf Green was the first band to play. I really liked them, mostly because you could tell they were genuinely having a good time on-stage. Their guitarist couldn't stop grinning the whole time, and their bass player was never still - like a giant bobblehead doll. Their drummer wasn't bad, and the vocalist/keyboardist was good too.

The next group, Yonder Mountain String Band, was good too. This was the first time I had heard them, and all the hype surrounding them is mostly true. The crowd wasn't as in to them, though.

The thrid band, and the final band on the secondary stage, was Slightly Stoopid. These guys just didn't do it for me, even though their drummer and percussionist combo was really on target. I was hot and getting tired by that point, too, so I just headed for the shade and listened from afar.

By this point, I was already running low on cash because the drinks are so expensive. I have learned my lesson and am bringing a backpack full of bottled water today.

I made my way to the lawn of the main stage for the Flecktones. While they were amazing as always, the atmosphere put a damper on the show. They didn't use the video screens for anyone but DMB, so I couldn't see the band play. Plus, they had cut the speakers back to save the sound for DMB, so it was kind of low quality. On top of this, lots of people were just talking and not listening, and mostly sitting down. I hope today will be better, when I have a reserved seat and hopefully can see them.

Gov't Mule followed the Flecktones. I had obviously heard of them, and more specifically of Warren Haynes. But just like the Flecktones, the sound was low and the crowd apathetic. I didn't really listen to them play, and just sat and watched the sun set.

Dave Matthews Band rolled on stage about 45 minutes after Gov't Mule finished. By this time I had eaten my $4 slice of terrible pizza, and had my second $3.50 bottle of Coke. Oh capitalism. But as soon as they started playing, I was back on my game.

The set DMB played last night was epic. The stuff that legends are made of. Here's the set list, courtesy of AntsMarching.org:

One Sweet World *
Crash Into Me
Grey Street *
The Idea Of You *
Hunger For The Great Light *
Pig *
What Would You Say So Right *
Cortez The Killer +
Dancing Nancies" -> *Warehouse *~
Cant Stop
Rhyme & Reason *#41 *^
Ants Marching *^

Encore:
Sister %
Smooth Rider *
Stay *

Guests:
All Songs with Butch Taylor
* Rashawn Ross
+ Warren Haynes
~ Tim Wicks on Sax
^ Bela Fleck and the Flecktones

Notes: % Dave Solo.

That's right: the Flecktones, Warren Haynes, and another guest, all in one night. It was amazing. Definitely very very good, but I'm hoping tomorrow will make this weekend even better with better seats.

Getting back to the city was a pain. I was on a bus in traffic for about an hour. Luckily the subway wasn't as packed as I had expected, and I made it home around 1am. I took a shower to get the beer/Coke/dust combination off of me, talked to Rachel for a while, and then hit the hay.

Today, I'm going to postpone my arrival at Randall's until later in the afternoon, both to save costs on lunch and also literally to save my skin. That sun is killer. I'm gonna bring the sunscreen along today fo' sho'.

I'll be back with more stories sometime. I leave for Charlotte tomorrow morning, so I may not get a chance to check back in before I leave, but maybe once I'm back home in Birmingham I'll be able to catch you up.

Thanks for checking in.

NYC

2006-08-05T10:10:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone,

I'm currently in New York City for two days of concerts hosted by Dave Matthews Band. I'm staying in the apartment of Rachel's friends - it is pretty amazing. Last night, I got into JFK, took a SuperShuttle to the hotel closest to the apartment, and got settled in. After two slices of New York pizza for dinner, it was just a night of TV-watching for me before falling asleep.

This morning I'm going to get some breakfast on the way to catch my bus to Randall's Island, where the concerts are being held all afternoon. I don't think I'll take my camera - they're probably not allowed, and I don't want to risk being denied entry because I have it. Maybe I'll experiment with posting a picture with my phone. Anyway, I'll check in again soon!

Found another friend

2006-08-02T15:56:00.000-04:00

Just found another's friend's blog. Actually, it's his own website. Check out what Chris has been up to in Germany at ChrisMcCain.com.

Wilson in Baltimore

2006-08-02T00:10:00.000-04:00

Some new pictures of Wilson, on leave with the rest of the plebes at a Baltimore Orioles game. He's in the row by himself in the top photo, at the very right in the middle photo, and then with his arms crossed in the last one.

My little brother is growing up so fast.

Victoire

2006-07-27T13:38:00.000-04:00

So, I actually have lots of things to talk about. First, the big news of the day.

Dartboard Diplomacy

I don't think I mentioned it before, but our apartment got in a little trouble earlier this summer. Bill has a toy dart board, with plastic darts and a felt-like board, that used to hang in our common room. Before I even moved in, the fellas has discovered that the little darts, when they strike the wall directly, leave pretty large marks/dents. So, we put a big blanket on the wall, and this more or less blunted the blows. However, there were still the few dozen marks and dents left behind the blanket.

Well, when it came time for the mid-summer inspection, the marks were found (we failed the inspection because of our shower, but half the apartments failed, so it wasn't a big deal). We decided we wanted to pre-empt the end of summer fine (which Sam, our resident expert, said could be as much as $75, or $19 a piece) by fixing the damage ourselves. We spackled and sanded the holes, and it looked pretty smooth. All we needed was to know the right paint color to make it look good as new.

It turns out that RLO (the Residence Life Office) decided it didn't want to be helpful. They said they couldn't tell us the paint color, because it only comes in industrial sized buckets and is bought from some special store at exit 70. What's more, now they wanted to confiscate (though they actively refused to use this word) the dartboard. Allow me to interject that, at this point, I was steering clear of the debate, and was letting Taylor handle it.

A day or two later, I answer the door, and there is a Building Services employee standing there.

"I'm here to look at the dartboard damage."

"Oh...ok, OK. It's right here." I watch as he steps to the wall, runs his hand over our spackle work, and grimaces with a look of disgust.

"Well, you guys made it worse." What?! "If you hadn't of spackled it, we could have come in here, probably painted over it, and it would look fine. Now we're going to have to get a crew in here to sand it down..."

This guy obviously had not seen the pre-spackle damage, because no amount of paint would have covered these dents. Anyway, it turns out that he came back about a half-hour later, sanded it down himself, and painted over it. He only charged us about $30 dollars all told, half of what it would have been. We were happy.

A week later, Bill gets an email from our RLO supervisor that asks him to have the dartboard in her office by the end of the week. Bill deftly replies that he can't bring it during RLO office hours, because he leaves at 7am and gets back around 6pm. She replies a little later and asks that we give it to Sam, who works for RLO. Bill replies and reminds her that Sam is housesitting, and not currently living with us.

When Mrs. RLO replies a third time, asking that he turn the dartboard in to the student resident advisor, who lives in the apartments, before the end of the day, I got angry.

I shot off an email, asking why it was necessary to confiscate the dart board. We have paid the fine, the damage is repaired, and the dartboard is being stored in Bill's room. Besides, where in the Residence Life policies does it state that private property will be confiscated upon discovery of its use? I ended, stating that none of us felt like we were being treated like the 21-year-olds that we are.

When I get angry, there's usually something really wrong.

It turns out my email payed off. This morning, we all got an email from Mrs. RLO's superior, who agreed to let us keep the dartboard. She thanked us for taking responsibility for the costs and damage, and that as long as the dartboard never goes up again, we can keep it. She said that is and will be RLO's policy to confiscate "illegal" items, and that this will be made more clear in the handbook in the future.

So that's my feel good story for today. A little agressive diplomacy prevented the unwarranted confiscation of Bill's private property, and we actually got some thanks for being adults. I wonder what would happen if they treated everyone as mature college students and not little children?

Goin' down to Charleston

I decided today that I am going to go with Rachel to visit Camp St. Christopher, the camp where she worked for the past few summers. We'll have to convoy, since she'll be going to Florence and I'll be driving back to Davidson afterwards, but it will be fun to see where she has been and meet more of her friends. And I mean, pass up some beach time with my girlfriend? I don't think so.

Deliveries

I got my sweet Ipod case for my new Ipod in the mail today, and it's pretty awesome. I also receieved my tickets to the Dave Matthews Band Weekend Getaway at Randall's Island next weekend. I am so incredibly excited about this. I don't want to set myself up for disappointment, but it will probably be the most amazing musical experience of my life. I've pretty much talked Bill into driving up for the Saturday show, and we'll see if I can convince anyone to take the Sunday ticket. I. am. pumped.

Writely

I scored an invitation to Google's web-based word processor called Writely. It's really sweet, and we may end up using it as part of the new publication that Henry, I, and some others are starting called Curious Davidson. I'll have more on this new project soon.

Codetalking

2006-07-25T09:54:00.000-04:00

Not much of note to report. I'm still working away. Taylor and I have started on the fourth and final issue of our coding. It took two sets of 50 documents for us to have 85% correlation between us, but now we're good to split up the documents. Taylor will be home until the end of this week before he goes to research his thesis across the U.S.

This is the last week where Rachel and I will both be here this summer. She leaves Friday to go visit the camp she worked at for lots of summers, and then she's spending next week at home to coach volleyball camp. I leave next Friday for the big DMB festival in New York, come back to spend a night in Charlotte (and see Rachel!), and then drive home. The following weekend, we're going to see Wilson at parents' weekend at the Naval Academy.

My Uncle David is coming to Charlotte again this week, so he's taking Rachel and me out to dinner on Thursday night.

Hmmm, what else? I listened to yesterday's "NPR Story of the Day" on podcast. It was about this Atlanta-based jam-ish type band called "The CodeTalkers." They have a cool sound. The guitar player uses one of those rotating organ amps, so it makes kinda of a cool vibe effect when he plays. And as the NPR host put it, they sound like they're having way too much fun. So I bought their album, Now, from the Itunes Music Store. It was a good choice. It also seems appropriate for my summer job. Ha. Ha.

U.S. in the World

2006-07-24T16:42:00.000-04:00

Stumbled on this while browsing through a recent email newsletter. Looks interesting...

Tiger Woods' swing in slow motion

2006-07-24T02:10:00.000-04:00


The Nike commercial aired during the British Open. It's a full swing by Tiger Woods, taped using a Phantom v5 camera normally used to study military defense systems. It's pretty sweet. Click here for more.

Crazy Bike Stunts

2006-07-24T01:59:00.000-04:00


Absolute insanity.

Wordpress?

2006-07-21T11:52:00.000-04:00

So I got really curious, and created a WordPress account and played around with their blog settings.

It's totally sweet. What would you guys think if I abandoned the Google-owned Blogger and went to Wordpress? I could transfer all my posts, and I would have to work on transferring such things as my labels and the recently played tracks... but it's tempting.

Leave your thoughts here, or email me.

A chip off the old block

2006-07-21T09:27:00.000-04:00

Last night, I had the following email in my inbox:

Dear Taylor and Jarred,

That video was great! It is very good. It was on the SRB. I loved that SRB separation! I felt I was in the space shuttle orbiter.

Please come to my house. It is {address censored}. I would like you to tell me about the space camp.

Love,
Ben

Ben is Dr. Sellers' (my boss) son. He is into all the cool things that kids should be into: Legos, space, dinosaurs, and... British naval history? Seriously, this kid sounds straight up smart. So anyway, Taylor sent Dr. Sellers a video from the recent shuttle launch for him to show Ben. Ben apparently liked it.

Dr. Sellers followed up with an email, inviting us to dinner sometime in the fall to talk to Ben about space, space camp, and Legos. Anyway, long story short, Ben's email may be the coolest and most hilarious I have ever received.

New pictures

2006-07-20T01:24:00.000-04:00

Check out photos from my trip to Washington, D.C. Also, my mom sent up 5 slabs of Dreamland Ribs, complete with white bread and barbeque sauce, via FedEx. We had a feast tonight, and here are some pictures to prove it.

Taylor is headed out tomorrow. We're on our last issue of coding, so he'll be working at home a little next week before heading off to do thesis research and interviews. I work until August 4. Other upcoming events include dinner with Rachel's grandparents on Friday, another dinner with Uncle David next week, and a possible trip to Carowinds in the near future.

I also played 4 or 5 games of HALO tonight, and kicked butt. Com'on!

8,000

2006-07-17T09:42:00.000-04:00

8,000+ visitors to Journeys with Jrod.... thanks!