Although I dislike many of the things the Academy Awards represent, I wish Bill Murray had won. I would have loved to hear what he had to say.

Representatives of various universities were on campus today. I went to talk with the Pfeiffer lady. I'm not sure that's where I'll go. It depends on my major and, of course, money.

It's actually warm outside.

I went to Wal-Mart and Office Max this afternoon. Visiting Wal-Mart is a strange experience for various reasons. Wal-Mart: plethora personified. It makes me sad to know that half of the people I see will eventually die of heart disease. It makes me happy, though, when I see an older man who doesn't give a damn about what others think of him. I saw a gentleman today with a white shirt, suspenders, and some "highwaters" and it made me smile. He spoke to me (we were both looking at the same item) and it became very clear very quickly that he was very intelligent (very, even). He didn't care what others thought about him, whether he was knowledgeable about what's popular right now. I like that a lot.

As we drove down the highway, the large signs and billboards decorating the divide to our left passed much like a giant picket fence, hitting us with vertical absence with varying degrees of consistency. That probably makes sense only in my mind (I'm insane). Anyway, I took notice of each one and, sadly, slogans and inane doggerel popped into my brain. I've been programmed by million dollar commercials written by ad wizards with mid-life crises. I saw an Enterprise billboard and my lips immediately moved to say, "We'll pick you up." I'm a slave.

That cabin in Oregon looks really good right about now.

We were expecting snow this morning, but there was none to be found. I was glad; any more snow days and our spring break would have to be shortened. All I had today was one class, and it was a test day anyway, so I didn't mind going. It was fairly easy; I had studied for it. My version of studying, though, was a five minute once-over in the hall before class. That sounded sexual.

I'm too fond of semicolons; however, I don't think it a problem.

Last night I dreamt that I met Don Knotts, told him how great he was, and then he signed one of my copies of The Catcher in the Rye. So it goes without saying that that was the best dream ever. Right.

Papa's birthday is Monday, so tonight we had a get-together in his honor. He loves to go to Rocky River Springs Fish House, so we met out there. I had a lot of fun. Just being around my cousins qualifies any event as worth while. It had been a long time since I visited the old place. I forgot how homey it is. A very nostalgic feeling comes over me whenever we gather to eat there. Upon entering you are greeted by ancient arcade machines and just as ancient Peppermint Patties. They're still 20¢ each. I always buy one. (That's my brother in the game picture.) A vital component of "Rocky River" lies within the same room. The egg dispensing Flintstones machine has been there at least a century, and I would bet my collection of Chiquita banana stickers it's actually approaching it's bicentenary. After swallowing your quarter, Fred spins and says, "Yabba-dabba-do! Yabba-dabba-do!" The egg then clinks for your attention, and Mr. Flintstone utters, "Dino thanks you!" It was the biggest thrill in the world to exchange our fathers' quarters for two or three cents worth of plastic. I guess the suspense of discovering what dwelled inside well made up for the rest.

Just about everyone was there. David and Myrtle were absent, but I'm glad my great-uncle James came. I don't get to see him as much as I'd like to. I also saw Carl, Doris, and Libby, a few of my grandpa's siblings. I had not seen Carl in a very long time, despite the fact that he lives less than a mile from where I'm sitting. Aunt Doris kept (and still keeps) children for a living, and I would stay there some times when I was young. So, I was glad to see her. Also, I finally got to see Jeremy again.

Oh, and I noticed this, thought it was worth sharing. This arcade game was dated as being created on 6/26/89, by the way. I'm insane for details.

My dearest friend Keri is engaged to be married! And no, it's not to a cow or pig. It happened the other Friday and I'm very happy for her. I'm either going to be her maid of honor or perform the ceremony. We'll have to see. Haha.

Katie had some questions (and corresponding answers) in her livejournal that a friend had asked. She wanted to do the same kind of deal with me, so here's what she asked.

1) Is there anything you owned as a child that is still accessible to you in a way that provides security (i.e. blanket, velveteen rabbit, etc.)?

My parents read to me a good deal as a child. My favorite book was A Brown Puppy and A Falling Star, which I still have (safe in a comic book bag and board). I would always ask one of them to read it to me. When I got old enough to read it entirely by myself, I would still ask them to read it, because although it was a very nice book, it wasn't the same. I loved when the brown puppy would speak with the other animals, the pictures were nice, too, and what a happy ending. I would stare at the pictures sometimes to make sure I got everything there was to get. That book always made me feel happy and safe.

2) Scenario: Every person on earth is required to have a word tattooed on his/her arm before the end of the year. What do you choose and why? (Leaving the planet is not an option.)

Recalcitrant. I don't want a tattoo, at least not this year. Plus, I'd want to make it as difficult as possible for them. Either that or 71th.

3) With what piece of furniture do you identify most strongly?

If you're asking about a specific piece of furniture, I'd have to go with the old rocking chair in our living room. It's old and ugly, but it has a great aura of nostalgia about it. It's like it's just sitting there, daring you to sit in it. Anyway, long story short, we both have rough exteriors, but pretty decent stuffing.

Now, if you mean furniture in general I'll say a chest of drawers, the poor man's closet.

4) Imagine the greatest day of your life. Describe what happens between 1pm and 2pm.

After a busy morning, we finally stop to eat. With our stomachs full we lie around talking about stupid things and laughing at nothing. Short and sweet. I love it.

5) Scenario: You are about to be locked in a dark coat closet for twenty-four hours. You cannot die or suffer severe bodily harm as a direct result of anything that happens in the closet. What do you least want locked in the closet with you?

This came down to either a skunk or Joan Rivers. I have to go with Joan Rivers.

Jason called me this afternoon asking if I wanted to see Dawn of the Dead with him. I hadn't seen him a very long time so I went to pick him up. He's doing well. My CD player barely works, so during the ride we discussed Greg Graffin, religion, Jason's Johnny Cash tattoo, his car troubles, and all sorts of other things. We hadn't seen each other in person since June, I think, so we had plenty to talk about. He always has to play one of the arcade machines at our crappy little theater. This time it was Crazy Taxi. I had that game at one point. Anyway, the movie was pretty good (8/10), better than I thought it might be at least. After the movie we went back to his house and hung around for a while, talking about anything and everything. His room is still decorated with MxPx and Marilyn Monroe posters. He's still the same ol' Jason.

For those of you who thought I was joking when I mentioned my banana sticker collection.