Breaking up, Moving (On), and Starting a New Semester (Pt. 1)

As promised, here is the first part of the mega-post of what is going on in my life. A lot has happened since the last time I actually had enough time to write a post (and to be real honest, I still don’t have the time, but I need a study break). I will split it into 2 (or maybe 3) separate entries to keep it manageable. The next part will be put up after I get back from a wedding in BG this weekend (of course, including details of that awesome event). I hope you give it a read though, as I know many people have been curious to how exactly I came to be sitting in my own apartment in Camden Live Oaks. And if you didn’t know that Abby and I broke up (or worse yet, didn’t know we were dating), then we don’t hang out nearly enough, and we should get together soon.

So yes, Abby and I broke up. I won’t get into too much detail because as much as I probably say more on this blog than I should, our personal business is our personal business. The basic premise is that living together shined a light on the fact that we just didn’t have the ability to live together. I thought I was doing everything I could to be the best co-habitator I could, since it was my first time living with a girlfriend. She, I assume, was trying to make it a comfortable experience for me as well. Nonetheless, we both felt out of place in our own home, which led to almost bi-nightly discussions. I am all about communication in a relationship for sure, but that is more often than one should be having state-of-the-relationship conversations. So in the end, she wanted to break up, and by then, I agreed with her that it was the right move. To answer the question that everyone either asks or is too tactful to ask, no, I don’t regret us moving in so soon. It was learning experience for me in a lot of ways, and we were confronted with issues that might have taken months or years to confront. Instead, we were able to get out with the least amount of pain and complications as possible.

That left me looking for a place on one week notice. I spent a full day going to several different places looking for affordable one bedrooms. Let me go ahead and tell you, unless you are willing to compromise the type of area you want to live in, “affordable one bedrooms” is an oxymoron. But I found a place at Camden Live Oaks (my 2^nd stint in that particular complex), that wasn’t too bad, and has free cable, which helps me save a few dollars. So I lived in our old apartment for a week (a week during which, despite having recently broken up with someone, I was actually quite happy, a fact that I think speaks volumes about this being the right move), and then moved all my stuff to this place during a surprisingly quick afternoon (special thanks to Jon, Alvin, & Jeff on that). I was actually able to pretty much get unpacked and settled in a day and a half (special thanks to Shyam & Lucky for donating their old futon which really helps “tie the room together”). And other than the large rent and full utility checks I write every month, I am absolutely loving living on my own! No offense to any of my former roommates out there, but at the ripe age of 27, it is nice to finally have my own place, and I don’t think I’m going to give it up until its time to move in with a fiancée (notice I didn’t say girlfriend for the next move-in experiment). As I get ready to head to the airport, let me leave with some of my favorite and least favorite things about living alone so far.

Things I Love About My New Apt

1. Leaving stuff where I want to for as long as I want

2. Doing whatever I want whenever I want

3. Related to #2, only wearing pants when I want

4. My own fridge, my own kitchen, no confusion about if something is mine, where a pan currently is, or bumping into people while cooking

Things I Less Than Love About My New Apt

1. My direct neighbor who has two small, very high-pitched dogs that bark at everything…all the time.

2. I’m not suppose to have a grill, I do anyway, but I hate having to hide it.

3. The free cable is great, but I miss my DVR. I’m not willing to pay for a full cable service just to have a DVR.

4. My own kitchen mentioned above happens to be pretty low on counter space, but I get by through being creative, and I may use the kitchen table in the other room if I have to.

YouTube Video of the Day

Ok, so I know this is a cop-out, but I feel like I haven't posted in a long time with all that's been going on, so I wanted to put something up for those of you who check back regularly. I am too busy with school for the next few days to put up anything of substance, but I promise a mega-article (probably a 2 or 3 parter) about my life and the big move will be posted by Monday at the very latest. In the meantime, for those of you who have never seen it (and of course for those who would love to watch it again!), I bring you the Winnebago Man. Give it the full watch, you won't be sorry.

The Greatness That Is Anberlin

I like to think that I stay somewhat ahead of the curve when it comes to music. I have hopefully brought you some songs and maybe even bands on here so far that you haven’t heard of or didn’t know much about. My favorite band is a very fluid notion, and I have gone through several in the last few years. I would say since 2005, at bare minimum, I went through a period when it was My Chemical Romance, and then it was Fall Out Boy for a bit (probably for their 2^nd run at the title). In recent times, I was getting more into classic rock, and I would say either Zeppelin or Floyd were it for a while. But recently, as I’ve really started to absorb their whole catalog, I realized that Anberlin is currently taking that crown. Many of you may not know who they are, and many others may only know their first really bit hit (finally!), Feel Good Drag (not to be confused with an earlier song of theirs: The Feel Good Drag, which is good, but not as great as the aforementioned hit). Their musical ability is incredible and their lyrics are modern poetry in both their ability to be insanely profound and nonsensical at the same time. A very large portion of their music seems to revolve around relationships, beginning, during, and end, which brings about the raw emotion that makes most great music. And thus, as a service to you, my loyal readers, here is a primer to get you started if you decide to immerse yourself in this amazing band (and really, what are you waiting for?).

Some Background:

Anberlin is an alternative rock band from Winter Haven, FL. That city was, up until last year, the spring training home of the Cleveland Indians, and is a scant 45 minute drive from Tampa. Serendipitous? I think so! They were formed in 2002 and signed with a semi-independent label: Tooth & Nail Records. The same label that has represents some my other favorite underappreciated bands, including: Hawk Nelson, Thousand Foot Krutch, FM Static, & The Almost. The majority of this information, by the way, is from Wikipedia, “so you know its good. 60% of the time, it works, every time.”

Album Reviews:

Blueprints for the Black Market (2003) – Ironically, this debut album is one that I’ve only recently absorbed. You can definitely hear the rawness and the band still trying to discover their sound. However, incredible songs like ‘Naïve Orleans’, ‘Cadence’, and ‘Autobahn’ still make this an incredibly worthwhile album.

Never Take Friendship Personal (2005) – The title track is definitely the star, and overall, probably my least favorite of the albums, but that honestly is not saying much since all of their albums rock. ‘A Day Late’ and ‘Audrey, Start the Revolution’ would be the other classics on this album.

Cities (2007) – What I would call their breakout album, despite them getting their first significant airplay from a song of their next album. This is the album that got me into these guys, and I honestly don’t remember how I originally got into them. I do remember that the first songs I had by them were ‘Fin’ and ‘Dismantle Repair’ and it steamrolled from there. I give you a 100% Guarantee that there is not a back track on this album.

New Surrender (2009) – This album is still new, but is a great follow-up to Cities. ‘Feel Good Drag’ had a great combination of catchiness and musical awesomeness to propel them into the radio scene. ‘Breaking’ is the 2^nd single set to be released from the album, so let’s see where that ends up. It’s a very capable song, to be sure, but I would like to see ‘The Resistance’ get some play soon as well.

Top 10 Songs by Anberlin:

1. Unwinding Cable Car

2. Fin

3. Adelaide

4. A Whisper and a Clamor

5. Never Take Friendship Personal

6. Naïve Orleans

7. A Day Late

8. Feel Good Drag

9. The Resistance

10. Autobahn

Just a few of their more profound lyrics (in my humble opinion)

“This is the correlation of salvation and love”

“I am the patron saint of lost causes”

“I want to be your last first kiss”

“As time seems to drip like Dali, and neither of us has a place to be”

Just In Case You Didn’t Hear…I Recently Received (and Rejected) a Job Offer :)

Alright, I know a lot of you have been waiting for a blog about my recent job offer, so without making this too boring for you with all the specifics, here is the gist of how I got (and then rejected) the offer.

As most of you know, I had given up on getting a job for the 2009-10 school year. Thus, I was very surprised to hear from Middle Tennessee State University exactly 2 weeks ago, that they wanted to talk to me about their temporary one-year opening. I was even more surprised (and flattered) when they offered me the position just 3 days later. And I was the most surprised that the offer was more viable then I would have expected that late in the year (mostly because it was an good I/O program that focuses on teaching and there was a chance of getting hired on as tenure-track). However, once the surprise and excitement of just getting any job offer after a year of rejection wore off, I realized it wasn’t the right opportunity for me at this juncture. There were several reasons for this decision, some of which included:

-I never got to visit or formally interview with the school, and it was hard to commit for a year (or beyond) that I had never been.

-I just moved in with the bestest girl in Tampa, why would I want to give that up to live by myself in a place where I don’t know anyone?

-I would have had to start about 3 weeks after I had gotten the offer.

-I would have had to teach 5 classes a semester (probably at least 3 different classes), leaving me only those 3 weeks to prep for said classes (while trying to organize a move, of course).

-I was (and am!) looking forward to spending one more year hanging with all you fantastic Tampa peeps who read this blog!

-Teaching so much would have severely limited ability to get more publications out and prep my job applications, which I would have needed to keep doing since I wouldn’t have been sure that the MTSU job was permanent.

-While the money offer was pretty good, once you took out taxes, moving expenses, paying for 1.5 apartments, plane tickets to see previously mentioned bestest girl and fantastic peeps, I really wouldn’t have made too much more than I will teaching 1 class a semester here.

-Not sure I could work at a school that actually uses the above mascot! (Kidding, of course)

So there you have it. My decision was made, with lots of support, advice, congratulations, and confirmation from many of you loyal readers. They really are a great school, and I hope that they open a tenure-track job that I can apply for this year. I am so happy that this decision is over though, and every day that goes by I am more and more sure I made the right choice. It is still nice to know that I am marketable enough to be get an offer, which makes me more confident that I will get a tenure-track job this coming year. I already have about 20 schools where I might apply, and more come out every day. So stay tuned, applications will be going out as soon as the end of this month and through October and beyond. I will keep you all posted on my top choices, and more importantly, schools that show interest in me!

My Life According to Fall Out Boy (plus Beards!)

Hello all! This post is inspired by my sister, Deann, who posted this theme quiz on Facebook, and I needed a distraction, so here you go! I chose Fall Out Boy (she used Tom Petty) because they have lots of fun song titles, which should make for some crazy answers.

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on to 10 people you like and include me (presuming I'm someone you like). You can't use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. Repost as "my life according to (band name)"

Pick your Artist
Fall Out Boy (by the way, I searched a lot of pics of Fall Out Boy, and I am pretty sure Pete Wentz demands that he never have wear a shirt in a picture)

Are you a male or female:
Don't You Know Who I Think I Am?

Describe yourself:
The (After) Life of the Party

How do you feel:
I've Got All This Ringing In My Ears and None on My Finger

Describe where you currently live:
This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race

If you could go anywhere, where would you go?
Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On a Bad Bet

Your favorite form of transportation:
Sending Postcards from a Car Crash (Wish You Were Here)

Your best friend?
She's My Winona

You and your best friends are:
Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes

What's the weather like?
Golden

Favorite time of day:
XO

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:
Champagne for my Real Friends, Real Pain for my Sham Friends

Your relationship:
It's Not a Side Effect of the Cocaine, I am Thinking I Must Be in Love

What is life to you:
Dance, Dance

Your fear:
Reinventing the Wheel to Run Myself Over

What is the best advice you have to give:

A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More Touch Me


Thought for the Day:
The Pros & Cons of Breathing

How I would like to die:
Thks Fr Th Mmrs

My soul's present condition:
Homesick at Space Camp

My motto:Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying (Do Your Part to Save the Scene and Stop Going to Shows)

These are the last two pictures of the great beard re-growth of 2009. Both being taken exactly 2 weeks after I shaved it all completely off, the first pre-shave and the 2nd after I trimmed it up to its usually awesomeness! So apparently I can grow my beard back completely in 2 weeks...I don't know if I'm really excited or sad about that. Currently, I have some crazy stuff going on based on an unexpected job off, so expect a post next week once I sort it all out.

Hi, My Name is Joe, and I'm a Mac

For some reason this topic has come up a lot lately, and I realized how much I don’t like using PCs now when I was home for the 4^th and had to use my parents’ computers daily (one of which crashed due to a virus before I got back, shocking right?) So as a former Mac-hater turned Mac-peddler (the first one is free…OK, actually the first one is quite expensive), I wanted to weigh in on the issue. I want to start by saying that I have nothing against PCs. I realize they are cheaper, more readily available and compatible, and easier for people to use from their previous experience. However, I do want to try to educate a little about the advantages of a Mac for those who want to make outrageous (or even just rageous ones) claims about the Mac without ever having really given one a chance. I should give a shout out to Greg who is the one badgered me about Macs for years before I finally saw the light.

PC-user complaint #1: There is no right click mouse button.

Response: I know this one well, because it was one of my biggest complaints about Macs when I was against them in college (many of our library computers were Macs). This is just flat out not true, and I am pretty sure has not been for a while. I am surprised this perception still persists, but trust me, there is right click capability…I’m doing it right now…and it feels soooo gooood.

PC-user complaint #2: I am used to using a PC, and it will take me too long to get used to a Mac.

Response: A valid argument, and it took me several months to get completely used to the commands, key placements, and user interface. I didn’t even realize that I had really become Mac-dependent until it took me a second to oriented on my girlfriends PC a little while ago. Nonetheless, it is not that hard of a struggle. And just because interfaces were a certain way (the PC way) for so long, doesn’t make it right. You mean don’t have to time to get a used to an easier interface where everything is right at your fingers tips, where you can click and drag anything from folder to folder, internet to folder, internet to desktop, where everything is connected through USB ports and not a different one for the mouse, keyboard, printer, and storage drives, where…well, you get the point. Is your life really that busy that you can’t make a few wrong keystrokes now to save yourself days of time over the span of your life? Is it, really? I am sad for you…

PC-user complaint #3: They are not compatible with everything I use.

Response: I have found very few examples of this being true. I have/can run Microsoft Office, Acrobat Reader, Full Tilt Poker, Warcraft, Real Player, etc., and Quicktime is compatible with Windows Media Player files (you know, for all those “funny” videos you have stored deep in your computer). The only exception I can think of is that I couldn’t find a Mac version of SPSS for data analysis (and I’ve even been told recently that this might have changed). Anyways, even if something isn’t compatible, you can run Windows on your Mac OS operating system and boot the software onto there. I prefer to get the pure Mac experience, but to each their own.

PC-user complaint #4: They are too expensive.

Response: Not as expensive as PCs in the long run! Between 2000 and 2006, I bought 3 PC computers. Most of them were running so slow or poorly within a year, that I already wanted a new one. I have had my Mac for almost 2 years, and it is running basically as good as the day I bought it. Plus it comes with so many extras that PCs don’t to make up the cost. For example, it has a built in camera, which I’ve used more than I thought I would (not for that sickos, for posting beard pictures and eventually taping some comedy for all of you loyal readers). It has a 19” widescreen display that is great for watching DVDs, and the operating system actually runs smooth enough to make using it as a TV worthwhile.

Plus! Super-Fantastic Bonus Mac Advantages!

#1) iTunes. Even if you don’t have or want a Mac, please, please, please use iTunes. It is by far the best music organization and playing system. No, seriously, go get it now. You can come back to this.

#2) The iPod is directly compatible, which is of course the best music player on the market.

Carter Pewterschmidt: Hey, Bill, can you help me program my Zune.

Bill Gates: Sure!

Carter Pewterschmidt: Oh wait, I have an iPod like the rest of the world!

#3) My Mac asks for a password to install any program that executes, limiting the chances of viruses.

#4) I can’t say it never crashes or runs slow, but it is very rare, and easier to correct.

#5) Justin Long is way awesomer than that guy with the glasses on the commercials.

#6) I can’t say I get no spyware, but I get very, very little comparatively.

#7) Stickies! Post-it notes. On your desktop. Nuff’ said.

#8) You can sound cool and condescending to people who don’t own one! J What?!? If PC commercials can say they aren’t cool enough to own a Mac, then that gives us a right to say it too, right?

I feel like I should get a royalty for writing that or something! I would feel like a corporate shill except that I didn’t get paid a dime for that (so far), I did it out of the kindness of my heart to help you. Um, you’re welcome.

Moving, Twitts, & a Beard Update

Hey all, I haven’t been able to post this past week because Abby and I have been busy moving into our new apartment. Although I did have my computer set up on an end table from day 1 (I can’t live without constant internet at this point), I just got my desk setup.

We were welcome to our new place by a window covered in flies, a crap-ton of bugs in the kitchen, and a broken alarm system that would not stop beeping. Nonetheless, we persevered and have since killed all the flies, used traps, exterminators, and cleanliness to limit the bug population, and the alarm system is up and running. After an entire day of moving on Saturday (special thanks to Ben, Kyle, and Abby’s fam) and 5 days of organizing the apartment, it is now completely livable and almost fully functioning. We are hoping to have it all done by this weekend, so we can relax, and then I can get down to some hardcore work and job search prep starting next week.

FYI, I finally gave in and started “twitting” (I refuse to use the term “tweet). If you use Facebook, my updates go on there as my status. But if you are a Tweeple (and yes, that is the official term, I looked it up), you can login and follow me at http://twitter.com/Mazzter4l.

Finally, the great beard grow back is in full swing. I am trying to see how quickly I can regrow it back to its previous majesty. I of course mean how I usually wear it, not the supreme awesomeness of my redneck beard (although I have not ruled out that making a comeback at some point). I'm thinking I can pull it off in about 2 weeks, but we shall see. This is what it looks like after 6 days. That's a little bit of the new place in the background there as well.