Why not?

I've never (in all honesty) filled out a personal survey online before, so this is my maiden meme (mmm, alliteration.) You can thank Sognatrice over at Bleeding Espresso for this one.

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was your first thought?
I need to shave.

2. Do you read while you’re in the bathroom?
Sometimes I'll read the ingredients on the back of the shampoo bottle, just to see what random chemicals i'm putting in my hair on a daily basis.

3. What’s a word that rhymes with “fit”?
Knit.

4. Favorite planet?
Well, it was Pluto, but some stupid scientists ruined that for me. So, Earth.

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list?
Mom.

6. What is your favorite ring on your phone?
"Oh the tiiiiiiiimes, they aaaaaare a-chaaaaaaaaaanging"

7. What shirt are you wearing?
Ohio State block letters. I have so many of them.

8. What were you doing 20 minutes ago?
Eating pad-thai.

9. Name the brand of shoes you’re currently wearing?
A cream-colored pair of skin.

10. Bright or Dark Rooms?
Bright if I'm doing something that requires light; dark if I'm doing something that requires dark. I'll leave it at that. (Sogna's answer was too good not to use.)

11. What do you think about the person who posted this survey?
I wish I lived where she does.

12. If you’re in a room with two beds, which one do you sleep in?
The one that Frankie's in.

13. What were you doing at exactly midnight last night?
Driving to get coffee with Frank.

14. What was your last text message you received on your cell?
I've been text message free for two years, and I don't hate it at all.

15. How do you like your eggs?
Sunny side up, with toast to clean up the mess.

16. What’s a word/phrase that you say a lot?
Right on. Bummer, man.

17. Who told you he/she loved you last?
Sarah Marie Frances Carr.

18. Last furry thing you touched?
Il mio gatto, Salvatore.

19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days?
Caffeine. Nicotene (Shut up, I know it will kill me.) Hashish.

20. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed?
It's all digi-tal, baby.

21. Favorite age you have been so far?
16, withoutadoubt. No work, no bills, piece-of-cake schooling, and my own car.

22. Your worst enemy?
I should say something psuedo-poetic like myself, but i'm not. So, anyone who says they are their own worst enemy.

23. What wallpaper do you have on your desktop?
A picture I took of the Lane Ave. bridge.

24. What was the last thing you said to someone….
Bye.

25. If you had to choose between a million dollars or to be able to fly?
Come on! This one's easy. Do you know how much money I could make if I could fly? Every shoe company/soda/candybar/restaurant would line up for endorsement deals. Plus, I could rob banks and fly the hell out of there.

26. Do you like someone?
I like a lot of people, thank you.

27. If you could punch one person in the face, who would it be?
Tucker Carlson, and then I'd steal his stupid bow-tie.

28. What is the closest object to your left foot?
Salvatore, begging for aforementioned pad-thai.

29. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be.
My beard-growing ability (or lack thereof).

30. If one thing about you could always remain the same, what would it be.
My weight, 30 pounds ago.

Play along, and post a comment so I can read.

Don't Kill the Messenger.

A recent post published by my friend Shelley over at At Home in Rome, reminded me of an article I wrote recently about the problem of graffiti on Ohio State's campus. I was told to report on a local campus-area organization, and find out what it was exactly that they were focusing all of their energy on. After talking with numerous sources, l found that the issue of graffiti removal was a hot topic. So, I wrote the article after one of the organization's meetings, to run in the following day's edition of The Lantern.

The next day, when I picked up the paper, the graffiti article was the lead story above the fold, with a decent looking photo spread. So, as an aspiring journalist I was happy to just have a front page clip.

3 hours later:

During my lunch break at work I hopped online to check my email. I didn't think much of it when I saw that I had five new messages, but when I noticed that all of them had "In response to your graffiti article", or some vulgar variation, in their subject lines, I got a little nervous.

As it so happened, the photo editor/photographer decided to run these pictures alongside my story:

I didn't even realize, until reading the emails, the context of the pictures. Not only were these walls legally painted almost a year ago, but they were painted as a tribute to Daymon Dodson, a well-known musician in the Columbus scene, who died this past summer. Anyone who's anyone knew Daymon, which meant (to all of you who have ever taken a logic course) that anyone who read this article immediately became livid with me, regardless of the fact that the article never mentioned that wall.

The truth of the matter is, I was as shocked as anyone to see the pictures run along side my story, and I spent the better part of a week explaining this, in numerous e-mails from people who had contacted me. The article, which you can read here, focused on the petty vandalism that plagues the walls of residents and businesses in the campus area. Despite the disconnect between the photos and the story itself, I was threatened, I was called a horrible journalist, as well as countless other things. All because of a miscommunication between higher ups.

This calls to mind a famous quote in the realm of journalism, which reads: "Lawyers hang their mistakes. Doctors bury theirs. Journalists put theirs on the front page."

Anyway, one good thing did come of this debacle: I learned that people still read.

/end rant

The Incredible Lasse Gjertsen.

Some of you may be familiar with this Nordic phenom, but my guess is that most of you aren't. So, i'm posting his latest film segment here for your viewing pleasure. Lasse is the king of splicing film, as he displays magnificently in this clip. Watch and see, friends.

I need to meet this guy.

Preparations and procrastination.

Geesh. It's only been a month and already I've been slacking on the blog. Honestly though, I'm going to kick it into gear here shortly. Lately, with work and class and writing for The Lantern, which in itself is a part time job, I've had no free time. Blah blah blah, I know. But, seriously. I've been busy.

Anyway, this summer my other-half Frankie and I are making our first leap across the pond, to spend the summer studying in Lecce, Italy. Those of you familiar with l'Italia know that Lecce is a very old city in the southern region of Puglia. Those of you who aren't savvy on Italian geography, however, imagine the heel of the Italian boot. This region is Puglia, and all the way at the bottom of Puglia, near the Adriatic Coast, is Lecce. Where Frankie and I will be for July and August. Yeah, I know. I can't wait, either. Graphical representation, go!:

So, considering it is my first trip out of the States, I had to apply for a passport. I finished up the passport requirements last month, and I'm turning in the application for the program itself tomorrow. Both application processes were relatively simple (except for the inane $97 passport and $100 application fees), when compared to some of the Italian red-tape many expats have to navigate around regularly. So, now I just wait. Frankie and I are planning on leaving the states a little early, possibly June 24th, and staying in a hostel in Dublin, before flying into Rome for a few nights. So, if any of you know of some cheap lodging in Rome, or can recommend a hostel, I would greatly appreciate it. More updates as they come.

Ciao, a tutti.

Arrivaderci, 2006.

Happy 2007, everyone.