Tearing at the Fabric of Mimes

Just a Passenger
Originally uploaded by The Sloan.

Is it time to say goodbye again?

Christmas has come and gone and I'm managed to remain silent on my blog now for over a week. Now it's in the last 3 hours of 2005 and I realize that I haven't really taken any of my normal reflective time to write a post about it either, so this post will have to be a hybrid of sorts. I'll spare you the skimming that would be required to read about my holiday that I'm sure was not all together different from what most people experience. The picture above was taken yesterday from a two seater plane that my friend Keith Kapral took me up in, but I have pictures to tell that story. I've spent time with my parents and I've spent time with friends, but I suppose that's what this is all about tonight, the passage of time and it's relevance to us, so I'll just lump it all together.

It really is a shame that Thanksgiving gets turned into little more than the fattening kick off to Christmas shopping, because it's so obvious that taking time to be thankful has a most powerful impact on how we perceive our lives. For this reason I'm not going to celebrate New Year's Eve tonight. I'm going to celebrate "Second Thanksgiving" by listing ten things (not in any particular order) that I'm thankful for from specifically this year. Afterwards I'll give you my 2006 to-do list.

I'm thankful for growing up.
It's almost scary to see maturity creep further and further in. I've always been told that was was mature for my age, sure, but over the past year that seems a silly thing for anyone to have said! I feel I've grown as a student and truly taken hold of what it means to learn. The public education system doesn't quite teach you how to learn, I'm afraid. I'm very grateful to be one of the few that made it though that obstacle.
I'm also thankful to see myself growing up physically...I can grow pretend facial hair now! Who knew? I don't doubt there comes a day when you don't want to get any older but I hope that day doesn't come for me.
I'm especially thankful to see myself growing emotionally (don't roll your eyes!) and spiritually. I've been tested by some of the hardest situations of my life and I feel that though I'm screwing up sometimes, I'm still on the road to some wonderful realization.

I'm thankful for my relationship with Caroline.
I don't talk about personal relationships much, and I won't now because it's just not my thing (which should tell you something) but I feel truly lucky to have met and grown close to her. It's been a bumpy road this year but I really think that just means it's a valid love, one you fight for. I don't know exactly what the passage of more time will bring us, but I do know it will be happiness in some form, and I look forward to that.

I'm thankful for my parents.
As you get older it's a fact of life that you grow less fond of spending time with your parents. Something most will tell you to just accept. I've realized even more this year how special it has been to me and how much my life would be different if I didn't have a mother and a father who love me so dearly and loved each other. They're getting to where they fuss a lot over nit-picky stuff, but I hope that somehow they'll realize what a gift they have in each other as well.

I'm thankful for good roommates.
After the first semester of my freshman year I was very worried about living with Brett Roach, and if you read my blog much you might know why. The same holds true for my fears of personality clash between me and my current roommate Devin DiMattia. Fortunately for me, however, both of them took me for surprise in their respective semesters and turned out to be (usually) a joy to live with. Devin is a fun guy, I enjoy his humor, and Roach...well, he didn't eat my stuff anymore. What struck me about both was how respectful they were of me, and for that I respectfully thank you both for treating me well.

I'm thankful for Caswell
I've said it a million times it seems like now, but Caswell has been a wonderfully influential place to me and my life. This past summer was no different. I made wonderful new years and grew closer to the Lord in powerful ways. There would never be a way for me to say thank you enough to everyone and everything that went into that place by the sea that is so dear to my heart.

I'm thankful for my friends.
True friends are hard to come by. At UNCW that is especially obvious. Thankfully I made a few in high school, I have some close ones from Caswell, and I've even started getting some on campus. To everyone who's ever taken a genuine interest in me, specifically in the last year, thank you so much! Your efforts have not been in vain. I know you each and I care for you all. Whether it's been your kindness, circumstance, or just your winning personality that made our paths cross, it's something more that's sparked the true friendship that I'd now do anything to protect. (awwww)

I'm thankful for Yam
Speaking of friends how about a specific friend? Why point out Yam (Kevin Cruise) from the long list of great folks at Caswell? Easy. He's a great guy. I'm well aware he'll likely punch me for writing this later, but going into a job that I had great anxiety over this summer it sure did wonders to have him around to make sure I didn't get in trouble and that I knew how to screw in a light bulb. I learned that a Conga with a good stage light doesn't fast leave the memory and that you can...no matter what you think, make disagreeable software and computers cooperate when you have to, just in the nick of time. Thanks for everything!

I'm thankful for special occasions.
Whether it be a romantic dinner on Valentine's day with my sweet heart or a Coldplay/Death Cab/U2 concert for the first time, they've all made wonderful impressions on me and memories that I'll carry with me for years to come (mind willing.)

I'm thankful for avoiding death.
I know I can't do it forever, but it sure is great to be alive. Guess what, "person wondering why I'm not specifically thankful for something you think I should be"? That means I'm thankful for it ALL! I know this is just a holding place for souls and that something far better awaits, but in the mean time I'm lucky to have what I have...and to not have what I don't have. Let's not forget that a lack of teeth protruding from our chest bones is, in fact, a blessing though it's a lack.

I'm thankful for Matt Johnson.
Matt's been a good friend even though we have been more distant this year than in years past. It makes me sad, but I'm certainly thankful for the fact that he's not going to let that change things. Though our friendship has been a constant, I do look forward to certain changes in our lives I'm sure must happen sooner or later. Keep making me proud with your stories hobbies and unique, but good, nature!!!

And now part of my 2006 to do list (including New Year's Resolution!!!)

-send birthday cards to my friends
-be more patient
-be a better servant
-do something with my dad just for fun
-stick to a healthy diet
-play with Bandit (my dog)
-step up to things I'm usually scared of
-read at least 3 books on my own time
-startle my girlfriend often (and laugh)
-write a script
-make a movie

Though all of these could individually be considered "resolutions" my Main (and most boring) resolution is to start being financially responsible. I don't actually have an income yet so I'm just going to assume now is a good time to start thinking about managing my money (though I really detest the stuff.) I want to keep all my receipts and record what I'm spending and what I'm spending it on. YES YES YES!!!

God bless each and every one of you. It floors me to look back on my life and know that each and every one of you have stories just as intricate of your own. I know you are all blessed to be alive and there is always time to do something else great with yourselves. All that's left is for you to pry your rump off the sofa and let me see it! (bwa haha!)

Further investigation revealed there was not a rotting badger carcass in the kitchen...

...In Defense of Fat Dresses

It's beginning to look a lot like.

Boy oh boy! I spent the first part of the week on the other side of the state. Why and where? Well of course it was in quaint little Mt. Holly where my dear girlfriend Caroline resides. I set out to surprise her on Monday morning only to find myself hopelessly lost at around noon (thanks to the fallacy that is MapQuest.) 40 minutes behind my projected arrival time, I grew weary and decided to call Caroline's brother, Stewart for help. The road that was supposed to be taking me to downtown Mt. Holly instead took me through a huge oil tank facility that spanned both sides of the road and several city blocks before it came to a dead end. Upon my describing my situation, Stewart gave his grim response "You're in TANK TOWN!"

At that very moment my heart sank and yours would too if you had been hearing it, for there was something in the manner of his speech that seemed to suggest a certain doom that came with the dread TANK TOWN.

Luckily for me I managed to escape the oil tankers and eventually a kind soul at a Citgo station directed me to Main Street and from there it was quite easy.

All three days of my stay went well. We exchanged gifts, I got to spend time with her family and of course it was a treat just to spend time with her for two days. We ate ourselves silly with ice cream Monday night and saw "Walk the Line" in Gastonia's theater on Tuesday. If you every cared to know anything about Johnny Cash, check it out.

Since I've been back home I've done little but procrastinate starting my laundry. Who need's clean clothes anyway? I'll just cover myself with dampened napkins when every possible clothing source is exhausted. It's just my little way of sticking it to the man...

Who came up with the name sofa? That's just the lazy man's way of saying couch!!!

Glory the Wonder Hound!!!

...random a day

You ever get that crick in the back of your neck from sleeping on your head funny? Well, I do. It's not that often but it usually comes after I do something horrifically stupid while I'm asleep. Some of you may know this already, but most doctors and smart health people agree that sleeping on your belly is the worst way to sleep. After careful consideration, I'm beginning to believe them.

For years my favorite way of sleeping was on my stomach. I'd nestle my head all up close to my pillow and relax comfortably...but no more. It just puts too much strain on my neck. It's like holding it in the far left or right turned position for 8 hours straight (obviously) and curiously, after nearly 20 years of use...this is actually uncomfortable. This reminds me of the time when I was younger and I was sleeping on my belly with my head turned to the right. With my head STILL turned to the right, I proceeded to attempt to turn my body to the left and at some point during the process I woke up with a jolt and heart my neck pop loudly. It hurt to keep it completely still...it REALLY hurt to move it in the slightest in any direction. Eventually my gasping cries reached my mother who wrapped my head in place with my pillow. It eventually got better...but man, that sucked.

The moral of the story is basically, if you sleep on your stomach, try to force yourself to sleep on your back or side...because if you don't something's going to pop and then you've just gotten your head taped to a pillow.

In other news I just bought myself my Christmas gift. A couple of days ago I was thinking about the glory days back at grandma Sloan's and how I used to love playing/watching my cousin Stephen play the old Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Graphic Adventure for DOS. I found it on ebay 100% complete. Every floppy disc, every manual, even Henry's diary and the little red Lucasfilm games decoder film...all in the original box. I snached it up for just $15 and I can't wait to pop that baby in and let the good times roll...8 bit style!

"A splinter hurts the foot but a footless man surely chopped the wood." (Old Sloanian Proverb)

Tend to Talk Too Tersly

Home Suede Home

So I've been home for an ENTIRE week (almost) and I haven't updated. It'll be ok. Nothing Earth shattering has happened aside from my seeing U2 LIVE and my seeing my sister's boyfriend, Jeffery, graduate earlier today. I'll tackle one issue at a time.

If you don't like U2, I'd like to say that there is a chance that you really could like them, but it's not very likely that you'll ever have it since the real fans are cutthroat with each other to get tickets to that chance. Going to their concert is radically different from hearing them on a worn out CD as I have for the past 3-4 years. My sister, whom I went with, is almost disgusting because she's such a big U2 fan, but I've always quietly skirted along the "they're OK" lines. I really enjoy their 80s stuff from The Joshua Tree Album, "Where the Streets Have No Name" is my favorite song. For a international super band that's been in the running for over 20 years, I figured a couple of really cool songs doesn't quite meet quota and I'm sure there are more who agree with me. But regardless of what you think of their music, there is little way of denying that they put on an amazing show, nay and experience.

The stage is set up so that an ellipse, or a half circle of catwalk, comes out from the stage and around a portion of audience. Melissa and I were about 8 yards from this ellipse and quite close to the center of it. The opening band was institution (the new band of the lead singer of Bush) and they were decent. They apparently played a lot of Bush songs, but since they were a little before my time, I didn't know any of them.

U2 kicked off with "City of Blinding Lights." As the piano tinkled on, Bono hopped up on stage RIGHT in front of us and confetti came drifting down in a huge cloud. To my disappointment, the band didn't come out onto the ellipse as much as Melissa said they did in Philadelphia, but it was ok. Every song sounded amazing. Bono frequently involves the crowd so there were many sing along and every note from Edge's guitar, Larry's drums, and Adam's Bass came through with clarity I've never experienced at a concert before. If you ever doubt U2's place in the the influence of rock music, just go to their concert and listen to Edge's trademark technique during "Still Haven't Found" or "Where the Streets have no Name." Then feel the pattern of thumps vibrating through your chest from the drums and the driving bass during "Sunday Bloody Sunday." You'd hear "Beautiful Day" for the first time because it's like hearing a different song from what was killed on the radio a few years ago. I promise, no matter where you stood before, you'll find some new level of respect for them musically after seeing them live.

I could go on for hours talking about the effects during the show, but that would get boring. They had a LOT of cool props and lights (including 6 curtains of linked lights that displayed images across them) but no single thing is what made the show good. It was really just a lot of fun to see them up close, hear their music for what it is, and experience it with a true fan and a wonderful sister.

As for Jeff's graduation...I'd say congrats, but apparently he doesn't like that so...go do...something...Jeffery...
We had refreshments after the ceremony and then had lunch at Ameadeo's (sp?) with his family, who are all lovely and charming people. If you ever go to that little Italian restaurant on Hillsborough Street, I highly suggest the shrimp alfredo with linguini.

And with that, I have a danger filled world to save with my atomic ice breath...

Just Watch the Fireworks

'Stachon Genesis, Facengelion
Originally uploaded by The Sloan.

It's growing...kind of.

So yeah, I feel bad for not updating in an entire week but at the same time, I don't really...because it's finals week. Let's review what's going on here. I had all my exams starting on last Saturday and through yesterday. Friday is my last exam in public speaking and I'll be seeing The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe before I go back home. Then let's not forget that in less than a week (Monday) I'm going to see U2 live. Like them or not, U2 is probably globally the most famous band.

As you can see...the facial hair is...well...there. In just one week a turd has formed on my face. Don't expect picture updates every week (like you were.)

In other news...I've found another Nathan Sloan. I was on facebook (an online college database of students across the country) and low and behold there is a Nathan Sloan at Arkansas Tech. After adding him to my friend list he sent me a message telling me he was a film student, loved Wilmington, and wore a Batman costume for Halloween 2 years ago. He's just too frighteningly similar. After much deliberation I've decided that the only option I have is to battle with him. One of us is the evil twin, so I must prove that I'm the best by rising to victory. I'll leave it to you to decide which is which.

I was into Christmas lights when they were underground!

Laminate Wood Eh? Could've Fooled Me!

NoStach
Originally uploaded by The Sloan.

Tis the season...for a great many things...

Please DO NOT BE ALARMED by the photo of my lip above. You needn't worry. A Ninja has not expertly removed my upper head and part of my chin with his razor sharp sword.

Something about the Christmas season has struck a particularly beautiful holiday note in me and I have decided that it is TIME for the Chronicles of the Mustache to commence. That's right. Inspired by the power of the mustaches of yore, I have decided to undergo experimental upper lip transformation, just to see how it will effect my day to day life. From December 1, 2005 to January 15, 2006 there is to be no shaving from either corner of my mouth, up. I think it will be exciting to see what happens (or if anything happens at all in my case) and so I will keep you updated as it progresses.

Now, despite it's complete lack of relation, the mustache has already performed it's first miraculous act by reminding me of my next topic of conversation, holiday shopping. Now, I'm a college student, so don't think any of you have much of a chance of getting anything beyond a kind smile or perhaps some mono from me this year. The problem I see all around me is that no one knows how to shop and correctly and well, in an instance of some of it's finest work, irony seems to have blessed the one person who can't afford to with the knowledge of how. I figure there is but one way to combat this cruel trick. All ye who can afford to ... prepare yourselves for!!!

NATHAN'S HOLIDAY SHOPPING GUIDE

Please Note: This guide applies to about 80% of all gift buying experiences, not all attempts to give gifts in the ways listed will result in failure. IT IN NO WAY IS REFLECTIVE OF GIFTS I HAVE RECEIVED OR EXPECT TO RECEIVE It's not personally reflective to me.

POINT 1: Don't freak out.

All too often the main reason I see horribly mismatched gifts given out is that the person giving the gift has freaked out hardcore about what to get the other person. My mom does this sometimes, despite her best efforts. (Ohhhh! I don't know what they like! I just don't have any idea what to get them!) Thinking this way is your first mistake because it often times leads you to either buy something without thinking at all in exasperation (a big no-no) or it can lead to, but is not the sole cause, of the next mistake.

POINT 2: Avoid buying things that are known "likes" of the recipient.

This one is big and may be a bit controversial, but I'm a strong believer in it. If little Timmy likes Harry Potter (which I found out from his mom,) guess what he's NOT getting from Nathan!? That's right...anything relating to Harry Potter...or any children's books for that matter. I try to completely avoid all areas of the "known likes" for these reasons.
...they already have it
...if they don't already have it and it's not really expensive, they don't want it.
...it says to me "I did the minimal amount of research and got your present over with and I'm SAFE, whether you like it or NOT!"

Before anyone starts throwing knives at me, let me reiterate that there ARE exceptions to this rule. Some people (a la me) want things and can't afford them no matter how cheap they are. Case in point, I like Indiana Jones.
Last year my friend Matt had an Indiana Jones shirt made for me since I collect parts of the costume. I loved that present! But please also note that the reason it worked was because he a) did his research and found that I didn't have one b) made a reasonable inference that I would want one based on what he knows of me and c) found a way to make it happen that showed some amount of personal time and effort on his part.
In like manner my cousin Stephen got me an Indiana Jones related gift that I enjoyed, a video game for Xbox. I’m assuming he a)did his research and found out I didn't have one b)made a reasonable inference that I would want one based on what he knows of me and c) found a way to make it happen that showed some amount of personal time and effort on his part. That's what really means something, and they were both effective presents that didn't break the bank and actually were related to an interest of mine. So it certainly can be done if you go at it from the right angle.

The main instance in which I say to avoid giving presents that are "known likes" (with the reasons listed above in mind) are those where you can't put the time or effort into it needed to make it work (aka: weird uncle Al that you've met 5 times in your life or coworker Bob.) If you're buying for someone that you really don't know all that well and you're really doing it out of obligation, just go ahead and buy them a gift card to some place unusual and nice...or get them something to eat at a really nice restaurant. Be more general. If you don't know them, they probably don't know you and thus won't be offended if you buy them a more general type present. Trust me, people would much rather get a box of hot doughnuts than a $5-10 whatzzahmuh something that is related to one of their "likes."

Avoiding likes can also be useful when buying for people you DO know and WILL spend time and effort shopping for. No matter how hard you try, your sources could be flawed and they could have it already, or they may not be interested in it regardless of what you thought they were into. It really depends on the person, so just use good non-freaked out judgment and go from their.

POINT 3: Don't be lazy.

In the same way that you shouldn't "Freak out" about what to get them or run to the most obvious and first answer you come to...the main thing is just don't be lazy. Finding a present that means something to someone (especially someone that you aren't really close to) is not and should never be easy. If you don't know someone and you found their present in 10 minutes, there is a good chance they're going to hate it and they're going to know just how little you care. If you care that little about the person, at least give them a card or money or better yet...find a way out of buying them anything at all. There is no shame in no wanting to let some obscure person in your life know just how obscure they are. If they are obscure and they shouldn't be, let the true meaning of Christmas go to work and practice a little brotherhood and bonding with them. Repair the problem of not caring to know them and in the process you'll figure out a good thoughtful gift. In that way gifts can not only show how much someone means to you, but they can help you come to know someone that perhaps, you didn't before. Is it easy? No. Is it the right way to do it? Yes.

POINT 4: Remember why you're doing it.

If you're a Christian you give gifts as a way of showing gratitude for the gift of Jesus' life. If you aren't a Christian, why are you celebrating Christmas? I wish you would stop.
Because of the weight behind the reason for our giving presents, we should never give them half heatedly, out of obligation or regretfully. A gift is most often a physical item, but a good gift is good because of something that happens outside of the physical realm. It should be an earnest expression of appreciation for that person and above all for the common bond you both share that is the generosity of God. Only when totally focused on the true meaning of Christmas can we really enjoy it beyond its market value.

The Holiday Shopping season is officially open. With the right attitude you can make it the most merry one ever!

You may not be worth much in US$ but I'll bet you're worth a pretty Yen or two!

I Ain't Scared to Punch Big Foot's Kid in the Face...

Now with 62% less emo!

Sorry about the depressing "I'm sick, whine whine whine" posts that I've been putting up here, but when your sick it's amazing how that's the only thing that seems to come to mind. I'm feeling TONS better, (though I still dread going through my last 2 weeks of class and exams) so don't worry about me none. I'm still kickin' like a wooly worm in a can of biscuits!

I really hate the mini fridge in my room. Like...really hate it. My roommate cleverly tricked me into putting it on my side of the room and right next to my desk. This means that EVERY TIME THE LOUD OBNOXIOUS MOTOR TURNS ON, I HEAR IT LOUD AND CLEAR. It also means that should I happen to situate myself in front of the dang thing and Devin wants something. I have to move. HEAVEN FORBID I BLOCK YOU FROM YOUR PRECIOUS DELI MEATS DEVIN, HEAVEN FORBID. To top it off, I don't even use the thing and I still owe $17 out of $37 on it. I mean, I may occasionally chill some water in there...but I have YET to really use it for anything like I did last year. Stupid UNCW. It's just one more way they like to stick it to us! Make us pay out our hezzimuh-huzzies for mini fridges and then give us a 1983 model that sounds like the refrigerator equivalent to a broken down Fiat!

Now I'm done venting...

...unfortunately the mini fridge isn't...

Who would win in a fight...a llama or a camel?

Just Another Crashed Party

100.2, how I dislike you.

I'm writing here tonight with the above fever, not because I want to, but because I don't know when the next time will come that I feel well enough to sit up to write. Since I've been home my conditions have worsened, my throat has gotten almost unbearably sore, I feel shaky and tired, and my ears and jaw have started hurting. I'm not sure where to go with this. Part of me still hopes that I'm going through the worst of it, the rest of me hears what happened to my friends and family and makes me feel like I'm only 1/4 of the way through. I am supposed to go back to school in 2 days, and though I have enough free absences in all of my classes to support my staying home for the week, I have a group presentation on Monday that I happen to be responsible for assembling the parts of. Coming downstairs to check my temperature and drink some juice seemed like a hard journey, I can't imagine walking across campus in the cold.
As if that weren't stressful enough, my exam period starts on THE FIRST day (a week from Saturday) and at 8:00 AM. I have at least 2 , but possibly 3 exams that first day, then one three days later...and the last one three days later on the final day. The entire exam period.
This really puts things in perspective. I've had it so easy this whole semester. A good schedule that I've been able to adhere to every day, good grades in each of my classes (my best semester yet*) and now, here at the end, it looks like I've finally got my work cut out for me to follow through and finish.


This Thanksgiving I'm thankful for mono. I don't know why I've got it but I know it didn't happen right now without reason. I hope that soon I'm standing up, fever free and enlightened, laughing at how worried I was. We'll see soon enough.

GO WHITE BLOOD CELLS GO!!!!

Blue Cheese: The Enemy of a Nation

Under the Weather, in more ways than one.

I'll keep this brief because I have to sleep.
I wake up this morning...I decide I have to do something because I don't feel good. I walk to student health in the pouring rain and arrive there quite soaked through. I made the decision after 2 days of a sporadic and mysterious rash and sporadic feelings of general lousiness. The apathetic nurse practitioner did some blood work only to discover I have mono. She says I'm about a week into it and that means the "acute" phase is halfway over....meaning the latent phase where you feel tired and miserable is just about that far away, or...in time for me to head back to school for my last two weeks. I already feel really tired, I slept this whole afternoon, so I'm hoping I have a rushed case of it and maybe the worst will come over Thanksgiving so I won't have to deal with it during exams. All in all she says I should expect at least 3 more weeks of this crap and that I should do nothing but eat and rest (and study and take exams, as I will have to.)

For those of you who have been around me, don't freak out. It's only transferable through saliva...so don't drink after me or french me (though tempting it well may be.) You will be fine.

Tomorrow I have a full day starting at 7AM and going non stop until 5, when I give my last big speech in public speaking (who knows how that will go) and then I'll head back to the old dorm room to pack up and hit the road. Tomorrow the word "misery" in the encyclopedia my have a picture of me next to it, since I will more than likely be the poster child for it. Regardless, I'm going to laugh in the face of adversity and force myself to enjoy it all. HA HA HA HA

Lemons lemons lemons LIMES...DIVE FOR THE LIMES OR THEY'LL KILL YOU BOY!

Walking Under Ladders for a Living

I Love to Cook my Kin Folk!
Originally uploaded by The Sloan.

bon appigite!

Today I did the unthinkable, I skipped biology class. I don't feel too bad about it, however, because I have gone the entire semester without missing one session AND I had a very good reason. Caroline, Catherine, Matt and I went downtown to the good old Country buffet restaurant. It's an old house on the waterfront that has a home cooked southern food buffet, so quaint that you have to pick up your floral patterned plates from the china cabinet in the room next to the line. It's really an enjoyable dining experience, and the food is actually very close to what grandma makes.
That being said, I now have to take this happy little story down a dark path. No, not by choice, but by necessity. Necessity to expose an evil that has gone unnoticed for too long. You see, this restaurant also serves pork bar-b-que, and as a matter of fact, that cute little piggy at the top of this post is sitting by their front door.
This isn't an isolated case my friends, oh no. Cute piggies, gleefully smiling while awaiting their doom are a common addition to southern BBQ chains. Just think for yourself! Haven't you been in a BBQ restaurant and seen happy cute piggy sculptures shining with joy in their eyes at what can only be assumed is their opportunity to be gutted and cooked whole on a giant grill? I kid you not, at one place back home I saw a live, and happy pig laying on a plate, dressed with lettuce, with an apple in it's mouth. Nothing kills my appetite for pork more than seeing the animal I'm about to eat sadistically staring back at me with an adorable look on it's face.
Heck! Why don't the go the whole nine yards? In the above picture you can clearly see chef pig, presumably waiting to cook one of his lucky relatives. Why not have him "kick it up a notch" and complete the horrific welcome scene by showing chef pig brushing butter on his aunty's back? Or maybe he could be putting her in the oven, but oh! They're both looking over their shoulders smiling all the while! There has to be something we can do besides close our eyes in disgust or ignore the problem.
Don't buy into the lie!
Pigs don't want to die!

But they are delicious.

I just found out that there is no recorded instance of a pirate having an eye patch, earring, or peg leg, it was all just the work of fiction authors of the 19th century. Does that ruin anyone else's day?

I Didn't Know What to Name Them so Birds Came Out

So the smell of crisp linen is slowly fading away...

Ai! This has been a monster of a semester all right but soon it will be over. I think it was just this weekend that I realized, "Hey! there are only 11 days of class left total!" That was a weird feeling. With my semester next lined up to be a real doozy I don't know what quite to feel. Joy for the close of this one or fear for the commencement of the next? Time will tell I suppose, but I do know one thing. I, along with many of my fellow students, am homesick and want to see my family and eat good food on Thanksgiving! I <3 Wag with the best of 'em, but after a while, the campus dining hall just doesn't quite cut it.

So that's it for the boring linear readout of my day(s) that seems to the be only thing I can write lately, now for something fun!
I'm going to write a sentence and ever sentence after that will have only one thing in common with the one before, let's see what happens in 15 sentences!

The Panda chews on the Bamboo methodically.
Bamboo makes excellent furniture.
The word excellent makes me think of Keanu Reeves.
Keanu Reeves is a bad actor that got really lucky.
Bad is a song by Michael Jackson.
Michael Jackson's career is like poop in the potty.
I'm thankful that pottery isn't called potty for short.
People often feel thankful for turkey in November.
"I'll be gone 'til November, gone 'til November..."
Gone is a place I'd like to be in relation to UNCW
UNCW may be getting a football team.
Guess who would be the most horrid team ever?
Would sounds just like the word wood.
I'm not sure, but I think Bamboo is a type of wood.
The Panda chews on the Bamboo methodically.

And there you have it! Have a lovely day...everyone

Uncle Merric has the world's only breed of head banging zebras....I wonder if I could borrow them for my music video...

I Could Take the Earl of Sandwich in a Fist Fight...Easy...

the map gets a little bigger

Today I registered for classes and got everything I wanted and more. The problem? Night classes! Two of my film classes run late on Monday and Wens night. Though this is not totally set in stone, here is a schedule of what I will be taking:

Business of Film (with professor Frank Capra Jr.)
American Cinima (1927-1960)
History and Appreciation of Film: Modern
Creative Nonfiction
Poetry Writing
and finally
Archaeology

Thats right, 3 film classes, 2 Creative writing classes, and a class that will teach me the skills of whip and revolver while at the same time sending me headlong on the white hot trail for the Ark of the Covenant.

...

Hey, I'm a film major, not a fossil digger! You end up telling yourself certain things to help you get through the basic studies now and again...

In a final notice, anyone who giggled at me when they read "Poetry Writing" will get whats coming to them. Your walls have ears you know. And it's estimated that 78% of wall ears in the U.S. are on my payroll. Just you think about that when you're trying to sleep tonight.

If you've ever seen the original Star Wars, or especially if your a fan, visit McSweeney's Internet Tendency: On the Implausibility of the Death Star's Trash Compactor. Prepare to die laughing.

Put the Lime in the Taco Shell and Shake it All Up

What dreams are made of...

I forgot to mention how I discharged a firearm for the first time last Wednesday. Joe, while we were scouting out paintball land, introduced me to the wonders of shooting skeet. This is when a little clay disk is hurled into the air and you mercilessly unload on it with a 12 gauge shotgun. I miraculously hit my first target, and it's not as easy as it looks. Though I was quite nervous of the power of the weapon, nothing feels quite like popping a clay into a fine dust and watching the smoke curl out of the barrel while you shuck the used shell onto the ground. Oh yes, there was maniacal laughter. To put your minds at ease, however, I must state that I don't have a fire arm of my own and don't plan on getting one any time soon.

In other news if WilmingSloan just ISN'T enough for you, I now encourage you to head over to Waking Themes, my new dream blog. The address is www.theseagulls.blogspot.com

Yes, the roach behind the surf board was STILL BREATHING when I found him.

My Little Buddy Rotted

Sword of the Spirit
Originally uploaded by The Sloan.

So is it once a week now?

No, no. It isn't. What's new in the life of Nathan? I'll brush over it all and hopefully you'll get the gist. I've become more an more interested in the prospect of double majoring here at UNCW in Film Studies and Creative writing. This Wednesday I will be signing up for next semesters classes and if all goes well by May I'll have everything done to satisfy my basic studies, officially declare film majorhood, and possible apply for creative writing. Now I just have to hope that everyone and their brother that gets to apply before me, don't take all my spots.

Painball has made a comeback. JoeBlanchard, a friend of mine from CCF has taken a sudden interest in paintball with me and we're working out plans to at least get a group together of our own to play down here, and even loftier talks of organizing games all around the region. How is that going to happen? With the eventual building of capefearpaintball.org (if you go there now it just takes you back to Joe's page.) There is virtually no one in the market around here and paintball is obviously something that a lot of people are really interested in, but can't find the organization to get involved with. In the 2 short weeks we spent organizing the first two games, we got at least 15 interested people, and that's just between the two of us...well, mostly Joe. I'd love to see it grow into a well organized sporting event. Paintball has so many possibilities.

The third and final thing I'll write on is the future of "Nathan Sloan" as product. In my line of work I realize there is no getting anywhere unless you promote yourself. In recognition of this I have plans to get to work on a new film project for the spring, get my more secretive project under way over Christmas break, and finally, build a website proper.

Earlier this week nathansloan.com was officially registered by yours truly. If you go there now you'll be redirected to this lovely little blog of mine, but eventually, that will not be the case. Eventually I'll have my entire life on there and my web journal will be only part of it. I can't wait until enough of my life develops that I can put it all on a website of my own.

I urge you all to consider the Gourmet White when eating at Mellow Mushroom.

I Bet That Horse is Tired of Bagpipes

Death Gardens for Anheuser

So I disappeared again, sorry. You're in luck though! I have two reviews today! One will be for the Death Cab for Cutie Concert I went to on Thursday night and the other will be for Busch Gardens, Williamsburg's Howl-O-Scream Halloween events.

So who the heck is Death Cab For Cutie? :: Well, the easy answer is that they are a band. The longer answer would be that that are a remarkably interesting, unique, independently made band that is gaining more and more attention by the hour. If you haven't heard of them before, you may also heard of The Postal Service, an electronic group that shares it's lead singer with Death Cab. After the smashing success of the album "Give Up" by The Postal Service, Death Cab signed on to Atlantic records, ending their era of indy. Doesn't bother me though, because their new album "Plans" doesn't show any signs of weakness...in fact, it's great.

Caroline and I got to the "Disco Rodeo" in Raleigh early. It was freezing but we had to wait in line for 45 minutes amidst the gaggles of 15 year old "I'm going to talk so loud everyone can hear me because I'm 15 and I'm retarded" kids. It's unfortunate that Disco Rodeo doesn't at least draw the line at 18...sigh. Once we got in the door, we b-lined for the t-shirt counter and while buying these AWESOME green shirts, Devin's (my roommate's) girlfriend found us and told us where to go. Which happened to be where Devin was standing. Which happened to be about 15 feet from the stage. It was cramped and this annoying old guy kept breathing heavily onto the top of my head, but it was well worth it to be that close.

The opening band "Stars" surprised me by being relatively decent. I won't be traipsing out to buy their cd, as my roommate will, but I enjoyed them nevertheless.

As it got closer to the time for Death Cab to come on, I found myself moving further and further to the back rail as countless drooling emo kids poured into the sides of the front section. I only moved a little though and with Caroline's camera, was able to get some sweet photos which I hope to have up here soon. In the mean time you can check out Devin's Photos. They may have come out better and he was standing virtually in the same spot I was.

Death Cab ended up running though all of their most popular songs and then surprisingly, picking out about 10 songs I'd never heard before, meaning they were from before Transatlanticism. Though it wasn't as spectacular as the Coldplay concert, I do love their music and being up in front was awesome. Give them a listen.

-------------------------------

Imagine my excitement as the day after the concert, I'm heading home for my family. Mom, Dad, Melissa, Jeffery, Elizabeth, Craig, Caroline and myself all headed out to Busch Gardens Saturday where we hoped to be spooked by their Howl-O-Scream events. It was a bit of a disappointment when we realized that the events that might have actually scared us, were ruined by the thousands of people that poured into the park at 5 PM. Some of the 17+ "haunted houses" would have really been spooky had their been fewer people going through them at the same time as us. As it stood, the night was long lines and cold weather, (about 33 degrees.) There were moments of, what the crap...this stinks, but they were brought on by the fact that some of us liked to ride rides, other didn't, and the fact that we were all freezing.

Craig brought Caroline, Elizabeth, and I back on Sunday for rides. They caught Alpengeist and Apollo's Chariot but sadly, Big Bad Wolf was dead almost the entire weekend. All in all, I made some good memories and enjoyed getting to spend a lot of time with Craig and Elizabeth...but more careful planning will be needed if we make any future trips there.

Bread me in corn flour, fry me on a stick, and sell me for $4 why don't you!

National Shin Kick Day!

Dorm Set
Originally uploaded by The Sloan.

Two weeks in 10 paragraphs or less...

Sorry, once again, for my leave of absence. Though I know no one out there actually lost any sleep over my virtual nonexistence for the past few weeks, it does bother me a great deal to know that I have so much to talk about and I'm either too busy or too lazy to write about any of it for such a long period of time. If I'm not careful, I could eventually end up updating as often as my cousin David (or roughly every couple of months.) Ha! I kid, of course dear cousin! In any case, here I sit writing, unashamedly in an attempt to avoid doing any of the actual work I had planned for the day, and I wonder where to begin. Ah yes! I seem to remember life 2 weeks ago, like I said...very busy...

((Imagine the rippling dream sequence effect right about now))

Fall break wasn't long enough. The Monday after it was over I had a big Old Testament exam and then a Mid-term in Silent film. Both of them had been looming over me the whole weekend, but thankfully they passed without much ado. By that I mean, of course, I failed them easily. Nothing else of any note happened the entire week. The weekend was almost as uneventful but we did pop in on a random Baptist church last Sunday and to our surprise, it was homecoming! It just so happened that we also picked the side of the sanctuary that was closest to the door to where the food was. Long story short, we were done eating while the members were still in line. Man, I still feel bad about that one, but the pastor told us not to leave so what are ya gonna do you know?

Last week I gave one of the most beautiful displays of slackdom ever to grace a college campus. After the wave of midterms before and after fall break, there was a little lull in due dates for me. I still had quite a bit of study to do but when I got the free time, rather than play "get prepared" for this coming week, I decided to play "read ghost stories" and "drool in cup" which worked out quite well for me then. Now I'm hating it.

So what was the big news of last week? BIRTHDAYS
Three to be exact:
My mother's on Monday, Oct. 17
My girlfriend's on Friday, Oct. 21
and also on the 21, Yam's

Want to hear a funny story? At the first of the week, Caroline's friend IMs me and tells me she's planning a surprise party for her at a restaurant, and asks me to be there. On Tuseday Yam tells me he's having a get together in Wilmington for dinner, forgetting the first obligation I agree to be there as well. The day I'm supposed to be at both of these birthday parties, I get an invitation from CCF to go to a third, that very night, at the same time as Yam's.

I went to all of them

How???

Oh, that's easy, they were ALL AT CHILIS!!! I don't know what it is about the place that screams "birthday get-together" but apparently, on the night of Thursday, Oct. 20...there was a calling and I was stuck in the middle of all of them. Under any other circumstances I would have been annoyed to spend roughly 3 hours in Chilis, but with such good friends, how can you go wrong? The food was tasty and I even got to eat my favorite dessert, a Molten. Mmmmmmmm!

So to all who had Birthdays last week...I wish you very well.

And especially to Yam, who gets special mention and to whom this post is affectionately dedicated to, because, well. He reads my blog and I SAY SO.

This weekend I went home to take the lovely Caroline to the State Fair. I thought my dear sister would be joining us but apparently the allure of her boyfriend in a speedo was too great and she opted out. That’s ok because the three of us (Dad being the third) really enjoyed the fair anyway. While there Caroline discovered she likes Italian Sausage, we all discovered that funnel cakes are still insanly delicious, and I personally discovered that I never want to drive to and from the fair agian in my life...EVER.

I also went home this weekend to get some stuff for my speech Thursday. Excuse me, make that Black Thursday. Why is it called such? Because I have a test at 8 AM in Italian, a test at 12:30 in Biology, and a speech for public speaking at 3:30. All of which I have done little preparation for. After I'm done with my speech around 4, I have to jump right into a vehicle for the 1 hour 45 minute trip to Raleigh where I'll be seeing Death Cab in concert! Then, sadly, it's all the way back to Wilmington so Caroline and I don't miss our dearly needed Friday classes before we go home THAT AFTERNOON again just in time for Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens. Busy Busy Busy, but I LOVE it. Well, except for the whole test part. After this weekend I'm pretty sure there is no let up until after preregistration which would, yes, mean Thanksgiving.

Speaking of preregistration, I'd like to know what monkey the university has picking numbers out of a hat to determine who gets to register first. I always seem, no matter what, to get the last possible day, meaning I don't get the classes I need and instead end up in Wood Chipping 105.

If ever meet that monkey...bless his soul...bless his soul.

Music is Nothing

Sorry, but every ounce of my creativity that I normally use to write these posts is being sapped by classes, lack of sleep, and other creative endeavors. Please be patient...and I'll start writing like a real boy soon, I promise!

Love,
Nathan

Devil's Food Cake vs. Angel's Food Cake!

Dino Pillow
Originally uploaded by link5001.

A world of Poo...

Ah! Public restrooms. You may try hard to avoid them but sooner or later they're going to catch up with you. I really don't know why I'm writing this short post on bathrooms, other than perhaps it's because I have to use one every single day. Now, what exactly do I have to say about them? Not much, just that I've isolated 5 things that ALL public restrooms must have to be inducted into the Union of Public Restrooms...a fictitious organization that, while not real...could exist.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

5. Obnoxius fan and/or air freshening system.
In the dark ages, public restrooms used to be known for their unbearable stench. While in many, this is still the case, most have implemented some form of air alleviation. Usually a fan that's conveniently just loud and rattly enough to mask your escaping gas. In Schwartz's case, we have a little spritzy air spray that goes of just in time to scare the crap out of you...which is a good thing in some instances.

4. Horrible/No Mirror
The mirror may be riddled with some strange brown dots...it may be mounted too low, too high, or on the wrong wall entirely. Heck there can even not be a mirror at all!

3. At Least One Dysfunctional Toilet
You know, broken toilet seat...never ending flush...no flush at all...just general crappyness of a toilet. In extreme circumstances, a prefect functioning toilet that looks absolutely hideous will be considered.

2. Stall With Token Swastica
Maybe there aren't that many Nazis left in the world, I hope not, but somewhere in the rest room (preferably a stall wall or door) there needs to be a crudely marked swastika.

1. Resident Stall Door Gremlin
This little gremlin is necessary to come in and break any stall door latches that happen to be in proper operating order.

There you have it. Make sure your public restroom meets these requirements and it's in!

Mineral water is pure garbage.

Wooden Rooster Holds Our Keys

God Bless Reflectors!

I wasn't going to post today...probably because I'm filthy stinking filthy...slept 'til 1....and am FILTHY. But then I changed my mind because I remembered how LUCKY I am to be alive. I left school Wednesday night at 6:45. It was pouring rain. You know the little reflector thingies that they put between the dots on the interstate. I used to hate those things...I mean, come on, how lame are they? They just sit there between the BRIGHT YELLOW lines and attempt to make the middle of the road more visible...but who needs them? They just make an annoying bump under your car when you change lanes.

I'm oh so happy for them now.

I'm thoroughly convinced that, in that torrent of rain I was in, had it not been for the reflector thingies I'd be either dead, or lodged in the fence on either side of the interstate, momentarily wishing I was dead.

Yesterday I spent the day with Matt. Some of you may remember the post I did on his Master Chief suit. Things didn't work out with the Master Chief...but they could reemerge later. Right now he is putting together a comic style Batman suit...in the vein of the "Hush" series. To start things off he very impressively sculpted his own cowel (otherwise known as a mask) and had a cast made of it from which he now makes latex copies. The man...is brilliant.

Other than that life is the same here in Four Oaks. I have a lot of reading and studying to do so I better get back to that. Some break, huh?

Life would really suck if you were haunted by Jimmy Fallon's ghost...think about it...

One Old, Leering Sea Dog at a Time

Top Tarts
Originally uploaded by link5001.

What do you want to do when you grow up?

So that's the question that I (and most college students) have been dealing with for the past few years. The answer is, I'm on track to be a film studies major and I don't foresee changing that soon.
What does that mean for after I graduate? I don't know...but let's look at what I'd still like to do/be.

I'd LIKE to graduate with a film studies...AND creative writing degree. My chances of using my degree is better if I have two right? Then I'd like to be a Rock Star. Yeah, that's right...a real one. Go on tour and rock the country. But even if I'm not a rock star, I'd like to tour the country after I graduate.

But I should still be a rock star.

Then, after touring/rocking hard I write a book(s) and get them published. I then make money to live off of. Then I write more and more until I have a pretty good little name for myself, then I take seminary classes and get a degree in that....maybe at night. JUST BECAUSE...I want to know stuff. After that, my writings become popular enough for me to write my own indie script...and raise fundage for it. I cast talented no names in it and it's a big hit for a small film. More films, of course, follow. By this point I'm no older than 28. I go back to college for my MFA in Film and soon hunt for the job security of teaching as a professor at a university. In my spare time I still write, make movies, and rock hard in my band...

Something tells me this is going to be a really hilariously depressing post in 10 years.

No, I wouldn't pawn your fillings if you died in the house...I promise.

Stratford upon Your Face

Motivation
Originally uploaded by link5001.

Welcome fall!

Ah, the winds of change. I love it when I can feel the coming of fall in the air. It first greeted me at the park during the hurricane break, but then again this past weekend at the lake. Now, walking outside today, there is no doubt that fall is here and will only be getting stronger. Until, of course, it stops being fall and then it's winter. Which is annoying.

So why do I like the fall so much? I don't know, maybe it's the fact that the weather brings with it on it's cool, damp winds an air of all those sweet things that have come to pass in the months leading up to it. Maybe it's something simple, like the idea of the state fair and remnants of my childhood excitement for Halloween. There is the chance that it's the promises of family time together when we'll enjoy each other's company and reminisce on times spent with those long gone.

Yes, I think the reason I like fall the most is because it, unlike other seasons, doesn't bring with it a sense of some theme or personality. Instead it seems content at serving as but an enhancement to time already spent and memories already made. A time of quiet reflection in the twilight of another year. Indeed, fall is the punctuation to the sentences in the stories of our lives.

The lizard always gets his bug. Just like you always get tired and go to bed. DON’T ACT LIKE YOU DON’T!!!!

The Crunch is Where It's At

Lakeside
Originally uploaded by link5001.

Destination: Middle of Nowhere

This weekend was the weekend of CCF's (Campus Christian Fellowship) annual fall retreat. Luckily for me, I got my money in right on time and was able to go. Now, I'll be honest. As with all campy trips, I wasn't quite feeling up to it when I was getting ready to go. I had just finished a stressful test study/taking period. I have 2 big test things coming up this week, a lot of little side project garbage I keep putting off (like getting those stickers to the anniversary winners...sorry!) and so when the time actually came to pack up to go I definitely had on my Whiny McWhinerson shoes. I was, to put it more concisely, poop tired and shortsighted.
Friday I threw all my stuff in a big bag (or almost all as you'll see later) and headed to Cape Fear Christian Church where Joe and the whole "gang" was waiting in the token big hoopty church van. After tossing in my deluxe travel luggage (a laundry bag) and The Dino Pillow I had but to hop in the navigator's seat and enjoy the glorious 4 hour trip to Park Springs Christian Center.
The travel was brisk as Joe took great pleasure in exploiting the Dodge Van's engine. The conversation kept me distracted from the endless miles of road. Before I knew it I was in the middle of nowhere staring at goats on a road that went to the camp's muti-purpose room. The sun had set so there wasn't much to see but the slight gleam of light on water in the distance. The first nights service went well and was probably my favorite service of the weekend, but the other three were good too as they revolved around the theme of preparedness for evangelism.
Ok, so then I went to the cabin which I consider a magic cabin because it is basically a plywood box that blocks out all light. You could be in there at high noon and wake up and think it was 3 AM. Without an alarm you'd sleep all day, no problem. After stacking the two pee pee protected foam mattresses on my plywood bed, I was able to get some shuteye, and wake up the next morning surprisingly refreshed.
What an awesome surprise awaited me in the morning! A beautiful little camp with a high hiking trail over a nifty lake. I always love having quiet times in nature and that morning was very cool because of that. Then tragedy struck as the first in a line of "oops I forgot..." moments started to occur. Frist I realized I forgot shower shoes. Some people have no problem walking around on whatever. Call me a sissy girly boy but I feel all dirty walking barefoot in a public shower, but you know I got over it. Then I realized I forgot some bath supplies. Nothing too important, the main this was some shampoo, which someone graciously lent me. The third and biggest idiot mistake I realized, much later than realizing the others, was that I hadn't brought my towely. Now, I know at such a place someone, SOMEONE would have been kind enough to lend me an extra towel, or maybe give me some nice expensive brand paper towels, but I, at this point, was so exasperated with my own forgetfulness, that I decided to punish myself by not seeking a towel at all. After all, what if I'm in the jungle sometime and don't have a towel? I'll need to know how to take a shower then right? So what replacement did my brilliant mind come up with?

A pair or shorts.

The rest of the weekend went swell. God was defiantly in that place (and every place) and I got to know the kind folks in CCF much better. The music was quite sa-weet (nice job Glen and gang) and Kit made some interesting points in his speeches. I even was surprised to meet fellow Caswell '05 staffer, Courtnay Nixon down there. Everyone was, as all CCFers have been to me so far, very nice
...at least until a game of carpet ball breaks out, then there can be some bitter rivalry (I'll soon claim my rightful championship title back!!!) In fact, the only bad thing going out of it was a sore shoulder on my carpet balling arm due to my mad skillful technique. Though I was slow to jump on the bandwagon mentally, I'm now so VERY happy that I had the good experience with those folks that I did. So the moral of the story is always keep a good attitude...
...even when drying off with scratchy shorts.

So uh....what happens when your cassette adaptor runs out of tape?

Disco Clown, is Driving me Mad, He's Driving me Craaaazy!

Common Ground
Originally uploaded by link5001.

All the pretty pictures!

Just a quick not to say that I've got some cool black and white pictures up on Flickr that I took of campus last year and just got developed last week. Click the above photo to be taken to my album, or search through my links. If you feel the need, which is doubtful as apparently no one else ever really does, please feel free to leave comments on any of my pictures.

Wait, I lied. There is something else I want to write about. That is the apparent rise of what I call "retard handlebars." It seems that sometime in the last few years a large group of college students decided that vintage bikes with huge retarded handlebars were suddenly cool again. Of course they are all HORRIBLY mistaken.
Aside from looking utterly miserable and successfully transforming my personal image of the rider from Normal American to Failed Circus Artist they are remarkably annoying on the bike rack. I wish I had a dime...
nay a PENNY for every time someone chained their bozo mobile next to my bike and tangled their huge handlebars into my brake lines or my bike lock. While they're in class daydreaming about how hip they are I'm outside the building pitted in mortal battle with their bikes antlers.
Bottom line is, it's not necessary, just get a real bike. THANKS!

If stickers make you happy why doesn't super gluing you to the cable van?

Takashi: Gunships From the Motherland

Living water

Last week I gave up soft drinks, of all varieties, and yes, even the dearest of all to me, sweet tea. Why, you may ask? To save dear Caroline from the evils of diet sodas. I used to be so proud of her, drinking tons and tons of waa waa. Now, due to the influences she encountered during the summer, she drinks too much diet. Well, she did anyway.
So I told her to stop. Of course, as well she should have, she laughed at me and said no. Then we struck up a deal. She'd give up soft drinks of all kinds if I would. Actually give up ANY kind of drink, except for the following:
-100% juice
-Coffee (sweetened with sugar or Splenda ONLY)
-Milk
-and of course, Water.

For those of you that don't know, I detest water. The only time I comfortably drink water is when I'm REALLY thirsty, like at the gym or something (yes I actually go to the gym, STOP SNICKERING!!!) When we first started last Wednesday, I made this involuntary face of disgust with every swallow I took. It was interesting that while I would normally go though 2 glasses of sweet tea with my meal, I only drank half a glass of water. Since then, however, the taste of water has grown on me. It's strange. I chug the stuff already. Like dear old Stewart said, after a while of drinking water, soft drinks begin to lose their appeal. They won't taste as good because you know how bad they are for you.
Now, I've not even been on this stuff for a week, so I could probably go back to Coke with no problem, but the fact that I can already tell the difference is encouraging. I expect that if I do try this for long enough I will reach a point where I don't really want soft drinks at all anymore. What's hard isn't enjoying the water, it's just hard to break away from the bad habit.

That's the way I feel about seeking radical faith too. A lot of times I think that Christians look at other Christians who are, by most people's standards, radically into their faith, and they tend to put them in the crazy box of sorts. They do this as a natural defense for the way they are comfortable living. I know I do, all the time. The idea of jumping into "radical" devotion seems worrisome because it means giving up so many comforts of the day. Some things which are sinful and openly bad, others just comforts that seem innocent, but may really be keeping you from being the person you know you need to be. There is comfort in sameness, so if you are used to the bad stuff...moving to the good stuff is extremely difficult.
Like a bad caffeine headache when you start on water, doing what is right feels so wrong. The question keeps arising, will I find a joy in this that I once found in the other? Doubt can be a powerful persuader and before you know it your suckling at the Pepsi fountain again. Then you realize you've spent the majority of your life in a constant struggle between the Soda bottle and the water fountain. If only we had never been given the first sip of sweet Tea, we wouldn't have a problem, but by the same token, would we appreciate the benefits of the water as much? So many questions but regardless, we know...

"If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." ~John 7:38

So I Tried to Drink my Lip When it Went Numb.

River Overlook
Originally uploaded by link5001.

Hurricania!!!

As you all know, there was recently a little tempest that swirled on through here and, well, totally discombobulated us UNCWers. In light of the recent Katrina disaster, I think the shot callers at the school were a little hyper sensitive to the storm, since they knew parents probably would be. As a result, we were asked to leave Monday afternoon by 4:30, and campus was shut down, while Ophilia was still a tropical storm.
We all giggled at the lameness of the evacuation, but you know, you gotta do what you gotta do. I, as well as my two guests Caroline and her brother Stewart, assumed that the storm would breeze through Tuesday and we'd be back in class Wednesday afternoon at the latest. Unfortunately we underestimated this storm's mighty power to linger. What kind of self respecting hurricane slows down to 3 MPH and does a little froo-froo circle in the Atlantic before coming inland? Then it didn't even really make a good landfall, it just pooped up the coast.

You notice how we tend to talk crap to the storms that don't do anything? Strange isn't it? You'd think we'd be congratulating it. Then we get all mad at the ones that pile drive straight over the capitol. No one ever says "That Hurricane was the MAN!"
oh well, side note.

Well, the point of my telling you the hurricane information that you already knew was that you would get an idea of just how unprepared my guests and I were to spend three days in Four Oaks, randomly.
Day one, I perfected my cup drooling talent. Every bit of drool, fell in the cup. I got the feeling that Caroline and Stewart were restless, but with no gas and nothing to do even if I had gas, we were helpless. Tuesday I got smart and tried to be all fun and stuff. Under the assumption that el slo storm would make all of Wednesday crappy, thus eliminating the chance for outdoor fun then, I took them, and my sister Elizabeth to the wondrous beauty of Raven Rock State Park.
For those of you who aren't familiar with Raven Rock, I highly suggest you go there sometime. It's really a cool experience. It's like walking through the flat Piedmont and then, WHAMMO, you're in the mountains. They have camp grounds and picnic grounds but coolest of all is their walking trail system. We went on the Raven Rock trail which curved around through the woods and then took us down the surprisingly huge face of Raven Rock cliffs on some comically rinky dink looking stairs. After playing around down on the bottom we straight ROCKYed up the stairs and on to the overlook trail. Let me tell you, no finer place to rest after climbing 12 flights of uber steep stairs and walking a half mile than somewhere with as nice a view as that overlook. After resting, I dug up a big rock and we went back to the parking lot.
The rest of the "vacation" served as a reminder that 3 college kids in a house for hours on end is a bit stuffy, but we survived! And made the best of the situation on top of it, I might add.
After having a lovely lunch with my Grandma Sloan yesterday, we returned to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington at around 4:15. Now I sit in my room, awaiting class at 11 and dreading the lab with quiz I have after it.
From there its into Caroline's Clown car and ALL THE WAY TO CHARLOTTE for the weekend. Ok, not exactly Charlotte, Mt. Holly, which is near the Big Queasy. Her cousin is getting married and I get to watch it...and reportedly get cake...MUAH HA HA HA HA HAAAAAA!!!

I think when the Golden Girls die they should dip them in solid gold and put them on display in Washington.

Does it Say Liver MUSH on the Package?

All Yellow
Originally uploaded by link5001.

"Under the surface trying to break through
Deciphering the codes in you"

Coldplay was, in a word, awesome. If you EVER and I mean EVER...even if you're a remote fan, get the chance to see them live for less than 60 or 70 dollars TAKE IT. I've not been to many concerts in my time but regardless of that fact I can't imagine any concert being much better than what my sisters Melissa and Elizabeth, girlfriend Caroline, roommate Devin, friend from the dorm Merri, and I, all saw together Saturday night. It's really easy, even as a fan of Coldplay, to forget they they are the creators of some of the best rock songs out there now. Going to one of their concerts stands as a sobering reminder, something along the lines of "Hey, these guys are dang good! I need to listen to all their stuff again!"
I was expecting to sing along with some of their bigger hits like "Yellow" and "Clocks", then enjoy all the other mess they played in-between. What I found was that almost every song played, I knew the words too, and reason being that I really enjoyed them. That's right...ALL of them. If you have only heard the singles off the albums and the popular ones from the radio, I suggest you do yourself a big favor and pick up one of their albums. If you’re having trouble deciding, go with A Rush of Blood to the Head.
From their awesome entrance to the stage with "Square One" and a huge white countdown screen behind them to the friendly yellow balloons of "Yellow", to the hilarious screw up of "The Scientist" (he coughed and restarted near the beginning) and the sad goodbye with "Fix You", the experience made itself well worth the $20 for our tickets and indeed, called for lights to guide us home...because if they hadn't left the stage, we wouldn't have budged.

For more detail and different perspectives on the concert visit my sister, Melissa's blog and my roommate, Devin's. I also must note that all the pictures from the concert in my flickr page were taken by Devin, that sneaky bastage snuck his camera in behind enemy lines for all of us. ENJOY!

Stay tuned as my next review will be of the Death Cab concert in October!

How Do You Like It? How Do You Like It?

I'm a SNEAKY little devil!

Now to announce the winner of the SLOANNEVERSARY COMMENT COMPETITION...
Ready for this?

EVERYONE THAT LEFT A COMMENT!!!!
That's right, if you left a comment, you get a sticker. So congrats to:
Yam
Stephen
Matt
Cousin Stephen
Amanda
Jacob(nice sucking up by the way!)
Melissa
and
Shay

If you fine folks would be so kind as to email link5001@gmail.com with subject heading "Sticker Winner" and put your mailing address in the email, I'll get it out to you asap. Now here is the thing! If you want the normal green sticker from my online store, but "Sticker Winner (normal)" in the subject heading. If you want the new First Sloanneversary sticker design, which will be available to ONLY YOU GUYS...then put "Sticker Winner (special)"
If you don't care, don't specify and I'll give you whatever I feel like.

Now as for everyone else, if you haven't yet gotten pouty and left my blog I have good news for you too! In order to stimulate posts I've decided that prize giving shall become a semi-regular occurrence. Every so often I'll write a post and decide before hand its going to be a prize post. If you comment on the special post you'll be notified and get a prize....YAY!
So start posting more comments!!!

I now leave you fine folks with the promise of a good post soon as I'll be leaving Wilmington this afternoon to head home for the Coldplay concert tomorrow. Rock, rock on! There is much excitement and thrilling adventures on the horizon!

Shadows from the Evening/Nighttime Border

Glad to see all the flurry of activity on my anniversary post. This is just a quick post to link you guys up with
FindShelter | Providing Assistance for Hurricane Katrina Victims
This site was pulled together by a group of people I know through my ties with Caswell and it works by matching victims up with churches and people willing to help get them back on their feet. If you've been looking for a way to help, check it out.

Being in my zone of newslessness I've been largely oblivious to the seriousness of this disaster, so if you're like me in that way I hope you'll at least join me in praying for them from now on.

The First Sloanniversary

Has it been that long?

I can still remember the scared, lonely, mildly depressed freshman I was when I sat, hold up in my room for the 20th night in a row, and I decided to join the blogging bandingwagon to provide an outlet for my pent up genius. Freestyle for Friends of the Wild West was my first post but no one would read it for a week because I decided I wanted to look at least slightly established before I let anyone see WilmingSloan. For that first week the postings piled up and by some miracle, I've managed to (somewhat) regularly update this thing for much longer than I would have originally expected to. It's been a lot of fun, even if though the times that I've been my # 1 reader and I hope along the way I've provided a chucked or two for some of my friends and family too.

To help celebrate this momentous occasion I am offering the first ever PRIZE contest. Everyone should participate. Leave a comment about WilmingSloan in the past year, on this post, by 9-6-05, and I'll pick the one I like the best to win a WilmingSloan sticker. Hey, it's a free dang sticker and surely you can come up with something! Do remember to leave some form of identification in your comment so I can get up with you to send you the prize. Have at it kiddos!

Mark of the Molten Chocolate Chip

Note Scrap
Originally uploaded by link5001.

8:00 AM Classes deserve to be slept through! They're asking for it! What business have they being all...early and stuff?

Yesterday I went and got a new Bible (NLT version) only to bring it back and realize that its the OLD NLT version and not the new one so now I have to take it back. This puts me in an interesting dilemma. I'm going to take a BIBLE back! Isn't that wrong somehow?
"Well, you see, this copy of God's Holy word isn't exaaaaaactly what I'm looking for. Do you have anything with a pink and lime green dueltone leather cover?"
Honestly I shouldn't worry about it but if the newer version is the newer version it must have been updated for a reason you know? At least I'm not exchanging it for such superficial reasons.

Coldplay is indeed a go-go and I'll be going with Caroline and my sisters Elizabeth and Melissa. Interestingly enough, I won't be able to escape the icy death grip of my kind and loving roommate, Devin, as he got tickets long ago and will probably be meeting up with us there, along with his guest, fellow dormie, Merri.
In a few short weeks expect a full report on how hilarious it is to watch drunk people try to "rock hard" to the mellow tones of Coldplay.

If you've felt any rumblings and thunderings around lately, fear not! It isn't the laughter of all evil people associated with the raising of gas prices by 25 cents last night. It's the Thunder of approaching excitement as the 1 year anniversary of WilmingSloan approaches! So go ahead kids, make some thunder of your own!

In certain situations I maintain that it is perfectly acceptable to punch your aunt and then wink at your uncle.

Emo Taco

So much for more free time.

Ahhh! Home again I am! For a scant two days I get to enjoy some time off from the already heckishly busy schedule of school. Be sure to stop by here on September 1 as there will be something crazy cool happening to commemorate the 1 year anniversary of this blog!

It appears that I'm going to be going to the Coldplay concert in two weeks which should be pretty awesome. I'll keep you guys updated.

Since the once a week updating continues in my area (and I PROMISE once things settle down I shall return with full force) I highly suggest you go to my links section located at the top of the page and browse around.

And don't forget to order your EMO TACO!

The President of the International League of Soccer Moms...

Just a short one to bring some of the speed up to ya.

Classes started Wednesday and WHOOPY DOO! What do you know but my schedule was doomed from day one. My MWF Italian class had to be moved in with all my other classes on TR (long story) and so now I have once class on MWF and ...well, 4 on Tuesday and Thursday.

One of my classes is public speaking in which I will be made to give 4 speeches. I now hate myself for signing up for this class.
I kid, I kid. I'm sure I'll astound my classmates with my...ability to make them all feel better about talking in front of people.

So I got on the topic of fantasies the other day with my girlfriend (PLEASE NOTE: THE TOPIC WAS DEALING WITH CLEAN FANTASIES) and the idea came to me. How awesome would it be if you were a super hero, and your super power was the ability to make a Wendy's Classic Triple appear on the floor in the middle of your room between the hours of 2 and 4 AM? Even better would be the fact that you couldn't will it when you wanted it. You'd just wake up in the morning some mornings and there'd be a hot fresh burger. MMM MMM GOOD!

The job hunt is on and I've turned in a few applications to different places. I've actually got an interview at one of them. Babbages (no not cabbages, thankfully) the video game store also know as "Game Stop" has called me in for a monday date. Hopefully that will go over well, I'd love to work there. I also put in one at the Game Stop near campus and the EB at the mall. Of course we can't forget Sam Goody, where they said they'd be hiring soon and probably give me a call. YES YES YES YES. If I get a job this year you all are in for a special treat as I'm sure it will provide me with humorous entertaining stories to share.

I love you...and your mothers. (and everyone else...gosh)

All Non-stinky Hamsters Please Report to the "Don't Exist" Room

Get ready...
Originally uploaded by link5001.

I think Jeffery's face is a good illustration for the feeling I have right now. Classes start tomorrow and I haven't even gotten my books yet. The move in went well. Devin got in on Monday (I did on Friday) and we seem to have gotten the most awesome dorm theater set up around. It's very spacious and, actually, arranging everything over the weekend has made me feel a little more like an interior decorator. That puts the overall feeling up to a -35 on the "Possible carreer-ometer"

As always I have a MILLION brilliant ideas on what to write about here but they never seem to stay in my head for longer than 30 minutes before they are lost into oblivion. So, keep your fingers crossed that some of them make it as I go into the coming week.

I've also got to start looking for a job. I hear Radio Shack is hiring, but in recognition of the fact that working there would put me over the brink and into the hopeless loser category, I'm going to look elsewhere for the next little while anyway. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a bookstore or coffee shop or something mildly hip so that some of the cool kids on campus will get to know me.

...and if they don't they aren't cool...they're just dirty hippies...

So here is Hoping for a fantastic WilmingSophomore!!! God bless us all!!!

Flying Squirrels 16% Less Lame than Regular

Rotten to the Core

Man on Man! I was worse off than I thought! I went to my uncles office, and for those of you that don't know him, he's a dentist. I've had the good fortune of always being fond of the dentist because of that fact, but now that I've gone through the painful process of a filling I know why so many people dislike them. Oh...but that's not all ladies and gents. I had 4 nasty fillings to have done. You know, the procedure wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't that bad. Oh no...the procedure isn't bad at all, its the 5+ HOURS OF FEELING LIKE YOU HAVE NO FACE THAT STINKS.

I spent the better part of the afternoon asleep in an attempt to avoid the sensation. At least padre made me dinner since I had to watch him eat lunch and suck my lip up repeatedly while drinking my milkshake. Mmmm Mmmm good!

Now that I got all of that out there I feel much, much better.

Only Two days until Dub-time!!!

How I miss my Caswell friends!!!!

When I Built Your Mom I Put a Bow in her Hair

Sun Sets Over Caswell
Originally uploaded by link5001.

Say good-bye to the crazies...

It happened again. For the third time in a row, a summer ended and I had to pack up and leave one one place away from home that I can honestly say I feel just as comfortable at. Caswell 2005 is now behind me and I'm sad to say that I don't know for absolute sure if I'll ever get to go back and work there again. Hopefully God will lead me to serve another summer there but I know I'll eventually have to be open to other opportunities.

All that sadness behind I have to say that I really look back on it and appreciate all the great things I got from it.

Wonderful friends, like none I've ever or will ever meet anywhere else.

Wonderful memories with those friends. Experiences that make me both laugh and cry. Both tore me down and built me up.

Experiences with God that I couldn't have anticipated going in. I thought working Hatch would become a job. It became the biggest blessing to me.

To everyone who had a part in making Caswell what it was this summer. I give you my most sincere thanks. I look forward to seeing you again, if not sooner, then later. ;-)

To everyone else, this means that WilmingSloan is back in action! I'll be moving back into UNCW this friday and I should start a regular 3 day a week posting schedule then.

My uncle's pet nose monkey took the alan wrench set from the garage and now I have to hunt him down...

Second Hand Sloan

Surf's Where?
Originally uploaded by link5001.

Way back in the days of olde...

I finally went on my first surfing safari of the summer, here at the end of it, with Phillip Johnson. It was pretty dang dead out there but it was pretty fun anyway. Well, aside from the 15 year old girls that waded around us and annoyed the poo out of us.

My pride in my family name finally got to me about a month ago when, on a whim, I searched the internet for the long lost answer to the great question of Sloan. Where did I come from? Disheartened after a day of no answers I decided I'd just email Frank Sloan of "The Sloan Connection" with some facts about the generations of my family that I knew about and see if he knew anything.

After a month of communication and searching, I'm happy to say that good 'ol Frank did his homework!

He traced me back to the (probably) Scottish man, John Sloan, who was born about 250 years ago. He imported himself and started procreating in what is now Moore County, NC. So you see, I'm pretty "old school" to North Carolina.

So...don't call me a yankee transplant...or any of that garbage...
PURE BREED BABY!!! WOOOT WOOO!

Now to nibble away obnoxiously at a pop tart for 32 minutes!

Don't Mind Me, Just Crouching Here...

And at long last your eyes, slowly starving from lack of update, get to feast themselves on this, my latest post. Before opening up the sicknasty poo box of wondrous delight I have for you in this entry, I thought I might take a moment to remind you that you can always find something mildly entertaining to read through the links section on my page. Several of my friends and relatives keep good stuff up, but most of them update less often than I. I mainly speak of my cousin David who updated for the first time in 4 months last week. Rumor has it that he may have even updated again since then. Keep your fingers crossed.

Earlier today I was reading about how movie and tv stars that reach "super" status feel like they should get special treatment. Russel Crowe has, yet again, beaten someone up because they failed to connect his call to Australia in a Hotel. J Lo at one point insisted that everything in her dressing room be white. The once "sweet" Usher demanded that the red carpet be clear when he walked down it earlier this week, forcing other stars arriving at the same time to take the back door. To these people I have a simple question.

WHY DOES YOUR LIFE SUCK SO MUCH THAT YOU THINK YOU'RE THE BEST THING IN IT?

Being a film student I get a lot of people asking me what I want to do with it when I get out of school. I get a lot of "Do you want to be a producer" or "Going to be a big director??" which is all well and good. Most film students probably want this, but I have very little desire to work in an industry where your biggest assets are you biggest pains. Some of these actors wouldn't even show up to set some days...unannounced...and made EVERYONE on crew waste time and cost the studio so much money. I can't stand arrogance so I don't believe showbiz is for me. I'm waiting to see what God puts up in front of me as far as my filmic education goes, until then.

I DON'T WANT TO DEAL WITH ARROGANT BUTT LLAMAS

If feet came off would you still dace with me when I was having mine dry cleaned?

A Man With A Diamond Nose Will Kill Your Secret Agent

Drink it.
Originally uploaded by link5001.

I just added a couple of pictures, the one above being one of them, to my Online Photo Album. If you haven't checked it out recently you should.

This is going to be yet another boring post as Caswell has drained the lifeforce out of me with it's tireless schedule. Not too much to report, I have to get mad crazy working on the slideshow and there are only 2 weeks left after tomorrow. Then I'm home for a week where I'll be visiting the dentist and then leaving for UNCdoubleyew.

I'd also like to report that Jacob Jackson is a pansy pants for writing that horrid comment on my last post and not signing his name to it.

Pansy.

"...and for an entire day the child was forced to travel, only by Irish jigging ...."

The Abandoned Palace of the River Watchers

Rock, Rock On!
Originally uploaded by link5001.

Imagine the joy of seeing this every time you walked into your room. Now you have a small idea of what it's like to live in room seven here at Caswell. I personally am a little creeped out by the fact that PA looks a WHOLE lot like the DJ mannequin from the Pizza Inn I go to back home. It's cool though, as long as he continues to "Rock Hard" and never let up.

Since my posting has slowed to a crawl as of late, I thought it might be nice to do a different kind of update that should both confuse and delight. I'm going to briefly cover some of the things I've meant to talk about and haven't gotten around to talking about. Starting...now!

I pretty much hate the front right projector in Hatch. The other two projectors don't give me much trouble but If the one on the right is actually working, boy does it. I'm not trying to be a "Complaining Norman" (I just made that one up!) But the receiver for the remote is covered up on it or something and it won't cut off from the booth, so I end up having to walk all the way to the stage and stand on the corner of it to turn it off. But it's not just that simple either, I have to press the off button and point about 45 different times before it'll actually recognize the remote. Which, of course, leaves me on stage looking like a nimrod, usually in front of a rather large crowd.

Speaking of feeling like a nimrod, I've discovered that Yam has a secret hobby of making all those safety conscious individuals who ride in his assembly van feel like one as they attempt to put their seat belt on. Not once...but 4 times in one day, within the span of 30 minutes, did I get in his van and
start putting my seat belt on only to hear him say callously, "Don't have to put your seat belt on." This has actually been happening every time I've ridden with him since the beginning of the summer. At this point he usually only gets to "Don't hav...." before I wail in disappointment of myself and throw the belt away.

...Sometimes he lets me click it just to be mean...

I have a horrible habit I've picked up from somewhere of saying "wang dang" rather than just "dang." Wang dangit! That makes me mad! Hopefully I'll be able to kick it soon, if not I apologize to you, my listener.

I had planned on doing a ghost documentary that would far surpass the one my sister did in College, just for the heck of it, sometime while I was down here. Sadly I don't know if I'll be able to fit it in now, but I'm going to do my best to shoot it next weekend. Keep your fingers crossed that I'll actually catch some ghost footage and sell it to the government so they can cover it up and pay me 3.4 million dollars. If you do and I actually get it, I'll take you out to Carrabbas.

...or at the very least give you a reloadable Wal*Mart gift card...

This weekend is the weekend of the annual Caswell Classic Golf Tournament. This is basically a couple of people who can actually play golf (Yam) getting the staff to play on teams so they can totally destroy them and get a golf ego boost. OK, maybe not. That's Tommy who likes to beat the weak and laugh at them mercilessly, and there are some dang good staffer players. I get to go and take pictures and video which means I get to laugh at the bad people as they whack holes all over the course while pretending that I wouldn't be doing the same thing if I were playing. WOOT!

Is it bad that I want to smother the trees in hot cheese and pretend I have the prize winning broccoli at the fair?