Journal of a Boy Named Julius

Last Days on Ivy Meadow Lane

2008-07-08T01:35:40Z

A lot has happened since my last post. For starters, I moved. This should explain the three week lag in posts. The new place is with Dan, and not too far from where I was living before. We are altogether settled into the new spot now. It took some time to get everything moved, but with a little help from a few friends we were able to get everything in order.

The end of my stay at Ivy Meadow Lane was bittersweet. In some ways, I was happy to get out. The place was rundown, and in the last few months, seemed more like a filthy frat house than a real home. In other ways, I will definitely miss it. There was definitely lots of space, and I will certainly miss all of the wildlife. When I moved in there over two years ago, I had no idea the journey I would be taking. All in all, I’m glad I took it… even if Crazy Erin was one of the most horrifically Borderline personalities that I ever met.

The new place is fab. All the furniture looks like it blends, the countertops are usually clean, and dirty dishes go into the dishwasher. It definitely feels more like a home than anyplace I’ve been in some time. We had our first get-together this past weekend. The turnout was better than expected.

This past paycheck, I bought the Vampire Weekend CD. It is very good. It’s a relatively short CD, but highly enjoyable. Since I’ve begun my “Buy A New CD Every Paycheck” Plan, I’ve bought three CDs, and I think Vampire Weekend may be the best of the three. Favorite songs include: “Mansard Roof”, “Campus”, and “A-Punk”. Friday is a new payday, and I am contemplating 3 Doors Down, Natasha Bedingfield, Maroon 5, or Radiohead’s Greatest Hits for my next purchase.

I know that this may be hard to believe, but I have never read an adult book. The longest book that I ever read was “The Peanut Butter & Grape Jelly Mystery” when I was a kid. I hate reading. It’s so much work, for so little payoff. But I have been trying for awhile now to finish one entire book in its entirety. Well, since my last post…. It is done! TWICE! I read Eckhart Tolle’s “A New Earth” and Mitch Albom’s “Tuesdays with Morrie”. I really enjoyed “Tuesdays with Morrie” a lot, and highly recommend it. Yesterday, I bought “A Walk in the Woods” by Bill Bryson. I am going to start it sometime this week.

This weekend I am headed to Wheeling, West Virginia. My mom’s side of the family is organizing a family reunion there. We are flying into Pittsburgh in late morning, and renting a car to take to Wheeling. I have never been that far north in West Virginia before, so it should be exciting to visit the area. Plus, I get to update my map of counties that I’ve been to. BIG EXCITEMENT! We come back on Sunday, so it should be a relatively short trip.

Babies seem to be the new trend amongst my friends. Tina had her first baby in May. She named her Kayle. Then on Sunday, Kai & Lauren had a little girl. They named her Lucy. Juliet is due tomorrow. She & Keith are expecting a little boy named Myalls. Today is my first day at work without Juliet. It’s sad, because I know that she won’t be back until November. It’s going to be a long couple of months.

Football season is rapidly approaching. My plans are to attend six games this year: August 30^th ECU vs. Virginia Tech in Charlotte; September 6^th – West Virginia comes to Greenville. September 20^th; it would be hard to get tickets, but ECU plays in Raleigh against NC State; Homecoming is November 8^th against Marshall; Thanksgiving weekend is a home game against UTEP; and for my birthday weekend – I’m hoping to go to Birmingham to finally see ECU beat the Alabama Curse against UAB. If you actually take the time to read my blog, and you’re planning on going to any of those games, let me know. I’d love to catch up with you.

Two new websites have caught my attention. Brightkite is a mapping social network that allows you to enter your location. The other is Google Reader. It allows you to compile all of your favorite blogs onto one list. If anyone joins either site, add me. Brightkite user: gregbarnes and Google Reader user: pirategreg

As always, there are a few travel plans for the upcoming weeks. This weekend is the West Virginia trip. The end of July is my 6^th NC County Trip installation… Avery County. Highlights include: Grandfather Mountain and the Lynn Cove Viaduct. In August, I’m planning two trips to Atlanta, and a trip to Charlotte. The Arkansas trip is being reduced to nine days in early October. Unfortunately, there’s going to have to be some rescheduling done there. Finally, I’m going to try and spend my birthday in Birmingham. I don’t have any plan at all yet, and this plan could fall through. It’d be great to go though.

Finally, the things I’m raving about… the gym at my new place – big upgrade… Strawberry & Banana flavored V8 Fusion Light – very delicious… Sam’s Club – I joined for the cheap gas prices and so far I love it. That’s all for this installment. Thanks for reading.

String of Misfortune

2008-06-14T15:03:15Z

Well, it's definitely been an interesting week, that's for sure. First off, let me throw out the disclaimer that I'm fine. Everything is good. Life has it's twists and turns, but I am not one to wallow in self-pity, or even have the slightest bit of anxiety. It is what it is, and I still have a smile on my face. So, don't feel compelled to e-mail me or ask if I'm okay. I'm fine, but I do appreciate it.

So, having said that, here's my ridiculously bad week:

1. My home county is on fire. Yep, if you're in Raleigh, then you are probably smelling the smoke that is the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. It's a pretty place, and I spent a great deal of time there as a kid. I really hope that it did not kill very much of the wildlife out there. It makes me sad to think how long it is going to take that area to recover.

2. My dad's 81. Over the last 6-8 months, he's been in and out of the hospital with multiple cases of bronchitis and pneumonia. Because he's been so sick for so long, he's incurred some respiratory damage. Cue the giant wildfire and all of the smoke. And now you have a guy that's been trapped inside of his house for a week. He's been near death for several months now, and I'm not sure that being trapped inside is helping his attitude about life.

3. The A/C in my car is broken. I took it this week to get checked out. They repairman ran a diagnostic test, and said that the A/C didn't have a problem, it must be electrical. So, he ran a few tests and discovered that the button inside my car is broken. My initial thought was, "Sweet! What's that cost, $10?" Nope! Toyota does not sell the button by itself. I would have to buy an entire dashboard panel to get the button. That costs $762. (insert jaw dropping here). So, the nice folks at Colony Tire (and they are nice, you should totally go there), are looking for a junked Camry that they can get this dashboard panel for me at a much cheaper price. Until then, I'm sweating.

4. The fan died on my computer at home. Hopefully, it's a quick fix. The new fan cost me $20, but if it doesn't solve the problem, I may be screwed.

5. Here's the big one. I get an e-mail (yes, e-mail) from my mom on Wednesday. She wanted to let me know that my sister tried to commit suicide on Tuesday morning...................... Yeah, that's what my e-mail (and not a phone call) said. It was one of those "I'm not really trying to kill myself, but I want everyone to think I was" attempts. Nevertheless, it is still upsetting. My sister has had a string of bad luck lately fueled by some not-so-great choices. Over the past couple of years, she's become very reclusive to most of us in the family. I've tried to call and check in on her from time to time, but I often never get returned calls. Those are shortly followed by stories to other family members of how I don't return any of her calls. A few years ago, these ridiculous lies made me angry, and I decided to give up with her. As of the last year, I've begun to realize that perhaps this is a sign of mental illness, and I guess that was confirmed this week. She, unfortunately, is one of those people that thinks mental illness is an insult, and I doubt that she'll seek help. I mailed a card, and have called every day without getting any sort of reply. I'm not sure what else to do. I've been told that buying gifts or being too involved will likely be met with anger and resentment from someone that is going through this. I think that she really just wants to put all of this behind her, and move forward. Perhaps in the grand scheme of things, this could be a positive thing. It may be the thing that triggers her out of depression.

In other news, I'm headed home for Father's Day on Sunday. It should be nice to spend time with the folks.

I got paid Friday, which means I bought a new CD - Newton Faulkner's "Hand Built By Robots". Good songs include: "Dream Catch Me" "Gone In The Morning" and "People Should Smile More". If you like Jack Johnson or hippie music - you'd probably like the CD. Parts of it are slow, but it definitely gets a passing grade.

Marcie came to visit this week. We had a good time. I took her to Brightleaf Square, and we hung out and chatted for a few hours.

Dan's studying for the last part of his Boards which is in 2 weeks, and then we're moving into the new place.

I think that's all I got except for an awesome story of heroics, which is going to be restricted to LiveJournal friends only to keep my gainfully employed.

Summarization Through Procrastination

2008-06-01T18:43:34Z

There was a time (about 10 days ago) when I told myself I was going to get back on track with blogging. I like to be able to look back at certain times of my life and recollect on what was happening. That stretch lasted about two or three days. I'm not sure why I have found it so difficult to get something posted, but I have.

With any luck, life should be returning to normalcy tomorrow night. I've had a long stretch of traveling, and this weekend I have been cramming for my AICP Exam (which I am doomed to fail). I've spent about eight hours studying in the last two days, and LiveJournal sounds like a good release.

Dan and I are moving in together in less than a month. The new place will be near his house now in Durham. The entire move itself will suck, but I'm really optimistic about it. There are things I will miss about my current situation though. My place now has a garage. I will miss the heron, all the geese and goslings, as well as the pond that is out of my window. The tons of space, and storage that I now have. And of course my roommates, Cam & Andria. Some things are good about the move though... for starters, my house now has the feel of a frat house more than a home. I will LOVE to go grocery shopping and actually have some space in my refrigerator to put something of my own. Lenore will have full reign of the house, and she'll love it. Best of all, I'll have a lot more time to do things that I don't have time for now. I have decided that I am going to paint walls before I move. I've always wanted to paint my walls, and this time around I have nine days between the time I move in and the date I move out.

Last weekend, Amity & I went on our Ashe County Trips. I've been a bit slack on getting the pictures posted, but I wanted to focus on the exam first. Joe Dan & Christina joined us. We rented a cabin in a small town called Grassy Creek. It was a nice place and had a hot tub, which I loved. (If I knew that I was going to be settled for a long while, I would totally invest in one.) The trip was great, and we had all of our activities planned out. I won't divulge too much, so that the pictures are still a surprise. Our next county trip is to Avery County in July.

A couple of things I've been getting asked about was the condition of my Dad, Lenore, and my cousin. My dad is okay, but not great. He's been in and out of the hospital for several months now, but currently he is out. He is still recovering, but probably won't ever fully recover. Suck is life! Lenore is great. She really has no issues. She's easy to give insulin, and she's on cloud nine because today she got a water fountain! It's her gift since soon she'll be enduring another move. My cousin is doing well. He was really lucky not to have more serious injuries. The man who shot him mysteriously died in his jail cell a few days later. The last I heard was that it was natural causes. I do intend to write his story up in a letter and mail all of my elected officials about the needs for better gun control and mental health facilities. I may throw in there that we need better mental screenings for released inmates.

I've been a much healthier Greg in 2008. I fell of the wagon on eating healthy a few weeks back, but this week has been very good. I think I just needed to detoxify myself from all the fun I had in Chicago and New York. I think that eating healthier will become easier after the move as well. I will start cooking more which will be a good thing both financially and physically.

I've decided to invest in a CD each time that I get paid. When we went to Ashe County, I discovered that: 1. burned CDs just are not as good; 2. I have a lot of alternative, but not a lot else 3. CDs are kinda cool to actually own. This paycheck I bought Madonna's "Confessions of a Dancefloor", because I really love the songs "Sorry", "Hung Up" and "Jump". The CD is actually really good. There are three unreleased songs that I love a lot too: "How High", "Isaac", and "like It Or Not". Also, as I said earlier, I have way too much alternative. I've been looking into CDs for next time around. The frontrunners are the Radiohead Greatest Hits CD, Newton Faulkner, or Natasha Bedingfield's "Pocketful of Sunshine".

ECU's already eliminated Columbia yesterday (9-0) from the NCAA baseball playoffs, and they are up on Alabama 9-0. Here's hoping they keep rolling!

OK. Enough time procrastinating. Tomorrow is looming.

Letter To 10 States That Suck

2008-05-30T23:12:50Z

Dear Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah,

Fuck you. Worry about your own state's laws.

Love, Greg

A Less Than Triumphant Return

2008-05-21T04:39:48Z

First off, Brian Putzer is an egg god. Thanks for a delicious breakfast, A & B! The transition back to North Carolina was a bit patchy. Continental Airlines thought I should stay in Newark longer than expected, so I spent the good part of my afternoon in New Jersey. I finally got back to RDU around 2:30, and Amity took me to work. The phone calls and emails while I was away were out of control, so for the next couple of hours... catch-up was my life. Then the torrential downpour came, so I worked an hour later to partly avoid getting drenched and to avoid death by lightning strike. I finally made my way home, where I first stopped to check my mailbox. No Tax rebate, no dental insurance reimbursement, plenty of bills. Finally I park in front of my house, unload my car, carry them up the steps to my door, and grab my keys, and.... oh wait... where's my house key? Oh, that's right, I gave it to Dan so he could take Lenore to the vet for me. Oh, did I mention that he's in NEW JERSEY? So, I call Andria... gone to a movie that just started... So, I wait outside my house for an hour for Cami to come home and save my life. Thanks, C! Hopefully tomorrow is less chaotic.

Fun Times in the NYC Metro

2008-05-19T18:29:48Z

I'm at Dan's house in New Jersey. I wonder if this is my farthest-from-home post ever? It's been a helluva trip. I think I am too old for this kind of lifestyle. Friday was mellow. Saturday, the wedding was fun. Open bar started at 11 AM, if that tells you anything. We took a two-hour nap from 6-8, just in time for round two. Sunday in New York City was fab. We met up with AMPH, Jacqui, & Evan. I made my very first trip to Central Park. Today, I went to sleep around 5 AM, and slept until 12:30. Craziness. Now I'm off to hang with Amanda "Freedom Fighter".

Disturbing As Hell

2008-05-09T23:53:15Z

So, read what happened to my first cousin (Scott Johnston) this week. Fortunately, he'll be okay....

AT hikers return to normal pace
By Tonia Moxley and Shawna Morrison

PEARISBURG -- The Appalachian Trail reopened in Giles County on Thursday, two days after a pair of fishermen were shot and wounded in a crime that hauntingly resembled two gruesome killings committed near the same spot in 1981.

Officials removed the yellow crime scene tape that had cordoned off a 28-mile stretch of the trail while investigators searched for clues and other potential victims Wednesday, and hikers again began trekking through.

Perhaps, though, they had more to talk about than in any year since 1981, when Giles County native Randall Lee Smith Jr. killed two trail hikers at Wapiti Shelter, just a few miles up the road from where two fishermen had set up camp when police say Smith shot them Tuesday night.

"Man, I'm out here having the time of my life," said Nathan Adcock, a 31-year-old nurse from Asheville, N.C. "And then somebody's out there shooting."

Adcock -- trail name "Superchunk" -- and other friends he met along the trail spent the night Tuesday at Jenny's Knob shelter not far from the campsite where Smith is suspected of shooting Sean Farmer, 33, of Tazewell and Scott Johnston, 37, of Bluefield.

The pair were at their camp on Lions Den Road when a man Giles County investigators believe was Smith walked up and struck up a conversation. He hung around for about three hours, staying to have a dinner of fresh trout and baked beans with the men.

After they ate, the man reportedly jumped up and pulled out a gun. Farmer was shot in the face and chest. Johnston was shot in the neck and back.

The men fled out of the forest in Farmer's Jeep Cherokee and sought help a couple of miles away at the home of Sheila and Melissa Miller, two sisters who live on Dismal Creek Road.

Farmer has been released from the hospital, friends said. A spokesman for Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital said Johnston was still in serious condition Thursday.

Smith was captured about 9:40 p.m. after crashing Johnston's pickup truck on Sugar Run Road near Eggleston, police said. He also was taken to Roanoke Memorial, where investigators said he was in stable condition and being guarded by a deputy.

Giles County Lt. Ron Hamlin said Smith will be charged with two counts of attempted capital murder, grand larceny and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

By Thursday afternoon, the Lions Den campsite had been dismantled by investigators. The tents and lawn chairs Farmer and Johnston had set up were gone. The clothes that had been draped across a line strung between two trees a day earlier had been taken down.

But investigators were still trying to find clues in the case, including a campsite where Smith may have stayed in the two months since he went missing from his home near Pearisburg.

On Wednesday, officials with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service split up into three groups, with each group assigned to search stretches of the closed-off trail that was thought to be 25 miles long, said T.J. Mullins, a law enforcement officer with the U.S. Forest Service.

"One group wound up with 10" miles, Mullins said. Its members had Thursday off "and I owe them a steak dinner," he said.

The trail sees a lot of through-hikers this time of year, he said, and officials wanted to get the trail searched so it could be reopened.

Thursday, he said, the search had shifted to a four-mile radius surrounding the trail, and there was talk of bringing in a helicopter to view the forest from the air.

"Yesterday we didn't want folks walking up on something" like a piece of evidence or a potential victim, Mullins said.

Nothing was found, though, and officials have no reason to believe there were any other victims, he said.

"We're keeping it in mind, but we're not actively looking," he said.

The search has taken investigators as far as 45 miles from the campsite, he said.

"The big effort is coming to a close right now," Mullins said, "but we've got a lot of small pieces of information to follow up on, and that's going to take months."

In 1982, Smith pleaded guilty to the brutal stabbing of Susan Ramsay and the shooting of Robert Mountford Jr., two AT hikers from Maine.

He is said to have befriended the pair and spent part of the day with them before returning to the shelter, where he killed them and buried their bodies in shallow graves.

Investigators said he befriended Farmer and Johnston, too, before repeatedly shooting them.

Smith spent 15 years in prison for the killings, then returned home to his mother's house just outside Pearisburg where neighbors said he led a mostly reclusive life until Tuesday evening.

Josh McClellan, who goes by Beartrap, a through-hiker from Gainesville, Fla., camped near Trent's Store not far from the shooting site Wednesday and was the only hiker left there Thursday afternoon.

He said he was waiting for his girlfriend, who was driving up from Florida to spend some time with him before he moved on.

"Scared? No. As long as they got the guy," McClellan said. The shootings "aren't going to change the daily routine" of the hike, he said.

He described that routine the past 48 sometimes-chilly spring days as "wet socks, frozen shoes, good times."

Besides, the 29-year-old said, "you're never alone on the trail."

Many hikers headed out early, but Adcock planned to stay at the Holiday Motor Lodge in Pearisburg until today to wait out forecasts of bad weather.

Some hikers will likely be jumpy for the next month as they pass through the area, said Jack Noll of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

He called awareness of the surroundings "the biggest weapon you have out there."

Jim Neal vs. Arrogance

2008-05-01T04:31:13Z

This video is a perfect example of why Jim Neal deserves your vote. His opponent's arrogance is out of control. Check out the end of this video...

US Senate Debate

2008-05-01T01:02:33Z

If antone is interested in reading about the US Senate debate last night, here is a link to a good summary article:

http://media.www.carolinianonline.com/media/storage/paper301/news/2008/04/29/CampusNews/Senate.Candidates.Debate.On.Spartan.Tv-3359152.shtml

Dear Commute Home,

2008-04-30T22:28:48Z

Dear Commute Home,

You were exceptionally sexy today. Thank you for all the eye candy

Sincerely,
Greg

Who knew that I-40 was such a good place to scope out hotties?

Don't Know Who To Vote For?

2008-04-23T23:43:29Z

Don't know who to vote for in the NC primary? The Triangle Independent (the Indy) just published their endorsements for the North Carolina primary on May 6th.

http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A256717

And here are there reasons for endorsing each person....

http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A256722

The Indy is a popular, progressive, independent, Democratic-leaning newspaper here in the Triangle. They generally have good recommendations (at least for the Democratic primaries). In my opinion, you can't go wrong with their recommendations if you don't know for whom to vote.

Here's who they recommend for the Dem primary...

1) President - Barack Obama

2) US Senate - Jim Neal

3) Governor - Richard Moore

4) Lt Governor- Hampton Dellinger

5) Auditor- Beth Wood

6) Insurance Commissioner- Wayne Goodwin

7) Labor Commissioner- Mary Fant Donnan

8) Superintendent of Public Instruction- Eddie Davis

9) Treasurer- Janet Cowell

10) NC Court of Appeals- Kristen Ruth, James Wynn

11) Durham County Commissioners- Ellen Reckhow, Becky Heron, Michael Page, Brenda Howerton, and Don Moffit

12) Durham Public Schools Board of Education- Leigh Bordley

13) Durham District Attorney- Tracey Cline

For Durham County voters, here is an easy cut-out to bring along with you to the voting booth...

http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A256717

For Orange County voters, here is your cut-out...

http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A256720

For Wake County voters, here is your cut-out...

http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A256718

Dream Bracket

2008-03-29T18:24:41Z

I was thinking about what my ideal NCAA Tournament Bracket would look like, if the team that I liked best won every game, so here it is...

PLAY-IN GAME
Mount St. Mary's d. Coppin State

FIRST ROUND
EAST
#16 Mount St. Mary's d. #1 North Carolina
#9 Arkansas d. #8 Indiana
#12 George Mason d. #5 Notre Dame
#4 Washington State d. #13 Winthrop
#11 St. Joseph's d. #6 Oklahoma
#14 Boise State d. #3 Louisville
#7 Butler d. #10 South Alabama
#15 American d #2 Tennessee
MIDWEST
#16 Portland State d. #1 Kansas
#9 Kent State d. #8 UNLV
#5 Clemson d. #12 Villanova
#13 Siena d. #4 Vanderbilt
#11 Kansas State d. #6 USC
#14 Cal State Fullerton d #3 Wisconsin
#10 Davidson d #7 Gonzaga
#15 UMBC d #2 Georgetown
SOUTH
#1 Memphis d #16 Texas-Arlington
#8 Mississippi St d #9 Oregon
#12 Temple d #5 Michigan State
#4 Pitt d #13 Oral Roberts
#6 Marquette d #111 Kentucky
#14 Cornell d #3 Stanford
#10 St Mary's d #7 Miami
#15 Austin Peay d #2 Texas
WEST
#16 Mississippi Valley State d #1 UCLA
#9 Texas A&M d #8 BYU
#5 Drake d #12 Western Kentucky
#13 San Diego d #4 Connecticut
#6 Purdue d #11 Baylor
#3 Xavier d #14 Georgia
#7 West Virginia d #10 Arizona
#2 Duke d #15 Belmont

SECOND ROUND
EAST
#16 Mount St Marys d #9 Arkansas
#4 Washington State d #12 George Mason
#14 Boise State d #11 St Josephs
#7 Butler d #15 American
MIDWEST
#16 Portland State d #9 Kent State
#5 Clemson d #13 Siena
#11 Kansas State d #14 Cal St Fullerton
#10 Davidson d #15 UMBC
SOUTH
#1 Memphis d #8 Mississippi State
#12 Temple d #4 Pitt
#6 Marquette d #14 Cornell
#10 St Mary's d #15 Austin Peay
WEST
#16 Mississippi Valley State d #9 Texas A&M
#5 Drake d #13 San Diego
#3 Xavier d #6 Purdue
#2 Duke d #7 West Virginia

SWEET 16
EAST
#4 Washington State d #16 Mount St Marys
#14 Boise State d #7 Butler
MIDWEST
#5 Clemson d #16 Portland State
#10 Davidson d #11 Kansas State
SOUTH
#1 Memphis d #12 Temple
#6 Marquette d #10 St Marys
WEST
#5 Drake d #16 Mississippi Valley State
#2 Duke d #3 Xavier

ELITE 8
EAST
#4 Washington State d. #14 Boise State
MIDWEST
#10 Davidson d #5 Clemson
SOUTH
#1 Memphis d #6 Marquette
WEST
#2 Duke d #5 Drake

FINAL FOUR
Davidson d. Washington State
Memphis d. Duke

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Davidson d Memphis

So, I guess I'm doing well, because it can still happen.

Gems From The Web

2008-03-15T17:34:28Z

2 Awesome songs by comedian Stephen Lynch...

...and one that's just a hilariously BAD commercial I saw on TV

MARCHing To Victory

2008-03-12T00:41:01Z

March is off to a good start Sports-wise...

My Utah Jazz - 5-0 this month
My Charlotte Bobcats - 5-0 this month
My Carolina Hurricanes - 5-0 this month
My ECU Pirates Baseball Team 8-0 this month
Even my ECU Men's Basketball Team had a three-game win streak!

Best TV Episodes

2008-03-11T03:02:56Z

Just the other day I started thinking about which single episodes of TV shows were the best. I thought long and hard about it, and my pick is "The Contest" episode on Seinfeld. The whole premise of the episode was pure genius. Any thoughts?

2008 - 9 Weeks In

2008-03-05T04:34:54Z

Travel - I'm ooking forward to some upcoming trips. In May, we've rented a cabin in Ashe County for Memorial Day weekend. It's the 5th installment of my Trips to all of the NC Counties. We've got some awesome things planned, including horseback rides, hiking, and tubing. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate. Also, I'm headed to Chicago in just 44 days!

New Adventures - On Sunday I went hiking at Occoneechee State Natural Area in Hillsborough. It was a cool place. I posted some pictures in Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ecugreg/). I'm definitely headed back.

Movies - Netflix has turned out to be a god investment. I saw The Departed over the weekend. Good movie, but the dialogue was a bit over-the-top. I'm not bothered by profane tirades, but they should atleast be believable dialogues. Nevertheless, good movie. I've got Transformers on my desk.

Music - Wow, it's a guilty pleasure, but that new Leona Lewis song - "Bleeding Love" rocks my socks. I've played it over and over again. Know what song I FREAKING HATE? That God awful Taylor Swift song "Teardrops on my Guitar". Someone should dropkick her.

TV - I really think Ryan Seacrest has the hots for David Archuleta. That is all.

Politics - Why won't Hillary just go away? Wow, I can't believe that she's making a comeback.

No Freakin' Way!

2008-02-22T03:08:54Z

Oh my God. Did anyone see "Lost" tonight? I NEVER saw that one coming. That show is un-freakin'-believable!

2008 - 5 Weeks In

2008-02-05T03:25:37Z

Three important notes:

1. RAMBUTAN is in season. You should find some, buy some, and eat some. They are delicious!
2. "Breathless" by Dan Wilson is a kick-ass song. You should download it, listen to it, and enjoy it!
3. Travelling like a crazy person. Charlotte in March. Chicago in April. New York City in May. A cool cabin in Ashe County in May. Avery County in June. Pittsburgh & Wheeling in July. Beaufort County in August. Arkansas in October.

2008: 4 Weeks In

2008-01-28T04:00:47Z

All the happenings of 2008 that you need to know:

New Years Eve/Day - Jacqui was moving to NYC, so she suggested throwing a going-away/New Years celebration. It was an imprompyu party, but turned out to be a wild success. My two favorite moments: were running around with sparklers outside and convincing David to drink water out of a ladle. Good times!

Resolutions... or lack there of - Maybe it was the party that made me tired and lazy on New Year's Day, but I chose not to even attempt a resolution. It's unlike me, but I just didn't have the motivation this year.

Fifth Row Hockey Tickets - I got myself two free tickets to a Carolina Hurricanes game in the fifth row. The seats were awesome. I decided to take Amity, because I knew she and I would have fun together. Actually, I gave Will first dibs, but he couldn't go. It's awesome to see games that close up. After the game, we were not paying attention and walked the wrong way. It let to a 20-minute walk in the freezing cold. Fortuneately, we survived.

Green Building - I've finally found my niche at work. I was searching for awhile to excel in something that other people may not know much about. Having a bit of expertise in a particular field is always a smart career move. I've been doing alot of studying in LEED & green building. As environmental issues take the forefront over the next decade, I'm really hoping that I can find myself in a lucrative spot. Earlier this month, I went to a class to learn about more about environmentally-friendly building techniques. I also convinced the powers-that-be to get me enough money to take a Green Building Class in Washington, DC next year.

Movies - Saw "Juno", "Away From Her", and "Atonement". "Juno" and "Atonement" were very good, but not great. Juno was quirky and entertaining, but a bit over-the-top. Atonement was beautifully made and directed, but hardly captivating. "Away From Her" was sad, and a good story on an important issue, but I found myself a bit bored. I'll probably see "Clovefield" this week. I also joined Netflix.

San Francisco - Went to San Francisco last weeked. It turned out to be a nice trip. I visited with Tim, drove through the Wine Country, saw a geyser, visited Half Moon Bay, and visited Point Reyes. In the city, we went to the Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown, and to tons of bars. I was pretty drained, but plenty inspired.

A New Fitness Plan - I'm proud to say that I am on Day Five of a new fitness plan that I have been doing online. It's great! I have eaten extremely healthy, and the workouts are not too intense for a beginner. Tonight I made Abs Diet Burgers to eat over the next couple of days. I made steamed broccoli, and a light spinach salad to eat with them. I've never been so charged about a fitness plan. It's incredible, how juiced I am about this. I really feel like I am going to stick with this.

A New Haircut - So I'm going to try out a new look. I got the 1st phase done the other day. It's longer on the top and trimmed up on the sides really short. My goal is to get the top considerably longer and then try growing out the sides when it's a bit longer.

Television - I'm really excited about the return of "Lost". I've been checking out some of their web sites for Oceanic Airlines and Find815.com. It's such a good show. I love it. "The Amazing Race" was pretty good this season. I liked the outcome a lot. "American Idol" is back, and it's okay. Not much to say so far about it. "Orangutan Island" is a cute little show on Animal Planet. I love it. You should watch. They are amazing animals.

Tax Returns - Love 'em! That's all I have to say about that.

Death & Dying

2007-12-20T05:46:13Z

I've been a lucky guy. I'm now 32, and up until this point in life, I really haven't had anyone extremely close to me that has died. Unfortunately, I do not expect that trend to continue for much longer.

Death has been quite a prominent subject over the last few weeks. In November, an acquaitance of mine from college named Sheetal was killed in a car accident. She was 30 years old. I felt horribly for my friend Amanda "Freedom Fighter", because she was very good friends with Sheetal.

A few days ago, my aunt Betty passed away. She was my mom's older sister. Aunt Betty lived near my grandma in West Virginia. As a kid, we would spend atleast a week each summer visiting the family in West Virginia. I spent a good amount of that time visiting Aunt Betty. She was a sad and lonely widow that developed personality disorders, and in her later years, she isolated herself from everyone. I probably hadn't talked with her in 15 years. I can't really say that I'm devastated by her death, I really find hapiness knowing that she's in a peaceful place because I feel like she led a troubled life. Nevertheless, it's sad to have her gone from this world. It does make you ponder your own legacy, and what you will leave behind.

On Saturday, my oldest friend Margaret also suffered a loss. Her brother-in-law (who recently returned from Iraq) killed himself. I guess that the pressures of what he saw over there was more than he could take. He was in his early-thirties.

My dad was 48 when I was born, and in October he turned 80. Since that time, he's been sick with a pneumonia-like illness. He hasn't been able to get past it. He's been in and out of the hospital and doctor's office quite a bit over the last few weeks. Both my dad and the doctors are confident that this will pass, and he will be fine. However, the whole incident has made me realize his own mortality, even more so than I previously had.

The thing that has me most nervous at the moment is Lenore (my 10-year old cat). She's been with me through a lot, and I really feel that she and I have grown up together. She has developed diabetes, and at first I felt like it was managable. Over the last couple of days, she has lost her appetite. I worry that this is a sign that something is severely wrong. I'll have to wait it out, and see what happens, but I understand that death is a part of life, and is unfortunately inevitable.

Tomorrow's a new day. Hopefully for all of us.

DONE - Arizona Pictures

2007-12-04T05:26:22Z

17 Days, 3,500 Miles, and a whole lotta pictures

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ecugreg/sets/72157602483956190/

Take a look at the entire trip. They took forever to post & edit.

Long Lost Self

2007-10-31T01:03:22Z

Yes, Greg is still alive! It's been entirely too long for an update.

#1 ARIZONA TOUR - It was awesome! We spent 17 days, traveled 3700 miles, and took approximately 1700 pictures! I'm try to do a photo travel log on my Flickr page, and I am now about 50% of the way done. To check out my progress: http://flickr.com/photos/ecugreg/sets/72157602483956190/ is the link.

#2 VETERAN'S DAY WEEKEND - I'll be headed to northern New Jersey & New York City. I'll be visiting Amanda MP, and possibly Amanda PH.

#3 NEW TV SEASON - Could "Gossip Girl" be any better? I think not.

#4 NEW STUDY SUBJECTS - I have a schedule for studying for my AICP certification in May. I'll be studying a new topic each week. Also in the meantime, I'm going to try to learn Japanese. Granted, like all of new goals, this will probably last two weeks. But I'll give it a go.

#5 HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Greg vs. Life

2007-09-10T02:28:04Z

It's time for an update. Life's been very stressful lately. I'm in dire need of a vacation. Until that time comes, unfortunately, things are going to be hectic. Getting everything organized for my trip is a big hassle. There's a lot of things to do before I can up and leave for 17 days. On top of all of that, getting everything done at work so that I can be gone for a long time is compounding all kinds of stress.

As a whole, life is good. I guess I cannot complain, considering how much better I have it than most of the people in the world. This weekend my family is gathering at the Outer Banks, for a big birthday celebration for my dad. I'm trying to stay optimistic, about the weekend. It's probably going to be stressful though. I wish I had a better experience with my family, but they really freak me out. I believe that most of my siblings hate me. I'm not certain of it, but I constantly hear things from others about how they ridicule me. I'm going to focus on my parents this upcoming weekend, and try to make the gathering as good as I can for them. They deserve it.

This week had it's ups and downs. One "up" was that our Town Hall softball team only lost to the Police Department 8-7. It was our best performance ever!

Friday was a disaster, because I tried to get my car inspected. In order to do so, I relied on public transportation, which was incredibly aggravating. The buses were all seriously late, if they ever showed up at all. I ended up walking a lot. In ridiculously hot weather, that's never good.

Saturday was better, Matt, Jason, Dan, and I went to the Carolina Ale House and watched ECU beat UNC 34-31. UNC was a much better team than I had expected them to be. Nevertheless, we won and I couldn't be happier about that.

It's time for a new week, and hopefully, this one will run far more smoothly than the last. Here's hoping!

Arizona Trip

2007-09-03T18:46:50Z

I'm heading out on my Arizona trip in a few weeks, and I've set my itinerary. Here's the plan:

September 22 - Fly RDU to PHX. After we arrive, we're driving south to Casa Grande National Monument and Picacho Peak State Park. We'll be spending the night in Sierra Vista with some of Amity's friends.

September 23 - We're spending the day in Tucson. Major stops include Saguaro National Park, a tour of the Biosphere, and the University of Arizona. We'll also spend some time in downtown Tucson, before heading back to Sierra Vista for the night.

September 24 - An early morning stop in Tombstone to see the OK Corral. Then we'll head over to the artsy mining town of Bisbee. Then we'll spend the rest of the day hiking at Ciricahua National Monument.

September 25 - This will be a long day of driving. We're heading north up the Coronado National Trail, later in the day we'll head to Petrified Forest National Park.

September 26 - A drive along the north rim of Canyon de Chelly National Monument in the morning. Then we're heading to the small town of Teec Nos Pos. It's where US Highway 64 begins. Since I grew up very close to the end of US64, I want to see the start. Next stop, Four Corners where we will venture into New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. Then it's off to Page, AZ for the night.

September 27 - We're spending the day in Page. We'll start off our day going to catch the morning sunlight at Antelope Canyon. Then we'll head north to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, and catch some Arizona sunshine at Lake Powell.

September 28 - Grand Canyon National Park - North Rim

September 29 - Grand Canyon National Park - South Rim

September 30 - We're spending the day in Flagstaff. Stops include the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, Wupatki National Monument, Humphrey's Peak, and Northern Arizona University.

October 01 - The day's agenda include Sedona and Prescott. We'll stop at Slide Rock State Park, Red Rocks State Park, Jerome Historical State Park, and Arcosanti.

October 02 - A drive along historic Route 66 to Kingman, then we'll head north to Lake Mead National Recreation Area and the Hoover Dam.

October 03 - Walking on the Grand Canyon Skywalk.

October 04 - A day in Lake Havasu City, including Lake Havasu State Park and the London Bridge.

October 05 - Driving back to Phoenix with a stop at Alamo Lake State Park.

October 06-07 - Sightseeing in the Phoenix area. We'll be swinging by Copper Square in Downtown Phoenix, Arizona State University, the Arizona State Capitol, and Mystery Castle.

October 08 - It's back to Raleigh-Durham. =(

College Football, Week 1 A-Z

2007-09-03T17:45:31Z

A - Appalachian State got paid $400K to beat Michigan in the Big House and destroy any chance of a national title that the Wolverines might have had.

B - Boston College looked like a serious ACC contender by wiping out the defending ACC Champs Wake Forest by 10 on their home field.

C - Cal proved to be a national contender by beating the Vols by two touchdowns.

D - Damien Fletcher led Southern Miss with 156 yards of rushing on Saturday in a 35-13 win over Tennessee-Martin.

E - East Carolina's defense looked tough in a 10-point loss to VT. ECU could be a CUSA contender.

F - Florida International continued to be the worst team in the Bowl Championship Series with their 13th straight loss at the hands of Penn State.

G - Georgia Tech may have had the best week in the ACC with a 30-point blowout at Notre Dame.

H - Hawaii's Colt Brennan lived up to the hype with 416 yards and 6 touchdowns vs. Northern Colorado

I - Illinois proved that they may be better than expected with a 6-point loss against Big 12 favorite Missouri.

J - Jabari Marshall may be the only bright spot for Duke this season. Their leading returner avereaged over 38 yards per ruturn. Nevertheless, Duke continued their horrendous losing streak with a huge loss to UConn.

K - Kent State earned a big win over Iowa State 23-14. The victory could mean that KSU is a player in the MAC, or that ISU is destined for the cellar of the Big 12. Maybe it could mean both.

L - LSU's defense looked awesome in a 45-0 drubbing of Mississippi State. They definitely looked better than USC.

M - Miami looks like they may have bounced back in a 31-3 win over a good Marshall squad.

N - Nebraska may be back on the national scene. The #20 Cornhuskers destroyed Nevada 52-10.

O - Offensive prowess at Oklahoma and Louisville. The Sooners routed North Texas 79-10. Louisville demolished Murray State 73-10.

P - Purdue played one of the MAC's best teams, Toledo. The end result, Pudue came away with a 52-24 win. Take notice Big Ten fans!

Q - "Quan"-tity and quality at Rutgers with Tiquan Underwood's NCAA-leading 248 yard rushing day in a 38-3 blowout of Buffalo.

R - Rice joined Michigan in the embarrassing loss club. Rice lost to I-AA Nicholls State 16-14 on Saturday.

S - Syracuse may be destined for another season at the bottom of the Big East after a 42-12 loss on their home field to Pac-10 chump Washington.

T - Texas may be ranked #4, but they will be dropping big after barely squeaking by Arkansas State 21-13.

U - UCF continued NC State's woes against Conference USA with a 25-23 UCF win in Raleigh. NC State has lost to UCF, Southern Miss, and East Carolina in the last year.

V - Virginia continued to be favored against Wyoming for the second straight year. Wyoming demolished the Cavs for the second straight year with a 23-3 thumping on Saturday. Overrated, much?

W - West Virginia made their mark with a 62-24 win over Western Michigan. The win should keep them at #3 in the polls.

X - Baylor got X-ed on the scoreboard against TCU on Saturday, losing 27-0. The Horned Frogs made a strong start to their case from the Mid-Major BCS spot.

Y - I-AA Youngstown State was no match for Ohio State, but the 38-6 score didn't establish the Buckeyes as a powerhouse on the national scene.

Z - The Akron Zips scored a 22-14 win over Army. The win was good, but not convincing enough to earn the Zips much credibility to lead the MAC this season.