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Sunday, June 27th, 2004
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10:32 am - Snakes... I hate snakes...
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Yesterday I went with Brandon to feed some vacationers' dogs. Brandon was throwing a ball around with them and I was wandering up the garage's deck when I looked out toward some bushes and did a double take.
There, sitting just a few feet from where the dogs had been a moment before, was a GIGANTIC rattlesnake - four feet long, bigger around than my arm - with its mouth hanging open. We think he had just finished eating some poor woodland creature. Maybe a deer.
Naturally, we started throwing things at it, hoping we could scare it off or at least make it rattle. It didn't even move when we threw a 2 by 4 at it. It took a direct hit from a skateboard to even make it curl up.
Brandon called a guy he works with who lives down the street and he came over with his gun and blew the snake's head off. As much as Brandon and I hate snakes, it sucks having to kill a monster like that (especially when it wasn't bothering anybody), but the family whose yard it was in have young children, dogs, cats, etc. and the snake was uncomfortably close to the house.
Then we went golfing. I have only been golfing once before in my life, but I am playing in a General Electric tournament in just a few weeks and want to at least be able to hit the ball. It turned out to be fairly fun and I think I can get a clean hit about 80% of the time. I did, however, discover that using old golf clubs isn't always a smart idea - I've got a total of 9 blisters on both my hands.
I guess that's what I get for working a nice, cushy, air-conditioned job - baby soft hands, a need to play golf, and blisters. =P
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| Tuesday, June 22nd, 2004
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10:17 pm - There were plants and birds and rocks and things
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My journal, in which I have often taken great pride, has been long stagnant and is slowly but surely becoming one of the journals I loathe. When entries are this infrequent, why should anyone care to read what I say if I can't find the time to tell them? (Or the better question, why would anyone read what I have to say in the first place?)
Anyway, now that I'm deep in the midst of summer, I think I need to talk about my progress with my guitar. You may remember that I bought a guitar last summer as a consolation gift to myself after a rather strange series of breakups. The plan goes that I would discover the musical genius stirring inside, express my feelings in a John Mayer-esque way (first single: "Your body is an elementary school playground"), and just generally have fun.
Limited finances kept me from the fabled guitar lessons last year, but as that is no longer a problem this summer, I have been taking weekly lessons in Greenville. Over the course of four weeks I can now very nearly play "Brown Eyed Girl," am working with a Foo Fighters song, and, as is required by law if you own a guitar, can play the two chords required of "Horse With No Name" like a champ. Record executives, look out!
It has been fun, though, and now that I can actually start to hear actual songs coming out of my guitar (while I'm playing it, no less), I am excitedly pounding away at the strings all the time (much to the horror of my roommates).
And so I plunder ahead, still completely ignorant of music theory, rhythm, etc., but happily amused to be making such melodious sounds w/out the help of a compact disc.
current mood:  accomplished
current music: Coldplay - See You Soon
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| Monday, May 17th, 2004
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5:26 pm - Hot Hot Hot
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Note to self: Never remove contacts after handling chile peppers. It only leads to an unpleasant burning sensation. (Of the eye, sicko!)
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| Saturday, February 28th, 2004
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4:54 pm
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Wednesday night University Ridge burns down...
Early Thursday morning it snows...
Classes are cancelled all day Thursday and two hours on Friday...
And today the weather is absolutely beautiful.
It's been a crazy week. Crazy.
Ah well, tonight I'll be putting the week and schoolwork behind me in a celebration of Leap Year's Eve. After all, forget New Year's - it happens all the time. The Leap Year is really something to celebrate.
Oh, and Spring Break is a mere two weeks away. THANK GOD!
current mood:  cheerful
current music: Nico - The Fairest of the Seasons
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| Saturday, January 31st, 2004
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2:37 am
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Could there be any more work to do? I'm convinced that I could sit at my desk from now until Super Bowl time and I still wouldn't be finished with the massive workload. (And speaking of the Super Bowl, Lucas and I have been on the phone all day trying to either order or find someone who is watching the Lingerie Bowl. Our interest is strictly for curiosity and research purposes, though, I assure you. =)
Amids all the work, I did manage to take a break for some Monterrey's, two huge mugs of Dos Equis, and to watch a shot contest between Mel and ol' Jimbo. Jim handled her ... well ... handily, although I don't see how either of them could imbibe that much Tequila without being sickened purely by the smell of it. (My feeling on Tequila is that if it isn't mixed in something, I'd sooner drink a urine sample.)
Tomorrow I'll be ushering the UNC game for most of the afternoon. Although my interest in basketball is lacking, that effervescent school spirit is still in control, and for that reason, I say, "Go Tigers!" Is it time for football season yet? ^_-
current mood:  drained
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| Monday, January 19th, 2004
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11:22 am
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Writing newspaper articles isn't as fun when you don't really have anything to say. I'm having real trouble coming up with good subject material. This week, I'm thinking of covering either housing or the culture that is the AIM away message, although I'm not sure I have enough to say about either to hit 700 words. Ideas are always welcome.
current mood:  blank
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| Wednesday, January 7th, 2004
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9:40 pm
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Another semester has started, and it's the complete opposite of the last one. Then, I was blazing a trail through Clemson with infinite energy and limited time; now, I'm just taking it slow, I've got the focus squarely on the future, and all I really want to do is step back in time, but not back to last semester...
Maybe back to the summer... The thought strikes me that, this summer (for probably the first time in my life), I stepped into that research job with complete uncertainty. My bank account was looking sad, I had nowhere to live, I was alone, and I didn't even know if I could handle the work I was going to be given, but I dove in with the same daring jump I used on Isaqueena Dam later that summer.
For the first month, the only person I lived for was myself, and although it's the people I spent time with that made the summer what it was, there's something to be said for those lonely nights sitting on my porch with nothing but my thoughts and the chirp of crickets in the grass.
There's something to be said for the air, for the red mud that was sloppily tracked up the stairs of my apartment, for the rain, for being bathed in sunlight as I awoke in the morning, for the total responsibility for myself. There's something to be said for the adventure and for the newness of it all.
I feel like life is supposed to be an adventure, not a grind. The world harps on education and focus and discipline, but what is that without a courageous declaration that we will not be shackled in this life? What are goals without uncertainties? What is education without a true challenge? What are relationships without love?
But most importantly, what is life without the living?
current mood:  uncomfortable
current music: REM - Nightswimming
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| Wednesday, December 31st, 2003
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1:01 am - Christmas Break
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Somewhere over the course of my holiday I lost the will to do all of the things I had intended (or any at all, for that matter), including working on my scholarship application, doing some research for the NASA project I'm supposed to be a part of, getting ahead on my newspaper columns, and writing a few short stories so life is easier for me in my creative writing class.
Instead, I have watched an insane amount of movies and quite a bit of football.
I suppose they don't call it a "holiday" for no reason, eh? =)
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| Monday, December 29th, 2003
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10:53 pm - "A Cellular Prodigy" or "Trash @ 10"
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I was at a one of CHKN's relatives' last night for some fried fish and NFL football when CHKN's aunt was proudly talking about her daughter's new cell phone. I can't imagine the girl being more than ten, if even that old.
Am I mistaken to think that boobs, or at the very least, a driver's license, should be a prerequisite for [female] ownership of a cellular phone?
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| Tuesday, December 9th, 2003
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7:38 pm
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Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
My feelings couldn't be captured more succinctly if Emerson and I had been old chums.
current mood: chipper
current music: Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue
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| Tuesday, November 11th, 2003
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10:55 pm
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I'm not the kind of guy who gets stressed out, but I swear I was hyper-ventilating last night as I was plugging numbers into my calculator at 1:30 in the morning.
The expectations are too high and I'm tired. I could keep my scholarships without cracking a book, so why go to all this trouble? Sometimes it's 100% clear and other times I wonder why the hell I'm wasting my time.
If I can just get to Thanksgiving everything will be better...
current mood:  distressed
current music: Chad Kroeger & Santana - Why Don't You and I?
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| Friday, November 7th, 2003
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10:29 am - Censored
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Cut from this week's article:
"Ever the optimist, I considered the silver-lining; with the Tigers scoreless, our favorite mascot, who heretofore will be referred to simply as “Skippy,” hadn’t been required to do any of his trademark ground-humping pushups. After the football player’s web page debacle, it was obvious that Tommy Bowden wanted to ensure that Clemson would suffer only minimal humiliation from Skippy’s pornographic gyrations. What a great, thoughtful coach we have!"
I don't know if it was cut for space or sensitivity to whoever is in the outfit.
current mood:  amused
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| Tuesday, November 4th, 2003
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5:27 pm - No reason for stress
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The last two days I've been completely and totally stressed out. After my birthday weekend, which involved very little coherence on my part, I had managed to fall behind on all of my classroom responsibilities and was totally freaked out.
I had to do some SI worksheets, I had a meeting with a professor, a newspaper article to write, a lab report, homework, a big honors project, research to do for my Goldwater essay, a thermo test, and so much more.
And then it happened, as it always does - everything just kinda subsided and it's not a big deal anymore. I ran into a fellow SI leader in the computer lab Sunday night who hooked me up with some sheets she had been working on. The meeting with the professor went great, the newspaper article got done after a few hours, the lab report was my best work yet, the homework at least got done, and my fluids teacher said the honors project, which was supposed to be due Wednesday, could be turned in anytime this week.
I don't know if I'm lucky or if I just respond when it's time to put balls to the wall, but everything worked out yet again.
Not to say that I won't be busting my ass for the rest of the week, but the outlook went from unmanageable to completely doable, even with sleep. =) Now if just I could get a free weekend to devote to this Goldwater essay, everything would be great.
The article turned out to be my most "political" yet, as I definitely called out Tommy Bowden, the Clemson mascot, the football team, the intramural office, Fike, and parking services. The Tommy Bowden jokes are by far the worst, but I was careful not to insult him, only to insult his job as a coach. It seems hard-hitting jokes are the way to get people either laughing hysterically or riled up. Last week's article and my New Jersey comments simultaneously drew more praise and more heat than any I have done yet.
current mood: Breathing
current music: The Police - Every Little Thing She Does is Magic
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| Wednesday, October 29th, 2003
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8:40 pm - Chemistry SI
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Wow, what a rush! It only took me half the semester, but I think I've finally figured out how to connect with these kids in Chemistry.
I've discovered that they won't open up unless they're challenged. So lately I've been giving them ultra-hard worksheets of my own design and turning them loose in groups. When things get hard, they band together and before long everyone is helping everyone else. It's awesome.
I gave them really hard worksheets Sunday and Monday that actually went ahead of the class a little bit, and then first thing Tuesday the teacher put a problem on the board almost exactly like one of the ones we worked in SI. To my personal delight, one of my frequent attending students raised their hand and answered it 100% correct. It feels great for me to know that they've actually be listening and that I helped them, and I'm sure it feels good for them when coming to SI pays off like that.
I think I'm really starting to like this job. =)
current mood: rejuvenated
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| Monday, October 27th, 2003
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10:35 pm
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Sometimes, when it's quiet and dark and the only sound is the buzz of the night, when the cold winter air delivers a chill, life couldn't possibly be sweeter. The stars look down and I know that our time, in the grand scheme of life and the universe, means nothing, but we don't have to acknowledge that fact.
When I'm in an engineering class and I have some supposedly brilliant thought, or when the little things in life seem to be coming together, when work is going well, or even when I come up with an even remotely witty line for a newspaper column, the contribution overrides the ultimate impact and we can take solace in what we have to offer today to those that know, respect, and love us.
Life is sweet, if only for those simple moments when our own worth can be defined as clearly in our own eyes as in those of others.
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8:32 am
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Emzi and I were talking Saturday and I have determined Matt's Official Stance on Relationships©.
A relationship should be a friendship, preferably a best friendship, that happens to involve exclusive smooching. If it becomes anything more complicated than that, something has gone wrong.
This means a new couple shouldn't disappear off the face of the planet when they start dating and ignore all of their other friends. They should be able to do things apart. They should still be fun. There shouldn't be bitching about not enough time spent together because that wouldn't happen between best friends of the same sex. The guy shouldn't be paying for everything.
These are only a few of the many exhaustive problems that inevitably rear their ugly heads when a good things goes bad. I've seen it happen to too many people - it's all fun and games at first, but pretty soon the relationship is more of a requirement than anything else. That's why it should never get more complicated than this: Good Friends + Exclusive Smooching = Good Relationship. Period.
current mood:  blah
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| Friday, October 17th, 2003
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10:32 am - The trip looms
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We're leaving in three hours and I still have not packed. I'm not entirely convinced the girls even know where we're going. I've only got one book for entertainment. Rachel's car is a concern.
We're staying in Rhode Island tonight, apparently, but where the heck is that? Do they have trees and grass up there or is it just some kind of barren wasteland? And what exactly is in Boston that we're so excited about seeing?
These questions, and more, will continue to run through my head as we depart. But rest assured, it will end up being a good time despite my negativity.
Everyone else in Clemson (all three or four of you that read this) have a great fall break. =)
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| Wednesday, October 15th, 2003
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8:54 pm - Fun with the Newspaper
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There's nothing quite like having a cute girl say, "Hey, I liked your column on squirrel fishing." First and foremost because she liked the article, but even more importantly because she said the words "squirrel fishing" with a straight face and wasn't making fun of me for it.
She missed out on cool points when she said she hadn't tried it, though.
In other column-related news, I ran into Iris in the library today and she mentioned the "beanie weenie column" and then turned sour on me when she brought up "wrinkly knees." One time I told her she had wrinkly knees (apparently during a make out session), and it still appears to be a sore spot for her. I'm actually a little surprised she didn't bring up me calling her a gorilla in my column, but then again, that would imply that she was capable of reading more than a few sentences in one sitting.
They say girls like a guy with a sense of humor, but somehow I don't think that means a guy who is only funny on paper. =)
current mood: amused
current music: Candlebox - Maybe
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| Tuesday, September 23rd, 2003
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9:02 pm - Witticism
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Some people have quick wit, but I do not. That's why I'm a writer and not a stand-up comedian.
Check out my weekly column over at The Tiger. It's in the opinion section or you can search for Matt Williams.
current music: John Mayer - Clarity
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| Wednesday, August 27th, 2003
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8:07 pm
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I think I actually helped some kids learn this evening. Talk about one of those warm, fuzzy feelings. I wonder if it's still being a good person if you're getting paid to do so? I'm thinking there's no reason to get all tied up in the logistics of the matter. =)
current mood: happy
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