3.19.2008

Obama's "courageous" speech

The media and public have once again gotten sucked up by the rhetoric of Barack Obama. He made an eloquent speech on race relations in today's society and everyone seems willing and ready to let him off the hook for his relationship with Jeremiah Wright. It's a red herring, people!

The issue is not specifically what inflammatory things Wright said. I think Obama's point about a different era makes a lot of sense, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that our senator and potential President did not have the common sense and judgment to reject Wright's words the moment he heard them.

I'm a religious guy. If my priest started saying the things Wright did, I might walk out. I certainly would not go back to that church year after year. I would find another place to worship. I don't care if that priest brought me into the faith. Unless I agreed with him, or believed what he was preaching from the pulpit, there is no reason to stay.

Of course, I'm not running for elected office. I don't need the overwhelming support of a community on the South Side of Chicago. I also am not out of town enough where I can just drop in for a service here and there and not worry about it.

Who do we want answering the phone at 3am? Who do we want sitting down with Castro and Kim Jong-Il? Obama has told us time and time again that the American people need someone with sound judgment and the ability to assess situations as they present themselves. Yet he could not do that for his own church or his pastor.

Twenty years Obama belonged to that church. We know Wright's been saying these things since at least 2001 (five days after September 11th, in fact, he blamed the attack on the U.S.). And we know Obama's heard these sermons thanks to previous reports and his admission Tuesday (which, by the way, went back on what he originally said, that he had not heard anything like that. But don't expect the media to call him on these lies).

AND, Wright was a member of Obama's campaign. He was an adviser. It wasn't until the crap hit the fan that he was removed from the post.

What fantastic judgment, Barack. Way to take a stand.

Here We Go Again

I'm doing it again, friends. Every now and then I decide to throw myself back into the blogging world. I started to last year, but I needed to stop soon after because WGN-TV didn't allow it. Didn't want me saying anything bad about them. And frankly, I wouldn't. It was a great experience.

Three things motivated me to update the blog.

1) I just finished college. Yup. I am officially done with classes for likely the rest of my life. I still will be on campus from time to time writing for the alumni magazine or broadcasting softball and lacrosse in the Spring, but for the most part, Northwestern and I are parting ways. And I kind of want to keep a record of the rest of my life (dull as it may turn out to be).

2) I miss blogging. Just coming on here and writing conversationally, trying to add some humor. I miss the people who used to read my blog. In some way, this connects me to my past as I trip into the future.

3) Finally, I realized I want someplace to express my views. This has never been used as a political blog, and I don't want it to be overloaded with that. But I have things I want to say and nowhere else to put it. Please stop me if I go too far. Also, I have developed a greater love of TV in college than ever before. Expect a lot about that.

I'm not going to worry about the Chatterbox anymore. Just leave me a comment if you want to say hi.

Since this is a new era of "Thinking Things Over," I need a new way to finish off my posts. So, I'm going to just keep listing some shows I really enjoy. It will never stop.

Random Enjoyable Show: 24. While other kids were foolishly reading and writing papers, I spent four glorious weeks sophomore year watching four fabulous seasons of 24, finishing just before the season five finale (which I had watched most of the year). What an addictive show. And so well made. Season Six stunk and we have to wait another 9 months for Season Seven, but it will always be one of my favorites.

3.26.2007

In and Out

I only came to say I cannot stay.

Just weeks after I restarted my blog, I discovered that I actually need to leave it, or mostly. I might come back to say extremely random things, but I am no longer free to discuss my day, since my day is spent at work, and my work has a strict policy (which I completely understand) about not having their workers blog.

So, until further notice, Thinking Things Over with Calvin Coolidge is out of commission.

PIP PIP.

3.21.2007

It's beginning to look a lot like

Springtime. I'm sitting here in my bedroom in Schaumburg, with the light drizzle of rain falling from the creaky gutters above my window (mostly creaky because a wiffle ball is stuck up there from about 4 years ago, and it keeps rolling back and forth...for four years it's been rolling back and forth...you'd think I would get a ladder and get it out...but I haven't...I think I hit it up there, because when I play wiffle ball I can really drive that puppy...but it's just as likely that I tried playing catch and it ended up on the roof), and I can't help but think...that I've lost my train of thought...oh right, springtime.

We're set for a week of 45-70 degree weather. Just cool enough for a light jacket (I just got a new Cubs one. Blue and red, of course, though some say the red sleeves are too bright...I think it's practically perfect in every way [name that movie]).

It's been a while since I posted, with classes winding down and all. Next week I'll be starting my internship at WGN-TV. It's kind of exciting, but at the same time more than I think I want to be doing. Writing stories on deadline and editing video all by the 9pm news, 40 hours a week, for 6 months? I don't want to do TV for a living, so it's kind of a drag.

The worst part of it is I'll be living in a halfway house. By that I mean a place where homeless crack addicts spend their nights in between stints in the county penitentary. Except, my halfway house actually refers to not being at home, but not being in college dorms either. I'm at my grandfathers. That's nice because it's 10 minutes away from WGN. That's not so nice, though, when you consider I'm living in Chicago (which you know I hate) and I won't be able to really make the room my own.

Worst of all, I won't have internet access. Pretty much none. For six months. That is going to be tough. Email is the way to communicate these days. More than that, IM. How will I keep in touch with you if I don't have AIM? (For the 90 people on my buddy list who I no longer talk to, it's the same as it's always been...IM me some time...but obviously not in the six months after Monday...for all the reasons I listed above).

That'll do it for today.

Random Factoid: "Mack the Knife" is famous for three recordings: Bobby Darrin's, Frank Sinatra's, and the musical "Three-Penny Opera."

Pip pip.

It's beginning to look a lot like

Springtime. I'm sitting here in my bedroom in Schaumburg, with the light drizzle of rain falling from the creaky gutters above my window (mostly creaky because a wiffle ball is stuck up there from about 4 years ago...I think I hit it up there, because when I play wiffle ball I can really drive that puppy...but it's just as likely that I tried playing catch and it ended up on the roof), and I can't help but think...that I've lost my train of thought...oh right, springtime.

We're set for a week of 45-70 degree weather. Just cool enough for a light jacket (I just got a new Cubs one. Blue and red, of course, though some say the red sleeves are too bright...I think it's practically perfect in every way [name that movie]).

It's been a while since I posted, with classes winding down and all. Next week I'll be starting my internship at WGN-TV. It's kind of exciting, but at the same time more than I think I want to be doing. Writing stories on deadline and editing video all by the 9pm news, 40 hours a week, for 6 months? I don't want to do TV for a living, so it's kind of a drag.

The worst part of it is I'll be living in a halfway house. By that I mean a place where homeless crack addicts spend their nights in between stints in the county penitentary. Except, my halfway house actually refers to not being at home, but not being in college dorms either. I'm at my grandfathers. That's nice because it's 10 minutes away from WGN. That's not so nice, though, when you consider I'm living in Chicago (which you know I hate) and I won't be able to really make the room my own.

Worst of all, I won't have internet access. Pretty much none. For six months. That is going to be tough. Email is the way to communicate these days. More than that, IM. How will I keep in touch with you if I don't have AIM? (For the 90 people on my buddy list who I no longer talk to, it's the same as it's always been...IM me some time...but obviously not in the six months after Monday...for all the reasons I listed above).

That'll do it for today.

Random Factoid: "Mack the Knife" is famous for three recordings: Bobby Darrin's, Frank Sinatra's, and the musical "Three-Penny Opera."

Pip pip.

3.12.2007

I've fallen behind again

Not on posts, because I never promised to be daily. I've fallen behind on the times. Once again, the century has passed me by.

When I started this blog in high school, it shocked the nation, like Bobby Thurman (for my sports friends) or Lexington (for my historically minded friends). If you're neither, it was like the shot heard round the world. Mortonson entered the blog-o-sphere.

I was actually doing something modern, something technological, something normal kids my age were doing.

Well, my friends, apparently "blogging" is no longer what it was 3 years ago. Even though this is on BLOGGER.COM, I have been informed that this is a livejournal. I assume it's like if I had a Model T, and I told people I had a Ford. It'd be true, but it's probably not what they were expecting.

You see, blogs, I guess, are now supposed to serve some sort of purpose. Comment on one centric idea. Like sports, or presidents, or broadway, or license plates collections. But my blog, does all those things. And, in the meantime, talks about my life.

Back in my day, a blog was a diary. Suddenly it's supposed to be something more sophisticated. And durned if I'll be more sophisticated. I didn't spend three years in college to grow. I spent three years in college because I have nothing better to do.

Which is why I'm blogging at 1:30am. I will not be changing my blog into a thematic site, nor will I start a livejournal (because a) i don't want to and b) i dont' know how to).

By the way, livejournal doesn't make anysense. Is it updating all the time on its own? Is it a video feed? Then how could it be live? It's a misomer, and frankly my dear, I wont' stand for it.

Random Factoid: There is no team with a .500 or less record in teh tournament this year...That's a first for quite a while. I have no automatic pick in the play-in game (I always pick the sub-.500 team, and it usually works).

Pip pip.

3.09.2007

What was wrong with me?

I can't possibly make a glorious return to the blog-o-sphere without giving you a sampling of what this blog is truly like (Speaking of sampling, you know what I haven't done for years? Eaten lunch at Sam's Club. Not like the hot dog stand in the front. I mean going to Sam's on a Sunday at noon and going from aisle to aisle trying mostly delicious free samples. It's usually a balanced meal, lots of variety, even drinks...and most importantly...FREE...Evanston could use a Sam's Club)

So that's basically it. If you're new to my blog, that's how I run it. And I run a tight ship...as can be evidenced by my nearly 15 months of not posting a durned thing.

My blog in brief (because I don't wear boxers):
1) Sometimes more information than you wanted to know
2) Always random
3) Always write in train-of-thought (scroll to the bottom of the blog to discover that my train is Gordon, not Thomas)
4) Often attempt humor
5) Love to use ellipses instead of periods or commas
6) Will recap things going on in my life
7) Sometimes will fall into a state of depression, but it's nothing to be concerned about. I have male PMS.

A lot has changed in the past year. I'd say I've probably changed, but if you really know me, that'd be ridiculous. Here's one thing that ironically hasn't changed. When i last posted, I wasn't Sports Director of WNUR. Right now I'm not really Sports Director. What's the irony? I was for most of the 14 months in between.

Is that proper use of "irony?" I always screw that up. Would it be ironic if I called this sentence ironic for discussing the irony?

I couldn't even follow that one.

I end my posts with a Cubs update if applicable and a random factoid. And then, of course, pip pip.

Random Factoid: I now use Gmail for all my mail needs. It's fabulous (that's an opinionoid). The fact is that every gmail account right now has 2,826MB of space.

Pip pip.

I don't know why I'm doing this...

But I decided to start my blog up again.

It ended on such a sour note 14 months ago. There were three reasons I ended it.

1) The whole Drood fiasco. I shared my dislike of the cast, they saw it, and all Heck broke loose. That drove me away
2) My parents found it. Now, I never said anything against them, but I liked having a private escape that they didn't know about. Maybe 14 months later they won't check it anymore. Even if they do, I have nothing to hide.
3) I started this blog in high school. My high school friends always seemed to like my style of writing on it. Now, though, I don't know who I'm writing to. I've lost touch with most of them. My college friends wouldn't care.

And as usual, my post borders on the depressed.

But my returning to "Thinking Things Over with Calvin Coolidge" marks a happy day! A tremendous day. One of excitement. One of exhiliration. One of 365.

I'll try to post again tomorrow. Perhaps with something more funny. If you want to see how I actually can be a humorous person, scroll down a ways to the "Highlight Reel" post. Some of my finer work. I hope I can return to it.

Random Factoid: The term "Great Scott" may have started in the Civil War in a casual reference to fat old General Winfield Scott.

Pip Pip.

12.13.2005

"I am a dick and totally out of my mind"

According to the anonymous person who commented on my last entry. I assume that he/she was just one of those rogue blog readers, as that's pretty offensive language to come from one of my "friends."

Speaking of friends, without the sarcastic quotation marks, I'm back home now, in wonderful Schaumburgia. And, as usual, I think of how much I love the olden days, the days of high school and acquaintences. And then I think of which of those acquaintences I'll see again. Already, the number of high school friends i talk to online has severely dropped. But, for the sake of old times sake, I decided to try my darndest to find memories that maybe those who peruse my blog had forgotten about. If I can bring a moment of happiness, a small smile to their faces, this blog was worth it.

Now, the only way I know who reads my blog, is by those who comment on the side. So, I apologize if I don't mention you. But you should have commented (and with less offensive phrases than the one above).

Renee: Freshman year, you put together a poster describing yourself and what you wanted your future to be. I remember you said you either wanted to be President or own an ice cream shop. Knowing your politics, I'd prefer the latter.

Mike B. ("Ducky"): Your freshman year, it was a very big deal to me where you and Jesse would be seated to best share in the wealth of Joe's and my vocal leadership. I was quite jealous that Joe became your mentor, and I got stuck with the well-voiced, but light-headed, Jesse.

Tim: Thanks to our extensive wills senior year, there's not much that either of us could have forgotten. But how about this one? Junior year variety show...Joe and I were debuting the First Annual Snippet, from 1776...I had a great wooden cane...but not for the performances...because it was stuck in your locker because you took it from me during English and forgot to give it back.

Shane: Of course we both remember Misty, the Internet Seductress, but do you remember when you and Christy and someone else graffitid my driveway? That made me feel quite loved in the morning.

Gagan: Here's something I haven't thought about in a heck of a long time. The ear-flip. Oh, Geraldine.

Joseph: How could there be anything that we haven't talked about and remembered. I'm sure though that with our two old-men forgetfullness, there are things in the back of my mind...let me think...well, something I haven't thought about for a good while would be our random singing of Christmas songs during deadline to Ms. Ryan and Mr. Micheletto. Boy did we annoy the heck out of them, and have a good time doing it.

Wow, unless I've forgotten someone, there are 6 people from high school who still care about me. That's sad. Of course, there's Mrs. Sorrentino, but I figured any memories between Tony and I should be left there...you know what scandalous lives the two of us have led.

I think I'll continually be living my life through the eyes of the past.

Random Factoid: Although scientists don't know why lightning occurs, the most logical theory is some sort of movement of protons and electrons, or postive and negative charges vertically through clouds that create sparks that connect to the charges on the earth's surface...or something like that...it's been three years since regular level physics.

Pip Pip.

12.07.2005

A Message to the High and Mighty

Yes, I'm talking to you.

I've received some negative feedback about my last post, which is understandable. I voiced my opinion on a couple's relationship and attacked their integrity.

First of all, though, my comments were not meant to berate either individual as a human being; just in that one facet of their lives.

Second of all, their relationship served simply as an example, a microcosm of the bigger picture, which was the loss of chivalry.

Someone commented to me that "it's pretty lame that you feel the need to comment on things that mean nothing to you."

Pardon me, but as a member of this society that is quickly going to Hell, I have every reason to comment on what I see is a problem. Don't tell me that I'm supposed to care only about things directly related to me. Issues have broader implications.

I gurantee you that conversations would get pretty dull pretty quickly if people only talked about themselves. Even the most conceited amongst us talk about other issues in an attempt to add more to the conversation. More importantly, though, these people bring up issues that they feel have a universal interest.

Take one of my friends. Let's say he starts to rant about uncleanliness. He starts to talk about how college kids leave their desks trashed, their clothes lying around the room, their beds unmade, etc. And, as an example, he points to me. Now, he doesn't live with me. Let's say he lives on another floor. My cleanliness habits don't affect him at all. But, maybe someone else's habits do affect him...or society's filth-ridden ways affect him. If I am an example of what he hates, why not use me as an example?

Is he wrong? Maybe. And I very well could be wrong in what I said as well. But it should not be discounted just because the example he pointed to had no relation to him.

I am an isolationist. People are always telling me how stupid that is, how you have to care about the world around you, not just your little cloister. Yet these same people criticize me for going outside my box and commenting on social problems.

I challenge any of you who think I shouldn't be talking about things that don't affect me. I challenge you to go just a week without discussing other people's lives.

Now, you can still think things. There's no way to stop people from thinking things. But I guess the argument these "high and mighties" have is that I openly talk about it. It's not that I post it, because I have mentioned everything I said aloud in the suite before I wrote it down.

So try it, tell me if it's a reasonable expectation of humanity.

Random Factoid: I'm not in the mood.

Pip pip.

12.06.2005

Who Needs Facebook to Procrastinate?

I've got Blogger.

Yes, I haven't posted in two weeks. I'm sorry to all my loyal fans. I'm no Shane Madej, and I never will be.

I decided I wanted this to be one of those random topics, neatly organized post. But first, a rant. (oh yeah, I'm back to form).

I've thought about this before, but I've never delved into it on the blog. You know what I'm sick of in college? The lack of chivalry (thanks to Joe's girlfriend, Katie [yes, that really is her name], for bringing this back to the forefront of my memory). For instance, one of my friends treats his "one could argue is his girlfriend" like crap...not that he treats her as less of a person, but he doesn't treat her like a girl, let alone a girlfriend. He doesn't walk her home, doesn't kiss her goodbye, doesn't speak lovingly to her, etc...at least around me. Now, things could be very different in private, but why alter things so much in public? PDAs have their limits, but there are also appropriate PDAs. (the italics are things I have added after being told I was in the doghouse).

On the other hand, she does little to demand his chivalry at times, as she's sometimes talking or acting inappropriately for a lady. As a rule, ladies should not discuss sexual things...period (no pun intended). They should also not talk about their grooming habits or quote rap lyrics or any other profanity. Keep in mind that she is not the only girl I know who does this. Many of our "liberalized" female compatriots have started to act in this manner, and it's quite distressing. I'm not saying women should be silent...but let's try to have some class.

Once again, to clarify, I am not just speaking of this one girl...I am speaking of many girls I have met in college.

This isn't a double standard: gentlemen should also not discuss these things in the presence of a lady. But in our collegiate environment, these concepts are forgotten. Our female friends are just like any of our other friends...rather, they should be seen on a higher plane...but they aren't.

Here's a very little thing...why do we college males not stand when a girl enters the room? Because we treat them as equals? I'm sorry, but I don't care about equality...they are females, therefore they deserve our doting...which means we stand. I don't care if she's your friend from high school or someone you just met...you stand. That's what our grandfathers and fathers would do...why should we let it die.

And ladies reading this blog...start to act like you're superior to us...don't stoop to the males' level and talk about disgusting things and use inappropriate language and burp in public...that is incredibly crude and unladylike.

"Every lady deserves a gentleman" - Ryan Morton, 2003

Now, a few catcheruppers on my life:
- The musical went very well. The audience really liked it. I was never the detective or the murderer, but my friends came out in full force to pick me as the lover once, so i got my first kiss on stage, video-taped...it was quite enjoyable. But I'm glad to be done with that debaucherous cast.
- "Breakfast with Broadway" has become a staple on the station. They love it now, and are giving it more and more validity. We're starting cross-promoting with the theater department and continue to make alumni contacts. Also, I have a co-host who's great...knows 200% more about musicals than I do (yes, it's possible).
- I have 3 finals this week. I'm not sure how I'll do on them. But i'm not worried...but I'm not confident either.
- I did my first play-by-play for women's basketball saturday...I think I did a fairly decent job on it...but it wasn't recorded...neither was my only WBB color or my only men's baseball play-by-play, or any of my volleyball broadcasts...in short, there is no recording of my voice...it's a sign.
- Speaking of signs, what do you think about me entering the priesthood? Just wondering.

That's it for today. Talk to you later.

Cubs Update: They didn't get bloody Raphael Furcal...goodbye 2006.

Random Factoid: Frisbee is a trade-marked name that should always be capitalized.

Pip Pip.

11.17.2005

It's Opening Night!

So, I just went to my iTunes and started playing "Adiemus." My choir is singing this song, and during it I always close my eyes and reminisce about things. It's an amazing song for those purposes. I love it so much I actually paid money for it. So, usually I reminisce about my days in high school, as that was, and still is, the best time of my life.

Today, right now, I want to key in especially on the musicals I did in high school. Debuting on the Northwestern stage tonight is amazing...one of the top theater institutions in the country. But it can't match the love I had for the Schaumburg stage (as the music starts to swell).

I started freshman year, in "On a Clear Day..." Terrible storyline, songs that grow on you (alright, grow on me), and a fabulous director (John Austin Van Hook). I was in the chorus, but I held a sign in the back during a song...and I danced in "SS Bernard Cohn." I'm not a dancer...my parents and sisters still laugh at that dance in front of the whole school.

(repeat track)

Sophomore year I was doing the gifted project, and I just didn't have enough time to be in "Little Shop of Horrors." It was a very good production, despite the surprise picks for the leads (this would be a theme under the new direction of Timothy McGlynn).

So how could someone who's never been in a show with this director hope to get a large role? (music swells again, and fades). For some reason, though, he cast me as Jean Valjean. "Les Miserables," possibly the best show ever put on by SHS. This is where the memories really get to me. Using that stupid computer program to tap out melodies, going to a jr. high to promote the show, putting more and more baby powder in my hair, my pants falling down during one scene, my pulling the trigger on a gun two seconds before the sound effect. My friends were in this cast...that made it all the more special (music at fortissimo)

Then senior year, the year I shot myself in the foot and established myself as a character actor. Honestly with this figure, how could I ever really be a romantic lead? So I was the sidekick, Benny Southstreet, the guy called upon for laughs (the real comedic character was dreadful...sit down you're rocking the boat in falsetto? good grief). (repeat track) Why the shot foot? I told my friend to audition for the show the day of auditions; he wasn't going to; he got the lead...and did a fabulous job. As did all my friends.

That's the difference. At Schaumburg, I was performing with friends. The people in the cast, I'll barely ever see again, just in passing. The experience will be etched in my memory, but the memories won't be, if that makes sense. I have no attachment to these people. I'm not a theater major, so they have no attachment to me. They haven't been rude, they just haven't been outgoing.

I want to bring them "rain" tonight before the show, but they wouldn't care. Palms rubbing, fingers snapping, (music crescendoing), hands pounding, feet stomping, reverse, and fade. It's wonderful, and I'll never do it again.

Am I nervous? No. I don't get stage fright. I am worried I'll screw up lines since I haven't gotten them right yet. And I'm worried that I'll never be picked as the murderer, because the audience has no reason to pick me. But I'm not stage fraught.

Thursday 8pm...Friday 8pm, 11pm...Saturday 8pm, 11pm...McCormick Auditorium, Norris Center...$5

Thank you,

(end song)

Random Factoid: In the bible, Paul apparently only wrote seven of the letters ascribed to him. The rest are deutero-Pauline, or pascal...apparently.

Pip Pip!

11.12.2005

Correction to Previous Post

I realized that he really seemed like I was being a typical blogger, just complaining about my life. I didn't mean to. Usually, I try to make this funny and informative, to keep you up to date on my life, not my stupid little problems.

I have nothing funny to say, though, except "i'd rather have a bottle in front of me, than give drood a frontal lobotomy."- Line from the musical.

That's pretty funny...in context maybe.

pip pip

Well, That's That

So, it happened. I had my first kiss.

Now, don't get me wrong, it was just a stage kiss. And I think the casuality, or casualness I suppose, of my speech shows that I understand this. I'm not considering this a big deal.

Except for the fact that I have no kissed someone...that's pretty cool.

You were all right, nothing to be nervous about. Afterward, we both just walked away, without saying a word.

It wasn't even technically on stage. We're advertising for the show, so we had to kiss for the picture. But it still happened.

So, the show is 5 days away...very nerve racking...not really, i just want to get it over with so I can get back to my normal busy and hectic life, rather than this busy, hectic, and unbearable life.

Anything else? Umm...my first stories for the magazine were ripped to shread...it was sloppy writing on my part...hopefully I'll get better.

I interviewed Jim Tressel the other day, the coach of the Buckeyes, who beat the Wildcats 48-7 today...woof. Apparently, no one has really ever interviewed a coach before for the opponent feature, so that was exciting...it could have been better though.

If it seems like I'm laxidaisical and uninterested in anything...I am.

Random Factoid: According to mental-health-matters.com, I have 8 of 10 symptoms of major depression: sadness/anxiety/"emptiness, fatigue, loss of interest in usual activities, oversleeping/insomnia, appetite changes, feelings of hopeless/guilt/worthlessness, difficulty concentrating/making decisions/remembering, and chronic aches/pains.

Okay, so I'm not really depressed, but from time to time, I feel like my life is characterized just by going from one place to another with no purpose other than that.

Meh.

Pip pip.

11.08.2005

My Posts Runneth Over

Well, not exactly my posts...I'm still on a once a week basis...but what the heck are with these comments? There are hoards, a plethora, a gaggle, an obscenely large amount of comments...by which I mean 8.

But most of them are by weird automated advertising companies and websites. How do they pick things out? Is it that new-fangled RSS whatcha-ma-doozer technology?

I do appreciate those of you who sincerely gave me comments, though I never appreciate it when you make it anonymous....who are you? and what are you? (you'll undestand when you see my show; if you see my show).

But seriously: who are you? I know who shane is, and who kate goodman is, and who denise is, and who gifted is, and who myrick is...but who are the rest of you?

Anyway, it's not like I'm going to get carried away or obsessed with this.

But the flooblebox has a spot for you to type in your name; it doesn't have to be anonymous.

So, my day was busy as usual (you can also include your name in the comment response section). I had to write a stupid journalism article (but don't use the comments thing, because those computers use them) and now I have to write another stupid paper (was it someone from northwestern, or someone from Schaumburg?)

It's good to know I'm actually doing school work with (could it be Mambo #5 again?) all the extra-curricular crap I'm doing. Tomorrow, I'm calling the coach of (who calls me Ry? someone called me Ry?) Ohio State to ask him some questions for our upcoming broadcast. I really do like WN (oh crap, my sister has her own screen name now...which means she can read my profile...which means someone in my house could/does know about my blog...my world is crashing down)UR, the campus radio station.

Do you like my stream of consciousness? It was in rare form tonight.

Random Factoid: Charles Dickens's first chapter was "The Dawn" and his last was "The Dawn Revisited"...in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. He never finished it..."the Dawn Revisited" is actually the middle chapter....I wonder what the last would have been.

Pip Pip.

11.03.2005

Watch Out: Two days in a row

I just thought it was my obligation to keep you updated on events.

Theatrical events.

So, we did not run every alternate ending today like we were going to....however, the director chose me anyway for the kissing scene. So it wasn't three girls today, but it was one.

Refresher: the musical has the audience select different scenarios, this one being two lovers.

Refresher 2: I've never kissed a girl (or a boy, technically speaking...one person reading this understands) on the lips before....ever.

So, we sang our song. We gazed into each others eyes in an acting fashion. The cast behind us kept murmoring loudly "kiss...kiss...kiss". And the director said "alright, just a little peck."

First of all, smart director...ease into these things. She doesn't know it's my first kiss (nor does anyone in the cast) but she knows kisses on stage can be awkward.

So I smiled at the girl, leaned in, and she leaned forward and pecked me on the lips.

That was that.

So i still haven't gotten my first kiss.

But that's the first time a girl's lips have touched mine.

I of course have no romantic feelings for this girl; actually don't care for her.

But the peck has made me much less worried about the actual kiss.

All those friends who said don't fret over it (fret was my own word choice), you were right. It'll actually be fun, perhaps, but not likely, tomorrow.

Random Factoid: Bill Clinton's autobiography is titled My Life. We heard all about it in Poli Sci today.

Pip pip.

11.02.2005

Dilemma

I used to pronounce that word "dih-LEM-a", but I had a professor who said "DIE-lem-a" and I like that. So i usually say dilemma now.

Gotcha. Which way did you pronounce that? Uh huh. Thought so. I'm a tricky devil.

So, I was talking to Joe about this dilemma. He says I shouldn't even think about it. So my blogging about it completely goes against what he told me to do. Oh well. I still appreciate the advice, Joe, but I'd appreciate other advice in addition (though I'll still value yours the most...shhh...don't tell anyone...it'll be our little secret...hey, you there!...stop reading in between the parentheses...this is a private aside...oh crap...no he/she knows...all right, good idea...we'll stop talking...no one will be the wiser...that means you!)

By the way, Joe's girlfriend's name is Patty.

No it's not; I lied to you.

So the dielemma:

As you all know, I have never been in a relationship. Consequentially, I have never been kissed, nor have I been the one doing the kissing. I've been in shows, but never in a romantic part. The point: these lips have never touched another pair.

Tomorrow, though, most likely, I will have to kiss 3 girls. Sounds fun? Wrong. It's just a stage kiss in rehearsal? Wrong. Actually, correct, but your assumption that it therefore is meaningless is wrong.

You see, I don't know the first thing about kissing. I have no idea how it's done. So tomorrow when we're practicing the three alternate endings in which I would kiss a different leading lady, I have to kiss for the first, second, and third time. I'm going to flounder around like a fool and have no idea what to do and then they're going to laugh at me, mostly behind my back.

Already, I can sense that they don't want to kiss me. Why would they. I see them mumbling...I'm sure it's about me.

So, I could tell them it's my first time. Then the girls will fawn over me in a sweet, yet condescending manner and the guys will think i'm a weirdo.

Either way, I'm screwed. Unless I am a good kisser. Maybe I could be. I have no idea. But I assume it takes practice. And that I ain't got.

I could tell them I'm gay. I'm not sure how that would help. But it might.

Suggestions welcomed!

Random Factoid: The tongue has four taste bud areas. Do I use tongue in a stage kiss? How do you use tongue? Is that a french kiss? Is tongue typical of any kiss? Should this be a peck? It has to last 3-5 seconds. So is that making out? I don't understand the first thing about any of this.

Pip Pip...

10.27.2005

I'm Feeling Good

I got low grades on all my midterms, my evenings are consumed by musical rehearsals, I have to wake up at 8am every morning, my various jobs are driving me up the wall...

Yet I feel good.

For the first time in a few weeks I suddenly feel relaxed. I know I'm not really relaxed, but I feel alright. No, I feel good.

I can't explain it. Maybe I'm delusional. Maybe I just don't care anymore...if I didn't care, I wouldn't still be doing things that I'm doing. Maybe i just don't want to care.

I don't know.

But I feel good.

"in the neighborhood."

My desk is a mess. I'm not sure why it always gets so messy. I have such a left-brained personality when it comes to lists and things like that. On my computer, I want everything it's neat little place. When I'm typing things, I do whatever needs to be done make everything aligned and justified. But I have no reservations about just throwing things onto my desk.

I also hate dirt. I can't stand the feeling of filth on my skin. So why do I leave clothes lying around?

My life is a paradox.

But I feel good.

The White Sox won the World Series. It's incredible. The second-longest streak ending right after the third-longest streak ended. You know what that means...the Indians (4th) will win next year. I can't expect the 97 years and counting drought to finish up in my lifetime. You know how many Cub fans have died waiting for the Cubs to win a World Series? Anyone born after October of 1908 who has died could have potentially been a Cub fan and would then have never seen them win. That's really sad.

Random Factoid: George W. Bush has rescinded his nomination of Harriet Miers following conservative outrage.

Related Opinionoid: Maybe now he'll actually try to push the envelope with a real and qualified conservative. For Pete's sake, you have a Republican majority: use it!

Pip Pip.

10.13.2005

I'm Addicted to Stress

I believe that in a previous post I made an allusion to a Dr. Demento song titled (not entitled, as I've learned in my journalism class) "I'm Addicted to Stress." (Oh, listen to me...I made it seem like it's a possibility that I might have made that allusion before by using the word "believe" (my sentence structure is very convoluted)...in all actuality, I KNOW I've quoted lyrics from that song, so scroll down for a deeper look into the song.

Did you like when I did a highlight reel? Of some of my funniest posting moments? Should I do that again? I'm going to anyway, whether you like it or not, so blah.

Anyway, so I'm addicted to stress.

Here's my schedule from now until November 20. Every day wake up at approximately 8am for my work-study job, which takes me to noon. Then I usually have classes from 1 to 5, with random breaks and variations. Then I have rehearsal for the musical I'm in, the Mystery of Edwin Drood (I'll tell more about that in a later post), from about 6:30 to 10:30. That leaves me hours for eating and sleeping...not much for studying or reading..."what do you mean, mortonson/bobo? You can study/read after rehearsal."...#1, after a long day I can barely keep my eyes open enough to concentrate...#2, if I stay up long, then I sleep in past my alarm, which I've done pretty much every single day this year.

Oh, by the way, on top of those daily commitments, I have my radio station commitments (sports, broadway, and political) and my choir commitments (weekend concerts).

ARRRRRRRRGH!

Randomly, as I felt I needed some random insertion, here's another funny song from Dr. Demento, sung in a soft, whispery ballad style.

"We're Standing on the Shoulders of Freaks"

Ancient philosophy was framed by prodigy
Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates.
Even thought their thoughts were deemed the aristocratic voice,
They also had a thing for little boys.

Catherine the Great
So it's been said
Needed large animals to be fulfilled in bed.

From historic rulers to the ancient Greeks
We're standing on the shoulders of freaks.

"Isn't life pretty" Ernest Hemingway once said,
Then he put a bullet through his head.
Salvado Dali's surreal paintings were God-send
You'd never know he ate his own excrement.

Then there's DaVinci
For who it required
Dressing in women's underwear to be inspired.

From the great romantics to the ancient Greeks,
We're standing on the shoulders of freaks.

... Well, I hope you enjoyed that.

Talk to you later,

Random Factoid: Prostitution is the oldest profession, so they say.

Pip pip.

10.06.2005

Even Ryan "Bobo" Mortonson has a price

That's right, former friends. Even I can be bought. I've said for years that I couldn't, but I was wrong. There are certain offers that I can't turn down, no matter the consequences.

Background: I am avidly against drinking. I am proud of the fact that I have sipped alcohol three times, all in church, and all transubstantiated, so it doesn't even count. Here I am in college and I had promised myself I would not drink until I was 21. There is no moral reason behind this decision; I just don't think that law should be broken. I have a respect for the system, as well as a stubbornness to not be like "everyone else."

But I sold out. I made a deal with the devil last night. I shook on my drinking half a bottle of wine some day before winter break. The exchange? The other people in the deal raise $500 for Alzheimer's. That is my cause, my charity, the one philanthropic endeavor I care more about than anything in the world. My grandmother suffered for six years with it; no one should have to go through that. So I agreed.

People have already started arguing with me about it, as they should. Some say I could have just raised the money. Would college kids really give much money to a charity that most of them don't give a crap about, with no incentive attached? No, they wouldn't. This way, I'm guranteeing to raise the money (lots of people want to see this) and I'm giving them something in return...Ryan Morton drunk for an evening.

I'm not going to start drinking after that, as if I did it once, might as well do it again. After this, I will go back to my prohibition, until I'm 21 or if another equally attractive offer presents itself.

I respect the law, I love my grandmother. She won out.

These people aren't bad guys. They're not going to let me get trashed, or send me nude in the street or anything like that. Everyone who donates will be invited to see it, they'll get their kicks, and the Alzheimer's Association will get $500, 76.6% of which will go toward research.

Let me know how dispicable you think I am. Chat it on the side.

Random Factoid: There are 5 drugs on the market to slow or pause dementia, but nothing to stop or reverse the deteriation process.

Pip pip.

10.02.2005

My Life

You know you've hit it big in the blogging industry when people you didn't even know read your blog are begging for updates. I suppose I do put it on my profile, so it's accessible by all my friends, but it's still nice to know people care.

For instance, Mr. Malcolm Gray, speaking through a translator, asked me to "update your blog, please." Now, that could be because he likes my deadpan, never-know-what-to-expect humor. More likely, he's an away message stalker and is sick of reading that my blog was last updated two weeks ago.

This would be a good time to mention that in the last post, I said that Joe's girlfriend forced me to update. Joe's girlfriend IMed me soon after to show her displeasure in my referring to her as "Joe's girlfriend." "I have a name, you know" Joe's girlfriend said. So, I want you all to know that Joe's girlfriend has a name. I hope you're happy, Sally.

No, Sally is not her name. Sally is a character's name in Urinetown, the musical I saw last night at Shanley Pavilion...a wretched place to perform any production. It's a shack. They turned away about 60 people at each performance. 60 times 5 times 5 is a big number...bigger than 1,499. Had they been given a bigger auditorium, they could have made more than $1,499 and used that money toward the bigger auditorium. It's a disgrace.

The musical was very good though...On my new and improved broadway show (Breakfast with Broadway, 6-9am (just tune in at 8) on 89.3FM, www.wnur.org) we're going to have a Northwestern Tonies Award Show in June...I found at least two nominees in Urinetown. Ooooh, and I have a staff now for my show. They don't like to be called staff...but they're not partners yet...what should they be called?

Quick poll: Who should be the number one seed in our ping pong tournament? Cary Steklof or Dan Green? If you're a PARCer, post on the side. If you're a high school friend, long time no see.

Well, I think that's a sufficient update for now. There's more to tell, but why waste it all right now.

Cubs Update: Cubs ended the season at 79-83...pitiful...Dusty Baker should be fired...we couldn't even keep Houston out of the playoffs...terrible.

Random Factoid: Don Adams died last Sunday at the age of 82. He was the star of my favorite TV show, Get Smart, from the 1960s. I love that show.

Pip Pip

9.17.2005

Oh Happy Da-a-ay!

Or, "Oh Mildly Pleasant with Few Negative Experiences Da-a-ay"

Happy Day would mean Ryan has found someone, anyone, to be with for even one happy day. Mildly Pleasant with Few Negative Experiences Day means Ryan has taken steps toward a Happy Day.

I will speak in vague terms right now. Actually, on second thought, this blog is accessed throught my IM profile. Many people have the opportunity to access this blog. That relates directly to my Mildly...Day. Therefore, I am not going to say anything about it. If you want to know more, IM me.

Apparently, according to Shane, there is a Figment the Magic Dragon. Darned if I knew.

Kyle got me a birthday card last month that is the most perfect thing I've ever read. Listen to this paraphrased version: "Time to take the Old Guy Oath: I, Ryan, being of questionable mind and aging body, do solemnly declare myself an "Old Guy" and am hereby officially permitted to : mumble incoherently to myself...wear hats...constantly kvetch about my lower back...call all teenagers 'stupid little punks'...and fall asleep with absolutely no warning."

Isn't that incredibly descriptive of me? There were some disgusting parts about it too, like farting and scratching places, but I omitted them with my favorite punctuation, the elipse. Ironically, my favorite solar phenomenon is an eclipse. So similar in spelling.

Alright, it's not that ironic...How many solar phenomenons are there?

Alright, you caught me. I made up the part about my favorite solar phenomenon to able to discuss the irony. Leave me alone.

If any of you are Northwestern football fans, and you're not doing anything tomorrow at 7pm, tune in to 89.3 WNUR-FM Evanston-Chicago for a broadcast of the football game. I'm doing pre and post game, plus highlights. Senior Alex Freedman is play-by-play, Junior Ray Garcia is color, and Junior Guy Benson is sidelines. Senior Howard Tilman is also hosting pre and post games. Thanks for reading this paragraph that you don't give a squat about.

Cubs Update: Cubs won 5-3. Ryan Dempster converted yet another save; he's been great, 28 for 30 or something like that. Maddux tries desperately to get to 13 wins tomorrow.

Random Factoid: Greg Maddux has 17 consecutive seasons with 15 or more wins.

Pip Pip.

9.16.2005

1:26 A.M., and All's Well

You should have read that in an annoying, drawn out, echoing voice, with a tinge of an english accent. If you are familiar with any farce movie, they do it that way. Also, as a point of reference, refer to Michael McGrath talking in "I Am Not Dead Yet" from Spamalot. He doesn't say that, but he does use the voice to which I am referring.

Did you like how I refrained from ending that sentence with a preposition. I find that the hardest thing to do grammatically. I usually type it correctly, but speaking it is a lost cause.

That was my first attempt at being random in this post. Unless you count the McGrath reference, though that related to my title, so it actually followed a train of thought. Of course, all my thoughts follow a train, hence I say I write in a train-of-thought manner. My train is Gordon. He was the grumpy, stodgy blue train. I can't remember his number. He was always mean to Thomas, but he'd be there in the end. Who was Thomas's friend? It was the green train, right? When they threw that third blue train into the show, I said enough is enough. At least I could tell the difference between Gordon and Thomas, but three was ridiculous. Look at the color spectrum some time on any Microsoft office product. So many colors to choose from, and they used bright blue three times.

That was quite random. I am content.

So I moved back to Northwestern yesterday. I am blogging because Joe has been keeping up to date. Not really though. It through that. Joe is blogging because his girlfriend his insisting. That's the same thing with me. SIMMER DOWN READERS! No, I do not have a girlfriend, nor will I ever. What I meant was that Joe's girlfriend told me to update, so I am.

Speaking of Ryan's future relationships (maybe that should a regular piece of my blog, like random factoids and Cub updates), I currently have prospects. One I am pursuing, one that might be pursuing me. It's probably all figments of my imagination.

Have you ever thought of what a figment would look like. For instance, if you were playing pictionary, how would you draw a figment? OR even worse, how would act out figment if you were playing charades. Suggestions welcome.

My suite here at NU is great...no freshman, but a 7:1 conservative ratio (80-2 the rest of the dorm, or something like that)...Our room this year is amazing. It's twice as big as last year; I don't know what to do with all the space. (there's another odd phrase. "do with the space." I can't even explain it, it makes no sense).

I'll tell you more details later...this entry is dragging, like Puff. You know, Puff, the Magic Dragging...maybe not.

Cubs Update: Lost 6-1 to the Cardinals...started their rally in the 9th...currently in discussion with Switzerland about relocating.

Random Factoid: Switzerland is the only country in Europe with a "z." Africa has so many "z"s, you'd think they could lend Europe one.

Pip Pip.

6.11.2005

Hasta La Vista Northwestern

Translation: Hasta La Vista College Ryan Attends.

I'm finally done with school; kind of. In 2 hours, I go do my last broadway show (time for train-of-thought: last week was my Tony Spectacular, with the world premiere of Spelling Bee and an exclusive interview with the producer of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Ruth Hendel. I think it went extremely well; I played only the four nominated musicals and gave info on each of them. Then, I watched on Sunday as the Tonys played out [best award shows ever, thanks to the live performances and singing]. I was very nervous as my least favorite won 6 of 11 nominations [Light in the Piazza], but Spamalot did come away with the big victory, though I favored Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. I truly believe that, unlike most years, all four of these musicals could become popular, along with Little Women, which was not nominated) and then next week I do some Baccalaureate Choir stuff for a little pittance of money. But for all intensive purposes, I'm done.

My first year academically wasn't fantastic, but I had a great time doing sports broadcasts (on-air play-by-play and color-commentary)(lots of hyphens in that parenthetical statement) and my music show.

Now I go home for free-lancing for the Herald and lounging for myself.

I had a very tough final week. The closest person in my life to my, my role model, my grandmother died Sunday morning. In essence, I lost her 6 years ago when she started showing signs of Alzheimers, so this was really a release. But there was always a futile hope that it would all just go away and she would be better, but now she's gone. So my freshman year began and ended with the deaths of my grandmothers. Unforgettable.

I need to end the post here, before I cry...how do you show tears in a blog? ```` Does that work? Sure, from now on, when I cry, I'll go ````. And if it's a sarcastic cry, I'll go ~~~~. That works.

6/10 = The Cubs rocked the Red Sox in Boston's first ever appearance at Wrigley Field, 14-6. Greg Maddux pitched great and hit a home run, his fifth of his career in his 310th win. Jeremy Burnitz hit 2 homeruns.

Random Factoid: Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell starred in the 1989-1994 TV Series on NBC, Quantum Leap. If you look during Seinfeld's TV pilot season, the NBC offices have a picture of QL.

Pip Pip.