My new place plus other random observations

So on May 1st I moved into my new place, moving out of my parents place after living there since Graduation from the good ol' U of I. I looked for a while, not looking at THAT many places before finding this place...which just seemed to seem right for me. First off, I originally had a good feeling about it. Second, as soon as I walked in and saw the size of the bedroom and living room, I was in. As per usual, picture do not do the place justice. Due to funny angles (It's behind you Tyrone...name that movie!), pictures of homes never turn out right. With that said, here is my attempt. It's like Tobias in Arrested Development when he suggests an open relationship for he and his wife..."It never works for them...but maybe for us..."

Up first...the Kitchen...

The bathroom...

The bedroom...


The breakfast bar/bookcase area...

the Office area plus future home of the a Fooseball table?

The living room angle #1...note the Serenity...

The living room angle #2...still note the Serenity...

So yes, that is my place. Very unimpressive from 2-D images I'm sure, but for you folks from the lower 48 it's about as good as you're going to get until you come up here and visit yours truly. I really loveit, as my Mom says "it's the ultimate bachelor's pad" or it's just the supreme lair of an extremely lazy person as I would say. Other awesome benefits of the place include proximity to other places. Its about two blocks from the Sullivan Arena and Mulcahy Field, so sporting events are a check. It is two minutes driving from downtown (35 minutes walking...well drunk walking), 2 minutes from the triumvriate of Kootz, Boscos, and Bear Tooth, and I'm about a minute from a Taco King, Barnes and Noble, and Westchester Lagoon Frisbee Golf course. Plus it's a nice neighborhood. I'm going to go ahead and say I like just a wee bit.

In other news, last night was the season finale of Lost. Let's just say...wow. What was that? It felt like I was just hit by a VW Bus. The season finale may not have been the best episode of TV I've ever seen (not REALLY far off though), but it was definitely the craziest and most mindblowing. I'm not going to reveal any details for those who may not have watched yet or for those who haven't even watched any of the show yet (Sister...) but it was revolutionary in its awesomeness. Plus it featured the return of my boy Locke. Best. Character. Ever. That isn't too big of a spoiler, as everyone thought he would come back. On that note, if you don't mind being spoiled and want to check out an excellent review, see IGN's review of the episode. Note the grade. 10 out of 10? Not too shabby at all. I just have to say...a lot of people complain about Lost. It goes nowhere, it does nothing, the breaks are too long. One way or another, people will complain about anything given enough time. Lost is no different. Regardless of those thoughts it has proven itself at the very least as consistently interesting and extremely well produced, even when we may not get the answers we want all the time. It remains firmly set as my second favorite show behind Battlestar Galactica. Which is depressing as one (Bstar) returns in January and the other (Lost) returns in February. Sad panda.

Follow up on my post about the NBA Draft Lottery...Bill Simmons responds. Mr. Simmons responds with much sadness expectedly, as there is no silver lining this time besides "at least there are the Sox and Patriots. No less, here is the article...it is a sad and entertaining reading by the greatest sports writer ever.

I swear, I must have brought some sort of positive concert karma to Alaska. My number one complaint of leaving the continental U.S. was my coming inability to see concerts. Well I've had no issue of shows to go to since I came back, and even more are coming. Two evenings ago it was announced that the White Stripes would be playing at the Egan Center in Anchorage. Which is so random I can barely even handle it. Also, Blue October will be playing the Alaska State Fair...and for those of you who are saying "what do I care about another random modern rock band from the radio?" Blue October is a cut above other radio bands, not the same as dreck like Nickelback or Hinder, they actually make very good music. So I will have shows to see on September 24th and August 31st now. Alaska, what happened to you. If it becomes 70 degrees very soon I will have absolutely nothing to complain about in regards to you!

Two last things...first off, Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End came out this evening. Join me in a boycott of this movie, as mediocre overly long and self-important movies like this do not deserve the time of day and your money. Beg, borrow, or steal your way into this movie, but don't support a movie like this. It's heartless and has no true creativity, but will make more in its first day than a brilliant and rich movie like Serenity made in its entire theatrical run. I'm sorry if this comes out as preachy, I just found that Pirates 2 was overly disappointing and really wish all of peoples money would go into something worthwhile, well, worthwhile from an entertainment standpoint. Not saying you should throw some money at Greenpeace or something, just support something that doesn't have the support and is...better. This weekend alone at Bear Tooth, Pride, Reign Over Me, and Zodiac are playing. Save some money and see one of them, or still save some money and see all 3 of those! If you really want, spend a bit extra and get some truly excellent pizza at the same time. Now doesn't that sound more appetizing?

Lastly, I have to point this out. World of Warcraft is extremely famous at this point, if not through the sheer largeness of subscribers (not saying the subscribers are large...just that there are many of them) but through the news about the obsession it causes, then the mocking of it in pop culture - namely in a hilarious episode of South Park. This may be going too far however. In this article, it discusses a woman who traded sexual favors for gold in WoW. Seriously. What is the world coming to? All I know is, whenever I write about something like the WoW thing or Pirates...I feel very old. And yes, I am 23, but as they say in the movie films, I'm an old soul.