The Assault on America's Senses

I am about to do something very unusual, and I would like you to read about it here.

Yew Nork

New York.
What can I say?

(NY Trip July 11 - 14)

The People

(Apologies for the crazy image sizes, but Flickr doesn't play nice with Blogger.)



I lived with Justin for two years in college. He's a great guy; unflappably relaxed, quick to laugh, and brilliant behind the editing console. He's one of the first people I've met who just pours out creativity, and is relentless in his pursuit of artistry. Justin was kind enough to let me and Kris spend several days in his lovely East Village apartment.



Kris is my longtime pal, currently residing in Boulder, CO where she does magical things with hard drives. Kris was the art director at the Gargoyle for three tumultuous years, and her artistic accomplishments speak for themselves. Despite working with me while I was editor we've remained friends -- a rarity at the Gargoyle.



Jennifer is the only person I know that sent in an unsolicited application to the Gargoyle. Talented with words, the Gargoyle was not enough to contain her and she's worked at all kinds of places (including the hardly reputible Michigan Daily). She met Justin during a hectic evening we all barely recall, and is now living with him in beautiful Yew Nork, NY.



From left to right: Kris, Me, Jennifer, Justin



Hyatt(hyatthyatthyatt) is another former roomate. Like Justin, he majored in film but spent a good deal of time focused on stagecraft. Currently living in Brooklyn, Hyatt is involved in some kind of theatre company. Unfortunately, the play he's working on opened after we left. Fortunately, he worked on a faux-blaxploitation movie that you can enjoy.



Cathy is the current editor of the Gargoyle and a skilled artist besides. Another film major (how does this happen to me?), she used my apartment on Madison street as a set for a student film. I'm not in it, on account of nearly dying from the flu. She's spending the summer in Yew Nork working as an intern for Conde Naste, the publishers of several magazines -- including the Yew Norker. I'm not in the least bit jealous.



Justin's Friends were many and varied; they were all so welcoming, if confused by us and our strange ways.
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The Places



If pressed I'd have to say that we spent 70% of our time in Justin's apartment. Watching movies, laughing our heads off, and wondering what to do next it was the perfect staging ground for our adventure(s). Not having a TV, Justin has made do with his laptop hooked up to a massive HD computer monitor. The affect of which, coupled with his seemingly inexhaustible supply of hi-res films, was quite impressive.

I slept on an air bed. Not an air mattress, an air bed. It was about three feet thick with a slow leak that meant I entered stranger and stranger positions throughout the night. Given that, it is odd that I not only slept well, but enjoyed the challenge.

Justin's apartment has three gold records and one platinum record on the walls. How cool is that?

I can talk at great length about the restuarants. We experienced phenomenal pizza, delictable Italian food, and uniquely Ukranian quisine throughout our travels. Chicago is the food capital of the US, of course, but NY gave us some phenomenal options. And the bars weren't too bad either.

After much recommendation from my parents, and friends, we made sure to hit up Essa bagel. While I have had several NY-style bagels, this was a unique experience. With a variety of fillings and toppings, complimented by a laid back experience and a truly massive bagel it should not be missed.

We also made a meal out of soup-filled dumplings. There's not much more to say about this except that it was awesome.

There were several encounters and experiences in a Halloween shop, followed by an overwhelming trip to Forbidden Planet -- the famed NY comic shop. I was excited to see the place, having heard so much about it on the Internet but left a little disappointed. We couldn't figure out the organization of the place, and the only staffer I spoke too was brisk to the point of rudeness. The place has serious potential, but could use a little refinement. However, I don't regret a moment (or a cent) of the time spent there.

We did amble around Battery Park, discovered secret statues of dogs in Central Park, and paid our respects to the flashing light gods of Time Square. We attempted a museum trip but were deflected by strange scheduling, instead paying a visit to a few galleries where we saw Seuss and Dali on the same street. Quite a time.



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The Things

A series of strange and wonderful movies Justin provided

Barack Pharoh-bama



Large, Ukranian meatballs



A clutch of art pens

Mattresses designed to give the sleeper a nautical adventure on a cushion of air

Small notebooks, filled with giggling sketches

Postcards

Old cameras valued for their peculiarities, rather then their photo prowess

A straw hat that's been everywhere

The sweat stain I left on the plastic bench in the 4 train

The homeless man that explained the Amtrak system to me

A gawdy gilded newsletter professing the wrath of God and the terrors of satan, complete with bedazzled cross clipart and a photo of the Elvis/Cash hybrid preacher

The quiet voice of a man as he passes quickly buy, quietly broadcasting his trade in fake IDs amidst the pulsations of Canal street.

A pizza joint that has a Major Award



The shirt that your friend also bought, that you don't wear on the same day

Finding yourself acting like you did 4 years ago

The future machine



A book about Sartre that you take off your friend's shelf, read, and makes you realize that you don't really like Sartre all that much



All these pictures come from the Flickr pool we put together. It's named for the Tom Wait's song, and will hopefully grow to include a complete if bizarre pictoral account of our trip.

Mini Roadtrip!

Hot on the heels of our minivacation to Chincoteague island is our miniature roadtrip!

The journey begins in Virginia on Saturday morning, from which we will travel (with dog, via rental car) to Chicago. From there, we go around noble Lake Michigan to Frankenmuth where a wedding will be attended (by us, not the dog) on Sunday.
Then we turn south, and spend the evening in the bosom of my family (Troy, MI). Early monday afternoon, we return to Chicago where I will take a flight directly back to Washington.

A circuitous route, to be sure, but one that accomplishes many goals:

1. A WEDDING will be attended
2. CLAIRE will be returned to CHICAGO, where she will spend two months (with DOG) conserving an ASSYRIAN FRIEZE for the University of Chicago Oriental Institute (awesome)
3. My family will be VISITED

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Pictures and reflections on Chincoteague and this road trip to be posted after my return!
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I am going to miss her; and the dog.
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Fabled Aunt and beloved blog-reader Barbara commented on the previous pony-related post:

I too wanted to go to Chincoteague to commune with the ponies. Settled for (long story) sister island, Assateague, home of massive herds of mosquitos, which are driven up and down the beach each night by Park Service sprayers.

A clarification: the Chincoteague ponies actually live on Assateague island, and are herded across to Chincoteague only once a year. Perhaps Barb was closer to her goal than she realized?

A spoiler for the upcoming post: WE SAW PONIES (3)!

All Cleaned Up

Shaved, showered, and ready to face tomorrow. After defeating airports, plane delays, and many other sundry antagonists I have arrived home and prepared myself for work tomorrow.

I had a great time over my little vacation. It was a joy to see everyone again, and my only regret is that I couldn't spend as much time as I would have liked in any one place.

Christmas behind, New Years ahead.

Travel Plans -- Virginia Bound

Dad and I are zipping off at 7am from Chatteau De Eddy in Troy, with hopes and dreams of arriving in Alexandria before 5pm.

Behold!


View Larger Map

At least that's the plan for the moment.

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Tomorrow, I pack. Tonight, I listen to Ezra Furman and the Harpoons for the 50,000th time.

Auspicious Start

I'm on spring break, and I say that it couldn't have gotten off to a better start.

1. Banjo arrived on Friday. Also had a good Garg meeting, despite low turnout (due to break). Also chilled with The Ninja and Co. An activity always guaranteed to lift the spirits.

2. Had a fabulous stay at home with family (and Banjo). Spent many hours with Lyons and Eddys alike. Received notes and advice re: life/banjo from entire family. Also watched The Incredibles for the first time since it's release. I had forgotten what a good movie it is.

3. Banjo stationed in Ann Arbor as I continued to West Lafayette to see even more family. From there, will proceed on to Illinois to locate Girlfriend (Claire) and obtain Opera (The Barber of Seville).

I'm loving this.

Yelling Outside of the Saudi Embassy

Claire and I have made it in to Washington D.C. and have begun our takeover plans.
Keith, my friend from Gargoyle days past, met us at the airport and has been our guide in this strange place of towering white stone. He's also letting us stay at his place for free.

Keith, we love you.

The feeling around D.C. is a very strange one. Last night we wandered the town, having parked the car over at the Watergate. How cool is it to say that? Very.

Many of my friends have either lived or worked in the capital, but this is my first time here. Aside from a brief lay-over on a 13-hour train ride.

I feel very strange about D.C.. So far, everything seems very clean, and very empty. Claire describes it as as pretend city: oddly empty, and without the kind of places and people that you might find in a place like Chicago or New York. Though that might be because of the areas we have seen.

There is something strange about the area. I can't quite put my finger on it. Perhaps its the positively balmy weather.

Today, we're going to see some museums -- where Claire plans to make her livelihood -- and then meet with Claire's dear family friend Lisa. Tomorrow is campus tours and an evening flight out.

Maybe I'll have the place figured out by then. Or maybe it's just too strange for this simple midwest boy.

A Journey

Sometimes I forget that the primary purpose of this blog is to reassure the world that I am, in fact, still alive.

I am mere moments away from climbing aboard Bucephalus and embarking on a journey westward, to the quaint village of Chicago Town. Claire has arranged tickets for me to see an opera featuring Rene Flemming (sic), and so the journey begins.

UPDATE!
1. The Gargoyle is done! Issue four is ahead!

2. My classes have all met at least twice now and things seem alright. Sure, I have complaints, but it's not going to be too painful a semester.

3. It's lunch time!

So I had better eat.

More upon my return!

A Quick Word

Classes are over. But the fun continues!
I only have one exam left (ENG 350), but it's harder compared to my "eXtreme Weather Exam." Thankfully, I have read 50%+ of Paradise Lost, a little Fairey Queen (Spencer is lucky he's dead so I can't kill him myself), and all of Marlowe's Faustus. I think I am in good shape.

In my off-hours, I am working to rewrite my ENG 425 paper entitled "You Will Not Be An Astronaut." It's arduous, since I have 20 3-or-more-page reviews of it, plus my professor's comments. For me, re-writing is hard enough. Having to do it for a grade and on a time schedule is also straining. But I do have a week left, and I also have some idea of what I need to work on, so it's not all bad.

Also, out of a yearning artistic desire (but mostly fear), I wrote two pieces for the Gargoyle. The first chronicles the adventure of Joseph with Jesus, the bratty step-child. The second is a soliloquy delivered by the Miltonic Satan as he orders chinese food (spoiler: he uses "Stygian" a lot).

A busy time to be sure. The exams and the essays will be out of my (gorgeous) hair by the 20th, which is fantastic because I need more time to focus on the Gargoyle. We're going to print on the 11th of January, but since this is what I can safely call an "artistically experimental issue" it might not be enough time.

But it has to be.

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X-Mas plans are as follows: Back in the Troydizzle after the 22nd but before the 24th. In Indiana on the 26th. Possibly further south if time allows? Who knows.

Liked Spam, A Lot

It's been a busy few weeks in Max-land.
With classes winding down there's been papers galore, and what few exams I have require studying. Or at least requisite fretting.

This past weekend, Claire and I sojourned to East Lansing to join my family in glorious celebration of my father's birth. East lansing was chosen as the site of such festivities because:

A. It is the home of El Azteca, Mexican restaurant famed throughout the land for gigantic salads.

and

B. Spamalot was playing at MSU's Wharton Center for the Performing arts.

Spamalot is, if you are unawares, a musical spin-off of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I say "spinoff" since it is certainly not an adaptation of the film. The play goes in different directions than the movie, and very much it's own production. Where the film focused on lampooning campy King Arthur movies, the play spends most of it's time mocking broadway productions (spec. "The Song That Goes Like This," and "You Won't Make It On Broadway (If You Don't Have A Jew)") as well as a myriad of broader, more topical points. Though Spamalot occasionally draws on the film for familiar gags and plotpoints, it does so with a fresh new spin. The "Anarchic Peasants" scene from the movie is re-imagined as the origin of Sir Gallahad, and takes a moment to mock The Phantom Of The Opera along the way.
Despite it's success, the play is certainly under the shadow the film, and making comparisons between the two is inevitable. The taunting by the French is a scene so familiar that it's difficult to see it done anew. Yet it's author, original Pythonite Eric Idle, and director, Mike Nichols of Nichols and May, seem aware of this and have clearly strove to not let the play be just a remake.

It's great for fans of quality satire, people that enjoy a fair amount of cursing and lewd material in their plays (me! me!), and anyone with a sense of humor. If you're looking to test your knowledge of python material, and are one of those people that insist on reciting the "Knights Who Say Nee" sketch verbatim, then don't go to this play. And stay out of my house.

Anyway, the play was fantastic. You should all see it. Don't buy the soundtrack, though. You have to see the play to really appreciate it. Claire and I had a great time (apart for the hour where I got lost in East Lansing), and so did the rest of the family.

Happy Birthday, Dad! You're awesome!

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At this moment, I am in the basement of Cafe Ambrosia, waiting for my study group to arrive. Keith was in from DC where he works professional weiney burger starer. Awesome! Matt Thompson, of Mason Proper fame, was here too! Cool!
Me and Claire are going to try and see The Golden Compass tonight! Fantastic!

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Just saw Golden Compass! Fantastic!
Also: I guess George C. Scott really needed the money!

Thanksgiving

Thanks was gave and food was had -- an excellent time.

I went home on Wednesday, after having a lovely visit with Kris and Claire completing her GREs (she did quite well) and the next day we ate together with the Lyons' at their their house in Rochester Hills.

On Friday I journeyed southward to West Lafayette Indiana. The trip was especially notable since I won a game of Monopoly -- against Phil no less!

The trip back was pretty lousy. I hit foul weather around Ft. Wayne, and it just kept coming. The truck handled pretty well in the snow (and the rain, and sleet, and the freezing rain, and the hail(?)), to my surprise, and I made it back alright.

Winter has finally come to Ann Arbor. Today, I actually had to get out my big black coat and floppy-eared hat. Winter is a good season for me, despite the driving issues. Hopefully this last winter in Ann Arbor will be a nice end to my time here.

Another post after I finish this essay on the demonic in Paradise Lost and The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus.

Ps.
Some of you may remember me talking about The Challenge. I ordered it at the Sunrise Cafe in West Lafayette, IN. It's basically a giant pile of eggs, biscuits, has browns, bacon, and possibly more meat, all covered in delicious sausage gravy. I ate the whole thing in one sitting.

Now, there is finally proof.





These surprisingly good pictures were taken on Phil's cell phone. I don't think they really do The Challenge justice -- this thing was massive. Sadly, there are no photos of me and Phil destroying Mank Rage's couches, which happened shortly after my finishing The Challenge.

The Photos From Iceland

Many have asked, "Sir, hasn't our breath been baited enough? Are we not worthy of your many, many pictures of Iceland?"

Children, you have waited long enough.
Behold, I give unto yee (the little people) these pictures.

Trip To Iceland (And Beyond)

I chose only the best, least rock-related photos of the 541 primarily rock and landscape based photos to be posted. Each has what I hope to be some kind of explanatory caption, but do ask questions using the comment feature on each picture and I will use my encyclopedic knowledge to answer it.

I'd like to take a moment to explain just what happened to yours truly upon his glorious return from the Land of Ice (and Vikings). Claire and I came into New York, where we were met by Ba and Mare - my wondrous aunts of legend. After a night in the Casa De Everett (home of Rick Everett, man about town), we sojourned on to New York. Our two-day mission was to aide in moving Claire's sister Hannah into her new home at Columbia University.

After a few minor, less viking-related adventures in NY (sadly, not involving Justin Kavoussi) Claire and I headed back to Ann Arbor - the Big Sleazy. She left later the next day, and then I was on my own. Homeless and alone, but at least gainfully employed, I staggered through the next ten days. On the 31st of August, I moved into my new domicile and then immediately left for Indiana.

Since then, I have started classes (more on that later) and the Gargoyle has kicked into gear for the year (more on that later, also rhyming). The only real obstacle between me and getting back into semi-regular contact is the sheer lack of internet in my house. Despite my best efforts to steal it from neighbors, I have been without internet in my life since the 21st of August. I miss it, but according to the voice on the other end of the line a modem should materialize on or around the 11th of September.

Now take some time to enjoy the pictures. Its very late, and this Max is off to bed.

Back from Iceland (Hurrah!)

Hello all!

I am back, and have been so for a few days, I admit.
Iceland was wonderful, but I am sadly back in the working grind so I have to keep this brief (and then scuttle off to bed).

Expect pictures (a sliver of the 500+ that I took), and stories very soon!

It was a great adventure, and I was especially glad to see Mare, Barb and Rick along the way. But right now I am glad to be back in familiar territory and in contact with my family and friends.

Thats all for now, please wait for more with baited breath!

WE ARE HERE!

Hey all!

Me and Claire are here and safe in Iceland, but internet is hard to come by!
I'll try to get more up soon ok they are throwing me out of the cafe gotta go!

LÜV,
MAX AND CLAIRE

Iceland, Ho!

Hello, everyone.

Im in the JFK airport right now. Soon, Claire and I will be leaving for Iceland!
I'll try to get some posts in, but I can't say for sure whether or not I'll have internet access.

We'll be back on the 21st, with pictures and stories to follow.

Iceland!

Rolled Up And Eaten In A Pasty

Remember how I said that I'd check and see if there was some kind of deeper meaning to my trip the Upper Peninsula? Yeah, there isn't one.

I drove for a really, really long time. I counted mile markers. I pulled over for gas when my gauge went below 3/4 of a tank remaining - I was very paranoid. I saw huge windmills. I crossed a huge bridge. I got scared when outside of Munising, because there were ice flows in the lake. It was at that exact moment that I realized I was very, very far away from home and that I might be in trouble.

In Houghton, land of trees, I hung with Nate and his roomate Stu. Nice guy, Stu. Reminds me of someone - but Im not sure who. At some point while hanging around I noticed how well me and Nate work off of each other - we were just going back and forth with stories, commentaries, theories and general blather with machine gun speed. A good time, for sure. I have great friends, Im surely quite lucky.

We chitty-chatted late into the night. Very late. I didn't have much sleep in my system while caravanning back from the frozen north, but I did fine. Im told that the distance I traveled north is the same distance midway into Tennessee if applied southward. And to think I did it twice! It was remarkable to see the trees get greener and greener the farther south I went. Since most of the time anyplace you looked at up there seemed to come out of an ecology calendar, the drive was a lot like flipping through a Safari Club publication very quickly.

Im still pretty worn out from the whole thing. But by gum, I enjoyed myself. I take it back, there's some meaning in there somewhere. I'll write a book, and then let the students figure it out.

Here's some pictures:

The Great Northern Transport

Massive Michigan (word for trip beginning with "M")

Im back in Troy, at the Eddy Team Base, preparing for the single longest car trip I have ever endured.

Such a thing is, by definition, unprecedented.

The story begins many years ago in High School where I met a kid named Nate, in band class. He played sax in the campus band and I played clarinet, but somehow we met up. Fate? Naw. Its like sifting river gravel, which makes all the sediments of like mass move to the same area - drawing all the emeralds together. Did you like that? Did you see what I did there? Its a metaphor, describing how I feel about my serendipitous meeting with a dude who has continued to be a very close friend and creating a comparison between my homies and precious gems.

Anyway, we went on to have many misadventures through our highschool days, and since our graduation he's been making his home in the great white north, at Michigan Tech. Tomorrow morning, I will rise and get into my car. I'll turn on the newly installed stereo deck and rock out hardcore for 9.75 hours until I reach his pad.

I just checked, and I don't think there's any deeper metaphorical edge to this trip. Although I guess I won't really know until I get back.

See: map of amazing trip.

See Also:

Pictures of me and Claire at the Zoo!

This Is Now The Blog About Blogging

[Edit: Man, this post is really boring. I'll do better next time.]

As some may have noticed, I've started to step-up the whole blogging thing. The way I figure it, it's probably good for me. True, it does take up some of my time - and with school pressures and what not, that might not be such a great idea. However, I retort thus:

Firstly, it forces me to write. I enjoy writing, and it's something that I really want to pursue. Who knows, maybe even try to make a career out of it (one way or another). My good friend Keith, who is much wiser than me, once told me that if you want to write then you need to make time to do it. In the sense of everyday. I may not be pulling off everyday, but Im at least doing something.

Secondly, as anyone who knows me can attest I am not the most organized of people. The idea of having a deadline and trying to stick to it might just form some of those good habits that I keep hearing about. So far, it's working alright as an experiment in self-discipline. Most days I get the posts finished on time, but I haven't gotten to the point where I have worked ahead and proof what I blog. Hopefully, that will change. I've started to get into the habit of working ahead, writing smaller not so great posts that I keep around as a buffer. With any luck, this buffer will evolve into a system for creating quality, finished material.

On the subject of blogging, I've been experimenting with new ways to blog. Nothing to crazy yet, I've got some cool ideas that have yet to be realized but they'll have to wait. For those of you that are of age and don't mind the occasional poop joke, some of these new ideas might just come to fruition when we launch the Gargoyle 3.0 site. Anyway, lately I've been playing around with blogging clients.
A 'blogging client' is an application which I use to write and post to the web. For a long time Journler was my client of choice. I could do all my writing in Journler, which stores all the scraps and makes them searchable. Its main convenience was the ability to post to multiple blogs. I could write something for TalkingEds, Alive and Kicking and LiveJournal accounts and manage all the posting from Journler.
However, the update of Blogger has left Journler looking ragged about the edges. It can't handle dealing with the new Blogger system and has no support of tagging posts - a handy method of organization that I've tried to employ into my posts.
I gave Ecto and Marsedit a spin, but both were just not playing nice with blogger and neither seemed willing to play nice with tags.
So Im sticking with Journler - for now.
But I do need a change.

There's been some rumblings via email and comments that people want to learn about viking longships. Viking longships are totally awesome, and I am working on a little something to share for all interested parties.

In the meantime, I must ready myself for my journey to Indiana.
(Leaving Ann Arbor: Wed. Morning)
(Leaving West Lafayette: Sat. Morning)

Merry XMas, Kids.

Here's a short poem from all of us here in CHRISTMAS LAND.

Guess who got a Wii?
It was not you!
But it was me!

Merry Christmas to Mii.


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Things are well here in the house of Eddy. Me and the Geschwesters are all having a blast on our various electronic entertainment devices. Hope the holidays are treating everyone well!
Tomorrow we begin the journey southward to the great state of Indiana - which is as much a state of the union as it is a state of being. Bucephalus will accompany me on this trip, and I will be retunring no later than the 29th.
If you are in the Ann Arbor area come that time, look mii up for some GOOD NINTENDO TIMES.

(Oh man, the new Black Keys album is awesome)