zacfoo.com

the big one

just passed 10,000 hits to this site.  It's about time...  This blog has been up for almost 2 years now.  Of course I haven't posted that much, but still...

I'm happy.  Here's to 10,000 more happier readers!

why do I feel like I have to do this

Having a blog is a good thing, right?  Why do I feel like I have to update; I must fill you in on what's going on here in g'vegas?  Yes... I'll purposely leave that ambiguous.  I needed to say that; whether that's my real opinion on the subject I don't know yet.

My friends are asking me why I don't update more often... I don't think about it.  I've been so wrapped up in school and everything that's going on here that it's been too easy to forget about everything else that I'm supposed to be up to.  So, I'm gonna try to be better about it.  But, if you've followed me for any length of time you've heard me say this too often.  So, I'm capricious...

Yes, a friend called me that the other day.  And yes, I am; I do have to admit it. Although I personally like the more neutral word: spontaneous.  But it's to a fault; especially in certain areas.  I'm working on it...

I finished Last of the Mohicans, albeit the last few chapters were on SparkNotes.   Yah, I really hate that.  I so want to finish the book for real, but since i'm not having class on Thursday I had to finish by tomorrow.  Big quiz on the whole book and stuff.  I don't think I planned poorly for reading it, its just that Mohicans was really long.  And it's tough to plow through in three weeks, when there is other stuff going on too.  But I liked it.  Natty Bumppo is a really neat character.  Heyward is cool, too.  The Indian vs. White man conflict was treated on an individual basis and provided deep insight into how White imperialism in America affected the Native American.  Good stuff.

Props to my chica.  The grilled cheese was wonderful.

For those of you who drink Starbucks

The Starbucks Hack

Get your coffee, latte, and cappuchino in "short" size now. Better taste and better price; what could be better?

now @ zacfoo.com, a DNS

courtesy of GoDaddy.com, zacfoo.com is now actually http://www.zacfoo.com  Go ahead, type it in the address bar.  Thanks to the site here I can now receive hits from people who hear of my site and think that's the address:  because it is the address!!

So make sure you update your bookmarks, if you want.  I'm still hosted at Typepad and the zacfoo.typepad.com address still works.  but to help you remember, and to help as you refer all your friends to my site, you can simply use www.zacfoo.com and my mug will be featured along with all the miscellaneous verbage you have grown to love about me.

Hello, dolly!

Hey again!  I'm still kicking here in G'ville.  Just thought I'd say hi.  Probably won't bring everybody up to speed, because that would be too much at one time.  But I will say that this semester has been a doozy!  King Lear was fantastic; an amazing experience.  Who cares if I only had one line?  Just being a part of the whole thing was a huge honor.  The Dating Outing was frenetic, but turned out great: tons of fun.  This week is finals week: one down and four to go.  I've learned a lot this time around.  I'm still loving history, and am taking History of Rome next semester: should be very interesting.  I'm really liking American Lit. too. So I decided to go with American Novel for my last English Lit. class.  8 novels to read over the holiday break and next semester?  what did i get myself into?  oh well...

Coffee is good for you!

Duh, you say!  Well, according to a recent study, it's been proven scientifically.

Check this link out: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/28/AR2005082800301.html

Post #100

I suppose for my 100th post I should lay out some things for the general public to know.  Judging by recent events I have surmised that some people who have visited my blog have taken things a bit too far.  Let's put it on the table, don't be confused here:  I AM RARELY DOGMATIC.  Take everything you see here with a grain of salt.  This is a personal "blog".  I post "miscellaneous verbage, random spouts of wisdom, and other things." This is not someplace official.  This is where I personally comment on happenings at school, work, socially, and other areas of my life, nothing more.  I occasionally step on some toes, sometimes unintentionally, sometimes purposefully.  But with the purposeful times: I do it to get you to think.  I think, and am proud of the times when I actually make sense.  When I get dogmatic, you ought to know it.

So if you have a problem with something I say, let ME know in straightforward terms IN MY COMMENTS SECTION.  Don't go whining to someone else who is not primarily responsible for the content on this site.  You have a right to hold different opinions than I do, and I understand, respect, and expect some to disagree.  I keep my comments section open for those who wish to disagree as well as those who wish me well.  Those who approach me with the proper spirit, genuinely concerned about the possible ramifications of what I have posted, will receive a welcome hearing.  I will consider what you have to say, and make changes if they are called for. Remember, the Internet is an open forum; we who publish personal opinions on the Internet have a right to say what we wish.  Of course, since I'm a Christian what I say will be reasonable and balanced, tempered (hopefully) by a Christlike spirit.  And I pray that that attitude is presented here.

I've been told by someone in a position I respect that "what you write will be held against you".  I understand that.  Remember that I'm just a college student, just a Junior at the time.  I have much to learn, and my opinions and convictions most likely will change with time.  But in the meantime, I have something to say.  I'm gonna be careful in how I say it.  My purpose is not to offend, but to make you think. Be flexible. Take what I say whichever way you want, but always with a grain of salt.

My hat's off to ESPN2

Yes, kudos to ESPN and ESPN2 for showing the USC vs. VT game "Behind the Scenes". What a production they have going on there. I was flipping back and forth between ESPN and ESPN2 and I chose to stay on the "Behind the Scenes" show on ESPN2. To get some background here, ESPN did a behind the scenes show a while back with one of their "SportsCenter" episodes, simulcasting a live run of the SportsCenter news show on ESPN and "Behind the Scenes of SportsCenter" on ESPN2. This, I assume, was a real treat for the fans out there, so they decided to do another one, but this time with a full-fledged telecast of a College Football game. I would guess a much taller order to fill.

I can't believe how these people can work like this. I remember from my high-school football days how hectic it could get with the coaches trying to communicate and get the team working like a well-oiled machine. Just think of it on the college level with 50,000 screaming fans in the stadium and millions watching on TV. That's pressure. Now taking it to a higher level, think of the TV production crew having to present the game with all the cool graphics, the stats, the cool yellow first down line thingy, coordinating all the cameras, the replays, getting the sideline reporters to catch the coach at halftime, and so much more. That's just something waiting to explode. What if the Producer just happens to choke on a pretzel and passes out, what would happen to the show? It would most likely go on without anyone at home being the wiser. That's how good these people are. I'm gonna watch a lot of ESPN's presentations of College Football this season. They know how to make a football game come alive. It's almost as good as being there.

I Love eBay

With school starting in a week, I've been preparing for that all-important aspect of the academic life, clothes. To begin with though, I have to get one thing straight: I am not a clothes freak. I do not go shopping to buy stuff. And when I do decide to buy, I do not buy an item of clothing because it looks good. I buy an item of clothing because it's on sale in the clearance section of the Salvation Army store, and because it looks good. So needless to say, I haven't found much there. I go to TJ Maxx or Marshall's instead. I'm a spend thrift, and if I can save more than half off the original price then I'm happy.

I also have to say that I'm a name-brander. Those clothes-makers are always better at making clothes than what Wal-mart sells. They use better materials, have a more sophisticated manufacturing process, the colors are more vibrant, they age/wear better, and they just feel better. Plus it has "Abercrombie", "Banana Republic", or "Polo" on the tag. And that just means cool.

Unfortunately, this desire to wear name-brand clothes and the desire to spend as little as possible on clothes often come into conflict. Aside from the few gems that I find on the sale racks at the retail stores or Marshall's, I haven't had both goals met.

So I've found a new friend to help with my frugality. My friend Internet pointed the way to a little site called eBay. I've been a member there for quite a while, but I never really used the services for more than stuff that I couldn't find anywhere else. But Internet convinced me after seeing an Abercrombie sweater on eBay for $7 that I couldn't pass this opportunity up. So I went on a bidding spree. Retaining my old maxim for RW (real world) stores, I was not willing to purchase items for more than 50% of the original value at this VW (virtual world) store. And boy did I make out good. Check it out when you see me next. I'm probably wearing something that cost 75% less than MSRP. Ha ha ha, retailers. I won.

I love it when a plan comes together.

Spooky Car Advertisement

This is a car advertisement for BMW. When they finished filming the ad the people who made it noticed something moving along the side of the car, like a ghostly white mist. The ad was never put on TV because the unexplained ghostly phenomenon frightened the production team out of their wits.

Watch it and about halfway through you will see the white mist crossing in front of the car then following it along the road... Spooky!

Turn your sound on, then click here to watch the movie.