World Cup Bound

The United States soccer team beat Honduras 3-2 tonight to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Thanks to Justin.tv I was able to watch the game, and it really was an exciting one. The US and Honduras combined for 5 goals in the 2nd half, and the game came down to the wire. Honduras missed a crucial penalty kick late in the 2nd half, which would have given them the chance to tie the game, and the US managed to pull out a victory.

The US soccer team’s win was welcome news because I was saddened as the St. Louis Cardinals fell to the Dodgers 5-1 to lose the 2009 National League Divisional Series. The Cardinals didn’t put up much of a fight against the Dodgers over the course of the series. You win some, you lose some.

But anyways, USA!! USA!! USA!!

Nathan’s Yearbook Signatures

All of these are taken directly from my high school yearbooks. In going through these, I’ve learned what an odd place Pawnee HS was circa 1996-1999.

Well, anyways we should probably get started but remember, “Stay cool this summer. Good luck with the girls. See ya next year.”

Freshman Year

“Nathan is a crack head” – Bunk
“Nathan you know our friendship will always last” – Love, Ryan
“Dillhole, you are the stupidest piece of shit I’ve ever known and I have your five bucks” – Wes H.
“Nathan, you cried over Rebecca. You really suck.” Brian S.
“Nathan, Nine Inch Nails Rulez. I’m fucking Monty right now.” – Darin S.
“Nathan, keep it real on the West side ‘96. You really played Rebecca.” – Jordan R.
“Dillhole, I miss picking on you in P.E. and beating the shit out of you on the square, you need to come out more often” – Joe P.
“Francis: I love you always! You can fuck for a long time. Too bad you can’t get it up half the time.” – Jenny K.
“Stoners may live, Stoners may die, in the end we’ll all get high. In the beginning you dont so fuck the world let’s smoke some weed.” – Joey G.
“Poopyhead, if you weren’t a big faggety ass freak you would probably still be the dork that you are now.” – Kyle B.

Sophmore Year

“Don’t try to deny it. You signed the paper. It will holdup in court” – Brian S.
“One-nut, keep it real. Maybe you can come over and see Jugs + Rebecca TOGETHER. Don’t be such a bitch.” – Jordan R.
“You friggin queer, I hope that you can hold out a long time with girls. Eventhough you only have one nut” – Myke W.
“Dildo, Good luck this year and we’re almost outta here.” Love ya, Scarlett M.
“Dildo, Good luck this year and we’re almost outta here” Love ya, Farooq D.
“Dildo, you suck cock!!!” – Eli C.
“Nathan, this is a piece of shit pen. I don’t like this pen, I hate this damn pen, fucking shit” – J.R. Myers

Junior Year

“Snake, remember all those times we had gay sex and I would suck on your 1 testicle. I especially liked it when you tossed my salad. Nuga Nuch!” – Pymp
“Nathan, good luck to you in the woman field. You deserve someone good! Hopefully the Brian thing will work out.” – Christina N.
“Nathan, I want to suck your dick and you can cum in my face” – Mike S.
“Nathan, I have always loved your smile” – Farooq D.
“Nathan, I’m just signing this because you asked me to. You are my friend. P.S. I’m not gay.” – Matt C.
“Nathan, I was in your back yard one day when I smelled some grapes. That was when you came over and I said, ‘Why don’t we just have sex?’ So then we ate grapes. But that’s not all you ate. I made some pasta!” – Rachael A.
“Nathan, Hey Baby! I love you w/ all my aching heart. Keep in touch after we graduate and become millionaires” – Mysti F.
“Nathan, You know, I think I’m the only girl you’ve never wanted to have sex with. I’m kind of offended. Anyway, we should do that sometime” – Alana H.
“Nathan, you will never be the DOL God that I am, and Buelah will always love me better” – Aaron K.
“Nathan, you changed your clothes, no more stains and you still ain’t gettin da pooty. Ah well. You still are a pimp. And you still give good head. Thanks for all the great times.” – Brian S.
“Natan, I like when I have to sign in the back. Do you like guys. So do I. D U like when u pick me up from scool I do too. I hate people named Nathan. ‘It’s the Jerry Springer Show’ – J.R. Myers
“Snake, What’s up G? I just want you to know I love you and want to have sex with you! – Dave M.

You Know You’re from Pawnee If…

You’ve shamed someone for making fun of the way Vince Katner talks.
You’ve enjoyed your first cigarette, alcoholic drink, and/or joint at the Trussle.
You’ve ever wanted to kick the wind’s ass while playing basketball at North Park.
You used to bank on making mad dough at the Country Fair.
You’ve ever played hide and seek while driving your cars.
You’ve ever asked Ashtray Bob what time it is.
You’ve been pulled over for some trivial reason.
You get pumped about the Methodist Church’s porkburgers.
You’ve been shooed from loitering at the grain bins, the car wash lot, church parking lot, or the old Hucks/Fanco.
You still own a t-shirt that says PDK on it somewhere.
You know what MTXE stands for.
You think a boiler room is a place where people go to smoke.
The incorporation of Family Net meant no more long distance charges for you.
You know where the A house is and know where the Bowling Pin Guy lived.
You have been misnamed in the Pawnee Post.
You come from the same town as Illinois’ first poet laureate, Howard B. Austin.
You’re anxiously awaiting Delayed Reaction’s debut album.
You awkwardly spent some of your post-high school life riding around on Route 104, trying to figure out what to do with your life.
You navigated through a plethora of “uh’s” and still managed to get your morning announcements.
You know of or were a member of the “Black Shirt Gang.”
You refused any and all drugs because of the 6th grade Snowflake Dance.
You know the legendary story about Brian Salisbury, the only boy to escape from Tiny Tepee.
You’ve achieved the accolade of Thumper Jumper.
You’ve not quite found a version of “Twelve Days of Christmas” that rivals Christopher Ridgeaway’s.
Your sense of humor is unmatched.

Failures

Forgive ourselves
let failures melt
to rest where they belong.
Collect ourselves
with water smelt
to wear the frozen pond.

The Interview Wait

The dusty, wood-paneled room
holds more darkness than light.
Bright bodies rushing
to casually wait.
Every body hoping they’ll get
what the body next to them wants.
An atmosphere begging
for condescension and fronts.
But there’s a feeling in the air
of communal desperation.
Each body finding solace
in others who’ve stepped away from the crowd.

Visit Home

I had a pretty fun little visit home this weekend, and it went by really fast. I left Friday on the 5:00 PM train to Springfield from Chicago and was pretty excited to get home because I hadn’t been there in close to 2 1/2 months. It was my mom’s birthday on Friday, so I hung out with her and my dad for a little bit before heading off to Pawnee Prairie Days for the rest of the evening. I got to see a lot of people up there. Probably my favorite part of the night was dancing to the Lost Boys with Mark. Mark and I just have such great sexual energy, that whenever the Lost Boys are cranking out rock anthem after rock anthem, we have to get up there and boogie. By the time I got there, all the rides and food stands were closed down, so I didn’t get to partake in any of that. No Heart Flip for me . Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, Mike Salisbury is still f’in hilarious.  

On Saturday morning, I got up and headed over to Brad’s house and began a crucial bike ride around Springfield. We pretty much repped our cycle gang SoS (Sons of Sircumstance) to the fullest all over downtown Springfield. Brad and I marked our territory by placing several bear stickers (not the football team) around the downtown area. We also stopped to get our picture taken with a man who was supposed to look like Abe Lincoln but looked nothing like Abe Lincoln, hackey sacked in a park by the Lincoln homes, stopped at a book sale going on at the Lincoln Library, and biked up to the top of one of the parking garages in the city. During our cycle ride, we encountered several members of the Bike Path Mafia or BPM, as you might be familiar with them, the completely fictional cycle gang that also frequents Springfield and doesn’t exist. BPMs are pretty much anyone on a bike that are not you. And man, are they a scary bunch. Luckily, no one had to throw down on this relatively cloudy Saturday morning. After repping SoS to the fullest, I was pretty tired so I went back to my parent’s house and took a quick nap and then went to where Jacelyn was working at It’s All About Wine.

Apparently, It’s All About Wine has wine tastings on Saturdays, and I was just in time for that. I’d only been to a couple of wine tastings before but I never really got into it. This one was really fun because I met some new people and just had fun trying the different kinds of wine. I actually engaged in the wine tasting and stopped being such a hater. I tried 3 of the 4 different kinds of wine they had and really ended up liking one of them. It was a carignane (a red) and really tasty. I could easily have drank a bottle of that. Anyways, it was fun meeting the different kinds of people that go to wine tasting, and I think I will probably do more of that down the road when I’m older.

Next, I kicked it on the porch of Brad’s pad for the rest of the early evening and strummed away on his acoustic guitar that he’s now learning to play. Jace eventually came over and brought with her some beef and noodles from a local Thai place. Because I hadn’t eaten since breakfast, I was trying to get her to share her food, and she did. However, she refused to share any of her broccoli, just noodles. This made my heart sad, but I was still grateful. Everyone then left, and I drove to Sonic by myself because I love Sonic. I ordered a SuperSonic cheeseburger with no tomatoes, mustard, tots, and a root beer. This is generally my go-to Sonic order, and I was not feeling fancy. I love when you go to a fast-food restaurant so much that you anticipate the questions the drive-thru person will ask and just give him all the info he needs right in your order. I like to think that the drive-thru guy on the other end appreciates a concise, anticipatory order but who knows really. After I pulled up to the window, I paid for my food and drink; I received it and then sat there in the car not moving. Not because I was trying to be funny or a dick or something, but I was so zoned into my own thoughts I didn’t even realize that I had already gotten my food. So the Sonic guy opens up the window, seeing I’m all zoned out and says, “Can I help you with something?” After he said that, I realized what was going on and then apologized and left.

Next, I went to Jacelyn’s house where she was packing for her trip to Chicago the next day. Now, if anyone has ever been to Jacelyn’s house, then you know that she has some very specific rules that you have to follow. She refuses to let you put your feet on her couch, which is really too bad because she has this lovely flannel, electric blanket resting on the couch that just makes you want to get all warm and cozy. Plus, she always makes you take your shoes off. So I get in my sockers and start rubbing my feet together and it makes me want to put my feet up on the couch. But no! Jace Face doesn’t allow feet on the couch, so the whole time I’m over there I’m constantly having to correct my natural urge to get cozy on the couch. It’s a really frustrating experience, one I hope you never have to deal with. Eventually, after I had worn out my welcome by disregarding her no-feet-on-the-couch orders, she made me get up and trade spots with her and sit in this Lazy Boy chair that she has. Now, the Lazy Boy chair was supposed to fix everything because I’m allowed to put my feet up on that, but the minute I sat down I reached for the lever to pull out the leg rest part–nothing happens. IT WAS BROKEN! So for the rest of my Jacelyn visit, I had to watch Mean Girls and The First Wives Club in general leg uncomfortableness. But we’re good friends, so it was fun.

After that, I went to the Corner Pub, where I met up with Dylan, his friends from Chicago (Pete and the Kath), Mark, and some other various people. We had fun and laughed. Then the whole group got their picture taken. Not because we’d need it for an alibi in the future but because we were all enjoying each other’s company and wanted to remember that moment. We all had a pretty good time and Pete and the Kath are hilarious, and I was pretty excited to hang out with Mark and Dylan together.

I rode the train back to Chicago with Dylan, Pete, and the Kath on Sunday morning. I thought I lost my ticket, but I ended up finding it after like 10 minutes of looking. We sat in those groups of seats that face each other for 3-4 people. They really don’t provide much leg room but we made do. We pretty much talked the whole time, and the Kath talked about this book called Flowers in the Attic which is about an incestuous family. Apparently, this is a must-read. The Kath also offered to give me her old cell phone. So score for me!

Well, that was pretty much my whole trip. It was a good time, and I was happy I got to see so many people. If I missed ya this time, I hope I see you next time I’m home. Thanks for reading!

Lately

So I haven’t updated this blog in many, many, many months, but I’m going to go ahead and change that now, mainly because I have some time to at my new jobby job. So after my contractual job at Northwestern University Admissions in Evanston ended, I got a call to work for Northwestern University again, this time in downtown Chicago and in the Financial Aid office. This will be the end of my 2nd week, and I’m really liking it. I’ve been incredibly lucky as far as jobs go since I’ve been up in Chicago. I’ve managed to stay employed with a full-time job since mid-October and thank God for that because I really can’t stand not working. But I should have this job for another couple of weeks and then I will be back looking for more work. It’s been tough getting used to working temporary jobs. I definitely miss having that stability of a permanent full-time job.

Improv has been going extremely well. Next week, I will finish my Level 3 Improv course at IO and move on to Level 4. I feel like I’m gradually getting more used to being on stage and really enjoying all the friendships I’ve formed from doing Improv. I still have a lot of work to do with improving my object work and learning to get outside of my head. Some good news is that I begin practice with my first Improv team on Sunday evening with some friends from my IO classes. As of right now, we’re a 5-person team and we have a coach to help us get ready for performing. I wouldn’t be surprised if we are performing somewhere this summer. I’m looking forward to it.

I will probably be in Springfield on the weekend of May 9th for Mother’s Day weekend. I really hope the weather is nice because I’ve been dying to get out and ride my bike in Bike Path Mafia territory.

It’s spring so you know what that means…garage sales! I hope Chicago has some good ones. You’d think they would, right?

I’ve been really having the itch to start writing more. I just checked out a book from the library about poetry writing, so I think I’m going to get back into that for a little while. In 2003, I wrote a lot of poems but just kind of stopped. But for some reason, choosing words seems kind of like a fun idea again.

Well, that’s it. Peace and love to all.

Chicago Winter

The Chicago winter weather is in full effect as the temperature today is -5 with a wind chill of -30. It seems kind of deceiving too when you see that it is all sunny and bright outside. I will probably be staying in all day, knowing that I will have to gimp to work in it tomorrow. I think I will be able to stay pretty warm in it for the most part. I have one of those big, puffy coats that I got from a garage sale in Springfield before I moved and an extremely thick, navy-blue Chicago Bears stocking cap that I’ve had since junior high, when my brothers and I got them for Christmas. Speaking of winter weather hats, I love the diversity of winter hats that you see in Chicago. In Springfield, it was pretty much run-of-the-mill stocking caps with people rarely deviating from the norm. But here you see them all: the standard-issue, I’m Deep in the Canadian Mafia, industrial-strength, floppy earflap hat. In high school, we used to wear these ironically and that was deeply wrong of us. Another one I’ve seen are these unnecessarily tall, huge beaver hats. I imagine that these are quite warm for the wearer, but they kind of piss me off when I see them. For some reason, the thought of beaver death invokes my PETA spirit.

Aside from the weather, not too much is new. I just finished up my Level 1 Improv class at the IO, and I’m excited for my level 2 class. Truthfully, I’m quite surprised at how much I am enjoying it because I never really thought I’d get used to the pressures of being up on stage. I think the reason I’m able to get through it is because it’s such a chaotic artform. Almost anything goes and there are just a few rules to follow. You don’t really have to worry about f-ing up too much, but instead you get to live in the moment and just go “line by line.” I’m not sure if I’ll ever be good enough to be part of a performing ensemble, but I’m having fun with it right now, regardless. In talking with people and getting to know the Improv community better, you start to hear that there are a lot of jaded improvisers walking around Chicago for whatever reason. If that’s ever me, that’ll be the day I quit. I can’t imagine doing this stuff if it’s not fun anymore. Oh, and we performed our 1st Harold on Friday, which was terrifying and amazing to say the least. If you’re curious about what that is, ask me and I will do my best to explain it to you.

Me & Gaynkle

Tomorrow will officially be 3 weeks since I heroically injured my ankle on the basketball court while perfectly executing a windmill dunk on a former NBA player at the YMCA. Or maybe it happened when I had the shear misfortune of encountering the Windy City’s first and only pirate/ninja mugging tag-team Stealthy Arbuckle. The story you hear really depends on what kind of day it is and which way that the wind blows. You may never know the truth about the day when my petty and insignificant Ankle became Gaynkle. But what I will do is give you a picture of Gaynkle, just hours after he came to fruition. Click HERE if you dare look at Gaynkle. Hope you have a strong stomach.

Thanks, Everyone!

I’d like to thank everyone for making my 27th birthday such a great one. Friday night, I got to go out with some Improv classmates, and we had a great time getting to know each other better and whatnot. I’ve discovered how much fun it is to get hammered with Improv people, because they’re just as crazy (if not more so) than you are. Saturday night, Corey and Angie brought me a wonderful Dora the Explorer cake, which they surely baked themselves, and we all went to Giordano’s for pizza. We got so stuffed by the pizza that we couldn’t even cut into the cake when we got back home! Oh us! Leave room, gang! After pizza, we watched the Departed because I had never seen it before. I was impressed. Take away thought: it might be the most cell-phone dependent movie I’ve ever seen. I thought an interesting plot twist might be to have a crazed cell-phone-jammer man terrorize the city, finally bringing crook and cop together to restore phone service. I suppose the way they ended it was good, too. Well, thank you everyone for the phone calls (except for JR, I don’t want to talk about your laser disc collection), comments, cards, and well wishes. Hopefully I will get to see some of you when I’m back in Springfield in a couple of weeks. B-day!