4 pics from the camping trip of two weeks ago:
Maybe I'll get the rest of them scanned next week, if the opportunity presents itself.



By the way, the guy in the kayak let it be known that his email address was jungleboater@hotmail.com, so I'd be able to send him some of these photos. Drop him a line and tell him that he's a crazed lunatic.

This is great. I get an email from a guy named Brandon King, telling me that he stumbled across the Little Sahara photos, and telling me that HE is the guy with the black flag, and telling me that HIS COUSIN and his cousin's daughter (Sarah Rose) are pictured in the "Dunebuggy/Carseat" photo. He says he "can't even remember his first dune trip he was so young" and that "his whole family was brought up this way."

I say wow, this is one of the coolest things that has ever happened in relation to this website. I say one of, because the COOLEST thing was when I first learned how to place the animated Beavis in my first html document, using the basic geocities html editor; what a rush. From that moment forward, we knew we were on to somethin special.

Wow again!. The mirror project accepted my submissions. OK hold up, they accept all submissions that fit their guidelines; I do better at those types of contests, ..ones in which official judging doesn't take place:

"Smile, you illiterate moron."

"Stern, serious, board, psycho killer vanity shot"

"Let there be light, and wind."

hmmm. Just an idea. Maybe it might work. gotta be glitchy on larger monitors though. ..tinker tinker...

Nice to sleep in (yet again) today; Collin and I hauled large billets (southern-speak for huge freakin heavy logs) with his truck from the bottom of the yard over to the woodshed. ..Finally almost completed the task of cutting and removing all the downed trees from LAST winter's ice storm. It is nice however, to have firewood conveniently fall in one's own yard. What would've been even "more nice", is to have gone with Corey to play football in Hot Springs. But I kinda ruined my only good "football playin" shoes last weekend in placing them next to the fire in attempts to dry them out, ...kinda left them there until such a point when they melted.

Something tells me that Jeremiah Johnson's* shoes never melted by fire, so next time we're camping in the cold wetness I'll try and remember to bring leather shoes instead of hiking in Allen Iverson footwear. Leather tends to dry out rather than succumbing to the heat and going black smokey running liquid.


*cool phat sick Robert Redford mountain man movie; there's this part in it where he like takes on seven indians at one time and then he ..ok I'll shut up.

Near where the interstate intersects highway 270, last night around midnight we passed by an early eighties model RV that had only hours earlier been the victim of a horrific scorching fire. Parked precariously in a huge steep-sided ditch, it had no doubt been hastily parked and evacuated before it would have become driving torch. Passing by, the flashing police car lights awoke Collin from a deep head-bobbing sleep, long enough for him to observe the curious scene and then quickly go back to sleep, ..but not before offering Corey and me a quick analysis: "Looks like somebody tried to fry up a catfish on the way."

It seems like I haven’t been home for months; home from the high creeks on Wednesday and then departed on Thursday for Josh’s wedding. (and no I would never actually utter the word “departed” in an actual conversation but it sounds so much better when you write it that way)

Spent the evening at Jason’s almost completed house, playing pool and lounging around. I seem to be able to hold that baby girl of his like she’s my own child. Weirds me out that it comes so easy and automatic; Maybe she’s just a very well mannered child, or maybe it’s just because I grew up around Jason, and his kid seems more connected to me. Either way it’s a new thing, a nice thing that I’m not used to.

So Josh is now married. And because of the holidays I get to keep this tux until Wednesday. Things seem to be changing very fast. Interesting, how all the little seemingly insignificant decisions in life add up to overshadow and outbalance those big important things that you pay more attention to. Chris, one of our friends from Hot Springs happens by chance to ask Matt if he’d like to tag along to Missouri. As a result, Matt meets and marries a girl and Josh meets and marries her roommate. Both of my friends have wives. They’re married.
They have wives.
They're married.
They have wives.
...because of some little: “sure whatever I’ll tag along.”

Funny, how life adds up to a funky conglomerate of a whole lot of little if’s and’s or but’s.

And then you go to Little Rock just for the purpose of ensuring that your film gets developed properly, and later that day as you flip through them you're reminded that you're always going to be somewhat disappointed with how they turn out; because it just isn't the same, ..flattened onto a piece of photo paper. Because your own eyes saw things differently, and your nose and your ears and even your tastebuds...well, they remember something entirely more beautiful.

If the photos from this past weekend's camping / hiking trip in any way resemble what was "seen and did," I will be a man with some great photos.

One word to sum it up: Remote.

The runner-up word to sum it up: Rain. Because its always that way; Rain in the form of a 50 year flood.

And guys, file this one under important documents, near or around the tax forms, insurance documents, or warranty papers for your big TV.

"Most people have belly-button lint and they want to know why it collects in the navel, what it is composed of and why it is almost always blue," Dr Kruszelnicki said.

wow that's kinda interes.... OH MY GOD.

On this rainy evening after work, I turned my computer on and sat. And I managed to consume two large bowls of corn flakes before it finished booting up.

Either A: I inhale food like a starving dog slash vacuum cleaner, or B: My computer is really pathetic.

Over to your right I have deleted the psycho babble about what I think this website is about and why I post here and how you should view it. In place of the psycho babble I'm going to start posting assorted "other stuff".

Odd assorted things will be thrown over there; and you're given the option to post comments on each individual "thang." ...I know, no doubt you're feeling very liberated. Kids can now play soccer in Afghanastan, ..and you can post comments on thisisdrew.com. You're obviously wasting time already if you're reading this, so why not waste a little bit more of it and say something back. Besides, being part of a discussion is a whole lot better than having an audience.

Keep it interesting. And don't tell me things like "drew you're great" or "drew I love your site" because hey, I already know that. And keep it clean. I'd like to think that we can at least pretend not to be morons.

Today I celebrated my first day of "not going to school" by sleeping in until 12:30. And tomorow I've a 10:30 brunch appointment at Matt's house, at which time we shall play Metal Gear for the Playstation 2, uninterrupted for hours on end, until a time at which I'm forced to quit, stand up, and perhaps go the bathroom.

I haven't been saying much over the past few days. So for the sake, ...of saying something, without saying anything at all, I can simply filter through my fantasmotron automated webcam pics directory and ever so carefully select and upload one which again depicts me, (in suitable lighting conditions of course) with nothin much to say, cause I've been running around at school all week gawking and squawking with finals and deadlines and due dates and the like, ...like, ..a chicken with it's head cut off. Yesterday was the first time I'd ever stayed at school all night to meet a deadline. And this morning it was nice to remember that you had a biology final at 10:00 am. And it's 8:00 am, and the only "sleep" you've had came in the form of laying down in the upstairs drawing room with your eyes shut, laughing at yourself because it was impossible to go to sleep with all of this school-related crap flying through your head. And then spending all day at school attending those classes in which you must turn in these items which you stayed up all night before to complete. Out of your freaking mind. We won't be doing this again anytime soon. It simply isn't worth it. Not to me anyway.

But I got nothin to say. Or do I? Shut up.

Come now, you who say: "Today or tommorow we will journey to this city and will spend a year there, and we will engage in business and make profits," whereas you do not know what your life will be tommorow. For you are a mist appearing for a little while and then disappearing." -- James 4: 13, 14 (New World Translation)

American Standard Version:
Come now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into this city, and spend a year there, and trade, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? For ye are a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Today while getting my hair, ....cut for five dollars. My attention turns from the lady with her hands in my hair, ..to a bottle of umm, bottled water, standing up on a shiny cushy waiting room chair. And I notice that evian, is naive spelled backwards. Oddly, that makes alota sense.

....................................

Ok, so don't ever join the Columbia House DVD club, using a credit card.
See I signed up two months ago ...cause wow: I get 4 dvd's for 1 cent each, and agree that I'll purchase 4 regular priced dvd's over the next year. So no big deal, ....right? Well, they keep sending me dvd's that I don't want. And on top of that, they bill my credit card before they ship'em. So actually, when I send them back marked "return" they actually have to credit my card for the amount they already took out.

The moment of "being really pissed off about it" came yesterday afternoon. I receive a letter from Columbia House customer service, telling me that they encountered "problems billing my credit card", for a stupid Dr. Suess dvd that I haven't even received yet, much less had the opportunity to send back. And get this: each dvd they bill me for and then "suggest" costs me $32.75.

So the lesson learned:
Don't ever join any type of book/cd/dvd club with a credit card; Much better to just provide a home billing address; that way you don't PAY for something until AFTER they SEND it, ..and AFTER you decide to keep it.

..and using your checking account debit card, ...Drew, ..oh what bad judgment; a stupid decision. Like a complete moron you're taking food to school in order to keep money in your account, and here you are giving columbia house easy access to that account. 32.75 a pop. We're going back to keeping cash in a mattress. ...To the mattresses! (a movie quote, by the way. if you didn't recognize it, ..never mind)

School is even crazier. All manner of projects approaching due dates. Interactive Portfolio to be completed by Monday. Lightwave animation due Monday. Turn in argggh, ..paintings later in the week. Frame two things for Exhibition Techniques. Print out and matte my proposed poster for the theatre department's next play, for tommorrow's final critique. Study for next week's biology final. Raid the computer lab and burn all of my files to cd's before the hard drives are cleaned. Go insane.

So you stare at a computer screen for seven hours, ...which gets old. Then what do you do? You come home and are unable to resist sitting in front of your own computer, linking up your nifty new webcam. It's alot like taking a break from jogging, to well, um, run. But running for fun is a whole lot better than jogging for gpa.


And then there's the other thing that's better than both; sleep. I life no have. Somebody out'a here me get.
The coming month without school; I can taste it. We're gonna catch up on sleep, sit around with friends and friends of friends and collectively kick it oldschool, watch some football, umm, not go to school, go to memphis for a weekend, maybe even go to new york, work a little bit, make some money, sit around some more, being glad just to sit and be, ...and then being Josh's best man, which is one of those rare things in life that you can look forward to, even a month beforehand, and smile about. It'll be a great day, part of a nice leisurely "period of time in which I shall not attend school of any form function or fashion." Can I get an Amen? Yes you can.

After having three flat tires in one month, logic tells you to leave the spare tire laying in the back of the truck, instead of laboring to tuck it away under the bumper where it belongs. This way, it'll always be easily accessable for the next blowout. And i'm reminded that life in many ways imitates spare tire placement. After awhile you expect things to go wrong. Interesting.

Last weekend while running around northern arkansas dirt roads in search of a location for a planned two or three day hike, Ginger tells Jason:

"Jason, you are NOT Luke Duke"
We never did find the place we were looking for, so instead we decided to stop and eat lunch at Kings River Falls. We'd never been there before either, and it was nice. I'm sure someday I'll go back.

Three days later I still find the Luke Duke comment very funny. Which brings us to important information that every person my age should remember:



*The choice of the '69 Dodge Charger as the Dukes' racing car was almost coincidental. Executive producer Paul Picard and show creator Gy Waldron did have a late '60s muscle car in mind. However, the final choice was made when the studio transportation captain showed them the '69 Charger.

* The "Dixie" horn was added when Picard and Waldron, who were driving along a Georgia highway to film the show's first episodes, heard the horn in a passing car. They chased the car down and convinced the driver of the car to sell the musical horn. They later found out they paid five times the actual price of the horn, which was a stock item that could be bought at almost any auto-accessories store.

* Boxes of lead weight were stored in the trunk during jumps to balance the weight of the engine in front thus preventing the car from turning end over end in the air. About 500-600 pounds of ballast were used for short jumps; 1000 pounds for large jumps.

* On all the General Lees used for the show, the locking mechanism is disconnected from the foot-operated parking brake for the "Bootleggers' Turn", the 180-degree turns the Dukes made in practically every show to lose sheriff Rosco, and/or deputies Enos and Cletus.

* During the show's prime, the General Lee itself received over 30,000 pieces of fan mail monthly. Many letters asked for autographed pictures of The General.

* Of the 85,000 or so 1969 Dodge Chargers sold by the Chrysler Corporation, over 300 were used in The Dukes of Hazzard. As told by the shows' stunt coordinator and former stunt driver, Paul Baxley: "Once a car has jumped, it's finished. The shock of the impact completely destroys the structural integrity of the car, even if there's no visible damage. We don't even drive a car on the show after it's been jumped. If the shot didn't come out right the first time, we do it again with another car."

So I came upon this mindblowing discovery last night: “webcams are cool. Me gotsta get one a dim webcam tings.” Sure, the thought had crossed my mind plenty of times, but the true motivation came late on the evening of December 2nd, chatting with a new friend who had one hooked up through yahoo instant messenger. “Wow, this is really cool”, I keep thinking and saying. “Why don’t I have one?” Also I find that audio works really well on yahoo instant messenger, even over my pathetic dialup connection. And being “under-funded” as I am, I didn’t have a microphone either, so in MacGyver-like fashion, I resort to plugging my headphones into the microphone jack, and talking into the earpiece.

So basically I came away from this new experience telling myself: “Drew, if someone was to verbally narrate your life, they’d say, “drew is pathetic” over and over again, because you don’t have much in the way of doo dads, and what you do have, well, most of it is sorry broke down and lame; a pile of crap if you will, not good, anti-current, etc..

So I have now purchased one of those “web kam” things, and yes I will even use it, to share my beautiful self with the rest of the world. Let them bathe in my aura.

And yes, for future historic considerations, here are the first images ever recorded with my fantasmotron 2000 cam, each single image progressively documenting my ascension to the status of “internet superstar.”
Who is your daddy? I am your daddy. Ok shut up drew.











Now I have officially arrived. I am here, ..with underwear on my head. I will stand here on this pedestal with underwear on my head and shout things to all who pass by. For I am yet another lunatic, with a webcam.

Either I've finally gone insane, or we're just now realizing how cool this whole "website" thing can be. In the next couple of days I'll set it up to be part of the website whenever I'm online, updating "like, every 15 seconds or something." I think it'll be a good thing though, keeping things closer to reality, ..somethin like that. No, correction: keepin it real.

At the end of every semester, there have always been days officially classified as "dead days", in which classes still meet, but no tests, sports events, concerts etc. can occur, in order for students to have time to study for semester exams. The HSU paper today reported that these days are now to be officially refferred to as "restricted days".

I love the article's slant. The last paragraph reads as follows:

"I believe HSU changed the name of dead days because they've become over politically correct wusses", said Alvin Johnson, junior mass media major.