wow, that's wierd

my 'burn notice' picture changed below. odd.

ok, so, there is a reason i haven't been on here lately so here goes.

Saturday night/Sunday morning words:

empty: i'm sitting in a practically empty apartment right now. i'm moving about 6 miles from here, but since none of my stuff is set up over there, i'm staying back here tonight.

cancer: my dad's cancer came back. i don't know why i put this second, but i did. a couple of weeks ago, he got back from an appointment with the bad news. on october 29, he's going to have his tongue and most of this larynx removed, rendering him unable to speak or swallow. the doctor says this ups his time from 2-5 months to 2-5 years. i went to Oriental, NC last weekend so he and i could make sure that everything was settled. THAT sucked.

job: i've finally gotten hired on. i actually found out about this the same day that i found out about my dad. i started last monday and i got a big raise and nothing else really changed, since i had already been doing it for 11 months. the worse thing is that there are people in my department who are PISSED that i've been hired on and have unabashedly worked to make my new life a living hell. not that it didn't suck already.

chicago: wedding week is here. monday, i'm leaving for chicago for six days. me and drewball and brerin (brad+erin) are driving up and painting the town fuscia (red is so five years ago). that's gonna be fun. we are going to the espn zone, brad and erin are going to see Wicked, and me and k-flix are going to the Second City. i'm so excited!! plus, we are going to go look for the record store from High Fidelity, and we may look to see if we can get in to the Cubs gameOH WAIT THEY GOT SWEPT. stupid cubs.

loan: i tried to buy a car the other day, but the bank wouldn't give me a loan for 100% of the car. ANNND since i don't have any money to put down on the car, i can't get the car. STUPID BANK.

i hope everybody is doing better than i am. oh, and hahaLSUsuckit.

HAHAHi'mnotgoingtoschoolAHAHAHA

OK well, so.

let me just...try to catch everyone up, since i haven't posted on here in about seven months. oh i know there were posts made here since january, but that wasn't me. that was loser, angry, depressed pat. i'm pat that has finally come to his senses.

i'm not going to school. what the hell was i thinking, you may be asking. actually it was a pretty good idea, but who was i kidding? i don't WANT to do that. i don't want to go to school and i don't want to be an x-ray tech. there is only one thing i want to do, and it's the only thing i've wanted to do for about twenty years now, ever since i used to make up imaginary worlds in my yard. ever since i spent my quiet afternoon hours as a latch-key kid watching tv (not doing chores ever) and running around the house playing cop. ever since on all my long trips i pretend i'm doing interviews and write fake movies in my head.

next summer, i'm moving to either new york city or los angeles. i've got to. i really do. last week i was sitting at my desk watching season 3 of the office and eating lunch, and realized how much i wanted to be there. at the set of The Office, yes, but moreso THERE. you know? by the end of that day, i had realized that in eight months time i would be 30. and i also realized that i didn't want to be 50, looking back with regret at the last thirty years of fear and faking it. this is a stupid idea and i could fail and i could lose everything i have and i'm leaving all my family and friends, and i know that i will never be happy at my job or any other job, other than the one where i get to tell stories and make people laugh and think and converse. and, well, laugh.

so far i haven't met any negativity about it from anyone. my mom is kinda just, well, being mom. she will be very sad, but ultimately she'll want me to be happy. and when i give my oscar acceptance speech that i've been practicing for years, she'll cry a lot.

i haven't told my brother. he won't like it. i also haven't told jeff, my pastor. i'm actually more scared (scareder?) to tell him. we have a high turnover rate at our church, because of the transient nature of our community, and he loses a lot of friends because they move away. and we've had a lot of long-timers leave lately. and i hate to tell him that i'm gonna leave, too. i'm already sad.

coupla cool things, though. my mom's friend has been a set designer for broadway and SNL for the last 25 years, and i'm gonna talk to him. and my buddy heath has a good friend who is a casting agent in LA. and will knows people in NY, too. my original goal last week was new york, because well, new york is awesome. LA is cool, but new york is GREAT! my plan was to go to SNL or conan and sweep floors or something to get my foot in the door, while going to acting and improv classes. but, well, i may do that in LA. i dunno. it's too early to know, so i'm not going to speculate. plus, i don't really want it handed to me. i wanna earn it, you know? i hate american idol and stuff like that because those people just win the right to be famous. they haven't spent years in clubs and bars, earning their stripes. they suck.

ok, so i'm gonna go. please only leave encouragements. oh, and if you know people, hook me up.
and coming soon:
Fred the bird
why my job still hasn't hired me on
moving apartments
and the best new show on television (Chuck)(yes, i've already seen the pilot, and it's awesome).

ok, you guys! i'm not depressed for the first time in about three years. the old pat is back! COMMENT UP!

teevee love

whoMever said that summer t.v is no good, CLEARLY is not watching t.v. here are the shows that i am currently loving.


Psych: (USA) This is actually one of the better shows I've ever seen. I've usually been wary of USA's original programming, as I am the only person in the world that doesn't like Monk (LOVE Tony Shalhoub, though). This show is PHENOMENAL! And although Roday is awesome as Shawn, the show stopper is Dule Hill (no this is not Bud from the Cosby Show). His facial expressions alone make the show worth watching. Gus is, without a doubt, one of the best characters on television. I also like Corben Bernsen a lot, and the rest of the cast is great. I wish Shawn and O'hara would hook up. I got my roommate so hooked on it after two episodes of Season 2, that he ran out and immediately bought season 1. It took us about a week to watch all of them. I mean, watching two guys play paper-rock-scissors to determine who is going to console a crying man is AWESOME. Some might even say that it is pineapple. PINEAPPLE!






Burn Notice: (USA) Score two for USA network. I love CIA stuff and I LOVE Bruce Campbell (pictured), although he's not the main character. Remember in Hitch, the guy that Will Smith slammed down on the table? Well that guy is the main character. And don't worry ladies, he's not a d-bag in this show. It's really cool, and you learn lotsa cool spy stuff. And it's got Gabrielle Anwar, who, if you didn't know, was in the original BBC version of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. She was Ramandu's daughter, who ended up marrying Caspian. ANYWAY, Burn Notice. Awesome.

How I Met Your Mother: (ABC) Compared to Friends, The Office, Arrested Development, and the like, this show isn't AS good. But it IS great. It's an original concept, however they are marketing it wrong. They say it's a love story in reverse, but it's not. It's a love story where you know the ending. Kind of. I had heard it was hilarious, and when Borders put the 1st season on sale for $20, I snatched it up. If nothing else, you should watch this show for Neil Patrick Harris. "Barney" is one of the funniest characters ever, and Doogie makes it even better. He's the typical bachelor surrounded by couples, only he ACTUALLY says all the things us bachelors wish we could say outloud but don't have to stones to. Just watch it.





My Boys: (TBS) This is another one that isn't top tier. But it is totally awesome (come on, would I lead you astray?), and Jim Gaffigan always rules. The lead character, PJ (how could I not like that?), is cool, and she's a sports writer who covers the Cubs, which is also cool. The girl playing PJ needs to polish her acting skills a little and she'll be set, and all the other characters are riotously funny, except PJ's chick friend, the only other girl on the show. She kinda scares me. I LOVE that it's in Chicago (i'm going there for the first time in October for my roommate's wedding), I love that there are a lot of baseball references (it won't be over your head, girls...and guys who watch E! and not ESPN), and I love that in the show last night, they called one of the guys a d-bag about three dozen times (i'm not gonna spell it out. if you don't know, i'm not gonna tell you).

Aside from The Office and Scrubs, I'm also excited about a new show coming out this fall called the Big Bang, which is basically about a bunch of geeks and a hot girl (what non-jock guy can't relate to that?) and it has one of the guys from Studio 60, about which i'm bumming HARD because of it's cancellation.

But I probably won't be watching much TV this fall, since yesterday I applied to go back to school after five years of the real world, and hopefully by January of 09, I'm going to be a full-time radiography student(I'll be taking prerequisite classes until next June, then the program starts winter quarter of 'o9).

OKAY! Let's get out there and watch some TV!!

Oh by they way, if you didn't know, Psych is about a guy who is PRETENDING to be a psychic so he can solve cases, but really he's just a good detective. How is that not awesome?

if you go to your family reunion to meet women...

you know you're a redneck.

a-haha. i love that joke. and no, i didn't go to my family reunion to meet women. would you like to know how hot it has been here the last two weeks? it was so hot that my mother skipped the reunion for the first time in, like, 25 years, because it was too hot. friday afternoon, when i was leaving augusta to head up to athens, i saw three different thermometers that said 117 degrees. it's GEORGIA.


ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTEEN DEGREES!!!! (i hit the keys really hard when i was typing that).

i work in a shop. that shop doesn't get a breeze. that shop has no air conditioning. and on top of that, i work with idiots, so you KNOW that's making it even hotter. plus i'm overweight, and my heart beats too fast, so this is making for a miserable coupla weeks. but it has all led me to decide this:

i'm moving to seattle in a couple of years. yes i am. YESIAMYESIAMYESIAMokgoodbyecallmewhenyougetthis. (ah friends)

so, how hot is it where you are? (and if you say it's cold, and if you say it snidely, i will kill you)

hey i didn't get an overdraft this week! yay!

LAST weekend i helped my friends Rodger and Angela move to Chapel Hill. i would have been really sad the whole weekend, except for this:

Scene: Rodger and Pat are driving in a massive U-Haul. Rodger is driving, and they are stopping for lunch. Rodger looks down and reads a sticker on the dash.

Rodger: hmmm...
Sticker: To put vehicle in park, depress brake pedal.
Rodger: STUPID BRAKE PEDAL! YOU'RE A LOSER! YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED IN SCHOOL! NOW YOU'RE JUST A DUMB U-HAUL BRAKE PEDAL! YOUR MOM IS STUPID!
Brake Pedal: Aww man...

And Rodger put the truck in park. You honestly can't make this stuff up.

Also, whilST in Chapel Hill, we returned to Top of the Hill bar and had drinks. Downtown Chapel Hill rocks, as I have said before, and I will be visiting frequently, I think.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lately, I have been trying to make a tough decision. Should I keep working and take night classes, running the risk of not finishing my prerequisites in time? Or, quit work (YES) and go to school full time on loans? Yes, that sounds good. Thanks for listening.

late edit before posting: i wrote the first part of this on sunday night, and it is now monday night, and i have new news. so, today, they reposted my job, new and improved and beefed up, and the pay is MUCH better (right around what i was going to demand). so now, i think i'm going to work this year whilST taking my initial classes and save up all that cheddar for when i'm in the program and not able to work.

discuss.

you can't make this stuff up

the following conversation actually took place last week at dinner:

(foreword: my roommate is sean. we live in an apartment on the corner of his parents' house. tom is sean's stepdad, debbie is his mom. the former occupant of our apartment was a dirty, dirty person who had nasty ferrets and had little money or cleaning skills.)

(the scene: dinner, 6PM, last thursday.)

EVERYBODY: chatter chatter

PATRICK: Tom, I may move out when Sean gets married. I know I said I would like to stay, but I'm not sure I can afford it. You think you can find somebody else?

TOM: I'm sure I can find somebody. Just give me advance notice.

SEAN: (jokingly) Are you sure you don't want to just rent out to another indigent, long-term occupant?

TOM: (grinning) I've got two of those right now.

(simultaneously)
PAT: I'm not indigent!
SEAN: I'm not long-term!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was like right out of a movie. Seriously.

movie rating time

here is a list of the movies i've recently seen, and how i judge them.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer - 8.5 (out of 10) This movie was fantastic! One of the best comic book movies. It was fun, and it hit on all the best points of what the F4 are all about. Norrin Radd was unbelievable. Great job.

Knocked Up: 9.0 - I laughed SO. HARD. I mean, I was dumbfounded by how funny this movie was. There were a lot LOT of "oh my God did I just see that?" moments, too. Even Igon was hilarious.

Live Free or Die Hard: 9.0 - The ONLY thing that was even remotely bad about this movie is the title. The title is stupid. It loses half-a-point for that. Great action, great characters, great cameos. All around pure awesome.

Transformers: 7.5 - I did like this movie a lot, but the critics are right. Too much Shia LaBeauauufff and not enough "AUTOBOTS, TRANSFORM!!!" Too many characters, like the "too cute to be a computer nerd" girl, and anthony anderson. But still, great movie.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: 8.5 - It was missing a lot from the book, but the book is over 900 pages. Daniel Radcliffe was the worst actor ever in the first two movies. It's obvious he's had some lessons, but he still sucks. All the other characters make up the movie, and Voldemort was just downright awesome. You'll have to see the fight at the end to believe it. (I saw this yesterday, and today i've read about 250 pages of book six, in preparation for Saturday.)

Catch and Release: 8.0 - Not a new release. This is a pretty great little movie. It's got Jennifer Garner and Kevin Smith in it, and it was a good story, told very well. I recommend you get the DVD.

The Last Kiss: 8.5 - Anything with Zach Braff is probably gonna be good. The OC chick just annoyed the piss out of me, but I guess that's the point for any guy my age who doesn't think with his crotch. I actually thought that Tom Wilkinson and Blythe Danner were the show stealers. Great little flick.

----------------------------------

the next couple of films i see will be the simpsons, bourne ultimatum, and rush hour three. i've got to get it out of my system because once school starts, it's over.

ps - how do you expect people to apply online if your online application doesn't work? just something to ponder, augusta tech.

i'm not as think as you dumb i am

ok so here are all the things that make me nervous about going back to school.

1. i am a really smart guy. i really am. i'm just more of a application/hands on/visual learner. i ain't much with th' book learnin'. i only did so-so in college, not because i couldn't, but because i didn't care. college is a bad time to begin maturing and finally finding friends. most of my brain matter was spent on that stuff. i'm hoping that this will not affect my ability to get in the radiography program. i really am smart, and now i'm dedicated, so i will do great...if i make it in.

2. finances will be a hinderance. i mean, i've got about 24 grand in loans right now. do i really want to put those on hold for two years, and add another two or three thousand? granted, if i graduate from the radiology program and become a nucular (tee hee) med tech, i will be able to pay that off in about an hour, but still...

i'm definitely gonna apply for some scholarships, see if i can get a free ride or something.

3. the timing stinks. i'm trying to get hired on at my job (yes, still). they may not like it if i tell them that, starting next june (provided i finish all of my core classes by then), i'm gonna be not working there anymore. oh well, too bad so sad. you guys should have taken better care of me.

so, possibly three years of school, with a well-paying, live-anywhere-i-want-job to show for it? TRANSFORMERS, LET'S ROLL OUT! (seriously, i'm a huge nerd for whom there is no hope.)

video from the big bang

this video is of four of the guys playing a Metallica song. it's only a coupla seconds long, but it reminds me of ALL the fun. courtesy: k-flix

ps - i have a new blog right below this. don't miss it!!

it's just too hot to blog...

i seriously think about blogging every day. it's very difficult to make yourself sit down and do it from some reason. i wish i could remember all the stuff from the last few weeks that i wanted to blog, but the heat has washed it all out.

mblugh!!

ok, first: phoenix. then: tuesday words. coming up later: back to school.

phoenix: is not hot. don't. believe. the. hype. yes, it is a very dry heat. yes you can dehydrate and die. yes you can burn quick. but come on...no humidity? please? you walk outside here right now, you start sweating. you dream of jamming icecicles into your eyes. you can't breathe. you just! wanna! die. it's awful. just awful.

however.

phoenix is cool. well, really, like all cities, there are a lotta cool parts. downtown phoenix is cool. me and k-flix (by the way, the reason i'm talking about phoenix is becuz i went to phoenix a coupla weekends ago to help kristen move. ch-check out her blog for more on the new house and all) went to this place called Uno's Pizza or Pizzaria Uno or something, and I almost cried when I ate the crust of this pizza. it was super-bomb. we also watched Knocked Up. drop what you are doing and go watch it. but be careful of crowning.

*shudder*

the desert is definitely cool, if you like driving and seeing scenery. i learned to love this by visiting my dad. k-flix took me out into the desert towards...flagstaff?...and it was definitely cool. not at all like the desert i pictured in my head, which according to kristen, was the sahara. "no, this is the sonoran desert, patrick."

"ok."

the highlight, however, was our trip to Tempe on saturday evening. we (of course) went to Borders and did the laptop thing. (no the ACTUAL LAPTOP THING). then we had dinner with some of her friends at Bison Witches. get it? bisonwitchesbuysandwichesbisonwitchesbuysandwichesbisonwitchesbuysandwiches. get it now? i knew you could. they have pretty good sandwiches, although our waitress did not understand our need to make an 8 o'clock door at the Big Bang. "what is the big bang?," you may ask. well, friend, the big bang is only the coolest place in the history of ever. the big bang is a dueling. piano. bar. oh yes. and duel they did. not. they did play HOURS of awesome songs, tho. the highlight, to me, was when all six musicians (they all swapped in and out on piano, bass, and drums) came out and played a rousing rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody. indeed. it was indeed crazy.

other than that, we moved some furniture, watched sportsnight, eated food, drove around, dodged her crazy new roommate, and had general merriment. and a good time was had by all.

by the way, i saw "catch and release" on the flight out there. top notch.

ok. tuesday words.

a. hot: it is hot.

b. lake: we went to virginia's lake house for the fourth of july. good time, long day. two words: fat people can not water ski. and my arms STILL hurt. the end.

c. infection: don't wig out. i have a sinus infection. it's so bad that i had bright orange snot on saturday night. i know. i've had it since about an hour after i landed in phoenix. thanks kristen.

d. syriana: i watched that last weekend. it was pretty good.

e. TRANSFORMERS: i capped that word cuz DAMN!! it was awesome. also awesome: fantastic four 2, and die hard 4. both super awesome. die hard 4 is prolly the second best movie of the year. behind knocked up. that crap was funny.

f. busted: i wrote a new song. it's a worship song. i put it up on my music myspace, if ya wanna hear it. it has the word 'busted' in it.

g. job: mine is lame. how's yours?

OK, last part. i've decided i'm going to try to get into school and be a nuclear medical technician. radiography. i'll be able to make a buncha monies and move around whereever i want. cool, eh? i'll let you know how it goes.