Blass Clog

Safety and Housing

2007-04-29T18:38:00.000-06:00

There have been many issues surrounding safety in the UWM area. I live about four blocks from campus and I have always felt safe. However, lately, its been questionable. Two weeks ago I was getting ready to leave my apartment before class around 12 (Noon) and a woman was robbed in broad daylight right outside my apartment. There have even been countless incidents on campus as well. I even heard that the UWM police is hiring a police officer just to look for suspicious people around the campus area. Other safety concerns that have come to my attention in the last couple weeks have involved the safety of pedestrians crossing the street, people on bikes and mopeds, etc. One of my good friends from high school, Jake, was hit by a car on April 4th over by MSOE while he was driving his moped. The driver of the car ran a red light and hit Jake. Jake was not wearing a helmet. He remains in the ICU at Froedtert hospital with head trauma. He still hasn't woke up. I remember hearing of a couple other accidents recently involving pedestrians in Milwaukee.
So my question this week is what do you think of safety around campus and even in Milwaukee? Do you feel safe? Are there precautions that you take to insure your safety? Do you walk alone or with someone? What do you think this means for the future of UWM and the campus area? If you were coming here as a freshman, would you live in the new freshmen residence hall on the outskirts of the Riverwest area?

Another topic that many are faced with this time of year is housing. I know I have been in the search process for a couple of weeks now. Any success stories out there? Good landlords or companies? Advice for price?

Coming to an end...

2007-04-23T14:14:00.000-06:00

In less than a month, we will have graduated from college. Wow. Does that blow anyone else's mind? I can remember graduating high school like it was yesterday and thought that that was a big deal. I don't know about everyone else, but for me, it's funny to look back at your time in high school and think about what a great and more simple time that was. And now that I am graduating college, I know that in the months and years to come, I'll look back at my time here at UWM and wish it never ended. I think I've pretty much had the typical college experience. All the connotations and asscoations behind what it means to be in 'college' (i.e. the freedom, the partying, the new friends, etc.) I think I have experienced. As I freshman, I came to UWM with the mentality that I wanted to focus all my efforts on school and then I would have time for recreation. So far, that philosophy has worked great for me. I've maintained a decent GPA and always put school first, but once that was done, it was time for whatever I wanted to do. Granted, I never had a job while school was in session and I'll be in debt with my student loans until I am 75 years old, but I wouldn't have done it any other way.

Which brings me to my discussion points; how would you rate your college experience in the time that you've been here? Was college everything you thought it was going to be? Is there anything you wish you would have done differently? Obviously, four years of school is a lot to discuss, so overall what did you think of your college experience, is what I am getting at. I hope it was as enjoyable as mine. Fire away, kids.

P.S. Sorry this is late, I originally signed up for next week but forgot I agreed to post a week earlier!

2007-04-15T11:48:00.000-06:00

For some reason I feel like this week I have some sort of responsibility to post about the Imus scandal and encourage some intelligent conversation about whether or not people feel his firing was justified, and what relevance it has for our society and culture as a whole, or whether or not we should even waste so much time talking about him when we there are so many more important and more pressing issues happening in and around Iraq right now (I've decided the answer to that question is no so now that I've at least acknowledged it, and put in my two cents, I'm deciding to post on something lighter and completely non-controversial so here it goes):
Perhaps it's a bit obvious, but I am someone who LOVES to eat. I love to cook, but more than that I love to go out to eat. In July, I'm moving to Madison for law school and I can already feel a little separation anxiety from Milwaukee. I still have a couple months here, but I feel like I haven't done all the things I wanted to do in Milwaukee and more importantly, I feel like I haven't eaten at all the restaurants I wanted to eat at. I have a small list of restaurants to try before I leave including the new Bayou restaurant on Humboldt, Melting Pot in Brookfield, and Vucciria on Brady Street (before it closed). Theoretically, I have plenty of opportunities to try any of places on my list, but whenever it comes time to decide where to go out to eat, I always find myself at the Cheesecake Factory and I've been told it's time to expand my horizons.
So for graduation, I have several family members coming to town and I have to find somewhere for all of us to eat. A few of them are from Chicago, and have access to a ton of restaurants so I'm trying to figure out somewhere unique to Milwaukee for all of us to go. Basically, I'm trying to avoid big chain restaurants (like Cheesecake). So anyway (I think this post is long enough now), I was wondering what are your favorite Milwaukee restaurants and where, if anywhere, are you all planning to go for graduation?
Also, since I put my two cents in about Imus, feel free to leave yours as well if you feel the need.
Hope you all had a good weekend, see you Thursday!

the most wonderful (and heartbreaking) moments of my life

2007-04-09T18:44:00.000-06:00

My most fulfilling memory as a young lad involved my magical summer with my pet horse Sparky. Sparky and I would gallop through the Northern Wisconsin countryside while admiring the wonders of nature. Me and Sparks would even eat our meals together. The steady diet of carrots and hay kept my visions strong and my bowel movements regular. As I would ride my horsey, I felt the pangs of joy reach up through my loins. It was a feeling I would not feel again until my sexual awakening six years later.
Sadly, the Sparky's food bill was too out of control for our modest farmland budget. It tore my heart to shreds when my evil step-dad took away my little pony to be ground up into glue and hot dogs. I cried for three straight weeks up until my sixteenth birthday, where I was given a rocking horse that filled the gaping void missing from my empty heart.

What wondrous animal moments have all you people had?

Opening Day...

2007-04-02T07:37:00.000-06:00

I hope this isn't too late but I got completely caught up in work...I have the "honor" of working at Friday's Front Row at Miller Park and you guessed it, I'm on my way to work the season opener for the Brewers. It is going to be absolute chaos and I am completely envious of all of the people that get to enjoy the weather and get wasted with all of their friends. In addtion to my bartending job at Miller Park I also work at an office in Brookfield. So, where do you all work? Do you work? And if you are at the game, make sure to come in and see me!

April Fools!!!!!!!!

2007-04-01T22:37:00.000-06:00

Given the day, and the sport of the holiday, I wanted to be as festive as possible. I got to talking with some friends last night about past April Fool's jokes and pranks they have pulled before. Some were the typical Saran wrap on the toilet seat and Vaseline on the phone receiver, but others were pretty scandalous. Sadly, I have never pulled one, nor pulled one on anyone else I know either. So that is why I wanted to post this weeks question for you to answer. What is the best prank (April Fool's day or not....) that you got pulled on you, or that you pulled on someone else. Go on....how scandalous were you???

30 seconds that you love

2007-03-27T14:58:00.000-06:00

hey everyone sorry for the delay. i got caught up in SB then it came to an end so fast i completely forgot about posting... so here i am a day late and a dollar short..
i am a advertising major as i imagine many of you are (or some). the query i have for everyone is , was there ever a commercial that you saw that you were just like wow that is awesome? or one that stuck with you for a long time? i have been a commercial guy for a while. i enjoy watching new commercials or creative ones. I also love old ads for example i and i truly think I'm alone on this, loved those miller lite "dick" ads. I'm not being vulgar but if you remember they ran a campaign that was created by a guy named Dick. the one i remember was of loggers in their cabin and are being attacked by a giant beaver on a dirt bike. he rides in and eats down their house and rides away like a giant beaver outlaw.
aside from the genius geico ads the commercial that has stuck with me for the longest time is one by MTV (when they mildly sucked not like they do now). it was a sweeper or promo commercial for MTV itself that aired probably 13-15 years ago. the synopsis goes as this
its a first person view of someone eating a plate of food at a seedy diner. the hand is holding a fork and is getting some peas. from across the counter you hear someone blowing their nose real loud. the first person view focuses on the man blowing his nose who turns out to be the cook. he then pulls the hanker chief from his nose and looks at it. the cook in a very excited tone says "oh sweet i made an MTV logo" he turns to look at the camera and then asks "wanna see?" since the person he ask is that of the first person you cant see a reaction but the time is filled with silence. the cooks face goes from smiling to a mad look the then shouts very loud "WELL I DIDN'T WANT TO SHOW YOU ANYWAYS" then storms back into the kitchen.
it may be a little gross however that ad has stuck with me for years. i couldn't find the ad anywhere so i pulled this from memory so the details may be a little off but the main point is there.
so my question is what is your favorite commercial of all time? old or new, lame or funny. don't be shy.

Spring Break

2007-03-11T12:32:00.000-06:00

3/11-3/17

Ciao!

This is actually the first year of my college career that I'm actually going on Spring Break. I studied abroad my junior year, so I have been a bit frugal with my money. But this upcoming week I will be going to Milan to visit my dad who is there for a while on business. I'm very excited and with midterms this week, I can't really concentrate. My study abroad location was in Florence or should I say Firenze. I was a bit reluctant to visit the same country within a year's time, but I figured I didn't have a chance to hit northern Italy and I could also visit Switzerland for a few days while I'm there this time. I'm leaving Friday morning and I don't get back until the Sunday before school begins. It will be a nice break from reality, especially since this chic has one huge case of Senioritis. And my work is giving me PTO, so I'm truly very fortunate. Well now that you know more than you need to or care to, I guess I am just wondering if any of you have plans? Or what was your best Spring Break? Even if you stayed in good old Milwaukee, what was something memorable (Ex: you saw a play, hockey game, etc.)?

Arrivederci!

Lindsey

Bad Driving

2007-03-04T21:14:00.000-06:00

3/4-3/10

I decided to use my post as a way to vent my frustrations with other drivers. Lately I have noticed people failing to use their blinkers! It may only be a 4-way stop on a quiet street, but that is no reason to neglect the blinker. Even when there are no other cars in sight, I still use my blinker. It's just habit. How is it not a habit for other drivers? I have recently been in a car accident (yes, it was my fault so I probably fall in the "bad driver" category) so I find myself being overly observant now of other drivers and I am so surprised at the lack of blinker usage. I was always taught to just use it no matter what. It can't be that people are too lazy to just flip it on... because, I mean, it's not difficult and does not take much effort. It's hardly a movement. I just don't understand why someone would just choose not to put on a blinker when they're turning. I'd like to think I don't have road rage, but I get mad when I see someone turn without letting me know first! What are some other annoying driving habits people notice???

Growing Up

2007-03-04T12:40:00.000-06:00

Does anyone else feel like their getting old? I'm only 23 and I've already lost interest in the going out, partying and bars lifestyle I was so adamant about only less than a year ago. I remember last winter break going to Brothers or Corner Bar with a bunch of friends almost every night of the week, and having no problems what-so-ever staying out til bar close only to wake up early for work the next morning.

I'm feeling old because of days like today, when waking up seemed the hardest task I could do. Last night I went to bed at 12:00am (what used to be early for me) and woke to my alarm blaring at 8:15, so why do I feel so drained? Going to bed late and waking up early used to be common place for me, so why is it so hard now?

Not only has sleep become a more necessary commodity, but I've seem to have lost my interest in doing the things I once got so much enjoyment out of. Rain or shine, it didn't matter what the weather was like, I would be out living it up. Now a little bit of a drizzle outside and I prefer the confines of a warm blanket and a good movie to keep me happy.

Is this just me maturing that I don't feel the need to go out to bars and hang out with big groups of friends anymore? Does anyone else feel like they're growing up too? Cause I gotta tell ya, at 23 I'm feeling a lot more like 32. I know growing up isn't a bad thing, but it is most definitely a scary realization when it happens. Are you as scared as I am or is it just me?

Future Plans (2/25-3/3)

2007-02-25T17:43:00.000-06:00

In reading an assignment for my exciting Body Sense class I came upon an interesting quote which is as follows:

"People have more courage for others than for themselves, which is why Sher encourages individuals to form support groups as a way to help them keep moving toward the realization of a dream, even in the midst of doubts, hardships, and setback," (from 7 Kinds of Smart by Thomas Armstrong, PH.D. p.125).

This lead me to my idea for my thread this week. I know that graduation is approaching quickly for many of us, and this can undoubtedly lead to tons of stress. I know it's hard for me to be going to school full-time, working full-time at one job...while still keeping 5 other jobs (yes, I'm insane, I know), having my job search in full swing...and barely getting more than 4 hours of sleep a night. It's pretty rough.

My job search plan is to have all my resume packets, complete with copied clips, cover letters, and a link to a website that I'm in the process of making that has additional clips, complied and sent out by March 16, 2007. This sadly only gives potential jobs 2.5 months to call me back, interview me, and hopefully give me some job offers.

That might be enough time for them, but probably not enough time for me. The problem I'm going to have involves my dream to move to Cali. I absolutely hate Wisconsin. I've lived here my whole life (all 22 yrs so far) and I hate the cold. Milwaukee is definitely better than my little hometown up north (Clintonville, WI), but it isn't big enough for me. I want to move to Cali where it never gets colder than 50 and I can wear mini skirts all the time! Thing is...how the heck am I going to get job offers, travel to all these different cities (LA, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Chicago, and NYC) and pick a place to live, find an apartment, and still move before my lease ends on May 31st in Milwaukee?!

My dream job is to work for a well-known magazine or newspaper (preferably magazine) writing movie reviews and concert/cd reviews. My old dream was to be the fashion editor for Seventeen Magazine in New York, but since getting my job at JIVE Magazine this has changed. You should definitely check out http://www.jivemagazine.com/profile.php?id=1334 , which is my online portfolio with JIVE to see what I love doing.

(On another note...I do need people to help me pick out my best clips so I can send them out to potential employers...I have a clip portfolio and if anyone is willing to help me this week, it would take about an hour to read and pick out my best clips...if you don't have that much time, I would really appreciate it if you could just look at my online JIVE portfolio and pick out my best movie review!!! Thanks guys!)

So, in conclusion, I guess I'm just freakin' out. The past four years have been easy...school in the fall and spring (with some work)...then work full-time all summer. It was an easy routine for such a long time...and now that it's about to drastically change I'm scared.

So I'm wondering...what are everyone's dream jobs....what are you doing to try to reach them...and how are you dealing with all this stress because I need some pointers!!!

RideMCTS.org (2/25-3/3)

2007-02-25T12:41:00.000-06:00

Riding the Milwaukee County Transit System is quite the experience. Most of us hate to do it. We run all the way to the stop just to see the bus fly right by us. Maybe some of us have never rode it, but the fact being that as students we all get a free pass to ride, it’s probably a usual thing for us to do.
I know it is for me, living near Brady St., there’s no way I can walk the two miles to campus in the snow or decide to pay $8.00 a day in parking because my job is also in the same place and most of my day is spent there. As much as I feel the bus is a hassle, when the schedule is never correct or I get squeezed in like a sardine when the students get on at the Kenilworth stop, I also think the experience is quite entertaining. I’ve been offered drugs on the bus, had to pee so bad I thought I might have pissed myself on the bus, have been drunk and rowdy on the bus, but most of all have observed other people doing ridiculous things in my everyday travels on the bus. I've talked to a one armed man with a flashlight, I've seen a couple practically having sex, an old man carrying a food bowl who told my friend she's "really beautiful" and another old man who wanted to party with my friends at Riversplash.
So, as you guessed it, and as the trend has been, has anyone had any other good bus experiences? My goal one day is to write a play or a book on all the crazy experiences occurring on the bus.

Strange Occurances

2007-02-18T19:38:00.000-06:00

So I was trying to figure out what to write about this week and the subject just up and fell into my lap. Anyone that has ever ventured out to a bar has had a least one strange occurrence at some time or another. So I was out with some friends to a dive bar back from where we hail, Milwaukee's fabulous Southside. Right. So there we were in the bar, having a good time when out of the blue, two dudes start fighting. One gigantic beast of a man wailed one another. The loser was tossed after the fight and the winner (who from what I guessed from other "regulars" at the bar was named "Hurricane Mike"). So if that wasn't weird enough, the guy starts talking to me about the fight and apparently he decided to fight the other guy because that guy had a girlfriend and Hurricane didn't. I was perplexed to say the least. Trying to decide what to say without losing my teeth to this goon, I told him I admired what he was doing and bought him a shot. What else could I do in that situation? Right. So next thing I know Hurricane is wailing on another guy who walked in with a girl. Then another and another and another. For some reason Hurricane knows the owner or something so he gets to do this without any repercussion's. For a second, I thought this weird situation was my first acid trip from when I was 17 coming back to haunt me, but no this was real. Ye Gods! It was the craziest thing I ever saw. Talking to some patrons at the bar who knew Hurricane, said he does this all the time. So I ask you this: What is the weirdest, or craziest experience in a bar or party?

(2/11-2/17) Enjoy Bittorrent

2007-02-11T22:19:00.000-06:00

"After all, a good idea should be available to everyone -should belong to everyone- if it really is a good idea. In a society organized with human happiness as the objective, copyright infringement laws and similar restrictions would not hinder the distribution and recombination of ideas. These impediments only make it more difficult for individuals who are looking for challenging and inspiring material to come upon it and share it with others." (Days of War, Nights of Love: CrimethInc. for Beginners p181)

The topic of this post concerns the 'new' peer to peer (p2p) file sharing technology known as Bittorrent. Released shortly after the turn of the century as a cheap and fast way to distribute Linux over the internet, Bittorrent continues to revolutionize the self-publishing industry and the p2p filesharing phenomenon.

Simply put, bittorrent is faster than napster, limewire, morpheus, soulseek, or any of the 'old' p2p applications because it allows multiple users to share pieces of a file rather than the old way of one user connected with a single other user. This may seem rather insignificant. However, Bittorrent does something never before possible - it puts the ability to publish anything into your hands. From now on, software developers can distribute their programs cheaper than Microsoft can, independent filmers can show their films to millions without ever needing a projector, and unsigned bands can publish their music for the world without having to press cd's.

This ability provides a direct way to challenge corporate media's power. So, how can we all get on board? It's easy AND free!

To Begin, we all need what's called a 'client'. It's a small program that manages your downloads and assembles the pieces of the torrent into the desired file. For windows users I highly recommend µTorrent which can be found here. Mac users should try tomato torrent which can be found here. Both of these clients are spyware/virus free. If you're not sure you want to install a client yet, scroll down and check out the trackers. You'll still be able to search on them and see what you're missing out on - you just won' t be able to download from them until you get a client.

After installing one of these programs you need to go to a 'tracker' to find a file to download. A tracker is a text based database of links to all kinds of files. Many trackers have a theme but many others are a free for all. To start, µTorrent has a search feature in the upper right hand corner of the window. Click on the magnafying glass and select isohunt. Then search for whatever you want. Isohunt is a general tracker but has a wide variety of software, music, movies, and TV shows. Didn't find it in isohunt? Click the magnafying glass and select a different tracker. Trackers can also be found in google or by googling the file name you want followed by 'torrent' for example: "lost torrent" googled could be used to search for the latest episode of the tv show lost.

Other interesting trackers include
Isohunt: A very comprehensive meta-tracker that is sure to have something for everyone. However, it lacks detailed information about individual torrents. I'd check the Piratebay first and use Isohunt as a catch-all if you can't find what you're looking for on specific trackers.
One Big Torrent : specializing in eye opening documentaries, lectures, and videos. Highly recommended.
the Pirate Bay: general site run out of sweden
the trader's den: specializes in live video and audio of a wide variety of artists (free registration)
Oscar torrents: Download and watch any film up for an oscar this year - then vote!

Tips:
Make sure the torrent has 'seeds'. A seeder is a person sharing a full copy of a file. Without at least one, it's impossible to ever finish the download. 'Leechers' are those who are downloading...but they can upload at the same time. The more of there are of each, the faster the download will go.

Check file types. For example, if you're searching for music, check to see that the torrent includes some .mp3's because if it doesn't, it may be .zipped up or could be something other than what you're looking for. Most videos should be in .avi

VLC which can be found here is a fantastic and lightweight player for any kind of video.

If you want to publish your own torrent you'll probably have to register at one of the above sites. This will teach you how to do it.

If at first you can't find what you're looking for, look somewhere else.

Security Note: Bittorrent, although fabulously amazing - is NOT annonymous. Therefore, it would be negligence on my part to not let everyone know that if you're pirating, there is a possibility you could get caught. However, "To those worried about downloading in case they get sued: by our calculations, your chances of getting nailed are way less than your chances of winning the lottery. Don't think twice about it." (oscartorrents.com)

Inform yourself at the Electronic Fronteir Foundation, "a nonprofit group working to protect your digital rights." (www.eff.org) This site keeps track of any lawsuits filed against filesharers and is a sort of digital, international ACLU.

With this said, I also reccommend Peer guardian 2 (which blocks ip addresses from known malicious governments, advertising agencies, p2p snoops, and more - you'd be surprised to see how many people connect to you without your knowledge!) and Adaware 6 (the best windows based spyware blocker/detector in my opinion) .

So, in conclusion, download, share, and be merry! If you have any questions then reply! if not...share with the class what awesome torrent you found today!

I really like the band Neutral Milk Hotel and think that their album In the Aeroplane Over The Sea is one of the best in the last decade. Hear it for yourself...just click here. and play it in winamp or itunes or whatever you'd like!

(2/11 - 2/17) Guilty Pleasure Movies

2007-02-11T13:06:00.000-06:00

Since we’re all in the JMC capstone course, one thing we all have in common is either a JMC major or minor. If I remember our introductions correctly, I’m in the minority because I am only a JMC minor. My major is film studies, which is exactly as awesome as it sounds. I get credit to watch movies and then write about them. So, yes, I see a lot of movies, and I tend to talk about movies all the time.

Last night I saw “Road House” for the first time ever and it blew my mind. In case you’re not familiar, that’s the one where Patrick Swayze plays a world famous bouncer with a degree in philosophy who gets hired to clean up a rough-and-rowdy bar in Kansas. The plot is kind of complicated, actually, but it’s not important as long as you can accept that at some point the film stops being about bar fights and turns into kind of a “Rambo” style killing spree/revenge movie. Swayze actually rips a man’s throat out with his bare hands.

“Road House” got me thinking. This isn’t the most creative question in the world, but what are some of your guilty pleasure movies? A movie that you’re kind of embarrassed to like, and everyone else thinks it’s totally cheesy, but you’ve seen about a million times and kind of love anyway. I don’t have much shame when it comes to movies – I’ll see just about anything once. Still, I know I should be embarrassed about how many times I’ve seen “The Craft”. Yes, this one: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115963/ . It reminds me of middle school. (I hung out with the sort-of wannabe goth kids, but I was the token non-goth. Long story.) To this day, if “The Craft” comes on cable at 2 am, I know I’m not going to be able to go to bed until it’s done. It has the two main things you need from a mid-90s teen movie: it’s quotable and Robin Tunney is in it (see also “Empire Records”).

Your turn. What ridiculous, cheesy, lame, or otherwise embarrassing movies do you secretly (or not so secretly) enjoy?

(2/4-2/10) 10 things about me

2007-02-05T21:04:00.002-06:00

Sorry about the lack of creativity with this post, but I've had an overly busy last few days and am about to fall asleep at the keyboard. Here are ten things about me that you probably don't know (and if you do know these things, that's a little weird).

1. I have been an on and off General Hospital Fan since 1979 (currently on).
2. I eat chocolate everyday, sometimes even at breakfast.
3. I love Burt's Bees chapstick.
4. I love The Carpenters and Broadway showtunes (remnants from my childhood).
5. I was a competitive distance runner in highschool and for part of college until I got injured. I'm still working through the injury, and I hope to compete again at some point.
6. My first concert was The Cure's Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Tour in Summer 1087. The last show I went to was the White Stripes at the Rave/Eagles Ballroom last year.
7. I met my husband at Quaker Meeting in Washington, DC, although coincidentally, a mutual friend wanted to set us up on a blind date six months before, but I said no. (This friend had forgotten that we both attended Quaker Meeting at the time).
8. The last book I read was Atlas of the Heart by Ariel Gore.
9. I subscribe to Yoga Journal and The Springfield Press, which is my home town weekly newspaper.
10. My current favorite tea is Rishi Blueberry Rooibos.

Testing place

2007-02-05T21:04:00.001-06:00

Do all of your comment testing here.