Holy backlot concert Batman! Dec 05, 2009 11:49PM PST

[7:00pm, Someone is banging on my door, having rudely been awaken from my routine weekend hibernation, I solemnly and reluctantly roll out of bed fully clothed to address the interruption. It is who will henceforth be referred to as The Beard (due to his epic, Captain Morgan-esque beard) outside my cozy two-man barracks.] Beard: "Oh hey man, [laughing] did you just wake up? Me: "Yeah" [laughing, eyes half shut and I am struggling with balance and the sudden light attacking my retinas. I am pondering what I'm going to be asked to do and hoping it won't be paperwork. Either way, the Beard is my miniboss and I will have to do as he says.] Beard: "[Laughing] That's cool man.... uh, hey you know that suicide awareness and prevention program I'm putting on?" Me: "Yeah. Oh, shit that IS today, the concert right?" Beard: "Yeah.. Well uh, I got it approved with ResLife (Residence Life Operations), but UPD (University Police Department) hasn't called me back yet so can you do me a favor..." [The word "favor" immediately triggers several swear words in my mind, set on a loop. It is not a passive message the Beard is relaying about something that needs to get done by some far-off deadline as I was hoping; I will not be returning to my nap] Beard: "Can you just kind of knock on all the doors on your wing and just kinda let 'em know that at about 8:00pm it might get a little loud cause we're going to be setting up right outside at the smoker's table (behind the building), just so that they know and I know if anyone complains before we do this. And y'know, in case they're interested, let 'em know the fact it's a free concert." Me: "Alright man, good deal." [I'm now less upset having realized how easy my task is. Knocking on every single door is nothing new for me in this job, and I will mostly be dealing with only a few easygoing kids as on Friday night everyone else is most likely out of town or partying elsewhere. After notifying all residents I find with the Beard's message, parroted verbatim and even delivered with the same tone each time, I go to the front desk to chat up one of the desk assistents and find that a girl who dropped out last semester has come to reunite herself with everyone she knew. After some uneventful chatting she asks where a certain guy on my floor lives. Under FERPA law, I can't risk her letting slip to a cop that I gave her his room number, so I give some hints instead and more uneventful, nostalgic chatter goes on outside his door. Finally, we decide to go out back to the concert.] [8:00pm, Assemble the Dinosaur sets up and plays, after the frontman makes several references to why suicide sucks and the 20 degree weather] The band is a mixture of screamo and techno, the guitarist is tuned way down, the screamer is looking normal between songs but getting wide-eyed and moving frantically during songs; there is also a keyboardist and a guy who's job in the band is to wave glowsticks, the "velociraver". Not my type of music but a great live set nonetheless due to the band's energy. Several moshpits occur despite that the crowd is either literally on the blue tarp that counts as the makeshift stage with the band members or near the sidewalk and cars behind the small crowd. [8:15pm, My friends Chris and Weirdcity stop by and ask if I want to work on cardio after Assemble the Dinosaur's set. I agree and we head to the Recreation Center, me to the treadmill, Chris to the bike, and Weirdcity runs the indoor track.] [9:25pm, Imperial Dawn is setting up. We arrive just in time because they are still setting up and "Z" (and this is a real nickname, he is so called because he's from New Zealand) 's band is the main one I'm here to see] We are expecting more screamo. Instead we get what is definitely a newer style of music and involves screaming, but also a long haired giant that plays as good or better on his Dean flying V than many professional musicians I've seen. They also have melody and a good singer. Their set is definitely one of the more exciting club-style shows I have ever seen. [12:45am, over at Weirdcity's place] Play Street Fighter II Turbo for some more intense, down to the wire matches after getting frustrated with MKII's fatalities not working for us. Go back to my place in 20 degree weather in only a t-shirt cause I've been moshing. Am informed later that I missed my friend CJ's band Adam's Head and a band called Psychonauts. [2pm, Dec 5: Wake up to go to group meeting for Political Science project. CheapAsian is 30 minutes late despite asking to meet at his place; family matters, understandable. Decide our project will be over weed legalization despite 2/4 of group disagreeing. Rationalize this with end section that lists potential problems being their domain of the project.] [5pm, Go to Chili's to celebrate Weirdcity's birthday, girls we're with ask us to hang at the local bar/cafe later; damn, should not have decided to cover coworker's duty night.] [10pm - 2am, duty] And that was the past two days of my life, nothing else to blog about Question of the Blog What have your weekends been like? Any crap at work going on? When's Christmas break for you/how will you celebrate? Unrelated My paper topics Political Science Essay 1: 2 pgs. Healthcare Debate. Graded: 98 Essay 2: 2 pgs. Comparing/Constrasting branches of U.S. government. Graded: 97 Essay 3: 2 pgs. Top ten percent rule for Texas universities. Not graded or turned in but complete. World Literature Essay 1: 800+ words. Comparison of philosophies found in Voltaire's short novel "Candide" and Alexander Pope's poem "An Essay on Man"; i.e. philosophical optimism vs deism/alternate philosophy. Graded: B+. Commentary mentions that I give good intellectual debate, but do not inject enough of my own personal experience. Also, I've forgotten to capitalize a certain word. Essay 2: 1200+ words. Postmodernism and how it relates to Jorge Luis Borges' "Garden of Forking Paths". Turned in and complete, but not graded. Speeches Speech Outline I: Basic Informative on popularity of guitar playing as a hobby. Graded: 95. Speech Outline II: Oral Reading from Candide and academic facts about it. Graded: 85. Speech Outline III: Advanced Informative Speech on Why People Become Vegetarians. Graded: 75. Commentary says I reference note cards too often and do not reach my conclusion. Speech Outline IV: Monroe's Motivated Technique on Why People Become Vegetarians. Graded: 88.