*holds coffee mug*
IM IN MAH OFFICE, WARMIN MI HANDS

It's cold in here...

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Gah, i don't feel like doing anything. I have a couple of (actually pretty simple) things to do, and so... I'll be productive in a minute.

I really enjoy talking on the phone. For the second time this week, another good friend i haven't talked to in years randomly said hello and we talked on the phone. I need to just go through my phone and call everyone I haven't talked with in a while. Just for good measure. (I have some seriously ridiculous amount of numbers in my phone-- something more than four hundred. and some of those are three numbers for the same person, but even so. i like reconnecting with people.

brrr. I severely dislike having cold hands. A LOT. And it is cold in this office right now.

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Tonight will be fun-- I'm likely gonna (shh) leave work a little early to drive to College Station, meet up with Bonfire people, and go stack logs for the evening. And then I'm going to the Polo Fields for the Bonfire Rememberance at 2:42AM. And after that, if I'm not (and that's a big if) totally exhausted, I'm going to drive back to Houston and pass out until the afternoon. Plans with Katie for the afternoon, so that will be fun.

Nothing big going on, really. But it's a good day, and I'm looking forward to working hard tonight at Bonfire. I love me some good physical work with friends. (Me and my stumpy brethren, we will RULE tonight. On our end of the log.)

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The way Stack works, for those unfamiliar with it--that's most of you, i think-- is this.

everyone gets lined up by shoulder height, "stumps on stumps, trees on trees" (tall fuckers on the foliage end, short fuckers on the stump-end,) and alternates sides of the log.
going by the cadence, basically, you

crouch down, get ready, grab the log, hoist the log to waist level, and then set it on your shoulder. It's a REALLY cool thing to watch the log, as it comes up, bobs, and then STOPS when it hits shoulders. Heavy shit, those logs.

And the "heave" is the fun thing. The log is (duh) affected by gravity as we carry it. And so everyone progressively slouches under the weight. Periodically, someone calls for a heave. The heave's not as much fun as the cadence it's done to. and everyone repeats, during the heave, the "lift and place on your shoulder" part.

one, two, FUCK TU! is the standard. (t.u. is the way A&M refers to University of Texas)

three, four, FUCK THE CORPS! is the heave for those-who-aren't-in-ROTC-at-A&M, as the Corps is the other big organization, and "non-reg" (non-Corps-regiment) Bonfire" used to be a really big thing. Still is, in a way.

but the one i always get a kick out of, the most, is


Sixteen, Seventeen, thought she was 18...


i love Bonfire, and the complete lack of political correctness. Every now and then, PC needs a kick in the nuts.

After that, the log is walked up to the stack, the front end is lowered, planted in the right spot, and someone (many times me and one other guy, as big-short-guys are in low supply) holds the pivot point down as the rest of the log it raised into position, using arms and small logs with y-forks to support it. It gets wired to the stack, and that log is done. repeat. A lot.

hahahaaaa... I love Stack.

seeing and hearing an ambulance that is busting ass (lights, sirens, the works) honk out the "Hullabaloo caneck caneck" (da-da-da-da, da-da, da-da, say it out loud in that cadence, 4, short pause, 2, short pause, 2) on the horn is, for lack of a better word, insane. It's also why i like it here...

Hullabaloo Caneck Caneck (for those of you who aren't familiar, and there are many) comes from the Aggie War Hymn and is a short way to identify yourself as an Aggie.
in the war hymn, "Texas Universtiy" is the University of Texas, we just refer to them as "t.u.". Also, in the war hymn, "Varsity" is the proper name for Bevo, the University of Texas' mascot, a longhorn.

Yes, we have some wack-ass traditions...and i wouldn't take anything for them.

So i'm in the other room, being all quiet, and I hear my phone ring with the "someone cute is calling" ring. (the number of people on this ringer-group fluctuates, and right now really is only meant for the girl who called tonight...)

And, man, it's nice to have a 45-minute conversation about... basically nothing, again. I like having those conversations. Something about just talking to someone...

It's hard to explain the concept of "whoop!" to someone... but it's fun to try. (<I've tried before, here) And there was a bunch of "shh i have to be quiet, everyone's asleep" from both of us, whenever we'd start laughing.

And we've got plans, whenever I manage to make it to south Houston again...

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all. I'm officially having a good one.

(big long post later today, inspired by someone else.)

sheesh, it's cold outside. i'm going to head to Target in a minute to try to find a long-sleeve shirt to go under my grode shirt (definition of grode shirt: the clothes you wear to Bonfire, for the duration of the time, without washing 'em) for Bonfire stack tonight. My arms are gonna be cold, otherwise. Brr. I hate cold weather.

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Blythe said I sounded all sad on the phone today. I think it was just me being tired and kinda groggy from waking up like ten minutes earlier. (still... we need to discuss this "going out but not looking like we are, even to me" situation. might be atrace of that in there, too.)

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Okay, seriously, this 'me being tired' thing is ridiculous right now. I'm all groggy, and I just took a nap. wtf. yay Red Bull. *k-chk* -glug-glug-glug-
(Damn, they aren't too bad when they're kinda cold.) Red Bull're downright good when they're cold enough to make your skull hurt.

Oh yeah. And we watched the first 40 minutes or so of Boondock Saints yesterday, and now Blythe wants to borrow it and finish watching it. hahahahah. awesome.

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(jesus, I can feel the currents of cold air convectioning their way around the room from my windows... this time of year part oif me hates living in a room with 8 windows....)

--bonfire cut is tomorrow. yay, again! woohoo... die, trees...
--Shannon, the girl i met at the K's Choice concert the other night (whose name i can't seem to type correctly, out of reflex) may come to the ring-dunking party. that'd be good. Talked to her for like 45 minutes on the phone yesterday...
--I'm exhausted before 11pm on a friday night. what the crap is that? hmm... I rested after classes for like 5 hours too, I hope I'm not getting sick.
--Party tomorrow night... eh.
--Bonfire cut again Sunday morning! whoop.
--um, and i ought to study for my German midterm at some point. pfft.

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i don't know much that's going on, other than that. i think now i'm going to crash so i can go all crazy with an ax tomorrow and cut down trees.

hmm.

up late... should be asleep.

agenda for tomorrow:
1.defensive driving in the morning, starting at 7:45. arg. "the man" seems to think i am a speed demon. bah, I say. "the man" won't keep me down, i say. *nyeeeow*
2.Go buy a new pocketknife. my old one is just that... old. and looking decidedly raggedy-ass.
3.Go to Houston to watch the Matrix with people at the IMAX. A! Whoop! ( if it rules, it'll rule 70 feet of screen. if it sucks, it'll suck in hugeness.)

ok, that's it. going to bed.