Nope, no audio blog today. Haha, I’m actually well, and I’m hanging out at the Mezzanine here at the University Union waiting for my shift to start at work. I’m nearing my last real week of classes. All we’re doing is reviewing and hearing presentations and whatnot. It’s dull and at the same time sad because half my final year here at Eastern is over. My days of being a kid are numbered, folks. I’ve been keeping a private journal and doing a lot of thinking lately and it’s been helping me cope with the fact that I have to be own my own as soon as I graduate. Granted, yes, I’m very scared, however, there’s no stopping time and it’s desire to bring about the manifestations of adulthood to all of us. This week will be me starting my studying and preparing. Next week will be my first REAL hell week! Can you believe it? I’ve gone through one full semester without a real hell week and it finally comes during finals. Guh. It’s crazy how school works, huh? I’ll be pretty busy this week and next week, so I’ll give you the rundown of my final exam schedule. Reason for doing so is to prove that I’m NOT being a slacker here and to give you all a time frame to hold back all remarks about me lack of time here until you can all gripe about it officially. Haha. Okay, here’s my schedule:

Monday, December 15, 2008: Theories of Personality Exam at 10:15am - 12:15pm
Tuesday, December 16, 2008: Neurobiology Exam at 2:45pm - 4:45pm
Wednesday, December 17, 2008: Organic Evolution Exam at 12:30pm - 2:30pm
Thursday, December 18, 2008: Anthropology Exam at 8:00am - 10:00pm

Keep in mind that I have to work after my finals, too, with the exception of Tuesday as my job is closed at 5pm. I’m, apparently, not allowed to work before a final exam. I love how considerate my job can be about my schooling.

Okay? Okay. Rock on, my pretties.

I apologize for the shitty quality of the audio. I’m not very audio savvy, so until I get the hang of it, the next audio blog may turn out the same way. Bear with me, my voice sucks and I’m sick, but I’m too lazy to type, so I felt this was the best way to go.

As promised on the audio blog: Eric Millegan’s Video Blog Links
KingSpeedForever | EricNBATrashTalk

I think this weekend has to be one of the best and happiest I’ve ever had in a long.  I love the sound of unruly, jovial chaos.  I can’t help but smile when I hear, smell, see, and feel it.  I never really told people my troubles as I don’t feel it’s something I should share if it has nothing to do with the people I’m sharing it with.  It’s like placing an unnecessary burden on other people’s shoulders.  It just doesn’t seem right to do so.  Plus, I’m a very well-reserved person, so I only share if need be.

Any hoo, back to my weekend, I spend it with my sister, parents, and for the first time in 4 months, my older sister’s kids.  I’ve felt lonely without them because I love those kids to death.  I’d die for them so that they won’t have to feel an ounce of sadness.  My mom called and had to request the kids through Eva’s (my older sister) mother-in-law.  She’s the only one who’d actually pick up the phone and answer it when we call.  I got news that we’re actually going to have the kids by Manileen (my younger sister).  Apparently, Eva called my mom (this is a first in 11 months) and decided to talk to her via phone.  This was a shock because the last I heard from Eva, she was telling me that I don’t have to worry about her anymore because I won’t see her again.  Her comments that last time I talked to her (on Christmas, mind you) were so full of malice and disdain because I wouldn’t take her to some place in Chicago.  That night she had gotten into a massive fight with her husband, and sure enough, I was caught in the middle of it.  I could never get over that night.  For a good two weeks after that night, I had nightmares.  Just my mind repeatedly replaying that night my older sister went completely ballistic and started throwing everything from punches to appliances at my brother-in-law.   He just stood there… occasionally shielding himself or taking the damage.   He was trying to confront her that night about her behavior the past couple months before hand.  I’m not quite sure what was true because there was so much flip flopping in the stories, but the gist what we heard was that she had reverted back to her old self.  Credit card fraud, crack dealing and abusing, infidelity… you name it, she’s done it behind our backs.  When she finally got caught, my brother-in-law had a complete shift in his personality.   What was once a caring guy turned into a paranoid, distrusting, and heartbroken man.  He’s the only one who took care and loved my sister the way she deserved and for my sister to betray him like that was just something we couldn’t imagine.  Last Christmas, when he went face-to-face with her, it was a no holds barred match.  He was willing to forgive everything that she’s done if could just admit to her mistakes.  She wouldn’t take.  She just kept denying everything.  I backstopped my brother-in-law that night.  I knew he wasn’t wrong because I’ve seen this all before.  The behavior I’ve seen was familiar and old news.  The thing that shocked me the most was the fact that she relapsed.

I lost as sister that night (not literally, but figuratively).  Not only was I completely depressed about that whole situation, I became misanthropic as well.  Didn’t want to give a shit anymore… about everything and everybody.  At that point, my existence was going to be only about me.  I refused to go home when my mom would beg me to.  Spring break, summer break, fall break and now part of Thanksgiving break I spent it here and going to work.

After Eva talked to my mom, she talked to my younger sister.  Not before long, I get a call from her as well.  I didn’t know how to feel when I answered the phone, but when she started talking it was like I’ve never lost contact with her.  I thought the next time I heard something about her, it’d be in an obituary because of her self-distructive behavior.  Turns out, she took that time working on her marriage and raising her children properly.  She evaluated herself to the point where she felt like she needed to change and do it her own way.  I’m glad she did.  I can’t let my guard down completely, but I’m happy to hear from her again.  I’m not ruthless like my father or Manileen, but I’m not easily swayed like my mother.   I’m just glad I don’t have to spend the holidays reliving what happened last year or being some Scrooge.

Pirates hijack Saudi ’super tanker’

(CNN) — Pirates inhave hijacked a Saudi-owned oil tanker with 25 crew aboard off the coast of Kenya the U.S. Navy and the British Foreign Office confirmed on Monday..

Pirates have caused havoc in the perillous waters of the Gulf of Aden this year.

The Sirius Star — a crude “super tanker” flagged in Liberia and owned by the Saudi Arabian-based Saudi Aramco company — was attacked on Saturday more than 450 nautical miles southeast of Mombasa, Kenya, the statement said. The crew include British, Croatian, Polish, Filippino and Saudi nationals.

The UK Foreign Office confirmed two Britons were aboard and said it was seeking more information about the incident.

A multinational naval force including vessels from the U.S., the UK and Russia has been patrolling the Indian Ocean waters seas near the Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, following a sharp increase in pirate attacks in the region.

On Sunday pirates seized a 20,000-ton Japanese cargo ship off the coast of Somalia. A Russian patrol ship also thwarted an attack on a Saudi vessel.

Eleven vessels are currently being held by pirates hoping to secure ransoms for their release, according to The Associated Press. They include the Ukrainian-owned MV Faina, which was hijacked in September along with 200 crew and a cargo of weapons and T-72 tanks.

Ninety percent of ships transiting the perilous seas are using a guarded corridor and there have been no hijackings inside the zone since it was set up on August 22, Danish Commodore Per Bigum Christensen told AP last week.

Around 20,000 oil tankers, freighters and merchant vessels pass along the crucial shipping route each year.

“Our presence in the region is helping deter and disrupt criminal attacks off the Somali coast, but the situation with the Sirius Star clearly indicates the pirates’ ability to adapt their tactics and methods of attack” said U.S. Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, commander of the Combined Maritime Forces.

“Piracy is an international crime that threatens global commerce. Shipping companies have to understand that naval forces can not be everywhere. Self protection measures are the best way to protect their vessels, their crews, and their cargo.”

U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet Cmdr. Jane Campbell told CNN the super tanker weighed more than 300,000 metric tons and “is more than three times the size of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier.” Oil insiders say a tanker of this size can carry up to 2 million barrels of oil.

“It was attacked more than 450 nautical offshore of Mombasa. This means that the pirates are now operating in an area of over 1.1 million square miles. This is a measure of the determination of the pirates and the potentially a measure of how lucrative piracy could become,” Campbell said.

Campbell said the Navy did not expect to dispatch a vessel to aide the super tanker because it does not have dangerous weapons aboard like the MV Faina

I’m in the middle of converting Infinite Alchemy to wordpress.  I’m almost done, I just need to get all the pages managed under the wordpress dashboard and everything will be right as rain.

Please bear with me.  I’m new at this and while editing and updating, I’m also learning the program.  If anything looks funny, it’s probably still under the old setup.

Sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for visiting!

I really don’t see the point in fame.

I was always told that we all have an innate desire to deviate from the norm, to stand out from a crowd, to be loved by people, and etc. If it’s so innate, then why have I not had any desire to want to be famous? Why is it SO essential for certain people online to be love by people that they don’t know personally? It’s annoying and the least bit beneficial for our being. Think about it:

You get fame, you find trouble. You can’t live your life in a way you think it’s best because you’ll always be chastised for the things that you do, say or react. You have a standard set for yourself to uphold and if that falters, you get criticized. There’s no privacy. There’s no life! You live your life in the eyes of the people who perceive you and expect you to be a certain way. It’s as if you have no say in how to run your own life.

Then there’s the people who strive for internet fame. Those are the people I TRULY don’t understand. Establishing yourself in a community whom they themselves are not being honest in terms of who they are as people… heh, yeah. Sounds like something I’d want. A leader of liars is what I see. What the hell kind of title is that? There are a few internet people who, I can say, are truly humble and honest people, but we must admit. Hardly anybody is themselves when they’re online. They have a pseudo-persona that they portray in front of the internet community that makes them look better than who they are offline. It’s sad. It’s like having cyber sex with somebody online (which is ultimately sad). Pretending you’re a hot blond with a huge rack, but you’re actually a 45-year-old, lonely dude whose slightly overweight and is losing your hair.

I could truthfully say that I am the same person online as I am offline. I’m shy, awkward, and occasionally outspoken. I don’t have many friends and I don’t like controversy or drama. Sometimes I feel like people who like fame are people who can’t quite identify who they are as people. I think it was Oprah Winfrey who said that, “If you come to fame not understanding who you are, it will define who you are.” We shouldn’t strive for something that has nothing but minimal superficial value. We should strive for something with meaning and gives us a sense of accomplishment. You don’t get accomplishment from fame. You get a limited lifestyle or a dishonest persona of your own being. If that’s what counts for accomplishment nowadays, then I fear for our generation’s ambitions.

In my 9 years of being a graphic and web designer and developer, I’ve never had any drama whatsoever within my projects. I’ve never been one to indulge or participate, but it’s hard when it’s between two friends. I won’t name names, but it’s disheartening when people don’t get along. It’s a small-scale view of what can foreshadow a monumental catastrophy. I almost feel responsible because it’s my forum that brought these people together. I think what’s worse is when one of your friends eradicates him or herself from the picture. In real life, it’s not hard. You can visit with that friend as much as you can. You can find out how they’re doing, what they’ve been up to, what they plan to do next… Not so much in the internet world. They could actually avoid you if you represent what they’re trying to avoid.

I’d be lying to say that I’m not upset, because I am. In a completely objective point-of-view, that’s life though. Either real or within the world wide web, friends stick together, but they’ll eventually have a falling out. You bare your soul when you publicize your words. There’s no hiding what you truly feel even if you’re trying to be cryptic. The valuable thing we learn from english class is reading between the lines. So there’s no telling what’ll happen between person A and person B. But speaking outwardly, I can’t say that I’m not upset, once again. If anything, I’m appaulled at the cause and effect situation. I think what’s even more nauseating is that I’ve said on the boards that we can speak openly without being detrimental towards our friendly bonds.

Obviously… I’ve been mistaken.

Yeah, it’s been a while. I actually changed the layout to IA earlier, but for some reason there was a server reset and when I came to visit, it was back to the Juliet Simms layout. Not that I hated that layout, I just grew tired of it. The new season of Bones started a while ago (4 weeks, to be exact) and I wanted to commemorate that event by making yet another Bones related layout. There’s a hint of me practing interfacing. I’m not very good at it, but the subtle hint of it on this layout was a fairly good accent. The layout I had before this one (not the Juliet Simms one) looked just like this one, but I was very unhappy with it. It was too grey, too skinny, and …too grey, lol.

So hopefully you guys like this one. If not, that’s okay. I had massive designer’s block, so I went with the one I came up with on a fly. Not bad for improvising. Haha. I had an idea in mind, but not enough drive to make it come about. It was a bit ambitious, too, and I was due for a new layout, so for me to make a layout that’ll take me a while to do isn’t in the interest of consuming my free time. With school starting, I have to keep busy with that as my priority while all of my sites fall either second, third, or last on my list. Sorry about that. Evolution and neurobiology is kicking my ass right now. I mean, I’m doing fine, they’re hard classes and need tons of attention. I just had a test in Evolution and got a 75 on it. I would’ve gotten a 95% on my test, but I didn’t get any points on a 20 point essay question I answered. It bugged me because he made it seem like if we answered the question we’d still get partial credit, but …NOTHING. Guh, what a douche. He’s nice, but has a very unfair way of grading. Good thing he’s dropping our lowest test score and I plan on making that exam my lowest test score. Plus, I have a term paper that I need to do research on, so most of my time lately has been spent in the library. Evolution of Tuberculosis is my topic. God help me. LOL.

I think once my schedule dies down, you’ll see some content additions to the site. Until that happens, you’ll just have to see me rant every once in a while on this blog. Sorry kiddies.

Peace!

I’ve decided to add to the IA Radio playlist:
Fall Out Boy - Lake Effect Kid (Demo)
Fall Out Boy - I Don’t Care

Mayday Parade - Black Cat
Mayday Parade - Jamie All Over
Mayday Parade - Miserable At Best
Mayday Parade - You Be The Anchor That Keeps My Feet On The Ground, I’ll Be The Wings That Keep Your Heart In The Clouds
Mayday Parade - I’d Hate To Be You When People Find Out What This Song Is About

The Lake Effect Kid demo is my favorite song off of the CFOB mixtape so I thought I should add it.  Mayday Parade is my newest musical obsession.  Buy their album, “A Lesson in Romantics.”  REALLY worth the money.  Fall Out Boy’s “I Don’t Care” is available on iTunes for those who want the single.