i just got some unsolicited e-mail that actually interested me. apparently ohio has some program that offers up to $8,000 in technical training for individuals with income less than $13,290<\/a>. i’ve never really been into the whole certification game, but if i can get free training, i won’t have to stress the test so much ant it might be worthwile. even if i don’t get the ccna certification, the skills might still be worthwhile.<\/p>\n not just the superchunk song, but also my little pipe dream. i’m bored to death of cis<\/a> classes and want to do something a little more creative – don’t get me wrong, programming could be considered art – but i’m more interested in using it as a tool for a more multimedia approach than as an artform in and of itself. so, i’m trying to get in to the art 551 new media robotics class<\/a>. should be interesting since i don’t have any of the prereqs, but the class looks amazingly rad. i guess i could go out and mess around with this myself, but taking a class a) makes me feel better about prioritizing it with other things in my life, and b) gives me access to a lot of hardware and supply resources from the university which is awesome. we’ll see how it goes<\/p>\n is how i’d describe my life of late. just finished with finals yesterday, and luckily they were two of the downright easiest exams i’ve ever taken. i didn’t study as much as i would have liked to, but at least the terms were short so it meant i had less time to forget already learned material. what really didn’t help was my friend alicia’s visit. alicia and i were friends in high school and played together in a punk band called fallout before i went away to be a nerd in columbus, and she went to study art at tyler in philadelpha. alicia’s in a new band called x’s x’s<\/a>. this summer they’re touring<\/a>, and although they could’t get a show in columbus, they stopped at the sweet life to spend the night en route between pittsburgh and chicago. i hardly ever get to see alicia, just here or there when i come home, or sometimes at a show, which is a shame, because she’s really one of my last connections to the high school period in my life. everyone else who i was friend with back then just seemed to have very different priorities in life and interests, and in the end, when i went away, it just didn’t make sense to try to preserve those ties. but alicia’s rad, and i think that being in a band with people is a lot like being in a relationship with people, so it’s good to stay in touch. besides, alicia does a lot of the stuff that i wish i would do if my priorities were different or i wasn’t a big ol’ wuss, e.g. touring all the way across the country and even into canada. it was a little weird to meet her band mates, and i fealt a little like an outsider when i would venture into their conversations, but they seemed to be cool kids, and the band got along better than most bands setting out on a tour. alicia also gave me a sweet tofu recipe which i made for the critical mass picnic and seemed to go over really well. despite the possible scholastic advantages, hanging out with old friends and living vicariously through them for a few hours is a good time.<\/p>\n was my thought yesterday, as, in my post exam euphoria, i managed to have a really great afternoon\/evening. i rushed home to cook up some x’s x’s breakfast, then i ran into shad and we hooked up with the rest of the critical mass kids. it was a fairly sizeable ride, at least 20 kids, and sally, johnny, chad, brian, and a bunch of other regulars were there. it was the first time i had done critical mass in months, so it was a good time. afterwards, we rode all the way up to the park of roses in clintonville and had a bit of a cookout. someone brought a grill, jami brought her new puppy which i’ll even confess was adoreable. we played kickball and my team got trounced, but still had a good time. what i realized is how much happier i am when i can feel like part of a community rather than just a clique or a small group of friends. it’s nice to go out and do something with people you haven’t seen in a while – catch up, hang out, ride bikes, whatever. it was one of the best time’s i’ve had in a while. i guess it just goes to show it’s not so much where you are, but what you do. i can’t imagine having a better time, even in a cooler city.<\/p>\n went to a couple of parties later that night with shad. went to brian’s, a kid shad knows, and i met at critical mass and just chilled. they had a keg and it was kind of noisy, but definitely not wanabee frat-boy asshole scene that seems dominant at 90% of columbus parties. still, it was a little weird because i’m horrible at socialization, and didn’t really know people at the party. furthermore, unlike in scotland, it seems like everybody at a columbus party knows someone else, so you can’t really strike up a conversation with strangers and meet new people. also a problem is that everyone i would know at a columbus party, i only know because they’re ultra socialites who know tons of other people, so they’re doing the whole social butterfly thing and can’t save me from my akwardness. oh well. it wasn’t a bad time. it’s good to get out every once in a while.<\/p>\n decided to try to write a shit-talking columbus kid gossip zine as a joke, though i’m soon realizing that i don’t even know enough kids to make it seem realistic. it would be funny as hell. columbus is so small that there’s already tons of gossip going on and there’s nothing like adding fuel to the flames. i think it’s all well intended – i’ve not met anyone who was a real asshole about gossip – one just gets sucked in and the truth gets distorted somewhere along the way<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" job skills i just got some unsolicited e-mail that actually interested me. apparently ohio has some program that offers up to $8,000 in technical training for individuals with income less than $13,290. i’ve never really been into the whole certification game, but if i can get free training, i won’t have to stress the test… Continue reading 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class<\/h3>\n
whirlwind<\/h3>\n
columbus isn’t so bad after all<\/h3>\n