Dumbledore is GAY!!!

Yes you heard me correctly! The lovable Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore has been pronounced gay by author J.K. Rowling. I bet the wizard would have preferred to take this secret with him to the grave, but that was not the case, when Rowling outed the character during an appearance this past weekend at Carnegie Hall. Rowling stunned the crowd with her revelation.

Big Deal, right! Well apparently this news has caused much debate and controversy in the news. The Toronto Globe and Mail called it "the biggest outing in the entertainment industry since Ellen DeGeneres." A British newspaper said, “there could hardly have been a bigger sensation if Russell Crowe, Rod Stewart or Sven-Goran Eriksson had come out.”

What do I think about it??? I think its great! There should be more instances of positive gay characters in literature. Most importantly, the portrayal of Dumbledore as a gay man strengthens the idea that being gay is ok. Which it is!

Also it is going to piss off a whole lot of conservative Christians and that’s fine with me.

We all kill each other because God told us too, Nah. Hello Hello!
JK

It finally has happened. Google has become its own diety. Well maybe not officially but a group of Google fanatics have decided to start their own website called thechurchofgoogle.org/ and introduce the world to "GOOGLISM".

If your as big of an Google enthusiast as myself, then you wont want to waste any time checking out the site.

Love is too big for just one nation, and God is too big for just one religion!

JK

One of my favorite things to do this year has really been writing my blog. It has been a shame that I have slacked off so much the past couple months. Being very busy as I know most people are, I hope you understand.

The big news in my life currently is that I am moving to Pittsburgh!! Well my plan is to move to Pittsburgh. I haven't taken any of the necessary steps to move, except putting together my resume and a web portfolio.

Why??? Well, my girlfriend and I have decided that with our uncertain employment futures, Bloomsburg has seen enough of us and its time to take on new challenges. We feel that Pittsburgh will be a great opportunity for us to broaden our horizons and craft our professional skills.

I have always been a fan of the city since the first time I visited. Every time I visit I think to myself "I can really live here." I have always felt extremely comfortable there and look forward to the experiences the city will have for Lynn and I.

In the next few weeks, we have plans to visit and then we will decide when exactly we plan to move. Then after that it will be time to search for a home... :) I am definitely looking forward to that.

Don't let them take the fight out of you...
JK

Its been a while since I have posted anything on my blog and I would like to first apologize to anyone of my diligent readers. With that out of the way I can now focus on my blog.

Its the end of September and for all Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania residents that means one thing...Fair Time!! There is nothing better for your arteries than a deep friend peanut butter and jelly sandwich...yeah I kind you not, they have them there. But for one week out of the year millions of people flock to the second largest fair in the United States and throw their inhibitions to the wind and gorge themselves on anything imaginable fried.

If your ever in town on or around fair time I recommend stopping by for something to eat. If your not a big fan of fried foods, the fair is also loaded with games, rides, jewelry and clothing stands...not too mention the livestock exhibits.

If it killed me today, I would be better off...
JK

I was just watching Moulin Rouge, more specifically the part with the elephant love medley song and one of the exchanges between Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman inspired me to write this blog. During this exchange Ewan sings to Nicole "all you need is love" and to which she replies "love is just a game." This got me to thinking, is love just a game?

Upon little deliberation, its almost midnight and I apologize for not putting much thought into it, I came up with the conclusion that the process of finding love is a game. Everyone is out there searching for that person who they can spend the rest of their lives with, as I am also. Games are marked by their large amount of chance as is finding that special someone, could you image where you would be if your either your mom or dad decided to stay home on that illustrious night that they met....hmmmm

I decided to delve into websters dictionary for a correct definition of the word game and I made a few conclusions that may or may not help strengthen my case. One of the definitions to game is "a procedure or strategy for gaining an end." This is intriguing because everyone has their strategies for meeting people of the opposite sex. These strategies could include going to clubs with your friends of just hitting a woman over the head with a giant club and then dragging her back to your cave. To each their own I suppose.

Another part of that definition that got me thinking was how it referred to a game as trying to gain an end. Which can be easily tied into a relationship. Isn't the point of dating, well for most people, is to find that last person you can see yourself with...your end.

There was a third part of the definition that also help me arrive at my conclusion and it stated "a physical or mental competition conducted according to rules with the participants in direct opposition to each other." Its obvious to say that yes dating is physically and mentally taxing on every participant but I would like to focus on the second part of that statement. Most importantly the part that mentions that we are in direct competition of one another. Men are fighting each other for woman, and also for men and vice versa for the ladies. Another point for me right?

As I just stated about how love is a competition with competitors, there must be a prize for the winner. Like board games, bowling with some friends, and gambling, there is always a prize for the winner. For some it may just be bragging rights. I don't think I need to go into what the reward of finding love. I think its pretty obvious...

Any thoughts I would really enjoy hearing them

Saturday wait and Sunday always comes to late, but Friday never hesitate
JK

Today is the day that we celebrate our countries independence. For most of us that means, fireworks, cook outs, beer and most importantly a day off of work. For me that meant rain and coldfusion. There is a little tradition that is becoming synonymous with July 4th. That tradition is Nathan's hot dog eating contest. For the last 6 years the competition has seen Takeru Kobayashi completely dwarf the competition en route to victory after victory. This year in a magnificent display of eating, American Joey Chestnut, shattered the previous world record set by Kobayashi, on his way to victory.

After my brother called me to let me in on the historic happenings, I immediately have thoughts of when Rocky defeated the Russian Ivan Drago. It was a great moment for our country. I will now refer to this day as our generations Miracle on Ice.

If all gods people could be free to live in perfect harmony, it's a miracle
JK

Today will be a nice quick and clean blog. Yesterday I mentioned Mountain Jam and forget to post a link to my pictures, well here it is Mountain Jam What What!!

I found a great website that everyone should visit. Its called MizPee and basically what it does is helps you find restrooms in cities. You can access the site with a mobile phone or just text your location to a number and it will text you back where to do. I can not believe it took this long for a service like this to be offered. Mizpee.com

I have finally watched all the movies nominated for best picture and I personally can see unlike last year the Academy got it right. The Departed was the best movie of the year. Here is a list of how I saw it this year.

1. The Departed
2. The Queen
3. Little Miss Sunshine
4. Letters from Iwo Jima
5. Babel
   

Well that is all for today, but in closing this has been my fiftieth blog post. WHOO HOO happy 50th to me...

Well, you cant be a pimp and a prostitute too
JK

Well hello blog world!! It has been forever since I wrote a blog and I have decided today will be the end of my long over due silence. It sure has been a while so I should have a lot to bring to light.

First and foremost, I am almost done with my masters. I cant believe how fast that went by. I am currently one week from completing my last required class and my internship. As for my class, I am working on a much better myspace :). If your interested in being a part of jasonSpace community, let me know.

Other than that professional my life is going well. I have a job that pays the bills and I have opportunities for advancement, maybe not within the company I currently work for but they are out they. I have to take some chances, but life is too good right now and I should save some money.

Since school is almost over with, I have been inundated with phones call from loan consolidators. Personally I have no idea what is a good deal and what is not. So, if anyone has any thoughts or counsel please let me know.

Mountain Jam came and went with a fury. Anyone who wasn't there, you are stupid. It was a blast, except for the rain. The amount of music and people that I met, made the whole experience one of the best of my short 24 year life.

Today is a very sad day for myself, because my great friend and fellow Mountain Jammer, Chuck is moving to Hong Kong, next week. Today is his going away party and will most likely be an evening filled with drunken insanity and leave us tomorrow wondering what we were all thinking.

That's all for today. Be sure to keep your ear to the grindstone for more from myself

I believe in the possibility of you and me
JK

It just came to my attention that I own more shirts and ties than tie-dyed shirts. I am no longer a hippie and I am living a lie. The turnaround from hippie to corporate was swift and ferocious and I am sad...

JK

It may just be me but I think that tapioca pudding has special healing powers... If you agree let me know

JK

Ain't nobody gonna hold me down! Oh No. I got to keep on moving!

Today I made it successfully through my surgery. Its been about 8 hours since the surgery and the bleeding has all but stopped and the pain killers are working as good as I thought they would. The doc said I should be fine in a few days.

Until then I will eat inordinate amounts of pudding and jell-o.

Maybe the sun will shine today...
JK

Today was an amazing day. I was woken up promptly at 730 am by a phone call from my dad for no reason other than he was bored. Afterwards I had to help Lois Anne move a TV and then went home to cleaned my apartment. I usually do not jump at the occasion to clean but my apartment desperately needed it and also I was unable to fall back to sleep. I was also able to clean 20% of my hard drive space off...SCORE!!

After I showered and ate lunch I figured it would be nice to get some fresh air. It was such a nice day and I had nothing else to do so, I packed my things up and first went to the wine store. Where I bought 3 bottles of various wine for my own private stock. Then i decided to go for a short walk to the park to do some light reading. When I was finished reading I walked back just in time to make myself dinner. You should have seen how proud and productive I felt today. It was really amazing!

Which leads me to now and my point. I am absolutely in love with the idea that I now have free time. It was great being able to clean, walk and read all in one day. Grad School, work and my personnel life really do take up a large chunk of my time and it is nice to have a break from school and work. With this new found freedom I plan to accomplish all the things I have been meaning to do such as read, exercise and write more blogs...if anyone is counting this is my 2nd blog in 2 days.

Well that is all for tonight. It is back to work tomorrow.

I know the hell out of woman!!
JK

During my recent trip to Virginia, I happened to meet and converse with a woman who was traveling to Florida. She had no luggage except the clothes on her back and was going down just to see the park and ride some rides and then go back home. At first, I thought to myself that this lady was a mountain of crazy but then after talking more with her I began to admire her level of spontaneity. It isn't ever day you meet someone who can just get up and go.

With that in mind I have just participated in my graduate degree ceremony. I have not earned my degree yet, I still have 1 class and an internship to complete, but that will be done this by mid July. I am now left to decide, do I stay in Bloomsburg or do I leave for greener pasture. Well only time will tell but what I have learned from my friend is that maybe I should start taking some chances.

Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end...
JK

I am relaxing in my Virginia hotel room, thinking to myself what better to do than write a blog. Recently the complicated hexadecimal encryption code for DVD format was discovers and posted on digg. After the code was posted Hollywood came yelling and slapped digg with a cease and desist order to remove the post. Digg unfortunately agreed which caused a firestorm of revolt from site goers. This revolt cause Digg to ultimately change thier minds to appease the site goes.

Currently the aftermath has seen anyone with any knowledge of photoshop take to their computers to use the code in any way they see fit. Here is a funny site of photoshoped pictures with the code in: website

Once there were parking lots, now it's a peaceful oasis...
JK

Today is a pretty exciting day for many reasons. First, the semester is almost over and that means two things...graduation and SUMMER! Summer means new classes (second life and cold fusion) concerts and working more hours to make more money, which is always good.

Second, Tomorrow I will be making the voyage to Virginia for a job interview. So everyone better wish me luck. I will be staying in Arlington and interviewing in Alexandria. Hopefully I will get some time to sight see and check out my possible new home. It is about time I start growing up...lol

The last and most important reason is that I have finally purchased my Mountain Jam tickets. Not only have I but the rest of my party have gotten their tickets. So that means it is a done deal, in less than a month the three of us will be having a great time listening to some great music. I can not think of a better way to send Chuck off to Hong Kong in July.

I miss the innocence I've known
playing kiss covers beautiful and stoned
JK

Hello world, I am a total idiot. Friday night, I lost my check card and therefore allowed anyone who felt inclined to have a field day with my savings. Luckily after I noticed that it was gone I called pnc and canceled my card. I was also relieved to hear that my checking account was untouched, so no harm no foul. Well except my pride.... I am an idiot

Send lawyers, guns and money
the shit has hit the fan
JK

So much to say so little space. This blog will be very similar to my last blog. I will just mention a few things briefly.

1. Today I had a appointment with a oral surgeon to help alleviate the pain in my mouth. He will do that for me but I have to go under the knife. I have a surgery scheduled for May 16. Don't cry for me, I will live and afterwards will be fitter, happier and more productive...

2. Ithaca, NY is my new favorite place in the whole wide world. Today the Mayor announced that May 8th will be known as The Grateful Dead day. That is amazing! Every state should adopt May 8 as a annual Grateful Dead holiday.

3. I found a website today that allows you to create your own mii character. A mii is the Nintendo Wii's personal characters. Players can create and personalize their mii, anyway imaginable. Here is the website if you are predisposed to do so.
miieditor.com

4. I have some exciting professional news. A company that I interviewed with on Friday, called me today to set up an interview. Unfortunately my phone was going to die so I let it go to my voice mail but am definitely calling back tomorrow.

All in all today was a pretty crazy day

Buzz, your girlfriend, woooooof
JK

Here are some pictures before and after my presentation Thursday for CAC. The pictures are very pixelated, I am sorry.





















(pictured: Spyke, Me, Jared)
















(pictured: Jared, Mat, Bianca(holding our best written proposal), Spyke and Me)















(pictured: Jared, Mat, Bianca(again holding our best written proposal), Spyke and Me)

Be a standing cinema, dress my friends up just for a show, see them as they really are
JK

Its Sunday night, I am sitting in my apartment drinking some delicious yerba mate, and listening to the talking heads. I feel that this is the most opportune time to write a blog. This evenings blog will encompass 4 fantastic topics.

1. CAC is over!! The capstone project of my graduate career is finish and my group ended up winning the award for best written proposal. I also got the chance to brush shoulders with some IIT alum's and hopefully got myself a job.

2. Since I don't have to spend all my free time working on this project, I know have more Jason time and you know what that means? Upgraded the netflix account!! I am back to the more comfortable 3 movies at a time plan. It was killing me only having two movies at a time and not even being able to watch them.

3. Web 2.0 is phrase coined for websites that facilitate collaboration between individuals. These websites include social networking sites (facebook, myspace) and wiki's. With that said I saw an article about a web 2.0 site that allows you to buy a drink at a bar for a friend. The idea is that you will purchase drinks for a friend and that friend will be emailed a code that he/she will present at participating bars and then will be given a drink. Currently the site has 40 participating bars, that are located in and around New York city. I really hope this idea catches on, so that I can send my friend e-drinks!
Here's a link to the site: buyYourFriendADrink.com

4. With the help of my illustrator Joe Hughes, I have crafted two original cards for my munchkin game. The cards are a sword "The light sword" and a curse. I cant wait to integrate the cards in my game asap.

well that is all for this evening

Jesus helps me trick people
JK

CAC starts tomorrow. WISH ME LUCK EVERYONE!!


JK

A wise man once told me never to say goodbye. Goodbye is too final, but today I have three goodbyes for you. The first being Kurt Vonnegut. Mr. Vonnegut passed away earlier this week at the age of 84. Kurt was best know for his satirical writing and that was best displayed in his classic novel Slaughterhouse Five.

My second goodbye is for Don Imus. Imus was fired from his radio show by CBS after his racially insensitive comments towards the Rutgers University womens basketball team. I can honestly say I did not think Imus was going to get fired, even though he definitely deserved to be fired. I have heard of worst cases where the individual received nothing more than a slap on the wrist. It is nice to see that someone is drawing a line on what can be said and what can not be said.

My third and final goodbye is for Trey Anastasio. Trey pleaded guilty this week to possession of a controlled substance. Trey's punishment will be to complete a drug rehab program and then 5 years probation. If he does not complete the drug rehab he will be going to jail for 1-3 years. So Trey, for your own sake and for the sake of everyone that hopes one day Phish will tour again, please complete the drug rehab.

We can bomb the world to pieces
but we cant bomb it into peace
JK

After a fantastic weekend at home, away from all things grad school related I have come back to school to create my own WIKI page. For anyone, who is unaware of what a wiki is, a wiki is a basically a web page that anyone can update the content. Wikipedia is the biggest example of the wiki. I created my own for a few reasons but mostly because I want to see what people think about me. Yeah I am a dork... I hope everyone that reads my blog will be so kind to edit my wiki page. It is very bare right now so it definitely needs some work. Here is the link to the page so everyone can bookmark it and visit it daily (like my blog)
Jason Kojtek Wiki

There are many here among us who feel that life is but a joke
JK

I saw this and laughed a whole lot. Click on this link and read step 18
Seattle WA to Paris Fr

Where are you going without ever knowing the way
JK

Tonight I find myself in unchartered territories. Its 1o pm and I am in bed with nothing to do. I am not saying that I am going to bed anytime soon but it is nice to be able to get caught up on some stuff. By stuff I mean listening to the new Umphrey's Mcgee album, doing my dishes and straightening up my apartment for once. So therefore I will commit this fantastic blog to what I have going on in my mind.

Firstly, Its almost Easter and you know what that means... It is almost time for Jason to do some suit shopping. I have to be a big ball of sexy for all the CAC members so that they will have pity on me and give me a job. We all do know that jobs are good, especially high paying jobs. If not I will be forced to change my name to get out debt. No one will suspect I am Jason Kojtek if I change my name to Sebastian Hornblower, or will they?

Secondly, I think my wisdom teeth are coming in all of a sudden. I have made this observation because there is an intense amount of pressure coming from the back of my mouth. The pressure makes it extremely hard to sleep through an entire night. Lately on average I have been getting up just about every hour.

Thirdly, I am starting to realize that working 40 hours a week is detrimental to my lifestyle, especially during the summer. The summer is the prime festival, concert time and personally my favorite time of the year. I have already passed on numerous concerts because they are during the week and I will be working. BOOOO work!!

That is enough and by the way I am digging the new Umph album.

good night and good luck
JK

I read a very disturbing article today about Keith Richards snorting his fathers ashes with cocaine. We all know Keith Richards from his days with the Rolling Stones and also from his much publicized drug habits. Knowing that, I should not have been surprised but I still was. I do not know whats more disappointing actually snorting your dead father's ashes or telling a British newspaper about it. I guess some people take the whole sex, drugs and rock n roll moniker a little too far. Here is a link to the article

And now my bitter hands, cradle broken glass of what was everything...
JK

The weekend from hell has officially ended. My groups request for proposal is written and bounded, Loie is back in Bloomsburg from her wacky weekend in New Jersey and my newly updated resume is finished. All I can say is WOW! I am physically and mentally exhausted.

Besides all the work I did this weekend I did have some fun. Harry's last night was a good time. I got to hang out with some of my fellow KCDL employees and saw how hard Ashley Kreischer rocks. I also was pleased to see Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers released an EP via download. The EP is three songs from their new album, due out in July!

I will conclude my blog this evening by saying how unsatisfied I was with the case of Sam Adams White Ale that I bought this week. I expected so much more from the beer.

Nobody ever seems to remember that life is a game we play
JK

Today I am going to share one reason why I love the Decemberists:



This video was taken and uploaded to YouTube by my friend Lauren. It was taken during the Decemberists Saturday show in Boston this past weekend.

But never once in the employ of these holy men
Did I ever once turn my mind from the thought of revenge
JK

Well I am back from an exciting weekend in Boston. My blog this evening will be about brewery tours. While I was in Boston, my friends and I went to Sam Adams and Harpoon. Two very different breweries that provided two different experiences.

Our experience began Saturday morning at 10:30 when we arrived at Sam Adams. We were 30 minutes early for their 11 am tour. Sam Adams was a more structured tour where Harpoons was more of a tasting. At Sam Adams they took us in the research and development plant and showed us their brewing areas. The provided us with a lot of information about their company, their beers and the brewing process. After about 40 minutes the tour was over and it was time for the tasting. The tasting was OK. We were only given three samples (the Boston Lager, White Ale and a new research beer(which sucked!)). Sam Adams did have a great gift shop. We all picked up a set of their perfect pint glasses (which are amazing!). We left the brewery about 12:30, which gave us plenty of time to get to Harpoon for 2.

At Harpoon, we stood in a room that overlooked the brewing plant. As i said previously, Harpoon was a tasting, not a tour, so instead of taking us around and telling us how great their beer is, they let us drink it. For 45 minutes we were able to try as many samples as we desired. Within the 45 minutes there was a brief intermission where the bartenders talked about each type of beer. I am a big fan of Harpoon, especially the winter warmer, so I was very excited about trying some newer beers. After the tasting, we perused the gift shop, which was not that great. They did sell a lot of their beers but the merchandise was sub par.

After all was said and done we visited two of Bostons greatest breweries in one day and survived. If your asking for a recommendation, I would say it depends on your interests. If you are interested in learning a lot about beer then I would say go to Sam Adams. If you are interested in drinking a lot of great beer then Harpoon is up your alley. Personally I prefer Harpoons beer over Sam Adams so I would say Harpoon is the choice.

Here all the bombs fade away
JK

It is sad to say but I am more excited about something other than leaving for Boston today. I have become enthralled with the notion that I am going to Mountain Jam this year. WHOO HOO me!! Mountain Jam is a music festival run by Warren Haynes (Grateful Dead, Govt Mule) that is from June 1-3. Some of my favorite bands are already playing there, including Umphrey's McGee, Gov't Mule and Spearhead. A great time will be had by all.

here is a link to the festivals website: Mountain Jam
























You've got to hide your love away!!
JK

If Google was a woman, I think I would marry her. Today Google unvailed a set of themes for their personalized home pages. You can view a sample of a theme below. The pages are another way to customize your personal space but they are also dynamic and will update as the day goes by. Check out below

5 p.m.

830 p.m.
















JK

I am going to drop some philosophy on everyone today. I don't know about you but I get sick of people blaming the world and their surrounds for their problems. I have currently adapted an existential view of my life. Existentialism says that you are the only sole proponent that is in charge of your existence. Therefore all your choices and freedoms are defined by yourself. In this form of philosophy there is no blaming your professor for your bad test grade. You should have studied more!

The main principle behind this philosophical movement is that whether you make a good or a bad choice, that choice will define yourself. Choice is all that we have, without confirmation of our acts.

Existentialism goes a little further by stating that anything outside of your existence is considered nothingness. Therefore the tree in the forest that makes the sound when it falls down is considered nothingness. I personally agree with this way of thinking because I feel that I am in charge of my destiny and everything else is nothingness.

I dont care if it rains or freezes, as long as I got my plastic Jesus
JK

What does it mean to be a friend? Is it someone you share an acquaintance with through a job or a class, that call you when they need a favor or have a question to ask you. Is it someone that you will acknowledge as you walk pass them on a routine basis. Is it someone that you spend time with in a relaxed setting like a bar or a restaurant. I guess it could be a little of everything

I feel that a friend is someone who helps you forget about the harshness that is reality. I am not saying that I have a hard life, because I don't. I have been quite privilege my entire life, but we all do go through tough times whether it be job related, school issues or relationship problems. In those times we need to surround ourselves with people that help us escape those realities and help us cope with them. I think a friend is best summed up as someone you put in charge of your well being.

JK

In the movie "Stranger than Fiction" Will Ferrell plays a IRS agent who is trying to figure out who the voice is in his head. The voice in his head is narrating his life to him, as if she was telling a story. With the help of an English professor played by Dustin Hoffman, they set out to determine whether the story is a comedy or a tragedy. See most comedies end happily, people live happily ever after, but most tragedies end in death.

I implore everyone who reads my blog, to figure out what story their lives most closely resembles, whether is be a comedy, tragedy or even a drama. I would say that I live in a comedy.

Have you ever transcended space and time?
JK

I hope everyone filled out their brackets this year for the NCAA tournament. I usually complete about a dozen of them a year and that was no different this year. I started my yearly pool with all my friends to see who is the master of college basketball.

If you r hoping that I disclose the winner of the tournament I am sorry but I have no concrete answer. In my polls I have picked 4 different winners, including Kansas, Florida, Texas A&M and Texas. Regardless of who wins, this time of year is spent rooting for the underdog. I am hoping to some day see a 1 seed get beaten by a 16 seed, with the improving competition in the NCAA, I think that could possibly hear in the near future.

Once the tournament is all said and done I hope for the sake of college basketball that many of the star freshman in the college ranks are not going to be one and down players and that they stink around for a few more years. I am not speaking of all freshman since Kevin Durant and Greg Oden should already be in the nba, but mainly players that have good freshman years, such as Brandan Wright from UNC and Scottie Reynolds from Nova, players who have had great freshman seasons but are a few years from contributing in the NBA. Time will tell


JK

The main thing i want to talk about this evening is hospital waiting rooms. i think they are unnecessary. Why do I think this? Well I happened to be in the hospital today getting a shot in my fantastic ass *hurt soooo bad". Before I was administered my shot I was brought into the examining room and made to wait for about an hour in the room. Which is OK, because I'm usually a pretty patient person (3P's, wow I am a nerd). Being left in this tiny little room for what felt like an eternity got me to thinking about how often I have been made to wait in an examination room and came to the conclusion that waiting rooms are unnecessary.

If I knew I would have been stuck in that room for an hour I would have declined and stayed in the waiting room (TV). I would definitely prefer the comforts of the waiting room to the tight constraints of an examination room. Which gets me to my point, why don't hospitals just bring you in the examination room when a Doctor can actually see you and not so you can count the ceiling tiles?

Rule #76: No excuses play like a champion
JK

I am writing this blog to inform the world or the few people who actually read my blog that I am now an employed e-learning developer. I was offered and accepted a job today with Keystone Distance Learning Center in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. I am very happy with the opportunity to earn job related experience with a fantastic company and also to earn a paycheck doing so. I will be starting a week from today meaning that instead of basking in the sun on the beach for spring break I will be sitting in a cubicle doing work. To be quite honest, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Also I saw the movie "Zodiac" last night with my girlfriend. I would reccomend everyone to see this movie. It was a very interesting well produced movie about the Zodiac Killer who terrorized San Francisco during the 60s and 70s. The movie is quite long (150 minutes) but it is not at all boring.

Girl I wanna lay you down
JK

Here are the long waited Oscar losers according to myself from Sunday nights ceremony.

Losers

3. The bronze medal for Oscar loser goes to Dreamgirls. It did win 2 Oscars but the movie lost the ones it was suppose to win. The movie prided itself on its music and costume design. I will give it the benefit of the doubt for costume design because of how stacked that category was (Maria Antoinette (winner) and the Devil Wears Prada), but losing best song to Melissa Etheridge when you had 3 songs nominated is tough to let slide by. I mean there was a 60% percent chance that they would win the Oscar. Oh Well!

2. The second loser of the Oscars was Clint Eastwood. He not only had 6 total nominations but he had 2 movies nominated (Flags of our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima). His highlight of the evening was when he presented Ennio Morricone with a lifetime achievement Oscar.

1. The biggest loser of the Oscars was the movie Babel. The golden globe winning movie was nominated for 6 Oscars and walked away with 1 Oscar for best original musical score. It definitely was a sad night for a the 2007 version of Crash (2006 Oscar Winner for best film) as its high expectations were left unfulfilled.

Like I said the Oscars are gone but in their wake they left some great memories and I can not wait for them next year. Be on the look out for my best picture declaration (after I see all the movies).

The movement you need is on your shoulder
JK

The Oscars came and went with a furry of fantastic moments. Being a huge fan of cinema I anticipate the Oscars each year and this year was not a let down. In today's blog space i am going to discuss the winners of sundays award ceremony. Let this be known, everything that will be discussed is purely my opinion and nothing else.

Winners

5. Guillermo del Toro, better known as the director of Pans Labyrinth, represented the three amigos very well by winning 3 oscars. The other two members of the group (Alfonso Cuaron and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu) movies combined for 1 Oscar win.

4. Das Leben Der Andersen (the lives of others), is a German movie that won the Oscar for best foreign film. The big deal about this movie is that it beat out Pans Labyrinth for the Oscar, which I thought was a sure lock for the award.

3. This is my feel good story, coming in at no. 3 is Little Miss Sunshine. The movie was the seasons award show hopeful. Winning best movie at the Spirit awards and the SAG Awards. A long shot for best picture at the Oscars did not hurt the movie as it took home two more awards. The movie received the Oscars for best supporting actor (Alan Arkin) and for best original screenplay.

2. The second winner of the Oscars was Al Gore. He was everywhere during the show. He presented an award with Leonardo Dicaprio. "An Inconvenient Truth" the documentary he starred in won 2 Oscars, best documentary and best song for Melissa Etheridge's song "I need to wake up"

1. The winner of the Oscars was obviously Martin Scorsese. His movie "The Departed" won 4 Oscars, the most for any movie on Sunday. The movie took home the best picture of the year award and not too mention he won his long due Best director Oscar. Congratulations Martin, keep up the good work.

stay tune for my Oscar Losers

Some may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
JK

I want to use my blog space today to let everyone know I am coming out of the closet. Well not that closet. For the most part I have had nothing but discontent with reality television. For a while, I use to watch the real world and the real world challenges but I have since stopped because of the obvious fact that it is not real anymore, well probably hasn't been for a while but I am starting to realize this. I think reality tv is some of the most mindless dribble every put on a television, and knowing that television is mostly mind numbing dribble. The shows are completely scripted, so how can you even call it reality. The only reason people watch it is to either (1) see someone get hurt, (2) see someone do something crazy and the biggest reason (3) to see two people hook up. The scary truth is that reality television is a staple in network programming and I do not see that changing.

Putting my feelings aside I must admit that I can't stop watching the White Rapper Show. I am completely enamored with the Show . The White Rapper Show chronicles the life of 10 white rappers trying to make it as a rapper. Each episode the rappers are put through test to try to give them a better understanding of the industry and the culture and after the challenge the losers are required to write a rap and based on that rap one is eliminated. The characters are quite comical, such as John Brown(Hallelujah Hollaback) and Jus' Rhyme.

I have seen every episode of the show and am anticipating a great seasons finale this coming Monday. The competition is left for either John Brown of Shamrock to claim the title as white rapper. My heart is with John Brown but my mind says Shamrock, either way I can't wait to see how it pans out. Unfortunately once the season is over I am left to fill my reality tv void.

and I am nothing of a builder
but here i dreamt I was an architect
JK

It has been quite the busy weekend for myself. From spending valentines night (Friday) with my girlfriend to finishing my RFP business summary today I feel like I could use a long vacation. Unfortunately that probably won't happen for a little while. I am currently streaming a Decemberist concert from the internet. Every note that is played during the concert makes me grow more impatient that in about a month I will be in Boston seeing the band in concert. It may only be five weeks away, but lately one week has felt like a short eternity.

I recently blogged about how phenomenal the snow was, I am now retracting that comment. The subsequent classes and meetings canceled posed quite some discomfort for me this weekend. I would have rather not gotten any snow and had classes and meetings.

In class tonight, we receive our RFP. The RFP signifies the beginning of the end for me. I am very anxious to read what the project is but also am very nervous to see what we will have to do. The next few weeks will be very interesting to see how the group coincides to accomplish the RFP. That is all for today.

And the war came with all the poise of a cannonball
And they're picking out a rise by coal and candlelight
JK

Thank you mother nature!! Yesterday I said that the coming snow storm would have no effect on my daily routine. Boy, was I wrong!! Because of the snow my Tuesday night class was canceled along with my GA meeting today and my GA hours tonight. Having all this free time doesn't mean I haven't kept myself busy. I have forced myself to keep up on my work so it doesn't pile up leaving me overwhelmed this weekend.

Now that I am snowed in at Lois Anne's house and am unable to leave we can now spend Valentines Day together... :)

And since we've no place to go...LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW!
JK

Like many people in the Northeastern USA this week I am preparing myself for two things. First and foremost, ITS VALENTINES DAY tomorrow!!! Did you know that Valentines Day was imported to North America in the 19th century by English Settlers. It wasn't until the second half of the 20th century that people began exchanging cards on the Holiday, and thus the empire of Hallmark was born. Since I am working tomorrow night, Lois Anne and I have decided to go out to dinner and do the date night on Friday. I am looking for the night because we don't get too much of a chance to break our diets and I really enjoy Rose Marie's food.

Secondly, if your from the Northeastern part of the USA and are not completely oblivious to the world around you, you are aware that a snow storm is headed our way. I have heard many different snow fall predictions ranging from 3-6 inches all the way up to 16-18. So normally I expect to get 1-2 inches and have no school cancellations... Since I am done with class tonight I do not see this storm affecting me in anyway, except maybe some recreational sledding.

Some sad news to report, after suffering their fourth straight ACC loss, the Duke Blue Devils mens basketball team has fallen out of the top 25 rankings for the first time since the end of the 1995-96 season. This 11 year streak stretched more than 200 weeks. Duke's streak was the second longest streak in college basketball history beyond UCLA's steak of 221 weeks. Hopefully this will be what the Blue Devils need to right the ship, because the schedule doesn't get much easier for the blue devils the rest of the season.

I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it
JK

A few things for mention today, starting with an article today I read about a new law being proposed for i-pod listeners in New York. If the Brooklyn legislature has its way, street walking patrons listening to i-pods will be fined 100 dollars for listening to their device. The law will not only prevent people from listening to i-pods but also talking on cell phones and playing mobile video games will inherit a fine. This new law comes in light of two separate incidents where two individuals were killed by on-coming traffic. Well hopefully this law finds its proper home and that is in the bottom of a trash can. If this law gets passed, what would be next not allowing people to wear sunglasses or you cant go out at night. Either way this law is an embarrassment to the legal system, well embarrassment is a little harsh but you get where I am going.

On the happier side, I have fell in love with a new beer. The new beer is Brooklyn Brown Ale. I had it for the first time last night at Russell's. I have had a few different varieties of Brooklyn, mostly the seasonal s including, the black chocolate stout and the pumpkin ale but never the brown ale. If you ever find yourself thinking about what beer to have, I recommend you to try the Brown Ale. You can check out Brooklyn Brewery

Cause I'll be rocking this party eight days a week, No sleep 'til Brooklyn
JK

It really is true the best things in life are free. Yesterday while I was at work I received an email from i-tunes saying that I would get one free episode of 30 Rock for download. I have never watched the show since it came on tv last year but regardless I am very happen to a free download. I am extremely excited because i-tunes has set a precedent, if I buy some many episodes from them they will give me free stuff. I like free stuff and who knows maybe I will become a huge fan of 30 rock. The only question left is which episode to download....hmmmm...

Some movies I think everyone should watch

• Little Miss Sunshine
• An Inconvienent Truth
• Manhattan

Some not to waste ur time with

• Running with scissors
• Lady in the Water

Ciao
JK

I have a few things to mention today in my blog. First and foremost while I was showering today I got a nosebleed. I know what your thinking, what was I doing to get a nosebleed. Well the answer is absolutely nothing. I got in there and did my business. The strange thing about my sudden nosebleed is that it was sudden. It was the first nosebleed that I can remember having, ever!!

I thought to myself what could have spurned this to happen. I researched nosebleeds and came up with a few possible causes. The first cause being attributed to the increasingly dry air in my apartment. I am sure everyone can agree that during the winter months the air drys and results in dry skin and other annoying problems. The next cause could have been the fact that I blew my nose 3 times before I showered. According to my research I have concluded that a combination of dry air and consistent nose blowing (haha) resulted in my rare nose bleed.

Knowing that I was perfectly healthy I continued with my day. My day consisted of me cashing my loan check and splurging a bit. I purchased two new cds, Keller Williams "Dream" and Moe. "The Conch". After my first listens to each I would recommend these two cds to anyone that is familiar with both musicians or for anyone who is interested in some quality music. Keller's cd especially because of the bevy of famous musicians that play with him on the record, including Bob Weir (Grateful Dead fame), Bela Fleck and Victor Wooten (Bela Fleck and the Flecktones) and many more.


Remember man, that you were once bones and blood
JK

I am going, going back, back to Boston, Boston!!

As you can tell I am going to Boston once again. A group of friends along with my girlfriend and I are going for a weekend in March to see the Decemberists. It should be a great trip because I am a huge fan of the band and also a fan of the city.

While we are there I plan on visiting both major breweries within the city. The Sam Adams brewery and Harpoon better be ready because I want to try it all. I will also try to push hard to see if we can go to Fenway Park. I have never been there and here that it is amazing.

In other news, I am ecstatic to relay that July 21 is the day that the last Harry Potter book becomes available for purchase. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be the last book in the 7 book series. Good Weekend!!!!

Hallelujah Hollaback
JK

Congratulations are in order for "Little Miss Sunshine". The movie won the equivalent to the Oscars best picture Sunday night at the SAG awards. Little Miss Sunshine beat out early Oscar favorites like "Babel" and "The Queen" for the award. The movie has been deemed the little engine that could throughout the Oscar season. A low budget movie mixing it up with the big boys and taking one home for the little guy. Great Job Little Miss Sunshine. Good luck with the OSCARS

Look for me when the sun-bright swallow Sings upon the birch bough high
JK

I have had much respect for Gilbert Arenas all throughout his NBA career until this afternoon. Gilbert has been know to run his mouth off in major doses. I have found most of his uneducated ramblings to be quite hilarious, especially when he refers to himself as Agent 0 or the Hibachi. My respect floundered for Arenas after he said that he would willingly give up one season in the NBA to play another year in college. He would do this so that he could play Duke and exact some revenge on Coach K for not playing him enough this summer for Team USA. He said that he would be able to score 84 or 85 points against Duke.

Gilbert buddy, you had your chance against Duke. Do you remember the 2001 National Championship game when your then Arizona Wildcats were defeated by the Blue Devils 82-72. From that score you can easily tell you did not score 84 points. No, Gilbert you were shut down by the Duke defense that night. Gilbert shoot a horrid 4-17 from the field and accumulated a mere 10 points. I know Gilbert is a profoundly better player now and the current Duke team does not have as much talent as the 2001 National Championship team did but Gilbert should learn to watch what he says and remember what happened in 2001.

The main reason that Agent 0 did not see too much floor time for Coach K is simple. He is not a team player. Gilbert is too use to being the man who can take 30 shots an evening and not have anyone turn their head. The reason Jerry Colangelo brought in Coach K was to instill a team-first chemistry amongst the players. As a Duke fan I am very bias on the subject but I know when someone is out of line. Gilbert if you want to play more for team USA, you should learn to think of others first and maybe pass the ball occasionally.

I have also heard all day about how Duke got a cheap win last night over Clemson. I do agree that their was too much time on the clock but regardless if you are Clemson you need to stop the ball. If Clemson did that and the game went to overtime no one at all today would have talked about the game, whether Clemson won or lost in overtime. STOP THE BALL!!!!

GO DUKE
JK

In one of Dr. Kapp's most recent blogs he wrote "I think the future of e-learning revolves, in a large way, around the use of 3D worlds and avatars". With the creation of second life, this idea of the avatar has really take flight. It has become such a hot item that the BBC is getting ready to launch a virtual world called "CBBC World".

The CBBC World is designed to give children between the ages of 7-12 their first insights into the virtual realm. Like Second Life, CBBC World allows you to create your very own avatar and lets you create and share content with all your virtual buddies. CBBC World will not incorporate a financial aspect, like Second Life. It will also emphasize safety and responsibility by not allowing chat rooms.

The arguments are building regarding the importance of the virtual worlds. http://www.getafirstlife.com is a website that is opposing the insurgence of programs such as Second Life. Currently I have no virtual world experience so therefore my opinion has not been made yet regarding the importance of the worlds. With the rising popularity of Second Life and the creation of CBBC world, I may need to find out what the commotion is about.

I let my music take me where my heart wants to go
JK

Well hello world! It has been way to long since I have last wrote a blog. I chose to abandon blogging in order to focus more time to my school work. I may only have three classes a semester but I feel like I do enough work for 30 credits a semester.

It was a very insane semester. At times I had nothing to do and at other times I wanted to put a gun to my head (not really but I am trying to emphasize a point). Everyone ended up fine like it always does. I finished my semester with all A's and a wealth of experience that is worth far more than the grades.

Once the semester was done it was time for some much needed rest. Going to school for a year straight is not only physically exhausting it is also mentally. My goal was to view my month long vacation as one really really long weekend! I went on a few vacations, rekindled some dormant friendships.

I will talk a briefly about the vacations that I mentioned in the previous paragraph. The first was an overnight trip to Philadelphia to see a concert. Lois Anne and I went to Philly becuase I wanted to see Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers and becuase she could get us a free room (I heart her Marriott perks). We did a light seeing in the historic district nothing too much becuase we werent too familiar with the area and because we had dinner reservations. The trip was definately worth it, we had some great drinks, some great food and saw a great show. We could nto ask for much more from a overnight trip to Phila.

We also had a free hotel stay in Washington DC. We were both extra excited about this trip because neither of us have ever been to the Nations Capital. This was strictly a sight seeing trip, which means a hell of a lot of walking. This doesnt concern me too much becuase I enjoy walking but since I played basketball the evening before we left my knees were killing me the entire trip. A little known fact about me is that I suffer from "the worst knees ever" and after doing a lot of running I usually have numerous aches and pains. Why do I put myself through this? Who knows I love to play basketball.

Back to the subject at hand. We saw everything we could while we were there. If it was a famous monument we were there. I was not aware of how close everything in Washington DC actually was. Unlike New York where everything is all over the place, a lot of the monuments were all withing the same vicinity. Which allowed us to see everything we wanted to. Overall the trip was a great time, we hade the most perfect weather we could ask for in January and we got some great pictures of the trip.

During the semester my friend Timmy alerted everyone that he was coming home for Christmas and New Years. This was very good news becuase Timmy lives in Japan and no one has seen him since Keiths wedding two years ago. It was great to see Timmy for a couple weeks. Our friend Joe also started to hang out more which was also a pleasant surprise. The first night Timmy was home we all went to Dooleys. It was very weird to see everyone together for the first time in two years. I felt like I was in high school again. Overall my break was great for many reasons but most importanly I got to see some people I dont see on an everyday basis

Unfortunately all good things must end, and it was time to get back to school. This semester is going to be very important for many reasons. First and foremost I am completing the bulk of my remaining credits (9 of 12). Second, I have to find an internship/job for when I eventually graduate. The last reason is because of RFP. RFP is arguably the hardest course for us IIT majors. RFP culminates in mid April with a three day conference where we network with professionals, watch presentations, interview and most importantly present our proposals in front of 40 professionals. The class is very important and I am looking forward to all the challenges throughout the semester.

The best thing to happen to me since I have been back has been my acquiring of a PDA. For anyone who is unaware of PDAs, they are basically small handheld computers. I, along with my authoring class were given them because we will be designing flash applications for them. I really dont know how I have lived without one and am facing the realization that I will be purchasing my own once this semester is over with and I have to return my PDA.

I am currently in the second week of classes so everything still feels very new. I am looking forward to getting more job related experience and also a very funfilled semester. I am especially looking forward to a weekend trip to Boston in March.

Until next time
JK