Well ladies and gents, today I began the 2005 journey. I am starting my trip this year in Chicago, a mere 15 hours from Raleigh. Amazingly I drove through Indianapolis right after the Indy 500 ended (which I listened to most of the day on the radio, amazing race!), and saw two previous year’s pace cars driving down the highway.

The drive through West Virginia was gorgeous as always, and actually most of Indiana wasn’t horribly boring either.

Pulled into Chicago right as the sun began to set, I will update with photos tomorrow from the drive and city. I am staying at the HIUSA Hostel on Congress Pkwy, which is right dead in the middle of downtown.

First impressions: This hostel is the best I have yet been to in the US, it’s 15 bucks a, brand spanking new everything, bathrooms for each room, and a great crowd as usual. The city is much cleaner and more impressive than I imagined, and there is going to be a lot to do in the next couple of days.

I’ll try to post every day or two, internet permitting. Upcoming is Glacier National Park, Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco

I want anyone and EVERYONE who reads this to post in here something they would like to do with me someday.

Will update tomorrow with lots of good news

Well over a month again since my last post! So much has happened in a month, I hardly know where to start.

Shortly after making my last post, I finished up a competition entry for the 2005 World Traffic Safety Symposium Design Competition. I worked nearly 24/7 (being completely literal) for my entire Spring Break on the project. I mailed off my entry at the last possible moment, and it cost me $132.00 to overnight FedEx it to New York. For the project I ended up spending about 150 hours, and about $300 in materials and shipping. Needless to say, for a man with no money and not much work, it was very stressful.

The next week I am sitting in studio. My professor comes in and tells us that 3 of us placed in the money for the competition (there were 7 prizes overall). I was so happy, it didn’t even sink in at all. He didn’t know who got what place, just that we won something. Then later in the day, another student comes in to tell me that I WON THE COMPETITION!

So basically I got the $5000.00 grand prize. And they flew all three of us to New York City the next week. We exhibited at the Symposium, which was a part of the New York Auto Show, then got to go to the Auto Show itself. It was an absolutely amazing experience and I would like to publicly thank the Symposium organizers, for being so generous and gracious to bring us up there on such short notice.

So that was Thursday and Friday, March 31st and April 1st. Then we got back and I had to catch up on a ton of work.

We left again on Thursday April 7th to head to the IDSA Southern District Conference in Memphis, Tennessee. I am now an officer with the NCSU chapter, the “Web Guru” position. It’s my first time ever being an active organizational member of anything and I am quite excited about it actually But at any rate, all the officers went up there a day early to help setup the conference, prep the registration packets and just generally assist the organizers.

I got to meet several REALLY cool people and I would like to thank Sherry Sample, Ty Rarick and Tim Fletcher for their hospitality and general awesomeness. I learned an incredible amount at the conference, from the professionals and students around me. The seminars were well presented, everything seemed really well organized and I came out feeling reinvigorated and refreshed. For anyone even remotely interested in Industrial Design, check out these guys:

Marty Gage, http://www.rocketsurgery.biz
Aly Khalifa, http://www.gamil.com , http://www.designbox.us/
Ty Rarick, http://www.pacificdesign.com

Memphis was absolutely fabulous as well. Beale Street is a sight to behold and we all had a freaking amazing time. Many memories and new friendships were formed on this trip. I really can’t emphasize enough how much I needed this kind of shot in the arm.

So we got back from Memphis on Monday at about 1:30am, needless to say I missed my morning class and didn’t have anything for Studio. But luckily everyone else was in the same boat and our professors were lenient on us

This Friday is yet another (and the last) conference, this one thank goodness is in Raleigh though. It’s a NC Sustainable Energy Conference. So I will be in that all day Friday, then Friday night is our annual Studio Crawl gathering, and my buddy Adam is in town this weekend to take his Professional Engineering Exam! No partying for him though unfortunately, his exam starts at like 8am Saturday morning.

Well, I feel much better now! I have some money in the bank (also big props go out to the IRS and my dad for my monster tax return!), and a few job prospects for the summer. Only a week to go until my Triathlon! Updates will come soon

It’s been a bit since my last BLOG.

So what’s going on with me? I have no idea. I love being in school, I love what I am doing. But I feel like my life is at a complete standstill right now. I have no money, I don’t seem to be doing anything financially productive, or really in any way productive.

I am still training for triathlons, 4 days a week right now, but I’ve been ordered off running for 5 days by the doc for my ankle.

The strange thing is it seems like I have almost no free time, but even though I am never home and I never go out, I don’t seem to be getting much done. I really think I need to go see a doctor about getting some medication to help me concentrate and focus. I WANT to work, I have soooo many things I want to get done, but I literally just can’t make myself do anything. I can’t even make myself goof off for any amount of time, I am becoming this completely passive person, and I don’t like it one bit.

I think spring break will be spent working for some $ and getting side projects done here in Raleigh. I had wanted to go to the beach or to Vegas, but I really don’t have the funds, nor can I really afford to just take off for a week right now. Plus I owe it to myself to really bunker down and get things done.

What else can I do to make myself work? I have tried making lists, keeping a calendar, and it all works for a few days, maybe a week, but I fall out of the habit in very short pace.

Ugh, hopefully the next update will be more inspiring!

I have up some new pictures from my Trip to the Detroit Auto Show, as well as a few more art pieces, and a bunch of other photos I have been meaning to put online. Oh and check out the new video gallery

Also updated with some new content, it’s actually older stuff from past versions of the site, that is finally into my new content system. Hope you enjoy it!

Also readded games, the page will be changing a bit soon, but they should remain online. Great for passing the time at work or in lab
http://www.snotmonkey.com/games/

Hope everyone is doing well!

2004: A year in review… (Shamelessy ripped from MessyLeprosy’s Journal)

1. What did you do in 2004 that you’d never done before?
I left North America for the first time.
I drove every mile of I40 from Wilmington to Barstow California.
I drove nearly every mile of I95 from Florida to Massachusetts.
I learned how to Scuba Dive.
I learned how to Snow Ski. (though horribly)
I hiked in the Grand Canyon.
I had my first near death experience.

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don’t think I made any explicit New Years’ resolutions. So if I did, more likely than not, I didn’t keep them. I probably won’t make any this year either, for the same reason.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My cousin Billy’s wife. and my ollld friend John’s wife.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, 2003 was a horrible enough year for that.

5. What countries did you visit?
France, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Italy, Austria and Germany.

6. What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004?
A companion.

7. What date from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
July 30th, 2004. The day I almost died in the Grand Canyon. I spent the better part of that evening seriously thinking about all of the people I would leave behind not being able to say goodbye to and of all the people who would never even know I was dead. It was and still is probably the biggest life changing event of my life so far.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Having the fortitude to make it out of #7 alive and on my own. I never knew I had that much strength in me.

9. What was your biggest failure?
My relationship with Laura.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Severe dehydration, heat exhaustion in the GC. Separated my right shoulder just recently.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Boxer briefs. I don’t know how I ever lived without them.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My friend Adam for graduating from NC A&T, John’s brother Josh for his strength in going to Iraq, Jared Nadel for getting his dream job, My uncle Bill for being the top dog tracker team in the world, uncle Bob for finally quitting smoking. Boy thats a LOT

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Early on this year, Tyrone for bouncing rent and forcing me to step in. Laura for various things. In general I have been appalled by so much going on in this world, it’s too numerous to mention specifically. Depressed by being without a good buddy and by being shot down bigtime several times this year in different areas.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Paying the rent my roomates are too irresponsible to cover.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Driving across the country to live in California this summer.

16. What song will always remind you of 2004?
I don’t think I know a song that would remind me of this year’s events.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Much happier. Found my life’s calling.
ii. thinner or fatter? 10 pounds heavier. Mostly due to injury and illness.
iii. richer or poorer? Poorer, new house, deadbeat roomates.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Being with old friends and working on my car.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Putzing around on the internet.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Mississippi to visit family, Texas for new years and Florida right after.

22. Did you fall in love in 2004?
No, but I realized I was still in love.

23. How many one-night stands?
None, I plan to keep it that way

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Tie between Lost and The Wire.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I don’t hate anyone. I would like to think I never will.

26. What was the best book you read?
The book of reconciliation.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Badly Drawn Boy

28. What did you want and get?
Into grad school.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
So far, Closer. Probably because it’s the last one I saw and it has Natalie Portman in it. And she was a stripper. Okay and because it hit close to home.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I rode my bike to the beach, sat in the sun all day, treated myself to a chicken sandwich, read a book and went to sleep early. I turned 23.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A good friend to share it with.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004?
Horribly amiss.

34. What kept you sane?
Since when have I been sane? Drugs and delusions kept me kickin though.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Pat Tillman, I hope I can be 1/10th the man he was.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Iraq, because everyone still misses the point. They are going to kill each other anyway.

37. Who did you miss?
Adam, Shannon, Jared, Josh, John, Dave, Lucy, Sonia, Shanna, Cass, and Laura.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Kelly Myers. What a cool chick.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004:
The people in your life are all that really matter. Make sure you surround yourself with the best you can.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
I can’t remember anything relevent at the moment.

For all the people who I have given computer help to over the years, I ask for a small favor in return. I am sure everyone has heard of the freeipods.com site. Well I want one doggoneit. So please click on my referral link below, and sign up for one of the offers (they are all free trials, but do require a credit card).

I can personally vouch for this being 100% legitimate, I recommend signing up for the infone service, because it’s a pay-per-use service unlike most of the other offers, so if you never use it you have no risk of every being charged. There are actually some other good offers too, from Blockbuster and Stamps.com

At any rate, please help me out, I need a total of 5 people in order to get myself an Ipod.

Link: http://www.freeiPods.com/default.aspx?referer=10615796

Yea I have been balls to the wall busy lately. Industrial Design has been an amazing experience so far, I absolutely love what I am doing. Tomorrow is our final presentation on my current project, afterwards I will put the presentation online for everyone to see and with the permission of the other’s in my group I may put theirs online as well. Because frankly I think they are all really amazing ideas.

I traveled down to the great land of Georgia for Fall Break, got to see Georgia Tech and Midtown Atlanta, went to the Botanical Gardens to see Chihuly in the Gardens (photos here) and had a great time visiting Laura. I was really amazed how clean and aesthetically pleasing the city is. It really reminds me a lot of San Francisco and Boston. Though I hear the public transportation is a nightmare, we walked pretty much everywhere we went while I was down there.

I was notified by mail last week that our landlords won’t renew our lease. We have been in an all out battle with them since about June of this year. They have been extremely unprofessional and unpleasant to deal with. So if you ever consider renting a property from WW Management (who isnt listed with the BBB and has no publicly listed telephone number or address) run like hell. It is going to suck horribly moving my car and everything with it out of the garage and honestly I have no clue where I would put it in a new place. I guess I will just hope for the best with it.

Today was my opening day as a flag football quarterback.

I threw 0 touchdowns, 5 or 6 interceptions and I had maybe 10 complete passes. It was absolutely pathetic. We lost 29-0. I take complete responsibility for the horrible performance of our team.

On a side note my arm seriously hurts. I think I have been over practicing last week, so I am going to really lay off of it for the rest of the week. Hopefully my swimming won’t mess things up even worse.

On a positive note, I am making great progress in Studio and I absolutely love school. I just hope I can keep my finances in order, I have got to get a better system going.

I love Industrial Design.

My life has been going 1000 miles an hour for the last month. And it just keeps speeding up. I guess it’s time to get back to work, but I really enjoyed the long vacation.

We are making great progress in Studio, I will probably start building in the next couple of weeks. For those who don’t know we are designing new strength training equipment for the athletes at NCSU. I am about 90% decided on the machine I want to build, still have some tweaking to do to the design though.

I need to finish assembly on my desk, it’s been ready to screw together for about two weeks now. I am just putting off the whole pulley system to raise and lower the surface. But my current desk SUCKS, so I have to get this new one finished soon.

Triathlon training has been put on the backburner for a few weeks, I have still been working out, but I have been shortening my days to accomodate this schedule, but next week it’s going to kick back into full pace. I need to get back into it and quit screwing around at home so much anyway.

I think I am just going to scrap the car in the backyard, it’s becoming a complete money pit. I will just put the car on hold till I can afford a working engine and tranny and then resume the project again, it’s looking like this will probably be next year sometime.

I will try to do some more small updates about stuff, but no garauntees!