Category Archives

ARoB

Sometimes when Clyde eats…

ARoB, General Entertainment by

…he gets so excited to have food in his dish that he chokes himself. It’s one of his more endearing quirks. That, and standing directly on my nuts at 6 am. I love you, Clyde.

So, it’s 11 and I’m at home rather unexpectedly. Well, if I could remember what has been planned, it wouldn’t be quite so unexpected. Kate is at the Lit. House Halloween party thing (or somesuch) and I’m hanging out here until it’s over. So, blog, I thought I’d give you another new post.

*chomp, cough, cough, gulp, mmmmreow*

Flora sent me the oddest letter today. The envelope was addressed to Mr. Nick “Kate” Smerker and inside was a birthday card and a letter written on half an additional envelope. Apparently she had run out of paper and sent a birthday card for Kate to my address. It was adorable and totally eccentric…100% Flora, in other words. One very solid memory of her that I will always have from growing up in her house is seeing her nearly incomprehensible handwriting scrawled on every writable surface. She never did let one scrap of paper go to waste. Cookie recipes mixed in with Trading Post listings for bassinets and always – ALWAYS – coupons, coupons, coupons. They had writing on them, too.

Anyway, yes. I think I’m going to go smoke and enjoy a lovely fall night. Also, I’m bleeding on my wrist rest. Thanks, Bella.

A New Look for ARoB

ARoB, General Entertainment by

Well, ARoB has been through a tumultuous last two weeks, eh, readers? From the great server fuck up of 2007 to a badly-themed (though harrowing) resurrection, the site has definitely weathered more than its share of troubles. So, to reward it for hanging in there – and to add some novelty to things – we’ve made some changes!

For starters, Hoovah is back as a blogger. Hooray for that! I’m hoping we can all fill in the dead air between posts a little easier since there are more of us and more content to feed off of.

Dusty and I have put in a great new theme for ARoB, too. Things look dramatically different, but don’t fret…it’s all still there, just slightly reorganized. I know I’ve been hoping for a fresher, simpler look and I think you’ll really enjoy it.

So, what do you think?

I really don’t know what to write about…

ARoB, Books by

I’ve been going over and over in my head this morning several different topics for posts here on ARoB. I haven’t posted anything of substance in awhile and I really want something good. “Think, Nick, think…a list? A link? A video?” What can I say that I haven’t said before? That isn’t boring as all hell? I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just ramble at you.

I’m reading House of Leaves because I “borrowed” Kate’s copy on my way out the door the other day. So far, I’m five chapters in and scared out of my mind. Like, to the point where I don’t even really want the book on my nightstand tonight. Is that odd of me? I certainly know that I’ve never felt so off because of a book. Perhaps it’s that the book is so very like my own head…especially the feeling of disconnected observation? More alarmingly, I am accustomed to feeling as though a great, dark thing is always in the periphery of my world. Could that be a Roman Catholic upbringing of pessimism brought into the form of arms and legs? Maybe I’m just the house on Ash Tree Lane…more things on the inside than could ever be expected from the outside?

Or maybe it’s just really close to Halloween and I’ve not been getting enough sleep?

In any case, I tossed and turned last night, not really petrified of anything of substance, just uncomfortable in my thoughts of the uncanny. Remarkably like our narrator in The House of Leaves.

I think I miss Philadelphia. I certainly miss feeling like I am somewhere even when I’m not doing anything. I don’t however, miss living out of a suitcase and I’m greatly looking forward to a weekend of sleeping in and not having to be anywhere at all. Just wake up next to my girlfriend, realize it’s Saturday and go back to sleep…that’s my goal. Maybe we can get a walk in since it’s FINALLY going to be true fall weather here? I shall not dream too big, of course.

Things I need to do to feel at ease:

  • get groceries

  • do my laundry
  • clean my car
  • clean my apartment
  • call home
  • pay my credit card

They are all doable, right? Well, maybe not so much the last one, but I’m going to try at all the rest.

One last thing: Hoover Baiting

mini Review: Children of Men

ARoB, Movies, Reviews by
  • Comments Off on mini Review: Children of Men

During my visit to State College this weekend, I had the pleasure of helping Hannah & Jay set up their swanky new 7.1 surround sound home theatre system. Not content with just merely the sublime beauty of wires well connected, we completed the job with a screening of Children of Men midafternoon. The following is a short review:

Children of Men is set in what may have been the most bleak dystopian future I’ve seen in cinema to date. The year is 2027 and the world is an absolute disaster following a major collapse of the American empire and its dependent nations. To quote the movie, “Only Britain soldiers on.” We meet our primary character, Theo (Clive Owen) as he walks out of a crowd of coffee shop patrons mourning the death of the world’s youngest human and into the wreckage of London. Moments before a bomb rips through the café, no less.

From here, we are swept into the harsh reality of director Alfonso Cuarón’s imagining. Refugees from across the globe are openly herded into containment cages to be shuttled to ghetto cities turned concentration camps. Worse still, not a single child has been born for 18 years. With so little hope for the continuation of mankind, the last humans are left widening the gap between the ultra rich and the rest of society. A fascist government subscribes heavily to preemption – even against its own citizens. The populace is left to the Quietus home suicide kit and increasingly desperate spiritual and political organizations.

But, what happens when it becomes evident that the incurable infertility may perhaps not be all-encompassing? Can Theo help the only pregnant woman on Earth reach the safety of a mysterious hospital ship called “Tomorrow?”

This film left me with an incredible sense of dread: not for the Sci-Fi idea of global infertility so much as for the dead on depiction of a world more bent on the assurance of Homeland Security than on social justice. I have to say, there were several painful scenes that left me with a lump in my throat and even a tear in my eye. The consistency and believability of Cuarón’s 2027 coupled with a beautiful score and stellar performances was an emotional whirlwind to say the least.

Most definitely four stars.

4 stars

A third party opinion, please…

ARoB, General Entertainment by

Found taped to my door upon my return from a 3.5 hour drive from State College:

“Neighbors,

Our mother passed away this week. We plan to host a memorial reception in her backyard this Sunday from 2:00 – 6:00. Her backyard is adjacent to your back porches. We would appreciate any courtesy you could extend during this time. Please minimize usage of your back porch during this time.“

Am I the only one that finds this note from neighbors I’ve never met a bit rude?

An interesting weekend…

ARoB, General Entertainment by

Update: The Flickr photo set has been updated to include some photos taken by the WAC staff.

Well, Nancy, Brian and I (the OIT team) successfully completed our cardboard boat. Not only that, we successfully raced it around the course laid out for the regatta AND got second place – or the Captain Cook award. That means we scored a $150 prize for the hours of work that went into our “iFloat.” I have to say, I’m completely gobsmacked by the performance of our little ship. It’s amazing that she stayed together, for starters and even more astounding that we were able to beat the ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT to take our spot in the top three.

More photos as soon as someone with a camera at the event gives me a few of them. For now, I will leave you with a four photo, random set on Flickr. Two photos are from boat building: one of Brian using the life-saving, if slightly spray-tarded, adhesive and one of the mysterious sailing vessel that arrived on Friday at sunset. Two photos were just kind of on my iPhone and depict a rose bush that I salvaged in June from the debris behind my apartment building. It’s alive! PHOTOS HERE!

Excerpt: Understanding Traffic

ARoB, Books by
  • Comments Off on Excerpt: Understanding Traffic

“In the future, so they write, the cars will be made of light and magnets and there will be no traffic, only hope and amazement and peacefulness. Eventually, our planet will explode, and things will have to change. And maybe for the better, the second time around.

When things begin again, we will live pleasantly with our mothers, in cabins on the moon, by empty seas under black, airless skies. To get from place to place, we will only have to run and jump, gliding gently over craters, swimming stylishly through the great emptiness.”

Understanding Traffic: An Expert Account, pp. 20-21

To learn more about this and other Iditots’ Books, visit the e-cyberhomesite.

Doom & gloom? Maybe my job is kinda neat…

ARoB, Technology by

&I know that most of you are only familiar with my job in so much as it keeps me from talking to you as much as I once did. Dear readers, I admit this is chiefly what my job does. I have been far busier than I’ve ever been in my entire adult life to this point getting ready for this fall semester. Mostly I’ve been dealing with our Fall Training and Storytelling in the Digital Age – getting things ready and marketing the events. There is an upside to all of this madness, though: I’ve had the chance to meet some interesting people and see two enlightening events.

On the 6th, Noah Robischon, managing editor of Gawker Media, came to visit and gave a talk on the “End of the World as We Know It.” This was a really interesting lecture that gave us an overview of trends in the digital world, from Facebook to blogging to gaming. After the show, Noah came back to the Literary House for pizza and a discussion. It was nice to be on the “VIP” side of a gathering like this, sitting on the couch next to Noah and not in the audience. He’s a sharp guy and connected very well with all of us…certainly made me more excited to read Gawker’s blogs, anyway.

On Tuesday, SimpleTEXT came to campus. This was a really rad multimedia performance run by two Brooklyn-based nerds turned artists. The basic idea is that Noah and Tim (the fore-mentioned nerds/artists) collect text messages from the audiences’ mobile phones and computers. They turn these thoughts from words to pictures (gleaned from the internet, of course) and then turn the pictures into music. It was truly amazing, in a very avant garde, New York kind of way. The really neat part of the event was that it was only the second ever performance in the States…of a show that’s only been done 16 times! At this tiny, middle-of-nowhere school, it was quite the event!

So, while I’m completely exhausted, I am happy to report that very enjoyable things have come out of massive amounts of work.

My photos on Flickr.