Bdon Babbles

2006-07-06T12:55:00.000-07:00

Back from Chi-City

Man...I had a crazy time in Chicago this past week. It went better than expected, but now my life feels like it's moving in overdrive. I wasn't really planning on yapping about all of the details, so instead I will share one of my favorite songs that often plays in my mind when I am there. If I have enough drinks I may just rap the entire song for you.

Here ya go:

Respiration by Black Star featuring Common Sense

2006-06-29T12:01:00.000-07:00

Mama Said Knock You Out

Following a mini-Posse Mandarin Wok outing, I decided to kill the remaining 10 minutes of my lunch hour in EB Games. If you have not already listened to me rave or describe my foretelling dreams about this game, then you should know that I am talking about Fight Night Round 3 on XBox360.

During my visit, I was forced to lay the smack down on a 10 year-old that liked to talk trash while he defeated his opponents. Although there was little trash talking during our battle, he was definitely the most difficult (and only) oppenent I ever faced. Me being a GROWN ASS MAN made it even more intense because that sort of raises the stakes. I don't lose to little kids. Well...not in public - that would be very embarassing.

After giving him the only knockdown he has received in weeks, and barely beating him by the judges' unanimous decision, I retained my Fight Night Championship belt and felt really good about myself for the next few hours.

BTW, If anyone else has the testicles/chesticles to step up to the 360 and throw down, BRING IT!

2006-06-28T09:21:00.000-07:00

She Drives Me Nuts

Like most recent mornings, I was welcomed by birds chirping and sunshine as I awakened her before my usual ride to work along Green Street. I can't help but smile since I am still riding the wave of excitement that came along with finally getting her back, and she is still hot - happier, healthier, ready for action, and willing to go the distance ( I have the endurance). But the weird thing is... I am accustomed to being on top and frequently adjusting positions and angles, yet recently I have had trouble re-adjusting to how she feels - omg really damn good. It's almost like the first time all over again.

Since her return she needs more regular attention, and I am more than happy to give it to her. Just yesterday, my roommate came home and saw me standing over her with a bottle of lube. There was no awkward pause because we know each other so well, and he understands that people have urges. These same urges rolled over to this morning, when I tended to gaze at her parts more than what was appropriate. I guess you can call it elevator eyes, but it was more akin to escalator eyes.

If I had been focused on the task at hand, I would not have been so blindsided by the ridiculousness of a peanut being lodged in between her front breaking unit and the frame. Yes, a fraggin' (I love BSG) peanut on my bike. WTF!

There it was, shell intact, no cracks. Just chillin like it was supposed to be there, yet there is not a reasonable, non-wacky explanation that I can imagine. How did it get there? Does it mean anything? Was I supposed to eat it?

I almost did, but I decided to forget about it and get my ass to work. I was already late.

2006-06-28T06:57:00.000-07:00

Have you seen this bug?

I think she was wrapping up her internet poker game when she started scratching. "Dood, this little bug has been crawling on me all day" she said, as a little grayish brown dot scuttled down her arm. Her hand attempted to capture it but ends up only smacking against the freckled road anything other than the dot might call her arm. "Let me show it to you, it's sooo cute". Bingo. She snagged it in her fingers, and by the time she presented the prize it was on her finger tips.

BTW, spending a few years in Carbondale public schools has taught me a few things: 1) No one gives a shit if you get second place in the school wide spelling bee, and 2) How to recognize a tick when I see one.

"Isn't that....a....tick?" By the time this question rolled off my tongue, I was certain that it was.

The scene/tantrum/panick attack/entertainment that followed is impossible to describe withought taking away from its hilarity/cuteness.

Her facial expression went from happy to confused to sort of confused but in denial to acceptance to panic to (use your imagination, it's Tasha!), in parallel with, "Wuh?-Wuhh??!!!! Ahhh!! (and a bunch of other noises and possible swear words)". She hopped up, ran to the door,opened it, and hurled the tick into oblivion. And just to be on the safe side, she slammed and locked the door.

I feel bad that it freaked her out, but man I cry when I think about it. Its so funny.

There was another issue with with the tick and her dog, but it turned out okay.

2006-06-23T17:41:00.000-07:00

Hey Bro, How did the tournament go?

Yeah I know, the tournament was like 2 weeks ago, but better late than never right? I am not gonna even type a new better written recap, but instead copy and paste snippets from emails already sent. Yay lazy!

This is actually two modified emails that I sent to a friend that was curious about my first BJJ tournament. It's long, so read at your own risk.

Email One

...The tournament was a lot of fun. I forget the name of the high school where it was held, but you go here for more info.

We got there at about 9am for weigh in. I weighed in at 174.5 and LV at 165 with gi's on. I think we were both in our respective middle weight divisions.

The order of the tournament is as follows: kids, juniors, women, men's masters (above age 30), men's adult. Within these groups the order is by descending belt rank so...brown belts go before white belts.

So... for most of the tournament I got to hang out, watch other people's matches, and cheer on the people that I roll with on a weekly basis. Good times. This is probably what I like the most about the tournament. Lots of people came out to show their support. The kids divisions were awesome because...they are kids, and kids are always cute. Surprisingly some of them were really good. I saw armbars and triangles! getting performed by kids that barely come up to my waist. The women's divisions were also fun to watch. I have a new found fear of short girls with corn rows because of a certain tiny but ferocious girl that tackled and armbarred her opponent in about 60 seconds. And then there was LV.

At about noon LV's division was called. So we all giddily relocated to go cheer her on.

There was actually only one other girl in LV's division, but since a different girl that was supposed to be in like superheavy weight unlimited (she was 220lbs) didn't have anyone to wrestle with, the 3 girls got combined in the unlimited bracket.

LV went 2-0 in this bracket. Let's say there was LV, Girl A , and Girl B(for BIG). Girl A beat Girl B. Next, LV beat Girl A. Then Girl B beat Girl A, and finally LV beat Girl B. Seems like the beginning of a logic puzzle, but that's how it went. So anyways, KC won match 1 with a collar choke, and match two with an armbar. I can give you more details. But I think I will send you a couple videos.

So she took gold in this bracket and then fought Girl A in one round to take gold in her actual bracket.

I'm gonna go get lunch, but I will fill you in on the rest later.

Email Two

...LV did a great job handling the two girls. She won three matches by submissions, got 2 golds and was ready to throw down with some lunch by about 12:30.

Oh I mentioned the order of matches in the last email. If you did not pick this out from my explanation - my bracket was near the last to go. So at 12:30 I was expecting to start before 3, since the tournament was over at 3 pm the previous year, but more people were competing this year. So... I sat around hanging out, drinking water, watching matches, and oscillating between being nervous and not caring. Drinking water killed time, but it made me a regular of the third urinal from the left in the men's room.

My bracket didn't actually get called until about 4:30. By this time, I was just tired of waiting. I wasn't nervous, nor was I pumped. I was more relieved than anything else. We had 18 people in our bracket, which was one of the largest if not the largest bracket. I knew that if I kept winning I would have to win at least 5 matches to medal because there were so many people.

About four matches went by before my name was called. Me and my opponent went onto the mat. He changed out of his whitebelt to a red belt, we shook hands, the ref said a little spiel, and the 6 minutes started. Even though I didn't feel nervous, as soon as the match started, something came over me. Background sound was muffled, my body started feeling heavy, and my mind and body didn't quite feel in sync. I assumed it was a huge adrenaline dump across my nervous and circulatory system. The weird thing was that I didn't feel nervous..or what I think nervous usually feels like...but anyways.. I really didn't have much time to think at that moment because my opponent was trying to push/pull me around. I guess the adrenaline caused me to get tired really fast, so all I could do was try to conserve energy and let my opponent expend without giving him too much. One strategy that I used, which I learned from my roommate, was to put the top of my head under his chin kind of by his chest so that when tried coming forward while we were pulling/pushing at each other he would be uncomfortable. That's about all the strategy that I could muster in the state I was in. After about a few minutes of pushing and pulling back and forth with no take downs, my oppenent managed to get a leg. Like usual, I sprawled my legs back, but I couldn't get one free. In my efforts to readjust, I ended up sitting on my butt, which gave away 2 points for a takedown.

I don't know how much you know about BJJ positions, so I am just gonna say that I ended up getting 3 points with a minute left and stalling the rest of the match. So i won. 3-2.

30 minutes later I lost 2-0 (take down). This definitely was more of a "real" take down but was more of a result of my stupidity than my opponent being strong or fast. I almost got a sweep that would have given me the win, but time ran out.

30 minutes after that I lost 1-0 (sudden death take down).

So I didn't really get to do much BJJ because of my lack of aggressive take downs.

I wasn't really disappointed because it was a fun weekend, and I feel closer to people in my class, but as the days went by I was definitely a little upset because I feel like I didn't really get to do much "real" BJJ. Oh well, we live and learn.

Anyways...the experience definitely has changed the way I train and has made me more interested in BJJ/JKD...

Oh yeah, Team McVicker took 2nd place for like the 3rd year in a row, and more detail results can be found here because the Hoosier Open page has not been updated yet.

Oh btw, I like BJJ!

2006-06-23T13:44:00.000-07:00

Porn Chowder third on the Top 16 Rejected Campbell's Soup Varieties List

Last night I was at the campus bar The White Horse - commonly referred to as "White Hoe(s)" - for the debut performance of Porn Chowder (Enter Cobra Commander: Poooooowwwrrrrrrnn CCCChhhhhhoooooowwwwhhhhddaaahh!). Even on a Thursday night in the middle of the summer, The White Horse lived up to it's nickname, and the Porn Chowder was tastee. Although, I am not a huge rock fan (I guess I gotta label their music as something), it's hard turning down the opportunity to see "G dot E", "Baby Belushi", and "That asian dude"(actual quote) rock out. They have great energy, and honestly are just hilarious mofos. This also marked the first time I saw/heard them play with their towering, yet skilled drummer that reminded a few of us of a famous actor that no one could identify. Also joining the PC crew, was their new sort of co-lead singer..."Blondie"?. Last night there was a debate on whether her nickname should be "Porn" or "Chowder". The case was closed just as quickly as it was opened because it was clear which one she added to the band as a whole.

It was a decent debut in terms of fans. The regular White Hoe patrons defintely showed interest. I definitely spotted people singing along, clapping, and drunk dancing. On my way out, I was accosted by a sketchy guy riding uncomfortably close to me on his bicycle. He wanted to know if the Porn Chowder was worth tasting. Once he knew he locked up his ride to check them out for himself. I cannot forget about the PC Fan Club. Approximately 20+ heads came in to drink the Porn Chowder- all family, friends, and co-workers. The showed love and Porn Chowder responded.

Check them out Thursday nights at 11 at the White Ho..oorse.

My favorite parts of the concert:

G dot E's two Lead Guitar Solos
G dot E's Hair
G dot E's Dresshirt, shorts, black socks with boots combo
G dot E's screaming "Hear Comes Your Man!"
G dot E trying to get Mamavasiliou to go home with him.
G dot E......

PC's rendition of "Hey Ya!" (not perfect, but definitely entertaining)
HighTower letting loose on the drums
Baby Belushi antics in general
Chauncey's Description of the Unstable Girl
Finnizle's Smile (when is that not on the list?)
Probably many things that I can't remember and don't have time to write about since I am at work.

Lata Kiddies

BTW, before going to this show, I was in the computer lab with Finnizle trying to kill some time. I decided to see if The White Horse had anything on the web about Porn Chowder. Of course they didn't, but I came across this link The 16 Most Rejected Campbell's Soup Varieties. Someone needs to put up a less lame list.

2006-05-15T14:04:00.000-07:00

Prep Session 1

This is another entry that should have been finished and posted a long time ago, but at this point I think it is funny reading this after the tournament results. This entry was supposed to come right after the post titled "Hoosier Open BJJ Tourney".

So I am over the stuff that I was venting about earlier. It is going to happen again in the future anyway, and I think I am learning to not let it bum me out so much. But anyways, I really like JKD/BJJ these days. I liked it before, but recently I have been thinking about how I can fit it into my daily schedule. I talked to LV about this earlier today and she was even more excited. I guess bouncing back from my incident in the previous post got me a little more enthused, but I think that yesterday's "Tourney Prep Session" with LV and Finnizle put it over the top.

We decided to do 5 minute rounds, counting points, starting from standing. This is a little different from what we are used to because we typically start from our knees or from a position that someone wants to improve. I am unaccustomed to working from standing so my strategy was nonexistent initially, and I don't have many "techniques" in muscle memory. I kind of like to wait for people to attack me, but so did whoever I was rolling with. So eventually I just tried to keep the pressure on and not get myself choked,locked,thrown, or swept in the process. I had some takedowns but not enough goodones to feel like I know anything. We eventually sort of all agreed to work on this part to hammer this stuff out.

I never actually finished it and see no reason to do so.
Lata B's

EDIT: Well whatddya know...Blogger is smarter than I thought.

2006-05-11T12:05:00.000-07:00

The Hoosier Open BJJ Tourney

LV and I have decided to compete in this year's Hoosier Open BJJ Tourney on June 10th. More Info

But before I go any further, I need to get some grappling related rambling off my manpatchless chest. The last time I grappled (Tuesday, May 9th) I got my ass handed to me. Okay that is little exaggerated, but that is how it felt. I didn't get tapped, but if someone was counting points the numbers would have spoken for themselves. I couldn't keep/improve positions, and most things that I tried in terms of techniques did not work. The worst part of it was that I was super tired and sore, which tells me I did too much work (I am lazy). My guard and guard defense sukkkkked (and still do probably). How many times do I need to almost get triangled/armbarred before I learn? Eh whatever...I don't really care at this point...it's the nature of BJJ/MA growth, it was fun, and it definitely motivates me to fix those problems. I am gonna need the bdonbuttkickers and all their advocates to help me prepare for the Hoosier Open, which I am very much excited about, BTW.

So anyways...
My first BJJ competition. My first time in Indy. Good times with LV and Fam, Feanil (he better show up), as well as Team McVicker. Can I ask for more? I would like better guard defense, please :) . A comprehensive list of things that I need to work on will be up soon. Not that you care, but I need it to help me train.

That reminds me. I also need to buy Team McVicker patches.
Until next time,
-B

2006-05-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

Let the studying begin!

I plan on taking the GRE in July. Exact date - TBA. It's up in the air at least until I accumulate my $100+ in exam fees or whenever Feanil gives me his schedule for that month.

I am excited because it gives me some long needed direction and sort of forces me to make important decisions about my future. About damn time.

I am now up to 5 (including one that has not been given to me yet) GRE practice books, all loaners from people that have taken or bummed around and ended up not taking this lovable test. Although I know I don't need most of them, I want to see how many GRE books that I can accumulate before the test day. I know that I am lucky to not have to pay for them, but I am almost afraid to mention that I am taking the test out of fear of a practice book magically appearing and smacking me in the face.

Anyways, I started studying the verbal section today and just like before, I struggled with the analogy section the most. It kicked me in the grouch (I was gonna tack on "hard" at the end but any level of grouch kicking -even of the gentle and feathery type- hurts. It's a grouch kick! It just hurts thinking about it.). Fortunately, my practice book added a few tips that I had never considered. So... if you say my average on analogy sections was 50%, it is now 60% after my time spent with the practice book. Regardless, I still have not clue what most of the words mean, but I am better at elimating choices, which makes me optimistic. As long as I no longer have the uncontrollable urge to rip a dictionary to shreds with my teeth or to shake the shit out of an english teacher by my test day, I am confident the verbal section will go well.

Oh yeah, I need index cards.
-B

2006-04-24T11:45:00.000-07:00

Spittin' Fire 3-7-06

Damn this post is loooong overdue.

Initially I had dreams of putting together a site that gave a taste of my artistic ability with just a sprinkle of my design skill. However, I eventually (like last week) accepted that when it comes to being creative, I am one anal mofo, and at the rate I was going I would not have an "acceptable" design until September.

Soo...here is the post that kicked off the content of the page that I was working on.
Many things have changed since then, so I have decided to add a little commentary in green.

Spittin' Fire
I love all music, but I recently rekindled an old flame with hip-hop. My current fix is on artists that I consider superhuman (lame) with their lyrical prowess, or in other words, lyricists that "spit fire"(son!). Since the spitting of fire is relative, I will explain what I listen for in a fire spitter.

Well...simply put: Content and Delivery.
At the time of writing this, I had begun reading the lyrics to many of my favorite songs. It started off as me trying to figure out what some of these non-enunciating mofos were saying, then it was out of astonishment that they were capable of manipulating so much so easily to actually go with the music.

You would think that these two things are a given, but take a closer listen to the "pop-rap" of the past 5 years.
Okay, Okay...I can feel myself wanting to lose focus, so back to content, or "fire" if you will. The content can scream, "On the mic, I am a bad-@$$ mutha-@$#!!!", or it can scream "It's @$#!! up out here on these streets (or anywhere else), pay attention!", but the point is that it has to be meaningful and/or show that the lyricist is witty, creative, energetic, and sees his/her craft as an art form.

So if you read or listen to any of the lyrics I am posting about in this section, and expect to hear/read about "bitches", rims, bling, thuggin, or being in a club, you are out of luck. Not that this type of music is all bad, I just have not been listening to its gems( which are few and far between but exist) recently. I will post my picks for that kind of music later.

Oh yeah...I almost forgot about delivery. Well...you can have fire, but if you can't spit it like a dragon gargling napalm...then...well...stick to writing. Delivery is about how lyrics are spoken, their rhythm, and how they sound. Good delivery should help the lyrics hold their own as music, as well have the ability to make lyrics more powerful when combined with beats, instruments, vocals, etc.

But why should you care?
If you like hip-hop, and you can agree with some of the above, then listen and read some of the works listed below. Hopefully I can add some good music to your collecton.

So here a just a few of my favorite fire spitters, and some of their work that I am diggin' these days.
Current Fire Spitter List

* Common aka Common Sense
* Mos Def
* Black Thought (Frontman for The Roots)
* Talib Kweli
* Mr. Lif
* Jeru the Damaja
* Lauren Hill (Part of The Fugees, also a talented singer)
* The GZA (From the Wu-Tang Clan)
* Saukrates

Some of their Spittle(yes, I said spittle!)

* "Respiration" by Blackstar (Mos Def and Talib Kweli) ft Common Sense
* "No Great Pretender" by The Roots (Black Thought, Malik B)
* "No Alibi" by the Roots (Black Thought, Malik B)
* "How many mics" by the Fugees (Lauren Hill)
* "The Corner" by Common Sense
* "Action (Remix)" by Saukrates
* "New Man's Theme" by Mr. Lif
* "Live from the Plantation" by Mr.Lif
* "Liquid Swords" by the GZA
* "Come Clean" by Jeru The Damaja

Remember that this is not a list of my greatest rappers/rap songs of all times. I can easily spend hour listing songs and rappers that I love. This is just what I am feelin' nowadays and will probably change next week.

-Bdon

Umm...just check me out on Last FM if you wanna know what I am listening to. But I still plan on posting to awesome songs...whaddya know? I added a link to "Respiration" by Blackstar.
Lata Bs

2006-04-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

Sick Week

First I thought that it was just allergies, but the congestion - thin and thick, clear and yellow - did not go away. People would ask me, "Dood, are you sick?", and I always responded "nawwh, it's just allergies," which was only the half of it. Cat allergies, Pollen allergies, known-unknown allergies - all conspired with some wretched virus or bacteria to make my week hell.

Now, I am probably complaining more than most people would with the same level of sickness, but let it be known that I hate being sick and turn into a whiney bitch whenever I get sick. So... slightly miserable is probably the best description.

So this week was not as productive as I wanted it but I am going to blab about it anyway:

Wednesday
"Dood, are you sick?" "No. Just allergies"

Thursday - Friday
Completely fine.

Saturday
BBQ
Mostly cat sniffles.
The beginning of the crappiness. But still in denial.

Bright Spots:

Da Posse
BBQ Brats!
Christina yelling at me and Dave before taking the magical allergy medicine. "Wash your hands!" "Wash yo face!"
Grant's Performances
Funny Story Game ( I tell the truth the same way that I lie. This has only been good for me when playing poker.)

Sunday
More crappiness but still in denial.

Monday
I wasn't really getting anything done at the beginning of the week at work. Sniffling, lack of concentration, and there is something about where my desk is that drains my energy. Maybe because it's always around 80 degrees where I sit, because I am within the heat-blast radious of my co-worker's space heater.

Productivity didn't change much when I got home because all I wanted to do was sleep. After napping and regaining a little energy, I made the mistake of fighting/wrestling KC for 1.5 hours to review for my belt test in JKD/BJJ. Actually, I am glad that I did because it is always fun and helpful, but it definitely would have been better for my health to not do it. But I guess I was still in denial at this point. "Just allergies."

Even later that night, after 2x the recommended dosage of sudafed, along with benydryl, and claritin, my nose stopped working. It tingled and I could barely squeeze air through it without it sounding like I was farting out of my face. It helped to sleep upright, so I did for about 2 hours.

Bright spots:

Pizza
Fighting
Tasha/KC/Matt

Tuesday
The next night I ended up not taking my belt test. The previous night of fighting and the lack of sleep made me a zombie at work. Surprisingly, I got work done, and the energy from having a productive day almost fooled me into going to JKD/BJJ to take my belt test. Instead I slept on the couch, and watching some independent Star Wars movie to occupy my waking minutes. Oh god it sucked. I am sure it would have been bad despite the state of consciousness I may be in. Drugs and sleep deprivation is where it's at.

Later that night I hung out with part of the posse. Coldstone, Starbucks, Zorba's, Quad Chillin'...

Oh, and I was no longer in denial about being sick, and I found out that I had infected someone else.

Bright Spots:

Convo with Rich
Hanging out with Posse
Late night phone calls on a dying cell phone

Wednesday
I almost didn't make it to work Wednesday morning. I got up, eyes burning, nose dripping, throat sore, debating. Thick, yellow phlegm. Should I rest? Do I want the money? Should I try to at least get the remaining projects done so I don't have to worry about them? I decided to go. I was productive for about the first 2 hours of work. It was awesome. So I went do lunch, thinking "I am gonna get all my stuff done 2-day", skipping down the street, hugging babies, helping old ladies across the street...but then I was blindsided by a rescheduled 2 hour long staff meeting. Sukk.

Okay... at this point I am getting tired of typing so I am just going to list things that happened...

Looked for glasses frames and hung out with Tasha.
Cleaned my room.
Met with Taiji Bros to finalize tee shirt design.

The funniest part of the day was a story that Tim told me. I laugh everytime I think about it.

Bright Spots:

Getting work done
Tim's Hilarious story.
Circular Tee Shirt Designing with Bros ("wash your organs")
Making...er..um...convincing Tasha to get up and study.

Today
Late last nite, I took a deep breath and felt like I was gonna couch phlegm out of my lungs. This was a good sign that I should not spend the next morning working. So I called in. Fortunately, the lung phlegm never showed itself, and I got a lot of needed sleep.

Have been sleeping/eating light/drinking juice in my house most of the day, but took a little trip to the quad with Tim to see the giant cardboard sculptures, and to get away from all this pollenated air.

Let's just say that if I had a urinary tract infection, it has been Ocean Sprayed away.

Oh yeah, it's 4-20.

Bright Spots:

Hearing about my mom.
Sleeping.
Lentil Soup.
Talking trash to "this girl I know".

Conclusion
The week wasn't so bad but I would have had a better time with no allergens and pathogens involved. Next week should be jammed packed with more hanging out, eating, drinking, fighting, and late nite adventures.

Lata bitches. No disrespect.