A picture's worth a thousand words

So here's about 25,000 words about the trip to RU, top dog pregaming, Thanksgiving, and the best damn damn bull terrier named Cory I ever met!
Check 'em out!

I'm not sure what a video is worth though, maybe the thousand words plus the many drunken slurred bellows that come out of my mouth. You be the judge.
posted at 8:11 PM

 

These are the times to remember

unfortunately, I forgot them! :P
So last night I'm driving Alex, Ankur, Mia, and Jen into the city for a fun night at Finnegan's Wake. Here's the conversation on the way in
Mia: Jonathan, are you dancing tonight?
Jonathan: Sure, why not!
Mia: Good, cause you were an awesome dancer Wednesday night!
Jonathan: I danced Wednesday night?
Mia: Yeah, and so was Alex!
Alex: Wait wait wait, I danced too?

Then Alex and I enjoyed a good laugh over having no recollection of Wednesday night...three hours at Top Dog, and all I can remember is waiting in line to get upstairs, and staring at my shoes as they walked me home down 70. But apparently, I was all over the place. Funny, I'm almost pissed I forget! :P

Another funny conversation on the way home
Alex: I've got an ok amount of leg room
Jen: Well I've got barely any
Jonathan: Well, you can walk, you'll have plenty of legroom then!

I do have a way of pointing out the better side, don't I?
posted at 6:48 PM

 

The Morning After

Hey, Alex, the toilet called. It wants you to stop pukin in it. Please, its begging!
AWESOME time last night, thanks to all who made it possible, including Senor Cuervo! :)

Running home down 70 from top dog....who does that? Honestly! I believe it looked something like this.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

posted at 8:51 AM

 
yes
i just got home
vfrom
to dog
and i'm waaaaaa65ted., i tried to wealk homw but i could cause i got bpicked upby a car now i'm back and there s two tings i elzie one is that last night i earned the titles of most dicekhead ex ever i'm sorry toniight i earned teh titel of most drunk est e ever must nadi acaled em and ic an't awaint to hill with her but right now alexi s underneat the caiar and he's passed outand uttara is next ome and sh'es passedo out too and i'm goohan go to bed time to go to b4d qyqw u55q4q 23333 e4unk good nigth america!
posted at 2:02 AM

 

One down

CRAZY night last night. First, I learned a magic trick. It involves a knife and a PBR. First, you cut a whole near the bottom of the PBR. Then you hold the beer up to your mouth and pop the top. 1...2...POOF, the beer appears in your belly. A couple shots of bacardi later and we were rollin.
The branch sucked, the rail was a little better, and the Knight Club owned. Great music with great friends and great dancin partners. HOW can you go wrong?
And my prediction came true, and as I suspected my stomach did leap up into my brains, but I recieved the cold shoulder all night long, took the hint, and kept to myself. I think it hurt, hard to tell after reaching a BAC of .4, but if it did I understand it...kinda. Anyway, eventually the deluge of alcohol did its job and I think I forget most of after 12:30. I do remember trying to dance low while a girl behind me was also dancing low, then my dancing partner leaned on me, and I sat on the girl behind me. Whoops! Yeah, I was that guy, but I haven't been that guy in a while, so I was due.
And dudes, if someone else steps on your shoe when the bar is packed shoulder to shoulder, let it sliiiiiide. As Chris Rock says, its not worth jailtime because somebody scuffed your puma.
The end of the night brought us back to Alex's place where his roomate was sitting at the kitchen table, head in hands, in front of a slightly toasted elios pizza and PASSED OUT. niiiice :)
Now its time to get ready for tonight. Not sure who's showing up, or when, but its gonna be cooler than ICE COLD!
posted at 2:46 PM

 

The pilgrims would be proud

Tonight RU.
Tomorrow night Top Dog and the first 397 Tav Pregame Event.
Thursday give thanks for tylenol.
Friday night Tikis and Philly.
Saturday more fun at a place yet to be determined.
This is gonna be one to remember :)

posted at 4:02 PM

 

As old as you feel

Some people get their own place and decide, "you know what, its time to start growing up. I've got a mortgage. I've got responsibility. Time to stop goofing off and get serious about life."
Me...not so much

Please pardon my sister and her potty mouth.
posted at 9:45 PM

 

3 hand stamps and a wrist band later

Another fantastic weekend. Dancing, laughin, smilin, thinkin, shoppin, eatin, sleepin, liftin, and several other of my favorite activities came fast and furious. I've decided that I'm forgetting too many of my weekend activities from the past couple months so I'm gonna have to do a better job of recording them here or somewhere. So what happened this weekend?
Well, for starters, like the best weekends often do, the weekend started THURSDAY night with a trip to Finnegans Wake. I believed I covered that down in the blog somewhere.
Friday I got to help out at Women in Engineering Day at Lockheed Martin. I think I'm going to call Friday "small-world day." First, I run into Drexel SWE reps. Other than the usual stomach-upside-down-can't-talk-straight reaction that I can't figure out why I get, it was an encounter I have to get used to. Demos went well, I got free pizza, and a shirt with "Women in Engineeering" branded on it that I absolutely can't wait to wear to the gym! No really!
Friday night was Godsmack, as mentioned in another entry. However, Ankur and I weren't feelin the Adema opening act, so we went to Tiki Bobs for the dollar-you-call its and part 2 of "small world friday". Amidst my two fisted rum and diets I noticed a jolly greekman that I knew from a time long ago. If there's a list of 5 people I really wanted to see again, Pete would be at the top. Just one of those dudes that's good-people through and through. So we did a little catchin up, then a little drinkin up, and it was off to Godsmack to wiggle my way to the front row and experience the best concert EVER.
Its always funny when I run into people like that. First, I'm not sure if they're actually going to talk to me, but sure enough, they do, and so far they've all been happy (or seemed happy) to see me. The funny part is during the conversations where I know what they want to ask, I can feel it in the brief seconds of silence. Its like "yeah, we have this thing in common that could be interesting to talk about, and we're probably both wondering about it, but won't bring it up." :P
Anywho, great times were had Friday night, which brings us to Saturday. As usualy I woke up at 8, a mere 4 hours after the bedtime of 4 hours. So what do I do? Go back to sleep? HELL NO, its SWIM TIME! I don't know if my body was too tired to realize what I was doing to it, or if I was numb from the concert, but it was a mighty swim.
After the swim, back to the condo, then off to the Lincoln Financial Field for the lockheed superbox. Good times with the fun crew, good food, good beers and oh yeah, something about football. Highlight though had to be seeing a drunk african american female start swinging at an equally drunk white dude. Both were escorted out along with a passed out dude that had trouble keeping his pants on. Reminded me of Alex for some reason.
So Saturday morning I had made a pact with myself. "don't go out tonight. Don't. No matter what Ankur says. No matter what Koch or Karen or Alex or Ryan or Greg say. Even if Paris Hilton drops a text message about a casting call for the sequel to her smash hit video, do NOT go out."
So anyway, Top Dog Saturday night rocked :P I didn't think I'd go back again after last weekend's Saturday night debacle, but the parking lot was clear and we headed on in! Although I was a bit tired, and by a bit I mean rumble strips are my friend :) There was actually a surprisingly fun crowd for a Saturday night at Top Dog. Met up with the crew from Lockheed, partied it up upstairs, then got down downstairs. The coverband was decent, as were the groupies from delaware and maryland. Ankur and I showed 'em jersey boys ain't that bad after all :) The situation was stacked against us though, and we left peacefully into the night to a rounding rendition of Hey Ya.
Sunday I woke up after 8am. A first for me in a month or so and I was proud of myself. Didn't get too much done today, except for a great dinner with Frank and Regina over in Delanco. Chateau Briand. Period. The end. That's all I gotta say :)
I'm so glad to have the people I have in my life, especially them. I've been rough on myself the past couple weeks. Unsure of many things and trying to answer questions I don't know if I can. But they've been there to pick me up when I'm feeling blue, and fill up my tummy when I'm feelin hungry. I still can't fathom how I got lucky enough to have them in my life, but I'm still thanking whoever it is that helped that happen. Yeah, even you Alex ;)
Now its Sunday night, and I've gotta finally do some homework.
Of course, I've probably left out some details. Some deliberately, some accidentaly, but at this point in this entry, either way its better off to be finished with my rambling :P

Now its time to buckle down and get ready for a grueling week of work. And by grueling week of work I mean 16 hours in 3 days 8^)

Coming Soon:
397 Tavistock is pre-game central for Top Dog Wednesday
Reason #4359 why I am the smartest man alive
Popular Questions and Answers
posted at 9:36 PM

 

Dear Lord

If incredible nights like this keep happening, I don' t know what I"m gonna do. So it begins with tasty Tony Lukes, then Godsmack. Wait, did I say then Godsmack...well, first it was Tiki Bob's with Ankur for the happiest happy hour in philly. There were dollar you-call-its and I called "it" alot. THEN it was time for Godsmack. Best concert I've ever seen. Period. Dueling drummers, all the songs I love, lights, fog, sweat, AWESOME!
Then it was off to Tiki Bob's with Ankur, my disappearing roomate, Karen, etc. Shakin' the booties till 2:30 is good for whatever ails you, trust me. After that it was cheesesteaks, then the drive home with thoughts in my head and Dave in the CD player. Now its bloggin and beddin. nice :)
posted at 3:42 AM

 

Bring in da noise, bring in da Kristen!

WOW, Finnegan's Wake tonight with Ankur, Chris, Beth, Gwen and Julie (briefly) and many other people rockin out to one of the BEST cover bands I've ever heard. So fun to just go out and party my ass off with a bunch of fun folks. Pictures? Of course there's pictures!
Go for it!
The band absolutely rocked, and watching Kristen was like the scene from Wayne's World where Wayne sees Cassandra and falls mandly for the angel with that silhouette of light behind her. SCHWING!
I'm drunk and sleepy now, so I'm going to stop trying to be poetic. But daaaaamn what an awesome night 8^)


posted at 2:44 AM

 

Reason #21902 Why I Love Corporate America

So someone asks me to fix up a powerpoint. I say, "sure, should take me about an hour." The look I got was priceless, like "wait wait wait, you mean something can get done in LESS than a day? INCONCIEVABLE!" It was actually a gross overestimate on my part, but it gives me an hour to fill. So I finish it in 30 minutes, look at some amusing movie quotes (note to self: watch Swingers), then send it out.
I get the response back "great job" along with the suggestion that "you might wanna keep that a secret."
Yes, I'm good at something...better not let that get out! Back to pursuing mediocrity!
posted at 5:21 PM

 

OHCRAP!

Its an exhilerating experience the first time you find out that your tires don't have the tread they used to. Helllooooooo curb! (almost)
posted at 10:14 AM

 

Yay Cold Season!

So this guy on the other side of the cubicle walls might be dying. At least that's what I assume from the hacking, coughing and horking that goes on for the whole 9 hours he's here everyday. Its the kind of sounds that make me wonder if any minute they will come to an abrupt end and an Alien will go running down the hall. Yummy!
posted at 10:24 AM

 

What's cooler than being cool?

No, you Andre 3000 wannabe, the answer is not ice cold. The answer, as Ryan and I now know, is to download the soundtrack to the Matrix, specifically the Burly Brawl track, and go cruising around in a Jetta. That's right ladies, much like Agent Smith, there's plenty nerd to go around!
posted at 12:31 PM

 

Hey family!

Here's the video, chock full of Uncle Al singin, the family dancin, happy birthday, and a special talent show by Danielle!
Right click and select "Save As"
posted at 8:23 AM

 

Inspiration

You know, its easy sometimes to get bogged down in the little things and forget about all that's good with life. I'm as guilty as anyone for taking things for granted, and I realized this more than ever last Friday night. I went up to Alex's for what I thought was going to be a night of me assaulting my body with cheap booze and the inevitable fat sandwich. It turned out quite different and much for the better.
I finally got to meet Alex's friend Dan. I ever met Dan before, but Alex always told me many good things. The reason why I never met him sooner is about 8 months ago he was in a car accident and went through the window and landed about 50 feet away from the car.(italicized for those of you that are of the particulary dumb opinion that seatbelts don't save lives...although some of the doctors said if he had the belt on he would have died for certain. So...whatever :P). Long story short, he was in a coma for a bit, and doctors estimated a year or so before he would be back in shape. Well, as Alex told me many times, Dan is a fighter and would have none of that. Friday night he was out and about enjoying good times at Stuff Yer Face, The Golden Rail, Old Queens and finally...some frat I forget the name of. I mean, you know you're healed when you can manage to draw on the passed out drunk guy!
What really stands out in my mind was the reception he got from about 40 frat brothers. Up until now, I always assumed frat guys could do three things: fight, grope, and create a super-saturated mixture of koolaid and everclear using only their hands to mix. Well, when Dan walked in I saw the most amazing reception anyone as ever gotten, and that includes the arrival of Alex's cheese and broccoli boli a little earlier in the evening. The unity and mutual caring for Dan was staggering. He's a lucky guy. Someone is definitely up there is watching over him.
So I realized two things that night.
1) Alex is one of the best friends anyone can have. Seeing him stand by Dan throughout the whole ordeal is inspiring. I continue to learn lessons from him every day, whether it be on respect, relationships, the proper way to dip cheese fries in gravy, drinking, friendship, or giving a girl the look that makes her forget you're the one that caused that smell just 5 minutes earlier.
2) Who the hell am I to complain. Life is good, its a gift, and who am I to take what I've got for granted.

Although homework still sucks.
posted at 12:59 PM

 

And it was good

A good night's sleep that is! Its amazing the difference sleeping for more than 6 hours makes for my outlook on life. Its like I see the world with new eyes...open eyes! :P
So I'm back to goofy happy-go-lucky Jonathan and i think its in my best interest to finally move all my stuff into the condo this weekend. I mean, as much as I like walking down to mom's at 6:30 in the morning in my batman footie pj's in 40 degree climates to shower and get ready for work, I think she's starting to get a little irritated. Moms, go figure.
I've also buried myself underneath a pile of homework that will require more than a day of sober/non-hungover thinking to dig myself out.
Last weekend I also realized that I might need to start going out less. I mean, I have a good time and often a great time, but I can't have fear of staying home and being alone with my thoughts. Its like I'm in this mad dash to get out and have fun and search for something. And I realized many moons ago that actively searching will only result in frustration. Life must be lived at its own pace, matters of the heart can't be rushed, and it happened before and it will happen again.
So odds are likely this will be a low-key weekend, but undoubtedly still a good one :)
posted at 10:30 AM

 
I promise I'm not as a wreck as that post makes me out to be. No really...REALLY! :P
If nothing else its irrefutable proof that I should drink less and sleep more, buuuuut whaddya gonna do?
posted at 8:49 PM

 

How's Jonathan?

Someone asked me this question a bit earlier today, and its funny cause I've kinda been asking me the same thing. Honestly, who asks themselves how they're feeling? Well, I'm just not so sure. I mean, I'm pretty sure I know how other people think I'm feeling. I mean, its easy to rock the positive mental attitude and smile all the time. Especially when nearly all of the time I mean it. At least I think I do. Sometimes I wonder if I've just been thinking positive for so long, I just ignore the negative. Does that mean the negative is gone? I doubt it.
I go out alot now and have a blast. I've made new friends and new relationships, but I did lose a best friend and a very strong relationship. Does that mean I have regret? Ab-so-lutely not. I did what I did, and while I cannot explain it most of the time, I know it was right and was for the best for everyone at that time. I know we're both having more fun now. Its funny how people will tell you "you're too young to settle down," and while you're in the relationship you say, "piss off mom, what do you know!" (applies to more than mom). But then, once you're out of it (at least now that I'm out) I see what they mean. This age is a time to go out and have fun. Or maybe that age happened a couple years ago and I was in a relationship at the time. But the phase has to happen. What phase? I haven't quite given it a name, but I think its the "go out, have fun, meet many people, and drink enough booze to sedate an elephant." I think that phase is an important part of growing up. Some people can do that while in a serious relationship, but I have yet to meet them. More and more I realize this phase is an important life lesson...although sometimes I wonder exactly what I'm being taught.
So right now I go out like the boozehound I am. Usually, I think its a little excessive. Sometimes I wonder if I'm just trying to keep myself busy so I don't think about things. Like if all this is just a front because I don't want to say/feel what I really should. But ultimately I realize its a great time, and when I feel its time to "settle down" I will.
But I digress. How am I? Like I said, I can't be sure. Am I happier now than I was in August? I don't know. I think I've just become so used to rolling with the punches and looking on the bright side that every time of my life is the happiest time of my life. That works, right? The choice I made wasn't just for happiness anyway. There's a part of me that feels I have more growing to do on my own. I felt like I was growing to be dependant when I should have been growing to be strong and confident. Not that its bad to be dependant on the person you love, but I think its better to be your own person first, then when the two come together its just that much better.
And I digressed again, but if you read this blog with any sort of frequency, that should come as no surprise. So its hard to say exactly how I feel without making it seem like I'm just wearing the happy face. When I'm out with friends and family, that's when you'll find me happiest, I can't help but let the grinnin' idiot in me shine through.
I think its the time alone with my thoughts that I start to figure out how I'm doing. The journal helps clear my head. And times like this when I type away at the blog. I try to weigh my emotions. There's the bad: the sadness, the lonliness, the aggravation, the worry, the laziness, the fear. There's also the good: the hope, the laughter, the caring, the goals, the inspiration, the drive, the determination, the love, the friendship. Then there's the ones that fall in the grey area like gassiness and hungriness and "goddamn revolutions blew...but maybe it didn't" yeah, confusion.
But when i sit back with my engineering tendency to quantify and weigh them all I have to say that the summation of me is good. But I think that's always been the case and always will be the case. And if not there's always hard-core boozin :)

posted at 5:27 PM

 

WHAT A WEEKEND!

It just got better and better and better!
Unfortunately, I'm about to lapse into a coma, but before I do, here's some pics!
Birthday Party for my grandparents
ELDP Banquet

Of particular note:
I meet Alex at Rutgers.
Alex meets Stacy at Rutgers.
Alex takes me to Drexel and I meet Niki.
A while later I meet Ankur at Drexel.
No longer seeing Niki I hang out with Ankur more.
Last night Alex meets Ankur, but for the SECOND time because they actually were in 8th grade homeroom together. They also both enjoy CHEEEEEEEEEESESTEAKS! and long walks on the beach. Small world eh?




posted at 11:03 PM

 

Traaaaaaaaaaaashed

So last night was the ELDP banquet. What better way to cap off 9 months of grueling classes and all nighters than with a night of great food, jazz bands, dancing, conversing, rubbing elbows with top executives and having a bit to drink?
Wait, I can think of a better way, having none of that, but one bad-ass open bar!
It actually was a good time. There wasn't any music, there were plenty of good folks and good speeches. Then I reached Vodka and Club Number Five and the rest of the night is a blur.
I know I was a PJs, and I had my tie around my head.
I know I ate about 3 desserts at our table (Tip for going to a banquet: If there are empty seats at the table, take the napkin and unfold it and lay it haphazardly on the chair before the dessert arrives. The server will leave a dessert there thinking the person is at the bathroom. Then you eat more desserts!).
I thought I took a couple pictures throughout the night. This morning I woke up and realized I took 47. They'll be up in all their blurred glory shortly.
I thought I lost my glasses, but I found them in my jacket pocket. Then I realized the jacket wasn't mine. The jacket has been returned to its rightful owner.
I tried going to bed when I got back, but while I was out, someone set my bed to "spin." I decided to call my buddy Ralph on the porcelain phone to see if he could fix the bed. Despite my long bellowing wails, there was no reponse from the other end, but I guess he heard me cause by the time I got back to the bed it was back to normal.

GOOD TIMES!
posted at 1:32 PM

 

Great Expectations

should be left at the entrance when going to see Revolutions. Good movie, but if you're like me and lost sleep over anticipating what could be the greatest movie since Dirty Work you might be a bit disappointed.
Ah well, at least I still have Lord of the Rings to look forward to :P
posted at 1:41 PM

 

Line in the sand of the week

NO CANDY!
Hear me now. NO CANDY UNTIL FRIDAY! So let it be written, so let it be done.
posted at 11:15 AM

 

If a blog falls in the forest...

So in liew of chatting on windows communicator with the nerds at work and wondering if anyone is listening to me, I'll post here, where I'm certain that noone is listening!

So I officially own 397 Tavistock. Its a nice place and its getting nicer. I really don't care about the anemeties inside, my main goal right now is to make sure its not just a house, but a home. There's a difference. The old place at 17 Covington was a house, an big, expensive, nice house, but it surely was NOT a home. The condo will be a home. All will be welcome, all will be happy, and eventually, all will have furniture to sit on. Till then, everyone is welcome and happy, but you might have to bring your own chair.

Its staggering how much money can be spent at home depot. Spend one hour in that store and you walk out with at least 100 bucks less and about 1/3rd of what you actually wanted to buy, so you get to go home, realize you forgot to buy the 2/3rds of stuff and about 1/2 of the 1/3rd you did get isn't quite right. (We leave the amount of stuff that still has to be gotten as an exercise for the reader).

As I mentioned before, Thursday was a trip to Tiki Bobs. I'm still reeling from what a blast that night was. Its nice starting the weekend off with a bang, its like I've filled my craziness quota and can spend the weekend recovering/getting schtuff done. Plus booze seems to be cheaper Thursday night than other other night during the week.

Friday night was Juan's Halloween party. Great to see everyone, and my apologies to them for having to listen to myself and Mike Brown do about 40 eminem songs on the karaoke machine. When will I stop making an ass of myself?

Sunday was a run down on Grove Park. 3 miles, a gallon of sweat, and one resolution to eat less candy and cheesesteaks later I was a new man!

Alex is a P.I.M.P. pimp. It begins and ends there. No questions asked (well no questions other than "How many drinks do you have to have to find THIS attractive?")

My sister continues to confuse me. She sets her TV on sleep so she falls asleep with it on. Then she has the TV alarm set for 6am so it wakes her up. But its waking her up at the same volume and channel she fell asleep to. Go figure.

posted at 11:14 AM