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August 31st, 2002
August Recommendations
See Austin Powers: Gold Member. A little redundant with the re-hashing of similar jokes from the previous Austin Powers but still pretty funny. And on DVD, The Simpsons: Season Two, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, The Sopranos: Season 3 and if you are feeling saucy, The Teen Wolf/Teen Wolf Too Double Pack. Buy 'em today!
-Zosie

August 29th, 2002
Rubba Dub Dub, Thanks Professor Grubb...
Well, it's back to school time. A return to UMBC. It's felt like a heavyweight fight. I won round one and two, -getting accepted to the University and -receiving excellent grades for my first full time semester of classes (2 A's and 2 B's, and two classes were upper level) I lost round three with the whole art application bullshit. So after licking my wounds I'm back in the fight. And back to everyone's favorite, Art History! I had a History class last semester titled 'History: Art in the Renaissance Period' with Professor Grubb. Sitting in the dark in a crowded room viewing the college's poor quality slides of artwork and listening to a lecture on the message behind the art, etc...
This should have prepared me for my 'Art History I & II' this semester, had I not already emptied this art knowledge from the recycling bin in my brain this summer.
Now I look forward to the fight this semester and I leave you with this:
"Please choose a piece of artwork from the slide carousel and write a 2-4 page paper, be sure to place the piece in its social and theological contexts..."


"The art is nominal...the art has an ambiguous style...I feel the art has an aesthetic quality..."
-Zosie


August 12th-19th, 2002
8 Days A Week - My Summer Vacation 2002
"...Nothing. I would relax, sit on my ass all day...I would do nothing." (Office Space)
I have thoroughly enjoyed having 8 days off in a row. Pushing my beach trip back towards the weekend allowed me to basically do nothing from Monday thru Friday, and that's what a vacation should be like and I like it. I have stayed up almost all night, everynight, drinking beer, eating, but most importantly spending time at home, alone (one of my guilty pleasures) I've reminisced and reflected on summers past and on my youth by watching old videos and listening to songs of yesteryear. Spending time in my backyard sun-tanning, listening to the wind and watching clouds roll by reminds me on sweeter days. I am very fond of the days when I could do just this. Laying on the grass, drinking a soda and listing to the radio, the simple pleasures in life. When we were young we never had to set the clock for work, or run errands, or carry a day planner. Those simple, innocent days. My vacation has given me time to reflect, time for my self-examination and self-discovery.


On Thursday the 15th Waldorf was on fire and so was I. The cashier at Chick-Fil-A had been at work for hours and she asked me if I knew if "that fire was still burning."
I said "yeah, you bet it is..." I was thinking of the fire inside me.


Earlier in the day I sat outside in my yard and listened to music and tanned for a few hours. This gold and black butterfly (symbolic of not only my High School class colors but also My College's colors) flew around my tree in circles. I just stood there with a golden sunshower pouring on me through the leaves. The butterfly landed on our flowers and kept flying around me and the tree for what seemed like an eternity. I was like a kid again and at peace.


My beach trip with my family to Ocean City on Saturday through Monday was almost perfect. Everything worked out, culminating with a return Monday afternoon for my Dad's birthday and good ending to a good vacation.
-Zosie


August 10th, 2002
Have a cigar
Kelly Osbourne's cover of Papa Don't Preach may be one of the worst things I've heard in recent times. It ranks right up there with No Doubt's Hey Baby and The fake Mariah Carey/Phil Collins Duet of Against All Odds (Currently in the lead as the worst thing I've heard in the 21st century.) The music on the radio and tv (Oh wait, I forgot. They don't play music on Music TV anymore, just TV shows. In the 1980's we called that "misrepresentation") Where was I? Oh, for the most part, popular music in the new century has been substandard. Lots of average singles and below average albums. And the music industry wonders why folks download so carelessly. Bands and singles growing weaker by the day. It makes me long for the 80's and Early 90's. Hell, I'll even take the mid-late 90's.
And who thought Lou Bega with Mambo #5 would end up being a 1 hit wonder.
-Zosie

August 8th, 2002
"Tender Years"


-Zosie

August 5th, 2002
Beat the System, Shift the Blame
In addition to my philosophy "Minimum Effort, Maximum Joy" which I mentioned in my About Zosie page, here are two practices that I encourage you to use in your daily life.
1. Beat The System - Don't follow the industry standard. This is a simple way of getting around the rules and getting what you want. Lie, Cheat and Steal. Remember that if no sees you or catches you, then it can't be wrong. Remember to cut corners whenever possible.
2. Shift The Blame - If you are unable to beat the system or fail during the process, you can fall back this. Shift the blame onto another individual, pass the buck.
Example: Someone else: "You just spilt ketchup all over my brand new jacket!"
You: "It's your fault, you shouldn't have left your jacket where it was..."
Making someone else the scapegoat for your faults, mistakes and inadequacies is the easiest and most convenient way to avoid responsibility. And avoiding responsibility is what being an adult is all about.
-Zosie

August 2nd, 2002
Everything's Better When Wet
I will ask for a moment of silence in memory of The "Everything's Better When Wet Cafe" July and August bring back memories of its inception. Topped with stolen condiments and named after a Steve Miller Band lyric, it was a mock cafe that found itself in my room during simpler times. My computer desk resides in it's place now. The cafe had been moved to my basement in the past year, pushed aside for progress. It is now a cart with storage underneath and contains half the items that used to be on top of the table cloth. Like many fo the people and places I know, it is a cheap, tattered version of what it used to be. I remember setting it up seven years ago. It was small and cramped yet it also added character to my room. I could imagine sitting at the table on some calm sunday morning having tea and toast with my future wife. The walls would disappear and my room could be any place, any where. Adolescent fantasies conjured by a simple table and checkered cloth. The early days of the cafe were ones where I could imagine myself looking out the window at some pastoral villa while passing the hours away. I miss this former icon of my room and the quiet, endless afternoons that accompanied it.
-Zosie

August 1st, 2002
'August and Everything After'
'The sun has been quite kind'. I find myself in a peaceful, dreamy state as the summer continues. My constantly evolving quest to find out who I am continues. There has been a shift in my attitude. I am finding my motivation, and I am focusing on the things that make me happy. Earlier this summer I felt like a car teetering on the edge of a cliff. Now I feel like child on a bicycle, removing my training wheels and soaring into the unknown. I opened my eyes this summer and I am regaining my inspiration. The latter part of the summer has been a time of redemption and self-discovery. Trying to find out 'Who I Am' is an arduous task. 'Who I Am' is a question that cannot be answered in one sentence or in one season. At least I have made an effort to start this self exam. I realize I am a man amused with the little things. The little things combine to form the intricate design of my life. I am enamored with the simple pleasures of life. The soothing sound of the wind rushing through the southern Maryland forest. The gentle push and pull of the ocean's waves. Taking a drive in my car under a soft moonlit sky while my favorite radio station plays all the right songs . Songs that recall fond memories and I am suddenly whisked back in time to sweeter days. The way someone special can look into your eyes and not only remind you what a smile looks like, but more importantly what a smile feels like. And I experience all of this under these beautiful skies and romantic sunsets. This is what the my summer should be about. Warm, endless nights, unpredictable and filled with hope and promise. I am slowly finding myself, and the best I can give comes from the heart.
-Zosie
Al Stewart - Year of the Cat
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