Red Bull @ MindSay 
I found this shirt at www.shortbusclothing.com and thought it was funny because it kind of makes an example of how everyone is addicted to these energry drinks like it were a drug!
My last twenty-four hours have been consumed by the following tasks: Getting my room ready for room inspections, scraping a presentation together for my Shakespeare seminar on Coriolanus and John Dollimore’s Marxist interpretation of the work, going to class, going grocery shopping to replenish my oh so empty larder, and polishing the same three papers that have been haunting me since last week. If it was only two papers I might have gotten to sleep around four or so, but that last damn paper on deception in Defoe killed me. This is the problem with having all three papers due at the same time. By the time you get to the third one you can barely see straight, let alone say anything perceptive about narrative devices.
Fortunately, because the assignments are assigned by word count I have to take an electronic word count once I’ve finished writing. I’m usually twelve to seventeen words over the limit, which forces me to re-read each essay very carefully in order to decide which twelve to seventeen words are superfluous. The problem is that if I find one superfluous seventeen word sentence in the first paragraph, then I have very little motivation to keep staring at the screen.
I’m happy to report that I passed room inspection (although, I must say it weirds me out to have room inspections in College, it makes me feel like I’m at camp or boarding school). I don’t think the inspections carry much water, though, because we’ve failed three kitchen inspections over the past three days and they haven’t done anything about it. In theory they call a cleaning service if you fail repeatedly and then make the residents of the flat pay for the service, but my flatmates told me that they failed every inspection since the beginning of the year and nothing’s happened. I know that they’re exaggerating, though, because I can remember two kitchen inspections in recent memory where we got a solid “Needs Improvement” instead of a straight fail.
My presentation on Coriolanus was a little more hairy. I left getting the presentation together until the last minute because I spent most of yesterday reading the play, and then this morning when I thought I would have time to prepare I had to clean. I scraped together a few presentation notes, though, and had just enough time to run to the library to print them out before I had to run across the bridge for class. When I got to the computer lab, though, the printer was out of paper and I didn’t have time to stay until it was replaced. So I ended up sprinting to class without my notes and gave the presentation extempore, for it was nothing but roaring. Under the circumstances, though, I think it went pretty well. There were three people scheduled to give presentations that day, and I was the only one out of the three who showed up so I think I got brownie points for that. I also got commended for not relying too heavily on my notes and for making eye contact when I spoke, so everything ended up being for the best in this best of all possible worlds.
I know it sounds like I’m not taking my education seriously, what with the off the cuff presentations and the all night paper writing, and the dashing off to Madrid and sometimes I wonder. But in all honesty I’ve often remarked that no longer how long I spend on papers they always seem to be unfinished at the last moment. When I left for Madrid I did have three pieces of writing that might charitably be called drafts, but I’ve found that work expands to fit the time allotted. Coincidently, Betty Friedan found the same thing when she looked at housewives and housework. When stay-at-home housewives have all day to do their chores they barely got everything done in time, and felt like the work was getting away from them. Women who got jobs outside of the home found that they could do the same amount of housework as when they were full time housewives. The moral of the story? One makes abstract connections when one is sleep deprived. And that Betty Friedan was an amazing woman who wrote an amazing book, and I wonder if it was as big a deal in Britain as it was in the US.
Of course, when it comes to comparing British and American feminisms, I would put my money on Virginia Woolf over Betty Friedan any day, but that’s just me. And right about now I’m despairing for the quality of that last paper. Do you know I haven’t brushed my teeth in twenty-four hours? I’m gonna go do that now. And then I’m going to print out my papers, because I want to avoid a reprise of the Coriolanus debacle, but I can’t turn them in for another three and a half hours.
And the moral is: Coffee good. Sugar free Red Bull, better.
Actually scratch that. I had a Mountain Dew at like 10. Oops, sorry.
I also had work today, which caused an issue. I knew I wasn't going to sleep (at around 3:45; if I wasn't asleep by then, I knew I was going to break night). I had to get a Red Bull (which isn't half bad) this morning. I started feeling the effects sometime during the morning briefing. It felt strange. I felt a tingle, which then lead to me blinking rapidly for like about 15 minutes. Those things really work. They wake you up, and quick. Just for kicks, I'd like to down a few of them (4), see what that feels like (death?). People would probably advise against it, but, I dunno, I just want to do it.
O'Ding on Red Bull.
I should make a weekend out of it.
Ha.
One can only dream.
Outies.
Red Bull, I guess everyone knows the energy-drink from Austria. But Red Bull is more then an energy drink, it's also becoming on of the most powerfull multinationals of the world. I don't mean that there drinks are drunken by everyone. Well, there are ofcourse a lot of people drinking it, but still I am pointing towards the sport sector. For example Red Bull is already sponsering several years in the Formula 1. First they sponsored Sauber and Arrows. After that it was to Jaguar. And they bought Jaguar and made it Red Bull Racing. Ofcourse Red Bull pushes their drivers into that time like Christian Klien (his helm is actually a dedication too his sponsor). But they also have a development-program. Where drivers like Vitantonio Luizzi and Scott Speed belong too. And now Red Bull bought Minardi and made it Squadra Toro Rosso. That is Italian for Team Red Bull. They put Luizzi and Speed there.
But it's not only F1. Go and look around in other sports. And especially extreme sports. I name a stunt-airplane race. Yes, it's called the Red Bull-air race. It took part in several country's, like Dubai, the Netherlands, Austria. But also San Fransisco in the USA had an Red Bull-air race. It's the meaning that the pilots of that plane, fly a certain 'track' and preform stunts during that. And the one with the fastest time wins. And gets points. And the one with the most points becomes champion. Mike Mangold became it this year. And next year it's coming again. Besides that there are many other sports they sponsor in they do snowboarding, stunts on motorbikes. kite-surfing. But also normal sports-people are sponsored by Red Bull. Like a judoka here in Holland. But also the several people from ice-skating are sponsored by Red Bull.
Do I have to name more sports? Inlineskating, stunt skating, trailbiking. Like I said a lot of extreme sports.It's look like the energy drink wants to show that they are worth something. I don't know. I just guess they have a lot of money to spend. If you look that it's going that bad in the world with economy. It's actually good to see that Red Bull is doing 'good'. Maybe it will well other company's on the way again? But after all they are an energy-drink. Even in bad times people will keep drinking. But still you won't see Coca Cola doing this or Pepsi? No, it's just Red Bull. I think it's a good thing, but again a bad thing. Almost every day, every week, you are throwen stuff like: "Look at the Red Bull Air Race", "Look at the snowboarding sponsored by Red Bull" etc etc. Maybe it turns against them and no-one watches at the sports again. That would be a painfull thing then and they stop sponsoring and what happens a lot of people lose their jobs. It's a dangerous project of Red Bull. I hope it ends good for them. And for all their employees.
Oh, one more thing. I don't drink Red Bull, I think it stinks. I didn't drink it yet, but I won't ever drink it.
I went to the Green Day concert tonight (techinically last night), and it rocked my world. But let's start at the beginning.
After school, at around 3:00, I got to Starbuck's to meet up with Amanda and Alex so we could have the now weekly Friday Spin. This is basically where we go out to the grass and spin around and around and around. Alex had to go to a doctor's appointment though, and so we parted ways, each wishing each other a good time at the concert, since we both were going to be there.
At around 5:40, I leave my house in order to get to Colin's house by 6:30, since he was the one who invited me to go to the concert with him and because it was at his house that I was going to get a ride.
After a pretty cool car ride, we finally get to Arco Arena, and lo and behold, what car is right next to us as we're trying to get into the parking lots? Alex's! So I yelled at him. Long story short, what follows are (crappy, my camera phone sucks) pictures, that are mostly in chronological order:
Jimmy Eat World opened, and although they were okay, they weren't that into it, and I found myself just wishing for them to get off and Green Day to take the stage.
These girls in front of us were trying to push farther forward during Jimmy Eat World, but these other girls weren't having it, and they were all literally an inch away from fighting. Everyone around was laughing at them, but they didn't seem to understand.
This is me waiting for Green Day to get on stage; there was like a half hour wait between Jimmy Eat World and Green Day.
This is Billy Joe Armstrong obviously, wearing a crown during some song, I forget which.
The above picture looks so much cooler on my phone.
At some point during the concert, push came to shove, and this huge, giant 6'infinity" guy got pissed at this 5'6" guy. They were about to fight, but people were holding them back. I was so excited, because the shorter guy would've gotten his ass kicked, but people were doing everything to stop them from fighting. The big guys shirt actually started to rip he was trying to get to the little guy so hard. And the little guy actualyl wanted to fight.
Security guards eventually came and warned the big guy or something, and shined a light in our eyes because we were too close to them.
Even though the concert was great, there were fat, sweaty girls everywhere. Which was gross.
Mr. Lorenc would comment on this because Billy Joe kept making crucifix poses.
During the song, "Wake Me Up When September Ends", someone threw a shirt on stage. It landed right on Billy Joe Armstrong's head, adn he slung it over his shoulder for a while. It wasn't until after the concert I learned it was the anti-war shirt my friend Colin had been wearing. He wanted Billy Joe Armstrong to read it.
Waving the mike-stand...
This was the background for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams". I felt like I should've recognised the face; is it the Mona Lisa's?
Cell phones and lighters during "Boulevard of Broken Dreams".
Confetti after "Boulevard..."
After the concert, I found out Colin had caught Bilyl Joe Armstrong's tie when he threw it into the crowd. He had to curl up into the fetal position, because people were trying to take it, but he got it. Then he gave it to his girlfriend. I would've kept it for myself.
We went to a gas station, I downed two Red Bulls in two minutes, I smell like B.O. and pot, yada yada yada. It was a great night.
-Neil
Current Music: "American Idiot" - Green Day
P.S. The concert was September 30th. Billy Joe Armstrong pointed this out as he was segueing into "Wake Me Up". Sacramento owns!
P.P.S. Floor tickets bitches!
Showing 1 - 5. [ Next ]