Wow, it's been a while since my last post. My apologies to all five of you out there who actually read this thing. It's been a busy couple days.

On Friday night I went to a costume party hosted by some of my co-workers. It was a blast. I dressed up as Hunter S. Thompson/Raoul Duke, as portrayed by Johnny Depp in Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas. I had the Hawaiian shirt, a cigarette holder, big aviators, a funky hat, and even an old-school typewriter. The best part about the costume was that I was able to borrow most of the components. Much better than paying $50 to rent a costume. Anyway, you should be able to figure which one is me in the picture. Sometime I'll try to find a decent pic of myself to post.

I hadn't meant to hang out so late at the party given how early we were going to start tailgating for the Oklahoma game. However, stalwart hero that I am, I ended up hanging with a few of the hardier partygoers until the wee hours of the morning until finally crashing on the host's couch.

Naturally, I didn't wake up until a quarter after nine, which was about 1:45 until kickoff. I had to drive across town to my place as quickly as I could, take an uber-fast shower and get dressed for the game, drive to campus as fast as I could get away with, light up my gameday cigar (a superstition), and walk to the tailgate site. Along the way I found my previously misplaced phone (it was in my car), and found that I had about 15 missed calls. It turns out that the crew was a little worried about me. They all seemed pretty relieved when I showed up, albeit looking a bit haggard.

Let me take a moment to apologize. It wasn't my intent to give anyone cause for concern, and I felt bad that some of you were worried about me. Despite all that, though, it does feel kind of nice to know I have such great family and friends that care enough to check on my whereabouts if I go missing. You all rock. :)

The Oklahoma game ended up being kind of a bust. Once again, we let them get to an early lead, made a heroic comeback effort, and ultimately came up short. There are a lot of things that we need to improve on. Of course, it would also help if the officials would've called some of the holds against us occasionally. Evidently even the ABC announcers were pointing out some of the poor no-calls, especially at some crucial points in the game. I don't blame Coach Callahan for getting pissed off about it. Still, if our guys executed like they needed to, it probably wouldn't have been an issue.

After the game we went back to the house, where I took a much-needed nap. It did me a lot of good, and I was good and ready to go to the costume party at Brad's. There were some hilarious costumes. Ted and Kelly's probably killed me the most. They went as Poo & Toilet Paper, respectively. And to think, Kelly thought she'd dress as Li'l Red Riding Hood. Ha! It was also funny seeing Ted's folks dressed up, his mom as Cher, and his dad as a disheveled, down-on-his-luck Vegas high roller (at least, that's what I thought he looked like.)

The party was an awesome time. So many good friends were there (and family, as my sister went as Tinkerbell). I got on Brad's trap set and really wailed on those things while his brother Jeff jammed on his electric guitar. It was crazy fun. Eventually, Marc stepped in on the drums and played them for real. After watching him on the drums, I felt rather inspired to learn to play them myself.

Brad also had some good music playing throughout the night. At one point, I just sat back and watched as everyone danced, mingled, laughed, and generally enjoyed each other's company. I think that may have been my favorite point in the night. They all seemed so relaxed, happy, and carefree, and just by association, I felt the same way. There just isn't anything better than being surrounded by family, be they related by blood or bonds of friendship, on the holidays. Again, life's simple pleasures prove to be the best.

. . .

Sorry, I had another bout of sentimentality. I'll try to restrain myself next time.

Moving along.... The party lasted until about 2:00a, whereupon the Local Yokels staged a rude interuption and made everyone leave. It was probably for the best, though. I was feeling pretty worn out by that point. I wonder what the cop thought when he saw me walk by with a 15 lb. typewriter under my arm.

I enjoyed a good day of rest on Sunday. I was pretty lazy most of the day, although I did go to the office for a while and got some work done.

Tim had crashed at our place over the weekend. It was cool having him over to hang out and live it up one more time before he heads home to Kenya. Vaya con Dios, my friend.

November is looking like it'll be a pretty busy month at work. I'm planning on breaking it up with a few trips to F-town to visit my folks and do some pheasant hunting. I'm really looking forward to both. The company is second to none, and neither is Mom's cooking. :) This year, I'm really hoping to actually knock down some birds. I don't think I ever managed to last year, but I didn't get too many chances to walk the fields, either. The best part is getting to hang out with Dad, my brothers, and the dog, anyway.

And now, it's time to play some Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Daylight Savings time marked the beginning of the video game season for me, so I broke the game out for the first time since February.

So, there you have it. The good times continue to roll.

Nip/Tuck was pretty twisted last night. Sick, even. This time around they managed to work in a character who was an incestual sicko and a necrophiliac. The show's writers must've been scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas to put into that episode. It may have been the worst episode ever. It didn't help that Kelly Carlson didn't appear in this one. She's the hot. Next week's episode is supposed to feature another Joan Rivers appearance. One of my best friends thinks that she's hot, but I just don't see it.

Wow, I just saw a commercial for the Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire movie. It looks awesome. It's good to see that the films are getting progressively darker, just as the books have.

I also saw a commercial in which an animated version of that Starkist tuna passed a tuna casserole to Count Chocula. The Jolly Green Giant was watching through the window. It looked like the best story Tolstoy never wrote.

Last night I had supper with my grandparents. It was a lot of fun; I always get a real kick out of both of them. They're leaving for Arizona, as they do every year, this Monday. It's tough to see them leave; in the back of my mind, I always wonder if I've said my last goodbye to one or both of them. I guess it's a pretty selfish lamentation on my part. They've lived their lives to the fullest, have paid their dues in full, and deserve to be able to migrate to a warmer climate and enjoy the fruits of retirement. So of course, I'm happy for them, too, and I really look forward to their return.

Grandpa just turned 87 a couple days ago, by the way. Next month, he'll go to Spokane to celebrate his older brother's 100th birthday. That's a crazy long life, is it not? Grandma's mom (my great-grandmother) also lived to be 100. So I guess there's quite a lot of longevity on my mom's side.

I downloaded some sweet tunes today. Y'all should check them out, if you haven't already.

1. "Summer Madness" by Kool & The Gang (Funk)
2. "My Personal Moon" by Madison Park (Trance)
3. "The Call of Ktulu" by Metallica (Metal)
4. "Two Princes" by The Spin Doctors (Rock. I mentioned these last two in my previous entry.)
5. "You Can Call Me Al" by Paul Simon (Does this one count as classic rock yet?)
6. "Help Yourself" by Tom Jones (Jazz? I dunno; it just reminds me of Vegas. It was played in both "Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas" and in "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy."

It looks like TBS is going to start running The Matrix: Reloaded. Those flicks are among my all-time favorites. A lot of people hated Reloaded and Revolutions. I don't know what their problem is.

I saw a couple deer on the tail end of my walk tonight. Most people wouldn't have seen them in the twilight. In fact, I encountered several people on the trail who were completely oblivious to them. What can I say? I'm the Eye In The Sky. Anyway it was pretty cool. It was dark enough that as they ran across the field, they looked as though they were flying low over the tall grass. That was probably one of the last walks I'll get to take for a while. Daylight Savings will pretty much guarantee that I'll be lucky to chase the sun down in my car after work, let alone have enough light to go to the park. Curses. I'll probably have to start tagging along with Jason to the Y on weeknights.

Some movie just ended, in which Mandy Moore marries the punk rock doctor from ER and then dies. I read a while back that she's joining the cast of Scrubs this season. I do hereby give my full endorsement to that casting call.

Two days until the Oklahoma game. You should go to it. It's going to be a bloodbath. I'm guessing it will go right down to the wire. The 1995 championship football team will be reuniting before the game. Hopefully they'll take a bit of time to help fire up the current Huskers before the game. The '94 championship team did the same thing last year before the Mizzou game, and we crushed them. I'm really looking forward to the game. The NU-OU rivalry is something special. It's football in its most pure form. Sublime, if you will. When we played the Sooners in Lincoln back in 2001, I was screaming as loud as I possibly could when we were on defense but still couldn't hear myself. It was that loud.

Hrmm. Xena: Warrior Princess is on. Is it just me, or did the gal who played Gabrielle get a little more, I dunno, man-ish as the seasons went on? Best not to dwell on that thought too long.

Ahhh, my LAUNCH station started me off with a good one tonight. "Two Princes" by the Spin Doctors. That song takes me back.

Said, if you want to call me baby,
Just go ahead, now.
An’ if you’d like to tell me maybe,
Just go ahead, now.
An if you wanna buy me flowers,
Just go ahead, now.
And if you’d like to talk for hours,
Just go ahead, now.

Let's see...that song first became popular back in 1993. I was roughly 13 years old. That would put me in the seventh grade. What a deliciously awkward time that was---a weird phase in which the girls that were our age suddenly outgrew us for some reason and when popularity had a direct relationship with placement on the football team's depth chart. It's probably a blessing that I don't remember much of it anymore. It sure didn't play out like an episode of "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County."

. . .

Yeah, I'll admit to a rather horrified fascination with that show. For me, it's a lot like watching the animals at the Henry Doorly Zoo. Except these animals are a lot more blonde, bitchy, and bloodthirsty. I can't help but think that the events documented in that show are supposed to be a harbinger of the Apocalypse. I keep watching the show expecting to see the moon turn to blood, the Four Horsemen riding forth from their stables, and Great Cthulhu rising from the depths.

As it so happens, "Call of Ktulu" is now playing on my LAUNCH station. If you're looking for a killer heavy metal instrumental track, you had better check this one out. It's actually an older Metallica piece from their "Ride The Lightning" album. It's based on the story The Call of Cthulhu by the late sci-fi horror master H.P. Lovecraft. The story foretells how an ancient, otherworldly creature will one day rise from the ocean depths and lay waste to civilization, and details the madness of the humans unfortunate enough to make this discovery. This story set the stage for what has come to be known as "The Cthulhu Mythos," which has provided inspiration for many excellent modern day writers, including Neil Gaiman (one of my favorite writers).

Looks like I'm not the only Nebraska fan who wasn't impressed with the sportsmanship of Mizzou fans this past weekend. This editorial looks like it got a lot of comments from both Husker and Tiger fans. I'm obviously going to be a little biased, but still...the Mizzou fans who posted generally come across like a bunch of waterheads. Oh well. Their teams have been so crappy throughout the years, I guess they hardly know what to do with themselves when they win any game, let alone against NU. They're still not as bad as K-State or Colorado fans, I suppose.

Daylight Savings is rearing its ugly head this weekend. I'm sorry if you like that extra hour of sleep; I'd rather have the tiniest bit of sunlight remaining once I get off work. I'm guessing I'll have to get a membership at the YMCA or some other fitness club for the winter. The streets and trails around here are so poorly lit that there is really no other option for cardio exercise on weekdays.

Well, we made it back from the Missouri game in one piece. Nebraska ended up losing the game 41-24, which was a bummer. I really thought we'd pull off the win. We were down 21-3 early in the first half, but the Huskers made a major comeback to tie things up 24-24 at halftime. In the third quarter, we had the knife to their throat, as Terrence Nunn made a reception on 4th and 2, only to fumble the ball at the 8 yard line. After that, Missouri's crowd really got into it, and they made some powerful drives. Our guys just kind of ran out of steam at that point. Also, Brad Smith played an awesome game, and we weren't containing him.

I can't say I think much of Mizzou fans. We were at a gas station before the game, and a few middle-aged Missouri fans took it upon themselves to boo us. At the stadium, Mike and I received several unsolicited "f*** yous, f*** offs, etc." And once the Tigers had the game in hand, a huge portion of the fans in the stadium got nasty with the Nebraska faithful. I don't care if they boo our team because that's natural in competitive sports, but it's classless to boo the opposing team's fans. After the game, their fans rushed the field and tore down the goal posts. Wow, good job. I can understand why they did it two years ago; that was Mizzou's first win against the Huskers in nearly 40 years. But this time? We're unrated and were picked to lose, for cryin' out loud. It's like celebrating an upstart boxer's victory over a post-Parkinson's Disease Muhammed Ali.

Despite how much the Mizzou fans tend to suck, it was cool seeing their campus. They have the most amazing student rec center in the NCAA. I'm not exaggerating. It has a really cool recreational indoor/outdoor pool, complete with a waterfall and whirlpool. The exercise pool is a fully 50 meters and has a removable floor to increase or decrease the depth, and also includes a full set of diving boards and diving towers on the deep end. The rest of the place is just as impressive. Top notch weights and cardio equipment, a really sweet spinning room with blacklights, and uber-nice locker rooms. There are plasma televisions everywhere, and a huge breakroom for the student employees (over 400 of them). Their attire is provided by Under Armor; I think they may have provided a lot of the funding for the renovation of the rec center. The entire building is decorated to capture and memorialize the history and tradition of the University of Missouri. I can say without hesitation that I would've lived there, had I been an MU student. If you're a student at Mizzou and aren't taking full advantage of this facility, you're a fool.

Hopefully they can do something similar at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln sometime in the future. It would be an awesome marketing tool, and would make for a healthier student body.

One more thing: Traffic in Columbia after a Missouri game is absolutely terrible. It took us over two hours just to get out of town. Ridiculous. Here's a shoutout to Trista and B-Rad. Thanks for keeping me entertained with text messages while we were stuck in traffic.

Next week brings the Oklahoma game. Based on their struggles this season, I think this is a very winnable game for the Huskers. NU-24, OU 21. Regardless of how it goes, it should be a good time. It always is when these two teams play each other.

Hmm. I just realized that I'll be 30 years old the next time Oklahoma plays us at home. How weird is that? Can any of you imagine me being that old? I wonder what I'll experience between now and then. I'm sure my hair will be more grey by then, seeing as how it has been getting just a little more noticeable every year since I was 21. Life will only get better, I'm guessing. I'm looking forward to discovering what happens. :) What are your predictions for the next four years? By all means, post them in the Comments for this entry.

I got to enjoy some tasty food over the weekend. On our way back to KC from Columbia last night, we stopped at a little BBQ place called Biffle's. I had some killer brisket. The servings of everything were huge; there was no way I could've eaten it all. Well, that may be stretching the truth. I could've eaten it all, but I didn't. I guess this "restraint" thing is getting easier for me. This morning for breakfast we stopped at the Waffle House. I adore that place; I wish they'd build one in Lincoln. It's probably not the picture of fine dining in anyone's opinion, but so what? They serve up some good, down home cooking in a speedy fashion, and it comes with grits!!!

Our friend Tim came along with us this weekend. He has taken a job in his home country, Kenya, and will be leaving the States in early November. He hasn't been home in eight years, since he came here to get his college education. He hasn't seen his family or friends back home in just as long. I can't imagine how hard that would be. It'll suck that he won't be around anymore; he's a good guy and a riot to hang out with. But I'm happy for him that he can finally return home and be reunited with his family. Anyway, we'll give him a proper send-off next Saturday after the game. :)

Looks like that John Cusack movie "Grosse Pointe Blank" is on. I actually like that one quite a bit. It's about a hitman who returns to his hometown for his high school reunion. Most people would tell you that it's a comedy, but I'm fairly certain that it's a documentary. It's good, though, so obviously Michael Moore didn't make it.

What else is on...Punk'd. Hate that show. Ashton Kutcher is the suck....World Series of Poker. Kind of fun to watch sometimes, but not today.....Pretty Woman....to heck with that....hmm, the original Friday the 13th flick...might come back to that. Probably not....The Lifetime, WE, and Oxygen channels...we'll just skip those...Gaaaahhhhh!!!! Janice Dickinson. Nasty....Nathan Lane playing an old lady, *blech*...Oh Lord, it's Britney Spears' reality show. Only in America can a trashy Louisiana swamp harlot be transformed in to a media demigoddess....YEAH!!! ULTIMATE FIGHTING!!! Wait, looks like it was just a highlight. Boo.

Guess I'll go find something to read.

Just a quick entry tonight, as I got distracted with preparations for the Missouri game this weekend. I promised Trista a haiku to help her feel better, so here we go.

"Sick Trista"

Poor, sickly Trista.
She has the sinus troubles.
Keep popping those pills.

And, just for the fun of it...

"Sick Trista, The Sequel"

Congested sinus?
Try home remedies, Trista.
Whiskey does not work.

Your appetite for haiku is insatiable! Here is one more:

The Blue Oyster Cult:
They do not fear the reaper.
They need more cowbell.

I watched part of that boxing rematch between Peter Manfredo, Jr. and Sergio Mora, both of whom were the final contestants on the Contender. Sergio won again in a split decision, but the announcers seemed to think Peter got hosed this time around. Mario Lopez of "Saved By The Bell" fame did the post bout interviews and said something cheesy like "You're both winners here tonight." Yeah right. These two guys are warriors; to them, there is no such thing as a moral victory. One guy wins, the other loses.

It got a heck of a lot chillier today. Yesterday it was over 80 degrees out, and today I don't think it even got into the 60's. It was under 50 when I got home. Rainy, too. It reminded me of that old Guns 'n' Roses song "November Rain." I know, I know, it's still October. But I just couldn't help thinking about that sweet guitar riff at the end of the song. I was really surprised that they didn't have Axl freak out and start a bunch of fires.

Anyone out there use Yahoo!'s LAUNCHCast? I really like it, although the songs tend to take a while to buffer on my slow, ancient PC. That's definitely a pain if I'm having to skip a bunch of lousy songs on my personalized station.

Ah. Here we go: "Funky President" by James Brown.

People, People.
We gotta get over
Before we go under.

Good song. You might remember it if you spent much time in the casino on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. I should break that game back out sometime. I'm looking forward to seeing what the next GTA game will look like. I can only assume that it will be for the PS3. I wonder what the setting will be. A Euro GTA would be cool, or maybe one that took place in a Texas-like setting. It would be even cooler if it was like a Grand Tour kind of thing, in which you could revisit all the original cities, as well as some new ones.

I'd really like to go to Vegas again sometime. What an awesome town. I've only been there once, for Matt's bachelor party, and the sheer enormity of the place just blew me away. There is so much to see and take in; I don't see how anyone could not have a good time. Next time, I'd really like to see a Cirque du Soleil show. Zumanity looks like it'd be a good one. I like to tell everyone that I know that whenever I get around to getting married that I'm going to have a Vegas wedding, but we all know I'd never be able to get away with that. :)

I swear, they've just stopped trying at Adult Swim. It's no wonder it hasn't become a separate network from Cartoon Network. 12 oz. Mouse? Are they seriously going to run yet another poorly drawn craptanza like this? They're really scraping the bottom of the barrel. I say ditch most of the comedy (Aqua Teen, Family Guy, Sealab, Birdman, and Robot Chicken can stay) and bring on more anime and action 'toons.

Man, Moby really sucks. I'd say his music sucks at least as much as that "Cathy" comic strip. And brother, that's saying something.

I've got two costume parties to go to next weekend. I'm looking forward to it. My costume should be easy to put together, yet effective. I am a little concerned that I'm supposed to find time to sleep and go to the Oklahoma game in between said parties, but I suppose some things just can't be helped. Why do I do it, you ask? Because

Some people call me Space Cowboy.
Some people call me the Gangster of Love.
Some people call me Maurice,
'Cause I speak with the pompetus of love.

LAUNCHCast rules.

I like watching Family Guy. Stewie is one of the greatest characters ever. Possibly the greatest. I'll never forget the episode in which he dreamed that he ransacked Mr. Rogers' World of Make-Believe. Total classic.

That said, sometimes that show just tries too hard.

Jennifer had some more happy news today, as her husband Cam has been promoted to supervisor at his job. Congratulations, Cam! And yes, for those of you betting on when they'll start having children, this will affect the Vegas line.

You know, I can't help but think about how cool it would be if my average work day had a soundtrack. For instance, my arrival could be marked by "Duel Without Honor Or Humanity" from the Kill Bill v.1 soundtrack. I'd use The Crystal Method's "Keep Hope Alive (There Is Hope)" remix for trips to the break room. As for the weekly meeting, I think I'd go with the tried and true "Sandstorm" by Darude. Now that I think about it, those meetings would probably go a lot better if they had some flashing strobe lights, a fog machine, and some rave music. Just a thought.

Mike, Ted, Kelly, and I will be heading down to Columbia this weekend for the the Nebraska-Missouri game. Evidently, the Vegas line on the game favors Mizzou by 3. It's pretty obvious to me that they're looking at the Huskers through the lense of the win against Pitt (admittedly, it was a poorly played game) and the loss to Texas Tech. I feel halfway inclined to put a wee bit o' money on this one. Kickoff is at 11:30a. I really hate morning games, but I've never been to a game at Mizzou, so I figure that I might as well check it out.

The Oklahoma game is also going to have a morning kickoff, at 11a. If you could see me right now, you'd notice that I'm furrowing my brow in anger. I don't understand how you schedule a game featuring the latest chapter of one of the most historic rivalries in college football as anything other than a night game. Come on! It's Nebraska-Oklahoma; this is a game that should be savored and attended only after about seven hours of tailgating.

I guess that weekend I'll be attending a couple costume parties; one with some co-workers on Friday, and then another at Brad's house after the game. I'm pretty sure I know what my costume will be. Because

I want candy,
Bubblegum and taffy.
Skip to the sweet shop with my girlfriend Sandy.
Got my pennies saved so I'm her sugar daddy.
I'm her Hune Cronyn;
She my Jessica Tandy.

Sorry, I guess I shouldn't watch Aqua Teen as I type. Now that I think about it, though, I do have an episode of Grey's Anatomy that I want to finish watching. All hail the DVR.

I learned an incredibly valuable lesson last night. A valuable lesson that was no doubt passed passed down among Egyptian sages and other ancient scholars, and will undoubtedly remain just as applicable in 5,000 years. It's a lesson I'm happy to share with you here, and I hope you'll all give it a special place in your hearts. But enough buildup. The lesson is:

If the company of one pair of hot twins is unequivocally enjoyable, then it follows that the company of two sets of hot twins is infinitely excellent.

Obviously, there's something of a story to go with it. After the Baylor game on Saturday evening, I met up with Marc, Jenny, and Debbie downtown. As you may recall from my previous blog entry, Jenny and Debbie are the gorgeous twins from Ireland. We all went out for drinks and a bit of dancing, which is always a good time. As we exited the bar upon closing time, we had the improbable good fortune to encounter another set of beautiful twin girls. For the life of me, I can't remember their names, but I'll call them the Abdul twins because they looked like mini Paula Abduls. And I do ever-so-love the minis. But I digress.

Anyway, of course Jenny, Debbie, and the Abdul twins instantly became best friends. A lengthy photo-op ensued, as well as a great many hugs, and as Jenny and Debbie's escorts for the evening, Marc and I were in on the action. We were the toast of the town, for this far-too-brief point in time. I can't recall how many jealous onlookers witnessed the whole thing, but I do remember getting a heck of a lot of handshakes and back slaps for being part of such a special moment in history. Jenny promised to get me copies of the pictures they took from that night. Debbie and I decided that we'll probably use a few of them for our engagement photo. If they turn out exceptionally well, we'll Photoshop them for "Nate & Debbie's First Christmas" and other such occasions. Ha! :) On another happy note, Jenny did some groundwork for me in getting to know the Abdul twins. She confirmed that they're both 21 and single, got their phone numbers, and ensured that we'd all be getting together and hang out. All in all, the night was for me a classical affirmation of everything that is right and true in the national character.

It was, I think, my best night out since grade school.

The rest of the weekend was good, too. Nebraska beat Baylor in their road opener, I went to church this morning, and I spent a lovely afternoon at Barnes & Noble reading absolutely nothing but comics and manga. Wait, I guess I did flip through a new Hellboy novel. But one could argue that as Hellboy is a comic book character, it would follow that the novel qualifies as a pseudo-comic.

Maybe not, though. Mostly I just wanted to use the "pseudo" prefix. Prefixes rule. Anyway, it can't be said that I don't enjoy life's simple pleasures.

Hmm. Looks like Adult Swim is going to run a Boondocks cartoon. The bump they've been running to promote it is pretty damn patronizing, but I'll give it a chance. I occasionally found the comic strip mildly amusing back when I was in college, despite the fact that I most likely fall outside the work's target demographic. I may have more to say about this somewhere down the line.

This Squidbillies show looks like it might be pretty funny, even if it is a poorly animated piece of crap. I'm fairly certain Cartoon Network has hired five-year-olds to do the animation for some of their original shows. They must be saving a fortune in employment costs.

I leave you with this funny video. I guess you really gotta be careful around those post-Prom hypnotists. Watch with discression; this one may or may not be safe for work. But it sure is hilarious.

I had a weird dream last night, in which I met Jaleel White. You know, the guy who played Steve Urkel. He was getting really pissed that some of my friends kept giving him crap about being on Family Matters and and kept on reciting Urkel lines to him. Then he started acting like Bruce Lee. I guess I'll chalk it up to the Long Island iced tea I had at the bar earlier in the night.

Last night was a pretty good time. I met up with Marc and Jenny, and Jenny's twin sister, Debbie (my future wife. Ha!), was with them. Naturally, all eyes in the bar last night were on those two. Of course, two attractive Irish dancers from Lord Of The Dance tend to command a fair amount of attention, especially when they're identical twins. It was a lot of fun just watching those two together on the dance floor. Also, I think that every married couple should observe Marc and Jenny dancing together. They have the right idea.

One thing I can't figure out is why Betty White is on every television show these days. For instance, she was on an episode of Joey that we had recorded on the DVR. Was there some study that revealed that Betty White=Good Ratings? Hmm. Personally, I think they should go with Marisa Tomei. If Betty White=Good Ratings, then surely Marisa Tomei=Excellent Ratings. She's spicy.

I haven't figured out what I'm go to do for the Baylor game yet. I may go downtown and watch it at the bar, but then again I may just save money and stay home and listen to it on the radio. I haven't watched any Nebraska games at the bar before, and I'm not really sure which one to go to. It'd be a lot easier if they had big neon signs that read "Hot Girls Watching Football Here" with an arrow pointing to the doorway. Someday, when I own a big sports bar, I think I'll use that as a marketing tool.

Man, I need to go get some groceries right now. All I have the fridge currently is hummus, a couple eggs (yep, the same ones I asked about a while back), and a couple pieces of cheese. That just isn't enough to keep me going. Last night I ate a piece of chicken that had been in the fridge for nearly a week. Tasty. Right. It's feeding time.

I just got back from the dentist, and I can now look forward to the left side of my mouth being completely numb for the next couple hours. After that, the soreness will settle in, I'm sure, just in time for my shift at the call center this evening. The best part is that I have to get a couple more fillings before the year is out. Boo.

I found out yesterday about another upcoming departure from the office. Turns out my friend Jennifer has landed another job here in town. It's with a good company and sounds like it'll be a really sweet deal. I wish her well, and will soon be taking bets as to when she starts having babies. :)

Sounds like the Rocky VI movie is going to be a go. Surprising, really, but I'm sure it'll make money. Then again, if they can make a good flick out of this one, it will make up for the suckfest that was Rocky V. Terrible, terrible, terrible. What's your favorite Rocky movie? I have to go with Rocky IV. The part where Rocky trains in Siberia is badass, and the fight was a good old fashioned rumble between the USA and the Soviets. You know, back during the Cold War when you could still refer to Russia as the bad guys and no one would question you for it. I read a while back that Mr. T will be in the new film, reprising his roll as Clubber Lang. He won't fight, though; I think he's just supposed to provide colour commentary. I'm guessing many a foo' will be pitied and predictions of pain will be bandied about.

Hmm...I'm getting some tingling in my face. The novocaine must finally be wearing off. Bracing for the soreness.

Anyone out there looking for a freelance writer? Just let me know. I wouldn't mind having a paying project or two for my spare time. Once football season is over, I'm probably going to see if I can find a job bartending at a nearby dive. I've always kind of wanted to get some training in that, and maybe do that a couple nights a week or something. I would totally be the kind of bartender who always has a towel over his shoulder and listens to people gripe about their problems and gives them advice. Like Jimmy the Bartender in Men's Health magazine.

This weekend is looking like it'll be a quiet one for a change. I think most of the guys will be out of town doing one thing or another, so I'm just going to play the roll of the lone wolf. That's something I'm quite good at, I assure you. The game is on PPV, so I may see if I can round anyone up to go watch it at a bar. I'm also guessing I'll kill more than a few hours at Barnes & Noble.

I still read the UNL daily newspaper, The Daily Nebraskan, pretty much every day during the fall and spring semesters. Mostly I just read the opinion page, which is always good for a laugh. Some of the writers occasionally come up with an insightful piece, but mostly it's just self-righteous or delusional tripe. The best part is reading the feedback for various opionion pieces. There is some wackjob (his name is Kiolbassa or something like that) who, no matter what the column is about, ties it to how he paid for his Vietnamese immigrant wife to go med school and how everone else should do the same. (Even though his wife eventually left him. I guess maybe he should've put himself through med school.)

Oh boy! I'm starting to get my sense of taste back! And I haven't swallowed my tongue!

So, yeah, I was totally serious when I asked for suggestions regarding what I should write about. The gears are still feeling rusty, and I don't want to just rant about stupid crap all the time. Right now I'm just posting whatever random thoughts occur to me. By all means, don't hesitate to post comments. I can take it.

Does anyone out there have any idea how long eggs will keep in the refrigerator? We have some eggs in there that are a week or so past the expiration date, but you can never really depend on that kind of thing. They never really tell you when the stuff will go bad, just when it won't necessarily taste as good. I'm debating whether or not I should hard boil them for my snack, and I don't want to unleash the stench of rotten eggs inside the house. I'd rather not have them go to waste, but I also hate even looking at food that has spoiled. Today I was going to include some honey pepper turkey from the deli in my wrap, but it had gotten slimy over the weekend. Man, did that piss me off. So no turkey for me today. Still, t'was a good wrap. Spicy three pepper hummus, spinach, provolone cheese, raw green beans, and salsa in a whole wheat tortilla. Good stuff.

I haven't figured out what I'm going to do this weekend yet. I'm fairly certain that everyone is going to be gone, so I may go to F-town for the weekend. Then again, I may stick around and see if I can round up some friends to watch the Baylor game at a sports bar or some such thing. This'll be the Huskers' first away game. It could be a close one. Baylor is looking good, especially considering that they're, well, Baylor. It doesn't help that they'll have the home team advantage, and the fact that injuries are hampering many of our players doesn't bode well, either. I still have a good feeling about it, though. Our offense is finally clicking, and our defense is excellent. As long as our guys don't overlook them and play with the same intensity they've shown all season, we will emerge victorious.

Mark my words, if the Huskers continue to improve and we keep bringing in top recruits, it will be lights out. We'll bring a level of destruction unheard of since 1995. The massacres wrought by our team will leave naught behind but the wailing of women and children and the lamentations of the elderly. Most especially at Colorado and K-State because I hate them so very, very much.

I've found myself in a quandry lately as to what my next video game purchase should be. I've narrowed it down to Ultimate Spider-Man and X-Men Legends II. I like RPGs the best of any of the game genres, so I'll probably go with the X-Men game, although maybe I should play the first Legends game before this one. Last year at this time it was an easy call as GTA: San Andreas was released near the end of October. What a glorious game. Its infinite excellence was surpassed only by its addictive qualities. I worked on that game straight through from its release date all the way to Valentine's Day. Actually, now that I think about it, completing all the San Andreas missions marked my best Valentine's Day in years. :) After that, I took a good long break from gaming, other than to play the first Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic game. I enjoyed it a lot at first, but suddenly, I got very bored with it. And that was it. Other than the occasional Halo 2 deathmatch with Jason, I don't think I lifted a control during the spring or summer.

Once daylight savings time rolls around, I'm probably going to go ahead and get a gym membership somewhere. I own a weight bench and can do most of my lifting at home, but the streets and parks around here aren't what I'd call sufficiently illuminated for night time running or walking. Plus, I wouldn't mind doing more swimming. I'm pleased with my progress as far as lifting goes, but I think I'm ready to get more intense on the cardio side. I'd like to shed another 10-15 pounds, which would put me in the mid 150's to low 160's, and I'm confident that I can get there by spring if I work at it. I'm not really enthusiastic about having to pay for gym access, though. I may look into getting a part-time job at a gym; I used to be a fitness supervisor at the student weight room in college, so I sort of know the ropes already. I'd rather get paid to exercise than pay to do so.

On a related note, ever notice how expensive good nutrition is? One jar of natural, creamy. salt free jar of peanut butter costs the same for a jar of crunchy, salty, fatty peanut butter that is about three times as big. It's generally the same across the board; if you want to eat healthy, you had better be ready to pay. It's no wonder college students gain the Freshman 15. They can't afford anything nutritious, so they load up on cheap bread, mac'n'cheese, and ramen. It's like subsisting on styrofoam, glue, and salt tablets.

And now, for a lack of anything better, I leave you with another haiku:

Hummus is tasty.
Babaganoush is better.
Beef remains the best.

There is some weird crap on Cartoon Network these days. It seems like for every show they roll out that I like, they run about five that I absolutely hate. Most recently, Super Milk Chan (I think they finally stopped airing that one, thank God) and Bo-bo-bo-bo Bo Bo-bo. Words can't describe how stupid these shows are. Seriously. I don't want to recall how many Sunday nights I'd lay awake watching Adult Swim, trying to stave off the dread of having to go to work the next day, only to have Milk Chan come on and rob me of my will to live. Even that poorly animated Tom Goes To The Mayor looked good by comparison. This Bo-bo-bo show appears every bit as dumb: this crapfest features the adventures of a giant white guy (he may be a cyborg; I can't bring myself to watch long enough to find out) with sunglasses and a blonde fro who uses his elongating nose hair to fight crime.

On the other hand, CN still runs plenty of shows I like. Inuyasha and Samurai Champloo are probably my favorites, and Justice League is always good, too. Except for the parts where the show's writers see fit to pontificate about various real-life social issues. Last time, for instance, Wonder Woman was talking all tough about global warming at some international environmental summit. Another time, Green Arrow referred to himself as "the original Lefty" and expounded on the virtues of Big Government. That would all be fine if they ever offered some kind of counterpoint, but of course, they don't.

Speaking of DC Comics, Smallville remains one of my favorite shows. The first two episodes of the season have been great. Especially the end of the season premier, in which we got our first glimpse of Braniac. I'm hoping they have a crossover episode with 7th Heaven, in which Clark wipes out the Camden family whilst under the influence of red kryptonite. At this point, it seems like that will be our best bet to get rid of that show. I just don't get how the WB can kill a good show like Angel but perennially bring back that goody-good snorefest.

I went to the Nebraska-Texas Tech game this past weekend. We ended up losing 34-31. It was one heck of a game, though. Although I obviously wish we had won, I still felt really good about the game. I saw a lot of good things. If they keep getting better and can win on the road, I think we stand a good shot at winning the Big XII North division. With continued improvement over the next couple years, and more top-rated recruiting classes, we'll be breaking back into the top of the rankings.

The tailgate before and after the game was a lot of fun. Ted's folks and Mike made a bunch of awesome food (chili and chicken noodle soups, along with a couple cooked chickens), and we killed another keg. Matt and Renee came up from Houston, which was awesome. It's always fun to get to hang out with them, and I think they had fun, too. Hopefully we make it to the Big XII championship so that I have an excuse to hang out with them again. :) The crown achievement of the party, though, was when I invented a new word: lack'o'rack (also spelled "lackorack"). I could explain the meaning and uses of the word, but just use your imagination. Altogether, I think our tailgate party lasted about seven hours.

Fall is definitely setting in. The temperature has been mild to just a little chilly, and the leaves have been turning yellow. All things considered, it's probably my favorite time of year. Football season is in full swing, pheasant season will soon arrive, and the holidays aren't far off. It's also the advent of the sweater season. That's important. In this time in which heating oil is running a little pricey, I wholeheartedly want to encourage you ladies out there to don a sweater to combat the chill. Call me altruistic, but I'd hate to see you get cold.

Well, that's it for today. Next time, I'll try to get a little more creative. Feel free to leave me comments and tell me what you'd like to have me write about. Keep your eyes open for a new feature, the Nate Beard-O-Meter, which will keep you updated as to the status of my beard. I'm not planning to grow one or anything, but at least this way you'll know whether I've recently shaved. Now, do yourself a favour and visit Mentally Incontinent, a site dedicated to a hilarious, unique online book by my friend Joe "The Soon To Be Legendary" Peacock. The Wal-Mart story will change your life.

Welcome, one and all, to my blog. I haven't maintained one of these in some time, so you'll have to bear with me as I get back into the swing of things. Last time around, all I ever seemed to do was rant about politics, but I don't really think that's what I want to do with this one. Which isn't to say I won't rant occasionally, but it certainly won't be the focus.

So, anyway, I read Neil Gaiman's most recent novel, Anansi Boys, last week. I loved it. I think I had as much fun reading it as I did American Gods. You owe it to yourself to pick it up. Or any of Neil Gaiman's work, for that matter. His Sandman work is an excellent place to start, though you may also enjoy Smoke & Mirrors, a collection of short stories.

Let's see...what else...what else.... Ah. Tomorrow is the Nebraska-Texas Tech game. I'll be getting up early tomorrow morning to set up our tailgate. We're cooking chickens and some other stuff. (By "we" I mean "not me," as cooking is something I just never got enthusiastic about. I like good food, but there are just so many things I'd rather do than prepare marinades and all that stuff. So, ladies, if we're going to have any kind of future together, you'll have to get used to eating whatever raw ingredients will fit into a tortilla. Or protein shakes. I'm pretty good at mixing those in a blender.) We'll also be picking up a keg, and by God if we're not going to tap that thing out before the start of the game. We're going to be good and rowdy for this one. As we did at the ISU game last week. Nebraska's defense will bring the pain tomorrow, the offense will make some big plays, and the hostile environment will keep Tech from finding their rhythym. NU-28 TT-24. Oh, and before I forget, God bless the Scarlets (Nebraska's dance squad, for those who are unfamiliar). Keep kicking high, ladies.

My younger brother, a freshman at NU, introduced me to The Facebook the other day. I wish that had been around when I was still in college, but given its addictive nature, maybe it was for the best that it wasn't. There are definitely some hotties to be found. It makes grad school look awful good right about now.

I had my first up-close-and-personal with a 2005 Mustang GT convertible. What a sweet ride. This one was bright red and had the sweet-ass Shaker sound system. After I get my own 'Stang (a 2002 GT Coupe) paid off, I might think about trading up for a newer model. I do like the one I have quite a bit, though.

I found out yesterday that I'm getting an extra bonus at work. I can certainly give it a home. Money rules.

Now it's time for us to make fun of a celebrity. I know it's way to easy, but today we'll go with Britney Spears, the Bride of Federline. Evidently she was cross with Cletus because he was just too busy partying to be bothered with helping her take care of the baby. But it's not like she had any prior warning that he just might turn out to be a deadbeat piece of common street trash. Oh, wait....

And now, I close with a haiku:

If you're drinking gin,
Be sure to pace yourself, friend.
You don't want to puke.