An Ode to Thirsty Thursdays

Over the weekend, I attended a "bad sweater party". The reminded me of a rant I wrote in college about parties like these. It's a rather negative take but I hope you enjoy....


Sometimes in life, I run into people and situations that get under my skin. I am almost always bothered by the little things more than anything. I am in college and when you are in college you often find yourself drinking. That is okay. I sometimes go to parties and drink. I may drink heavily or I may not. The entire situation is fun and I typically enjoy myself. My only question is, what is with all the terms and clever saying? Let me start at the beginning:

I get lost in the lingo and slang of an everyday night. If I am belligerent, this makes the whole night harder. Let’s bring out an example to help me explain. If I’ve drank enough to dance, am I toasted or tipsy? If I’ve drank enough to piss in the kitchen, am I crunked or smashed? And how do I know if I’m f***ed up or wasted? To be f***ed up do I have to throw up or just piss myself? I just can’t find the line. And the more I drink the blurrier it gets. Which brings me to my next and more important point:

I know that college kids think they’re clever, but you can’t pull the wool over my eyes. Remember when we used to drink on Saturdays? It was Saturday night and we’d get crunked or wasted or whatever. Well, you guys started getting antsy for the weekend and you slowly bumped it to Friday. Freaky Friday or Funky Friday or F***ed up Friday. Whatever. And maybe this was a long time in the making. Maybe Friday is a good day to party. But I don’t know who you’re fooling. Giving the day a rhyming name doesn’t change the fact that you’re an alcoholic.

So, maybe it’s a stretch. You’re only drinking on Friday and Saturday. That’s not alcoholism. It’s just being social. Well then how do you explain Thirsty Thursdays? Oh you clever devil. You know I get thirsty on Thursdays and you’re using that against me. I don’t know about you, but when I get thirsty I don’t think of Irish car bombs and jack Daniels. I think of poweraide, milk or water. Maybe that’s just my conservative side.

But you know my fellow lush’s; I’ll give you Thursday because I don’t have any classes on Friday. Maybe this is a trend around the world. Who knows? But Wicked Wednesday? Now you’re just trying too hard. Inebriated Tuesdays? That doesn’t even make sense. And Maniac Mondays? My grandpa has Maniac Mondays. But that’s only because he is a drunk.

So we might as well make Smashed Sundays. Or why not Wasted Weeks? Just name everything in one big swoop. I get it, you’re creative. Whoopee! Let’s move on. Let’s say it’s Wicked Wednesday and you’re heading out to a party. What are you going to wear? Well, if it’s a good party, you’ll wear whatever the f*** you want. If it’s a party that annoys me then it will require attention to the invitation.

What type of party is it? Golf pros and tennis hos? What does that even mean? I went to a party like that and a girl hosted it. She just set woman back 50 years. Guys dress in sweaters and girls wear next to nothing. What the f*** is a tennis ho? Are tennis players secretly pimps? That would be an awesome underground ring. Andre Agassi whoring out women. Weird. Ganstas and hos? Good, I’m well prepared. I just need to dust off my grill. I should never have to buy anything to go to a party. NEVER. Not a hat, or coat or pitching wedge. Nothing.

So, I will wrap this up in saying that I will put my drinking on hold. I will boycott the delicious taste of alcohol until you, my fellow college students, just drink. Stop with the names and terms and parties and just drink. Go places with friends and drink and have a good time. Maybe get drunk. But stop with the tennis hos and thirsty days and getting crunked (which, by the way, I couldn’t even begin the describe what that word means). Stop with all the nonsense and drink like you lost a leg in Vietnam. Use alcohol to forget your problems. Use it as a crutch. Just don’t give it clever name and clever reasons to consume it.

And while you’re learning your lesson I will be sitting alone in my room, not drinking. . . . .Unless of coarse I get thirsty.

Week in Review

Browns lost, 21 - 27.....ugh
Buckeyes ranked number 1.....say what!?
Cavs.....(cold shiver)

Got to go to Kent for a night. Awesome to see Steph!
Did some dancing on a stipper pole. It's in my blood.
Did not get to eat Chipolte. (worst week ever)

Nothing has changed as far as my job situation goes, so things could definitely be better!

Sorry, I got nothing....but enough with all this review crap. I'm gonna post a rant next. Those are always interesting.

Whats New

Let me snap some knowledge at yo face. I got some new stuff going on. I just got a new site. It is called www.UFlipMedia.com

I'm super stoked about this. UFlip is going to change the way the world gets information. Just kidding! But it will be fun and entertaining. It will be a place to get radio shows by all sorts of people from Cleveland to Chicago to LA. They will talk about all sorts of things but most importantly, they will talk about what you want. The listeners send the emails to help design the layout of the shows. So you gotta listen and this is a place where you will be heard. Send those emails. The site is being constructed right now so while we work on it, check out the Elyria Turkey Bowl site on the right in the links. That has some of the temporary files.

Also, UFLip will do a mass review of anything on this earth. We will review movies and music or restaurants and kids toys. Anything you want. We have tons of people to help review so you just request a topic and we find the best person for it and he/she reviews it.

If you are interested in being one of these radio hosts or reviewers we need people! send me a hello and tell me what you're interested in. What better things do you have to do? get involved. its fun!

And check out the Elyria Writers site on the right. There are many posts up now. I've put some things up. Join that and empty your brain. Its all in good fun.

Week in Review

This is what you've been waiting for! Sorry I'm late.....Kelly....haha, since you are the only soul the read this. And perhaps you have quit...who knows.

So last Thursday was the holy Thanksgiving. And how wonderful of a day it was. The whole weekend was great. I suppose I'll start at the beginning. Getting out of work for Thursday and Friday was a dream come true.

Thanksgiving was perfect. So much food and family. I couldn't have imagined it better. And after I ate with Stephanie and my whole crazy family, me and Steph got the pleasure of going to her house to do it all over again. What's better than Thanksgiving dinner?? Two of them.

I ate until I was just about ill. Which is a beautiful thing. And we had some lovely conversation. The next day is when all the action started, though. For the next day was the dreaded Turkey Bowl!

The Turkey Bowl is a football game that we play here in Elyria under any weather conditions. Everyone is welcome and 26 came out this year. This was the 4th annual and everyone was looking forward to it. There were some great hit and lots of mud. The temperature was low but didn't bother anyone much. I played quarterback even though I sucked and didn't want to. My team won 8-4.

The after party (or the Gobble Games as we call it) was also great. We went to Koster Lanes which is a small bowling alley/bar. We felt quite out of place as the regulars didn't know what to think of us. But we drank and bowled and had a good time. Many people came out to that and it was great to see everyone.

The rest of the weekend was quiet but nice. Steph and I sat around mostly and did nothing. We went to a few more bars and I bought a fly fishing rod. That is the highlight!

The Cleveland Browns won in simple football fashion which was nice to see. OSU Buckeyes snuck up to 3rd in the BCS and Mizzou and West Virginia both have games next week. If either lose then OSU will likely bump to number 2 and play in the Championship. Woot.

Today was back to work as usual and it was exactly the same as usual. Nothing exciting. I have some things to finish up around the house but it's going to be a quiet week. I am looking forward to it.

uh, Happy Thanksgiving

Yea, I totally forgot to wish all, no one a happy thanksgiving. It's only my favorite holiday so it deserves its own post!

I got the family coming to our house this year and it shall be a grand day. Maybe ya'll should tell me what you are doing for your spectacular holiday!?

Leave me a comment and tell me what you're doing, that way I know who is reading this and who isn't. I expect no comments to be left. PROVE ME WRONG, PEOPLE!

So a Merry Thanksgiving to everyone! Be safe and love your family!!!

Week in Review

And what do I owe this post? Well, everything. I haven't posted in some time. I'm sure I'm off my "once a week" promise. Who knows!?

So I am starting this "week in review" thing. When you see it, you know its a general post. Not directed at one particular topic. Enjoy!

Let's start on a low note and work up. Last weekend, the Browns fell short but played amazing. (except for the second half of course). The buckeyes fell too, by a touchdown. A play that should have been reviewed, wasn't due to technical difficulties. And this week, The Buckeyes win against Michigan and win the Big Ten! and the browns pull it out in overtime over the Ravens. They almost flopped like last week but they stuck in it and Phil Dawson performed well. I love the guy. He may not always hit that field goal but he has stuck with us, we should stick with him.

I bought a voice recorder for writing ideas so I won't have little sheets of paper lying everywhere. It's working well but I find that I talk too much!

I went to Kent last Friday to see Stephanie. I had a lot of fun even though she insisted we watch "Elf". Do I hate that movie? No. I enjoy it very much, but I enjoy it much more after Thanksgiving. Let's not push this Christmas thing too soon.

I gave her roommate, Stacey a pair of Uggs. How nice am I? Well, they were counterfeit and it's a long story. Perhaps another post.

I saw my mom's friend's daughter's baby....yikes! Her name is Lana (i think that's how you spell it). She's adorable so I think I'm gonna go buy one. A baby that is. They can't be that expensive.

And nothing else is happening I guess. I work only three days this week then I'm off for Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday). I am stoked. I have been keeping the Elyria Turkey Bowl site updated just about everyday, so check that out and sign up if you haven't yet. Try and come to the game...it shall be fun!

Long time coming

New things have been unfolding I suppose. Sorry for the late post...that is if anybody is listening!

I have been trying to get so much stuff done that it's killing me. I finally finished up some more of my website on www.BrandanBaki.com and I just finished my Turkey Bowl site, www.ElyriaTurkeyBowl.com - so I'm relieved.

It was very hectic but I'm done! I had a birthday a couple weeks ago (October 27). It was lovely. I got sick and couldn't do anything. Ha. I was going to go to Kent State to see my friends and Stephanie but I didn't feel up to it. I had the best costume for Holloween too!

My Great-Grandma also died. (On my birthday to be exact). It was a tough time for my family and my Dad. But we all got through it, of course. It was a nice funeral and she lived a nice, long life. It was nice to see all the extended family, too. We don't see any of them on my Dad's side.

But things are sorting out. I know the holidays will put the world back into balance! So, be excited for the Turkey Bowl and for Thanksgiving. I will be posting soon, but check out my website and help me out and comment!

Promises, Promises

This is my goal...I want to post once a week. Don't kill me if I fail but that is what I'm shooting for. I hope to post more often then that but I will try to keep at least a new post up once a week. This way you will keep checking back at least weekly to check on me...make sure I'm not dead. I will most likely post every Sunday as a week wrap-up and I am off on that day. I will probably do any site editing then too. But keep checking back and I won't let you down.

The comments let me know you're listening so without them I will have no drive to keep writing. Please comment. Tell me what you love and hate. Tell me what you want to hear about. I need you because without you there is truly no point for all this.

Just to squeeze it in....The Chicago Fire is going to the playoffs!! Keep up on that and I will inform you of any news.

Go Chicago Fire!
Go Dasan Robinson!

Sports, anyone?

Just in case you haven't caught on, I'm a big Ohio guy...more importantly, Cleveland. Take a guess what this post is about. Two days after game 7 of the ALCS.

As sad as I am that the Indians lost (and I am very upset), I am also very positive about the situation. I know we wanted to be in the world series. I wanted it bad for the team, for Cleveland and ultimately for Kenny Lofton. Poor guy just can't get a championship for the life of him.

The positive is Cleveland sports as a whole. The Indians played amazing. They have a little payroll and young, no name players. Every announcer in the playoffs was talking about how young our team is. No one in the world knew who Grady Sizemore was until he rocked the playoffs. This was our team. We were a secret weapon. The problem is that we didn't play like we wanted it. It seemed as if we gave up in game 6 and 7. There's always next year, right? Well, there is and it's looking bright.

Think about this...The Cavs went to the finals (finally) and they lost the the Spurs. The Spurs were more talented and if you don't agree then you didn't see the NBA finals. But the Cavs were that good and good enough for second place. Then the Indians take the torch and kick ass all season. I'll give them a third place hoping that they would have wiped out any national team that came knocking.

Now we have the Browns on a bye at 3-3. This is great. Will they win the super bowl? I hope but that's not what matters. It would be great to win these championships and bring something to Cleveland (since we haven't seen a championship at all since 1964 - Go Browns!!). The championships are great but right now I will settle for winning teams. The Browns are proving to be worth watching. The Cavs and Indians already showed that. Cleveland sports needs winners, not necessarily championships.

Now the rings and trophies are the next step. So, keep rooting for your home team. Know that we are what is big right now. We will all be rewarded for our patience. Who would have ever thought that Cleveland would get some sort of championship in my lifetime?

Go Browns!
Go Cavs!
Go Tribe!
Next up...hockey and arena football!

Changes all around

Things are moving around fast. But it's good. My website is being renovated by myself and it will be all up and running on October 28th. There is a link to the right.

Also, I am starting up two new pages. One is Elyria Writers which is a place for people from Elyria and beyond to post their writings. People can come and critique the writings or just read and enjoy. I'm really hoping to get a lot of posters so if you have any questions or are interested, let me know! The other site is the Elyria Turkey Bowl. This is a football game we Elyrians play every year. The site should be fun and I encourage everyone to check it out even if you won't be there.

If you didn't know, I was in the hospital a few weeks ago. No big deal! But I had a viral infection and they didn't know what it was. I'm all healthy now but I still have some effects of that every now and again. But I was working on getting this health insurance job but that fell through with the infection. Oh well!

Now, my brother and I are working at a company that makes car seats! It is good hard work and I really like it. I am still looking while I work here but the paychecks are nice for the time being. It's a factory job and we have to get up at 5 in the morning but I suppose its putting hair on my chest. Or something.

Like I said before, there are changes all around. I am getting ready for Halloween and my birthday (which should be uneventful). Things are going really well and I will continue to keep you posted. Keep checking back here for more info.

Get excited because a lot of things are coming soon! Such as: my website (oh yeah!), the turkey bowl, my birthday, Halloween, and soon the ultimate holiday will be here...Thanksgiving!

Brandan Update

If you don't know what's going on with me, then this is for you. This is a little update of what all is going on with my life right now. It will be the nice and short version but I'll try to cover everything.

I'm in Ohio... Elyria to be exact. And it's lovely. It has been inspirational for my writing and things have happened that I could have never guessed. I'm living with my parents which is blog-able in itself. They are awesome and are letting me demolish an entire room for writing in. I guess they owe me that since my old room is now their office. So, we're even.

What am I writing? Well, I'm supposed to be working on a feature comedy but that is slow coming. I have no worries though. I'm figuring the kinks out and everything should be fine. While that stuff is working itself out I am working on some other little things which are just for fun.

What am I doing for work? Well, I am still job hunting. I work at a coffee shop called 'Jim's Coffee House'. It's right downtown and if you live here, it's right across from 'Rack and Roll'. It's an awesome place and they treat me well. I get a lot of writing done while I'm there and get paid for it, so I can't complain.

I've been to a lot of interviews but haven't yet found the job that will pay what I'm looking for. When I get a job I will be sure to inform ya'll of what it is. As I am sure it will be goofy.

Other than all that, I am coaching soccer. This just sort of fell into my lap and I couldn't be happier. The assistant head coach and JV coach at my former High School had to take a personal leave from the team. The head coach contacted me and asked if I would be interested in filling in. If you know me at all, I jumped at the chance.

So, I have been the JV and assistant head coach for Elyria High for a few weeks now. I'm not sure how long it will be. Possibly for the rest of the season, who knows. I am having a blast coaching, though. The kids are great and it's helping to keep me on my toes and in shape. Some of these kids are really great players.

There have been many surprises since I've gotten home. All of them good. My life is changing faster than I can handle but I love where it's going. I'm glad I came back to Ohio. Now I just can't wait to see what happens next.

Roadtrip . . . Chicago Fire 2 - 0 Kansas City Wizards

Even though I'm in Ohio that doesn't mean that catching a Chicago Fire soccer game is impossible. My friend Jeff McClish thought it would be a great idea to catch one final game before the summer is over. Like a summer finale. And a finale it was...

We started out around 10:00 Saturday morning. The game wasn't until 7:30 that night but we thought we'd get an early jump and do a little pre-gaming. The 6 hour drive was exactly that and I stayed at the wheel the whole time. It's a very simple trip. The only problem heading there was the stops we had to make for our smokers. It just so happened that Adam, Jeff, Courtney and Joe were all smokers. I think we only missed one stop.

The game was phenomenal. I had the time of my life. We won, 2-0, as my title explains. The pre-game was great in the parking lot outside Toyota Park. We met some interesting people and played some Cornhole. After the game, we all prepared for the drive back. The only reason we didn't stay was because of Jeff. He had to work on Sunday so we had to push through. He started driving.

The highway going home was flooded. We knew this but could never have guessed that we would sit in standstill traffic for 2 hours. Then we drove south to get out of the way of this supposed "detour". I had my families GPS thing which happened to be a lifesaver.

Basically, we drove and drove and drove and drove.......and drove. After the traffic, I got behind the wheel. I drove from about midnight until 7:00 am. That is when I couldn't stay on the road. I pulled over immediately and woke up Jeff. He finished our voyage and I passed out for the last hour. When we got home at 8, I slept until 5 that night. I was messed up for days but the trip was one to remember. Hopefully we will do another real soon. As long as someone else drives.

Summer in a Nutshell

As we ground our feet in September, the summer months start to fade away. The funny thing is, to me it still feels like summer. The sun isn't always there for me but I have no more school. And without the school I fear that fall will never begin. Maybe I don't have the power to change the seasons but who knows.

Okay, I am home in Ohio now. I graduated and am all done with school. I wanted to post though to give you all a little taste of my summer because there are so many things that I missed posting on. I know you're excited.

I took a sailing lesson. That may have been the greatest thing all summer. I got to sail a 22 foot boat along with my teacher who was an awesome sailer himself. It was great but a lot of work. The words are still all over the place. Whatever happened to 'left' and 'right'? And there are so many pieces on those boats. Turning takes more effort then a turn of a wheel. Crazy.

Dave talked me into going to another concert with him. This time it was a band I had heard of, The Decemberists. They did a huge free show in downtown Chicago at Millennium Park. The big seller was that they performed with a full orchestra. If you know their music then you would understand how cool that sounded. The weather was terrible though. It almost rained the whole time but the humidity soaked you anyway.

Greg Hammond came up to visit and that was nothing short of awesome. His sister, her boyfriend and Greg all came into town and we drank and ate everywhere we could think of. It was a great weekend.

I finished up the rest of my time there by fishing, longboarding, and just having a good time. My last weekend there was tiring but it was great. Jeff McClish and my brother came up to get me. We partied and then hit the road for Ohio. I had so much fun in Chicago but I'm ready for whatever is next. Ohio Maybe? I'm gonna miss working at the cage, that's for sure. I had such a great time and I'm looking forward to going back really soon.

90's Concert

I went to a concert with my current but soon to be former roommate Dave Cullen. The concert was at the way too popular 'Taste of Chicago'. Cracker opened up the show. The crowed was pretty huge but it all got crazy when Soul Asylum started breaking out the classics. It took me back and I was surprised at how many songs I knew. Dave sang along to everything and I knew about half of the songs. They were awesome and we started leaving when Cheap Trick and their pyrotechnics began. We would have stayed but I had a prior engagement.

The show was a dream for Dave. There was a point that I thought there may have been a tear in his eye. It was like I was the head of Make a Wish Foundation and that was Dave's final wish before he kicked the bucket.

Dave is still alive and Soul Asylum still lives strong in all our hearts. Summer was awesome here in Chicago but I will be gone in a week. The exclamation point of this whole day was that I had forgotten my ID at home. I found this out when I attempted to buy a beer. I forgot about it and we went to a bar and I ordered a beer again. I turned my wallet inside out trying to find something that said how old I was. And then I saw my Illinois State Fishing License. It was the only time I ever had to use it, but it worked.

Website Plug

Have you checked out that crazy awesome website? Pretty nice right? Well, it is constantly being updated so please check back. It's all set and running but keep looking back for new videos and writing samples and pictures. I have a bunch to put on I just need to get them transfered or in some cases I need to get access to films that other people have. I also have some motion graphics work that will be showing up very soon. It's a huge file so I'm trying to export it without killing the quality.

But if you like my website then you should get one of your own. It's oh so cheap and easy. The person who designed my site is Amanda Clifford. She kicks so much ass. She designed everything and worked with me so that I understood how it all worked. She's always on sets but she does websites on the side. Her website is on my links (www.pandavisionfilm.com). Check her stuff out. Just an FYI, she does like large bodies of water and tea. So if you wanna buy her a gift to get on her good side, there are some ideas. I went with the tea.

Websites are great for resumes and it's a awesome that people can see what's going on with me. If you care, that is. So, check back often and leave comments. I wanna know what you like and what you think is stupid. Everything helps. And if you have a site that you want me to link to then send me that thing!

Finally here . . .

Have you checked out my website yet? If you are just reading my blogs than I am sorry if I am boring you. Check out my website and maybe that will keep your interests up. I can't promise you anything but check it out.

Feel free to post, everyone! I want to know your feedback. I want to know what you think about my posts. Let me know what you want to hear about or NOT hear about. Sometimes I ramble, but isn't that what a blog is for?

So, watch my videos, read my blog, look at my pictures, read my samples and talk around here. We'll show youtube what a lot of bandwidth looks like!

By the way, do ya'll like this picture?

US v Mexico

My United States played Mexico (Me-heeko) last Sunday for the Gold Cup championship. Maybe you were unaware of this cup. Perhaps you had no idea that there were other cups other than the World Cup. Does anyone even know what soccer is?

Well, let me save you the trouble of going to Wikipedia.com and searching soccer. There are many cups that go on in between the World Cup. It keeps things interesting during the time off. The Gold Cup is a big one. This ivites all the teams in the CONCACAF division, which is our division for the world cup and FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association or International Federation of Association Football). CONCACAF stands for the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, so there are a lot of teams. They also have invited other teams to join in the past.

This game was one for the books. Mexico went to the locker room with a 1-0 lead over the US after a goal scored by midfielder Jose Andres Guardado. Both teams came out of the break with adrenaline rushing. They both took shots and nothing seemed to fall. Mexican defender Jose Jonny Magallon took down Brian Ching inside the box which gave the US a penalty kick. Landon Donovan took the kick and reminded us why he should be our captain (in my opinion of course).

With the game tied 1-1, Donovan took a corner kick that was broken up and sent out to the top of the box. It was a volley that midfielder Feilhaber took on a one-time kick high on the far left post. One of the best shots I have ever seen.

Mexico continued their strong attack but they weren't able to put one in the back of the net. The US's Brian Ching had another chance in the box where he dribbled until the keeper fell. Ching was off his footing, though and the ball was deflected off the right post. In the 90th minute, the US sent the ball out of their own box and to Landon Donovan who sprinted the whole length of the field. With only one defender he crossed it perfectly to Beasley. Beasley went for the goal but instead chipped it way over. The US held on, even though Mexico played more agressively. There was even a late shot by Mexico that Bautista took. It was him and the US goalkeeper Tim Howard. It was a great shot that Howard finger-tipped out of bounds.

The game was amazing and they were two well deserving teams. Soccer has got a lot of steam as the 60,000 sold out crowd proved. I think it would be in everyone's best interest to hop on this bandwagon.

US 2 - 1 Mexico

Last Semester

I am finishing up my classes at Columbia. I have already walked but haven't officially graduated. They gave me a degree holder, just not the degree. In a few weeks I will be all done and this will be a good day.

This is my first summer in Chicago and it has been a great one. My time has been full of fishing, long-board rides, soccer in the park, frisbee on the beach, bike trips and the occasional bar. But beyond all that I had to find time to do my homework for the classes I am taking. My 'Death and Dying' class was amazing but it is all over now. I am putting the finishing touches on my 'Intro to Short Stories,' 'Psychology,' and 'Biology' classes. They are going really well. I also just finished my 'Papermaking Workshop' which was way more fun than I thought it would be.

The last thing that is taking up most of my time is my second feature and a screenwriting seminar. This seminar is by far the best class I have ever taken. It is outside of Columbia with a screenwriting teacher I met here. She has been giving me information on the business of screenwriting. There is so much "stuff" I had no idea about.

But we are also working on my second feature which is a comedy. An earlier draft should be up on my site soon. I'm filing through notes after notes. I'm excited about the script though.

So, I suppose that is my summer in a nutshell. It has been so much fun and I am equally as excited to finish up the summer in Ohio.