Josh Evnin

“Dreams are not so different from deeds as some may think. All the deeds of men are only dreams at first. And in the end, their deeds dissolve into dreams.”

-Theodore Herzl, Old New Land, 1902

and tired and hungry. I’m sitting in the library at school right now, waiting for some files to transfer (41 minutes remaining). I’ve been here for a couple hours. I’m taking these old video tapes of my Grandma & Grandpa talking about how it was when they were growing up and converting them to DVD. Should be a little more permanent in digital format. One of my concerns, however, is how to keep the high resolution of the video tape onto a DVD. Maybe this will be better when those high-capacity DVDs come around…but that won’t be for another few years, and by then the VHS tape may have lost its quality…what’s a boy to do?

Anyway…hopefully I’ll get out of here sooner than the computer predicts (39 minutes) so that I can take my weary body back home for some dinner and a movie. School starts tomorrow…I have class bright and early at 8 AM. Sweet…or not so much. Hopefully I get into this class, drippy nose or not. (38 minutes remaining…)

I *heart* This American Life. Such a fantastic show, week after week, year after year.

It turns out that yesterday was the one year anniversary of Notta Blog. I knew the anniversary was coming up…I just didn’t realize it would come so soon. This is a celebration of my 3rd stab at blogging…which has been the most successful go thus far. In this one year I have written about 185 entries. If you’re up for it, read the entire year…starting with the first.

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Originally uploaded by josh.ev9.

So I’ve been seriously slacking on blog updates lately. Sorry about that. Thoughts to blog have been building up in my head for a while now, which causes me to become more and more anxious when it comes to updating the blog. This happens to others, right? You let something build up for so long that when you finally get around to doing it you are scared to do so just because of all the catching up you’ll have to do. Well, it’s time for me to face the music…time for some catching up.

Speaking of catching up, I just spoke with the Ice-Man himself. Good friend, always an easy one to catch up with.

In the background is the new Gavin DeGraw album, Chariot. I bought it at the recommendation of Zach Braff, the director of Garden State and Gavin DeGraw’s latest music video. It’s pretty high quality so far. I’m quite impressed with Zach Braff…he just seems to be on fire these days when it comes to relating to 20-somethings.

Anyway, let’s talk about what’s been going on lately.

The Roadtrip

Once again, I took a trip across the country in the aging (in a good way) Santa Fe. This time my cross-country accomplice was K, as in Karen. We had a fun trip…here’s a quick synopsis:

Arizona was a fun state…we saw Flagstaff, Meteor Crater, and Petrified Forest National Park. Over the next few days we went through New Mexico (brief stop in Albuquerque), the Texas panhandle (another brief stop in Amarillo), and Oklahoma, where we had a nice stop in Tulsa. Next time you’re in Tulsa, look out…it’s really easy to get lost there, especially in the downtown area. Next we headed to St. Louis to see the Gateway Arch. I think Missouri is the most beautiful state to drive through. Rolling, tree-lined hills abound. It’s gorgeous…plus the fact that there are adult video stores every few miles is fun. Stop for a good sandwich in Lebanon, MO…tell ’em Josh sent you. The trip ended in Chicago, where K is going to school. We hung out in the city and took a couple trips to Ikea (damn those poorly marked boxen).

Surprise Ending

Fairly standard roadtrip, right? Well, I wouldn’t be so sure. By the end of the trip, K & I had decided to get back together. So that’s my news. 🙂 I’m happy and really excited about the future. It’s like a second chance at happiness, and at an oh so perfect time. It’s weird how the world works…like my dad told me as I moved to grad school, “You never know where you’ll end up…anything could happen.” For some reason, though, things generally tend to make sense. Ok, enough of the oooey goooeyness…

Re-Oriented

This week was orientation at the School of Informatics. It’s been good seeing old friends, and meeting new ones too. Wednesday Erik, Will, & I threw a welcome back party. We had a huge turnout. The apartment was packed. I think everyone had a good time, and the food was fantastic. Shout-outs go to Erik, Apurva, & Elan on that.

I’m a little hesitant about school at this point…it’s been a long time since I’ve felt really really really busy, and I think a bunch of business is going to overtake my life starting Monday. We’ll see if I’m up for the challenge in a week or so.

Ok, I’m pooped. My body is getting sick…hopefully it won’t last long (the sickness, not the body). Enjoy the Flickr Pix. Peace outside.

Check out these thingies!

Originally uploaded by josh.ev9.

It’s my last day in NYC…and I’m reppin’ Intuit (I swear it’s a coincidence that all of my other clothes are dirty ;-). Right now I’m in JFK airport, pondering the plans for tomorrow and beyond. At some point I’ll be heading to SD one last time (anybody looking for a twin bed in the SD area? I’ll give you a good price), spending time with the fam, and then heading back to good ol’ Indiana.

I’ll update more later. Enjoy the flickrPix for now (located on the right-hand sidebar). Peace outside.

(jetBlue flight 89, if you’re interested. At this point we’re delayed 20 minutes, but I’m enjoying jetBlue’s free wireless too much to notice…)

Me in Central Park

Originally uploaded by josh.ev9.

So here I am in New York City (get a rope), hangin’ with my Mama & Tami (hereafter MaTama). We’ve been doing sooo much. Tami and Mom are big fans of what I like to call “formal tourism.” This is the kind of tourism where you go from point to point in order to take pictures of yourself in front of whatever landmark you went to. This type of travel most definitely has its merits, but I think my preferred style of travel is a little different.

For lack of a better way to explain it, I’ll just say that I like to “live as the natives do.” Anyone who has studied ethnography* will recognize that this is a great way to learn about a culture. When I went for a little sidetrip this morning on a trip to the SoHo Apple Store (don’t ask why I’d go there on vacation…my damn iPod was on the fritz), I found myself impersonating the people I walked by, learning more with each passing New Yorker. By the time I was ready to jump on a subway to meetup with MaTama, there were people asking me directions throughout the city. No joke, I was asked directions at various points by at least 5 people. Perhaps I pass for a New Yorker after all.

I really enjoyed the walk…except for the heat! It’s painfully humid here, and my body is quite simply not used to it at all. Every time I walk outside my forehead starts to drip…I was soaking by mid-afternoon. The things they say about California being a dry heat are all true…another reason to move west, and stay there**.

Ok, I’m off to bed I think…I’ll let Tami have her time at the computer. Peace outside.

*Shout out to my Informist amigos, I miss you & I’ll be back soon 🙂

**Shout out to my SD amigos, I miss you & I’ll be back even sooner, if only for a short while 🙂

Bike Ride 7/28/2005

Originally uploaded by josh.ev9.

What a wonderful ride. Every once in a while I sit up from whatever I’m doing and tell myself to get off my butt and go exercise. This has been happening more and more lately.

They say the best time to work out is when your body is begging you to do so. Well my body obviously needed some kind of entertainment today because I did 8 miles without a hitch.

Check out a detailed version of my ride. I think I’m going to enjoy cycling…it’s much easier on my knees 🙂