Griffith Observatories

John Cusack

2008-07-15T22:03:00.002-05:00

For those of you who haven't seen "Say Anything" starring John Cusack, then you should spend the effort to do so.

After viewing this movie, the next morning I had three songs in my head, all in the same instant:

Good Charlotte - Say Anything (understandably)
Cindy Lauper - Time After Time (from the era of the movie, hitting #1 on U.S Billboard Charts in 1984, while the movie appeared in theaters in 1989)
Hawthourne Heights - Nikki FM (shares a destinctly similar line that's portrayed in the movie)

For those of you who haven't heard these songs, then you should spend the effort to do so.

the NAU, Super-highway, and Bush

2008-02-06T20:02:00.001-06:00

[for those of you who didn't get my email, i'm posting it here.]

plainly: the NAU (North American Union, for those who didn't watch the video or read any other sources) along with the NAFTA super-highway ( http://www.spp.gov/myths_vs_facts.asp ) is a conspiracy running rampant on the internet and is notably perpetuated by the Ron Paul campaign. tracing the NAU back to it's orgin you'll find Jerome Corsi as it's primary founder, who to me appears to be a radical, though conservative, who uses extreme ideas to high-jack his way into popularity.

it's amazing how no evidence there is behind this grand occurrence, that is supposed to be the biggest news of the century. i've been away from standard television for long enough to have forgotten how little CNN actually has behind their "investigations" and "reports". watch lou dobbs and his sidekick talk about nothing for 3:42: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H65f3q_Lm9U&NR=1 listen past their taglines and phrases that they try to pass off as fact. they try to paint a picture with no evidence. seriously, there is no basis but a conspiracy.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/11/25/america/25Amero.php
this has good insight into the overall picture if anyone wants to read more than conspiracy reports that belong on the level of Exposing the Reptilians ( http://www.thewatcherfiles.com/exposing_reptilians.htm ) or the Time Cube Doctrine ( http://www.timecube.com/ )

-Ender

ps- i also assign this ridiculous attempt at fact to the Bush-hating that has gone out of control. it's amazing what people will try to believe when Bush is involved.

pps- "The NAU may be the quintessential conspiracy theory for our time, according to scholars studying what the historian Richard Hofstadter famously called the "paranoid style" in American politics. The theory elegantly weaves old fears and new realities into one coherent and all-encompassing plan, and gives a glimpse of where, politically, many Americans are right now: alarmed over immigration, worried about globalization, and - on both sides of the partisan divide - suspicious of the Bush administration's expansive understanding of executive power.

The belief in an imminent North American Union, says Mark Fenster, a law professor at the University of Florida and author of a 2001 book on conspiracy theories, "reflects the particular ways in which Americans feel besieged economically, powerless politically, and alienated socially."
-http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/11/25/america/25Amero.php

A Ruby Christmas

2008-01-15T22:26:00.000-06:00

Homage to Harold McCoo

2007-11-19T22:36:00.000-06:00

Simply, my now favorite video clip of all time, bringing me to more laughter than should be possible.

look at the cubes, just look at the cubes

2007-08-21T15:43:00.000-05:00

While Shannon prepared the tuna melts, I was at work on something requiring much more concentration:
WATERMELON CUTTING!

I put my finger in the photo to show scale (Chocolate Rain!)

Beautiful melon.

IMAX Harry

2007-08-10T14:57:00.000-05:00

I had the pleasure of viewing the newest movie installment of Harry Potter in the IMAX theater in DesMoines. It was very cool, having seen it once in a conventional theater, to experience it in a visually surrounding environment. Another thing worth mentioning which I believe is sometimes overlooked in an IMAX experience (it was my first time, so I'm not sure if that's all true) was the outstandingly precise and powerful sound. It was truly surround sound and I appreciated the audio of the movie just as much as the visual. It definitely enriched the experience.

could be bad

2007-07-18T19:58:00.000-05:00

I had settled in to view 4 new trailers (not a particularly large amount, i had 26 qued up recently, taking me roughly an hour to get through) that had popped up on my trailer RSS feed when in growing horror I realized that one of these upcoming movies was depicting Brigham Young speaking in front of the tabernacle and providing visuals of temple practices very sacred to my faith, Mormonism, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints.

The movie, "September Dawn", will be centering it's "true events" around what has come to be known as the Mountain Meadows Massacre. In my limited searching I haven't found too many existing reviews of the motion picture but I was slightly uplifted by the discovery of this review, as I believe written by a non-member of the the LDS Church: http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/film_review.asp?ID=2925 . He obviously sees right through the filmograply; how the director and collaborators of such a picture drasticly skew the characters and present them as they wish and not how fact tell us they were (not to mention how little is known and how much is speculated and flat-out fictionized). Read the review. Watch the trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/septemberdawn/trailer/

silky satisfaction from a bean?

2007-07-02T18:43:00.000-05:00

A woman at work for as strange a reason as I can imagine recommended that I try the "Very Vanilla" Silk Soymilk. Probably because of my regular consumption of flavored, dairy beverages she thought I would enjoy this. My friends, after my first sip of this foreign liquid, I came very close to immediately posting a very simple, and plain message: Soymilk is horrible. But I continued my large draughts to quickly and immensly enjoy my newly discovered savor, reminiscent of a watered-down (but in this case, 'beaned-down') vanilla milkshake. What furthered my enjoyment and bodily satisfaction was the existence of a certain nutritional fact box hanging out on the side of the carton. This stuff has it all. I don't know if everyone out there thinks the same as me, but when I came to realize how chock-full this stuff is, it filled my appetite with a desire to have more, my body reveling in it's newly found sustenance.

Well..thought you ought to know.

[Disclaimer: I do not endorse and consumption of Soymilk or any other soy products that aren't heavily flavored or closely partnered with additional tasteful food.]

back

2007-06-16T18:25:00.001-05:00

First off, I'd like to apologize to the dedicated group who very regularly check my blog. I've recently been trying to get a client to blog with instead of my lacking attempts in trying to upload pictures and such through picasa and/or a http client. I've finally settled on using Yahoo's 'Flickr' for photo uploading...I'll keep you posted on how good Flickr actually turns out to be.

The news at GriffO can be summed up with one word: wii. In all honesty I haven't been playing it too much but it is definitely blog worthy, even though to most it's old news. These pictures were taken at Hansenlabs a while back where in we were playing Casey's wii, before I had procured mine. From the first pic, you can see my skepticism.

2007-04-04T20:22:00.000-05:00

Pimp new game. It's called Frets on Fire, and yes, you guessed it...it's Guitar Hero but you play it on your computer using your keyboard

Rocking. out.

2007-04-04T20:07:00.000-05:00

After discovering there to be absolutely no wind (and I mean 'no' wind), Thori and Ender broke out the slings and began throwing a few tennis balls around

This one is really gonna go far.

Overall, a really pimp hobby. Thori made me a sling for my birthday and I'm really looking forward to slinging at Backbone and showing the fam my sweet slinging styles.

Kiting Day 3 - Birthday

2007-04-04T19:48:00.000-05:00

I had a great turn out for my 'private' birthday gathering out at Ada Haden on Saturday, March 25th. There are plenty of other pictures, but these are the best.
Also worth mentioning: the wind was so insanely strong that we had great difficulty keeping the kites in the air...but it was fun.

Kiting - Day 2

2007-04-02T01:34:00.001-05:00

These pics are from Saturday, March 24th, which was Day 2 of our kiting. Mom, Dad, Katelyn, and Grandma Dot were down to Ames on Friday, which was Day 1. We don't have any still shots from that, but I just want you to know that it all started on Friday.

Elegant Happiness

2007-03-06T22:58:00.000-06:00

I had a espeically potent experience this evening. I was sitting in the Walmart parking lot, eating a spicy chicken sandwich from Burger King, when I noticed two people getting into the car next to me. They appeared to me to be an older sister, and a younger sister approximately 11 or 12. I didn't have the opportunity to witness their approach to the car, but upon entering the vehicle the younger sister sat smiling broadly while holding a newly purchased dvd. Her delight was so apparent it seemed to reach out, grasping my heart with young, gentle hands. The girl's eyes were so alive and bright, her cheek bones visually brightened by the nearby lightpost. With her newly obtained treasure, that girl radiated such untainted innocence. The girl slid the advertising cover from the plastic-wrapped dvd case to further examine the movie which she apparently greatly looked forward to seeing, either for the first time or viewing it again with people she wished to share it with. The prescence of whom I assume was her older sister only magnified the feelings I felt from the event, lending it's parrelelism to events I hope my little sister and I have had. The happiness of this unknown girl completely held my attention and enveloped my heart in warmth, comfort, and a hope that this world may not be fully filled with evil and hate as I've come to more and more often believe.

As the girls drove away together, I naturally and immediately began to ponder on my own responsibility to the happiness of my own little sister, and the whole of my family. I wish I have provided atleast one or two moments like the one I witnessed tonight for each of my siblings and parents, because though I'm not able to recreate the occurance with the accuracy I desire, it truly was beautiful.

Music and Lyrics

2007-02-19T00:51:00.000-06:00

I went to see the movie "Music and Lyrics" the other night and walked away humming and singing (to the best of my ability having only seen it once) a couple songs. Funny movie and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Enough, in fact, that I'd like to share this music video which has a very catchy tune. All who read this need to atleast watch this first video. [Opera Users: I couldn't get my youtube videos to play so consider opening the blog up in Internet Explorer]

The other song from the movie that I really liked and find myself singing (again, as best as I can) was "Way Back Into Love". Visually not as stimulating as "Pop! Goes My Heart" due to it's "none-music video" nature. But again, good song.

Good Nights

2007-01-28T19:04:00.001-06:00

Recently I've had the great honor of playing with some great guys on TW (Trench Wars for those of you who really don't know me that well) playing under the alias of "Teancum". Two of the guys worth mentioning would be Ducker (Casey H.) and Thori (Kyle H.) two brothers who truly are great guys. We've had many acutely entertaining hours spread over countless games. Upon looking through my latest TW screenshots (I've taken about 900 of them since first playing on February 22, 2003, accumulating 584 gameplay hours) I felt like I'd post this one.

Long live the MLA, it's members, and all the good times.

Mav-Rev 6

2007-01-28T18:47:00.000-06:00

The Maverick, by Nerf, is becoming a hallmark here at High130 and only recently became picture worthy with the advent of the headlight. I'll let the pictures say the rest.

Belated Christmas

2007-01-28T18:33:00.000-06:00

A present from Grandma and Grandpa Griffith arrived today and I immediately put it to good use. The 3 LED pivoting headlight is welcomed as the newest addition to GriffO's assortment of hardware.
A very handy red-light setting perfect for night viewing of maps, or charts which won't contract your puplis, ruining your low light viewing.

A very practical use of the headlight, down by my computer I've needed a source of light and that requirement has been met with flying colors.

2006: Year in Review

2007-01-22T16:26:00.000-06:00

Jerome was the assistant manager at Fareway Ames. I was at the time planning on going full-time in Ames, but that fell through and I started working at Boone.
Session Start: Tue Jan 03 19:39:58 2006
* Topic is 'HAPPY 2 0 0 6 The year of the bunny'
[19:41] [ducker] get fareway straightened out?
[19:44] [Ender] left a note for jerome
[19:44] [Ender] ;)
[19:47] [ducker] Jerome is my homie
[19:48] [lunchbox] Jerome is my bitch
[19:50] [ducker] ...
[19:50] [ducker] That answers a couple of questions.
[19:57] [ducker] jerome is a white guy.. that is crazy
[19:58] [Ender] against the very laws of nature that we've come to respect and ultimately ignore
[19:59] [ducker] yeah, but oh well.
[19:59] [ducker] you find lasely yet?
[19:59] [Ender] i just found out that there was another quake3 vid on that dvd that wasn't showing on the menus....it's tacked onto the end of the annihilation file
[19:59] [Ender] she's in CR
[20:00] [Ender] coming back tonight; went there with nathan
[20:00] [ducker] WHAT
[20:01] [Ender] yeah, that's weird that intervideo made that dvd that way
[20:01] [lunchbox] What wsa she doing in CR with Nathan? SERIOUSLY!
[20:01] [lunchbox] Should be here, with us!
[20:08] [ducker] oh well
[20:15] [ducker] TJ, you just wish Jerome were here.
[20:15] [lunchbox] Maybe.
[20:18] [lunchbox] I wish Carlie was here.
[20:20] [ducker] Who's that? Your fish?
[20:21] [lunchbox] My neice.
[20:21] [ducker] Your neice is a fish?
[20:30] [lunchbox] I'll show you a fish!

Library runs were quite often, just started living with my great roomate "Alfred", and the recent discovery of 'Ladytron'
Session Start: Wed Jan 04 11:06:44 2006
* Topic is 'HAPPY 2 0 0 6 The year of the bunny'
[11:34] [Ender] oh, the library says i have an overdue book
[11:34] [Ender] so i'm gonna go there and check if it's on the shelf
[11:34] [shannon] what book?
[11:34] [shannon] fine, i need yogart from fareway
[11:35] [shannon] and bread
[11:35] [Ender] you do not
[11:35] [shannon] yeah, i do
[11:35] [Ender] i can't get this toothbrush open!
[11:35] [shannon] use your teeth
[11:36] [Ender] clever.
[11:36] [shannon] i know
[11:36] [Ender] should you have to take a box cutter to freaking toothbrush packaging
[11:36] [shannon] probably not
[11:38] [Ender] alfred's toothpaste tastes like celery
[11:39] [shannon] nasty
[11:39] [Ender] *yum*
[11:39] [shannon] but i am sure it is healthy
[11:42] [Ender] you can tell a lot about a person from their toothpaste
[11:42] [Ender] well, i'm ready-
[11:43] [shannon] so am i
[11:44] [Ender] <--likes Ladytron
[11:44] [shannon] yikes, no thanks
[11:44] [Ender] ....why?
[11:44] [shannon] you said they were the female version of galvanize
[11:44] [shannon] enough said
[11:44] [Ender] female version of Chemical Brothers
[11:45] [shannon] whatever, you know what i meant
[11:45] [Ender] ok, gonna grab my coat then i'm on the way over
[11:45] * Ender is now known as Enderout

The birth of the blog
Session Start: Tue Apr 11 15:11:17 2006
* Topic is 'happy tuesday everyone... may the bunny be with you http://griffith-observatories.blogspot.com/'
[15:49] [ditchwater] sweet blog, ender
[15:49] [Ender] thank you
[15:51] [ditchwater] very cool look
[15:51] [pcguy54] where?
[15:52] [ducker] http://griffith-observatories.blogspot.com/
[15:52] [pcguy54] ok
[15:52] [Ender] thanks!
[15:53] [pcguy54] cool enough!
[15:54] [pcguy54] it is nestled safely in my Bookmarks
[15:54] [Ender] rock on
[15:54] [Ender] i wish i had music capabilities and perhaps a customizable background
[15:55] [ducker] i can do the background with HTML code
[15:55] [pcguy54] [go for it][15:55] [pcguy54] [/done]

New hardware (motherboard, and 320GB Hard Drive), along with GriffO's entry into WindowsXP
Session Start: Mon Apr 17 18:14:24 * Topic is 'http://griffith-observatories.blogspot.com/ Catch the 2006 'Brass Attack' Reunion at a venue near you!! (haha) happy easter, folks'[18:14] * Set by ditchwater on Sun Apr 16 07:41:56
[18:45] [Ender] Time: 6:45 PM WinXP Uptime: 49 Minutes 22 Seconds C Drive (fixed): 44.72 GB of 60.01 GB free D Drive (fixed): 5.93 GB of 120 GB free E Drive (cdrom): 0 GB of 0.05 GB free F Drive (fixed): 319.99 GB of 320.07 GB free Resolution: 1152x864
[18:45] [ditchwater] heh!

The reading of The Godfather which, as far as influence goes, is second only to Ender's Game....yeah, it's a big deal
Session Start: Thu Jun 08 18:24:36 2006 * Topic is 'Congratulations to ditchwater and lunchbox on escaping W.D. on May 28, 2006!
[01:04] [Ender] The Godfather is suprisingly good
[01:04] [Ender] i like it
[01:04] [ditchwater] neat
[01:04] [ditchwater] i should read it
[01:05] [Ender] i'm really not that far it
[01:05] [Ender] in**
[01:05] [ditchwater] (i couldn't find King Solomon's Mine, so i'm delaying that series)
[01:06] [Ender] public doesn't ahve it?
[01:06] [ditchwater] not that i've seen
[01:06] [Ender] that's ridiculous
[01:06] [ditchwater] i've only found Montezuma's Daughter and Allan Quatermain
[01:06] [Ender] i see
[01:07] [ditchwater] i want to read Godfather, though, b/c i'm interested in knowing the story
[01:07] [Ender] i suppose you could start with them
[01:07] [Ender] aye
[01:07] [ditchwater] i can never follow the movies too well
[01:07] [Ender] jenni said she loved the first one
[01:07] [ditchwater] it's really well done

Ditch's first day of classes at ISU
Session Start: Mon Aug 21 17:28:42 2006 * Topic is '2*** 4Welcome to HansenLabs IRC!1 - Welcome to Sunday, August 20, 2006 2***
[17:28] [ditchwater] different day
[17:28] [ditchwater] hey ender
[17:28] [Ender] what's going on, ditch?
[17:28] [Ender] how was the first day?
[17:28] [ditchwater] it was ok
[17:29] [PcGuy55] ahh
[17:29] [Ender] any good stories i missed?
[17:29] [ditchwater] hmm, i don't think so
[17:30] [Ender] how many classes you have?
[17:30] [Ender] (did you have)
[17:30] [ditchwater] 5 today
[17:31] [Ender] geez man
[17:31] [ditchwater] monday's the busiest
[17:31] [Ender] well, that's a good day to have as such
[17:31] [ditchwater] one of them is an 'honors seminar' though, which isn't much work
[17:31] [ditchwater] yeah
[17:31] [Ender] that's cool
[17:31] [Ender] it's all downhill from here
-----------------------------------------------------------

Well, my eyes and neck are hurting like crazy...I've tried to capture some turning points of 2006 but all I believe I've done is scratch the surface. Yes, tons happened since August 21st, but I didn't see anything that warrented all the formating trouble it takes to get the text here. Scrolling through the logs, with hit-and-miss accuracy, sure isn't the way to do it, but it was enjoyable.

B-day Wishes

2007-01-21T12:21:00.000-06:00

"It was a common belief that evil spirits were more dangerous to a person when he or she experienced a change in their daily life, such as turning a year older. As a result, birthdays were merry occasions celebrated with family and friends, who surrounded the person of honor with laughter and joy in order to protect them from evil. Instead of gifts, most guests brought positive thoughts and happy wishes for the upcoming year." -History of Birthdays @ www.birthdayexpress.com

If you haven't heard, today is Shannon's birthday. Something you all have come to know, on the other hand, is how good of friend she's been to me and to all those who know her. She's constantly busy with school studies, her new position of student manager at work, and juggling her countless friends but throughout her day she always makes ample time to spend with me. Her friendship is an undeniable blessing in my life and I know I don't have the opportunity to say that very often.

After the fiasco of last years party which took place at my Ontario apartment, Shannon decided wholeheartedly that she wouldn't be having one. She will be having a birthday dinner at her brother's apartment here in Ames where I hear there will be a scrumptious angel food cake to be consumed. I wish her the very best in this, the new year of 2007, and continued success in her work, school, and limitless friendships that everyone that knows her both greatly reveres and envys.

Muffins

2007-01-12T20:23:00.000-06:00

Well, I was just sitting here at Hawthhorn Market when Shannon gave me a muffin to eat. It wasn't one of those JUMBO ones by any means, but it was considerably large.
After I unwrapped it I became aware of how difficult eating such a bulbous food could be. For real, if anyone has any helpful tips for how to consume an oversized muffin successfully, I welcome your advice.

Now this is assuming you don't want to make a complete fool of oneself and just chomp into it with no cares of what one looks like...kind of like this guy:

The Arena

2006-12-15T16:47:00.000-06:00

Well, just found an old Rainbow Six wallpaper I had, which in turn reminded me of the legendary team 'Rainbow' of Clockball back in 2002 (or around then). I spent the 3 minutes editing it which led to me sharing it with you. Yeah.

Pride of an Uncle

2006-11-07T17:53:00.000-06:00

I found this picture of Harrison immensely funny which led to it's placement on my desktop

[insert caption of your own here]

Playing with Duke

2006-11-07T17:43:00.000-06:00

A couple Friday's ago, which are becoming more regularly my day off for the week, the weather was really nice and I took Duke outside and snapped a few shots

Enter: Duke

2006-10-23T20:17:00.000-05:00

New member of Team: High130, Duke, a weimaraner pup

Long time...

2006-10-23T20:11:00.000-05:00

Ritual ceremony of the Welch's Strawberry Soda

Academic learning taking place at GriffO facilities

Coldest Heart

2006-09-16T10:52:00.000-05:00

[Disclaimer: Pimp song, but please don't go thinking about what the lyrics may or may not mean (to me).....please.]

A couple of years and I'm a silhouette
My halo is broken now and I'm all that's left
I hate to disappoint but it's the way things went
I was bound to the things I did
And after what was said
Tie up these loose ends
These voices are calling me out
I've got the solution
You can feed me to something
That is leaving this doubt

(Chorus)
Whoa, I'm losing hope
There's a hole in my heart
That's been cut out of stone
Whoa, cold comes cold goes
Could you fill this hole?
Cause I can't do it alone

A couple of tears and I'm a broken mess
The sadness has taken me far too deep in regret
So sing me a song about something good
My heart's on the thrashing floor
And I've done every single thing I could
I use to believe in
Some kind of feelin'
That could change everything I thought I knew
But that door is closed and
My heart feels like it's frozen
If you hear me I can feel you

Another Comparison

2006-09-14T00:36:00.000-05:00

Jyoti Mishra, of the band 'White Town'

Nathan Foster, posing as Jyoti Mishra

(I laughed uncontrollably when first seeing this picture that Nathan put together, and continue laughing at our absurdity)

Update: Due to continued interest (more absurdity), here's the music video of White Town's, "Woman".
'White Town - Your Woman' Music Video

Hewitt's Reception

2006-09-04T17:49:00.000-05:00

GriffO, Ducker (HL), Hewitt, and Thori (HL) pictured with framed Trench Wars screenshot at reception celebrating Hewitt's recent wedding

GriffO personnel enjoying the provided jello-cake and whipped frosting chocolate cake (only two plates shown)

...what are the words?

2006-09-04T17:39:00.000-05:00

White Town - Your Woman

"Well I guess what you say is true,
I could never be the right kind of girl for you,
I could never be your woman."

Note: One of the weirdest songs ever produced, and GriffO thanks Kent and Kate for bringing it to his attention :D

Iwo Jima Opening Social

2006-09-04T14:28:00.000-05:00

Completely candid and unrehearsed shot of our Branch Presidency (Jeremey, Rob, and Pres. Rice) (Believed to be "Logan" on far right ("Do... you like X-men?")

Inside GriffO

2006-09-03T23:17:00.000-05:00

Kitchen.

Cyber-cafe.

Greg (Joe's bro), Joe, Jeff, edge of Julie

Jeff, Scott (Bloods), and Julie

New GriffO Facilities

2006-09-03T23:11:00.000-05:00

I've moved to 130 High Avenue, andI shot this on a rainy Sunday. It's nice having a house to have people over to and Joe and Scott have yet to leave wanting with entertainment.

9d6 Lives

2006-07-14T21:46:00.000-05:00

I was elated to return to the Trench Wars community (at the bidding of Thori) to find 9d6 fully fuctional, and expanded to an official squad with TWD (Trench Wars Divisions). The squad's forums can be found here http://p4.forumforfree.com/9d6.html which presents plenty of good reading.
The future of the squad is yet to be seen while I try desperately to hold it together as a fully fuctional and healthy group. The group that it was originally made as: a place for great pub basing with players who respected talent and loved the game.
More news to come, I'm sure.

Can Count

2006-07-14T21:40:00.000-05:00

Can Count: 520
After repeated night-time encounters with my floor lamp, I've moved it to the end of my cot to ensure no more "can-slides" due to "sleep flailing". I've begun the approach from the east side of the room

Ghetto Bust

2006-07-07T21:43:00.000-05:00

So I step out my apartment building to the skidding tires of of a squad car that was obviously in a hurry. It came to rest on the opposite curb, pictured here. You may be able to make out the officer next to his hood with drawn shotgun (GriffO apologizes for the blurriness).

The view across the adjacent street where the perp was subdued to the ground amongst the trees just past the right of the utility pole.

More officers.

My original siting removing his car from the curb.

Logo Adopted

2006-06-28T18:37:00.000-05:00

The need for one was coming to a breaking point so this was decided upon:

[Beginning of Kent's wedding vid]

HL-GriffO LAN

2006-06-25T03:47:00.000-05:00

Had the opportunity to have a lan party with Hansenlabs a while back and stumbled upon this screenshot that was a particularly interesting turn of events in the battle

HL Grad

2006-06-03T01:20:00.000-05:00

GriffO would like to congratulate Ditch of Hansenlabs on his recent graduation and wishes him the best of times at ISU this fall.

Can Count

2006-05-25T18:59:00.000-05:00

Can Count: 390

Frisbee Galore

2006-05-25T18:33:00.000-05:00

Hanging out before going to the park, Megan and Shannon took time to stretch and mentally prepare for the upcoming excitement

Patrick and Grant both enthralled by having females in their apartment again

Patrick, Shannon, and Megan got tired of watching Gina and Grant attempt to swing over the bar and decided to break out the frisbee

Patrick, staring at the green light... on a dock... across the lake

Mitt and Daddy-o

2006-05-11T19:00:00.000-05:00

Mitt Romney (far left), Governor of Massachusetts and a probable Presidential candidate in 2008, next to my dad in Cedar Rapids.

You said forever...

2006-05-09T23:40:00.000-05:00

Ashley Parker Angel - Let U Go
Stumbled upon this song driving home from work tonight, and I really like it; brought back some memories and feelings that I've realized I'm beginning to forget. (for real, turn it up loud (Harrison will like it, Jen))

Shannon's House "Warming"

2006-05-07T23:44:00.000-05:00

Shannon and Erica, pictured on the right, hosted an ice cream-making party to the enjoyment of all who attended.

Nate and Tess always with a smiling, happy face while they develop frostbite from the salted ice used in the freezing process.

Shannon's always making messes; good thing I was there to lend a helping lung to blow the concoction away from the edge.

Joe, practicing his "predator-stance" for use on unexpecting passerby in the darkened stairwell.

Wandering Ambulances

2006-05-06T19:58:00.000-05:00

Erica and Shannon came by Wednesday night which is when we witnessed what we believed to be some pretty confused rescuers.

The first, an ambulance coming down Ontario.

He decided to take a detour through my parking lot (I made sure to give him the "it's not us that called" international wave and shake of the head).

And tailing behind him was some sort of fire rescue vehicle that upon entering Delaware, decided he needed to drive backwards back to Ontario. Overall, a fairly alarming experience (on many levels).

University Branch Closing Social - Part II

2006-04-30T16:25:00.000-05:00

More people, Curtis looking quite absorbed by his surroundings.

Playing a little basketball after the meal, everyone looking quite athletic.

A cool picture of Tess and Nathan.

GriffO in the thick of the action as Curtis attempts a fast-break.

University Branch Closing Social - Part I

2006-04-30T16:06:00.000-05:00

Held at Daley Park in Ames, the meal was GREAT with the weather keeping us cool and composed.

Katie looking rather pleased with the meal while Grant shows his affection to the camera.

Jeremy enjoying some of the food (the dessert pizza was awesome).

Battlestar Galactica

2006-04-27T01:04:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, on my day off I had the pleasure of viewing the Battlestar Galactica Miniseries which is the lead-in to the first full season. Alfred came into it about 10 minutes late but we enjoyed the just over 3 hour presentation and it definitely whet my appetite for more. I was very impressed by several aspects of the show and hope to see the first season soon.

Facility Update / Can Count

2006-04-25T11:27:00.000-05:00

Can Count: 346

A new addition to the room; a shelving unit that I picked up from Fareway. GriffO is proud to have Raid and Off as sponsers ;)

Sunday evening at Griffith Observatories, chatting with the 'rents.

Chillicothe Trip

2006-04-25T11:21:00.000-05:00

Had a rockin' weekend; after closing Saturday night Shannon and I jumped into Cadi and took off for Chillicothe to see her sister off for her mission to Italy. No bruised thighs resulted from this trip, though.

Painful Easter

2006-04-19T18:22:00.000-05:00

Driving home late Sunday night I was forced to crank the music up really loud, turn the temperature down, and drum/dance along to the music to stay awake. In doing so with a ball-point pen, I left a few welts/bruises on my thigh.

On a lighter note, my dad sent me this and I found it quite funny.

Sine Bikes Roll In

2006-04-14T20:26:00.000-05:00

At this weeks FHE Shannon finally got to ride on a motorcycle. Barry took her to Tijuana and made it back just in time for Katie's birthday cake and ice cream. These pictures aren't from that evening, but from a month or so ago when Joe and Barry were fixing 'em up.

(the Cadi's always watching..)

GriffO Pulls a Stupid

2006-04-12T23:41:00.000-05:00

Hey, none of us are perfect, but GriffO is close.

Sorry to all you folks who received my email with the incorrect address, but now you're here.

Long day at work tonight and no specific tales to tell. Well, when I went to lock up I was surprised to find that no one had left me keys. Had to call the guy who closed last night who forgot to leave the set. I also drank a half gallon of AE Chocolate Milk today...yummm.

Not looking forward to tomorrow. Heard it's supposed to be hot..

Hangin' out at GriffO

2006-04-12T00:25:00.000-05:00

The chicks got a hold of the big screen and started looking at wedding dresses...wow.

Patrick: *oh, yeah I would look good in that*

The mysterious and reclusive 'Alfred' can been seen in the distance, unknown to those who were in attendance.

Memory Flashback - February 2006

2006-04-12T00:09:00.000-05:00

Big doggies.

With ice running down the side, and snow banks underfoot, slipping into a steaming-hot jacuzzi makes it all worth it.

Da gang 'chillin' out.

Memory Flashback - January 2006 Paintball

2006-04-12T00:06:00.000-05:00

Ender describing to the camera what NOT to be hit by.

Grant: "What do i do with THIS?" Jeremy: "You stick it in there!" Matt: "Here's how it's done, boys" Kyle: "Whoa, that's gross" Joe: "Hi, glove"

The burrs were angry that day my friends.

Oscar vs Zeros

2006-04-11T22:38:00.000-05:00

Don't tell me the similarities aren't apparent. I kept saying he looked like Zeros.

Wisconsin Weekend Part 2

2006-04-11T22:15:00.000-05:00

Still at the terrarium making the rounds spotting flowers, birds, and even the occasional hot guy (Shannon: "Did you SEE that GUY!?!?")

Admiring a Chinese temple, while showing one the better sides of the group

Shannon displaying a plant named "Shannon" but we can't really prove it...and neither can she because she had her eye's closed the whole time.

Wisconsin Weekend Part 1

2006-04-11T22:06:00.000-05:00

Joe expressing his concern about something

Joe and Shannon pose for the camera (Shannon, you're so short)

Our wonderful hosts busy in the kitchen (what a bunch of GREAT food! don't get me started on the pears)

At the bridge at the terrarium in Madison (Joe: "This way to the hotdog stand, ladies.")

Facility Update / Can Count

2006-04-11T16:13:00.000-05:00

Fairly recent update of the GriffO facilities. Can Count: 290

Hewitt the Wondercat Found

2006-04-11T16:03:00.000-05:00

Some time ago HL stumbled across this disturbing photograph, one that shocked all to witness it. Hewitt. is. alive. Known to have been living in Texas, our wonderment has been placed on an even sharper edge (seen in second row, second player from the far right).

GriffO/HL Evening at Backbone

2006-04-11T15:33:00.000-05:00

Representatives from GriffO and Hansenlabs, Ducker, Ender, and Thori pause to discuss their boomerang throwing techniques.
Middle: Ender taking his honing quite seriously.
Bottom: Taking a quick break after a short climb up to higher ground.

GriffO Videos Hosted by Google

2006-04-11T13:45:00.000-05:00

Several GriffO videos have been uploaded to Google Video ('Road Rally', 'A-Team Intro', 'da Dance', and Hansenlab's 'Giraffe Plant') and can be found here: http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=%22kyle+griffith%22

KPG Wedding Video Commencing

2006-04-11T13:29:00.000-05:00

My primary project right now is Kent's (my brother) wedding video. Project Completion: 10% (Click on picture for larger view)

it's begun...

2006-04-11T11:50:00.000-05:00

This will be my new home for showing you what I'm up to and what you have to look forward to from GriffO. More to come.