Lubbock!
That’s right, starting sometime in Mid-August, I’ll be in the lovely City of Lights, Lubbock Texas!
The company that I work for, American Campus Communities, is building a new property just across the street from Jones AT&T Stadium. The property, called The Village at Overton Park, will be pretty sweet, and I will be manning the leasing trailer for several weeks, until a permanent staff is hired. Here is a snippet from the press release:
The Village at Overton Park is across University Avenue from the Jones AT&T Football Stadium and is adjacent to The Shoppes at Overton Park, a vibrant student oriented retail center. The 612-bed development is designed as an urban infill community and will be the closest and newest property in proximity to Texas Tech’s core campus with modern amenities and spacious units.
The property will feature a 7,400-square-foot community center that includes a fitness center, social lounge, wireless internet café, outdoor grills and a resort-style pool. The community will consist of four bedroom and four and a half bathroom three-story townhome units constructed on top of conventional four bedroom and four bathroom flat units. In addition, there will also be a limited number of two bedroom flats. All units will be fully furnished and include washers and dryers. The project also contains a gated parking garage.
So there ya go! If you know anybody in Lubbock who is going to need a badass apartment, send them my way in about 3 weeks!
So anyways…I don’t know much about Lubbock, and as far as I know, I only know 1 person in the city. What I DO know is that I need to start working on my Cowboy disguise…
That’s where I’m at right now.
Let me know if you have any advice about Lubbock…I’m all ears.
Song of the Day – 7/31/2011 – Foxy Shazam
Matt Glenn is a master of music, and I freely admit that his breadth of knowledge far exceeds mine. With have different specialties and focuses, but overall, i have no problem with him just knowing way more than me. Acknowledging this, I can’t really come up for a good excuse as to why I didn’t check out Foxy Shazam earlier than I did.
Matt Glenn, for the longest time, had a Foxy Shazam poster in his apartment at City Parc, and I looked at it every time I drunkenly stumbled out of his bathroom at social gatherings. The members of Foxy Shazam just LOOK like they shred.
Well, they do.
They’ve been called a modern-day Queen, they’ve been called a My Chemical Romance-clone, and they’ve also been called Saviors of Rock N’ Roll.
I just call ’em Foxy.
Pretty damn great, huh?
Drunk at the Arboretum
Busy day today. Ran down to the Dry Cleaners after work and dropped off some shirts and pants, then ran over to Plato’s Closet and picked up a pair of shorts that will be ideal for hiking around our nation’s capitol in, and then cruised over to Texas Roadhouse for dinner.
Beers later, I find myself down the road a stretch, hiking deep into the Virginian woods. I had it in my mind to visit the James Madison University Arboretum and Botanical Gardens for two weeks now, and I finally made it over there today, just as the sun was dropping behind the Blue Ridge mountains. The air was cool, my blood was thin, and the forest was dark and mysterious. Caught up in my curiosity, I trekked down the path into the unknown.
To quote the great Robert Frost, “Two Roads diverged in the wood, and I, I drunkenly stumbled down one of them, but I’m not sure which one.”
Found this out there somewhere too.
But then…this happened:
“I’m up in the wooooooooods….”
I eventually made my way out of the forests of Virgnina, and went to the laundromat, where I washed some clothes. I went into the convenience store next door, grabbed a Crusher of Coors Light, filled up a coffee cup, and show the folks of that laundromat how to party:
Gotta find some way to keep myself busy, right?
Harrisonburg, Day 3
At this point, i’ve basically exhausted my list of neat things to do here in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Gettin’ real bored in the hotel room…
That’s my life right now.
The Continued Adventures of Brandon Coots – Richmond
After a solid day of work, I left Harrisonburg, Virginia at around 5:00 PM and head east, toward Richmond. My flight is scheduled to leave Richmond in the morning, so I decided to stay here for the night so that I can just pop into the airport in the morning. Seemed like a good enough plan, but as you will see, it got sketchy real quick.
I-64 slices from East-to-West in Virginia, and is an incredibly scenic drive. The highway cuts through mountains, valleys, and forests that are too dense to see through. I’ve never seen such a rural area, and I kept wondering, “are there not fucking towns out here?” I seriously went for like 50 miles without seeing a gas station…just forest. And i mean that literally. Forests. Then, just east of Waynesboro, VA, there is a place where you can pull off of the road and look out over part of the Shenandoah Valley. A picturesque, Leave-It-To-Beaver town sits at the bottom, and it is an incredible sight. I took a picture to prove it.
Go ahead and click on that pic, and then zoom in. It’s super hi-res. Pretty amazing, right?
Ok, so I continued on in my journey towards Richmond, all the while using my iPhone4 to navigate. I’m lookin at the map, and I’m like, “keep going down 64, take a right on Labaruner…got it.” Of course, I fucked it up, and ended up going through downtown Richmond. Not too bad, not crazy, but…i was way off of the beaten path, and I ended up having to go through a pretty bad part of town. It was crazy, and i REALLY didn’t wanna get carjacked because I have a SHIT-TON of electronics on me at any given time. That’d be horrible. But, i got through it unscathed, and finally made it to my hotel, only to find that the goddamn Fire Department beat me to it. This was the scene as I pulled in from my two-and-a-half hour drive:
Yeah. All I wanted was to check into my hotel and relax, and what do I get? THIS bullshit!?!?! Some joker probably just pulled the fire alarm…i never really figured out what happened, but I just chalked it up to MY life. Whatever. So, i get into the hotel, take the elevator up to the third floor, and i’m already starting to question this hotel’s reputation. It’s literally 87 degrees in the hallway (I saw the thermostat), and there’s a funny smell in the place. I get into my room, and it’s super sketchy: the TV is an old tube tv, and the color is all fucked up, there are weird paint marks on the wall, and the air ducts look like somebody took them off and slid a briefcase of 2 million dollars down the shaft. And plus, it’s got “2 double beds!” The closet door is off the rails, and the showerhead in the bathtub comes out of an unsealed hole in the wall.
Whatever. This is my life. Haha…always an adventure.
I later went to eat at TGIFriday’s, which was an adventure in itself, and afterwards stopped at the SUPER-sketchy gas station (complete with bulletproof glass around the cashier’s area) to grab a Crusher of Coors Light.
Then I blogged alone in my sketchy Richmond hotel room.
So that’s Richmond.
Song of the Day – 7/21/2011 – The Black Keys
Not too long ago, I sat and listened to The Black Keys on vinyl while lying on a bedroom floor. It was a “transcendent experience,” and since then, I’ve been addicted to the bluesy, pained sound of the The Black Keys. They’re so great it’s retarded, and perhaps my favorite song is “Have Love, Will Travel.”
It is literally the BEST SONG YOU COULD POSSIBLY LISTEN TO while taxiing down a runway.
Here…try it:
The Black Keys – Have Love, Will Travel
Isn’t that great??
But Wait!!! While trying to find a solid hosted MP3 of the song, i discovered that The Black Keys aren’t the first band to lay that song down! The Black Keys version is a cover of…
Richard Berry – Have Love, Will Travel
BONUS COVER!!!
The Sonics – Have Love, Will Travel
So now you know, Guys & Gals…when you’re traveling, and you’ve got lovin’ to spare, you’d better be shredding this on your iPod. I know I do.
At Our Nation’s Capitol
My new position with my company affords me certain opportunities…certain opportunities that I would not have if I did not have the position. For this I am grateful, and I am proud because I feel like I worked pretty hard to earn this. And so, I intend to make the most of the opportunities that I’ve earned.
That’s why I booked a hotel room in Washington, D.C. for the night of July 30.
No big deal.
It’s only our Nation’s Capitol.
The Cradle of Feedom.
Home to Arlington National Cemetery, The Capitol, The White House, The Pentagon, the Smithsonian, The Lincoln Memorial, and that long lake that Forrest hugs Jenny in.
And also the Natties.
I’ve got a $70 ticket for the Nats-Mets game that night.
My plan is to leave Harrisonburg early on the 30th, drive the two hours up to D.C., spend the day walking around, sipping water and pulling my camera from my fanny pack to take pictures. Then, I’ll check into my hotel around 5 or whatever, and head to the ballpark afterwards. After the game, I’ll spend the night in the room, and head back to H-Burg on Sunday morn.
And of course, the only downside? I’ll be doing all this alone.
Das ok dough, cuz I’ll have you guys with me, and I’ll take pics for you too.
Freedom, hoooooo!!!!!!
Trailers Abound!
2012 is already shaping up to be an amazing year for movies. I’ll be doing a Write-up on them soon, but for now, I’ll just post some recently-released trailers for some of my Most-Anticipated of 2012.
First up, the one you’re all waiting for…
The Dark Knight was an amazing film. It kinda falls apart a lil bit upon multiple viewings, but it was unbelievably great, and i’m sure that the sequel will be a worthy finale to Nolan’s trilogy. The entire cast is back (minus Heath…ouch), including Liam Neeson, whose character from Batman Begins will be back in flashbacks, or maybe more. Bane, played by Tom Hardy, will be one of the main villains, and Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) will be an ally of Batman’s. Also joining the cast are Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon Levitt. Mmmmm. This trailer makes MY Dark Knight Rise.
Next up, a curious little film…
Your Friendly Neighboorhood Spider-Man is back, and better than ever! Forget the Tobey Maguire films…they never happened. This is a total reboot, and i’m glad it’s happening, because I hated Tobey Maguire in that role. I’ll admit, the first two movies were pretty solid (especially Spiderman 2), but I already dig the vibe of The Amazing Spider-Man much more. Notice the hyphen in the title? Yeah…like the comics. And Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker? So perfect. And…i LU DAT Emma Stone. I’m so in. I just hope the Call of Duty visuals don’t make it into the movie (pretty sure they won’t).
Like I said, I’m positive that 2012 will be an amazing year for movies, especially Nerd Movies. Batman, Spider-Man, The Hobbit, and The Avengers…hmm….
And don’t look now, but word has it that…the trailer for The Avengers will be behind Captain America this weekend…and I MAY have already seen a bootleg of it…
“You got a mission for me, sir?”
Where in the World is Brandon Coots?: The Land of Virgins!
As you probably don’t know, I find myself in Virginia, The Land of Virgins, for work. Harrisonburg, specifically. I had never been anywhere near the East Coast before this week, so I was unsure of what to expect when I got out here. I didn’t know if the street signs would be green, red, orange, or whatever. I didn’t really know what the countryside would look like, or how much urban sprawl there’d be, or if there would be any at all. I just plain ole’ didn’t know what to think.
But now I know, and I’ll be happy to share.
But First…a re-cap of my weekend.
On Thursday afternoon (7/14), I left Austin (West Austin, a very beautiful place) and made for College Station. It was about a 2 hour drive, and it was pleasant enough. I arrived at Aggie Station to visit with my good friend Garrett. I was under the impression that I’d only be seeing him for a few hours before he departed for his “fishing trip,” but I was mistaken. What follows is a recap of our conversation:
“Soooo…you know where we’re going fishing, right?”
“No…the ‘river,’ I assume?”
“No. We’re going…to Port Aransas.”
“Ohhhhh myyyyyyy Gahhhhh…”
After Garrett insisted (and I began to feel somewhat obligated), I succumbed to the calling of my Sonly Duties. I threw in with his lot and ventured south. Two hours later, my party stopped at the Dairy Queen in Schulenberg, Texas, where I discovered that I would be without my wallet all weekend. Two hours after that, I burst through the front door of my family’s Ingleside, Texas home, much to the surprise of my brother and mother. I made good on my Sonly Duties.
After a busy weekend of traipsing through 361, seeing HPATDHP2, playing peacemaker, and sneaking into Bernie’s in Port Aransas, my merry band and I headed back north, toward College Station. Then, 3 hours later, I went back to Austin, where I slept at Kurt Barker’s apartment for approximately 3.5 hours, woke up at 4:00 AM, and departed for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
And that all happened BEFORE Virginia.
I mostly dominated ABIA and Atlanta’s Airport (where I hung out with Greg Maddux and Ludacris), and had a convo with a pleasant Virginia native who asked me tips on how to decorate, Texas-style, because her brother is “looking into opening a Country-Western bar” in downtown Atlanta. Also, I saw some good clouds.
Finally, with tired shoulders and an achey bladder, I landed in Richmond Virginia, a city that has a “slightly higher than average crime rate per capita than the national average,” and promptly headed up I-64, in my sweet Party Car, all the while trying to calm my upset mother, who was upset about…something.
So anyways, here are pics of Virginia.
Virginia is, from what I’ve seen, rather lovely.
Harrisonburg, home to James Madison University, is the seat of Rockingham county, and an extremely pleasant little town of about 50,000. It’s set in the beautiful Shenandoah valley, which before this trip was just a term from my history books, but is now a very real place to me. Clouds hang just above the old, rounded mountains, and fog creeps in as the night cools down. It’s warm in the day, but not Texas-warm, and it feels fantastic at night. Hills roll everywhere, and it’s GREEN. GREEN. Everything is GREEN. It’s just totally, totally All-American. At one point, I walked up a hill and saw the burial site of a Civil War General, and took a photo from the hill. A very neat little place, and I was very ok to learn that I will be here all of next week and the following week too.
And for the record, the road signs look just like they do in Texas (even though they only have streets signs on like half of their streets).
If there’s ONE downside to this place, it’s this: I honestly haven’t even SEEN an attractive woman in this state.
But, other than that…cheers to The Land of Virgins!
Where in the World is Brandon Coots?
Well, right now I’m in Lakeway, Texas, and i’m spending my days in Bee Cave, Texas, at THIS place:
Next week, I’ll be in…HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA!!!
Founded in 1779, this lovely home of some 48,000 people offers scenic views of…stuff…and is the birthplace of G. Edgar Parker, the codeveloper of the Parker-Sochacki method of solving systems of differential equations! Tourists can catch a James Madison University hoops game, or perhaps even see the Eastern Mennonite Royals play a Division III basketball game, or just drive the 2 hours to Washington, D.C..
Not sure where Harrisonburg is?
And now you know!
Now, before you go and get all uppity, YES, i understand that Garrett was at the same property just a few short weeks ago. This isn’t actually my first assignment…i’m just going there to shadow a guy who i work with, and then I’ll be shipping off again to…?
Tune in Next Week to find out where our Hero will go next!
The Dwarves!
If you know me, you know that I love Lord of the Rings. I first read the Lord of the Rings when I was in High School, i guess 10 years ago (wow). I finished The Two Towers just before the film version of The Fellowship of the Ring came out in theaters, and I was enamored from the get-go. I blasted through the books, really enjoyed the movies, ran through The Hobbit real quick, and and continued on in my love of LotR. I have read The Silmarillion, i bought The Atlas of Middle Earth, and on my desk right now is a copy of Unfinished Tales. So, you could say I know what I’m talking about when it comes to LotR.
All that being said, you can likely imagine my overwhelming joy when, late last year, Peter Jackson finally agree to direct the film version of The Hobbit. I dearly adore that story, and the fact that it will be brought to the screen for even more fans to enjoy. They’ve taken the story of The Hobbit and broken it into two films, and added some stuff from Unfinished Tales about the White Council and the battle that happens at Dol Guldor. Jesus Christ, I’m a nerd. Anyways, i’m looking forward to the first installment, which comes out next Christmas. They’re filming right now in New Zealand, and this week, they’ve realeased the first images of a few of the Dwarves!
First up, here’s Dori, Ori, and Nori:
And here’s the epic awesomeness of Oin and Gloin:
If you recall, Gloin is actually the father of Gimli, the Dwarf in the LotR movies.
Pretty neat, huh? If you’re trippin (like David Beezy), don’t worry…these were taken in a studio here on Earth, so the lighting and whatnot is a little weird, and they look a tad photoshopped, but I have no doubt that when these guys are tearing shit up at the Battle of Five Armies, they’ll look badass. I love how the Dwarves each have their own look and feel, so they’ll be differentiated. Some of them are brothers or cousins, but many of them have never met, and are from different areas of Middle Earth…different Dwarf tribes, so they each have a different look. I really dig the costumes. There are 13 in total, so this is less than half of them. I can’t wait to see Thorin Oakenshield.
While there are a few gripes I have with the adaptation of LotR, i was very much pleased with them. Peter Jackson kinda bugs me with his occasionally bush-league direction, and i wish the movies were more…sophisticated…but i have no doubt that I’ll love The Hobbit.
Keep an eye peeled for more Dwarves in the coming weeks!
Handy-Dandy Socio-Political Guidance Chart
It would be super easy to make a ton of jokes here based on the content of this image, but I think it’s much more appropriate to just let this speak for itself. I think there are a lot of people out there that aren’t really sure where they stand, and even more people who don’t understand where others stand.
Perhaps this will shed some light for you.
Since my cultural awakening, I’ve pretty much always identified with “Liberals,” and after looking this infographic over, I thought, “Yep. That is SO me. SO me.” Who knows…maybe you’ll find yourself?
See? Those guys on the other side of the fence aren’t so bad.
Please comment below with thoughts and opinions…this could get interesting.
Song of the Day – 7/7/2011 – Band of Horses
If you weren’t aware, I’ve got some major life changes just on the horizon. It’s sort of intimidating, sort of daunting, but one thing that comforts me (and there are few) is my music. And this song is doing wonders.
Band of Horses was a regular when I updated regularly, so it’s doubly appropriate to give them my first SotD in a while. From Infinite Arms (with it’s beautiful cover), here’s Laredo.
New Summery Look!
Back by Popular Demand!
We may be entering a new era of the blog, so of course, I’ve gotta update the look. Hope you dig…feedback is appreciated in the comments section.
Just so you’re aware, the image underneath was the other Banner that I made. Which do you dig more?
That’s Better.
While strolling through the City Parc clubhouse, I stopped for a moment in the media room and snuck a peek at the Women’s World Cup. After a moment, i noticed that the match was Germany vs. Nigeria, and I was reminded of an early EWP post. Here’s my observation.
Much better.
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