------->Argo stuff here<------

2009-03-03T22:16:00.002-06:00

WOVENHAND
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
8:00 pm $8.00
"Downtown Music"
215 W. Capitol Ave.
Little rock, Arkansas
label myspace venue reviews

2009-03-02T21:30:00.000-06:00

Rumours, Mr. Chairman, and shaving the Tiger

2009-02-25T22:43:00.008-06:00

Stiller is the new Phoenix [who] is the new Brando.

Fed chairman Bernanke said yesterday that he is hopeful that the recession will end in two thousand nine. "Only if that is the case, in my view there is a reasonable prospect that the current recession will end in 2009 and that 2010 will be a year of recovery," said Bernanke. BURR-NACKY.

Tiger made his return to professional golf today. I'm pretty sure he's a superhuman. "I think he's from another planet, and I'd like to visit," Barrett says. He started the first day of the WGC-Accenture Match Play with a birdie and an eagle. First round, Brendan Jones, boom, roasted. Shave, Tiger, shave.

Rumours was released in February 1977 as Fleetwood Mac's 13th studio album, but only the second outing with the Buckingham/Nicks lineup (the first being 1975's self-titled). James Bushey would say, "What a pitiful spelling of the word rumors," for this is his opinion of all spellings chiefly British. To be honest, I have drawn this album to my bosom. Just pulled it in close. I don't care that it won Album of the Year at the 1978 Grammy Awards. Or that it sold 8,000,000 copies in 1977 (over 30 million to date). Look at these guys. They were at each others throats between February and August of 1976, which yielded a lot of incredible music, which we interpret today in 2008 as "sexual tension." Though the romantic relationships ended, the success of the album ultimately lifted the bandmates from their anguish and misery and the band continued on for years thereafter. Won't you lay me down in the tall grass and let me do my stuff?

The new picture at the top of the blog is of downtown Little Rock. I work in the building that is the second from the right. I stole this picture from cormack13's photostream on flickr. I don't know who you are, I dont have your permission, but I like you and thank you. Notice the Christmas tree on the side of the Bank of America building. Great shot, cormack13. Can I keep it?

My sister Bonnie, 17 sent me a text message tonight at 10:14 pm saying "Text "vote" to 5706 right now! It's a vote for kris Allen from Conway Arkansas for american idol!!" So I did.

2009-02-19T13:46:00.000-06:00

t r u e l o v e .

Phoenix is the new Brando

2009-02-06T13:19:00.000-06:00

eccentricity

twist off and shine on!

2009-01-15T22:12:00.003-06:00

playing records, drinking ol' lady grey tea. it's very cold outside. i am so thankful for my warm house.
i taught our dog tippie to "sit" this week. now that she has figured out that we like it when she sits on command, she has started doing it all the time now. i don't even tell her. it's creates a little bit of laughter in my day. :) she is a weird one, i tell you.
now, you would think i would have more to say since i haven't written on this thing in months. but nope, that's all i got.
oh yeah- adam has been out of town this week, and will be next week also. you know what that means...partay! hah, just kidding.
but seriously, come on over and keep me company.
i will even make you some tea and let you listen to our records.

2009-01-07T20:47:00.001-06:00

Pelphrey said, "I just wanted them to know which side I was on."

If I could you know I would just hold your hand and you'd understand I'm the man who loves you

2008-12-28T00:12:00.004-06:00

A list. Not the "A" list, but a list:

Rosetta Stone
Cysts and antibiotics
Che
Wilco on ACL (free television)
Laundry and housekeeping tasks
Goose Island
Shredded-up dog toys
Harvey Milk
Pecan pie
Starcraft
and this...

Push it out: No Strain No Pain

2008-12-18T15:52:00.002-06:00

Push it out: Part II

2008-12-17T13:41:00.000-06:00

Push it all out.

Randall Cunningham was a candy bar?

2008-12-16T14:21:00.000-06:00

Crazy

2008-12-15T10:35:00.003-06:00

senseless; impractical; totally unsound.

A security guard in the lobby of my building sat behind the counter reading the newspaper and saying, "People throwin' shoes at the President, what's happenin' today?"

Wardell Stephen Curry II

2008-12-10T06:59:00.002-06:00

(pronounced / 'stɛfin/)

Which one is Barbara Walters?

2008-12-05T14:56:00.003-06:00

Is she 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5?

Push it out

2008-12-04T12:47:00.002-06:00

What Would Bruce Do?

2008-12-01T15:57:00.000-06:00

2008-10-23T13:31:00.004-05:00

come trick-or-treating at my house. i will be dressed like this-

2008-10-16T14:26:00.001-05:00

Surprising Signs You'll Live Longer Than You ThinkSurprising Signs You'll Live Longer Than You Think // Can of soda (© Josh Westrich/zefa/Corbis)
Sign: You Skip Soda (Even Diet)
Scientists in Boston found that drinking one or more regular or diet colas every day doubles your risk of metabolic syndrome—a cluster of conditions, including high blood pressure, elevated insulin levels, and excess fat around the waist, that increase your chance of heart disease and diabetes. One culprit could be the additive that gives soda its caramel color, which upped the risk of metabolic syndrome in animal studies. Scientists also speculate that soda drinkers regularly expose their taste buds to natural or artificial sweeteners, conditioning themselves to prefer and crave sweeter foods, which may lead to weight gain, says Vasan S. Ramachandran, M.D., a professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and the study's lead researcher. Better choices: Switch to tea if you need a caffeine hit. If it's fizz you're after, try sparkling water with a splash of juice. By controlling blood pressure and cholesterol levels, preventing diabetes, and not smoking, you can add 6 to 9 1/2 healthy years to your life.

plus, minus, you know..

2008-10-01T17:05:00.002-05:00

+ switching to the day shift in 1 week. hallelujah. praise the lord. amen. and amen.

+ pumpkins. i have an infatuation, if i may be so bold. i like to look at them, touch them, bake them, eat them, and just be happy that they are here on this green earth for me to enjoy.

- babies that are discharged into foster care from our unit. i want to adopt them. adam doesn't really believe me when i say that, but you do, don't you?

+ taking Tippie for walks and not sweating my brains out.

+ did i say i am switching to the day shift? oh yeah, i did.

- cleaning the bathroom. yuck yuck yuck. i detest it with a capital D. i will do anything for you if you will come clean my bathroom. it's not really even that dirty.

+ making money at garage sale last weekend. it is always fun to sell stuff for 90% less than what you origianlly paid for it.

- people who talk about politics at work. i'm not sure why they think it won't end horribly.

oh good, there are more pluses then minuses. or maybe there are more plusi than minusi. either way, i now feel like all is right with the world.

i just looked it up. "Pluses" it is.

Argo jubilee

2008-09-08T22:49:00.000-05:00

A little smile for the camera after the Pigs post a W in War Memorial.

2008-09-08T20:17:00.001-05:00

2008-09-05T08:28:00.001-05:00

"Thumbs up, guys. I'm Casey Dick, quarterback of the Arkansas Razorbacks. You can purchase our game against Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday (tomorrow) through pay per view for only $34.99. Or you can buy a $45 ticket and watch the game at War Memorial Stadium (Noah's Ark) live in person. I hope there will be lots of mud on the field during the game from all of the rain so I can get dirty. Smelly, dirty, football players."

A brown study about bemusement, daydreaming, revery, introspection, preoccupation, excogitation, notions, rumination, deliberation:

2008-09-03T21:52:00.005-05:00

1. "So vote once, vote tuh-wice, for Bill McKay... you middle-class honkies." Name that movie.

2. I met a man today, riding the bus. He was about six foot four. He rides the #5 West Markham bus to the doctor's hospital, transfers to the Rodney Parham bus and gets off at McAlister's where there is a game room next door. Every Wednesday night is board game night. This guy actually designs board games and plays with board games testers. "Every four or five months a new game is en vogue," he says. "We all decide, 'Ahh! I've played this one enough times,' and we move on to the next big game. We're playing this game called Puerto Rico right now that's set in 1830 and you build villages and you can grow weed or chop wood. One of the guys that plays is a mathematics teacher in North Little Rock. He likes the board games because it only takes him two or three weeks to figure out all the probabilities and then he moves on. He studies games. I don't. I'm a designer, so I don't do that." He had a nicely groomed moustache, wore khaki pants and a "wife-beater," and spoke very quickly.

He stepped on to the bus at UAMS and quickly let everyone know that the bus was "7 or 8" minutes early. You see, he rides the 6:20 bus. I quickly told him that the bus he was on was actually the 5:45 bus that was just "EXTREMELY" late due to there being several traffic lights out on Markham near the Park Plaza Mall. He responded, "Well, in theory, this bus is seven or eight minutes early."

3. Tippie can run. She can run in the sunshine. She can run in the rain. She can run on a leash. She can run under the neighbor's deck, but she cannot perform simple mathematical operations.

4. Due to Gustav and his curse, LSU postponed its scheduled home game against Troy in Louisiana's state capitol this Saturday to November 15, an open date for both teams.

5. The Rose Bowl, a stadium in Pasadena, California, was the site of Olympic games in both 1932 and 1984. Its design was modeled after and influenced by the Yale Bowl (New Haven, Connecticut). Architect Myron Hunt designed the Rose Bowl in 1921 and its construction was brought to completion in 1922. Between 1921 and 1922, its construction costs totaled $272,198. It has a seating capacity of 92,542 humans. Current tenants include the Rose Bowl Game, UCLA Bruins, and the Los Angeles Galaxy. Fun fact: Depeche Mode played its last concert in front of a crowd of 80,000 humans in the Rose Bowl on June 18, 1988. I cite none of my sources.

6. Today is Charlie Sheen's birthday. Upon winning the Golden Globe Award for his performance in television series Spin City, Charlie said "This is like a sober acid trip."

7. The National Football League resumes tomorrow. Washington Redskins vs. New York Football Giants. BAM.

8. There is a Honda truck commercial featuring Chuck Norris that says "where tough meets classy." I hate this commercial.

2008 SEC FOOTBALL REGULAR SEASON CHALLENGE

2008-08-26T23:18:00.010-05:00

2008 SEC Football Regular Season Challenge
DEADLINE TO ENTER: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2008

Hey football fans,

1. Download the FILE
2. Fill out your name, and your picks
3. Email the Excel file back to me [seccollegefootball@gmail.com] on or before this Wednesday, August 27
4. You can make changes to each week's games if you re-submit the file on or before the following deadlines:
Week 1: 8/27/08
Week 2: 9/03/08
Week 3: 9/12/08
Week 4: 9/19/08
Week 5: 9/26/08
Week 6: 10/03/08
Week 7: 10/10/08
Week 8: 10/17/08
Week 9: 10/22/08
Week 10: 10/31/08
Week 11: 11/07/08
Week 12: 11/14/08
Week 13: 11/21/08
Week 14: 11/27/08

Bonus : 9/19/08

You can expect an email with the results of each week to see how you fare against the other contestants.

We're getting close to the start of another exciting season of college football. It's free, it's fun, and it will make everything a little more interesting.

Questions? Comments? Shoot me an email.

I look forward to seeing your selections,

Adam

Four on the Couch

2008-08-25T22:04:00.003-05:00

"Four on the Couch" is a game for all ages. The game is known in some circles as Parliament or Couch of Power. The game is a favorite among the likes of old people, Austin Bell, and bored family reunion attendees. YouthPastor.com features it under their Youth Ministry Games resources section as a "sure way to win young hearts to the Lord." When in doubt, look about, and find yourself in love with this action packed game. According to Wikipedia, this mental game is like chess, requiring players to have the "ability to think ahead." Imagine that, a game of thinking ahead!

I've never laughed this hard at 7:30 in the AM

2008-08-22T10:39:00.006-05:00

this morning i happened upon this...sleepover snl skitand I laughed until I cried.
Ohhh Gennie, I don't know if you read this or not, but I thought of you when I watched this. And I laughed really hard thinking about you and your retainer. I miss you!

Amadeus! Amadeus! Amadeus!

Tippie Argo

2008-08-13T11:01:00.001-05:00

"Hi, I'm Tippie. I'm a good girl. But I'm also freaked out and don't know why these people are locking me in the laundry room for hours at a time."

sexy

2008-08-10T23:12:00.000-05:00

Saturday, Donny, is Shabbos, the Jewish day of rest.

2008-08-09T18:33:00.002-05:00

0800am Roland Crisis Closet ... 116 families
0100pm Tippie 'round tha' block
0130pm This Can't Be Yogurt
0200pm Donkey Kong Country
0300pm Pay bills
0400pm Scratch where it itches
0500pm Empty what is full; fill what is empty
0600pm I'd like to have a steak
0700pm the apartment (1960) or marie antoinette (2006)
allnightlong Sleep

2008-07-14T08:37:00.002-05:00

If you want to have a good time, break the ice, or just laugh until you cry and your stomach starts to hurt, play this game.
Have your group of friends (if they are not your friends, they will be soon)
sit in some kind of circle. Then whoever starts the game, most likely you since you are reading about it here, will make some kind of noise of their choice. The crazier, the better. Then every single person in the room has to attempt to mimic your crazy noise. with hand gestures and all.

The Argo family likes this game.

I like the Argo's.

2008-07-02T07:52:00.003-05:00

I rode the Central Arkansas Transit today from the Wal-Mart in West Little Rock to my office building downtown. It was a 50 minute ride. It cost me $1.25. Because of the bus, I am not spending money on gas, parking, or maintenance on my vehicle. I also met some new friends, such as a teacher at UAMS, a blind lady and her dog, and a cook at Corky's. Jealous? The goal is to not use my car for an entire week.

2008-06-02T05:34:00.001-05:00

It's always better on holiday; we only work when we need the money

2008-05-23T09:22:00.002-05:00

Da duh dun naaaa - Da duh naa - Da duh dun taaaaaaaaaaaa Da duh na naa na

Da duh dun naaaa - Da duh Naaaaaaaaaaa - Da nuh neeeeeeeee nah

[Indiana Jones theme]

For the trivia bank ...

2008-05-20T18:38:00.001-05:00

December 4, 1984

This was the day of the first court date for the controversial lawsuit between Jerry Falwell and Larry Flynt.

This was the very same day that baby Luke Bennett was born.

Just think about it. For one minute. Think about that.

Adam

2008-04-20T23:28:00.003-05:00

Look here! A chronicle of my life!

Meridian mail.

Mailbox. Please enter your mailbox number followed by the pound sign.

[336#]

Please enter your numerical keycode followed by the pound sign [#].

Or, press star for the menu.

[...]

Are you still there?

[9]

That is not a correct option. Please do lots of work for money. Now hang up and do lots of work for money. Now stop everything you are doing and make lots of money.

[...]

Are you still there?

[######]

I'm sorry. That is not a correc - [44444444#######*****]

Goodbye.

["........ dial tone ....."]

$1,094,087.64. That's when you can hang your shingle outside. That's when.

You should see the other guy

2008-04-19T13:37:00.002-05:00

2008-04-18T10:59:00.000-05:00

my first time to beat him. ever.

2008-04-13T13:55:00.000-05:00

2008-03-30T15:55:00.001-05:00

According to Netflix, the most popular movies checked out in Little Rock, Arkansas are Ratatouille, Superbad, Rush Hour 3, License to Wed, and Daddy Day Camp.

Are you serious?

2008-03-29T07:39:00.001-05:00

Stephen,

FLEET FOXES, Ruiner of Worlds:

Apr 14 2008 8:00P
HI-DIVE w/ Blitzen Trapper Denver, Colorado

2008-03-25T22:16:00.003-05:00

Find The Dodos where they are. They have a new album called Visiter. Stephen, they played in Denver on April 21 at Hi Dive. You should check that out.

2008-03-19T08:55:00.001-05:00

BARNES, you've asked for it!

Let's go Peay!

STRANGE DEER! TACO MEAT!

2008 NCAA TOURNAMENT CONTEST

2008-03-16T22:34:00.003-05:00

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

The brackets have been released!!! Who's excited?

Ladies and gentlemen, try your luck and make your picks in Adam Argo's 2008 Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament Contest. Here's how to enter:

Download the file and read the instructions.

Make sure you save the file to your hard drive and not just open it within the browser. It will give you some popups that look like errors that say things like "Unable to find answer_key.xls blah blah blah," but disregard the message and click through.

Questions? Leave a comment. Can't wait to look at your picks.

2008 SEC Basketball Tournament CONTEST

2008-03-10T22:05:00.008-05:00

Arkansas, America

UPDATE: 13 people have entered a bracket. There is still time. Get yours in before noon tomorrow. Here are the contestants. If you have entered, but don't see your name, let me know!

Argo, Fred
Bell, Austin
Bennett, Luke
Bushey, James
Compston, Stephen
Habiger, Todd
Jennings, Corey
Lee, Spencer
Miller, James
Neathery, Michael
Poole, Andrew
Scivally, Robyn
Waddell, Drew

Ladies and gentlemen,

The time has now come to play and enter the SEC tournament contest!

GRAND PRIZE: Instant Fame! Here's how to enter.

1. Download the file to your hard drive.

Make sure you save a copy of the file on your computer, and not just open it in the browser.

File name: sec_tournament.xls
File type: Microsoft Excel spreadsheet
File size: 28kb

2. Pick your selections.

Make sure you pick a winner of all 11 games, including the championship. The spreadsheet will only allow you to change the cells in red. The point system is displayed across the top of the sheet. All games on Thursday that you correctly pick the winner of will be worth 1 point, games on Friday are worth 2 points, games on Saturday are worth 3 points, and the championship game winner correctly picked is worth 4 points. There is also a bonus: if you pick both teams that will be in the championship game on Sunday, you get an extra 2 points. This makes a total of 24 possible points.

3. Save the file with your picks.

Please save the file as your name.

4. Email the file to Adam [adampargo@gmail.com] before 12:00 pm (noon) on Thursday, March 13 to enter!

Have fun. Tell your friends. Go hogs go!

PS - Here are my picks:

GAME 1
USC

GAME 2
VANDY

GAME 3
FLORIDA

GAME 4
OLE MISS

GAME 5
TENN

GAME 6
ARKANSAS

GAME 7
MSU

GAME 8
KENTUCKY

GAME 9
TENN

GAME 10
MSU

GAME 11
TENN

2008-02-19T23:27:00.002-06:00

Unrelated to the above picture:

An elderly lady across that lives in an adjacent apartment is currently displaying an American flag in the window with white lights around it. In the middle of the flag is her sign for Obama '08. The opposite window holds the same. It's kind of cute to think about her putting the flag up and placing it just right. In and throughout the Breckenridge area, there are numerous stop signs that have the word "Bush" spray-painted in white letters beneath "STOP." I am urged to yell "Stop, Bush!" instead of "Stop Bush!" when I apply the brakes. I would like to tell you that I only do this when Meredith is in the car with me. But I do it all the time.

Unrelated to the above paragraph:

"No, you're settling Catan," Austin says.

Unrelated to the above quote:

Listen to Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel, a new album by Atlas Sound, in its entirety here. You can also check out Black Mountain or Bon Iver. Or you could see Black Mountain and Bon Iver in Little Rock on March 11. But don't expect to see or hear Atlas Sound there. Unless they are randomly in the crowd. But they probably won't be, since they're from Atlanta. And they're probably out supporting their own album.

Unrelated to the above bit:

Second Annual Little Rock Film Festival. Bill loves the art culture that Little Rock provides. And he would love to live in a white house again.

Unrelated to the film festival:

CPA Exam Part IV, "Regulation," starring Adam Argo and the 10 keys, starting Friday morning at 8:00 am. Admission: $250.00. Feel like cancelling or rescheduling? Too bad, you have to eat the money. Don't even think about it. Oh, and by the way, go ahead and work 60 hours this week, and every week for the next 2 months for that matter, and pass the exam too. All of that at once. Yeah. Doitch! Out! Ping! Zoing! Crack! Batman punching noises!

2008-02-11T16:52:00.000-06:00

adam: so...hannah montana. i don't get it.
me: yeah, i don't either.
adam: does that mean we are old? because we don't get it?
me: ...

and then we were referred to as "young whippersnappers" this week.

i really like our pastor's daughter. she tells us about the maple juice from the maple tree, wants to make me earrings, and plays with the candle wax.

2008-02-09T16:17:00.000-06:00

You gotta love this crazy guy with the basketball mask. With the eys cut out. He's always in the student section. Crazy.

\

"Patrick Beverly, ... probably the best motor in college basketball," the sports color analyst for Sport South said. What an animal. He is the leading rebounder for the Hogs. By "motor," it is meant that he runs like a motor. Never stopping. Just thought I needed to spell that out for you.

Also, I love this picture. Pelphrey is making his plea to the ref. Right after this, he gets down on his knees. Beautiful. Passionate.

I figured out how to take screen shots of the television. What a waste of time!

Hogs are now 12-1 at Walton. 6-2 in SEC play. Gunning for at least an SEC-West division title. Great 3 game homestand by Arkansas.

Tough week coming up. At Knoxville on Wednesday. At Starkville on Saturday.

2008-01-31T21:39:00.000-06:00

Go Day-Lewis.

Go Little Manning Boy.

WIN!

Stop, collaborate, and listen

2008-01-19T16:30:00.000-06:00

It's seems funny to sit here and type for the sole purpose of knowing someone will read it. I know in my heart that I would say something completely different if there were not an audience. [Right now I can hear my wife turning on Peter, Bjorn, and John and things clanking around on the bathroom counter top.] It seems like we all talk about and write about the things that excite us. I guess you could say that a lot of things excite me. But they're not all fun to read about.

It's 2008. I had a conversation with a co-worker about 2008. She works in "word processing" on 25, and she is basically the manager. For the most part, all official communication with clients, be it engagement letters, management letters, financial statements, auditor's reports, etc., have to go through word processing (WP). After WP goes through it, they sent it back with corrections, you approve the corrections, send it back to them, and they print a final copy. Then, if everything checks out, a partner (owner/boss/guy-that-says-jump-and-you-say-how-high) has to release the letter and it is sent out on some really, super nice paper. Well, I noticed that someone put the wrong year on a letter that had already been sent.

"Do you know where I can find this year's engagement letter?"

"Yeah, I already sent it to you. It's attached as a word document."

"Yeah, but it says January 12, 2007."

"Oh. ..."

"Yeah, it's no longer the year of 007. You know, James Bond. It's the year of 008, the wannabe James Bond."

"You know, I think there actually was a 008 in a movie."

"Yep, GoldenEye."

"It's scary that you know that."

As much as I would love to make a top 10 albums of the year list, or top 10 movies that I watched that were not necessarily released in 2007, or a top 10 busiest airports in 2007 that I visited, I am going to make a top 10 moments to look forward to in 2008 list.

There Will Be Blood opening at Market Street on January 25
NCAA Tournament at Alltel Arena
Getting my CPA license
Second wedding anniversary
Arkansas vs. Texas in Austin
Working 2300 chargeable hours to deliver unmatched client service in public accounting
Getting my CPA license
Buying a house
Designing a critically acclaimed board game that I will sell for $1,000,000
Voting for the United States President

If there had been room for an 11th, I would have said continuing with 23 years of not wearing or buying Old Spice. If you are one of those generational Old Spice guys, that's fine. I mean, I understand that you were given Old Spice by your father to start swabbing under your arms when you turned 11, and that your father's father wore Old Spice in Vietnam, but I just can't get into it. I immediately start asking people wear (or where, rather) they are hiding the dead animal. I mean, seriously, wear (gah! where, I'm sorry that I keep using the wrong word) are you hiding the tupperware-of-leftovers-turned-science-fair-project of a scent?

I wish you all a happy and prosperous year.

2008 Razorback Football Schedule (so far and unofficial)

2008-01-04T10:21:00.000-06:00

08/30/08 Western Illinois (Fayetteville)
09/06/08 Louisiana-Monroe (Little Rock)
09/13/08 Texas (Austin)
09/20/08 Alabama (Fayetteville)
09/27/08 OPEN DATE
10/04/08 Florida (Fayetteville)
10/11/08 Auburn (Auburn)
10/18/08 Kentucky (Lexington)
10/25/08 Mississippi (Fayetteville)
11/01/08 Utah State (Fayetteville)
11/08/08 South Carolina (Columbia)
11/15/08 OPEN DATE
11/22/08 Mississippi State (Starkville)
11/28/08 Louisiana State (Little Rock)

2007-11-13T12:26:00.000-06:00

It's fun to make fun of the Kansas coach, but they are 10-0 for the first time since Kansas started hanging up peach baskets and throwing leather balls through them. Yes, leather balls through peach baskets, Mr. Naismith. There is a certain sportswriter, Dennis Dodd for CBS Sportsline, that says "Right now, Kansas is the clear No. 1." He touts proudly the fact that there are 3 Big 12 teams in the BCS top 6. What a jerk. Do you even watch television on Saturdays? Can you open your eyes? But back to coaches eating players. That is funny.

2007-11-09T00:23:00.000-06:00

The number 121 has three factors: 1, 121, and 11. Tony Hawk was on that crazy show about being fifth graders at answering questions. Questions that you haven't even thought of since the fifth grade. For example ... How many factors does the number 121 have? Or, directly from the mouth of an eight-year-old ... What continent is Estonia on? Who knew that the man that contributed "You might be a redneck" jokes to the world would one day host a show about being smarter than fifth graders. I love how he reasons with the adults in between questions. I love how they glance over at the fifth graders.

Speaking of fifth graders, do you know Stephen Compston? Well, he lives in Colorado. If you talked him during the world series you might have heard that he considered, perhaps, maybe, stopping his crazed love for the Boston Red Sox. Old Mr. Fenway would roll over in his grave. You may know them as the BoSox (as opposed to ChiSox), or just plain, the Sox. Depending on your age, you may know them as the The Old Towne Team or the pre-1908 "Boston Americans." Or, from the mouth of babes, the 2007 World Champions. To think that the "Curse of the Bambino" was lifted because of the pining of a young fan in Arkansas is now a joke to me. I publicly challenge Stephen's so-called "commitment," for I've a bone to pick.

Speaking of bones, I had some toothbones cut out of head a couple weeks back. Thanks for all of you (more like none of you) that brought me soup and ice cream. I ended up having a weekend, or Saturday-to-Monday, as British people said in films in the 40's, full of college football, David Fincher films, and CPA studying. I am slowing, but surely, healing thanks to my lovely, caring wife, a nucleus of caring, Bible-believing Christians, and a syringe (a simple hand-powered piston pump consisting of a plunger that can be pulled and pushed along inside a cylindrical tube, known as the barrel, which has a small hole at the end , so it can suck liquid in and then squirt it out by the same hole) for cleaing food out of the holes that remain in my head.

Speaking of hand-powered pistons, God told me in a dream that the 2007-2008 Detroit Pistons would win the NBA Finals, the whole sh-bang, shoot the moon, if you will. Now, this divine knowledge was planted in my toothbone-hole of a head for a reason. To win lots of money gambling on this knowledge. But now that I've told you, or, rather, I've typed it on a screen and you've read it on a screen (funny how that works), the odds of gambling my way into retirement are diminished. What a might God we serve. I type that on this screen in a sincere manner.

Speaking of manners, I wouldn't have any unless I left you with a list of movies that I've seen in the last month that I do highly recommend (listed in chronological order, because it is logical to list them this way, in chronological order that is, in case you were confused about which way I was propositioning to be logical - oh, thank goodness that is cleared up):

Kind Hearts and Coronets, dir. Hamer (1949)
Strangers on a Train, dir. Hitchcock(1951)
The Night of the Hunter, dir. Laughton (1955)
Zodiac, dir. Fincher (2007)
The Darjeeling Limited, dir. Anderson (2007)
Michael Clayton, dir. Gilroy (2007)

Thanks for reading. Well, you wouldn't be reading unless I was typing, and I wouldn't be typing unless I knew you were reading, and I wouldn't know you were really reading unless we talked about it later. And we wouldn't talk about it later unless we talked later. And there wouldn't be a later unless I stopped typing. But seriously, thank you for reading. I wish this whole thing made me, in some way, feel like I was better friends with you, but these keys are cold, and they don't talk. And you don't talk either.

"It is so difficult to make a neat job of killing people with whom one is not on friendly terms." - the actor Dennis Price, as Louis Mazzini, in Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), voted the best British comedy in the history of the world by some crazy consumers of BBC media, a world news organization, of which representatives spent this current week in Springdale, AR doing a piece on Mexicans in the area. That's what they call news bits on BBC, "pieces." I think.

2007-10-25T22:17:00.000-05:00

It's fall! I really like the cold and rainy weather that we have had the last couple of days.

This is funny and slightly disturbing at the same time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMnk7lh9M3o

We are watching the World Series. I am interested.
Adam is getting his wisdom teeth out tomorrow. I am making soup!

This update is probably not everything that you were hoping it to be. sorry. Actually, no one probably even reads this, so I guess everything is A- okay and I am not sorry.

happy halloween everyone. eat lots of candy.

2007-06-30T20:49:00.000-05:00

Who can own a tree? Who can own a rock? Only the Great Spirit.

2007-06-09T14:09:00.000-05:00

To better deliver my point, I will quote Sandra Bullock's character, Annie, in the 1997 film Speed 2: Cruise Control, "Who's ready to party on the big boat besides me?"

That is the feeling that Meredith and I have as we prepare to embark on our seven day journey through the Caribs. The Lesser Antilles won't know what hit 'em when they see Captain Argo, his wife, and their Argonaut sailors pillage their port authority, torches in hand.

They'll feed on the roe of sturgeon all night long, and after they're popped full of one too many hors d'oeuvres, they'll try their luck with some morning Bingo aboard the Queen of the Sea, the Carnival Conquest!

'Twas caviary to the general," the general public, that is.

the gift that keeps on giving

2007-04-30T17:02:00.000-05:00

I went to Rick's Bakery today because I had found an old gift card that I received freshman year and I wanted a study break. I didn't know how much was on the card, but I though it was surely enough to have a muffin, donut, cookie, etc. For some reason or another, they couldn't figure out how much was left on my card. I told them that I had thought it was worth $5 when given to me, and I couldn't remember what I had bought on it. The manager man said "Let's just make it ten." He put $10 on the card, and gave it back to me. I bought a cake in a cup. And now I still have eight dollars left on the thing.
:D
I kind of want to go to bonnaroo. But, instead I think I will be trying to pass my boards.

*edit* I don't feel too good now after eating that entire cake in a cup. But I think it was still worth it- eating all of its' tasty goodness.

2007-04-24T12:07:00.000-05:00

I am trying to grow dill, parsley, basil, cilantro, and jalapeno peppers. So far, they seem to be doing pretty well. I am amazed though, because I have no experience at all with growing things.
Our fish, Trexler and Charlie, are alive and well. I am so glad because they are our only pets. :)
I feel like we are almost responsible adults now! We are keeping our plants and fish alive and we are about to graduate and move.

Dining table with 4 chairs

2007-03-23T23:56:00.001-05:00

Meredith and I are selling our dining table and 4 chairs on eBay!

..and grace my fears relieved!

2007-03-22T21:46:00.000-05:00

This was a really wonderful movie.

I am in Jonesboro right now, away from my husband. I am ready to be back in Fayetteville with him.
I also had to get two fillings today. I have always been a person of pride when it comes to my teeth. I never have cavities, and never have to get fillings. I went to the dentist yesterday and was told that I had two "potential" cavities and that I needed to get them filled. The entire right side of my face was numb/paralyzed for the better part of the day. I'm sure I was an amusing sight trying to carry on conversations with people.

energy-saving

2007-03-05T16:33:00.000-06:00

I found an article about saving energy in a magazine. There was this energy-saving checklist in the article, and while it is some of it is too expensive for us to follow at this point, it is still interesting and something that we can work towards.

-Instead of setting your thermostat to 70 degrees in the winter, set it to 65 degrees. (save $80-$100 per year)

-Instead of setting your water heater to 130 degrees, set it to 120 degrees. (save $15 per year)

-Instead of using a 75-watt incandescent lightbulb, use an 18-watt CFL lightbulb. (save 4 cents/hr, or about $88 per year if bulb is lit for 6 hrs perday)
-Instead of using a traditional computer monitor, use an LCD monitor. (save $20 per year)

-Instead of washing clothes on a hot/warm cycle, switch to a warm/cold cycle- or better yet, cold/cold cycle. (save 10 cents a load)

-Instead of washing several times a week, wash and dry your clothes back to back in one stint. (save $1 a session, or $52 per year)

-Instead of using a top-loading clothes washer, use a front-loading washer.(save as much as 40 cents a load)

-Instead of using a pre-1993 refrigerator, use a new Energy-Star rated refrigerator. (save $120 per year)

-Instead of rinsing dishes before placing them in the dishwasher, load dishes into the dishwasher as they are. (save 6,500 gallons of water or $30 per year on average)

-Instead of leaving gaps in your ductwork, seal your loose house "shell." (save $300 per year)

There are obviously so many more things than are on this list, but I just thought it was interesting, and can you imagine if everyone made an effort...how much energy and- not to mention- money would be saved?

We went camping this past weekend. It was cold. But it was a great time.

Contest madness continues!

2007-03-04T16:12:00.000-06:00

Ladies and gentlemen, it's every basketball fan's favorite time of year: MARCH! March means the SEC Basketball Tournament and the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

2007 SEC MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT CONTEST

Moments ago, the SEC tournament bracket was released and I want to see who can pick the winning teams.

Click here for details and to enter.

NCAA tournament contest will be put on hold until the bracket is released on Slection Sunday (March 11).

Grand prize winner...

2007-02-28T08:15:00.000-06:00

Stephen Compston, Oskar Winner

Congratulations, Stephen Compston

2007-02-26T09:37:00.000-06:00

And the winners of the Oskar Contest are ...

1. Stephen Compston (17 points)
2. Adam Argo (14 points)
3. James Miller (13 points)
James Bushey (13 points)
Andrew Dodson (13 points)
6. Todd Habiger (12 points)
Meredith Argo (12 points)
8. John Schellhase (11 points)
Jessica Bridges (11 points)
Andrew Poole (11 points)
Crosby Hipes (11 points)
Kendall Moss (11 points)
13. Sawyer Beaton (10 points)
14. Spencer Lee (9 points)
15. Jacob Martinka (6 points)
16. Jon Anderson (5 points)

Here were Stephen's picks, I think he cheated:
bestpicture: The Departed (2006): Graham King
bestactor: Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland (2006)
bestactress: Helen Mirren for The Queen (2006)
bestsupportingactor: Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
bestsupportingactress: Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls (2006)
bestdirector: Martin Scorsese for The Departed (2006)
bestoriginalscreenplay: Michael Arndt for Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
bestadaptedscreenplay: William Monahan for The Departed (2006)
bestcinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki for Children of Men (2006)
bestediting: Thelma Schoonmaker for The Departed (2006)
bestartdirection: Nathan Crowley, Julie Ochipinti for The Prestige (2006)
bestcostume: Milena Canonero for Marie Antoinette (2006)
bestmusic: Gustavo Santaolalla for Babel (2006)
bestsong: Henry Krieger, Willie Reale("Patience") for Dreamgirls (2006)
bestmakeup: David Martí, Montse Ribe for Laberinto del Fauno, El (2006)
bestsound: John T. Reitz, David E. Campbell, Gregg Rudloff, Walt Martin for Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
bestsoundediting: Alan Robert Murray, Bub Asman for Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
bestvisualeffects: Mark Stetson, Richard R. Hoover, Neil Corbould, Jon Thum for Superman Returns (2006)
bestanimatedfeature: George Miller for Happy Feet (2006)
bestforeignfilm: Laberinto del Fauno, El (2006)(Mexico)
bestdocfeatures: Davis Guggenheim for An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
bestdocshorts: Ruby Yang, Thomas Lennon for The Blood of Yingzhou District (2006)
bestshortanimated: Roger Allers, Don Hahn for The Little Matchgirl (2006)
bestshortlive: Ari Sandel for West Bank Story (2005)

Stephen, send me a picture of you so I can put it here for a week.

Oskar Contest 2007

2007-02-24T17:26:00.000-06:00

Hey peoples. If you plan on entering the Oskar Contest, you only have until tomorrow (Sunday) at 6:59pm CST. There have been 15 entries to date. I'd like for there to be at least 5 more to make it 20. You know who you are.

Oskar Contest

when two hearts race, both win.

2007-02-21T16:50:00.000-06:00

-dove chocolate wrapper

Tomorrow is my last day at the elementary school where I work! Or, 'have clinicals,' I guess I should say. But I should be getting paid..all in the name of education, right? haha, even though it doesn't sounds like it, I love it there and will miss it very much when I do not go anymore.

There is a movie called 'The best years of our lives' that we watched the other night. I think that it is a great movie. It was touching, sincere, sweetly funny, and it is about three different soldiers who come home from WWII and their families.

I hope everyone is having a great week. Adam is excited that you have been entering his contest.

We love you all.

Adam Argo's Oskar Contest 2007

2007-02-15T12:21:00.000-06:00

*Update 2/20* There have been a total of 13 unique entries to the contest to date. 5 days to go.

click here to enter, play, and win!

and, if you'd like to stimulate interest,
post a link on your own blog.

p.s. am i allowed to enter my own contest? the contest outcome is completely independent of my capability, power, and authority. i think i should be allowed to if i post my entry to the general public prior to the official oskar winners announcement has been made via the telecast. i would be interested in your comments.

Man and Wife: It had to be you ...

2007-02-14T09:25:00.000-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day

(It's snowing.)

We can make it better ... pull ourselves together ...

2007-02-13T11:35:00.000-06:00

Today, I went to the Washington County Courthouse, walked through a metal detector, and assessed my Honda. The clerk handed me a pink slip of paper, steered me down the hall, past the guards, and to the tax officer, where a teller stamped my pink piece of paper and directed me to the Revenue office on Razorback Road. There, I paid for the sales tax, license plate/tags, and registration on the Honda. Ellen was the sweet little lady that helped me there. She and I discussed how when we were children, we didn't give much thought to taxes and couldn't wait until we were "all grown up, because then there would be lots of money everywhere and no bed times." I agreed with a chuckle as I listened to the sound of my hand tearing a check from the book. "Thanks, Ellen, have a nice day." Now, I am an adult.

A gentle touch speaks volumes.

2007-02-12T14:54:00.000-06:00

It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring

2007-02-12T09:02:00.000-06:00

Give a listen: Beirut Lon Gisland EP

I can't tell you how impressed I am by Mr. Beirut, Zach Condon. He's 20 years old, and he's from New Mexico, but now lives in New York. 20!

This is my new car. It's raining so you get a shot from the balcony. It's a 2002 Honda Accord LX. I am excited about it. Freddy Argo went through a lot to help me buy it.

Have a great week.

"Writer's Block," seriously, dude.

2007-02-10T16:51:00.000-06:00

It's Friday night and we're going to the movie store. I laugh more often now.

Domestic life has been good to us.

Ginger cookies. A little baking soda goes a long way. Don't forget the molasses.

Albums I have recently listened to (alphabetical by artist):
Air Pocket Symphony
Animal Collective Here Comes the Indian, People EP, Prospect Hummer EP, Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished, Sung Tongs
Arcade Fire, The Neon Bible
Beirut Gulag Orkestar
Cat Power The Greatest
Coleman, Ornette Sound Grammer
Deerhoof Friend Opportunity
Deerhunter Cryptograms
Dylan, Bob Modern Times
Explosions in the Sky All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone
Knife, The Silent Shout
Loney, Dear Loney, Noir
Long Winters, The Putting The Days To Bed
Magnolia Electric Co. Fading Trails
Malkmus, Stephen Face The Truth
Menomena Friend and Foe
mewithoutYou Brother, Sister
Mountain Goats, The Get Lonely
Music From The Motion Picture, Barry Lyndon
Newsom, Joanna Ys
Of Montreal Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
Panda Bear Person Pitch, Young Prayer
Peter Bjorn And John Writer's Block
Rolling Stones, The Beggars Banquet, Exile On Main Street, Sticky Fingers
Shapiro, Sally Disco Romance
Shins, The Wincing The Night Away
Soft Drugs, The In Moderation, Family Of Four
Spektor, Regina Begin to Hope
Springsteen, Bruce Nebraska
Van Dyke Parks Song Cycle
Various Artists Eccentric Soul: The Deep City Label
Yo La Tengo Electr-O-Pura
Young, Neil Prairie Wind
Ward, M. End of Amnesia

2007-02-09T10:40:00.000-06:00

Ok. This is number zero, Gary Ervin, shooting the 2. This shot goes in. But that's my head to the right of the basketball. Adam Argo. Front page of the sports section. Right there. Bud Walton Arena. Third row. Boo yah.

today.

2007-02-08T16:23:00.000-06:00

7:00- I thank the Lord for the hot water in my shower and for my husband who loves me.
8:00- I arrive at Vandergriff Elementary School. My nurse is not in a good mood, but I feel like I am going to have a pretty good day.
9:15- I teach 120 5th graders about scoliosis and tell all of the girls that they will be getting tested next week. I am able to command their attention fairly well and they listen to me intently. Their reactions to the video are priceless. They all ask me good questions at the end, which hopefully will give me some "good job" points in my instructor's eyes. :)
12:00-I really love these children. After spending so much time talking with them and with my nurse, I have learned many of their stories, and my heart both breaks and fills with love for them.
1:30- An autistic boy in the 5th grade comes to the office in tears because he is scared that he has scoliosis. I almost cry because he is so worried possibly due to something that I had said, and I take him to the back room and check him so that I can help calm his fears. I desperately just want to hold him and tell him it is ok. I want to hold all of them. Everytime one of them comes in, crying over something that is seemingly tearing them apart, I want to hold them.

There are so many children here that need someone to show them love, and what the love of the Father looks like and feels like. I pray that just for the small amount of time that I see them, I can convey that love to them and that they will know there is a Father who loves them more than any person on this earth ever will.

2007-02-07T15:14:00.000-06:00

Bob Dylan's "The Man in Me" covered by David Bazan

2007-02-06T19:54:00.000-06:00

This is a photo of my fingerprints, for which I paid $5. I am also going to have to pay $47 for a background check to prove that I am not a criminal, in order for me to become a nurse. I hope they don't find out about that time in 1988 when I snuck into Die Hard at the Malco in Jonesboro.

This is a picture of me visiting the coffee mecca earlier this evening. This FLAVIA machine is full of delicioius choices to choose from and is sure to whett the curiosity of the most keen coffee drinker. Even Adam, my coffee loving husband, enjoyed the visit. Thank you, The Cliffs, for not spending all the money you had in erecting the icey ziggurat.

This is evening is full of much cajolery.

Blackgammon

2007-02-06T12:57:00.000-06:00

It doesn't bother me that Spencer and I spent the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl playing Backgammon. Because, as John noted after Prince's light show finished, we "got what we came for." I promise this is not a blog about board and card games, but if it were, I would be okay with that. This game is so new and foreign to me, but I love it. You roll the dice, move the pieces, put your opponent "on the bar," and try to move off all of your pieces before your opponent can move her's. The pieces are called "checkers," and each move is called a "pip." So try not to lose all of your pips, genius. Here is a picture of the set I receive for my birthday.

I want to rent Antoniono's 1975 film, "The Passenger." It was re-released recently and The Movie Gallery (of all places) has a copy of the DVD to rent.
Meredith and I have been drinking a lot of tea lately. It's a nice change from coffee for a little while. My favorite kind is Bigelow's Green Tea with Lemon.

NCAA Basketball is heating up. It's February, so that means March Madness is right around the corner. After a disappointing display of turnovers Saturday, the Razorback's tough loss to Kentucky at home, Arkansas have put themselves in a situation that will be an uphill road to 65 from here on out. It may even be an uphill road to the NIT for that matter. We playhost the Auburn Tigers in Walton Arena on Wednesday night. Ticketholders with seats to spare usually stick their extras on the wall outside Bud Walton. I may take my chances with that plan. If not, LFS will have coverage of the game on the ol' ears. Until then, I've got to read some Business Law.

Why not help me do it?

2007-01-19T21:01:00.000-06:00

As you can see, the red peg (Adam) is all the way to the right. The green peg (Meredith) is lagging far behind. Yes, I have won the championship outright: 7 games to 3. Cribbage. A gentleman's game. A game not to be associated with riff-raff games played in taverns and boat dock shacks. No, it is a riff-game played by white-collar workers in country club bars. A game shared by pharmacists, lawyers, and doctors while smoking cigarettes after retiring from their practice. A game played every Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas by Argo families far and wide. "The stink hole is a dark place. It's a dirty shame," Bill Argo would say. And that is exactly where he'd leave you.

vandergriff is fun-deriff

2007-01-17T15:31:00.000-06:00

Today, I got to take care of sore throats, hurting tummies, itchy eyes, headaches, and one bloody lip. I took many temperatures, and even managed to explain what "engaged" means to a 5 year old who told me that I looked awesome after she rearranged my hair. (She asked me this after a series of questions about the two rings on my finger.)

I like taking care of people. and playing with kiddies.

School is going to be hard this semester, but hey..I'm on my way out. "It's all in how you handle it."

a lot to be thankful for.

2007-01-13T17:16:00.000-06:00

It is an icy day, but our hearts are warm and we are blessed.

Adam's birthday was on the 7th, and I made a chocolate cake!

Our friends are wonderful to us, and our lives are all the more merrier with them around. Thank you, friends. We love you.

We recieved a digital camera for Christmas, so hopefully we will liven up this blog with a few pictures every now and again.

Happy 2007 everyone!

I need to make a list!

2007-01-10T22:12:00.000-06:00

Spades
BCS
Modelo Especial
Patrick Beverly
Samsung
Auditing
"W.F.A. 8-1-81" Measuring tape
Little Rock, AR
Carnival
Cribbage
President Bush speech
Billy Wilder
Work Schedule
ERI
Hog Haus
Lawrence, KS
Explosions In The Sky
Taxes
NCAA Tournament
Indianapolis
David Lean
John Norwood
$545.00
Amtrak
According to Jim
Treadmill
"Drop trow"
Olives

2006-10-29T17:18:00.000-06:00

This past Thursday, Adam accepted a job in Little Rock with a public accounting firm, so we will be moving in late May/early June! We actually drove down to Little Rock yesterday for a Razorback game, and drove around some. It is so big to me! It will definitely be so different from Fayetteville, but we are excited about this new adventure! Now, I guess the next thing will be for me to find a job there, which is overwhelming to think about already.
The leaves have started to change into their beautiful fall colors- if only the weather would STAY cool. It was so warm today. I can't wait for the cold, I am ready!
One of my clinicals is in a nursing home here in Fayetteville, and I am having a hard time enjoying it. Every week, I discover things that are not quite how they should be, or nurses who don't do what they are supposed to. It frustrates and angers me, because I just don't understand how this is going on, and no one seems to care because it is a 'long-term facility'. What does that mean??! Anyway, sometimes I wonder if I should work in a nursing home so that I could take care of the residents and push people to raise their standards in their caregiving. It breaks my heart, and I'm sure I could go on and on about this. I love caring for these residents and helping them. I hope that I do not become like these nurses after I have been out in the real world for a few years. I mean, I understand that everything is not 'by the book' but...sometimes I wonder why these people are even nurses?

2006-10-05T16:01:00.000-05:00

Well, it has been so long it took me forever to remember my password!
A little update on our lives at the moment:
Adam has been interviewing like crazy! He has already had like, 7 interviews..and he has still more to go! We are pretty excited about all of the possibilities, though. Next week, he is going to visit some different accounting firms in tulsa and little rock, and they are even putting him up in embassy suites. wooo!
I have been studying (what's new?) and looking at allrecipes.com(such a great website!) and whatnot. I need a new hobby other than studying though, because I think i do it too much. I need friends. haha. no, i just mean that I miss hanging out with girls, and I hate that nursing school has TAKEN OVER MY LIFE. But it will all be over in a few months, hopefully, and I can have a somewhat-social life. :)
I don't know if anyone reads this thing, but I would like to know how to cook/bake pumpkin.

love, Meredith Argo

2006-09-15T20:56:00.000-05:00

I had three days in a row of clinicals this week, and man...I totally just came home and crashed for about 3 hours. Adam is going to the game in Nashville this weekend with his dad and grandpa, so he left right after work today. He called me at 5:30. You know when people call you and wake you up and you insist to them that they didn't? Well, when someone calls and wakes me up, I say a lot of strange things, and later I can't remember what I said. All I know is that I thought that I had slept until saturday night, and I remember freaking out inside for a few seconds until Adam calmed me down and convinced me that it was still friday. I'm telling you, when I get less sleep, I am weird.
Anyway, so I am by myself this weekend until sunday! I think it will be fine, and the only thing that will be strange is sleeping by myself for two nights. I just hope our crazy neighbors don't come yell at me. :)
Grey's Anatomy is my new fav. show. I never have a "show" that I have to watch every week, so this is a new thing for me. We have rented the first two discs of the new season that came out so that we can finish all of them in time for the 3rd season. I like the show, what can I say.

enough of the reading already.

2006-08-28T20:55:00.000-05:00

Well, the first week is behind me! Dr. Barta is killing me with all of the reading in my Child & Family Nursing course. I don't think that I have read this much in such a short amount of time in my life. At least I am somewhat interested in the material, though. We have had at least 120 pages for every class with a quiz every day over the reading. Today I sat in Arsaga's at the Fayetteville Public Library for close to 4 hours without even getting out of my chair. I had a large coffee. My legs were shaky when I finally got up and left. I have gotten around 5 hours of sleep the past few nights. I am tired.
Sorry -I did not plan on writing this to complain. I am trying to toughen up! I guess I just forgot how tired I was all of the time last year. I am having a not-so-nice wakeup call.
I have to find a "senior consultant" to meet with over the semester to talk about health. I have to teach them something. They have to be at least 70 years old.
Friday night, I was able to hang out with my dear friends, Jessica and Emily. They are so fun to talk to and be around. I value our friendships.
Saturday, we (Adam, Hope, and I) all drove to LR too see their cousin, Hannah, get married.
Well, this has turned out to be quite a choppy post.
Oh, my car is in the shop again. It's ridiculous- all of the things that can go wrong with cars, that is. Who needs 'em anyway? I think I am just going to start walking.

fall semester begins!

2006-08-21T12:21:00.000-05:00

Today was my first day back into the grind of nursing school. Here are the official names of my classes: Nursing Concepts: Older Adult and Illness, Professional Role Implementation V:Manager in the Older Adult Setting Clinical, Nursing Concepts: Care of the Child and Family, Professional Role Implementation IV: Teacher, and Management in Nursing.
I am actually pretty excited about the Child and Family course; I have enjoyed the reading assignments so far..I hope that I continue to like it!
My name has successfully changed to Argo throughout the university's network, so now I am the first one to be called on for everything...such as attendance(which startles me everytime, because I have always been next to last practically) and professors also seem to like to call on the first name on the list to answer questions like,"what is your goal for this class?" and " what is the most valuable idea that you have learned today?" I was very unprepared for this today. I don't think I have ever been called on so much in one day. Is this what it's like if you have your name as the very first one on the list?
At one point in one of my classes, the professor had everyone stand up that had gotten married this summer. There were 6 people, including me. I thought that was interesting. I felt weird standing up. Like I mentioned before, I am not used to this kind of attention in class.
On to other things.... everyone should go to the Fayetteville Public Library. It is wonderful, and you are missing out greatly if you have not been. I just read 'Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man' by Fannie Flagg. It was nice, because it was very light-hearted and entertaining (and hilarious at times). I am interested in reading some of her other books. I also just finished reading this series by Francine Rivers that followed the lives of Tamar, Ruth, Rahab, Bathsheba, and Mary. I can't remember their names though. They were short, but wonderful. It sparked a new interest in some Old Testament books that I haven't read in awhile. So, I have pretty much crammed as much reading in as I could this summer, because from now on, my nursing books tend to take up my reading time. I love reading good books so much. I just get lost in them, and I think they are wonderful.
As you have probably already read, Adam's family came and stayed the weekend with us. They are such a funny and loving family, and I love them. It was such a good time.
As I was driving to school today, I drove by several kindergarten and elementary schools, where I saw many children and their parents walking to school. The parents were taking pictures of their kindergarten kids on their first day at school. It was such a sweet thing to me seeing this at 7:20 this morning.
I have been playing cribbage with Adam almost every day lately. I have been getting very good..even beating Adam several times. And that is definitely something to say, because Adam is very good.

Free Television

2006-08-18T08:17:00.000-05:00

We don't pay for cable television. We don't. But that doesn't stop us from watching a few select stations. We have a giant set of "rabbit ears" that pick up NBC, ABC, CBS, and PBS. In the morning we sit on the couch, eating our cereal, watching Good Morning America and the local news. Last night, Thursday night, we watched the 2-hour Grey's Anatomy special. It's a pretty good show, as far as TV shows go. It doesn't matter if it's a great show or not, because it's free television. So this is me telling everyone to discontinue your cable television service, purchase a $9.00 set of rabbit ears, and switch to the Cox internet that is only $24.95 a month. Then, use the money that you save from not paying for a crazy cable bill and put it in a savings accont in order to go on a cruise for 7 nights to celebrate your college graduation. There.

My family is driving in tonight. I think we are going to grill some cheeseburgers for them when they get here. I'm pretty excited.

Yesterday morning, I took Meredith to breakfast. We went to The Sweet Spot Bake Shoppe on 6th Street. It's in that building that also has Mexico Viejo in it, next to Electric Cowboy. I know you ALL know where that place is. Support local restaurants.

Now I have to go. The Good Morning America Summer Concert Series is about to present Christina Aguilera.

Enjoy your last weekend before the fall semester. Don't go see Lady in the Water.

All that's left is duty.

2006-08-17T00:07:00.000-05:00

Good morning.

Meredith and I drove to Jonesboro last Friday and had a pleasant stay. We drove home on Tuesday morning in order to make it back in time for work that afternoon. It was a great visit with both of our families. Saturday morning I played golf with my dad and Meredith's dad and her brother. I am terrible, but it was a great time. It was about 75 degrees at 8am and the mist in the air made my father-in-law compare the setting to the British Open.

It was great to be able to stay and sleep over at each others' houses. It was a very relaxing weekend. Skipping work on Monday has made for a short week at work. But I have enough to keep me busy. When Mer and I got back to Fayetteville I had an email from one of my professors telling me that I was supposed to finish a new website for Beta Alpha Psi, an Accounting club that I am an officer in, by the first week of school. I did some work on it this morning and I hope I will be able to scrounge up a "prototype," as my teacher called it, by the first officer meeting.

Beta Alpha Psi is hosting a career fair of sorts in September called "Meet the Firms," in which 13 accounting firms will be on campus hosting interviews to fill positions throughout the surrounding areas. Hopefully I will be able to dress sharp enough and shave close enough to impress the smartest of interviewers. I am a University man, an institutionalized business student, a product of the system. I have been trained to follow down a particular career path, to strive for the highest-paying salary, and to sell myself as a packaged product. My father-in-law and I discussed a scenario in which companies got together to bid on an employee, but sadly, that is not how it works.

Tonight, Mer and I ate dinner at the Ward's apartment. James was there too. We had manicotti. Man, was it good. We had a great time being with true friends. After dinner, Marc and I played a "team" game of Donkey Kong Kountry for SNES. It was fun while it lasted, but every good party must end. James wouldn't believe me when I told him that Terrence Malick is working on a project with Mel Gibson named "Tree of Life." He chooses not to believe it. I don't care if he believes it or not, because in 2008, I will be watching a Terry Malick movie starring Mel Gibson and Colin Farrell. Supposedly, Malick began working on the film in the summer of 1978 under the title "Q," but it has resurfaced under the title "Tree of Life." Any Malick film is guaranteed to be pure gold. This one is rumored to have a $150 million dollar budget. I read online that is being filmed in India and Austin, TX. I really hope it has a huge "Creation of the Earth" theme and has Colin Farrell walking around in Eden. I don't really hope that.

After leaving the Ward's, we went to Hog Haus to celebrate Stephen's birthday. He turned 22 and I stood up and gave a toast. Happy Birthday, Stephen. I talked to Austin Bell and Nick Rhodes (How do you spell your name?) and Stephen about playing golf soon. Stephen used to work on a course in Rogers and they still let him and his friends play for free. That is the only reason I am friends with him. Happy Birthday.

Class starts Monday. This will be the start of my second-to-last semester. My parents and my two sisters are coming to Fayetteville this weekend to stay with me and Meredith. They are really coming to move my sister Hope in to her new dorm, but it will be good to spend some more time with them and have them stay at our apartment. It's still funny to say "our apartment," because it still very new to be living with Meredith. It is absolutely wonderful to say to people, "This is my wife. We live together. We got married in June. We love each other."

Let's all enjoy the time we have together. Let's say the things we want to say and not let moments pass without saying them. Let's tell stories with our friends and kiss our loved ones. Let's stay up past our bedtimes and sit under summer moons playing cribbage and drinking tea. I told someone tonight that this has been the "best summer of my life," and it was true.

oh, to laugh at work.

2006-08-10T10:59:00.000-05:00

This summer, I have been working at a daycare/preschool at the Methodist church on Dickson. It's quite a lot of fun, because I love the kids I work with and because they are very amusing.
Here are some quotes..
"Do you want to see how run I can fast?"
"When are you going to get done brooming?"
"This is my song Mrs. Merduf, this is my song!!"(said in response to a rap song on the radio, right before excessive dancing ensued...making me wonder, where did they learn to dance like that? they are 4 years old!!)
"awesome! Awesome! AWESOME!!!!" ( they boys can't seem to stop saying this for at least 5 minutes straightwhen they are playing 'hot wheels'...it is said in this really funny voice that is impossible for me to imitate.)
"hey, my mommy has that ring!"
"I have a little baby boyfriend!"
"I like to move it, move it. I like to...MOVE IT!" (they sing this ALL of the time.)
"Can you call mommy to come pick me up?"(first thing a little girl told her dad when he came to get her in the afternoon.)

Seriously, these kids make me laugh everyday. It has been a very frustrating, yet enjoyable experience working with them this summer. My last day is next Thursday before school starts, because I can't fit it in my schedule to work there once clinicals begin. But it has been really fun to me. I like kids alot. I'm thinking about maybe doing some kind of pediatric nursing. I don't know though. It's just a thought.

a new journal, a new entry..

2006-08-07T10:21:00.000-05:00

We had a very eventful weekend. Friday, Adam surprised me and took me to Lawrence, Kansas to the Bleeding Kansas Arts & Music Festival. It was very fun being surprised, and going to a new place that we had never been before. We stayed at the Golden Rule Motel, where we think that someone siphoned(sp?) some of Adam's gas overnight in the parking lot. Weird. However, we decided that if they needed it that bad, they must have had to get somewhere important, so we would let them have some.
We ate at the Free State Brewing Company, and headed out to the Festival. Now, I will have you know that I had a great time overall at the Festival, and getting to see Mates of State was definitely worth the trip and the heat. But for the first 3 hours we were there, it was probably 100+ degrees, and I was roasting. It was pretty miserable, and I am not one for sitting out in the sun with this kind of heat. But, at around 5, it cooled down to probably about 90, and it was much more tolerable because of the increasing clouds. But back to Mates of State....they were so good!!Adam had never seen them live, and I think that he liked them too. We also got to see Broken Social Scene, Appleseed Cast, Keane, Death Cab for Cutie, and some other bands thatI didn't recognize, but that Adam knew and liked. All in all, it was a wonderful day!
The next morning we ate breakfast at this awesome local bakery, and got some bread to take home! I LOVE homeade bread (we got wheat walnut raisin) and I am very excited about eating some.
Last night, after we got back into town, we went to see Talladega Nights, which we liked very much. It is funny, and worth going to see at the theater. We went to Rogers and ate at On The Border, were I ate tooo much and was punished later, but we got a FLAT tire on the way back home! However, Adam changed our tire, and all was well. I'm just glad it didn't happen on the way home from Kansas.
(I spilt coffee on the laptop. I'm sorry Adam! Now none of the keys will work!) We are going to Jonesboro this weekend, and it will be the first time we will have seen anyone since the wedding, which should be nice.
I wish we had another month of summer left. I love just being married and going to work and not having to worry about school or homework. It is wonderful, and it makes me look forward to graduating when it can be like this again.