T-Bud in W4W@PC

Finalement!

2006-12-03T00:20:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends,

This my final post. You’ll find me here:

T. Budnik: No More Searching For Things I Can’t See. I’m Living.

This is my regular blog. Here you’ll find postings about books I’ve read, my travels, and other interesting things that happen to me. Occasionally, you’ll find a birthday story posted. It's a special treat because if I don’t write a birthday story for you, you can at least enjoy other people’s.

December holds a lot of promise. I have a break from school the last two weeks. This means donating blood with the possiblity of more bruising, hiking, a day road trip, and Christmas.

Hope to see you there.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Sundays I Write Letters

2006-12-03T00:13:00.000-05:00

RE: RECURRING DREAMS

Dear Birdie,
You’re a little late commenting on this entry, but nonetheless I thank you for leaving some dream definitions. Prior to reading the definitions, I figured that jogging meant I was content with how things are going in my life. Not that I won’t be making any transistions in the seemingly near future, but that I feel like I’m on the right track. As far as the old and the woman definitions, I don’t know.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: DO YOU THINK IT’S A SIGN?

Dear KBezzie,
At first, I, too, was thinking, “what old woman?” Then, I remembered my dream. I don’t think I’ll be asking her about the old woman because of Birdie’s insightful definitions. I want to use my free question wisely.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Mom,
You can’t cramp my style if you don’t get it right. It’s “I kid because I kare,” not “I JOKE cause I kare.”

KBezzie wasn’t talking about you, unless you do want to claim to be the old lady in my way on the sidewalk in my jogging dream.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: THINGS I’LL NEVER LEAVE BEHIND

Dear Mom,
I am stopping this blog because it was created for a class and the quarter is coming to an end. Rest assured, you will be updated on my straight and narrow life. You can look to my other blog. I am answering your questions in this letter.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear KBezzie,
Sing it sister! You are right, I do have my old blog for which I am already planning new things. Yes, it does seem I was the only one in my class to fulfill the requirement of writing every day. This is addressed in my reflection of the class and blog assignment.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: Book Review

Dear Mom,
You need to expand your personal literary canon. You read my stories, don’t you? And you enjoy them, right? Don’t tell me that you only like my stories because your own flesh and blood wrote them!

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear KBezzie,
Is Quilt Lit akin to Chick Lit? Is there any Man Lit? You ready for it? Here it is: Man Lit is just literature. Man Lit doesn’t need to be distinguished because it is Literature. See, women can relate to Man Lit, but men can’t relate to Chick Lit. It’s the same bullshit that makes a square a rectangle, but a rectangle not a square. Why the hell can’t we all just be people and polygons?

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: NABLOPOMO REFLECTIONS

Dear Mom,
I read all of your comments with the “Mom Voice” in my head. All I have to do is add “Hey, I’m coo’!” and I burst out in laughter. And then the Mini-Mom in my head breaks out in one of her signature dances. Birdie knows what I’m talking about.

What I’m getting at is that I appreciate your comments.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear danelle,
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I hope to see you here often. Of course, I’m changing back to my regular blog, but there will be a link.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear KBezzie,
My daily entries ended on Friday, as you know now. My classmates shouldn’t have been required to create a blog. No?

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear kim,
I have bookmarked your blog and will visit it again. And then maybe again after that.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: REFLECTIONS ON WRITING EVERY DAY AND W4W @ PC

Dear Mom,
Lord knows that you kept up with me! I’m going to have to send you one of my books one of these days. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it’s one that I actually enjoyed. And then, your mind will be blown.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear KBezzie,
Yes, Mom does have a comment-competitive streak in her. She also has a beedie car-competitive streak in her. Although, I think she’s missing an out-of-state-license-plate-competitive streak because if I remember correctly, I whooped her boo-tay in that game on our road trip.

I’m glad that you enjoy my not-so-subtle dig. You’re right, they’ll probably never read it.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

PS. No, I don’t want to be a skank-mouthed copywriter. I’m already a skank-mouthed person. You know how I don’t like my personal and work worlds to collide.

RE: I DID IT!

Dear KBezzie,
Isn’t that little elf Will Ferrell from “Elf?” That’s who I thought it was. Which reminds me, I have that movie—props go to Bub—I’ll have to watch it sometime soon.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Mom,
Geezus. It’s “I KID because I KARE.” You can’t cramp my style if you’re not going to do it properly. Haha!

You need a blog. Make it a quilting blog. Perhaps you could find some people to sponsor you underground. And then you could pretend that you always say things like, “I love using GUTERMANN HAND QUILTING THREAD (available in 64 colors). But my hand is starting to hurt from all of this sewing (and because I’m old). I bought a HANDEZE THERAPUTIC CRAFT GLOVE. It works like a dream! My needle hand feels fantabulous!”

Seriously.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

I did it!

2006-12-02T01:58:00.000-05:00

Reflections on Writing Every Day and W4W @ PC

2006-12-01T01:37:00.000-05:00

Look at my first entry. I hate writing every day. I decided to be a good sport and do it anyway. For the sake of the class, it wasn’t worth it. Click on any of the links to my classmates’ or instructor’s blogs. They didn’t do the assignment. For the sake of the class, this blog was worthless. In addition to not keeping up with their own blogs, these people didn’t even keep up with my blog. My stat counter indicates very few hits from the Atlanta area.

Because I had to post every day for this blog, I was willing to participate in NaBloPoMo which as I stated before gives me a sense of a blogging community—something I felt I was lacking before. For the sake of NaBloPoMo, this blog was worth it.

As far as saving my soul, this blog didn’t do it. The fact is I already have a blog I post to periodically. I have a couple of physical journals I’ve kept up since I started college. I’m going to tell it like it is: I’ve been a full-time student for 14 years. While, that doesn’t mean I have a degree in education or anything worthwhile, I can tell you that I know how I learn. All I’ve ever done in my life is learn. I don’t need to do things I know aren’t going to work for me.

W4W @ PC was enlightening. It was an introduction to commercial writing that isn’t ads. That I appreciate. The more I go down the advertising road, the more I think that it’s not quite for me. Not that writing isn’t for me, I just don’t want to end up a slick, skank-mouthed copywriter spewing shit that “stuns” people and stands out for the sake of standing out. And as I continue along this advertising road, I’m learning how to distinguish that which is good and that which is standing out just for the sake of it.

I can’t say that I was excited about all that was W4W @ PC. A lot of the exercises took me back to my English 314 Technical Writing days. I don’t really want to spend time summarizing. Not that I wouldn’t do it if I were getting paid, but English 314 was a breeze so if there’s nothing new to teach about technical writing, then, well, leave it alone.

Anthem, oh, Anthem! I didn’t really care for you. I know that in a million years, I will never, ever want to write for said magazine. I know that in a million years, Anthem magazine will never, ever want me writing for them. Urban is not me. I don’t understand it. I respect it as a lifestyle and the art that comes from it. My Alaskan mind just can’t get wrapped around it. I buy my clothes from JCPenney and Lands’ End. I listen to NPR and watch the Food Network. The people reading this magazine probably think I represent everything that’s wrong with this world.

You gotta take the good with the bad: that’s W4W @ PC. Good: being exposed to commercial writing that isn’t advertising. Bad: tedious tasks (oh, and maybe the fact that the scope of the large project wasn’t very clear until the very end).

Enjoy!
T-Bud

NaBloPoMo Reflections

2006-11-30T12:08:00.000-05:00

I stumbled across the NaBloPoMo event by hitting the random blog button in Blogger. Someone had just joined and was discussing the month-long event. It was almost midnight on Halloween when I read about it and I contemplated it on my own, but didn’t decide to do it until after discussing it with KBezzie via MSN Messenger. By the time I figured I’d give it a try, it was well after midnight. KBezzie helped me out. She’s a time zone behind me so she sent an email entering my url before midnight.

Throughout November I’ve used the NaBloPoMo Randomizer to scope out other participants’ blogs. All are very interesting and it was fun to see how many people had actually kept up with posting every day. Some hadn’t, but a lot had. I even received at least two comments from other participants who found my blog via the randomizer and felt my blog was interesting enough to leave a comment. I, too, did this with a couple of blogs.

Keeping up with my Stat Counter, I saw that I got a lot more hits. A majority of these hits came from either the NaBloPoMo Randomizer or from Google searches. Because I’ve been blogging daily, there’s a lot of content on this blog thus increasing the number of Google search hits.

So, I didn’t make any blog friends through this program, but it was fun to participate in something larger than the community I belong to. I felt like I belonged to the community of NaBloPoMo-ers who all were simultaneously blazing the daily blogging trail.

If NaBloPoMo happens again next year, count me in.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Book Review: Things You Should Know: A Collection of Stories by A. M. Homes

2006-11-29T00:10:00.000-05:00

My favorite thing about this book is the badger/penguin on the cover. The stories weren’t great. Most of them tried to go beyond reality, but for me, didn’t go far enough. In the end they just seemed contrived—as if the author was trying too hard to make things work.

A lot of the stories included the raunchy. Now, I’m not an opponent of raunchy, but I want raunchy with a reason. I couldn’t find any reason for the raunchy some of the stories touched. In the end, it seemed like the author used raunchy ‘cause she could.

The story that I came the closest to liking was “Rockets Round the Moon.”

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Things I'll Never Leave Behind

2006-11-28T12:57:00.000-05:00

Sorry folks, I'm out of things. What did you expect from a chick who was able to pack everything necessary into her Ford Taurus and move 5,634 miles?

Here's a sneak peek at some noteworthy forthcoming entries:

November 30th: NaBloPoMo ends. Reflections on participating in an event that is larger than PC.
December 1st: My last day of classes. Reflections on writing every day and Writing for Web (W4W). The last daily blog.
December 3rd: Final issue of "Sundays I write Letters" at T-Bud in W4W @ PC and information about my regular blog.
December 4th--16th: Catch me if you can. I'll be wrapping up projects and heading off to critique.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Do You Think It's a Sign?

2006-11-27T12:04:00.000-05:00

Getting into my car after work yesterday I found this wedged in the driver's door. I did a quick check of other cars in the parking lot. There weren't any other flyers wedged into any other doors. I surveyed the ground to see if there were any abandoned flyers. Nope.

Do you think it's a sign? Do you think Virgina felt something coming from my car and strategically placed one of her flyers in my door where she knew I'd see it?

The last line says that I can call for one free question. What should I ask?

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Sundays I Write Letters

2006-11-26T00:26:00.000-05:00

RE: GO FORTH

Dear Mom,
I’m glad that you plan to enjoy your day. Congrats on beating KBezzie to the comment.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear KBezzie,
Yes, people are lucky to have in-laws and parents to hang out with and bitch about. I had a delightful Thanksgiving going out to dinner with some friends and making my Christmas cards. No bitchin’ needed.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: THINGS I’LL NEVER LEAVE BEHIND

Dear KBezzie,
I do enjoy that suggestion. It’s true. I believe Ma Mère and I put a roll or two of toiletpaper on board for our road trip. I was under the misconception that there would be outhouses and bushes throughout the Lower 48 like in Alaska and Canada.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Mom,
If anyone catches a peep at the many self-portraits I’ve done, they’d think I was egotistical anyway. Of course, maybe I’m just trying to be as cool as Chuck Close. His self-portraits aren’t egotisitcal, they’re just plain fun.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear snoskred,
First, thank you for visiting my blog. Second, thank you for the suggestion because lord knows that there’s a lot that I will leave behind. I can start with my craptacular futon.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: CRISP FALL AND TOOTSIE POPS

Dear Birdie,
Does it still take the same amount of licks to get to the tootsie center with these flavors? No. It takes longer because who’s eager to chomp on some disgusting blue raspberry or green apple candy? No one.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear KBezzie,
I know I didn’t get a star. I couldn’t go back and get a free one. Of course the weird Cartridge World guy offered me two. Who-wee, that guy is weird. He’s one of those people who tells you more than you’d ever care to know.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: IT’S NOT A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE

Dear KBezzie,
Last year I would have called her directly, too, because we had all talked about the search. Good luck on this year’s search.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Mom,
I checked one more place—no luck. I’ll keep my eyes peeled. Good luck on the search.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: CH-CH-CH-CHECK IT OUT! NO. 07

Dear KBezzie,
I’m diggin’ the tabs. Although, I will admit I’m prone to go down to my task bar to change the window. I haven’t gotten 100% used to the tabs.

And, whew, I wasn’t the only one with a favorites button problem.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: RECURRING DREAMS

Dear Mom,
The recurring dream with the change is all about you. Probably because I own you big money. Haha!

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear KBezzie,
I can’t believe you have jogging dreams, too. How weird is that? Are you enjoying the jog in your dreams? Because, I am. It’s funny that you’re still dreaming of Palmer wind.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Recurring Dreams

2006-11-25T12:06:00.000-05:00

There are a few recurring dreams I have. Finding coins and being extremely late were standards for quite some time. I don't know if I've had a coin dream recently and I've probably had the late dream since I've moved to Atlanta.

I have a new one: I'm jogging. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not a jogger, runner, whatever. I'm a walker. Sure, I've contemplated giving jogging a try, but every time I really think about it, I remember how horrible it is. Why I'm jogging in the dream is beyond me, but I am. And it's at a nice, easy pace. I'm not breathing hard; I'm not straining. It's quite enjoyable--if I could be sure that real jogging would be like this dream jogging, I'd for sure take it up. The last jogging dream I had was a couple of nights ago. The only variance in this one is that there was an elderly woman on the sidewalk that was in my way (I'll call this a symbol of Ma Mère. Haha! I kid because I kare!).

Anyone care to guess what it means?

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Ch-Ch-Ch-Check it out! No. 07

2006-11-24T12:18:00.000-05:00

Alright, folks, this isn't about three websites. It's about Internet Explorer. A few days ago, my computer prompted me to download the latest version of this program. "Oh alright," I sighed clicking the "Download Now" button.

Oh sweet heaven! Have they been spying on me? Because this version is pretty much what I've been needing. It's as if they were like, "T-Bud, we've noticed your Internet habits and we want to make it easier for you," way before I even knew that my Internet experience could be improved.

At first it wasn't happy. I couldn't find my favorites. A little "Help" research led me to the bright star button on the left side of the tool bar. Then, I discovered the tabs. If you like to have multiple pages open at one time because you're like me and don't think linearly anymore, then you'll notice that your task bar gets a little cluttered (sorry Mac users, I'm not really talking to you). These Internet Explorer tabs are different windows. All while only having one window showing on the task bar. My only complaint is that when I click on a link that opens a new window, it doesn't start a new tab, it opens a new window on the task bar. Beggars can't be choosers.

Here's a screen shot:

Notice that I have three websites open but only one Internet Explorer window on my task bar.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

It's NOT a Christmas Miracle.

2006-11-23T12:12:00.000-05:00

For a very long time Ma Mère has been collecting the M&M Holiday tins that come out every year. There is a Peanut and Plain tin. By now she's got a whole M&M village and us kids have to shake half a dozen of these tins to figure out which one she's got her chocolate stash in. For the past couple of years she's been having some trouble finding the peanut tin. Last year, we all had trouble finding the peanut tin. It was shortly before Christmas when I participated in the search. I figured being in a huge city, some big box store was going to have it--Wal-Mart, Target. Nope.

After waiting 3 hours for my car yesterday, I had to do some shopping so I decided to start the search early. Everyone knows that Christmas items have been on store shelves since Halloween, but everyone also knows that no one has really started to buy it. I envisioned me excitedly dialing my older sister in the store, "Hey, do you know if Ma Mère has her peanut tin yet?" Or, calling Ma Mère directly.

Well, folks, my dream did not come true. Can you believe it? One Wal-Mart and one Target do not have these tins. Oh sure, Target has their special Target edition M&M jars, but no tins.

It's not a Christmas Miracle.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Crisp Fall and Tootsie Pops

2006-11-22T15:24:00.000-05:00

I had you all fooled that perahps I forgot to post today. There was no midnight posting. That's because I went to bed super-early last night. I wasn't feeling well (mentally) and I had to get up super-early this morning. So, I went to bed at 10pm. I awoke in the middle of the night and checked the time. It was 2am and I thought, "Hmm...I'm usually just going to bed right now."

Yesterday was a beautiful day. It's chilly here in the great state of Georgia. I had to drop off some ink cartridges off at Cartridge World to be filled. Because it's only really a couple of blocks away, I walked. I was able to walk in jeans, my fleece jacket, and my red "T" hat without getting sweaty. The only time I was uncomfortable was when I went inside. At Cartridge World, I got a free Tootsie Pop. Instead of choosing a color I like (red or orange) I was attracted to the color of this wrapper.

When the hell did Tootsie Pop start making Blue Raspberry? Gross. I ate it anyway, though. I had no chocolate in the apartment.

Oh, and if you're wondering, I had to get up early today in order to take my car into the dealership for its oil change. Of course I was roped into the 60,000 mile maintenance package. $324. I probably have "sucker" written on my forhead. BUT, to my defense, I did make them knock about $200 of stuff I know I didn't need. Screw you, mechanics, I can buy my own air filter and change it free of charges for labor. And, I have to say I was displeased with the fact that if they did indeed put more coolant into my car, they didn't put a whole lot--and I even asked for it.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Things I'll Never Leave Behind

2006-11-21T00:16:00.000-05:00

Oye. I'm getting tired of this series. I'm still going strong as far as blogging every day goes, but I'm running out of things I'll never leave behind. It's getting harder and harder to think of something--and then I wonder if I have that many things that are worthy of always having with me.

With that said, I present to you this:

Nope. I do not have this 19x24" collage self portrait with me. The portrait is representative of myself. T-Bud is one thing that I'll never leave behind. Geez, this should have been the first thing in this series.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Go Forth

2006-11-20T00:12:00.000-05:00

Quite a few encounters with people on Sunday left me asking, "Do these people have no joy in their lives? Is there nothing that brings them joy?" They just gave off that vibe. It was Sunday. Lordy. I can tell you what I'd be doing with my Sunday if I wasn't occupied: I'd buy me a newspaper and read the funnies and ads thoroughly and skim the rest. I'd hang out in my pajamas until 11am. I'd have waffles or pancakes for breakfast. Maybe I'd listen to those Sunday morning NPR shows I used to. Or, I'd listen to the bitchin' Sunday morning show on an Atlanta rock station. Maybe I'd run a few errands. Do a little laundry for the new week. Write in my journal. Write a story. Write. One thing's for sure, if I wasn't occupied, I'd be taking time to enjoy my day.

Go forth and enjoy your days.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Sundays I Write Letters

2006-11-19T00:19:00.000-05:00

RE: CH-CH-CH-CHECK IT OUT! NO. 05

Dear Ween,
Thank you for visiting my blog. I'm sure your Christmas gift recipients will be thankful that you visited my blog, too, once they receive their Turd Twisters.

Please tell them to exercise caution when using. If something goes wrong and medical treatment is needed, that's a tough one to explain. The "one-in-a-million-shot, doc" excuse won't work.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: SUNDAYS I WRITE LETTERS

Dear KBezzie,
I don’t know why you have to pee on innocent non-breeders. Geez, leave them alone. I guess I’ll have to be the happy breeder who defends them (because by the time you’re old, I’ll be a breeder).

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Mom,
You’d think KBezzie is getting old already with her grouchiness, huh? I guess the whole red and purple thing is a question for her.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: PEEPING AT T-BUD

Dear Birdie,
I figured if anything you’d be peeping at your cat. I have to tell you that I changed my background. I now have Lazy Mountain on my screen. Hey, what a coincidence: Lazy Mountain and Pig is a lazy cat.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear KBezzie,
Very good observation (about Pig). And, I must correct one thing: I don’t get hot easy. The fan is for my computer—it get’s hot easy.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Mom,
I think if anything I will give away my picnic table. I can’t imagine charging anyone for something I paid a whole $15 for and used for two years. Do you want it?

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: THINGS I’LL NEVER LEAVE BEHIND

Dear KBezzie,
You know you love the attention your Nippon shirt and your nipples bring you. No joke.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Mom,
I think you probably do remember that box. Some Hello Kitty dolls came in it. And Johannes's cat with the removable eyes—Johannes still had that cat when I left.

I am full of the devil. Don’t you know it. Be happy that I just have a couple of weird devil things and I have yet to get a devil tatt.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: FINAL EXAM BOB

Dear Nik Budnik,
Thank you.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear KBezzie,
Nik Budnik educated me about blunt bobs when I got that haircut awhile ago. She says blunt bobs are hard because they have to be very exact. Other than that, I don’t know. This is supposed to be a graduated bob.

The chin cutting does make the experience. Unfortunately, I’m asking myself if I should stop opting for the “better story.” One time it really was a mistake and I can't help wondering if I'm missing out on something genuinely good.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Mom,
Your self-haircuts scare me. I don’t think I could ever do it.

Oh, there’s one thing I haven’t told you. I AM a model. Oops! Forgot to mention that one. Thank you for the compliment.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: DEAR SWEET JESUS!

Dear KBezzie,
I’m glad you enjoyed the link. I saw it and was like, how can I not inform KBezzie about this. Perhaps your calling is to write about this topic?

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Mom,
Don’t freak out. I sent KBezzie a link about having a tightwad Christmas. KBezzie, being a tightwad, I knew would be interested. Don’t worry, you’re always kept in the loop about everything that is important and relevant.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: CH-CH-CH-CHECK IT OUT! NO. 06

Dear KBezzie,
I didn’t recognize a whole lot of names. But, my PE/Health instructor is still there. THANK GOODNESS! Haha.

Um, I’m pretty sure that my Nanook could kick your UNC Bear ass. You wanna know why? Because Nanooks are superior. Plain and simple.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Mom,
You should write a memoir about a nonexistent education. Make your reader ponder if you ever really got an education if your school doesn’t exist. Oh, high school is pretty nonproductive. It’s because you still live with your parents, can’t make your own decisions, and pretty much don’t know anything. Can I trade my 4 years of high school in for 4 years later in my life?

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: BOOK REVIEW

Dear KBezzie,
First, you ARE a genius. Second, it is late, but those pieces are really only my favorites because the authors’ names are similar to mine. I like anyone with the first name of “Theresa.”

Sincerely,
T-Bud
P.S. I kid because I kare. I really worry about people with the name “Theresa.” I’m afraid they’ll give us Theresas a bad name.

Dear Mom,
What time is it there? I forgot to push back the clock in my car. Now I have to subtract an hour to know what time it is in Alaska. What are you saying about the books I read? If you got a problem with it, we can take it outside and settle it my way.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Book Review: The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2003 Edited by Dave Eggers

2006-11-18T00:24:00.000-05:00

Finalement! An excellent book. This really is worth reading. There’s great stuff in it. Weird stuff. Stuff you don’t get to read anywhere and stuff that everyone else raises an eyebrow to and says, “I don’t get it.” It isn’t all short fiction. There are personal essays, journalistic pieces, and even a comic. Is it any surprise that David Sedaris has a piece in here? Unfortunately, I had already read his “Rooster at the Hitchin’ Post”—it’s in one of his collections.

My dad calls a bacon and egg breakfast a “Rib Sticker” because it’s a meal that sticks with you. Perhaps I can call this collection a “Brain Sticker” because it’s going to be with me for a while.

My favorites: “The Littlest Hitler” by Ryan Boudinot; “Visiting Hours” by Judy Budnitz (who grew up in the ATL--chick-a-chick-a-wha); “A Primer for the Punctuation of Heart Disease” by Jonathan Safran Foer; and “How to Write Suspense” by James Pinkerton.

Enjoy!
T. Budnik

P.S. For all of my nonexistent fellow classmate-bloggers, this is not the article I am writing for the magazine project despite the fact that it is the same topic.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Check it out! No. 06

2006-11-17T00:29:00.000-05:00

Since I was 5 I've been a student full-time. It's only now that I'm going to school year-round that I've been able to work a single job for an entire year (before the closest I came was being on leave without pay--LWOP--while I was in school). In honor of my student status, I give to you my alma maters. Sorry Portfolio Center, I'm just not done with you yet.

Palmer High School

I'm sad to see that my favorite English teacher isn't listed on the staff page. But, Wolfgang Winter is. If I remember correctly he was cool enough to call me down to his office during my Spanish class simply because I wanted to. Check out that photo of the school. Those mountains are all real, baby! There's no photoshop in those. Damn, I miss the mountains.

University of Alaska Fairbanks

U-A-F--NANOOKS! U-A-F--NANOOKS! Not much interesting to say about this. Fairbanks is a cold town. Hockey games are fun. And, watch out for that English Department.

Academy of Art University

When I started, it was just a college. This was probably the best damn thing that happened to me during my undergraduate years. I earned a "Foundations in Advertising Online Award of Completion" from this school. I kid you not, that's what it's called. Basically, I took four courses (spread over the course of two summers and my senior year of college) that introduced me to advertising and needed skills . I love, love, love the fact that I did this all online. They were damn good classes, too. From my AAU instructors I received a whole hell of a lot more attention than from instructors I've sat in the same room with for three hours a week. And, for everyone who complains about high tuition, try shelling out $1500 for one (1) class.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Dear Sweet Jesus!

2006-11-16T00:23:00.000-05:00

Next Wednesday: The day no one wants to do anything because
Next Thursday: Thanksgiving.
Next Wednesday and Thursday: No school, no meetings (hopefully), and no work.
Next Wednesday and Thursday: Sweet, sweet nothingness.

I know, I know I signed up to go to school full-time and work part-time and I do enjoy being this busy, but a person has to enjoy a day off. Besides, I'm going to try to get my car in for an oil change on Wednesday and shop for Christmas card supplies (and it's not like I'm NOT going to do any work for school). On Thursday, I'll be putting those supplies to use. Thanksgiving really is just a weekend to get all of the Christmas stuff out anyway.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Final Exam Bob

2006-11-15T00:13:00.000-05:00

Here it is: the final exam bob. The woman was really nervous. She cut me with the scissors. I felt a pinch on my neck/jaw and figured it was just a pinch. When I came home, I was cleaning off a bit of the hair that was still on me and noticed a small dried drop of blood. Nope, not a pinch, but a small cut.

It was a free haircut. I've already been complimented. What do I have to complain about?

Oh! A coloring student asked me if I'd be a model for his final. In a week or so I may get free highlights!

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Things I'll Never Leave Behind

2006-11-14T00:01:00.000-05:00

Mon frère, who spent a couple of years in Japan, sent this little gem in a care package to my family. Thankfully, I was able to claim it. Johannes got the cat with changable eyes.

I guess the devil is supposed to scare away bad spirits. It lived for a very short time in the back window of my parents' sweet, sweet Escort. Then, it hung in my dorm room where it frightened visitors until I explained it. Now it resides on my wall next to my desk.

It'll probably follow me to any new destinations.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Peeping at T-Bud

2006-11-13T00:16:00.000-05:00

Inspired by mon frère, Johannes who has posted a picture of his dorm room, I've decided to post a picture of my "desk." As most of you know, I use a portable picnic table for a desk that I bought at Sports Authority for $15. It's been a damn good desk for an entire year and I won't be upset when I ditch it when I move.

I love seeing photos like this. I love looking at little details and coming to conclusions about the person who belongs to the space. Be my guest and draw some conclusions about me.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Sundays I Write Letters

2006-11-12T00:24:00.000-05:00

RE: SUNDAYS I WRITE LETTERS

Dear Mom,
Congratulations on beating KBezzie to the comment. Walking is a big city thing because generally there’s good public transportation. Although you can hop on a bus or train, you still have to get to a stop or station. And to grocery shop, you roll a cart down the sidewalk.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear KBezzie,
Those of us without children do define those of you with children solely on your kids. Haha. Oh, I kid because I kare.

I’m proud to be a single non-breeder. That’s my status on “MySpace.”

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: NABLOPOMO

Dear Mom,
I do sleep. My sleep has been pushed back by a couple of hours due to my work schedule and the fact that about 6 days a week I do not need to be up before, well, noon. (I get up around 8am.)

Congratulations once again.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear KBezzie,
You are the first participant in NoBloCoMoMo. I like saying that.

I did not create the seal. I chose it from the NaBloPoMo website. I chose it based on the fact that it looks like a Nanook. Are you aware that they are no longer the “UAF Nanooks?” The are officially the “Alaska Nanooks” because UAF wants to claim all collegiate sports for the state. I told Birdie she should consider transferring.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: THINGS I’LL NEVER LEAVE BEHIND

Dear Birdie,
I’m glad that you’re not a liar, because then your pants would be on fire. I know that you were always jealous of Aunty Flabby. You created a bond with Pig only to mimic the bond Spider and I had.

Pig’s a good cat, nonetheless.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Birdie,
You corrected that before I could pull out my red pen.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear KBezzie,
Congratulations. I knew that someone was going to mention that she slept on my butt. So what? Do we need to discuss what Springs does to you at night?

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Mom,
I know she was getting old. Don’t encourage KBezzie. She’ll want to eat Pig.

I hope you had a good day at work.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear KBezzie,
That would be dishonoring the furry dead. When you're old and peeing on things, I will never, ever fault you for it.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: THINGS I’LL NEVER GET TIRED OF HEARING

Dear KBezzie,
That’s double ‘O,’ as in “Ooo-ooo-ah-ah.”

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Mom,
You can be Gammy.

Don’t ask me about the blood disorder. I’ve only repeated what I’ve been told. Sometimes I wonder if people are doing to me what I enjoy doing to them—leading them to believe things that aren’t quite true.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: BANANA STICKERS

Dear KBezzie,
I am starting a mental list of these great minds. Soon, I will have enough for a movement or revolution. It’s a pleasure to have you on this list.

Dearest Belita also thinks Bobby Banana is cute. It’s Anthony Apple. I’m so, so sorry.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Mom,
You know that my bowl is not a joking matter. If you broke my bowl, I’d be devastated—until I collected enough stickers to make another one.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Melissa,
First, welcome. Thank you for leaving a comment.

Please watch out for those stickers! I wonder how long it takes to digest them—everyone knows that it’s absolutely true that it takes 7 years to digest gum.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: ANTHEM MAGAZINE ONLINE TREATMENT

Dear KBezzie,
We thought about that. We want our magazine to be more of a conversation. Commenting on an article should be more like participating in a dialogue.

Thank you for offering a suggestion on this.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: CH-CH-CH-CHECK IT OUT NO. 05

Dear Mom,
I’m a step ahead of you. Please see Birdie’s comment.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Birdie,
You miss my gifts, no? Who else gives you racy holiday cards? Oh! I miss giving these gifts!

Don’t get a papercut trying to makeout with your paperdoll.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear KBezzie,
You’re Mrs. Depp bag gift to Birdie was pure genius. In Budnik Christmas history it will be right there next to the Old Navy Tech vest Gene gifted me.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: 10AM TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2006
Dear KBezzie,
Yes, a guilt-tripped comment is better than a spontaneous one (when no one in my class comments).

Sincerely,
T-Bud

10am Tuesday, November 14, 2006

2006-11-11T00:35:00.000-05:00

That's when I'll be getting my haircut. I got a call from the student who cut my hair last time. She seemed a bit frantic. It seems she's taking her final and needs a bob model. I will be that hair model. She went as far as to move around some of her other hair models so that I could be available for the haircut.

Here's the kicker: this is the second time she's taking her final. Am I worried? Nope. She's a student; I'm a student. We all have to help each other out. Maybe one day I'll be desparate and some kind person will help me out. (At least, I'd like to think that by being a hair model I'm being a kind person.)

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Ch-Ch-Ch-Check it out! No. 05

2006-11-10T01:41:00.000-05:00

This week’s theme: websites with the potential to make a person laugh.

Turd Twister
When I was in high school and early college, I’d fall asleep listening to Dr. Drew and Adam Corolla’s radioshow, “Loveline.” I’m pretty sure that’s how I heard about this.

Jesus appears on the backside of a beloved pet!
I heard about this one from a co-worker. I have to admit, though, since I’ve witness this miracle, I’ve been looking at a lot of dog butts and they all have Jesus on them.

Gail’s Paper Dolls
Finalement, here’s one I came across when I was trying to find some paper doll reference when I was creating my college graduation announcements. That’s right, folks, you can download Johnny Depp and enjoy him in all his 2-dimensional goodness.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Anthem Magazine Online Treatment

2006-11-09T10:47:00.000-05:00

Anthem Magazine Online

DESIGN OBJECTIVE
The objective of Anthem Magazine Online is to provide readers with a more absorbing magazine. The readers will be able to read complete articles and view all of the pictures featured in the current issue. Alongside the articles will be a blog where readers can comment on the article and share information about relevant issues, ideas, events, or art. Anthem Magazine Online will be a community for the readers. They will no longer be readers reading alone. They are reading with other like-minded people, sharing interests and opinions.

CREATIVE TREATMENT
The main page of the magazine will be a directory to the main sections of the magazine: Letter from the Editor, Forward, Features, Style, and Backwards. Links to these sections will be photographs. As each section is chosen, a sub page with more photo links to each article will appear. After clicking onto a particular category, the navigation system becomes a sidebar with smaller photo links to each sub page and remains a sidebar menu within each article.

At the bottom of the articles is a bar that streams recent comments on the article. When the bar is clicked on, it expands to cover half of the screen and displays all of the comments that have been left, along with input boxes for readers to submit their own comments. The comments feature can be minimized back down to the streaming bar. Each article is visually rich and may be published on multiple pages. The comments remain the same on each page of an article.

Text links to the “Letter from the Editor,” “About Anthem,” and “Subscribe” pages will be on every page. Readers will then easily be able to access that information and will not have to search for it.

FORWARD
Spotlights in style, music, art, and film are in the Forward of the magazine. The spotlights are relatively short. They introduce readers to new and unknown artists. The main page of this section is a collage of photo links that direct readers to the mini-articles for each genre. Multiple spotlight articles are placed on one page so readers can compare and contrast.

FEATURES
The main articles of the magazine are in this section. It is the meat of the issue. The main page of this section is a collage of photo links that take readers directly to each article. If the length of the article warrants, readers will have to navigate through two to three pages to read the entire article. It is here where the comments are most important. Feature articles are in-depth stories about style, music, art, film, and photography. The subjects of the articles can focus on socially responsible art or artists, and political art or artists. Here is where the readers will share their comments about the movements in art, their political views, and share ideas or reveal other similar art or artists.

STYLE
Style is visual. The articles in this section are all photographs with text crediting designers. Like the Features section, the main page here is a collage of photo links taking readers directly to individual articles. The blog element here is not as prolific, but is still present so readers can communicate.

BACKWARD
As the Forward’s twin, this section gives information on new events or products. Like the Forward, the main page of this section is photo links directing readers to pages collaged with the mini-articles all dealing with the same genre (such as film, books, art, music, or style). The comments bar will be present.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
The letter is accessed from a link on the main page. The purpose of the letter is to share the editor’s perspective with the readers as well as maintain a certain level of authority for the content of the magazine.

CONTACT INFO
This page is accessed through a text link that remains constant on every page of the magazine. It is a simple listing of mailing address and email address.

ABOUT ANTHEM
The page describes Anthem’s mission and gives the nitty gritty about the magazine: who publishes it, who the contributors are, who maintains the site, etc.. “About Anthem” is accessed through a text link that is on every page.

SUBSCRIBE
There are input boxes on this page for readers to enter information to start a subscription or to renew. While new readers will have to access this page through the main page text link, current subscribers can access their information, renew, or change their subscription by clicking on the text link that remains on every page in the magazine.

Banana Stickers

2006-11-09T00:33:00.000-05:00

Today I went to the grocery store to buy some fruit for my lunches this weekend. It seems that people sometimes get a kick out of what I eat for lunch when I'm at work, so I’ll tell you. A peanut butter (no jelly) sandwich, a piece of fruit (I prefer peaches, nectarines, and plums), and either a granola bar—“chewy bar” to some of you—or a geedunk. I guess peaches, nectarines, and plums are out of season and I’m not an extreme fan of apples, plus there’s a high rate of getting a ranky apple, so I settled with bananas.

ANYWAY, this was the sticker on one of the bananas.

I inspected the other bunches and they all had a sticker of Bobby Banana wearing pilgrim garb in a couple of different poses. What’s up with this, Dole? Chiquita owns banana mascots. I just did some research. It seems this Bobby Banana is part of the 5-A-Day gang. The question I’m left with is this gang of fruit with alliterative names working? Are kids eating their fruits and vegetables?

ANYWAY, ever since I made my fruit bowl, I can’t throw away fruit stickers. On my refrigerator you’ll find a magnetic notepad. There are no notes written, just fruit stickers. Check this out. If only these promotional stickers were used more often. My fruit bowl does include some “The Grinch” movie orange stickers, so that counts for something.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Things I’ll Never Get Tired of Hearing

2006-11-08T01:35:00.000-05:00

This past weekend a customer told me that he liked my moves. It was pretty funny. I thought to myself, do I like being told this? The answer is, yes. Inspired by that comment I present to you a list of things I’ll never get tired of hearing. These are all things people have told me.

“I like your moves.”
“You have beautiful eyes.”
Any positive comments about my glasses.
“God you have beautiful hands!”
“Where are you from?”
“Are you from the Midwest/Canada? You talk like you are.”
(These last two I like because it gives me the opportunity to tell the person I’m from Alaska which is a way better story than I could ever make up.)
“T. Budnik.”
“T-Bud.”
“T.”
“I’m going to call you T. Bone.”
“We’re having chicken for dinner.” (Chicken, did you say chicken?)
“You’re evil.”

Conversely, there are a couple of things I don’t ever want to hear again and didn’t really want to hear in the first place. Once again, these are all things people have said to me.

“I have your picture on my screensaver.”
“Do I know you?” Oh, a pick up line, I’ll play along.
“You look like my friend who has a blood deficiency, but she’s a bit shorter.” Nope, not a pick up line.
“I’ve got to go change my plumbing.”
Referring to breasts as “sacks of fat hanging from the chest.”
“You don’t intimidate people with your personality. It’s your overbite.”

“I want to write a book on my life.”

“You’re an angel.”

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Things I'll Never Leave Behind

2006-11-07T01:05:00.000-05:00

Ah, Tuesday. This week's item:

My dead cat's collar. It resides on my rearview mirror. So, it really is something that I never leave behind. Spider was my only cat. She was great. Everyone thinks that cats are fickle--that they never do what you'd like them to do. Spider was different. If she was under one of the beds in my bedroom, I could call her and she would come out. She slept with me every night. Then, one day my sophomore year of college, I checked my email to find a message from my dad. He informed me that they had her put down because she wasn't doing so well. A few days later, I received her collar in the mail.

Here we are the day before I left for college:

I can only hope that any pet I get is as good as she was.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

NaBloPoMo

2006-11-06T00:19:00.000-05:00

I said I’d be a good sport about writing daily. And I am. I joined National Blog Posting Month.

Enjoy!

T-Bud

Sundays I Write Letters

2006-11-05T00:30:00.000-05:00

Can I offer you some coffee, hot cocoa, or tea? Well, really I only have hot cocoa and water from the tap. Are you sure you don't want anything? At least have a seat so we can properly chat.

RE: SUNDAYS I WRITE LETTERS

Dear KBezzie,
I must state that if someone is romantically single with children, the proper way to note them as such is “single mother” or “single father.” Anyone who is romantically single without children is “single.”

I generally hate magazine sites if they’re just an accompanying a print version. I need meat to my Internet reading.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Mom,
I have not come across many people who craft here in The ATL (chick-a-chick-a-wha). Shoot, there isn’t even a good craft store. The art supply stores kind of crossover into craft stores, but because they are art supply stores, everything is pretty much overpriced. So, I am no longer surprised that we couldn’t find Threads here.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: THE BEST MAIL DAY EVER

Dear KBezzie,
Yes, the chicken come peacock is fantastic.

I generally don’t get bills in the mail. I do everything online. Ah, so much easier.

Williams & Sonoma catalogs are good, no?

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Mom,
Such is the life living in a fairly empty nest. To my credit, I changed my mailing address for pretty much everything. I just have to get them to stop sending credit card applications to that address.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: THINGS I’LL NEVER LEAVE BEHIND

Dear KBezzie,
Haha! Now you know how it feels when people talk about things that never happened when you were around or old enough to remember. There’s a whole set of “old place” and early 320 memories that only you big kids have.

Perhaps it’s best you never were around when this devil was made.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Birdie,
Good god! I forgot it was a French-speaking devil. Makes sense because I drew the devil right in the height of my Frenchy-era.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Mom,
I do enjoy my wooden devil. He stands at attention to the side of my computer speaker and right next to the polar bear pez dispenser you sent me last Christmas. (The pez dispenser still has candy in it—there’s another keepsake for you.)

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: CHARACTER SKETCH

Dear KBezzie,
Deborah went on strike. Anything for an extra day off.

Don’t be jealous of my Taurus.

Sincerely,
T-bud

RE: I LOVE THIS CEREAL.

Dear KBezzie,

I don’t think they put this kind of cereal into bags. Although I like to save money, who ever said that I like to waste less?

I kid because I kare.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Mom,
I like that: I didn’t grow up poor, just enlightened. I don’t think that they put the same cereal into different boxes. Otherwise, the name brand cereal would have had just as many almonds.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: CH-CH-CH-CHECK IT OUT! NO. 04

Dear Kbezzie,
Yes, what a buttmunch.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Mom,
Hey, don’t diss on my bookmarks. I chose three sites that I don’t visit regularly. These were just sites that were getting dusty.

Do you belong to an underground quilting cult?

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: THIS TRAFFIC IS MAKING ME CRAZY.

Dear KBezzie,
I will tell it. You know what else makes me crazy? People who drive BMWs, Mercedes, etc., and only go about 25-30mph on Peachtree. The speed limit is 35mph and if there’s no traffic, you can easily go 45mph. Come on, fancy car drivers, don’t make me pass you in my super-sweet Ford Taurus.

You’re gonna have to work the math on that gas problem. I don’t do math problems like that anymore. Not since the English Majors’ Math I took my freshman year.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Mom,
Here’s the funny thing: you walk to work and you live in Palmer. Walking to work tends to be a big city thing. Not for you.

I sure hope you’re crossing at the light. Arctic can be dangerous. I remember the good ol’ days before they put the light in. Many times I’d make a run for it and hope the motorists going 45mph on the 35mph road would have the courtesy to stop for me or at least slow down.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

This traffic is making me crazy.

2006-11-04T10:49:00.000-05:00

How about this: it took me 40 minutes to get to work on Friday. On good days, it only takes 15-20 minutes. Why did it take this long? Someone thought that it would be a good idea to close Peachtree northbound down to one lane just past Piedmont. At 11:30am.

Holy moo cows. Sometimes I wish there was a winter here and hence construction would cease.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Ch-ch-ch-check it out! No. 04

2006-11-03T01:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday!

I decided to take a trip down My Favorites Memory Lane and share a couple of the websites I bookmarked over a year ago. This promises to be fun.

Site officiel du musée du Louvre
This one I have titled in my bookmarks as "14th Century." Why? I have no clue. At first I thought that maybe I had bookmarked this page for some research I had to do for my French Literature class my junior year of college. Then I remembered, I didn't have this computer until I was a senior. Perhaps research for an English class? Nope, because since I've had this computer I haven't taken any classes that deal with 14th century literature. And I don't know how this would have helped me if I had. So, enjoy this site with the microscopic type and if I remember why I bookmarked it, I'll let you know.

F(airbanks) N(orth) S(tar) B(orough) Department of Transportation
You'll get to this site if you click on "Fairbanks Bus Schedule" in my favorites. On a side note, for those who don't know what a borough is, it's basically a county, except in Alaska our boroughs aren't as small as ones here. The borough I grew up in was the size of West Virginia. Anyway, check out the schedules. The Red Line will take you to the northern-most mall and the Blue Line will take you to Fred Meyers. Please note the buses stop running around 7 or 8 at night and DO NOT run on Sundays. The design of this site is in true Fairbanks style.

Poems about Drinking
This one is listed by the same name in my favorites. The reason why I have this one bookmarked is because I read these poems at a staff meeting at my former job. It's probably a long story, but I would start out the weekly staff meetings by reading a poem. Kind of a strange thing to do in a legal office, but I was told by a couple of people that it was their favorite part of the meeting. Every once and a while I read original work (not poems). I personally like all the yellow on this site. You can't be yella' about using too much yellow.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

I Love This Cereal.

2006-11-02T10:52:00.000-05:00

My eating habits are a bit strange. I eat in phases. The summers during college I was a yogurt eater. I'd eat it for breakfast. My time in Atlanta started out that way, but I soon turned away from yogurt in order to eat cereal. There was a period of 3 or 4 months when all I ate was Coco Puffs. But, before I even finished the economy-sized bag I had, I decided I was done with Coco Puffs and turned to non-chocolate cereals.

Honey Crisp Medley and Multi Grain Crisp are the best cereals ever. A few weeks ago, I bought the name brand of these cereals because they were in fact cheaper. Gross. The name brand Honey Crisp Medley was supposed to have almonds in it, but I was lucky if I got two almonds in one bowl. Kroger's Honey Crisp Medley's almond population is high.

Some people have problems buying off brand food items. I don't. ('Cause I grew up poor.) And, sometimes, it pays off in nuts.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Character Sketch

2006-11-01T23:51:00.000-05:00

I said I wouldn't post the character sketch that I used for my use case, but what can I say, I've got nothing to say today.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

DETROIT TEACHER, 35

Deborah Tuttle works as a high school teacher and has done so for the last thirteen years. She hates every minute of it. The kids bring her down every day. She never wanted to be a teacher in the first place, but what else does a history major do with herself? For the past ten years she’s been trying to get a master’s degree in something so that she can earn more money, but finding the money, time, and, most importantly, the motivation to go back has proven more difficult than any master program would.

She didn’t always live in Detroit. She actually grew up in Rapid City, South Dakota surrounded by dinosaurs, reptiles, and dead presidents carved into a giant blob of granite. When high school graduation rolled around in 1989, she drove off to Capital City, Michigan—Lansing. There she attended Michigan State University, which she had confused with the University of Michigan. Instead of a big ‘M’ emblazoned on sweaters, she got a big ‘S’ and a giant terra cotta Spartan statue in the middle of campus.

That was her first set back. The second was realizing that not everyone who gets a Bachelor of Arts degree in history can work for the History Channel. In fact, they didn’t even call her for an interview when she applied for an administrative assistant job. Not wanting to take this disappointment, Deborah (who, by the way, despises being called “Deb,” “Debbie,” “Little Debbie” or having her name spelled D-e-b-r-a) packed her bags and headed to what she thought was the hippest, happening town in the mid-west: Detroit. Deborah forgot that she had driven through Chicago on her way to Lansing.

GM pisses her off. She hates their factories, she hates their brand, and more than anything, she hates their cars. Every time she passes by the GM plants or a dealership, she raises her middle finger in a salute and shouts, “Fuck you, Detroit!” Deborah drives a Volkswagon Beetle, which just so happens to be her crowning glory. On the dash she has a Mt. Rushmore bobble-head and claims that it’s superior to all other bobble-heads because it has not one nodding head, but four. The Beetle gets Armour Alled once a week and goes to the car wash once a month. The car wash isn’t one of those put-the-quarters-in-and-drive-through deals either. Someone wipes every part of her shiny green Beetle with a cloth.

Deborah belongs to an underground quilting cult. This brings her happiness. These women meet monthly, but also keep up via cyberspace on their quilting blogs. They share patterns, techniques, and pretty much stitch n’ bitch about everything from their husbands to their students.

Ms. Tuttle is single. She had a serious boyfriend once in Rapid City. They kept their relationship up while they were in college, but for some god-forsaken reason, he ran off to Canada to pursue an MFA in Creative Writing. She told him that if he left the country, he was leaving her. He didn’t seem to have a problem with it.

Every Christmas is celebrated back in Rapid City with her parents and her three older brothers. They party it up Rapid City style—decorating the lawn with miniature wire dinosaur sculptures covered in little lights that slowly swing their head back and forth. They go to church on Christmas, the only time Deborah ever does. And, they bake cookies and cakes, eat a lot, and get tipsy on egg nog. This is the highlight of Deborah’s year.

Deborah Tuttle is done with history. She works furiously at not being bitter about the History Channel anymore and wants to do something else. Deborah’s also done with teaching. Her dream is to become a famous quilter. She mastered the Log Cabin way long ago. She’s been working on experimental quilting—bringing in materials other than just the regular cotton or radical polyester some quilters use—like various GM symbols stolen from cars. One day, she wants to have her own art show. She wants her quilts displayed in galleries. She wants to tour universities and give talks about her work. She wants to be on the Today Show. Matt Lauer is her dream man. Al Roker is hilarious. And that hootchie, Meredith Viera should have stayed on The View. She knows that if she was invited to do just a two and a half minute spot on the Today show discussing her quilts, they’d want her. They’d give her a regular spot where she could comment on various movements in folk art across the country and the world. She just knows.

Things I'll Never Leave Behind

2006-10-31T19:27:00.000-05:00

This one doesn't have significance like, "I worked there for four summers and three winter breaks" or "I lived there for 22.5 years." My wooden devil is just something I've always had on my desk since college.

I remember Mom had this dowel with this round topper in her sewing room. She'd keep it buried in fabric on her table and would use it to shut off the grow lights for her plants. Us kids would steal it and play with it. For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to draw a devil face on the round topper. Mom probably wasn't too happy. She didn't even like us playing with it.

When Mom finally used the dowel for a curtain rod, she had to trim it up. She cut off the devil. Surprisingly, she saved the devil for me. I've had it ever since.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

The Best Mail Day Ever

2006-10-30T21:31:00.000-05:00

As soon as I hear the mail slot open and close, I'm down those stairs to collect the mail. Usually, the mail consists of credit card applications and mail that isn't for me or my roommate--stuff for people on the other street or former residents. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love getting mail. I love receiving postcards and cards. Unfortunately, not so many people are into sending snail mail. My collection of (post)cards is mostly from KBezzie. I love getting mail so much that I'll request catalogs just so I can hear that mail slot clank in the afternoon.

Today I hit the jackpot. Check it out.

Not only did I get this outrageous chicken card from one friend, I received this:

A hilarious foreign postcard from another friend.

It absolutely made my day.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Sundays I Write Letters

2006-10-29T23:46:00.000-05:00

Welcome, friends, to Sunday when I write back. I know that our communication is taking place through this crazy thing called the “Internet,” but honestly, when I receive your comments and write back, I feel as if we’re old friends enjoying a chat in front of the fireplace sipping on warm mugs of hot cocoa (served with a hint of Grampy’s cough syrup, of course). So, dear friends, let’s continue our chat.

RE: SUNDAYS I WRITE LETTERS

Dear Mom,
Yes, I am true to my word. The only time I’m not true to my words is when I lace them with sarcasm and mockery.

Don’t worry about coming along for my move. We’ll figure something out.

Rest assured, you’ll probably be one of the first people to know when I get a job and make plans to move.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: EACH AND EVERY DAY

Dear Mom,
You better getting writing. I want to read those stories. You’re right about writing down little tidbits. Maybe I’m young and foolish, but I don’t feel the need to immediately write down everything that strikes my fancy. I do know that I’ve got to make a note of the shirtless guitarist I’ve seen twice climbing Stone Mountain, though.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear KBezzie,
Thank you for your comment.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: THINGS I’LL NEVER LEAVE BEHIND

Dear KBezzie,
I think when you say “Southerners” you mean “the Texan(s) who stole my bumper stickers.”

Yes, such is the life of the nomad. Perhaps to my collection I’ll ad a Georgia plate and acquire a Wisconsin or Maine plate for my car.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Mom,
I probably won’t be a nomad all my life. I’m sure that there will be a time when the urge to settle hits me. But for now, without anyone to hold me back, why not travel?

Hmmm...some places better visited than lived in...like Iron Creek, Yukon Territory, Canada?

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: USE CASE

Dear KBezzie,
Thank you for correcting my use case. But, Deborah Tuttle doesn’t have children to tuck in. She is a single 35 year old.

May I take the opportunity to have you look over my homework in the future as your corrections prove helpful and fruitful?

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: ANTHEM MAGAZINE REVIEW

Dear KBezzie,

I have made the correction. Please view Anthem Magazine.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

PS. You could have googled the damn magazine.

RE: ASK ME A QUESTION

Dear KBezzie,
Yes, she did want me to make the decision for her. Everyone wants decisions made for them. That way, they can blame someone else when something doesn’t taste as tasty as they were told it would be.

I can’t believe you. Of all people, you do not know what a tiramisu is. Are you pulling my leg? It’s a dessert of sorts.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: CH-CH-CH-CHECK IT OUT! NO. 3

Dear KBezzie,

Please see Mom’s comment about writing things down to use in future writings. Although I didn’t write down leaf peeping on any physical paper, I did make note of it for future reference. It did come in quite handy.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Bobby Griffin,
Thank you for visiting my site and leaving a comment. I do not appreciate, though, you using the comment space to push your own site. I am a student of advertising and your cheap tricks aren’t fooling me.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: HALLOWEEN COSTUME

Dear KBezzie,
I went as Theresa Buttlick last year. It’s not so difficult.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

PS. Ah, I kid because I kare.

Dear Birdie,
Feel free to steal the costume idea. It wasn’t my idea, really. My friend came up with it. Shhh.

Thank you for visiting. I hope to see more comments from you in the future.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Mom,
Yes, some people don’t think outside their circle. I personally like to pretend to do this, but really I’m watching.

I should have some pictures sometime in the future of my costume. Think way into the future. My digital camera batteries were dead so I had to take the pictures with my crappy dinosaur camera.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Halloween Costume

2006-10-28T23:57:00.000-04:00

I went to a Halloween party wearing tin foil on my head. I was Theresa Sputnik. Those so insensitive as to not know my last name were a bit lost. Oh well, 'cause I probably don't know their last names.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Ch-ch-ch-check it out! No. 03

2006-10-27T10:18:00.000-04:00

Here are a couple of sites I not-so-secretly visit regularly.

Jobs at Lands' End.

Don't be jealous when I'm writing about the kashmir goats that graze Inner Mongolia or heralding the scientific genius that Nano-Tex fleece is. My first day working there, I'd ask, "When do I get to meet Garrison Keillor?" And when I'm told that Lands' End just sponsors "A Prairie Home Companion," I just may quit in disappointment. I don't really like "A Prairie Home Companion," but I feel I can somewhat pull off that midwestern 'tude and if I was just given the chance to meet Garrison Keillor, he'd put me on the radio and I would gain fame in the manner of David Sedaris.

Career Opportunities at L. L. Bean.

Don't be green with envy when I'm living in Freeport, Maine leaf-peeping in the fall wearing L. L. Bean clothing and carrying an L. L. Bean backpack with "TLB" embroidered on it. I'll be taking advantage of all things L. L. Bean by hitting up the employee gear room and enjoying weekends in a cottage on Rangeley Lake. And I'll be living deliberately.

Alright, this one has nothing to do with where I could work in the future.

waterhalo.

After I'm done doing what I need to on blogger.com, I like to hit the random blog button and see what I can see, until I get bored. So far, I've found only this blog that is interesting. Everything else isn't so great, but this one is fantastic. It's too bad it isn't updated more often.

That is all.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Ask me a question.

2006-10-26T12:53:00.000-04:00

When I worked at the Palmer Visitor Center throughout high school, I figured I just sent out this vibe that I could answer questions even when I wasn't wearing my name tag. It seemed like I was stopped a whole lot on the street while riding my bike to work the first summer I worked there. That's right folks, I did the good ol' fashioned ride my bike to work 'cause I didn't have my license. Of course I do remember a few evenings when people would pick me up so I wouldn't have to ride home in the rain. (Thanks Mom, Daddy, Kaye, and maybe Bub?) People would ask me for directions. Haha. Now that I've lived in Atlanta, why would you even bother asking for directions in a small town? Drive around enough and you'll find where you need to be.

Well, it's not just a Palmer Visitor Center vibe. A woman at the newest Target asked me my opinion of a frozen chocolate pie and a tiramisu. I hesitated, because obiviously English wasn't her first language and I didn't quite understand what she wanted from me. But she pleaded, "Seriously, help me." So I told her to go with the chocolate pie because the box advertised it was made with Hershey's chocolate and Hershey's chocolate is pretty damn tasty.

One thing I've learned from being asked for a recommendation: people want you to endorse something. They don't want to hear a "Oh, I've never done/tasted/read that." Or a logical answer like, "I've never done/tasted/read that, but if you look at your options one's bound to stick out to you because of your particular preferences." They want to hear, "This one is great!"

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Anthem Magazine Review

2006-10-25T11:05:00.000-04:00

Anthem Magazine

The online version of Anthem magazine seems to follow the same style as the print magazine. Some of the print magazine traits don’t seem to work too well online. The font is super tiny. While it’s small in print, too, it’s even more difficult to read small print on a screen. The navigation is easy to use, but there seems to be misuse of space. Each article (or summary of articles) has its own page that doesn’t take up the entire screen. Being a magazine, something to read, I don’t think a bit of scrolling would hurt anyone, or seeing all of the articles under the same category displayed on one page.

The audience for this is probably the readers of Anthem magazine. I would assume that it’s more loyal readers who are looking for a sneak peek at an issue or perhaps they like the magazine when there’s good content and they go online to look at it so they can decide whether they want to pay for the magazine or not. Maybe the online readers find the scent of the printed magazine offensive. I sure do. Flipping through the magazine, it’s got a funky smell—a smell that’s stronger than the normal slick magazine paper smell.

The people who read Anthem are probably people who are interested in learning about new trends from other sources besides the mainstream. They’re willing to do stray from the norm and they have hold values about the art, music, and fashion that they enjoy and participate in. They want substance to their style.

I’m having a hard time reading anything on the website. The typeface, size, and amount are too much for me. I did try reading a portion of the copy on the main page and I read “modem hero.” Upon further investigation (bringing my nose about 2 inches from my screen) I realized it was “mode-r-n hero.” Oh.

One problem I have with the music section of the website is that as soon as you click on the link, it immediately playing music. If I’m going to sample music, I like to have time to turn whatever I’m listening to off so I can focus on the sample.

The content and style of this online magazine seem to follow the print version, but there are a few things that don’t quite translate. I think the style can be tweaked a bit to make it a bit more user friendly without losing the style and substance that the print magazine presents.

Use Case

2006-10-25T10:58:00.000-04:00

Here are the websites my 35 year old Detroit teacher, Deborah Tuttle, visits and the use case for her on the Today Show website. I won't post the character description because it really was wit for wit's sake.

Websites visited by Deborah Tuttle:

Today Show
Deborah’s looking for information on how to submit an idea for a story.

American Quilter Society
Deborah visits this site often. She’s a member of AQS and likes to keep up with the organization and also the trends in quilting.

USE CASE: SUBMIT STORY IDEA

SUMMARY
The user successfully reaches the Today Show website by typing in the mother-website address (the only thing memorable from the quick addresses they give on their broadcast). Information on how to submit a story was found. A second way to submit a story idea was found through the alternative path.

PRECONDITIONS
Deborah Tuttle has gone to www.msnbc.com. Upon arrival, she clicks on “Today Show” on top menu.

TRIGGERS
Deborah wants to be on the Today Show. She’s had yet another crappy day teaching high school students history.

BASIC COURSE OF EVENTS

1. User scrolls through home page, skimming the multiple boxes, and the sidebar menu.
2. User clicks on “Do you want to look 10 years younger?” in the “Send Your Questions and Stories” box.
3. System changes pages.
4. User is disappointed that the page is only for submitting a specific story.
5. User clicks on the browser’s back button.
6. System returns to home page.
7. User scrolls through rest of homepage and returns to top.
8. User sees “Email Us” link at top of page and clicks on it.
9. System opens Microsoft Outlook.
10. User doesn’t use Microsoft Outlook, but writes down email address so that she can use it when she opens her free email account with hotmail.com.

ALTERNATIVE PATH

2. User clicks on “About the Show” at the top of the page in search of photos of Matt Lauer.
3. System changes pages.
4. User scrolls down until she gets to “Story Ideas.”
5. User writes down information.
6. User continues to scroll down—still in search of information and photos of Matt Lauer.
7. User clicks on “MATT LAUER Co-Anchor” link.
8. System changes pages.
9. User reads Matt Lauer’s bio.
10. User closes the browser after reading that Matt Lauer is married with children.

POSTCONDITIONS
User is happy about finding the information and will be sending her ideas.

Things I'll Never Leave Behind

2006-10-24T10:48:00.000-04:00

Voilà! Observez-vous:

Here is one of my two Alaska license plates. I don't claim to be one of those people who collects license plates for fun despite the fact that back home you'll find the plate from Vanna Green, a Texas plate from my parents' Monte Carlo (which formerly belonged to my younger-older brother--hence the Texas plate), and an Alaska vanity plate that says "MUSH." (Mush--is a story for a different day.)

I like these plates because they came off of my very own first car. Second, they're Alaskan and I kinda like Alaska. I was contemplating leaving the front one on my car because here in the fine state of Georgia you only need a back plate. But, I figured that it'd looked a little too shady.

These plates will stay with me.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Each and Every Day

2006-10-23T21:10:00.000-04:00

Have I mentioned that I really don't like writing every day?

Grudgingly,
T-Bud

Sundays I Write Letters

2006-10-22T22:18:00.000-04:00

RE: SUNDAYS I WRITE LETTERS

Dear Kendra,
I hope your soul feels better. It's not good when they hurt. May I suggest a remedy? Go do a "first." Nothing big. Just go do something you've never done before. The next time my soul hurts, I'm going to cook spaghetti. Sure, I've eaten it before, but made it on my own? Never.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Wyatt!,
Yes, I do write a lot. It's kind of what I do and hope to get paid for it in the near future. I visited your blog and I think that if you just wrote a little, you'd have a stellar blog.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: THINGS I'LL NEVER LEAVE BEHIND

Dear Bezzie,
First, welcome to T-Bud in W4W at PC. I'm sure your continuing comments will prove insightful.

Second, yes, the inflatable Oreo Man is the one you brought back from the theater. It is also the same Oreo Man that scared Fatzah.

Third, for your sanity, I hope you did fall asleep proctoring.

Finally, if I need a proctologist, can I count on you?

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: BECAUSE THE INFORMATION IS CONFUSING

Dear Bezzie,
Your thoughts are intriguing and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Kendra,
Thank you, first, for requiring us to have the assignment in class. Second, thank you for clarifying this issue. I look forward to more assignments.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: CH-CH-CH-CHECK IT OUT! NO. 02

Dear Bezzie,
I don't care too much for the ask.com commercial where it's the super-smart guy and his son dissin' on google. Something about smart people thinkin' they're soooo smart. They dropped Jeeves. Why? I do not know. Google, I don't think advertises but has made many appearances in the press. Beats me what's going on.

Sincerely,
T-Bud
P.S. Watching too much TV isn't necessarily a bad thing. It all depends on what you're watching and how you're watching it.

Dear Mom,
Welcome to T-Bud in W4W at PC. I'm sure your comments will be insightful and fun.

Google does have that edge over ask.com: Google created a verb. 'Ask' was a verb way before ask.com was created.

I know how it is with people's memories. I often show people exactly where things are, and when I have to take a phone call, if I don't write down all the information before finding the product, I'll never remember what I'm looking for.

When I leave for good, I hope to leave EVERYTHING behind, coins and body included. Of course, I must have someone burn all of my college records for they reveal my true nature as an English major.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: I LOVE WORK

Dear Bezzie,
Yes, work is hard.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Mom,
I don't think I ever called them "Stupid People." I simply think there's a wide variety of people I work with and for. Some of them are stupid, others are fun and interesting.

I will consider your suggestion to move back home and work. Rest assured, you'll be notified of any decisions I make.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

I love work.

2006-10-21T23:31:00.000-04:00

Inspired by Kendra's post about why she loves her job, I'm going to discuss what I love about working.

Oh retail, whenever I climb onto a pedestal, look around and think, "Geez, I am the most intelligent person here!" you always send someone to remind me that, no, I'm not because I can't answer a seemingly simple question.

Oh administrative work, just when I think that I'm doing okay, you send me some creepy old guy to hug me at the copier.

Oh work, you keep me from being a Run of the Mill Grad Student who has nothing better to do with their time than "squeeze in" a game of raquetball in the afternoon and hit the pub each and every weekend.

You cheer me up. You keep me connected with the real world. The real world of rude, happy, absurdly rich, fun, funny, creepy, interesting people. And for that, I love you work.

I used to joke that I only worked to "stay in touch with the people." It's not a joke, though. The money is necessary, but staying on planet Earth is great.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Ch-ch-ch-check it out! No. 02

2006-10-20T00:47:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday!

This week I give you my Internet references: the sites I go to regularly for information.

First up: Google.

Der. It's great for answering questions, spell checking (because if you misspell something, it'll suggest another spelling), and for seeing what something looks like if you've never seen one. It's simple, but kind of difficult to read through the sites it pulls up. Something tells me I'm like an old person who's gotten used to doing one thing and won't give it up for something better. I don't know if there's anything better than Google, though.

Second: Merriam-Webster OnLine.

I use this dictionary for the times I need to know the definition or spelling of a specific word. It's not good for browsing, though. Nothing beats a good ol' fashioned dictionary for that. It's pretty easy to use and doesn't provide any fancy information. That's exactly what I want when I look up a word via the Internet. Now, I will admit when I was on the UAF server and had access to the Oxford English Dictionary online, it was pretty sweet, but the OED provides a little more information than anyone could possibly need as a human being.

Third: WebMD.

I'm pretty sure this one saved me a bunch of money. The knee that started popping as soon as I moved here flared up last weekend. To the point where I couldn't bend down to put books on a bottom shelf without discomfort. I don't have health insurance, so I made a visit to WebMd. There I found a couple of things that described my angry knee and the solution was ibuprofen. A $4 bottle of Motrin and 2-3 tablets later, and my knee is happy once again. It's an easy site to use and a money saver.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

It's a Miracle!

2006-10-19T00:32:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday on my way home from work--midnightish--I realized that my dash light was out. I couldn't tell how fast I was going unless I happened to be under a light pole. I figured a fuse had blown and I wasn't looking forward to crawling up to the fuse box, finding the right fuse, and replacing it. Procrastination set in. Seriously, I mostly drive in daylight and how important is it to see how fast I'm going down Peachtree at midnight when there's barely any traffic? It ends up procrastination is my friend.

I drove to work today in the daylight and couldn't tell the status of my dash light. I got off at 11pm and when I fired up my car, the spedometer was lit miraculously! It truly is a miracle.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Because the Information is Confusing

2006-10-18T15:07:00.000-04:00

The instructions for the first blog-borne assignment states that it is supposed to be typed and brought to class tonight. The Blog Manifesto says that the assignments given via blog must be posted by the next class period.

So, in an attempt to save my own arse, I present to you my welder descriptions. And, I'll faithfully bring in a hard copy of them. But, god help me, if we do not have to have the physical copy in class, I will not be a happy camper.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

8 –Year Old Child

Welders do an important job. Can you think of an object made with metal? A car, building, and jungle gyms are all made with metal. Welders put metal together to make these things. At the beginning of the job they learn what they are to make. Then they figure out how they need to make it by looking at blueprints, or detailed drawings, of the object. They use special tools and skills to put two pieces of metal together. Before they finish any project, welders have to recheck their work and make sure it’s okay. This is why cars don’t fall apart or jungle gyms topple.

To be a welder you have to be strong and tough. Welders spend most of their day standing outside. They also have to lift heavy pieces of metal and keep a steady arm when they are putting two metal pieces together.

Things I thought about:
Kids this age aren’t dumb. They know the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus aren’t real and they’re beginning to think that they don’t want to play with Tinker Toys or Barbies anymore.

They can be bogged down by too much detail. Their attention span is probably pretty short.

Female, College-aged Student

Welders are highly skilled laborers. To become a welder you have to learn about different types of metals, techniques, and trade practices. In this field there are opportunities to work on many different kinds of jobs. Welders work on everything from playground equipment to fire trucks. They get directions by interpreting blueprints, sketches, and oral instructions. A welder has to be willing to work in all kinds of weather from rain to sunshine. The job takes physical strength. It requires being able to lift heavy objects, standing for extended periods of time, working in small areas or at heights or depths of more than ten feet, and climbing ladders or stairs. Responsibility is important for welders. They are responsible for following operating and safety standards, as well as producing quality work. The ability to work cooperatively to get a job done with efficiency and quality is equally important.

Things I thought about:
This student wants to know right away what the occupation is about—she’s looking through a lot of descriptions.

She wants to know what is involved with the occupation, the skill level that is needed and what kind of work is done.

Broad Audience

Imagine the world without welders. Imagine life without cars. Or light poles, buildings, playgrounds, fire trucks, airplane hangars, and airplanes. It would be a rough life, wouldn’t it? That’s what life would be like without welders because they are responsible for assembling and working on all things made with metal. Not everyone can be a welder. Putting two pieces of metal together isn’t like whipping out a bottle of Elmer’s to glue the handle back onto the mug you just dropped. Welders have to know about the different types of metals and they have to know about all the different ways to put pieces of metal together. They aren’t wimps, either. They have to be able to do heavy lifting, climbing, standing—in all kinds of weather—work with small objects, all while keeping a steady arm. To top it off, they have to follow safety standards, because welding isn’t a low-risk occupation.

Things I thought about:
These people don’t really care.

Why not be a little more colloquial with it?

Things I'll Never Leave Behind

2006-10-17T21:51:00.000-04:00

I like to pride myself on the ability to detach myself from my belongings and leave. That's not to say that I don't have half a dozen boxes of stuff in my parents' crawlspace. (This stuff includes three rubber rats and an inflatable Oreo man.) It's just that I loved packing everything necessary into the back of my car and going.

There are a few things I don't think I'll ever leave behind, though. Welcome to Tuesdays. I'll scan these things for you to see.

First up: My U. S. Army Corps of Engineer coins. I worked for the Alaska District of USACE during the summers between college years.

My hope is that once I die, people will discover these coins and wonder if I was an engineer before I turned to wordsmithing.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

How the Universe Should Work

2006-10-16T21:24:00.000-04:00

I feel like I'm scraping the bottom for this post. That shouldn't be a surprise. So, I'll tell you about the dream I had last night. I dreamed that out of the blue some people from San Francisco offered me this sweet job. My time at Portfolio Center wasn't finished, but it was a sweet job. I don't know what it was. They gave me a packet of information and told me to think it over and let them know.

I don't know why it was San Francisco. I don't have any desire to go to San Francisco, let alone live there. I did study with the Academy of Art University there via their online program and if I had had $100K to drop on tuition, I would have transfered there to get an undergraduate degree. I didn't have that kind of cash, though, and I wasn't willing to go into that much debt to be an undergraduate.

This dream is all about how I'd like the universe to work. People should just offer me cool jobs.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

You lied to me, Georgia. You lied.

2006-10-15T23:43:00.000-04:00

Why, Georgia, why? Last October you were all toasty-warm. This October you're all chilly. I've already started wearing my "Georgia wintercoat" (a simple fleece jacket that is the equivalent of an Alaska fall jacket). It's as if you were like, "Here, let me make you comfortable. Sit here in this comfy chair, in this nice warm room, and drink this hot cocoa." As soon as I got up to go to the bathroom you took my seat and only laughed in my face when I shivered in discomfort.

Oh, and don't blame El Niño, either. I'm not buying it. You're a liar.

--T- Bud

Sundays I Write Letters

2006-10-14T22:45:00.000-04:00

I don't like a letter to go unanswered. Likewise, I don't like a comment to go unanswered. On Sundays I will write back to those of you who have been so kind as to leave me a comment.

RE: WRITING EVERY DAY

Dear Kendra,
I was frightened when you mentioned my soul possibly being sucked dry by construction companies and demanding makers of bottled sugar water. Is this true? I like my soul a whole lot and don't want anything like that to happen to it. I'm glad that you said that writing every day may prevent it. Thank goodness I agreed to try this daily exercise!

Sincerly,
T-Bud

Dear John,
I am not aware of Michelle Shocked's "Anchored down in Anchorage." Excuse me for a moment while I google it.

Whew, I'm back. That search took me from google to msn in an attempt to find a clip of it and finally to amazon where I did find a clip of it. I can only say that thirty seconds isn't enough for me to like or dislike it.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

RE: CH-CH-CH-CHECK IT OUT! NO. 01

Dear Barclay,
I'm glad that you like Slate. It is a very nice way to get that magazine feeling without having to pay for a subscription, read out-dated ones in a waiting room, or spill coffee on new ones in a bookstore.

I think Digger is seducing me. Every time I see him I become a bit more fond of him and find him cuter.

And, I've never experienced difficulties with Pandora. I guess I've been lucky.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Dear Kendra,
My impersonal best friend's name is Kendra. Her last name even starts with 'b.' That's not the point of this letter, though.

How long do you have to listen to Pandora before it gets to the end of a musical family tree? Do you have more than one artist listed on a station?

Oh, it's 'T. Budnik.' That's my chosen "writing" name. "Heresa" has been good to me, but sometimes it just slows me down. So, you'll be seeing "All the people you think I am" by T. Budnik.

Sincerely,
T-Bud

Elvis Presley's Twin

2006-10-14T00:36:00.000-04:00

Today at work this guy who I've seen pretty regularly asked me if I had a sister named Danielle. If you haven't heard me talk about this before, I get this all the time. I've been mistaken for someone who was in a juvenile detention center (the guy who asked me that one had been there himself), but usually it's just someone's sister. Usually, I make up some story. I pulled out the waterworks for the guy who asked me if I was in the juvenile detention center and told him I didn't want to talk about it. (He bought it.)

At work, though, I can't really make up stories. I wear a nametag. So, I had to play out my story in my head. Now, this guy who knows Danielle looks like Elvis. If I was on my own time, I would have told the man, "No, I don't have a sister named Danielle. But, you know, you, too, look like someone I know. Do you have a brother named Jesse? (Okay, I know Elvis's twin died at birth and this doesn't make too much sense, but I swear the Elvis-man would have been stumped.)

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Ch-ch-ch-check it out! No. 01

2006-10-13T11:21:00.000-04:00

Let me introduce to you this weekly series. I'll be posting three links to websites each week. Most of you know this. I write this for those folks who are googling "t-bud." I'm confident that there's a huge population doing this.

I'll start with some sites I visit regularly.

The Anchorage Daily News http://www.adn.com/

Oh sweet sassy molassy! I never really lived in Anchorage and the Daily News wasn't always the only newspaper in Anchorage. Once the Daily News and Times merged, this was the only option and the only good newspaper in the state.

I read it to see if there's anything interesting happening in the Last Frontier. It's through this website that I learn about UAF basketball players getting into legal trouble, see wedding announcements of people with whom I went to school, and see what's shakin' in the weather department.

As far as usuability goes, it's pretty good. I always know where I am. It's kind of ugly, but I can deal with ugly. It reads like a newspaper--which is perhaps too involving for the internet, but if you want news, you have to deal with it.

I'm pretty sure the people visiting this site are the people too cheap to buy a subscription, or people like me who are peeping from afar.

The competition is other Alaska newspaper sites. They pretty much compare to the adn.com in the same way they compare in the physical world.

Next up:

Slate Magazine http://www.slate.com/

I've been reading this magazine off and on since my sister sent me the link to an article about Digger that funky toenail fungus Lamisil mascot. It's good for everything from political commentary to personal advice from "Prudence."

It's easy to use. There's a lot of content on the page, which gives a cluttered feeling.

The audience is for intellectual types--faux or not. There are a lot of links to Slate stories on NPR, so those who listen to NPR may be reading this magazine.

Competition? Other national newsy sites. The difference probably comes in depth of reporting and commentary.

Finalement:

Pandora http://www.pandora.com/

This is my fad site. I just started listening to music on this site. I haven't gotten tired of it yet, but I'm half expecting to.

It's super-easy to use. There may be too much motion, but it's not inhibiting.

Audience? Anyone who enjoys listening to music. It's a good way to find new artists and the ads are minimal. I don't subscribe and the only ads I have to deal with are on the page--they're not audio, so they don't bother me.

I skimmed an article on Slate magazine that discussed sites like this. I know that there are others out there, but I'll have to find that article and see what they have to say about it.

Enjoy!
T-Bud

Writing Every Day

2006-10-12T11:09:00.000-04:00

When I took creative writing classes at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, my professors always made us go to the readings that were part of the Visiting Writing Series. I honestly think they made us go because if we didn't, no one would. The readings were generally horrible. I learned a lot of writers don't know how to read. There was one writer that will always stick out in my mind, though.

Pam Houston, author of "Sight Hound" and "Cowboys Are My Weakness," said something very interesting. She recognized that a lot of writers will tell you to write every day, to get into a routine, but she doesn't. She said that she only writes when she had something to write about.

Sing it, sister! Ever since my Language Arts class in the seventh grade when we were forced to write in a spiral notebook for ten minutes at the beginning of each class, I've very much disliked the obligation to write every day.

So, surfing amazon.com, I found her book "Cowboys Are My Weakness" for about a penny on the marketplace and decided to read it. It wasn't good at all. Go figure.

Don't get me wrong, I'll give this a try. I'm up for anything new and Pam Houston's "write when you need to write" philosophy is seemingly wrong.

Here's to daily bloggin'!
T-Bud