Tis The Season

So Christmas time is here, which means it's the perfect time to fight mall traffic, tackle old ladies to get the last megazord doll, and freeze our asses off.

It is also the perfect time of year when I get to tell everyone what I want for christmas! And so here it is, David Cooper's Official Holiday Wish List.

1. Checks, Gift Cards, and checks.

I'm REALLY strapped for cash most of the time since my credit card company decided to go and screw me up the asshole. And hey, tis the season where I should be getting gifts for others, just think of it as an investment. The more money you give me, the more likely I am to be able to get you something nice in the future. It's economics!

2. A New Zippo

Okay okay I lost my SECOND Zippo lighter...but how am I supposed to ruin my lungs in style without a replacement?

3. A Rug

And a nice one. Not some crappy throw rug, I want a nice comfortable rug that people wouldn't mind sitting on. The kind that's really cozy and all that...

4. Underwear and Socks

It embarasses me to say that yes, I have indeed reached that age where I'm starting to ask for undergarments as a gift and then truly mean it. But the less trips I have to take just to do my laundry, the happier I'll be.

5. Steam Cleaner

I fucking HATE scrubbing those stupid linoleum floors in the apartment that everyone spills beer and soda all over and no one else wants to clean. And do you understand how NASTY it is to actually realize, on your hands and knees, that the floor level is LOWER when the floor is clean? That there is a LAYER of dirt covering the floor? it is just plain disgusting.

That's all I've got for now. So go out and buy me something. Chances are I've done way too much for you.

:)

I Am a Front Desk Agent

While perusing the internet, I cam across this little gem.

I am a Front Desk Agent. I have advanced degrees in Accounting, Public Relations, Marketing, Business, Computer Science, Civil Engineering, and Swahili. I can also read minds.

Of course I have the reservation that you booked six years ago even though you don't have the confirmation number and you think it was made under a name that starts with "S". It is completely my fault that the blizzard shut down the airport and you have to sleep in a warm king-size bed while 5000 of your co-travellers are sleeping in benches at the airport. I am sorry.
It is not a problem for me to give you seven connecting, non-smoking, poolside suites with two king beds in each, four rollaways, 3 cribs, and yes, I can install a wet bar.

I know it is my fault that we do not have a helicopter landing pad.

I am a Front Desk Agent. I am expected to speak all languages fluently. It is obvious to me that when you booked your reservation for Friday on the weekend we're sold out that you really meant Saturday. My company has entrusted me with all financial information and decisions, and yes, I am lying to you when I say we have no more rooms available. It is not a problem for me to quickly construct several more guest rooms. THIS time I will not forget the helicopter landing pad. And it is my fault that everyone wanted to stay here.

I should have known you were coming in, even though you had no reservation. After all, you stay at our brand of hotel all the time, 300 nights a year, and this is only the first time you've ever been to our city.

I am a front desk agent. I am quite capable of checking three people in, two people out, taking five reservations, answering fifteen incoming calls, delivering six bath towels to room 625, plunging the toilet in room 101, and restocking the supply of pool towels, all at the same time. Yes, I will be glad to call the van driver and tell him to drive over all the cars stuck in traffic because you've been waiting at the airport for 15 minutes and you've got jet lag.

I am a front desk agent, an operator, a bellhop, houseman, guest service representative, housekeeper, sales coordinator, information specialist, entertainment critic, restauranteur, stock broker, referee, janitor, computer technician, plumber, ice-breaker, postman, babysitter, dispatcher, laundry cleaner, lifeguard, electrician, ambassador, personal fitness trainer, fax expert, human jukebox, domestic abuse counselor, and verbal punching bag.

Yes, I know room 112 is not answering their phone. And of course I have their travel itinerary so I know exactly where they went when they left here 9 hours ago, and what their cell phone number is.I always know where to find the best vegetarian-kosher-Mongolian-barbecue restaurants. I know exactly what to see and do in this city in fifteen minutes without spending any money and without getting caught in traffic.

I take personal blame for airline food, traffic jams, rental car flat tires, and the nation's economy.

I realize that you meant to book your reservation here. People often confuse us with the Galaxy Delight Motel, Antarctica. Of course I can "fit you in" and yes, you may have the special $1 rate because you are affiliated with the Hoboken Accounting and Bagel Club.

I am expected to smile, empathize, sympathize, console, condole, upsell, downsell (and know when to do which), perform, sing, dance, fix the printer, and tell your friends that you're here. And I know exactly where 613 Possum Trot Lane is in the Way Out There subdivision that they just built last week.

After all, I AM a Front Desk Agent!

Guest Services, How may I Help You?

BACKGROUND: I work at a hotel called the Sheraton Ferncroft with an attached water resort called the Coco Key Water Resort. On the Water Resort's website, the Hotel's main line is given. This dialogue is an ACTUAL phone call I recieved.

Me: Thank you for calling the Sheraton Ferncroft Resort. This is David, How may I assist you?

Guest: shouting: IS THIS COCO KEY WEST.

Me: ...... no sir, this is the Sheraton Ferncroft Hotel. would you like to be transferred to our Water Resort?

Guest: No, I just need the address. Do ya'll have rooms available?

Me: Yes we do. For a rate of $___ you can get a room with four passes to the water resort.

Guest: Great! What is your address.

Me: 50 Ferncroft Road.

Guest:.... 50 what road?

Me: FERNCROFT. Same as the hotel.

Guest: .....well how do you spell that??

Me: F-E-R-N....

Guest: S-E-R-N...

Me: No sir, it's F. F as in Frank.

Guest: S as in What???

Me: F as in Frank. E-R-N-C-R-O-F-T

Guest: Okay, thank you!

A few minutes pass. Shortly after the guest calls again, slightly irritated.

Guest: THIS STREET DOES NOT EXIST. It's not in my GPS.

Me: That's strange sir I do apologize. Would you like directions?

Guest: Is this a new street? What else is there?

Me: No it's been here a while. The Sheraton Ferncroft is across from the Ferncroft Country Club and Ferncroft Tower...

Guest: So it's S-E-R-N-C-R-O-S-T right?

Me: speechless: F AS IN Frank!-E as in Elephant!-R as in road!-N as in Nancy!-C as in Cat!-R as in Road!-O as in Octopus!-F as in FRANK!-T as in TOM!

Guest: Oh............. Ok.

a few moments pass. my coworker answers the phone.

Coworker: ........... no sir it's f-E-r-n...... yes. road.....number 50....see you soon.

This One Is For You.

Now that I've pissed you all off.... just a quick post regarding how I feel at the moment.

I'm having trouble seeing the point of view that I just woke up one day and decided to stroll down the garden path to Hell.

Really not sure how leaving a school could make so many people so angry. And say so many hurtful things about my resolve, intellect, and perseverance.

Struggling with the fact that people make it their own business what I choose to do with my life.

This one is for you. This one is for the nay-sayers. This one is for that person so deeply rooted in their own personal decision that they struggle to accept anyone else's. And let me tell you- so many times in my life I've been told not to do this, don't live there, don't leave home, quit your job, get a job, get a different job, stop wasting your life, write me a song, stop writing music, go to church, go to Minnesota, be who I expect you to be God damn it, because in the end isn't that what it's about?

Here's my chance to say this out loud. FUCK. YOU.

If you think you can run my life better than I can, try spending all that extra energy on yourself. Because guess what: no one is impressed so far.

I'm taking the wind up mechanism off of my back. No one's running me.

In Which I Go Against Everything I've Ever Stood For.

I'm dropping out of school.

Yep, that's right...my mind is made up and it's not going back. This blog is intended for those who believe I've made a rash decision, who think I haven't thought it through enough, and to show that this is not giving up, but starting over.

I've been thinking a lot lately and talking to a lot of different people. While the consensus seems to be, among college students, that going to school is the be all end all of achieving success, a broader view of people seem to say no, there are alternate routes around.

I like to think of life as a sort of road trip. You start out not really knowing where you are headed, maybe you stop and ask directions at a gas station. But in reality, you are really in the drivers seat, with no mapquest directions to follow.

Most people today seem to think College is the superhighway to success. Going down alternate routes will only lead you astray, lost in the woods and out of gas. But in reality, College is only one road that most people choose to travel. But that does not make it the only road.

I've spoken to many different people, and most people whograduate from College are handed their piece of paper and think that they are prepared for what lies ahead. They go into jobs waving their diplomas and will probably get hired. But in reality, most of those people will find that the real experience they have been missing will come back to haunt them.

Living off ramen noodles and writing term papers will prepare you for just that. But working in a real-world environment shows that you have longevity and determination. The same as a college degree. While I would love to obtain a degree, at this point it seems a lost cause. Many factors at work with brand switching, pay cuts, flucuating hours and increased responsibilities have forced me to look again at my options.

I have not, since graduating from High School, written a single song. Aside from writing Romeo and Juliet for DHS, all my creative energy has been redirected to assignments, 40 hour weeks and practicing Musio Clementi's Sonatinas.

I have come to the conclusion that by pursuing a degree in music, I have, in essence, given up on what made me fall in love with the art in the first place. College cannot teach me the passion, ingenuity and emotion that used to define what I wrote before. And furthermore, constant drilling of musical laws and regulations have subconsciously boxed in my work.

My dropping out is, in a way, a breaking out of the standardized shell that schooling is effectively placing over me. Perhaps school may be your way out, but I've decided it is definitely not mine.

A Few Things I've Learned From Living in The Point

So as a result of moving, my life has pretty much taken on somewhat of a shift. Every new situation requires some kind of adaptation. Here are a few things I've learned from my first couple months living the dream in the infamous Point in Salem:

• Children ride tricycles till 3am.
• Mary Jane Park mostly stays true to it's name.
• The only white people live on the third floor of #35 with myself.
• Become well versed in Seinfeld, Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and humor of that nature. Without the aforementioned knowledge, life will make very little sense.
• Learn to make a snapping noise by waving your right hand in the air.
• Don't pee off the balcony.
• Know the location of Holden's Oil, and it's purpose in life.
• Buy food at some point from Plum tomatoes.
• If possible, become employed by one of the aforementioned companies.
• Keep Working on that snapping noise.
• Understand and appreciate the inner workings of "SPC".
• Learn to play as many games with ping pong balls as you possibly can.
• People who drop objects of value while visiting endure a leave of absence before returning.
• Don't pee off the balcony.
• Parking on a certain side of the road on certain tuesdays can earn you a ticket.
• Practice the snapping noise again.
• Learn the definition of the verb "To Snap" and all of it's conjugations.
• 15 year old neighbors drop out of school early, and visit regularly.
• Hairstyles change, but N*Sync is forever.
• Police only respond to actual emergencies, ie. loud music or peeing outside. Burglaries, drug trafficking and street fights are unimportant.
• Don't pee off the balcony.
• The downstairs neighbor will be blasting Reggae and chugging Heineken by 8am.
• Don't say good night when going to bed. Don't say goodbye when talking on the phone.
• People will often fall asleep on your couches. Once in a while they will migrate to your bed if you aren't using it.
• "La Cocina" is the best place to by rotten fruit and strange beverages. Congress Street is run by asians and is the best place to buy anything else.
• Electricians creep around and live in the basement.
• Can you make that snapping noise yet?
• Festivus occurs once a year.

As one can probably tell, it takes some getting used to. But I think I might be slowly learning.

Blog Fiend

So it seems like I might be updating my blog moreso than anyone else.

AS much as I would love to keep posting for those reading, I know that alot of people will be playing catch up once they DO start reading.

And by the way, only one blog that I follow has updated at all. Thanks Vanessa, for giving me something to read at work. :)

Shouts Into The Abyss

It's strange really. Most of the time you can't get me to shut up about myself.

One would think I have exhausted all outlets of communication. I meet new people. I hold them hostage telling them about myself. I talk on the phone. I write expressive music. I sing. I play piano.

But I saw that a few people I knew were blogging. The whole idea seemed interesting, but I looked at it from afar. I knew that no one would be interested in anything I had to say, and that people who didn't know me wouldn't bother to read. As of now I do have a few off and on followers, but for the most part the subtitle is correct.

Shouting into the abyss is a phrase I have always found interesting. Something that is so vain, and yet, we do it anyways. I realize that by writing this blog I am in fact, the proverbial tree that falls in the forest. If no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

And yet for me, in the blog posts I write, in the songs I compose, it is more often than not I am trying, in some way, to strike some silent interior chord. In a sense, I blog to converse with my readers. If they exist. But in another sense, I am conversing with myself. No, not in a creepy introverted "I have no friends" sort of way, but if only because more often than not, I am the one talking.

I think it is a wise thing to listen. Not only to others, but to yourself as well.

A Blast From The Past.

I will add a an actual post after this, but I dug up this story from a facebook note, before I started this blog, and couldn't help but post it.

This took place my first semester of college.

8 AM Classes are fun!!!

So here's how my day goes today:

6:30AM: Wake up, realize that no matter how fast I move, there is no way I can get dressed, shower and beat the traffic to get a parking spot.

7:00AM: Throw on some clean clothes and a hat so that people can't tell I didn't wash my hair... run to the car.

7:10AM: Sit in traffic.

7:30AM: Sit in traffic. Adjust the radio station, sit in traffic

7:45AM: Finally find a spot at the O'Keefe Center on the other side of the world. See a bus, approach it, and have the driver close the door in my face. Thanks.

7:45-8:15AM: RUN to the upper-south campus, which is nowhere near the main campus OR the O'Keefe Building, but rather about 5 or 6 miles away in some residential neighborhood in the woods. (wtf??)

8:15AM: Arrive at Upper South Campus, only to approach the "Commuter Appreciation" booth and find that they are taking away the free coffee. Damn you, resident students, damn you.

8:20AM: ARRIVE at class 20min. late.By this time one would expect the class to be present or that I would be interrupting something. NOPE! The teacher has apparently let the class go 45 MINUTES EARLY and left the syllabus on a desk at the door.
NEXT: Take the syllabus, get on the bus, buy some books, and flip off the residents one more time as I head back home.I may just find an unsuspecting resident and knock them out for their parking sticker.

Happy Commuter Appreciation Day!

Strange Connections

I'm at a weird crossroads in my life... it's an intersection that apparently quite a few people have passed through. Every day. Literally everyday, I am finding out that people in my lives have strange connections to eachother.

One of the managers at the hotel waterpark has known my roommate since he was four. This is not an isolated incident, many people in my life have started to connect to eachother in strange ways.

As people expand their social circles, it's almost mind blowing how many connections are made. I am a firm believer in the fact that between any two people, there is a chain of associations that can be made between them.

I've started looking through some of my friend's facebook profiles, and clicking on the "mutual friends" tab. I am almost always surprised to see a face that I had no idea would be there. Try it out yourself... you may be surprised.

Brian's Blog.... AKA "Breen's Blawg"

We pressured my roommate to start a blog.

It promises to be delightfully mundane and forced.

Just read it.

School Days, School Days, Good Old Golden Rule Days

And so I realize that I am definitely not too cool for school. So yesterday, I went to sort out the whole re-admission thing that had been holding me back.

As you might remember from this post, I was dismissed as a student for "failing to maintain an adequate GPA". Well. I wrote a letter that same day, mailed it in, called several times, remailed the letter, and waited to hear back.

May.
June.
July.
August.

And still no word from the school. So i decided it was time to head down in person and settle a few scores.

Now I have learned from working in the hotel industry that if you feel that you are right, and you are angry enough about it, you will come to find that most people don't value their job enough to say no, and that most will give in to your harassment. So armed with this knowledge and the support of my friends, (okay well, actually, my roommate bet against my persuasive abilities but that's fine) I marched down to Salem State to have a few words with the registrar. Except I actually drove. But you get the metaphor right? Good.

So into the college I marched. Except, in reality, I walked at a leisurely pace through the door. I told the registrar my issues, how many times I had called, the letters I had sent, and all the difficulty that Salem State College had caused me, and how it ruined my summer vacation and that because of this I now had to have an ulcer removed. Except i didn't say I had to get an ulcer removed, only because I didn't have an ulcer removed.

The registrar told me that I was readmitted in late June.

Late. June.
LATE JUNE!!

At which point I happily tell her how great it would have been to be notified, to not have my online account locked out and delted, and to not have debt collectors calling about my student loans.

Thank You Salem State!

And so I registered, leaving me with just today before classes begin... but I'm not worried. I always go into things at the last minute and ill prepared, and my intuition hasn't failed me just yet.

A Blog Post in Which I Rediscover Blog-Posting.

Wow....

Are you still there?

Good.

I can't believe it's been nearly a month since I 've posted on here. It only feels like a couple of days have past. A couple VERY busy days. To start to get up to date is overwhelming. let's make a numbered list shall we?

1.) All moved in... even moreso than I was before and it is great. Getting to know people is one of my greatest joys in life and this new living arrangement has given that oppurtunity to me many times. Countless hours spent sitting out on the roof with different people, one on one, getting to know eachother, watching the cop cars circle the neighborhood (hey, it's not exactly Beverly Hills). Each person I've met I have been fortunate enough to share much in common.

2.) I just got back from a trip to our Nation's Capitol.

Annnnd here comes the sub-list!!!

2A.) HOLY CHRIST Obama... please install some working bathrooms SOMEWHERE in DC... I sawear every mens room in the city was closed... and the one that wasn't closed (the Lincoln Memorial) I couldn't use because the womens room was closed, so all the women decided "hey, let's stampede the men's room in the shadow of our nation's great emancipator!" So I couldn't use the bathroom desgnated for my gender because there were WOMEN in it.

2B.) Honestly, I know we are smarter in new England but really now- it shouldn't take 3 hours to find Mount Vernon. Even if you are from Texas. GOD... I sat in that car for hours upon hours with a GPS and a map and the internet and the exact address and it still took our Texan transporters about 3 hours to find the place, with me, My girlfriend Thera and her cousin Eric trying to guide them. But to no avail. Apparently they don't listen to us northern types. Maybe if we had lost the Civil War there would be a clearer line: Entering the Confederate State of America: Leave your IQ at the door. They say a picture tells a thousand words. This one says one thing: Mount. Vernon. Not to mention when we got there it started to MONSOON. Thank you, Mount Vernon. Thank You.

.

2C.) All in all it was a great trip. It's fascinating to think that behind the walls of every buidling we passed in DC, major decisions about how our country is run were taking place. And whether or not we agree with these decisions, it's still incredible to be in the spot they are made.

Ironically enough, President Obama was not around. Oh no, he wasn't hiding in the White House, he was on Vacation. IN MASSACHUSETTS.

.

And now I leave you with all these updatey and far too untimely utterances. Back to the philosophical ramblings soon.

Happy is What Happens When You Don't Get Your Way

I realized I haven't posted in awhile, and it seems that it may be time for an update. And here it is.

So after deciding that New Hapshire was too far away for my own sanity, I reluctantly moved back in with my parents, and immediately posted an ad on craigslist, which, paraphrased, reads as such:

"Hi. My name is secret. I am 20. I am at my wit's end. I need a place to live where people aren't neurotic. I work at a hotel. It's cool. Yeah. I'll pay you but not alot cuz basically I'm broke. I'm going crazy is all. I also have a keyboard. I play it. It's loud. Rent me your apartment, but not for too much money.

Thank You,
Y o u D o N o t K n o w W h o I A m

I surprisingly got overwhelming response. Most were above my price range, and others were roommate offers. Now honestly, the last thing I wanted was another person in the house to drive me crazy. Roommates were out of the question, and I had no budget. Desperate for housing, I recieved an email:

hello,
my names [name] and my two roommates and I are looking for another roommate for our place in Salem, MA ([street address])its about a mile from salem state campus. our rent is really cheap. blah blah blah size. you'll be looking at about $[price] (+ cable/internet, electric, and gas) a month. blah blah age. blah blah parking. you can come by whenever to take a look - we're all friendly.-

[name]
[number]

I must have had a moment of weakness. Basically, I responded to the only email that met absolutely none of my criteria, except price. A two week long process began, and on monday, I moved in. With roommates. In a neighborhood I looked at before and decided I was never going to look at again.

And you know what? I am happy.

It is amazing how something you thought you never wanted is exactly what you need. Someone to watch TV with until 2am. Someone to remind you to turn off the lights. Someone to introduce you to people and things that you would have never een introduced to otherwise.

It's been four days so far, but I can see myself here for a while. I am grateful for answering that email, and for meeting three roommates who will probably change my life for the better.

I am grateful that I got exactly what I didn't want. And it turned out to be exactly what I need.

The Dangers of Smoking.... Lettuce?

I recently came across this video in which rep. Steve Buyer warns about the Dangers of smoking lettuce.

Also, a more lighthearted aproach

Someone Once Told Me..

I just happened to stumble across this site... and I'd like to give a little shout out before I get off the computer today and do some actual work.

Every day, a new picture is submitted of someone holding up a sign of something that "someone once told them". Alot of them are very moving, some are hillarious, and some are kinda lame. But I love all of them. I spent the entire day browsing until I got to the last photo. It really is a great site.

I leave you with this man and a quote from Voltaire. I originally only posted it because it was Voltaire, but then I laughed alot when I realized what it meant. I'll leave the semi vulgar translation up to you. :)

Two Decades Later...

Yesterday, I turned 20 years old. Which brings me to my next point:

Holy Shit.

So this means that I am no longer able to blame anything on my teenage naivete, or to say that I was to young to know better, or to put things off for tomorrow. Nope, the time is now, and it's fucking scary.

I had a cinematic moment yesterday around midnight... I caught my reflection in the mirror and just stared. I had lived for two decades- and I took stock of all I had accomplished within those years. Certainly not many people my age had ever had an original composition performed in front of leading established liturgical composers, travelled to third world countries to help the poor mountain people of the Dominican Republic. Many my age are not fortunate enough to have a job that earns them some amount of respect and authority, not to mention, for my age, a decent wage.

In spite of this, I felt vaguely hollow; like there was still so much work to be done. I have only completed a year of college, and there are still so many lives I haven't touched in some way. Granted, I have done more than most, but retrospect, what had I really done?

My name is David Cooper. I have lived two decades, and I haven't even started.

People Are Visiting Me Today!

Today I went to work.

I picked up the ringing phone.

I said, "Thank You for calling the Sheraton Ferncroft. How may I help you?"

A guest asked a question. I answered it.

Rinse and repeat.

I Went to Work Today.....

I have an unnatural headache.

I mean..

it's h....................................................I can't even stand it.
.......o
........r...............................And.. I have to stare at a computer
.........r....................................................................for eight hours

..........i.................PLEASE headache- go away...

...........b................and never come back.
.............l...........................EVER
..............e

......................................................................HELP

THE PREVIOUS POST WAS A DRAMATIZATION OF THE WORLD WITH A MIGRAINE.

david j cooper

Drivin' My Life Away

This morning, after a long week that yielded me only a few hours sleep, I woke up at nine. Sure this sounds late I realize, but not when you have to be at work by eleven, with a two hour drive in between.

When I lived in Danvers, I would look at the alarm clock and press the snooze button, and bask in the luxury of time for a few minutes. What I realized today, is that really, we have no time left.

525,600 minutes. That's all the time we get in one year. How many minutes do we spend sleeping? Eating? Working? Commuting?

Far too many times we get caught up. Our daily commute, people passing, barely glancing, toll booth operators and our "have a nice day"s; when will we mean it? Is this all that anyone has worked for? To be content to go about our activities without so much a glance at what we may be missing?

On our hike on Monday I called Thera a shameless romantic when she took a picture of a pink flower growing alongside the trail. It made an artistic shot: it's pale pink leaves struggling to contrast with the dark brown of dead, rotting pine branches.

Shameless romantic. What a waste of film.

And yet finding out later, the pink lady's slipper we photographed was endangered, and the picture she took may be one of the last images ever taken of the precious flower.

How many minutes will you spend connecting with those you love; spending time with friends, spending time in reflection?

How will you measure your year?

Interior Journies (Subtitle: Happy Birthday Thera)

So I awoke yesterday morning and had just finished putting my pants on when Thera (my girlfriend, just in case you are a stalker who doesn't actually know me...) knocked on my door. Today is Thera's birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY!) and so yesterday we went out on a hike and a picnic to Diana's Bath, a 45 minute drive from my place to North Conway.



It's a beatiful hike, short, easy, and with a sense of accomplishment at the end. Personally I would recommend it for anyone who likes nature but doesn't want to get dirty (AKA Thera...) and just look at what awaits you at the top!

The falls are beatiful, and if you ask me, it's the cleanest water I've ever seen in nature (I drank from it, Thera didn't.) it's used as a public water supply even! We were able to stop and eat a picnic lunch and I smoked a clove cigarette and life was good and Thera rolled her eyes.

I wanted to continue on the hike past the waterfall and trace it to it's source... but this never happened because Thera got miserable and stubborn when we lost the trail. Pssh... women. So we ended up going back. All other things aside though, if you are ever in North Conway for vacation, go on this trip. And if you are lazy and don't want to look up directions, you can find them here.

And just a disclaimer: if you are a woman or if you are another species of weak mindedness... you can stop at the waterfall and turn around, and it's still very satisfying. Bring a picnic lunch. And no, I'm not a chauvinist.


Which brings me to my next point. I find hiking to be as much an interior journey as it is a physical one. There is something about the quiet of nature that leads us to introspection and reflection. You can learn alot about yourself just by going for a walk in the woods. Trust me. Ralph Waldo Emerson himself once said:

"Do not follow where the path may lead, instead choose your own path and leave a trail"

I love that quote. Thera not so much. I don't think she likes walking through mud in ballet shoes. Why she wore them, I'll never know.

He's Moving Away

So for the past week, I have been living up in Wolfeboro, NH... approximately 90 miles (and one left turn) away from my job. I've finally left the craziness that is the Cooper household, and along with my high gas bill comes a strange satisfaction.

I'm beginning to think I may be slightly insane. My sense of ambition seems almost delirious sometimes... I commute an hour and a half in spite of my family every time I go to work, and I'm only 20 (well.. I'll be 20 in 20 days... bear with me here).

I also recently found out that SSC has dismissed me as a student. Woohoo. Now I have to write a strongly worded letter to their offices to appeal that decision. So far, it sounds as though it's THEM making the mistake. Time will tell though....

What to say...

I don't even know.

I'm moving to New Hampshire because my family is nuts.

This is the truth.

That is all. Come visit.


.....Bring beverages.

Tendonitis..... and L5Y!

So I am currently typing on a computer with an arm splint on my right wrist. Fun!! I have tendonitis from A.) Playing the piano and B.) typing on the computer.

Now normally, I would refrain from both. HOWEVER... I am a piano major in college, and I work on a computer 8 hours a day at work. So basically I'm screwed, because I can't exactly give up either one to let my wrists heal.

Sounds fun huh?

So now for some exciting news. Everyone should come see "The Last Five Years" by Jason Robert Brown on June 28th. I am accompanying the beautiful Lauren Elena Drapek and Tim O'Donnell in this beautifully written musical. Here's the synopsis:

"An emotionally powerful and intimate musical about two New Yorkers in their twenties who fall in and out of love over the course of five years. The show's unconventional structure consists of Cathy, the woman, telling her story backwards while Jamie, the man, tells his story chronologically; the two characters only meet once, at their wedding in the middle of the show. JRB won Drama Desk Awards for the music and the lyrics after the Off-Broadway premiere in 2002 starring Norbert Leo Butz and Sherie Rene Scott. The show has since been produced at almost every major regional theater in the US, and has been seen in Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Germany, Italy, Canada, and Spain."


So basically, if my wrist ever heals to practice the score, you don't wanna miss it!

And that's all for now.

Derelinquite Omnem Spem Quicunque Hinc Ingrediuntur

"Abandon all hope, all ye who enter here"

I just wanted to post about how it is SO FLIPPIN HOT outside. my fan is just not cutting it right now. I would play piano downstairs where it's cool, but I think I'm getting tendonitis from doing that too much.

Stay out of the heat. Drink some water. Or beer.

I don't judge....

Summertime... and things that are shit.

So I've been thinking lately how excited I was for the summer to start and all and how now, summer is finally here, and you know what?

It totally blows.

So far at least.

I remember back when summer meant three months of total bliss, family vacations, time spent outdoors and by the pool, good friends and good times. Not to mention my June birthday. Now it seems, summer is just another seaseon we rotate through our 3m slide viewer of life. Just another slightly prettier season to look at during my commute to work.

But wait, my car still has no air conditioner.

Which brings me to my next topic, things that are pieces of shit that I am spending hundreds of monthly dollars on. Like my car. I have a very nice, fairly new vehicle. Considering I am a student, it's pretty much as nice as I can get at my age. The only thing that was wrong when I bought it, was a small leak in the air conditioner.

Here is the car:

But the car is not the piece of crap, it's the warranty on it. Because the warranty was going to cover said leak, and now, they will not. This being the same warranty company that agreed to replace my engine for free. Sure, replace my engine with another, non compatible engine from a different car.

Brilliance.

I spend 50% more on my monthly payments to pay these people for their service. And while paying them, I spent roughly a month and a half... INCLUDING finals week at school, WITHOUT transportation. Oh sure, the company provides me with a rental car. Oh WAIT I am not OLD enough to rent a car. So I would expect my car back in a timely manner. Instead it goes something like this:


Me: So, I've been about a month without a car, so are you gonna supply me with alternative transport?

Insurance: Nah, dude, you ain't 25 so you're screwed...

Me: So... can I get my car back?

Insurance: ......well no. We installed an 02 Ford Taurus engine in your '01 Mercury Sable and expected it to work. So we're gonna give you your car back and let it die on you in the middle of an intersection, so that you can bring it BACK and have it worked on for another two weeks.


I didn't pay those bastards another cent. I had the garage do the work that should have been done before they let it die a second time.

And I am reminded how much I hate summer and how my car STILL has no air conditioning.

And So It Goes....

So I thought I'd start this off as another way for me to act shamelessly self-indulgent over the internet. A sort of way to take all these thoughts and shitty song lyrics and reasonings on life floating around my absurd mind and toss them at a semi captive audience.

Hooray!

And if you are wondering if I'm going to trash people on here and hold them hostage to my own brand of sardonic wit behind the semi obscure veil of the internet, well... I wasn't planning on it. Just don't piss me off. :)

I guess that's all for my first post.

-David