If you will direct your attention to the center ring...

Greetings,

These last two classes have been pretty cool overall. Everyone is presenting their projects, the challenges and new information they've discovered.


Ben has been researching the argument for legalizing marijuana and he's found a lot of compelling information for its legalization. I can tell he was really interested in his topic. He's got a sharp mind for tracking down resources, or else more self motivation than most for initiating contact with sources. I'm impressed.


Geo has been blessed with a couple of great sources, one in our scholarship house and another an honors class professor he developed a good relationship with. It's a great topic.

As far as my grade and putting together an appealing project goes I wish I had chosen a different topic, but as far as life itself goes, I'm indeed blessed to gave been able to think about this for a couple hours every Tuesday and Thursday. There's no telling where I might be with this planning process had I had to do it on my own in addition to class. But like I say, turning it into a comprehensible assignment...

And now, to distract you with some pictures and reading, our wedding website and engagment photos.

Because I have to...

Jesse

And the desperate search began
All across this sea and land
I just knew I'd find you here
I just knew I'd find you
- The Lions Roar by The Hush Sound

Feeding the coordinates into the nav-computer...

Greetings,

We're locked in for the Hartstone Inn, in Camden, Maine. Made the reservation last night. Will book plane tickets soonest.

Honestly, choosing a room to stay in to honeymoon has been kinda surreal. It's not just looking for a place to a stay. It's looking for a place to romance. And I'll leave it at that.

Finished up the sidebar corrections and started on the main article this weekend.

Anyone of these project based classes I'm taking this semester would have been more enjoyable if I wasn't taking three at once, while working at the Collegian. Blah, blah, I'm whining, I'll quit now.

Because I have to...

Jesse

Stickshifts and safetybelts,
Bucket-seats have all got to go,
When we're driving in the car
It makes my baby seem so far.
- Stickshifts and Safteybelts by Cake

Gone to radio silence...

Greetings,

Still no word from, Mel, I guess I'm being ignored. It's too bad, her cousins would have been a great resource. It's a funny place the internet, and I will never understand why people think the electronic realm is a place where social rules don't apply. A "No" would have been more acceptable than silence.

Fortunately, my other three sources came through.

Because I have to...

Jesse

Silence couldn't stop the sound,
The news and gossip got around.
A whisper here whisper there,
I do, but don't know why, I care.
- City Traffic Puzzle by The Hush Sound

A small request...

Greetings,

So I wrote to Mel of the blog Simply Mel, asking for advice about honeymooning in New England. Google Alerts directed me to Mel's blog because of a post she made about her cousins that had visited her and her family where they live in New England during their honeymoon. From her blog and profile, I believe Mel to be a very likable and and friendly person.

'Fantastic,' I thought, 'Perhaps she can suggest something about New England. Maybe she'll help me get in touch with her cousins so I can interview them for an interview. They'd be a wonderful source.'

So I sent her an email, explaining who I am, what I'm doing, and gave her the link to my Weebly site, the NoFreakin Way so she had at least as much information about me as I had about her. I asked for advice and queried if she could put me in touch with her cousins.

The email I got back was not very helpful and she didn't mention anything about putting me in touch with her cousins. It wasn't an unkind email in the least, it just didn't include very much.

She's under no obligation to help me, with a family to raise I'm sure she's very busy, so I'm not complaining, just disappointed. All I know is if it were me, I would have at least called my cousins to ask if they were interested. Maybe I'm too used to the Internet to think such a request weird. I don't particularly like the internet, but I am used to it. *shrug* Oh well. I may email her again, since she didn't really say no, just to double check.

Because I have to...

Jesse Riggs


You've entered the room with great caution
Though no one in the hall is even watching
They are transfixed
They are forgetting just to breath
They are so taken by your symphony...
In C
- Commissioning A Symphony In C, by Cake

Once more unto the breach...

Greetings,

Back again for a quick blog update on the Honeymoon planning and the progression of the piggybacking class project.

First, I would like to say, that yes, the blog post concerning the Google Alert that returned my own blog on a honeymoon in New England (yikes, I've done it again, I'll be hearing about this post before the week is out) was indeed picked up by Google Alerts and I was again alerted to my own post. At least I know the Alert search engine is thorough.

I believe I have narrowed down my target lodging to a seaside resort, which one not determined, though Emerson Inn by the Sea looks promising. The rush now is to decide and book. *waggle eyebrows* Life comes at you fast.

I have been astounded throughout this class at the amount of useless information available on the Internet. Add to that everything that is only useful to a very specific group of people and it's a very unfriendly place to a college student trying to plan a honeymoon and document his search. Which explains my slow filling of my Delicious.com bookmark quota. Two more today makes 19. Six more to go.

Because I have to...

Jesse Riggs

Do you remember when we were just kids
And cardboard boxes took us miles from what we would miss
Schoolyard conversations taken to heart
And laughter took the place of everything we knew we were not
- Inevitable, by Anberlin

Fools rush in...

Greetings,

Now I'm learning why people wait till they graduate to get married. I have a ton of information to sift through from my Google alerts and the sources I've looked up using the various techniques Dr. Baltrip has taught us in class, but no time to go through it.

I'm too busy. Too busy for my mind to handle. I don't know how some people do it but I'm failing at it. I look at lots of things and can't focus on any. It doesn't help to be perpetually irked at K-State administration.

I want to complete all the assignments I have on my plate. I really do. They're interesting and challenging. I just need help... sigh...

And I apparently failed to post this blog when I wrote it weeks ago, so it's appearing now, May 11.

Because I have to...

Jesse

Picture, I'm a dreamer, I'll take you deeper
Down to the sleepy glow
Time is low, don't you know
What are we going to do?
- Every Planet We Reach is Dead, by the Gorillaz

A small (virtual) world after all...

Greetings,

The internet has its limits. I'm as shocked as you.

So I set up a Google Alerts for "Honeymoon" "Planning" "New England" and I've gotten some good results. Interestingly enough though, I opened up the Alert from March 2nd, and this was the third entry.

NoFreakin Way Annex: Adversarial Unto Itself
By NoFreakin
For computer assisted reporting I am researching the process/planning a honeymoon in New England. I'm double dipping, using school to supplement and aid my real life situation; I'm getting married in July and my lovely fiancee has ...
NoFreakin Way Annex - http://nofreakin.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much Google Alerts.

I'm worried that posting this blog will create a vicious circle of Google Alerting me to my blog's content and me blogging about the alert. After a few cycles of that I may just snap and go crazy, saving me from the whole process. We'll keep our fingers crossed. (I can hear your thoughts. "Wait, is he hoping to go crazy or not?")

Because I have to...
Jesse


Now I cannot speak, I lost my voice
Speechless and redundant
'Cause "I love you's" not enough
I'm lost for words.
-Redundant, by Green Day

Sources - The Truth is Out There!

Greetings,

Sources - The truth is out there! Where it is and bringing it all together is the challenge.

That said, collecting sources for my honeymoon planning is going well. Google Alerts is returning great material, but I'm never by my source paper when I read through it. I have two informal sources, one that I need to track down but the other I am in contact with, that will be fantastic, being couples that actually honeymooned in New England. ("Honeymooned" is such a strange word.) I also have a good friend, John Walter, recently married while in college and I'm sure he's got great input on planning a honeymoon. I just need to corner him.

As far as institutional sources go there seem to be an over abundance of travel sights catering to honeymooners. ("Honeymooners," another strange word. The lexicon used while planning a honeymoon may be a topic in inself, sheesh.)

I'm starting to think about the side bar. Maybe focus on restaurants? Or lodging? I'm sure it will come to me.

Because I have to...
Jesse

Adversarial Unto Itself

Greetings sentients,

For computer assisted reporting I am researching the process/planning a honeymoon in New England. I'm double dipping, using school to supplement and aid my real life situation; I'm getting married in July and my lovely fiancee has expressed a desire to see the sea cliffs of New England. ("See the sea," really? What have I done?)

The funny thing is that for this project I was supposed to have tracked down several interview sources during this weekend, which would be excellent help planning this honeymoon. So what is the trouble? What is adversarial unto itself as the title states?

I spent the weekend doing wedding planning/preparation stuff and did not have an opportunity complete my interview source homework. The wedding planning preventing the honeymoon planning, how fantastic, yes?

Disclaimer: This blog post late at night after finishing at the Collegian and now have no opportunity to complete my assignment is a shameless attempt at explaining my failure and garnering mercy from the good Dr. Baltrip. Honesty is the best policy, yes?

Because I have to...
Jesse Riggs

Now there are two of them...

Blogging... do people read them. Do people care? Apparently, 'cause I can't freakin' get away from them. This is now my second blog spot, the first being www.nofreakinway.weebly.com, and I'm not terribly happy about it. Blogs are dragging this world into a black hole of stagnate information, but that's just my opinion.

Because I have to,
Jesse Abram