This is an exciting week for the site. On Wednesday, it will be my website’s six-year anniversary. On February 5, 1997, I took a little personal site full of links and (tried) to make it a little more appealing to the outside world. I did learn something over the past six years- you must offer content. The site before never had anything of interest. Now it does, yay to that. To celebrate the anniversary, I’m going to put up the first graphic I had on my website that I stole from one of the old “Graphics for your webpage!” sites.
Moving on to the real musings, I went on the actives’ retreat with my fraternity, Lambda Omega Alpha this weekend. Fraternities are really a great concept. It’s really amazing the purpose they serve. I am not referring to the massive parties and the stereotypical functions of a fraternity. Well, the parties are cool too but that’s not the point. The brotherhood aspect is something that I have yet to experience anywhere else- even band. (For those who know, band can be a close-knit group…) For those who wonder about joining a fraternity, I wouldn’t say just join any one, but if you can find out you really can flow with- go for it. For me, it was the Lambdas but for Ricky it was Theta Chi. However, I don’t think I would flow with Theta Chi and I don’t think Ricky would flow with the Lambdas.
Fire. Men love to play with fire. I really don’t understand it- I love to play with a little fire too but I don’t know why. Maybe primal instincts of survival or just because fire is some cool stuff. Really though, have you ever really just looked at fire? Just glazed into it… thought you saw something in the flames… started reflecting about the passion you have for something in light… felt the heat of that passion.. all to realize that the passion you felt was your pant leg on fire? Lesson: Don’t go out into a daze while next to a fire.
The next topic was going to be teaching and my personal struggle with that. Then I got to thinking about it and I don’t feel like talking about it anymore. So if you really want to know more about it- that’s your problem. =)
I’ll keep this week’s article random and pointless by throwing in something else pointless. I wish I could experience a Groundhog Day effect for some point in time. Able just to repeat a day… or better yet, a week over and over again until I could figure out how to do things right. Not to mention, it would be a great stress reliever. You know what I mean- go Grand Theft Auto for a day… Oh yes… it would be classic. Best part… wake up… everything is back to normal and your ego is that much bigger. Wait… that might not be a good thing. Neither here nor there. That’s that for this week.
Next Week: The column is called RANDOM musings for a reason… just because Kari knows what she is going to write about people all expect me to…. gosh

First off, as some of you may have noticed, the camera view has changed some. For the moment, the camera is focused on my laptop screen. Why did I move it? The camera kept off falling off the window ledge and I wanted to use the camera for video creation more. While I’m talking about website details, I am going to start trying to update this on a weekly basis.
Recently, I found a copy of the Back to the Future trilogy in my room. I forgot how much I enjoyed that movie. The concept of time travel has always amazed me. (If you remember my mention of the Time Travel Fund in a previous RM232). Did you know that you can still by a DeLorean? On the DMC website, you can go to Buy Your Own DeLorean and order a DeLorean. Prices start at $32,500 so I will not be purchasing one soon. In either case, that’s simply amazing. If I had the money, I would drive to Houston and pick one up tonight. Back to the Future is my favorite movie and to have the same type of car would make my day. I’ll talk more about the time travel aspects later.
I have been involved in fixing some computers lately. At first, I worked on fixing Tracie’s computer. Among other things, Internet Explorer would not open so I suggested she uninstall it. That caused Windows ME to completely stop working. Yes, that really sucks. I’m still working with her to get that computer back on it’s feet. However, I started working on Kami’s computer. She had a variation of a virus. Using the Remote Assistance feature in Windows Messenger and Windows XP, I removed a couple of rogue programs and some registry keys that loaded the virus. So, I’m one for two on fixing computers in the past week. To Tracie: We’ll get that computer fixed! I promise! Thanks for putting up with your old one while we get the new one fixed.
Matt wanted me to mention the weather in Boston again. Instead of just mentioning what the weather is at the moment I’m writing, I am placing a banner with the current conditions on the left. For comparison’s sake, I am also including an image with Austin’s weather.
While I’m mentioning Matt, here are some exclusive stats on his progress towards 100% completion on GTA:VC:
Matt has played a total of 53 hours and 29 minutes according to our time thus elapsing 254 days within the game. During that time- within a year virtually- he has killed 4140 people- 174 via headshots. Yet he has only sniped four seagulls. Some people might say he is a violent man in the game, but no, he has only killed four seagulls. This man is a friend to PETA (no link since I don’t think they’ll agree). He has even fed thirty-four fishes according to the game stats! So while he’s only made it up to 4 am national TV for the 674 “wanted stars” he’s attained, this man has never ran over a dog in the 1447 miles he has driven. So remember, when people say that GTA is a violent game- look at who they’re looking at. They’re talking about violent against people but the game is obviously not violent towards animals. Remember that people.

This is just a short filler for now. I plan on having a decent upgrade made to the site by 1/13/2003.
You all know what is really awesome though- I’m now a sophomore. With the Fall 2002 semester being added to the transcripts, that puts me over the 30 credit hour mark making me now a first-year sophomore at UT.
Anyhow, please look forward to the musings and whatnot that will be added around the 13th. I’ll try to have the College Courses site updated through the Spring 2003 semester as well as improving upon the HHS-UT section.
Oh, before I forget, I do realize something is wrong with the calendar site. It is not supposed to come up in Korean. I’ll play with the hyperlinks later and figure out a fix to the problem. Try just typing in http://calendar.yahoo.com/kraftychat/ That worked for me once.

The semester is almost to an end already. For me, as of this writing, I have one lecture and one discussion left. After that, two finals and the Fall 2002 semester will be no more. There will only be one more semester of Random Musings from M0232- after that, I won’t be living in M0232 so obviously, I’ll have to rename it.
Back to the point of the ending semester, my long semester of college has been an interesting one. I’ve never lived away from home nor in any other town than Wichita Falls. I have almost always gone to school with my cohorts who graduated with me from Hirschi. This semester I have not performed to the academic level that I have come to expect from myself. The first semester is an unique one- being thrown into a whole new academic, social, spiritual and psychological environment. Not only must I adapt to the difference in academics but I must adapt to knowing almost no one, to not knowing what church to go to, to never living downtown in a metro area.
With all of the confusion and difficulty the transitional semester has made itself out to be, there have been many great aspects of it. I am now an active in the Lambda Omega Alpha fraternity. I have made contacts with Anderson International Baccalaureate High School as an intern to their chemistry department. I’ve met and meet regularly with diocesan officials with the Diocese of Austin. I work the front desk at the University Catholic Center. I’ve met so many great people; many of whom are becoming part of my close network of friends and contacts. While I am at school to be a student first and I have not achieved my goals in terms of that function, I am establishing myself. I would further assimilate myself into the world that is Austin, but perhaps time is the missing key.
On a different note, Newsweek is reporting of a new wave of virginity across American high schools. According to the cover story, the number of high school teens who say they have not have sex has increased ten percent between 1999 and 2001. Overall the story is very interesting mentioning the story of one El Paso girl who works at Hooters, won a pageant, models for Harley-Davidson and is a cheerleader but is still a virgin. It is interesting that while our society and our culture is turning to one that is more and more sexually driven, the effect of that culture on the teens of today has decreased. Interesting article though.
I did learn of something that really tripped me out this week though- The Time Travel Fund. This is a fund that you join by sending in $10 and when time travel is invented, they will pull you into the future where you will live a life of luxury living off of your $10′s compounded interest. Now, I won’t go into everything- simply check out the site. One thing I noticed, guess how much of your $10 contribution goes towards your future life? One dollar- yes, that’s right boys and girls- one whole American dollar. Another one goes towards a legal fund to pay for lawyers to run the trust, the other eight goes towards supporting the website. Okay, let’s do this, nine other people call me and send me a dollar. Then we’ll send them our $10. If it works, whoever gets pulled into the future can come back to the past and be like “Hey Brandon- I’m back from the future. That $10 Time Travel thing, well hey, it works.” Then we all would know to contribute $10 and presto- it works for everyone. Then there are all kinds of questions involved though involving theories of time- if we go back in time to alert ourselves to the success of the program, what would happen? Some say that the past is defined and no matter what, things would get in the way of anyone traveling back and changing it. The other thought, which I would subscribe to, is the alternative reality possibility. In that, a new reality would be created by us changing the past. In theory, there are infinite number of reality based on all the decisions we make. For example, so many realities would have me be a student at UT, so many other realities would have be me a student at…. let’s say the Catholic University of America. That’s enough time travel talk for almost 2 a.m.
Ricky wanted me to throw in that Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is an awesome game. I would have to second that. All in favor, say aye. Ricky, Brandon and Matt: “Aye” The ayes have it.
Matt wanted me to throw in that he’s freakin’ cold. It’s not only cold outside at MIT, but he’s cold in his room- he’s cold at his desk at work. Why? Too many windows with too much heat escaping. What have I personally learned from this? I can’t complain about it being 39 degrees.
Lastly, I’ll be working on the college and Hirschi-UT sections of the website over Christmas break. The updates will all be posted at once. When will Christmas break start? December 14, 2002 at 5:00 p.m. Take care until next time.