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	<title>The ChimpTank</title>
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		<title>Right Brain v. Left Brain</title>
		<link>http://home.chimptank.com/2010/01/24/right-brain-v-left-brain/</link>
		<comments>http://home.chimptank.com/2010/01/24/right-brain-v-left-brain/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 24 Jan 2010 21:12:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mark</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Thoughts]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://home.chimptank.com/?p=224</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>So I was looking up random stuff on the internet today while watching the Colts and Jets AFC Championship game and I found this <a href="http://www.perthnow.com.au/fun-games/left-brain-vs-right-brain/story-e6frg46u-1111114517613" target="_blank">link</a> to an optical illusion that starts a battle between your right and left brains. </p>
<p>The illusion below will spin clockwise or counter-clockwise depending on which side of your brain you are using to process it. Check out <a href="http://www.perthnow.com.au/fun-games/left-brain-vs-right-brain/story-e6frg46u-1111114517613" target="_blank">this article</a> for all the details. When I first looked at this I thought it had to be a trick that it was just randomly changing direction so I did a little test. I started by staring at the picture for a little bit. It was spinning to the right. Then I started&#8230;</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>So I was looking up random stuff on the internet today while watching the Colts and Jets AFC Championship game and I found this <a href="http://www.perthnow.com.au/fun-games/left-brain-vs-right-brain/story-e6frg46u-1111114517613" target="_blank">link</a> to an optical illusion that starts a battle between your right and left brains. </p>
<p>The illusion below will spin clockwise or counter-clockwise depending on which side of your brain you are using to process it. Check out <a href="http://www.perthnow.com.au/fun-games/left-brain-vs-right-brain/story-e6frg46u-1111114517613" target="_blank">this article</a> for all the details. When I first looked at this I thought it had to be a trick that it was just randomly changing direction so I did a little test. I started by staring at the picture for a little bit. It was spinning to the right. Then I started to read the article while keeping the image in my peripheral. As I read, the woman would start spinning to the left, as I would shift my attention to the woman after I noticed the change, immediately it would start spinning to the right again. As long as I kept the woman in my peripheral and gave it minimal attention while I read the article, she continued to spin to the left but as soon as my attention switched, so would she.  It was really cool.  Kind of like being able to peer into your brain for a second and see a tiny bit of what is going on up there.</p>
<p>Now try it for yourself!  And leave a comment on different ideas of ways to test the change between your left and right brain.</p>
<div id="attachment_225" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 310px"><a href="http://home.chimptank.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/ATT00017.gif"><img src="http://home.chimptank.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/ATT00017.gif" alt="Right Brain v. Left Brain Test" title="Spinning Woman" width="300" height="400" class="size-full wp-image-225" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Right Brain v. Left Brain Test</p></div>
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		<title>The Charles Schulz Philosophy</title>
		<link>http://home.chimptank.com/2010/01/10/the-charles-schulz-philosophy/</link>
		<comments>http://home.chimptank.com/2010/01/10/the-charles-schulz-philosophy/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 10 Jan 2010 21:10:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mark</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Thoughts]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://home.chimptank.com/?p=181</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_M._Schulz" target="_blank">Charles M. Schulz</a> was the creator of the &#8216;Peanuts&#8217; comic strips.</p>
<p>I received this mass email and I usually just read them and keep the interesting ones and all the rest but I seldom pass any on and I refuse to do it via email.  Just a quark I have I guess.  But this is one I felt I should share.</p>
<p>You don&#8217;t have to actually answer any of the questions. Just ponder them. Read the following straight through, and you&#8217;ll get the point.</p>
<p>Question Set 1:<br />
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.<br />
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.<br />
3.  Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.<br />&#8230;</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_M._Schulz" target="_blank">Charles M. Schulz</a> was the creator of the &#8216;Peanuts&#8217; comic strips.</p>
<p>I received this mass email and I usually just read them and keep the interesting ones and all the rest but I seldom pass any on and I refuse to do it via email.  Just a quark I have I guess.  But this is one I felt I should share.</p>
<p>You don&#8217;t have to actually answer any of the questions. Just ponder them. Read the following straight through, and you&#8217;ll get the point.</p>
<p>Question Set 1:<br />
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.<br />
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.<br />
3.  Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.<br />
4. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.<br />
5. Name the last decade&#8217;s worth of World Series winners.</p>
<p>Question Set 2:<br />
1. Name a few teachers who aided your journey through school.<br />
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.<br />
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.<br />
4. Name a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.<br />
5. Name five people you enjoy spending time with.</p>
<p>Which set of questions was easier to answer?</p>
<p>The point is that none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.<br />
These are no second-rate achievers, they are the best in their fields.<br />
But, applause dies, awards tarnish, achievements are forgotten and accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.</p>
<p>However, the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money or the most awards.<br />
Instead, they are the ones who care the most, love the most and are there for you the most.</p>
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		<title>The Powers of Baking Soda</title>
		<link>http://home.chimptank.com/2009/12/29/the-powers-of-baking-soda/</link>
		<comments>http://home.chimptank.com/2009/12/29/the-powers-of-baking-soda/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Dec 2009 09:33:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mark</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Thoughts]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://home.chimptank.com/2009/12/29/the-powers-of-baking-soda/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>So wow, I get heartburn all the time. Usually it strikes me when I&#8217;m sitting up late at night watching infomercials because I can&#8217;t sleep.  Unfortunately this happens way too often.  Well, it&#8217;s never fun and I have heard of this remedy from people over the years but I always just hated the idea of drinking baking soda and water to cure the burn.  Well tonight I was having a particularly bad episode and so I decided to give it a try.  Only this time, I used a 500 mL bottle of grape flavored Propel fitness water with 5/8 tsp. of baking soda.  I shook it up and poured it into a cup for easy chugging.  Well I didn&#8217;t need&#8230;</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>So wow, I get heartburn all the time. Usually it strikes me when I&#8217;m sitting up late at night watching infomercials because I can&#8217;t sleep.  Unfortunately this happens way too often.  Well, it&#8217;s never fun and I have heard of this remedy from people over the years but I always just hated the idea of drinking baking soda and water to cure the burn.  Well tonight I was having a particularly bad episode and so I decided to give it a try.  Only this time, I used a 500 mL bottle of grape flavored Propel fitness water with 5/8 tsp. of baking soda.  I shook it up and poured it into a cup for easy chugging.  Well I didn&#8217;t need the chugging.  I took one drink and almost instantly the burn was completely gone.  I took another full gulp for safety sake and instantly my stomach acid was neutralized.  It was amazing and with the grape Propel, it didn&#8217;t even taste all that bad. I am amazed.  Screw all the over the counter products I&#8217;ve tried, like tums and rolaids and zantac and pepcid.  This was almost instant.  From now on, its flavored water and baking soda. </p>
<p>Recipe:</p>
<p>500 mL of flavored liquid<br />
1/2 &#8211; 2/3 tsp. baking soda<br />
Mix well and drink.</p>
<p>Good Stuff.</p>
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		<title>Christmas 2009</title>
		<link>http://home.chimptank.com/2009/12/27/christmas_2009/</link>
		<comments>http://home.chimptank.com/2009/12/27/christmas_2009/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 27 Dec 2009 07:44:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mark</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Holidays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Update]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://home.chimptank.com/?p=176</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>Well it&#8217;s that time of year again!  Merry Christmas! I have been back home in St. Louis now for a week and it has been wonderful.  It&#8217;s nice to see the fam again and the pets.  Man each time I come home the animals are older and stiffer.  One day I&#8217;ll come home and they&#8217;ll be dead <img src='http://home.chimptank.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_sad.gif' alt=':(' class='wp-smiley' /> .  That is sad to think about it however inevitable it is.</p>
<p>Well, this week has been mostly staying up late and sleeping in late.  It has been so nice to be able to do that without worrying about missing class or work.  Happily this entry should be short simply because the week has been relatively uneventful.  I&#8217;ve&#8230;</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Well it&#8217;s that time of year again!  Merry Christmas! I have been back home in St. Louis now for a week and it has been wonderful.  It&#8217;s nice to see the fam again and the pets.  Man each time I come home the animals are older and stiffer.  One day I&#8217;ll come home and they&#8217;ll be dead <img src='http://home.chimptank.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_sad.gif' alt=':(' class='wp-smiley' /> .  That is sad to think about it however inevitable it is.</p>
<p>Well, this week has been mostly staying up late and sleeping in late.  It has been so nice to be able to do that without worrying about missing class or work.  Happily this entry should be short simply because the week has been relatively uneventful.  I&#8217;ve needed an uneventful week after this past semester; 18 credit hours, 1 full time job and 2 part time jobs.</p>
<p>The first half of this week has been sitting around and sleeping.  Playing games with the family and eating good food here at home.  On Tuesday, however, I went to have lunch with my co-workers here in town.  I work as a contract web-developer for a company here in St. Louis and they gave me equipment to work from Salt Lake, so whenever I&#8217;m in town here I have to go to the office and hang out.  Well, the IT dept is full of nut jobs just as ridiculous as me.  Sufficeth to say, I fit in well.  Now, they love to play pranks on each other and in the 4 years I&#8217;ve worked with them, I&#8217;ve never been pranked.  I was feeling that something was coming but then I got a call from Mike and he told me all about their plans.  He&#8217;s the most picked on (and he loves it) and so any chance to get them back he jumps on.  Well, they were going to ambush me in the parking deck with airsoft guns and water baloons (mind you its like 30 degrees outside).  Well I hit up the walmart and bought myself an arsenal and signed my brother up to help out. We go to lunch at Bandana&#8217;s BBQ, oh man I love that place.  So Mike, my brother and I all ride back together and the others took off together to get back to the office before us.  We pull in and I see heads peeking and then hiding from behind a truck a few rows down.  So I open the door and take off running.  Now, I should mention that I parked my dad&#8217;s car next to this truck and left all my gear in the trunk so that I could get to it easily.  As I&#8217;m running I start getting pelted and then here comes a water balloon.  My boss Jim made a perfect leading toss that hits my right in the shoulder and neck.  Lucky for me it bounced off, hit the cement and just bounced away; it never exploded.  So then I run over hitting the trunk button and it pops revealing the arsenal.  I grab the shotgun and my brother grabs the hand guns.  They immediately knew who betrayed them and the battle ensues as other workers in our office and the other offices in the building are driving through the parking deck and staring at us.  As it ends we gather around laughing to discuss what just transpired.  While we are talking, my brother decides he&#8217;s gonna break one of the impossible to break balloons over my head.  Before I know what&#8217;s happening I&#8217;m drenched all down my back and all over my head.  It was great.  They had someone video taping the entire event so as soon as they send me the video I&#8217;ll post it.<br />
On Christmas Eve, we played a lot of card and board games as a family and listened to way too much Christmas music.  Christmas day was great, as always.  Woke up early (9 am) and gathered around the Christmas tree with the fam and called my brother David, who is on a mission in Berlin, Germany.  It was really good to talk to him.  It was 4 pm there and so we had 2 hours before he had to get back to work.  He seems to be doing very well and loving his time and service in Germany.  Afterwards, we ate breakfast; southwest style quiche, bacon, eggs, toast, OJ, etc.  Then around 1 pm we started opening gifts.  My brother will made everyone different pieces of pottery from an art class he took this past semester.  He made me a Ramen bowl.  It looks like he bought the thing its so perfect.  I always knew he was an amazing artist when it came to drawing but I had no idea he was so good with clay.  Each piece was amazing.  Of course there was the stocking full of candy and a little cash as well as a small RC car.  This will prove to be my favorite gift!  It is awesome.  Mainly because after putting batteries in it and turning it on, the dog went nuts and chased it around the house for the next half-hour.  Every time he caught it he&#8217;d try to pick it up in his mouth but when I ran the motor he&#8217;d freak and let it go and continue the chase.  If he knocked it on its back or side, he&#8217;d wimper and try to nudge it back onto its wheels with his head so he could chase it again.  I love Samson.  So then it was back to the presents.  Every year we get T-Shirts from my mother with funny sayings that match our personalities.  Mine says, &#8220;I did not escape&#8230; they gave me a day pass.&#8221;!  We all laughed so hard.  At the moment I can&#8217;t remember the other ones but with each one we would all laugh until we almost collectively peed our pants.  The two other gifts from the parents were to come today and Sunday.<br />
That brings me to today, Saturday.  I was woken up around 11 am and told that there was a masseuse waiting for me in the back room.  I walked straight back and for the next hour I was in heaven.  Oh man, she was great.  She pushed so hard on some of my knots that the pain made me nauseous.  That&#8217;s how you know its good.  It hurt so bad.  Once it was over, I went straight away and got into the hot tub for an hour while snow flurries came and went.  I took a video of the tub that I&#8217;ll post.  Then I took a shower and went back to sleep for 2 hours.  I was again woken up for an event that has become a tradition in our family now I guess.  It seems that the weekend after Christmas is always our families assigned day to help clean the church building.  My guess is that they figured out that that is the only time all 5 of us boys are home again.  It only takes an hour with all of us and it is kind of fun to horse around with my brothers while we do it.  Afterward, we went clothes shopping to cash in on the after-Christmas deals and we struck gold, I just don&#8217;t know how I&#8217;m going to get everything back to Utah with me.  I kinda forgot to bring enough luggage with room to take back more than I came with.  Woops.</p>
<p>Now the other part of the gift is tickets to see A White Christmas tonight (Sunday) at the Fox Theatre, row 5 center.  I love The Fox.  Such a beautiful and ornate theatre.  That will be great seeing as how after 9 am church I have to catch up on two assignments I have to finish and turn in for a class I was lucky enough to get an incomplete in rather than an F.  Oh and the masseuse is coming back on Monday for another installment. Then Tuesday I get to relax and then fly home on Wednesday night.  On the 31st I am going to this New Years Eve rave with a bunch of friends I haven&#8217;t been able to see much of this past semester.  It is going to be killer! I&#8217;m so excited for it.  But then on New Years Day its back to work on Pioneer Theatre&#8217;s production of Touch(ed). </p>
<p>And there you have it.  The Christmas update.</p>
<p>I hope that all you out there had a wonderful Christmas or whatever you celebrate or are still celebrating.  Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to everyone!</p>
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		<title>Thoughts From Years Back</title>
		<link>http://home.chimptank.com/2009/11/18/thoughts-from-years-back/</link>
		<comments>http://home.chimptank.com/2009/11/18/thoughts-from-years-back/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:26:42 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mark</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Kitty Cats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Update]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thoughts]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://home.chimptank.com/?p=150</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>I haven&#8217;t been much good for anything lately. Between being sick for the past 3 weeks or so and it having just been October, my head and my heart just want to give up and lay down and die. It has all been way too much. Tonight as I began to play catchup on all my assignments, I came across several things I wrote years ago after Lorna&#8217;s death. It was a mistake to re-read them right now. They took me back and I haven&#8217;t been able to get hold of myself long enough to start back on my assignments in 8 hours now. Anyway, I felt like I should share these things with all 0 people who visit my&#8230;</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I haven&#8217;t been much good for anything lately. Between being sick for the past 3 weeks or so and it having just been October, my head and my heart just want to give up and lay down and die. It has all been way too much. Tonight as I began to play catchup on all my assignments, I came across several things I wrote years ago after Lorna&#8217;s death. It was a mistake to re-read them right now. They took me back and I haven&#8217;t been able to get hold of myself long enough to start back on my assignments in 8 hours now. Anyway, I felt like I should share these things with all 0 people who visit my blog. So enjoy.</p>
<hr />
<blockquote><p>
If I could catch all the tears I&#8217;ve cried because of you,<br />
They would fill up this room and perhaps I would drown.<br />
I have often thought that that would be best,<br />
Would my heart still feel this pain if it no longer beat in my chest?</p>
<p>My baby doll, you were my best friend,<br />
my only friend.<br />
And yet, you were my worst friend,<br />
my only friend.</p>
<p>I gave you everything I could give,<br />
I never felt you give much back.</p>
<p>I had never felt such great joy,<br />
I had never felt such great pain.<br />
I had never felt such great gain,<br />
I had never felt such great loss.<br />
I&#8217;ll never feel again&#8230;</p>
<p>You blamed me for all my faults,<br />
I couldn&#8217;t blame you for yours.</p>
<p>I remember you, the girl of my dreams,<br />
You were smart, you were beautiful and you were so kind.<br />
I didn&#8217;t know how or why way back then,<br />
But when you entered that room, I Knew you&#8217;d be mine.</p>
<p>I remember that night, so cold and so clear,<br />
Your eyes burning bright just like the stars in the sky.<br />
It took so much nerve but I knew it was right,<br />
I leaned in real slow and took you by surprise.</p>
<p>I remember you fell, your knees could not hold,<br />
I grabbed you up in my arms and held you in tight.<br />
I knew in that moment, standing there in the dark,<br />
I would promise to hold you with all of my might.</p>
<p>I remember the feeling, so intense and so warm,<br />
It filled all my body, my soul and my mind.<br />
I had boarded the train and I wouldn&#8217;t look back,<br />
At last I had found who I had come here to find.</p>
<p>I remember the ride, it was bumpy and rough,<br />
But I had paid for the ticket and I had stood in the line.<br />
No matter the twists and no matter the turns,<br />
I would never have thought that you wouldn&#8217;t be mine.</p>
<p>I remember that morning, so cold and so clear,<br />
I had sent you a message but you didn&#8217;t respond.<br />
My mind feared the worst and it soon was confirmed,<br />
Our train had de-railed and now you were gone.</p>
<p>I remember you, the girl of my dreams,<br />
You were smart, you were beautiful and you were so kind.<br />
They say people like you aren&#8217;t meant for this world,<br />
All I know is that you are gone&#8230;<br />
And now you&#8217;ll never be mine.
</p></blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote><p>
He was 24. She just turned 26. They loved each other so much. They had been together for years. They wanted marriage, a family but he was still in school.<br />
He talked to her on the phone that night. She had to go. He said I love you. She said I love you too.<br />
Woke up early. He felt uneasy. Walked to school. Sent her a text. Silly, it was the first day of fall break, October 5th. No classes.<br />
No response.<br />
Sent another text. Everything ok?<br />
No response.<br />
He felt anxious.<br />
Called&#8230; voicemail.<br />
He knew but would not permit the thoughts.<br />
An hour passed, the phone rang&#8230; caller id: her mother.<br />
The words, still too painful to speak after all these years:<br />
&#8230;there has been an accident&#8230;she has been killed&#8230;nothing you can do&#8230;i don&#8217;t know&#8230;just thought you should know&#8230;i have to go&#8230;</p>
<p>Blacked out. Disconnected.</p>
<p>Awoke on the floor; dizzy, lightheaded, confused. Alone.<br />
He began to sob. Uncontrollable. Inconsolable.<br />
Tears so heavy. So filled with pain. Anguish. He gagged. Threw up.</p>
<p>Passed out.</p>
<p>He awoke covered in blood. Joy! Hopes of blessed death. Cursed to live. His head still bleeding. He reached for his rifle. Cold steel under his chin. Click&#8230; Click&#8230; Click. Click. Click.<br />
Magazine full. One in the chamber. God&#8217;s cruel unmerciful hand. Irony. He was already dead. His purpose gone. Now lost forever. </p>
<p>Forever wandering alone in the cold October snow.
</p></blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote><p>
I have had Meka for 2 1/2 years now. She is 3. She is all white with a tiny patch of blue/gray on her head. She has one green eye and one blue. She is not deaf.<br />
Meka was a gift from the love of my life, Lorna. Lorna hated cats <img src='http://home.chimptank.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':)' class='wp-smiley' />  but for Valentine&#8217;s Day back in 2006 she found Meka at the humane society and for some reason fell in love with her. When I got to her house to pick her up that Valentine&#8217;s night she had left a trail of candy with a note to follow. Now I got excited because my thoughts, as a man, went immediately to her in something skimpy at the end of the trail&#8230; so you can imagine what was going through my mind when the trail led to the basement and into a back bedroom. Upon entering the room, there was Lorna, fully clothed but looking especially gorgeous. She motioned for me to continue following the trail, which when into a dark open closet. I put my head in and saw Meka in the corner cowering in fear. She was 6 months old and I&#8217;m sure had no idea what was going on.<br />
I love and cherish Meka. It was only 8 months later that Lorna was killed while driving to work when a 30,000 lb articulated earth mover drove off it&#8217;s job site and into on-coming traffic. Her car was the only one run over by the mammoth machine. Meka is my extension of her.
</p></blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote><p>
I sit in the middle of the woods. I lost the trail miles back. It is cold. I am wearing only rags, no shoes. I am surrounded by darkness. I can barely make out the silhouettes of the trees that surround me. A handful of beams of light penetrate the thick foliage above. They seem to be sporadic and random, coming in from all directions, landing wherever they please. A thick and heavy fog is slowly creeping along the ground. It closes in from all sides. The smell of an old damp and musty basement gets stronger by the second. I am enveloped by the noxious scent. I choke on it with every breath. Everything is damp; rotting, deteriorating, breaking down, falling apart. I am alone and lost but I am not afraid. Silence beleaguers me. It is deafening, as though my ears are stuffed with cotton. I am exhausted&#8230; no, there is no word to describe this feeling of total apathy toward existence. I am filled with fear and anxiety. I am overcome; overwhelmed. A thought enters my mind, it is almost like a whisper, &#8220;get up and go stand in the closest beam of light&#8221;. Receiving this message has used up every last ounce of energy I could collect within myself. I can do nothing with it. I cannot even summon the energy to move my eyes about and find the closest beam of light. I feel my mind begin to shut down. Darkness starts to creep in and my entire body begins to tingle, a cold and unforgiving tingle. I am shaking uncontrollably. As the last drops of awareness fade, I can feel the weight of twenty-seven long years start to lift. Only slightly but in that moment I remember what it is to feel genuine hope again. To feel desire again. In that instant, I no longer want to fade into oblivion, but it is too late, I have slipped beyond all hope or desire. My body is now hovering above the ground. I feel hundreds of points of pain; sharp and relentless. Pain streaks up and down my body emanating from these points. My hands glide over my body to discover the source of this torture. I am suspended by hooks that pierce my skin from my head to my toes. Each movement causes excruciating pain. I try to stay as still as possible. Slowly, one by one, each hook pulls through my skin. There is an exquisite rush of physical pain, beyond anything I could ever imagine, that shoots up to my brain like a bolt of lightning with each tear of my skin. As the hook finds freedom, there is a very short-lived rush of physical relief followed by a warm flow of blood that cools and clots quickly on my wet, frozen skin. My teeth chatter and I can see my breath. I realize now that I am completely naked. I now crave that painful release. I want more: NEED more. I begin to swing myself and jerk around in hopes that the pain might increase. The movement only wears down my faculties and I start to feel numb to the pain. I must remain as sill as possible and focus on this pain. I feel all of the emotional agony that has filled my entire soul for so long gather together in one massive force from every corner of my body. This force rushes instantly to the place that that jolt of pain originated. It is through this point that I can feel all my anxiety and depression and hate and anger punch through the tremendously tough outer shell I have created over the years and diffuse around me. In that instant, I feel an incredible release and I am free; released from the chains that bind me so tightly. It is electric and orgasmic. I feel every muscle in my body loosen and relax. The cloud that surrounds my brain dissipates. I feel the beginnings of a smile forming on my lips. My eyebrows lift. I remember my childhood and I feel unencumbered again. As instantaneously as this all comes, it goes and I am again left hanging, in tremendous pain on the outside and numb on the inside. I need to go there again. I need to tear out another hook. I understand physical pain. It makes sense to me. I can handle it. It seems like a lifetime that I have been enduring this suspension. Finally the last hook gives way. I try to make it last as long as possible. I focus in on each micro-tear as my skin slowly, over the course of an eternity, gives way to the cold, indifferent metal hook. I fall to the ground face first. I lay there face down in the damp, mossy dirt. Roots protrude from the ground and jab at my body. I can feel my hands and feet literally freezing hard. I don&#8217;t care. I can&#8217;t summon the energy to even care about my situation much less do anything about it. I feel completely numb inside and my body throbs. My face is expressionless as I stare miles off into the darkness. I am overcome; overwhelmed. I hear a voice echo through the darkness, &#8220;I want to feel you cry. I want to taste your pain&#8221;. It is am empty voice, no emotion, no depth. Hollow and unforgiving. Incapable of feeling. I need to die if I am not already dead. The pain begins to fade but is replaced with emotional torment. All I want is to be pierced again. I need an outlet for everything I&#8217;ve seen; for everything I&#8217;ve done. I am on the ground, naked, covered in my own blood. It is sticky and cold. It smells metallic, yet sweet. I cannot move. I try but there is no feeling in my arms or legs. I feel faint from the loss of blood. I hear movement nearby. I am instantly consumed with fear. I piss myself. The movement gets closer and closer. There is a dark and hollow presence creeping up on me from behind. I can&#8217;t turn my head. I can&#8217;t even move my eyes about. I am completely frozen. The presence stops and hovers directly over my back. I want to scream. I want to cry out but I am physically not able. I give up. At the moment those words go through my head, I begin to weep uncontrollably. The presence is not deterred. I feel an icy cold force press on my back and pierce through my skin. There is no physical pain. This force encircles my heart and begins to squeeze. Chills like I have never felt rush all over my body like waves. Never-ending waves of that same cold-tingle envelope me from head to toe. I know what is going to happen and I don&#8217;t have any desire to stop it. Death would be such a wonderful release from the struggles of life but death isn&#8217;t permanent enough. I am overcome with a desire to cease to exist. The cold around my heart gets colder. It feels like a frozen hand is slowly squeezing my heart. My vision starts to go dark around the edges. I feel everything closing in on me. I am so afraid. I want to scream out for help but I can&#8217;t find the courage. The light is fading fast. Much too fast. Gone. Into the darkness, forever.
</p></blockquote>
<hr />
<blockquote><p>
The skeletons in our closets dance at night so violently at times that no amount of sleep can bring even a moment of rest and so we are banished to the desolate streets, forsaken, with nothing more than a worn coat and a clouded glass of acrid memory to aid our abandoned hopes of forgiveness, forever praying to barricade the inevitable dawn. what shall become of us?
</p></blockquote>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Time For An Update I Suppose</title>
		<link>http://home.chimptank.com/2009/04/14/time-for-an-update-i-suppose/</link>
		<comments>http://home.chimptank.com/2009/04/14/time-for-an-update-i-suppose/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 15 Apr 2009 00:40:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mark</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life Update]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thoughts]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://home.chimptank.com/?p=138</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;m not sure why I even maintain this site.  Honestly, I seldom write entries here.  These personal websites for nobody&#8217;s like me seem to no longer be needed, what with facebook and myspace and twitter and all the other devices given us by the WEB gods to maintain contact and communication with people. However, when occasion permits, I still enjoy writing a few tidbits from time to time.  In fact, here is one now!</p>
<p>Here is my quick life update. The semester is drawing to a close and I am behind, as usual, with my homework.  I have two major projects that I need to be working on that I haven&#8217;t had much time for until now. I have to&#8230;</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;m not sure why I even maintain this site.  Honestly, I seldom write entries here.  These personal websites for nobody&#8217;s like me seem to no longer be needed, what with facebook and myspace and twitter and all the other devices given us by the WEB gods to maintain contact and communication with people. However, when occasion permits, I still enjoy writing a few tidbits from time to time.  In fact, here is one now!</p>
<p>Here is my quick life update. The semester is drawing to a close and I am behind, as usual, with my homework.  I have two major projects that I need to be working on that I haven&#8217;t had much time for until now. I have to design a set for the play <em>Playboy of the Western World</em> as well as design the sound for a scene from a play of my choice.  For my sound project I have chosen a script called <em>A Moon for the Misbegotten</em>.  I&#8217;ll be honest, I have never heard of the play previously and I&#8217;m not sure why I chose it except that the summary sounded interesting.  I wish I were more familiar with many different plays but as it stands all I am aware of are the big broadway hits.  On top of that I have to finish several smaller projects for my drawing class.  </p>
<p>Besides all of the work I need to do in the next 2 weeks, I just finished my first show, Ring Round the Moon.  It was a blast to work on and design.  It was kind of a bitch at times because I had no idea what I was doing but in the end I think it turned out very well.  At the beginning of the semester Joe Payne, my sound design teacher and resident sound designer for the Pioneer Memorial Theatre, offered me the project and I jumped at it.  The show closed this past Sunday and seemed to be pretty successful.  If anyone would like the soundtrack to the show you can download it here below&#8230;</p>
<p>Here are the tracks. You can click on them to download them individually or you can click &#8216;entire soundtrack&#8217;.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/soundtrack.zip">entire soundtrack</a> &#8211; 178 mb</p>
<p><a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/1_preshow.mp3">1 &#8211; preshow</a> &#8211; 83.6 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/2_preshow_fadein.mp3">2 &#8211; preshow_fadein</a> &#8211; 0.2 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/3_morning_birds.mp3">3 &#8211; morning_birds</a> &#8211; 0.9 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/4_dinner_gong_backup.mp3">4 &#8211; dinner_gong_backup</a> &#8211; 0.1 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/5_dinner_gong_backup.mp3">5 &#8211; dinner_gong_backup</a> &#8211; 0.1 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/6_lousien_waltz_0.mp3">6 &#8211; lousien_waltz_0</a> &#8211; 2.2 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/7_orchestra_tuning.mp3">7 &#8211; orchestra_tuning</a> &#8211; 0.8 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/8_coletta_walzer_1.mp3">8 &#8211; coletta_walzer_1</a> &#8211; 5.1 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/9_voices_waltz_2.mp3">9 &#8211; voices_waltz_2</a> &#8211; 4.1 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/10_handle_2step_1.mp3">10 &#8211; handle_2step_1</a> &#8211; 7.7 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/11_roses_waltz_3_long.mp3">11 &#8211; roses_waltz_3_long</a> &#8211; 4.4 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/12_el_choclo_tango.mp3">12 &#8211; el_choclo_tango</a> &#8211; 8.0 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/13_lousien_waltz_0_long.mp3">13 &#8211; lousien_waltz_0_long</a> &#8211; 8.4 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/14_waltz_5.mp3">14 &#8211; waltz_5</a> &#8211; 1.3 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/15_roses_waltz_6.mp3">15 &#8211; roses_waltz_6</a> &#8211; 2.3 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/16_dance_2step_2.mp3">16 &#8211; dance_2step_2</a> &#8211; 7.3 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/17_georginen_polka_1.mp3">17 &#8211; georginen_polka_1</a> &#8211; 3.4 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/18_lancier_lancers_1.mp3">18 &#8211; lancier_lancers_1</a> &#8211; 6.2 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/19_voices_waltz_2_long.mp3">19 &#8211; voices_waltz_2_long</a> &#8211; 7.1 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/20_coletta_walzer_8_end_act_ii.mp3">20 &#8211; coletta_walzer_8_end_act_ii</a> &#8211; 1.9 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/21_roses_waltz_3.mp3">21 &#8211; roses_waltz_3</a> &#8211; 3.5 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/22_grandfather_clock.mp3">22 &#8211; grandfather_clock</a> &#8211; 0.5 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/23_liebeswalzer_waltz_9.mp3">23 &#8211; liebeswalzer_waltz_9</a> &#8211; 7.5 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/24_waltz_5.mp3">24 &#8211; waltz_5</a> &#8211; 1.3 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/25_orpheus_lancers_2.mp3">25 &#8211; orpheus_lancers_2</a> &#8211; 4.7 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/26_fireworks_solo_shot_1.mp3">26 &#8211; fireworks_solo_shot_1</a> &#8211; 0.3 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/27_fireworks_solo_shot_2.mp3">27 &#8211; fireworks_solo_shot_2</a> &#8211; 0.3 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/28_fireworks_solo_shot_4.mp3">28 &#8211; fireworks_solo_shot_4</a> &#8211; 0.3 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/29_fireworks_solo_shot_3.mp3">29 &#8211; fireworks_solo_shot_3</a> &#8211; 0.3 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/30_fireworks_solo_shot_2.mp3">30 &#8211; fireworks_solo_shot_2</a> &#8211; 0.3 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/31_fireworks_finale_fade_end.mp3">31 &#8211; fireworks_finale_fade_end</a> &#8211; 1.5 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/32_emperor_waltz_11.mp3">32 &#8211; emperor_waltz_11</a> &#8211; 4.0 mb<br />
<a href="http://www.chimptank.com/mgriggs/Ring_Round_the_Moon/Track_Listing.txt">Track Listing</a> &#8211; 0.7 mb</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Mark, Sweden?!</title>
		<link>http://home.chimptank.com/2009/02/16/mark-sweden/</link>
		<comments>http://home.chimptank.com/2009/02/16/mark-sweden/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 16 Feb 2009 20:21:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mark</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life Update]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thoughts]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://home.chimptank.com/?p=131</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>So I found something fun today&#8230; I exist as a town in Western Sweden.</p>
<p><br /><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&#38;source=embed&#38;hl=en&#38;geocode=&#38;q=Mark,+Sweden&#38;sll=37.0625,-95.677068&#38;sspn=55.323926,114.257812&#38;ie=UTF8&#38;ll=58.228596,13.304443&#38;spn=4.705495,14.282227&#38;z=7&#38;iwloc=addr" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></p>
<p>I even have my own website to talk about myself as a town in Western Sweden! -&#62; <a href="http://www.vastsverige.com/templates/default____16674.aspx" target="_blank">ME!</a></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>So I found something fun today&#8230; I exist as a town in Western Sweden.</p>
<p><iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&amp;source=s_q&amp;hl=en&amp;geocode=&amp;q=Mark,+Sweden&amp;sll=37.0625,-95.677068&amp;sspn=55.323926,114.257812&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;ll=58.228596,13.304443&amp;spn=4.705495,14.282227&amp;z=7&amp;iwloc=addr&amp;output=embed&amp;s=AARTsJqONOxUpM3xwz0diA0brlZOZBvhwQ"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&amp;source=embed&amp;hl=en&amp;geocode=&amp;q=Mark,+Sweden&amp;sll=37.0625,-95.677068&amp;sspn=55.323926,114.257812&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;ll=58.228596,13.304443&amp;spn=4.705495,14.282227&amp;z=7&amp;iwloc=addr" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small></p>
<p>I even have my own website to talk about myself as a town in Western Sweden! -&gt; <a href="http://www.vastsverige.com/templates/default____16674.aspx" target="_blank">ME!</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Super Bowl Ads</title>
		<link>http://home.chimptank.com/2009/02/01/super-bowl-ads/</link>
		<comments>http://home.chimptank.com/2009/02/01/super-bowl-ads/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Feb 2009 06:22:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mark</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://home.chimptank.com/?p=129</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p></p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><object width="558" height="210"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/superbowl/embed/sb09"></param><param name="flashVars" value="layout=Horizontal3Thumbs&#038;watchOnHulu=true"></param><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/superbowl/embed/sb09" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashVars="layout=Horizontal3Thumbs&#038;watchOnHulu=true" width="558" height="210"></embed></object></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Sound Journal: 4th Entry</title>
		<link>http://home.chimptank.com/2009/01/29/sound-journal-4th-entry/</link>
		<comments>http://home.chimptank.com/2009/01/29/sound-journal-4th-entry/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Jan 2009 01:21:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mark</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://home.chimptank.com/?p=126</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>29 Jan 2009 &#8211; Thursday</p>
<p>This morning I woke up to my cat running through the kitchen.  She was super hyper and wouldn&#8217;t stop.  She loves to go run around outside but she HATES the cold so she&#8217;s been stuck inside all winter.  I heard her paws slapping the floor along with the sound of her claws scraping the floor as she tried to get a grip on the linoleum.  At one point it sounded like she had lost control taking a turn too quickly and slid across the floor into the wall.  Then a bunch of dishes hit the floor cuz she jumped on the counter and knocked the dish drying rack to the floor. </p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>29 Jan 2009 &#8211; Thursday</p>
<p>This morning I woke up to my cat running through the kitchen.  She was super hyper and wouldn&#8217;t stop.  She loves to go run around outside but she HATES the cold so she&#8217;s been stuck inside all winter.  I heard her paws slapping the floor along with the sound of her claws scraping the floor as she tried to get a grip on the linoleum.  At one point it sounded like she had lost control taking a turn too quickly and slid across the floor into the wall.  Then a bunch of dishes hit the floor cuz she jumped on the counter and knocked the dish drying rack to the floor. </p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Sound Journal: 3rd Entry</title>
		<link>http://home.chimptank.com/2009/01/28/sound-journal-3rd-entry/</link>
		<comments>http://home.chimptank.com/2009/01/28/sound-journal-3rd-entry/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Jan 2009 05:54:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mark</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Sound Journal]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://home.chimptank.com/?p=120</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>27 Jan 2009 &#8211; Tuesday</p>
<p>This is gonna be a really simple entry.  I woke up and, while it&#8217;s not exactly something new, I heard my brother snoring in his room. It was funny though cuz even though he does snore on occasion, I can&#8217;t ever hear it in my room.  His snoring started off soft but it slowly would get louder and louder then he&#8217;d kinda half wake himself up and it would get quiet for a few minutes then the entire process would start over.</p>
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>27 Jan 2009 &#8211; Tuesday</p>
<p>This is gonna be a really simple entry.  I woke up and, while it&#8217;s not exactly something new, I heard my brother snoring in his room. It was funny though cuz even though he does snore on occasion, I can&#8217;t ever hear it in my room.  His snoring started off soft but it slowly would get louder and louder then he&#8217;d kinda half wake himself up and it would get quiet for a few minutes then the entire process would start over.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>Sound Journal: 2nd Entry</title>
		<link>http://home.chimptank.com/2009/01/23/sound-journal-2nd-entry/</link>
		<comments>http://home.chimptank.com/2009/01/23/sound-journal-2nd-entry/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 24 Jan 2009 06:14:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mark</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Sound Journal]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://home.chimptank.com/?p=115</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>22 Jan 2009 &#8211; Thursday</p>
<p>I was again walking downtown late at night and this time I was walking near the library.  While I was standing on the sidewalk between The Leonardo and the library I saw a cat huddling next to the building trying to keep warm. I stopped to pet it and that was when I very faintly heard what sounded like two people talking in the courtyard. I walked toward the sound and it got louder and louder until I realized it was too loud. Upon futher investigation, I found that there is a talk radio station that broadcasts out of a little shop in the library&#8217;s outdoor courtyard and they keep a speaker on just outside&#8230;</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>22 Jan 2009 &#8211; Thursday</p>
<p>I was again walking downtown late at night and this time I was walking near the library.  While I was standing on the sidewalk between The Leonardo and the library I saw a cat huddling next to the building trying to keep warm. I stopped to pet it and that was when I very faintly heard what sounded like two people talking in the courtyard. I walked toward the sound and it got louder and louder until I realized it was too loud. Upon futher investigation, I found that there is a talk radio station that broadcasts out of a little shop in the library&#8217;s outdoor courtyard and they keep a speaker on just outside their door so that all can listen to their broadcast. Having discovered the source of the sound, I walked on letting the sound of the radio station and the cat fade away behind me.</p>
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		<title>One of Many Reasons to Leave Salt Lake City</title>
		<link>http://home.chimptank.com/2009/01/20/one-of-many-reasons-to-leave-salt-lake-city/</link>
		<comments>http://home.chimptank.com/2009/01/20/one-of-many-reasons-to-leave-salt-lake-city/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Jan 2009 21:18:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mark</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Thoughts]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://home.chimptank.com/?p=104</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>- Air Quality</p>
<p>Last weekend it was cold and cloudy and the air was fine and clear.  Last Monday night as I prepared for bed, I all of a sudden felt that small tickle in the back and top of my throat that very quickly turned into a dry soreness.  My eyes started to burn and my nose started to become stuffed up.  I knew I was getting sick.  I pumped myself full of vitiman c and zinc, ate a banana and downed a glass of water then went to bed.  I hoped that that would head the sickness off at the pass.  Unfortunately I was wrong.  I woke up the next morning feeling awful.  I couldn&#8217;t breathe and I&#8230;</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>- Air Quality</p>
<p>Last weekend it was cold and cloudy and the air was fine and clear.  Last Monday night as I prepared for bed, I all of a sudden felt that small tickle in the back and top of my throat that very quickly turned into a dry soreness.  My eyes started to burn and my nose started to become stuffed up.  I knew I was getting sick.  I pumped myself full of vitiman c and zinc, ate a banana and downed a glass of water then went to bed.  I hoped that that would head the sickness off at the pass.  Unfortunately I was wrong.  I woke up the next morning feeling awful.  I couldn&#8217;t breathe and I felt stiff and feverish.  My eyes burned, my head pounded and I couldn&#8217;t breathe through my nose.  I decided to skip my first full day of classes rather than force myself to walk around for 9 hours in the cold and potentially make it a whole lot worse.  I had made that mistake last semester and ended up in the doctors office and missing an entire week of classes.  Well come that Wednesday, I was feeling much better, except for my throat and nose.  I drank some water and showered and felt much better, my nose unplugged and my throat stopped hurting.  I figured I was still getting over the illness.  Well come this morning, a week later, I still wake up every morning with a sore throat that is full of crap and a stuffed up nose.  I have also noticed that ever since last Tuesday, the Salt Lake valley has had an especially bad inversion.  The &#8220;inversion&#8221; is when all this cold air gets stuck in the basin that is the Salt Lake valley because of an area of high pressure that holds it down.  This high pressure keeps the cold air in the valley along with all the smog and smoke and pollution that would otherwise be dispersed by the wind or by naturally rising into the upper atmosphere.  It has gotten so bad that the last few days, you can&#8217;t see for more than a mile or two in any direction.  All you see is this dense white cloud, almost like fog that consumes the entire valley.  At some places in the valley it feels like you&#8217;re in a very dusty room breathing in the dust particles.  It is disgusting.  The worse it gets the more I notice my nose and throat problems getting worse.  It is disgusting and the only relief seems to be to take a few hours out of your day and drive up one of the canyons until you are high enough to be above the inversion and you can finally breathe clean and clear.  However, who has a few hours to spare just to go breathe?</p>
<p>As disgusting as it is, the only way to get rid of it seems to be to stay indoors with air purifiers, head to the mountains or wait for a powerful enough storm to bring in the winds and the snow to push the high pressure off the top and let the crap rise and float away.</p>
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		<title>Sound Journal: 1st Entry</title>
		<link>http://home.chimptank.com/2009/01/20/sound-journal-1st-entry/</link>
		<comments>http://home.chimptank.com/2009/01/20/sound-journal-1st-entry/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Jan 2009 09:04:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mark</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Sound Journal]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://home.chimptank.com/?p=99</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[<p>20 Jan 2009 &#8211; Tuesday</p>
<p>Late at night, or early in the morning depending on your perspective, I like to go walk the streets.  Tonight I went downtown to listen to Salt Lake City sleep.  As I walked along the mostly deserted and icy sidewalk, I could hear my footsteps in four distinct parts.  First the sound of the toe then the heel following and then the echo of each.  I could hear the echo of the toe overlap the sound of my heel hitting the concrete.  As I walked along listening to this, I heard, faintly in the distance behind me, the same pattern.  Another lost soul pacing the streets at night.  He was moving quicker than I was&#8230;</p>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>20 Jan 2009 &#8211; Tuesday</p>
<p>Late at night, or early in the morning depending on your perspective, I like to go walk the streets.  Tonight I went downtown to listen to Salt Lake City sleep.  As I walked along the mostly deserted and icy sidewalk, I could hear my footsteps in four distinct parts.  First the sound of the toe then the heel following and then the echo of each.  I could hear the echo of the toe overlap the sound of my heel hitting the concrete.  As I walked along listening to this, I heard, faintly in the distance behind me, the same pattern.  Another lost soul pacing the streets at night.  He was moving quicker than I was and I could hear that pattern get louder and louder as he approached me from behind.  I slowed down and allowed him to overtake me and continue on.  As he did so, I listened to that same pattern fade away.</p>
<p>I continued my walk.  It was nearing 1 am as I rounded a corner out of an alley way when the sound of violins caught my ear.  It was very faint and distant.  The sound echoed off the buildings and made it hard to initially follow.  I walked on trying to find the source.  As I moved north it got louder until I came around another corner and saw across the street an old woman, bundled up in a dirty coat and what looked like rags for a scarf and hat.  She was standing in the doorway of a shop playing a cello.  The instrument was scratched and chipped, the spike held on with duct tape.  The bow was frayed and the dreary notes that resonated from the device seemed to tell her sad story.  As she played, I could here her raspy voice sing the melody aloud.  Her cello case open on the ground in front of her to collect donations.  She seemed to be waiting for a Sundance premier to let out so that she could earn a few dollars for her talent.  She would stop playing and continue to sing the melody as she walked around the square in front of the theater.  While she sang and walked, she would pause briefly and talk to herself in Russian or possibly one of the other slavic languages.  If she saw someone coming towards her she would scurry back over to her cello and resume right where she had left off.  Watching her performance reminded of cold nights in Chicago.</p>
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