So recently, I went up to visit Heather, and we spent some time volunteering at the Ronald McDonald house in the suburban area of Albany, NY. Heather and her fraternity made some food for the local hospital, whipping up some tacos and Mexican dishes.

I spent a lot of time walking around the house and taking photos of the old mansion. It was a pretty shocking experience, seeing this beautiful place. I mean, McDonalds is a pretty terrible company, right? They’re responsible for a wealth of economic problems, the fattening of America, they are THE example of globalization, and a list of other things that I’m probably not educated enough to comment on. Afterall, I’m an English major.

But after seeing this, maybe they aren’t so bad.

Or perhaps that’s what they want me to think.

*shrug*

Happy April everyone! I felt this bun photo was appropriate for Spring. It’s Tim’s bunny, Vada, as a baby.

Back with updates soon. Possibly some cool party photos. I’ve had Farewell (Epitaph) and Powerspace (Fueled By Ramen) at the house recently. Drinks were had, trouble was caused, groupie hearts were broken… good times, all in all. Farewell will be back in Philadelphia in May, on tour with Hit The Lights. I’m gonna need a keg for that party.

Semester ends at the end of the month, my last summer class starts in May, I graduate with my MA in June. Where did all this time go? It feel like just yesterday I moved to Philadelphia to start my MA, driving here with a full head of hair and lots of hopes. Now, I’ll be wrapping up grad school, hopes fullfilled, head missing most of my hair.

I need to treat myself to a stress free tour with a popular band soon, before I lose it all.

Propecia in 2009!

Oh Ashlee, you were so cute when you were just a little baby bun. Back when I thought you were a boy. And your name was Ash. Now you’re so chubby that you get stuck inside soup pots.

The bun turned one today. She was six weeks old that fateful weekend when I got her at the end of March, and by that logic, her birthday is sometime this weekend. I’ve decided to make it on Valentine’s Day, because well, it’s easier to remember.

Heading up to Albany this weekend to celebrate Valentine’s Day with Heather. Can’t wait.

And to everyone who hates on Valentine’s Day, just shush. Sure, we should show the people we love how much we care about them everyday of the year, but your reasoning just doesn’t work. That’s like saying we should celebrate Christmas everyday, because we all should show our love for Jebus through our the year. Or Easter. Or St Patrick’s Day. Or Thanksgiving. Or Boxing Day, whatever the hell that is.

If we celebrated each of those holidays every single day of the year, we’d be broke from buying too many presents, stepping on eggs all over the damn place, drunk off our asses, extremely obsese, and then depressed because we’ve been  giving away all the presents we recieved. Society would crumble, the world would be in shambles.

So do your part, and celebrate Valentine’s Day, damn it.

Ah, 2008. Hello. How are you? Let’s have a good run, okay? Thnx.

I’ve decided to make 2008 a healthier year. Not just for myself, but for my horribly overweight (but still incredibly cute) bunny. Yesterday, while hopping around the apartment, Ashlee jumped into a soup pot, and got stuck in there. She wiggled around for a couple seconds, and then gave up, sitting inside the pot contently. I’m cutting back on feeding her handfuls of everything from Reading Terminal Market. Who knew you could get so fat from too many veggies and fruits? My poor bun.

Me? I’ve stopped eating fast food. It’s true. When I moved to Philadelphia, I had a pretty sweet washboard stomach going on. Now, I’ve got a totally unsweet paunch. Like my bunny, who is stuck inside of a soup pot because she’s too fat to get herself out, I’ve gained a bit of weight, and it’s time to get rid of it. I’ve been soda and fast food free for the past week. The only time fast food will be acceptable, will be during visits home, where White Castle & Halo III nights with my best friend are tradition.

Here’s to a slightly more healthy year. Wish me and Ashlee luck!

So my first year of graduate school is officially over. I’ve managed not to fail out despite uprooting myself to a new city, moving three times in the span of four months, going on a tour, and working a full time job. Surprisingly, my girlfriend hasn’t broken up with me yet.

Just one more semester and a summer class, and I’m finished. I can’t wait. Then maybe it’ll be time for a break from school before I start my PhD in English. I’ve been in classrooms non-stop since I was… what, 10? When do kids go to kindergarten? At 25, I’m ready to take a break from those uncomfortable desks.

Right now, I’m ready to spend a week playing XBox 360 (I need to beat Just Cause), watching South Park episodes, eating bad food, and then cutting lose with my family and close friends in New Jersey this weekend. Christmas holiday mixtape to follow shortly.

And yes, admire my Photoshop skills with that LOLbunny I just made. Ashlee goes to the vet again in January to get fixed and have some blood work done (she has some swollen glands, poor thing), and Mittens the chinchilla has his first visit in February. My babies are growing up!

Yes, bunnies can go to the veterinarian.

This past week, I took the bun to the Ryan Veterinary Hospital here in Philadelphia. It’s the only small animal hospital in the area, and let me tell you, there are some really wonderful people there. While sitting in the waiting room, a lot of curious pet owners asked me what kind of cat I had inside my animal bag. They commented on how large and fluffy it looked through the screen mesh window. When I laughed and revealed the bunny, about half a dozen elderly people came over to pet her and take photos. It was a nice moment.

The patient rooms really weren’t what I expected. I felt like I was in a patient room for a person, and not a small animal. The doctors there also treated the bunny like she was a person, keeping her in a blanket so she wouldn’t get cold, holding her after checking her ears, teeth, etc (buns don’t like that), etc.

She goes back tomorrow for an overnight stay. She’s getting spayed (ouch!) and having some blood work done, since she has some swollen glands on the side of her neck. The vets were impressed with how well behaved she was though, and they all can’t wait til I bring the chinchilla in for his first check up.

Vet visits are fun. It’s like, a trial run for when you have children. Except vet visits probably cost a little less, and old people won’t come over to pet your children. If they do, you need to find a new doctor. Seriously.

Reading up on various graduate schools. Now that is one ambitious bunny. Everyone should set their goals so high.

I’m sure a lot of people are going to be traveling in the next few days, spending the holiday in various locations. I’ll be spending the holiday in New Jersey with family, friends, and the little lady. With that idea in mind, I’ve put together a digital mix-tape. You can follow the respective links to download the tracks off the artists’ Purevolume pages. Burn them on a CD or put them on your fancy iPod, and you’re set to go.

Eric’s Real-Ultimate Turkey-Day Travelin’ Mix

01. Anberlin - A Day Late
02. As Tall As Lions - The Carousel
03. Between The Trees - The Way She Feels
04. Farewell - Stay Pretty
05. Foreverinmotion - The Rain
06. The Higher - Weapons Wired
07. Houston Calls - Bob & Bonnie
08. Just Surrender - Tell Me Everything
09. Moneen - If Tragedy’s Appealing, Then Disasters An Addiction
10. Self Against City - Ready & Willing
11. Sleepaway - Best Unspoken
12. Socratic - I Haven’t Seen You In Years
13. This Day & Age - Always Straight Ahead

Foreverinmotion’s song The Rain, is probably the most beautiful song I’ve heard all year. Pick up his album on 111 Records / Warner.

And if all that isn’t enough for you, well, go download Ronnie Day’s self titled album off his website, for free.

Happy Turkey Day everyone!

So one of my co-workers has a sister who wanted a bun. Since Heather and I are bunny barons, this little one found her way to a new home here in Philadelphia.

But look at this little rabbit! Heart-meltingly adorable, and many different colors. Her black fur has light brown highlights, her underbelly is white and tan, and her little nose is white! She also has a little white stripe on her forehead (which could possibly be a third eye, making her a psychic bun) and will definitely be missed. And not just by me…

… but by her kitty cat look alike! Here’s Diesel reaching out to grab a bunny ear. Want to see a few more photos? Hit up the Flickr, I’ve got a little photo set on there.

But you know, not all little furry creatures here in Philadelphia are as lucky as this bun. If you’re looking for a bunny, puppy, kitty, etc, well, check out Philadelphia’s Animal Welfare Society, or PAWS. There are a lot of animals out there who need a home!

In fact, I’m bringing one of these little guys home on Tuesday. Adopting him from a place up in Levittown, PA. He’s a little exotic, and extremely cute. Pictures soon!

Meet Tim and Meg’s new bun, Darth Vada.

Heather smuggled this little bun onto the Amtrak train from Albany, NY all the way to Philadelphia, passing through the Port Authority of NYC with no problems. She constructed a rather clever duffel bag that contained Vada’s cage, which was packed with lettuce, carrots, and water. The bun made it, and when she was set loose in Tim and Meg’s apartment, she hopped around merrily on the carpet, pondering what computer parts she would chew on first.

The last time I went up to Albany to visit Heather, I tried to bring this precious little bun home, but was thwarted by Amtrak when they told me no pets were allowed on board the train. I wrote a rather angry, irritated email to customer service. Not because they didn’t allow the bun on the train, but because some hipster woman got on at the next stop with an ugly little dog in her Prada bag.

Thanks Amtrak, it’s good to know pretentious rich women with giant Gucci sunglasses get preference over the scraggly looking college student dressed in ripped jeans and a leather jacket. Customer service called me to apologize for this, saying that only service dogs aiding those with disabilities were allowed on the train. That ugly pomeranian wasn’t a service dog. It was an accessory.

Heather, Secret Agent Double O’ Bun, accomplished her sneaky bun-smuggling mission with success.

Take that, Amtrak. pWn3d!

Or better yet, buNN3d!!1!

I’ve never really had a real birthday party before. I mean, I had a bunch when I was a little kid. The usual deal. Chuck-E-Cheese, Sports World, rollerskating, etc. But once you hit a certain age, your parents stop taking you and your friends to fancy, exotic places like Bowcraft, and start substituting Dunkin Donuts munchkins or cupcakes for your class. Then, that starts to disappear, and birthdays slowly become just like any other day, with the exception of the occasional awesome present.

When I turned 21, I had a serious throw down at my buddy Joel’s apartment near Philadelphia on his b’day, October 24th, with plans to party late into the next day. On the way to partying on the 25th, the car broke down, and we spent my 21st birthday at a Pep Boys. The night before was at least awesome though.

This year, living in a city on my own, I decided to do things differently, especially since I was hitting the big, scary two-five.

Lots of my friends came in for some serious partying from all over. I spent the greater part of Friday getting things ready and spending time with my girlfriend, who surprised me by making some amazing monster cupcakes with my roommate Tess.

They were insanely delicious. More photos soon.

When the night hit on Saturday, lots of great friends from home and college, a few new ones from Philadelphia, my rockin’ roommates, and my lovely girlfriend all came out to dress up in costumes, eat lots of snacks, and drink all of my Arbor Mist. The original plan was to bar hop around Old City, but as more people poured into the apartment, everyone was just way too comfortable. And that was just fine with me.

I was heavily dedicated to my costume as Thorny from Super Troopers. So much so that my roommate and I downed half a bottle of maple syrup, just to see who was, in the almighty words of Thorny, “all that is man.” The answer? My roommate. Man that stuff was gross.

The Halloween costume contest was won, hands down, by my friends Darlene and Cristina. They dressed as Naomi Campbell (Cristina on the right) beating up her executive assistant (Darlene on the left) with her cell phone. We captured an action shot, and Darlene had a fabulous black eye painted on. Good job guys!

A lot of my friends were telling me that this is the golden birthday and therefore, the golden year, since I turned 25 on the 25th. So, here is to making this an amazing year. I already know I’ll be finished with my MFA and my second book, so lets see what else can get added to that list.

Life is good.

Here’s to another good year.

Want to see more? Take a look at the Flickr account, and prepare to smile.