Hey!  It's Sunday night and I haven't posted all weekend!  I didn't get anything else accomplished all weekend, so I didn't want to ruin a good thing.

Let's see...possibly the most exciting thing that happened this last week was our Guest In Residence.  The real Patch Adams lived at Allen for a week and gave seminars every night.  I went to a couple and he was very inspiring.  To fully explain what he's all about would take a long, long post...so just Google him and find out for yourself.  If he's ever appearing in your area, I strongly recommend going.

I had a two part Mythology exam this week...and I nailed it.  I haven't seen my results, I just know I did awesome.  70 questions, done in 20 minutes.  Also nailed my speech in SpeechComm.  Wasn't well written, but lots of loudness and energy can always cover that up. 

Oh...right...and I'm stupid.  I can't read a clock.  I went to participate in a psych study and I was supposed to tell time on clocks and a machine registered where my eyes looked first.  Sounds simple...but I got a lot of them wrong.  The clocks didn't have numbers!!!  Oh God I'm RETARTED!!!  Halfway through, the computer crashed and I got to leave, thank the good Lord.  I was so embarrassed I forgot to go to the next one I was scheduled for.  Somehow I got credit anyway, so I need to fix that.

Today I went to Curtis Apple Orchard with October Lovers.  Yeah, that's right, it's October.  As my brother would say, "Woot."  Could there be a better month?  Oh...right...June.  Teens love June!!!  But we got to pick apples and drink fresh apple cider and eat homemade doughnuts and feed goats...okay, I don't pretend to understand how that last one fits, but we did it.  They even had a "goat bridge" so the goats could walk from one end of the petting zoo to the other over your head.  I was a little weary about walking under it.

So, there's my life.  Don't forget to come to my half-hour set on the 21st.  I'm gonna rock the house.  Peace and Love.

(Note: Statistically more teens lose thier virginity in June than any other month.  Yay June!) 

Okay okay...I missed a Saturday.  But can you blame me?  The internet is so slow in Petersburg, I didn't want to submit myself to that kind of torture.

I would like to say that I went home this weekend, but I don't think I did.  I went to a place called Petersburg and stayed with a family called the Aldermans, but everything was changed.  I think when I left, the town got together and said "All right boys, we have a month before he comes back, let's change EVERYTHING!"

My house looks different, they redid Curtis Blacktop, new power lines, new street signs, my family goes to a different church, and my dogs have no idea who the hell I am.

Spent most of the time with Tiffany.  I got kicked out of her house at 2:30 AM and her mom called and wondered where the hell she was the next night at my house at 1:30 AM.  So, hopefully I've been around her enough in one weekend to make me through another month.

Besides that, pretty dull past week at school, nothing really memorable to speak of.  The week went fast.  For my psych class, I have to put in six hours of guinea pig time, so last Wednesday I took part in a study where we had to ask a computer equations in letters, it gave us answers in letters, and we had to guess what the corresponding numbers were.  We struggled forever to figure it out, and when we thought we were done, they informed us we had to do it three more times.  Urg...

Well, that about wraps it up for this week.  Tune in next time to hear Ryan say:  "Welcome to this outdated waste of HTML that I call my Xanga!"

Zzzzz....phbbbbb....zzzzz....phhhhpppp....*snort*...wha?...huh...oh

This week has officially been a bitch, and I am liable to fall asleep right here in this chair.

It's official, I will be returning home to good ole' Peterstown on Friday to attend the PORTA High School homecoming football game.  There, I will be signing autographs, kissing babies, etc.  All for a small fee.

Wednesday I had to attend a CARE Rape Awareness workshop (all university students must), after they changed the time and location of mine three times.  So I had to drag my ass all the way over to Illini Towers to learn how not to rape someone.  Apparently it's more difficult to avoid than I thought.  We had to fill out a questionnaire about rape and I misread the instructions and thought that "1" meant "Totally Agree" and "5" meant "Totally Disagree."  My mistake was not pointed out to me until I was done, so...thanks to me..., the university now thinks there's a sicko running around out there who totally agrees with the statement "when a girl gets raped, it's partly her fault."

Thursday night I went to Coffeehouse (Allen Hall's monthly open mic night).  I played "Let That Be Enough" by Switchfoot, and it was received very well, despite several minor mistakes.  Afterwards, a girl approached me and asked if I would be willing to do a set for a Domestic Violence awareness concert on October 21st.  So, its officially my first gig, and you should all come out and see me.  More information to come.

Friday night I had a choice of going to a concert at the Union that was being put on by Illinites (an organization that my roommate is really involved in) or a "pants party" being thrown on my floor.  You know...a party...with the pants...  So, naturally, I decided to spend the evening in Paul's room watching a WWI documentary on the history channel and laughing every time they talked about Fokkers (German biplanes).  Oh, those crazy Fokkers.

About my comedy group...Like Disco but Not Really.  I'm starting to realize one major problem with this particular situation.  They're...not...really...funny.  Ummm...I don't know what I'm gonna do about this one.

I've spent most of today talking to Tiffany on AIM and writing a paper on the legalization of drugs (against it).  I love writing...but not citing sources.  It just adds so much boring time and effort and pretty much sucks.  Paul and I went to go to dinner, and dinner was nowhere to be found.  Scary.  Turns out, like 5 of the dorm buildings on the Urbana side of campus were having a block party and we were supposed to go there to find sustenance.  Took us awhile to find it, but we did.  Got to hear a new bluegrass group from Allen hall play "Caroline" by Outkast.  Funny stuff.

So, until next time...I know you'd like to think that your shit don't stink.  But lean a little bit closer cause roses really smell like poo poo poo. 

If you're here...you are apparently interested in my life.

Thank you for your interest.  I feel loved.

Anyway, another week has gone and past.  Class has been more of the same, and thus (with several exceptions) life has resumed some form of normality.  Perhaps one of the more interesting days this week was Thursday.  I knew it had to be a Thursday...I could never get the hang of Thursdays...(Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy reference).  This particular Thursday included both an October Lovers meeting and a performance by Allen Hall's very own improv comedy group "Like Disco, But Not Really".  In case you can't figure it out by the name, October Lovers is an organization on campus that does October-like activities all year becuase of how awesome October is.  I am now an active member of this organization and am looking forward to receiving my T-shirt...becuase, let's face it, its an awesome random shirt.  Also, after the improv show...which was funny...I asked the director if I could join and he let me in.  So look for me in that around campus. 

Friday night.  Someone in my hall pirated the new Family Guy movie that doesn't come out for another couple months off the internet.  He posted this fact all over the building advertising a party he was having in his dorm to showcase his contraband cinema.  Well, I got there early and sat on a bed, but the crowd was well out the door pushing through to see.  The movie was just like the show, only now they can curse...and they use this ability liberally.  I still laughed pretty hard, especially at the Medieval catapult part.  What happens in that part, you ask?  Well, wait a couple months and buy a ticket, you cheap bastard. 

Which leads me to today where my dad, brother, and both grandfathers drove up here for the Illini football game against San Jose State.  We won!!!  2 and 0...let's see if we keep it up.  We started a pool before the game, and my grandpa Alderman offered to cover me financially in it if I gave him half my earnings in the event of a win.  I insisted on using my own money...and won the pool.  So now my wallet is bulging with buttloads of one dollar bills, which spells delivery pizza for Ryan sometime this week.  It's such a novel concept to me...delivery.  My roommate just shakes his head and laughes when I get excited about it.

So, there you have it.  I hope your life has been interesting.  I don't want any of you sad little people living vicariously through me.  Get a hobby or something.  Peace out.

Hello World,

Thank you for visiting my xanga...please keep your tray table up and your seat back in the full upright position until the captain informs you we have reached our full altitude.

I am starting this blog becuase my life has recently changed drastically.  That's right...I'M GOING TO COLLEGE!!!  Yes, the folks have "launched" me from the nest and now I must hit the proverbial ground running or do one of those things when cartoon characters jump out of cars and tumble down the road.  Things are going great and I'm meeting tons of new people.  For example: my roommate, Mike; or this kid from El Salvador, Mike; or the guy who leads my youth group, Mike; or...umm..huh...

All Mikes aside, there's a multitude of other cool people here too.  I actually currently am running with a predominantly Asian group, which is really cool.  However, it's not the new people I'm meeting that really warrents mention here...it's the coincedental meetings of old familiar faces.

Like when LAS (Liberal Arts and Sciences) was having a mixer activity where I had to link arms, back to back, with a random person and then pass off to someone else, and introduce myself to the new person.  Confusing...but I digress.  Out of the 4300 students in the Armory, when I went to introduce myself to my partner, it was none other than Eric Heyen, the only other person in the whole room from PORTA High School.  This was followed by random meetings with Ashley Brauer and Missy Norris on the Quad the next day.  Okay, fine...but bear with me.  A few days later I was playing my guitar at Coffeehouse (an open mic night at Allen Hall) and after I was done a stranger approach me and asked "Did they say your name was Ryan Alderman?  Like, Persimmon Lane Ryan Alderman?"  "Uuuuh, yes," I replied.  Turns out, the lanky stranger was none other than Paul Newton, the boy across the street who I played with all the way up to sixth grade before he moved to New York and I never saw or heard from him again.  "HOLY CRAP".  Turns out he lives in the same dorm building as me.  So it's just like old times.  I go over to his place to play and he talks about NASCAR.  Only, I don't have a swingset outside my dorm...but we're working on that.  And if that isn't enough...Mikey Marcoff from theater camp two years ago lives about 5 or 6 doors down from me and I didn't even know it.  I recognized his name on the sign-in attendance sheet for PHYS 140 DR. 

I feel as if my whole life; past, present, and future has converged in the course of one week.

I've tried out for two sketch comedy groups here on campus and didn't make either.  One group only accepted one person and the other only accepted four, and about 40 or 50 people tried out for each.  So life goes on.

So that's Ryan's life at this point...haven't seen parents, family, or girlfriend in three weeks, and probably won't in another two or three.  Not that that bothers me...eh hem...but it's a different feeling, nonetheless.  It's not like high school...tons more reading and no math.  Let me say that again...no math.  Oh, it gets better everytime I say it.  Life is good, and math sucks.  So, stop by and visit me sometime if your in my neck of the woods, otherwise I'll just run in to you by some freak coincedence.  Otherwise, drop me a line.  Peace out.