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The Roommates

being from Southern CALIFORNIA and attending the University of Michigan can be a really tough thing to do. Outlasting the winters is really hard for me, and it wouldn’t be possible unless I had some real cool cats as my roommates.

This is Zach.

We call him the Box Master. But we should call him Newton’s First Law because without force Zach will not be moved. Pretty ironic that he’s frozen in motion right here. He’s going to be an amazing architect one day, although Woody is giving him a crazy look. He listens to good music and likes to live life just as it comes. No need to hurry unless there’s a fire. I wish I had more of his coolness in me.

This is Elliot.

Elliot is the smoothest guy you’ll ever meet. It all comes from his hair, which, no, he doesn’t condition. the ladies love it, and him even more. Elliot’s going to get places in life by charming his way to the top, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. you’ll fall under his spell the moment you shake his hand. no way you don’t like this kid. politics maybe? I call him either Shmelliot, Jelliot, or Jell for short.

Elliot and Zach were the two first friends I made at this school. It helps that they’re both from So CALIFORNIA too. Makes our house feel warmer.

And, this is Dan.

Dan is the man. plain and simple. Although he lacks the hair on the face to prove it, he’s the smartest kid I know at this school and he is going to make a great dad one day. Dan and I work great together. I think it’s cuz our birthdays are one day apart, or because we both read minds. either way I’m already envious of how far this guy is going to go in life. Dan is from DC, but went to high school out in Los Angeles. He’s a Californian with a twist. I call him Dan or Broder or Brodskies or Brodskeezy. They all work well.

This is Jeremy.

Jeremy is a move maker. He’s the kid who will get something done if no one else is willing to step up. He’s the house treasurer and does a great job making sure we have enough money in the house account for the next keg. He’s the lone east coaster in the house, and we just got him to buy his first pair of Vans. You’re not a true Californian unless you own some. He is definitely going places in life, and will never stop because he never stops making moves. An inspirational character, I call him Jerome, Zroh, or JayZ.

This is Aaron.

Aaron is that roomate who always does his part to help out around the house. He sweeps, takes out the trash, and cleans dishes all day. Cough cough. While he’s not doing that stuff, he’s in the library preparing to kick the MCAT’s ass this January. I am very excited to have a doctor friend in life, someone I can always call with a medical question, like “are third nipples common?” Aaron’s really good at all the sports I’m good at. I beat him in racquetball, but he kills me in hockey. I call him Fish, Fishface, Fisha or Fishy.

This is Daniel.

Daniel is a ridiculous human being. His sleeping hours, clothing selection, and other habits in general are very interesting to observe. He is probably my favorite person in my house, just cause I never know what he’s going to do next. He’s an econ major, like me, and I really enjoy having a solid conversation with him. I can see him being an awesome lawyer. I call him Squeek, or Squeeshy.

And this is me, Darren.

My roommates call me Daryll. I’m the red head kid in the group, who enjoys watching Fuel TV over ESPN any day of the week.

chicago drive-by

on my way back from the Wisconsin v Michigan football game

Click on the photos for a larger view

a changing scene

my next door neighbors have one of the prettiest backyards in Ann Arbor, so I took a few photos documenting the change of scenery:

Each photo was taken around 4:30pm, from September till January

Presidential Portraits

Eye Contact Helps

Wedding Reception?

fall.

every fall season i feel like a little kid again

the colors take over

and I cant help but wander down every street I see

who knew the death of leaves brought so much to life

I FOUND HOGWARTS!!!!

Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve always had the distinct feeling that I was actually a member of the Weasley clan, or the fact that my best friend has a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt on his left thigh (Charger’s tatoo), or maybe the fact that I just really really want to go to a school where I can take a class in Care of Magical Creatures, which is taught by a half-giant, but finding Hogwarts has been my lifelong dream.

After climbing over the Mountains of Doom and into the Forbidden Forest, past the testy centaurs, underneath the belly of Aragog, the Acromantula, I met up with Grawp, Hagrid’s half brother (but full giant). He pointed me in the right direction.

I’m enrolling for Winter semester.

photoshop skillz

July 9th, 2008
Iran released an image of four successful short range missiles… one of which was proven unsuccessful.

you'd think they could do better than just a cut and paste job

photography, art, and Andy Warhol

I visited the UM Museum of Art today for my first time. I had been planning on making a visit there earlier in the semester but never got around to it. I had visited so many amazing art museums over the past six months in Europe that I wasn’t expecting too much. Needless to say, I was very impressed.

The new exhibition was “The Lens of Impressionism: Photography and Painting Along the Normandy Coast, 1850-1874.” Before visiting this exhibit, the notion that photography could play a large role in the development of new painting techniques had never crossed my mind.

As it turns out, in the second half of the 19th century, photography was used to influence the impressionist painting movement. Mainly it was the aspects of capturing motion, cropping of images, and assymetrical placement of objects in the frame. Gustave Le Gray, one of the first and most famous French photographer, was known for capturing the motion of the ocean, clouds in the sky and ships moving in and out of the harbor. Many impressionist artists used his work to study a new impression like painting.

Le Gray’s Photograph circa 1856 of a ship being towed out to sea was praised as a work of art. Never before had anyone seen ships against the horizon like this, crossing the frame. It was viewed as very abstract. To me it looks anything but abstract. Then again it is 150 years old.

A photograph of the Normandy coastline and the famous Needle rock

Claude Monet’s painting of the Normandy coastline and the famous Needle rock circa 1873. Although a little blurred, the connection between the photograph and Monet’s impressionistic techniques are pretty evident.

After I was finished with this exhibition I wandered around the Museum a little more, until I found an Andy Warhol exhibit. I love Andy Warhol; mainly because The Velvet Underground is one of my favorite bands of all time. The exhibit was all head-shots Warhol had taken on a Polaroid camera at his numerous parties. It’s so hard to stick a camera in someone’s face and capture them acting normal or bring out a real expression. People are freaked out when I snap a picture of them, unless I coax them into forgetting the camera’s there. But the faces he captured were full of life. Warhol was referred to as the “mirror” because people were so comfortable around him they could always act like themselves (maybe the song “I’ll be your mirror” was about Warhol). He would remove himself from the party and become a spectator, which is hard to do sometimes. It was really awesome to see the skills that this guy had.

pony ride anyone?