Pizza, pizza, pizza! (and prizes!)

It's here! The party! If you haven't solved the last puzzle, come anyway. Nicole and I would like to see you. 5:00PM, Great Hall in the Student Union. Pizza and a special prize for the first 125 or so of you who come to our party!

Party with Us!

Nicole and I are still having our engagement party. We're still not sure just what we're going to do, but since the arrangements had been made for food and stuff, we're still going to do the party. We hope all of you will come. Bring your friends. Any friend of our friends is a friend of ours, too. (Boy, my English prof wouldn't like *that* sentence structure!)

Anyway, we're having pizza and the first 125 or so people get a very special gift from us! Hey, Naomi and Alexandria--don't worry. There will be vegetarian pizzas as well as meatatarian pizzas. LOL.

Here's the rub,though! (My English prof *would* like that reference to Shakespeare.) You hafta solve the final puzzle to know where and when. I'll give you a hint. It would be a really good idea to solve it before Monday. And remember that you can get help from each other. I *might* even post some hints as the weekend goes by just in acse you're getting stuck.

I'm still learning this blog stuff. Can't see where I can upload the puzzle. So you're going to have to go to http://shbange.ning.com to get the puzzle!

I love you guys! Can't wait to see you for pizza and partying!

Nicole and Bob

So now you know what I know. Nicole loves Bob. My best friend and my fiance. Behind my back. I can't believe it. I never would have thought Nicole would do something like letting me know by putting a puzzle out on campus. I liked it better when she didn't like puzzles! OK. Deep breath. Gotta go talk to her.

Mad!

I'm mad. I mean really mad. OMG. I can't believe what I found today. Some friends told me they had found these signs on campus that said "Nicole" and "loves." I was sure it was another puzzle Nicole put out there for me. The last one wasn't so much fun because it told me she was mad at me, but I thought we'd worked through that. So I went looking to see if I could find a sign that said "Brandon." You know... like "Nicole loves Brandon?" I found something alright, but it wasn't waht I hoped to find. After my heart started beating again, I just started running. A bus passing a stop thought I was running to catch it and stopped, but I just needed to explode and running helped.

Do you want to know what I found? Try guessing first. But you won't get it right. So try this:



If you figure it out, post it here. I can't wait for all of you to see what I saw.

Poem Contest!

Thanks to JM (Jess, is that you?) for finding and posting Bob's poem!!!

Bob's my buddy and I really like his poems, but I'm not sure the one he sent is what I want for the wedding. (I mean what *Nicole* and I want, fo course!)

So, here's your chance! Write a wedding poem for us! You have until 8:30 tonite. I know that's not much time, but I'm planning an engagement party, and want to be able to let all of you vote on my favorites in time to announce a winner at the party.

So, post your poems here by 8:30PM tonite. I'll pick my favorites and make a poll. (Love that bog poll feature!) You can vote and the winner will get a special prize at the engagement party.

Pay attention to this part, though. You'll need to know where and when the party is, right? And you know how I like puzzles, right? ROTFL. You know what that means, I'm sure!

Music Choice: The Winner is...

Nicole's choice. Sigh. But barely! Just one vote more than my choice. I'm closing the poll in just a minute, but if you want to post your opinions here, you can. (And if you post opinions that you like mine better, I'll count those in the vote! LOL)

Nicole Sent *Me* a Puzzle!

This is so cool! Nicole just sent me a puzzle. I haven't solved it yet. Saving it to do over lunch. If you know Nicole and me, you know I love puzzles and she doesn't. I like solving and creating them. She doesn't like either. I think her sending me this puzzle must mean that she's learning how much fun they can be! You know? They can add a little excitement to saying something that would otherwise be boring. So I'm really happy Nicole sent this puzzle to me!

Take Our Music Poll!

So Nicole and I have been talking (OK, emailing) about music choices. We each have a favorite piece of music we want at the wedding, so we thought (OK, mostly *I* thought) all of you could help us decide which one to use. You can use this cool Doodle poll I set up to let us know what you think:
http://doodle.com/q83sdpzuuudspqud

Vote soon!

Help! Lost Email!

I am not happy. Last night, I stopped by the help desk in the Undergrad Library to see if they could help me figure out what happened to the files on my laptop. I tried to work on a paper that’s due next week, and it turns out my hard drive died. Not only that, but I hadn’t been making backups because they just take too much time. And I didn’t buy a CCI machine, so my computer's warranty has expired. I stopped by the lab in the Undergrad Library to check email, and had a message from my best friend in high school, Bob. He had a few things to say about Nicole and me getting engaged. OK, he had more than a few things to say, so I printed out his email and took it with me when I stopped by the RAM shop to look at new hard drives. Yes, I found a new hard drive, but when I got back to the Union to have a latte, I realized I’d lost the email message! This was not a good day. And to top it all off, after I printed the email, I deleted it. Please help me find that message! I know I had it when I left the lab, and I didn’t have it when I sat down in the Union. Let me know if you find it. Bob writes poetry, and I’m pretty sure he included one in that message that he wanted to read at the wedding. I just can’t remember what the poem was, though. Not sure if I’ll want it at the wedding. I’m more into Andrew Marvell myself. But a modern poem might suit Nicole better. I need to get Bob’s poem so I can decide. If you find it, include it in a comment here so I can remember what it said. I really just need the poem posted here. I remember the stuff from the rest of the email. Please help!

Well, heck. I was so psyched when I proposed in the Pit yesterday. Nicole said yes!!! I walked around singing all my favorite love songs all the way to my next class. Yes, out loud with a major grin on my face. Already thinking about 1,000,000 friggin’ wedding details (as Coach Roy would say). Nicole and I had a great dinner at Bun’s to celebrate. Not fancy, but we like it. I left her at her dorm so I could go to a rehearsal for the next Lab! Theatre performance, and while I was gone, she called her mother to tell her the good news. Know what her reaction was? You can figure it out from this posting, if you’re smart. The question is, what should I do about it? If you have ideas, send me email: brndnthmpsn87@gmail.com

http://powertochange.com/sex-love/runaway

What Dya Think About This Music?

I’ve been thinking a lot about wedding stuff! Last night, I was plugged into my MP3 player while I was looking over a chapter for one of my classes and one of my favorite songs came on. I couldn’t believe how perfect it would be to have that song at our wedding!!! I can’t wait to see Nicole walking down the aisle while it’s playing… It’s *perfect*: http://shbange.unc.edu/puzzle/music.html

Anybody figure out the quote?

Cool that some folks are voting in my Avatar poll. But have any of you worked on figuring out what I said to Nicole when I proposed to her today? The first couple of people who gather the next set of clues will get prizes! I'm just a poor undergrad, so don't have a lot of money to spend on prizes, but I think I picked things you'll be able to use. :-) Keep me posted on your progress. And you *can* get your friends to help you. I got a little bit of help from my friends when I created this puzzle.

Today!!!

A few weeks ago, I went to see a performance of West Side Story with Nicole. I’ve been thinking a lot since then—about love and families and, dare I say it, youth. That probably sounds a little weird coming from someone who is pretty young (I turned 20 over the summer), but that’s what a really good musical will do for you. It makes you think. OK, in truth, it makes me think. But that’s what this blog is all about, right? Me. :-)

Except in this case, it’s about me and Nicole. We’ve been dating most of the time we’ve been at Carolina. For those of you who don’t know, we met our freshman year. We hit it off, but didn’t start dating until that November. Since then, we’ve grown closer and closer. Hard to explain since there are ways that we’re really different, but it works anyway. I really love the girl, and I know she loves me. (Would my mom think Nicole is old enough to be called a woman? Mom’s pretty stubborn about not using “girl.”)

Anyway, back to Nicole and West Side Story. We graduate this spring, and I know we’ll still want to be together. So, I’m thinking of asking her to marry me. Yeah, we’ve talked about marriage before, but not in any real solid way. I’m pretty sure this will be a surprise to her. (And to those of you who wonder, she doesn’t read my blog. Thinks it’s a waste of time when she can see me or text me to find out what I’m doing or thinking.)

So in the interest of romance, I’ve been thinking about how to pop the question. Skywriting over Kenan Stadium? (Too expensive.) The Durham Bulls message board? (Have to wait until spring!) Romantic fancy restaurant? (Not as expensive as skywriting, but still a lot on my budget.) So, I’ve decided to use a Carolina icon as the setting. It won’t be romantic, but it’ll be dramatic... and since I’m a drama major, that seems appropriate! I asked her to meet me in the Pit at noon to go to lunch. I’m going to take her into the middle of the Pit, get on my knees, and propose!

I think she’ll say yes. I’m pretty sure she will, but I want to maximize the chances, so I’ve got this really, really romantic quote to use on her. I plan to whisper it in her ear. Just don’t think that you’re going to hear it if you’re there when I propose.

But you can play this game I’ve created to see if you can figure the quote out. See, I’ve got some riddles below. If you solve the riddles and take the next step, you can figure out the quote, and won’t you feel smart! Work fast, though. The "next step" will disappear in a few days. (If you post your answers here, everybody can see how smart you are!)

So stay tuned.... If you’re not in the Pit when I propose, you can always come back here to find out how it went!

Ready? Here are your clues!

"I was named after a chancellor whose Light shone on Chapel Hill. Help awaits those who enter me. On one side of me is a venerable old soul and on the other, faculty, staff, and students go through the daily grind of campus life."

Who am I?

"My function is older than Silent Sam, but the students who fill me are anything but silent. They work for those whose voices are silent. Tangible memories of families, students, faculty, and events support those who walk around me. I echo with the collective strength of those who frequent me."

Who am I?

"I have been a home for scholars since 1923. My first students followed in the footsteps of King Hammurabi. By 1970, my halls echoed with the wisdom of Callimachus. Today, clay tablets and papyrus rolls have given way to sleek, modern machinery."

Who am I?

Help for Haiti

All of you know I've been following the news in Haiti closely. A buddy of mine was scheduled to go down there for a service trip this week. The trip's been canceled, and he's been looking for other ways to help. Here's a way all of you can help, in case you haven't heard. On Tuesday January 26, Mediterranean Deli (one of Nicole's favorite restaurants) will donate ALL proceeds from ALL sales to help the victims of the earthquake. Pass the word on, go eat at Med Deli, and if you see Nicole and me, say "hi." We'll be the ones with the lovestruck look in our eyes while chowing down on hummus and whole wheat pitas.

Back in Chapel Hill!

I'm glad to be back in Chapel Hill where Nicole and I can be together every day!

I have big plans for this semester. Not class stuff; it’s much more important than that. Can’t say anything about it yet because I’m still making plans. But stay tuned. You’ll hear more.

Have you set up an RSS feed for this yet? If not, you should. Just select the RSS icon. I learned about RSS from Thomas. He worked in the computer labs last semester and got really good at using some of the technology. I’m trying to learn more, too. I figure if I know some computer stuff, I might be able to make a few bucks while I’m looking for acting jobs. I can still wait tables, but this is just so I have a few extra skills under my belt. That makes Nicole very happy, but she’s still not enthusiastic about moving to NYC. I can convince her, though. I’m sure about that.

Happy New Year!

Thanksgiving went better than I expected. Nicole's mom was very nice. It made it a little easier to negotiate our Christmas break. I went up to visit her family after exams and spent 3 days. Then I drove to my folks' and Nicole came up to visit my family the day after Christmas. She just left this morning, so I'm feeling like I'm ready to get back to Chapel Hill where we can be together every day! We've made plans to go see Avatar in 3D at the iMax in Raleigh. I can't wait! Everybody says seeing it in the iMax is worth the extra money. I hope so! More after classes start in January...

Thanksgiving

Anybody there? If you are, post a comment. I wonder if anybody's reading this thing.

Nicole and I started talking about Thanksgiving last night. Our parents want us to come home for the weekend. Of course that means not spending Thanksgiving together which neither of us are crazy about. My parents would love to have Nicole come home with me, but her parents would get pretty mad about that. Ok, I don't know if they would be mad, but they'd give her a hard time. I could go home with her (my parents wouldn't like it, but they'd be OK), but do I really want to spend the whole weekend trying to please her mom?

I feel like Tavye in Fiddler on the Roof. "On the other hand..." But he doesn't have enough hands to argue with himself. I'll probably just do what Nicole wants because I really want to make her happy. And I'll see my parents soon. I'll go up there right after exams are over, and then Nicole and I will have to figure out how to divide the Christmas break.

Speaking of Fiddler on the Roof, here's another question for you: What's your favorite musical??? I think mine has to be Phantom of the Opera. I saw it in NYC when I was in high school. That's part of what made me think about being a drama major. And I love the music. Andrew Lloyd Webber is great.

New Trivia Question!

Thanks, Anonymous! I have another trivia question...

What movies had a breakup at the end instead of the usual "boy gets girl." (Or "girl gets boy" my mother would remind me to say.)

The big one I can think of is "Casablanca." Man, that last scene is crazy. I don't know how he could let her go.

Today is a home football game. I was on campus for a few minutes this afternoon and caught a little bit of the marching band warming up. Those guys are awesome. Walking past the drummers made my head vibrate. Wish I could have stayed longer, but I had to get to a group meeting for a class assignment.

Coulples Retreat

Well, Nicole and I had planned to go this weekend, but instead we made an unexpected trip to her parents house. Her mom called Thursday night freaking out because her bridge club is coming over next weekend and the yard needs to be raked and the house needs to be cleaned. Nicole thought we should go help. So, yes, I spent Saturday raking and trimming. I'd almost rather have been studying. I hate yard work. But at least Nicole and I were working on it together. The more time I spend with her, the more I love her. The only complaint she made was on Sunday when she realized her arm muscles were pretty sore. I, on the other hand, complained quite a bit--but mostly while muttering under my breath.

Nicole still wants to see Couples Retreat, but it might be on DVD at the rate we're going.

Rainy Day in Chapel Hill

It's raining again! I know the drought we had a couple years ago was bad, but I'm pretty tired of rain, rain, rain. I started singing (to myself) "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head." Then I started wondering how many songs there are about rain. Another one is "Here's That Rainy Day." (I like the Ella Fitzgerald version.)

Can any of you think of others? No Googling! LOL.

Now You Can Talk to Me!

I just turned commenting on. Anybody out there reading this? I'm still looking for comments on "Couples Retreat." Nicole wants to go see it. Sounds lightweight to me, but if she wants to go, I'll go.

Here's a question for anybody who's reading this. What's the biggest sacrifice you've made for your girlfriend/boyfriend? I'll have to think about that one myself.

My First Blog Posting

OK, Here we go! I've been meaning to start this blog all semester. Nicole thinks I'm crazy for wanting to write stuff other people will read, but that's the drama major coming out. I want people to see me perform, and writing is performing--isn't it?

This weekend, Nicole and I are going to go see "Couples Retreat" at Southpoint. Anybody seen it?

Hmmm, asking that question makes me think I should turn on commenting for this blog. I want to hear from anybody who reads it. I'll do that tonight. Right now, I think I'll go for a run. Need to work off that pizza I had for lunch. LOL.