Good Evening!

That was my last title. My creativity level is related to the time of day in a manner I could graph if I weren't so tired. If any of this is incoherent, I blame the tiredness factor.

For those who are curious, here is the situation of TPA. It's going to end eeaaarlier than Max and I originally planned. In fact, Max, while I think it's important for us to have a few wrapping-up posts in the coming days, we probably don't have to keep up our one-post-a-day commitment.

Here are things that will happen before TPA comes to an end:

• I'm going to complete my punishment song about how Max is better than I am because that's a punishment I definitely deserve.
• That's all we have planned!

So if you have any thoughts about some sort of closing ceremony things -- like planking or a TPA book club or something like that -- let us know in the comments.

There will be more posts after this one, but things are winding down. Thanks for a great few months, everyone!

Time Travel

Immer habe ich Käse in meiner Hose.¹

Max, I agree that planking and owling are both good activity ideas. I think we should try to get as many people to plank or owl in one place at one time. Usually, people make Facebook event pages for things like that, but with our rules situation, that might be hard. Let's think about that.

Additionally, I'm not opposed to things like a new banner or an obscure puzzle. I thought it was funny that you said "an obscure puzzle for you to beat"; I think you would deserve one, too.

I don't dislike your ideas. However, I am opposed to your new German blog post:

"Ich habe nicht 'Harry Potter und die Heiligtuemer des Todes - Teil 2' sehen [sic], aber ich hoere, dass es gut ist. Ich finde Harry Potter einen verruekt [sic] Film."²

Transition, transition. . . . In the third Harry Potter book, Harry and Hermione used a Time-Turner. They only went back in time three hours, and their goal was to change the past for the better. Sometimes I think about what era I'd like to go back to if I could travel in time -- not to change anything, just to experience it.

Usually, I think about eras like the Roman Republic and the American Revolution, but then I remember the issues of hygiene and technology. Usually, I settle on the 1960s. It was a decade of social progress, tragic losses, and political change. The Cold War was in full swing, which reminds me that jazz was also in full swing (ha).

But let's listen to what John Green says:

"Why would anyone want to live in a period other than this one? Like, I acknowledge that Rome was fantastic and everything, but a nerd with four days on his hands can recreate Rome in its entirety in Minecraft."

I think I'd like to stay in the 1960s for a few days and then take off. A looming World War III would not have been very fun every day, and I can always appreciate the decade at a safe distance by listening to Tom Lehrer:

In what era would YOU like to spend a few days? Leave your answers in comments, or if you're Max, leave your answer in your next post.

¹I always have cheese in my pants.
²"I have not seen 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,' but I hear that it's good. I find Harry Potter a crazy film."

How High the Moon - Morgan Lewis

I'm borrowing the song title thing for today.

And speaking of web browsers, Max and everyone else, Google Chrome is pretty cool.

Max, I'm not going to talk about the new Harry Potter movie very much today. I don't want to spoil anything for people who haven't seen the movie, and it would also feel inexplicably weird for me to blog about the movie at this point.

I will say that yesterday/today was . . . not bad at all. Litotes. I mean, everything was perfect. The movie was perfect, the context was perfect -- Max, fun fact, I got there around 1:30. If you didn't see this on Facebook already . . .

Max, a couple of days ago (Yesterday? Days are hard.) my mom showed me . . . an article. I'm just going to show you this picture:

I'd still like to go a-planking with you, but this is juuuust something to consider. It's pretty new, so if we jumped on to this trend now, we would be . . . trendy. You know how I like to be trendy, Max.

Oh, one last thing. Max, once you've decided to join the TPA Book Club, please take note that when I'm finished with The Great Gatsby, I'm going to break from my list and do the AP Lit homework for about a week. Then I can come back and do a book with you. Last time I suggested Will Grayson, Will Grayson and The Hunger Games, but from what I've heard, you'd probably also like The Catcher in the Rye. Do some research, and we'll talk more about that later.

Leave Questions for Me in Comments (or Elsewhere)

Max, it's July 9, 2011, and you know what that means. It's the 143rd anniversary of the day the Fourteenth Amendment was ratified! Let's hear it for due process!

Today's post is in six parts.

Part One: Question Monday

Next Monday is my Monday, and it's going to be another Question Monday. I only have so many questions left over from last Question Monday, and I don't want to do any physics, so . . .

Send me your questions in comments or some other way. (Facebook works well.)

Part Two: Planking

Max, your post yesterday was excellent. Why isn't that picture on Facebook yet?

I'd heard of planking and seen examples of it before your post, but it definitely wasn't in the front part of my brain until yesterday. Thanks for reminding me of the activity! We should do this sometime. With lots of people. In public. For pictures. That's a lot of prepositional phrases.

Part Three: Yes, it was a joke.

Good observations, Max. I actually think that most people underestimate the power of contractions.

Part Four: Baby Rabbit

Part Five: Yay!

I finished Brave New World! In effect, I think that I learned a lot, and I'm going to like AP Lit. Also, I finished my German blogs! I didn't even procrastinate that much. Yay!

Part Six: Books

In addition to my required books for summer work, I have a reading list. I needed to write these books down somewhere so that I could remember them, and this is as good a place as any! There are five of them.

• The Martian Chronicles (almost finished with this one)
• Will Grayson, Will Grayson
• The Great Gatsby
• The Catcher in the Rye
• The Hunger Games

Why here? Two reasons. First, now that my reading goals are public, I feel more obligated to complete them. Second, Max, I think you should read something with me. Sort of like the Brotherhood 2.0 Book Club, except not. The TPA Book Club. You don't haaave to, but it would be fun if we could both read one of these books and maybe blog about them. Promotion of literature! If you want something lighter, I would choose either the second one or the fifth one.

It's totally worth a shot, right?

Bonus Part: I Forgot About This

It's time for a new poll! Here are the results of the last one. I saved the picture in case Max needs it:

The new poll is in honor of Max's favorite thing in the world.

Act Naturally - The Beatles

Bryan, I really hope your post yesterday was just a joke.  You realize you used fifteen contractions in a post entitled “I hate Contractions?”  <Expletive>, you used three of them in your first sentence!

Bryan, I would like to inform you of the newest sensation sweeping the cyber nation.  It goes by the name of planking.  No, it is not some wild form of coitus, but is in fact a fun for the whole family!

Got a family game night coming up?  Well look no further!  Planking can be played anywhere.  Yes, it can even be played in your own dining hall home to the fine China of your ancient ancestors held in a newly bought cabinet that is far too large and heavy to move.

This game is so much fun, you do not understand.  All you have to do is find a random location where you can… well, plank!  The goal is simple; find the best planking position without getting yourself killed.

Once you find your ideal location, lie face down and put your hands to side of you.  Then, have a colleague take your photograph and publish it onto the internet for the world to see!  Please note, public locations make this even more fun along with finding as many people as possible to help you in your picture!

As a novice, I decided to begin my quest to become a professional planker in my house where no one could see me.  My dog decided it looked fun to play with me.  See Bryan, fun for the whole family!  Note: Dogs are not good at planking on command.

 

Now for some history on the wonder that is planking.  Australia coined planking as an official fad in 2011, but boy has this fad lasted the duration!  Leave it to Australia to try to beat out Spain’s Running of the Bulls or England’s annual Spring Bank Holiday (they roll cheese down a hill to see who can catch it first).

Apparently some people call this game pointless, Bryan.  Let me the first to call this just a lazy man’s version of Parkour, another raging fad.

Oh, and did I mention that it requires no batteries and you can play even if you are missing the pieces!  Plus, the way you live your life, you can just have someone take pictures of you as you go about your normal day.

I hope that you and all of our followers will use proper safety precautions and always practice safe planking.  Also, should anyone decide to go through and follow their long dreams of becoming a professional planker with me, please post pictures and never forget the little people.

Until tomorrow Bryan,

Plank on!