So basically, I am free until January 23, which is the start of the second semester. I am still set to the four class roster that I had last semester, but I actually have classes on all five days. I have two on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday but only one class on Wednesday. I am gonna be taking Audio Production, Advertising, and Computer Applications as well as a gym class so I can gain access to the Fitness Center up there.

I am rapidly trying to get back in shape considering that I missed about a whole month because I got a cold back in October that lasted about a couple of weeks. So I am basically trying to get back into the game here, especially with the new year right around the corner. Gotta get back in shape.

And it also looks like I might be getting a laptop just in time for next semester. It should also help me out when it comes time to get back to my Internet activities, most notably my YouTubing. I am hoping that I can get new equipment and hopefully get back to making videos possibly by early 2012. I have a whole slew of ideas and I am just waiting to try them all out.

Since I probably won’t be back online until Tuesday, I just want to take the opportunity right now to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

One of the things I found out is that there is always something to do on campus. Not a day goes by that there isn’t something going on while I am on campus. I also have found the time practically every day to go to the gym there being that I have access. Unfortunately, since I am not a gym student (at least not this semester,) I can’t use their nice fitness center. However, I do have access to their weight room (which looks like a power lifter’s gym) and that is pretty awesome. I also have access to their track where I can walk around and stuff. That’s pretty awesome.

They also show movies here, mainly movies that are fresh out of the theater yet have not found their way to DVD. And it’s free too. That’s really awesome. I actually saw a movie on campus during Fall Fest (A Place in the Sun) and I am planning to go tonight since I am on vacation from work again. Tonight I am going to see both “Hangover” movies. I have never seen the original “Hangover” and since they’re both playing tonight, I figure that now would be as good a time as any to go see it.

However, there is a bit of a downside, mainly in the social department. I found that being a 33-year-old man in a crowd of students who are 15 years younger than you actually feels a bit awkward. Yet I’m trying to make the best of it like I do any situation. It’s still kinda hard I gotta admit.

But all in all, I am still glad I made the decision to go back to school while I still can, mainly because I’m sick of being stuck in neutral. It’s actually time to make something of myself and move forward. I will continue to keep you posted on any new developments.

As of today, I have officially begun my orientation as a student at Herkimer County Community College where I will be majoring in Radio and TV Broadcasting and so far it is going pretty good. Although it means that I may be focusing on school work more than my regular activities here on the web (I’ll still be doing Facebook and Twitter at work and at home via my mobile web), I think that it’s finally time for me to move on and I think that college may very well be what I need to help myself  become an even bigger success on the web.

As of June, I am out of action indefinitely as far as making YouTube videos goes, primarily because I need new equipment that I can’t really afford right now. I was also trying to remedy some other matters closer to home as well which had been my goal all summer. And now here I am, a college student. Hey, it only took me fourteen years to come to the decision that I actually need college to succeed rather than my wits which I have been going by for years.

I know the road ahead will not be easy. Then again nothing in my life ever has been easy. I am only going part-time because of my job, so there’s the possibility that I might be going at least three years. But I have always met every challenge head on no matter how ill-equipped I was or how bad the situation was and I will get through this one.

Whatever happens, I will be ready, I will meet and I will rise up to the challenge as I always do. And I will give everyone reason to be proud of your friendly neighborhood Blackcatloner.

I am now officially back in H-town after spending the weekend housesitting and like I said, I am trying to get all caught up on my blog here because I have been putting it off way too long. And I realized that I had not posted the last episode of TAOB to the blog when I uploaded it to YouTube so anyway, here it is.

This episode is basically my trip to the Boxing Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Canastota that was held on June 12. So I ended up going on a little road trip with a co-worker so I could get my big YouTube video op there. I gotta tell you if you watch the video, you can get an idea as to how mobbed it was down there primarily because two of the inductees this year are very well-known celebrities: Actor Sylvester Stallone and Mike Tyson. Of course, Sly was inducted for his work in the Rocky movies and Mike was inducted because well, he’s probably the greatest fighter since Muhammad Ali.

It was really hard for me to get good video footage there because of the crowds. During the parade, I had to like fight my way through the crowds to get a good video shot of Mike Tyson as he was passing by in his motorcade. While I was getting that shot, an old lady was trying to push me out of the way. Sorry, lady but I have a job to do too.

Other fighters that were in the parade included “Irish” Micky Ward and Dicky Edlund, the two that inspired the film “The Fighter,” as well as fellow inductee Julio Cesar Chavez and referee Joe Cortez.

Out of all the people that came through, only one did not march in the parade: Sylvester Stallone. During the parade, they kept him in the museum because they knew a majority of the crowds there were there to see him. In fact, security was so tight that not even the cops knew he was there.

He did however appear during the induction ceremony itself and gave a speech which I filmed in its entirety. However, I was too far away to get good video clips during the speech. During his speech, he gave his “It ain’t about how hard you can hit” speech that he gave in “Rocky Balboa” and there were plenty of people chanting “Rocky! Rocky! Rocky!” while he was on stage.

The only other acceptance speech that I filmed in its entirety was Mike Tyson’s. While he was giving his speech, he had to pause in places and it was sort of hard to understand him at times but still it was pretty good.

In all, despite the fact that I was too far away to get good shots because of the crowds, I was glad I went out there. It may very well have been my only chance to see a movie star. Well two because Mike Tyson’s in both of the Hangover movies (neither of which I have seen yet.) Hopefully I’ll be able to take some more road trips. It’s great to get out of H-town every now and then.

For starters, even as I post this, I just want to let you know that I am not in H-town this weekend. I left Thursday night because I have to housesit for my folks for the weekend and they live in an area where there are no cell phone towers (which renders my phone useless so I can’t call or text or use the mobile web) and the Internet at their house is a dial-up connection which is pretty slow and not compatible with most sites, including YouTube and unfortunately Twitter. However, I can still check email, go on Facebook, answer questions on Formspring and of course do this blog.

Basically, all I had to do this weekend was take care of their animals, specifically dogs, cats, and horses. But other than that, there isn’t really too much I can do except watch movies and go for a walk down the road. My only problem is that it’s too quiet around here. I don’t think that I could ever live in an isolated area like this because it would be like solitary confinement. I’d go completely nuts. I miss H-town, I miss high-speed Internet, I miss my phone.

And as I write this, today is my last full day of housesitting before I return to civilization tomorrow afternoon. However, I am still on vacation from work until July 17 and I have already set my next vacation for the fourth week in August (the 19th through the 27th) because that week is the week that I start college at HCCC. It was probably a good idea that I decided to take off that week so that way in addition to adjusting to life as a college student, I would not be burdened with going to work that week as well. I have just added HCCC as my college on Facebook even though I don’t start for another month.

But anyway, since I am on vacation this week, I figure I’d start doing a little catching up on this blog because I have been a little behind, especially with the fact that I’m still operating at the library and I have had a whole slew of outside distractions. I also haven’t been able to do YouTube videos in a month because of the fact that the computer I use to edit my videos lost its sound. I was barely able to get the last episode of TAOB up from the Boxing Hall of Fame ceremony. Here is where I am going to start to get things back in order.

Here’s the latest installment of my Q & A vlog series with more questions from Formspring.me and Myyearbook.com, and as always, let’s begin with the Formspring.me questions first:

Q: What ice cream flavor describes your personality the best?

A: Neapolitan because I’m so complex.

Q: Do you believe in ghosts?

A: Yes.

Q: What’s the secret to happiness?

A: You tell me.

Q: What’s your favorite sport?

A: Don’t really have one right now.

Q: What was the most interesting place you’ve traveled to?

A: Puerto Rico.

Q: Would you rather be a zombie or a mummy?

A: Zombie because they’re cooler. Brraaaaaiiiiiinnnnnsssss!

Q: If you had the opportunity to live one year of your life over again, which year would you choose?

A: There’s so many to choose from.

Q: What’s the best place near you to get some ice cream?

A: I usually don’t get ice cream at the stands. I usually get it at Ponderosa whenever I eat there.

Q: Cake or pie?

A: Cake, but I do enjoy some pie on occasion.

Q: If girls with large breasts work at Hooters, then do girls with one leg work at IHOP?

A: Well that would make sense now, wouldn’t it?

Q: What’s your favorite type of food?

A: Italian.

Q: If you could have any woman on earth who would it be?

A: Either someone who’s hot and famous or someone who has quite a bit in common with me and someone who I can easily gel with. The latter I haven’t really found yet.

Q: What was your favorite childhood meal?

A: Spaghetti and meatballs. I still eat it to this day.

Q: If you could rid the world of one thing, what would it be?

A: Haters.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Simple and informal.

Q: What would be the best thing about being a vampire?

A: Aside from living forever, nothing. Twilight ruined the vampire genre.

Q: Do you believe in angels?

A: Can I get back to you on that one?

Q: What would you try if you had no fear?

A: Bungee jumping.

Q: Do you have any scars on your body? If so, how’d you get them?

A: I have quite a few scars actually. I have a horse bite scar on my back (hardly visible) and the back of my right arm (which happened during Woodstock ’94. At that time, I was living directly across the Hudson River from where they had the concert in Saugerties.) In addition to those, I also have two scars on my left hand, and one on my right elbow from a spill I took while I was trying to outrun a thunderstorm on my way to work last year.

Q: Who’s the most famous person you’ve met?

A: I will be meeting Sylvester Stallone and Mike Tyson June 12 when they get inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame.

Q: What do you think was the greatest invention in your lifetime?

A: The Internet.

Q: If your YouTube videos never received more than 50 views, do you think you would still continue making them?

A: Yes I would.  After all, YouTube and my blog are all I really have to look forward to.

Q: What kind of music can you just not stand to listen to?

A: Classical music. I also find New Age music annoying too. Just saying.

Q: What one thing are you exceptionally bad at?

A: Sports.

Q: What was the best job you’ve ever had?

A: No comment.

Q: When was the last time you received flowers?

A: Never.

Q: Would you rather vacation at the beach or in the mountains?

A: Beach.

Q: What do you think is your most attractive feature?

A: Some people say its my eyes, but beyond that IDK.

Q: If you could only watch one TV show what would it be?

A: Jersey Shore.

Q: Who’s the sexiest man alive?

A: Um… hello. I’m a man so it’s not my question to answer.

Q: Sneakers or sandals?

A: Sneakers.

Q: What’s the best place near you to get a drink?

A: Applebee’s in H-town.

Q: Is there a film that you have seen where you were actually rooting for the villain? Who was this character and why did you support him/her?

A: John Travolta in Broken Arrow. He played this evil Air Force pilot who was trying to steal nukes. He was so cool in that role.

And now on to the Myyearbook questions:

Q: Do you think anyone currently has a crush on you?

A: Probably not, but anything’s possible.

Q: How would you describe the first time and last time you made love?

A: Two words: No comment!

Q: Have you ever met someone online that had a nice photo of them and then when you met her/him face to face was the opposite?

A: Not yet. The two women I met online and later in person were nice.

Q: You’ve been given a paid two week vacation to anywhere in the U.S. Where do you go?

A: Either LA or Miami, where hot chicks grow on trees.

And I got a YouTube comment question on my last Q & A vlog from an old friend of mine from school Jake (aka neojake999gamer) and he asked:

Q: What music do you use in your background?

A: And for those of you who are new to my videos, the music I normally use in my videos is by another YouTuber, Nathan Wills from the UK. He has done music for several top YouTubers, most notably Mr. Safety, Cory Williams from SMPFilms. I usually provide links to his channel (youtube.com/paradigma) and his website nathanwillsmusic.com where you can download free music to use in your videos. But the only thing he asks is if you use the music in your videos, please, PLEASE give him credit.

Here is the all-new episode of The Adventures of Blackcatloner featuring 16 minutes of fun stuff including some footage I shot at the recent Fulton Chain Gang concert at Mohawk Field Days last Friday. I  have been uploading footage from that concert during the course of the week. Plus you also get to see me stumble onto a Civil War reenactment while out on my walks on the Canal Trail as well as the Preakness and me making fun of people who thought that the world was going to end last Saturday.

Now a little bit about the so-called Rapture. All last week, many Christians’ panties were up in a bunch because a guy predicted that the world was going to end May 21 (last Saturday.) In fact, people were throwing Rapture parties as well. I think I may have seen one on my way home from the trail. However, the proposed time of the end of the world has come and gone and guess what? We’re still here! People have been predicting the end of the world for hundreds of years and every time they have been wrong. 

And even after that, the same guy that predicted that the world was going to end last Saturday said he miscalculated and is now saying that the Rapture is really gonna happen on October 21, and again I call bollocks to that. The world didn’t end last Saturday, it’s not going to end October 21 and it’s definitely not going to end in 2012. So take some advice, old man, free of charge: Get over yourself!

And finally some sad news: Last Thursday, I was watching an AngryAussie video and I was saddened to learn that Kipp Williamson, his musical collaborator on Y0uTube under the username VortexProducer died last weekend of a sudden illness. He was only 23 years old. It’s kind of like the old Billy Joel song, “Only the Good Die Young.” And with that, I dedicated this week’s episode of TAOB to him. So Kipp, whereever you are, godspeed to you, pal.

Here is the latest Q & A vlog featuring yet more questions from my Formspring account and my Myyearbook.com. Anyway, let’s get started.

Q: What’s the story behind your Formspring username, which is as always, Blackcatloner?

A: It’s the same name I have used on all my Internet accounts since I created my email address in 2005. “Blackcatloner” is defined as “One lone cat against a big bad world,” but it’s basically the definition of my life to date.

Q: What was your first paying job?

A: A cashier at Grand Union in Rhinebeck, NY. I worked there from September 1997 until March 2001 when it became Stop and Shop (same building as GU) where I worked from March 2001 until I moved to Central New York in September 2002.

Q: What accomplishment are you most proud of?

A: All my accomplishments online (blogging, YouTube, etc.)

Q: What’s the worst show on TV?

A: Teen Mom.

Q: Would you rather be the best player on a losing team or the worst player on a winning team?

A: Worst player on a winning team.

Q: What three things do you think will become obsolete in the next ten years?

A: Marriage, television, and not sure what else, although a co-worker I added on Facebook suggested that humanity as we know it will become extinct in ten years. I can see where that’s going.

Q: Would you rather swim in a pool or the ocean?

A: The ocean.

Q: Cats or dogs?

A: Cats.

Q: What historical time period would you most like to visit?

A: The future.

Q: If you could change your name, what would you change it to?

A: Now that you mention it, I have been considering legally changing my name to Blackcatloner.

Q: Where’s your favorite place to buy clothes?

A: Yard sales and rummage sales at churches, which is actually the only time anyone should go to church.

Q: Would you rather be really hot or really cold?

A: Really hot because as I always say: “Hot weather brings out hot chicks.”

Q: What do you think about formspring.me so far?

A: I think it’s really awesome, especially since it gives me material for my Q & A videos on YouTube.

Q: What movie can you watch again and again and never get sick of it?

A: Taxi Driver. I could watch that DVD over and over and over and over again. It’s a really good movie and it only gets a bad rap because of that Hinckley douchebag who tried to kill then-President Reagan so he could score with Jodie Foster.

Q: What’s your earliest memory?

A: Seeing Empire Strikes Back (the original version) when I was 2 years old.

Q: What TV show do you wish would go off the air for good?

A: Barney. Apparently they still haven’t killed that purple dinosaur yet.

Q: Who and when was your first kiss?

A: No comment.

Q: Who’s the funniest person you know?

A: My friend JJ aka jjthefunnyguy.

Q: Do you believe in fate?

A: Sometimes.

Q: What celebrity would play you in a movie about your life?

A: Noone plays Blackcatloner but me, got it?

Q: What’s the best way to relax after a long day?

A: Hang out online.

And now on to the Myyearbook questions:

Q: What’s the best place to pick up someone?

A: The Internet.

Q: Are you glad Bin Laden is dead?

A: Hell, yeah!

Q: Whopper or Big Mac?

A: I like both of them. I haven’t really had a Whopper in eons because they’ve gotten pretty expensive, but Big Macs are pretty good, especially without cheese. I am not a fan of American or cheddar cheese. I am more of a fan of Italian cheeses instead.

Q: Are you on Facebook?

A: Is water wet? lol. facebook.com/blackcatloner

Q: Should you believe a chronic liar if he admits that he is a chronic liar?

A: Well, if he/she admits it, then yeah.

Q: Is New York boring to you?

A: It can be. After all, I’ve lived in New York State all my life. And it doesn’t look like I’m leaving anytime soon.

Okay, everyone, I am back with my latest Q & A vlog. However, all the questions I got asked this week were from Formspring.me because I didn’t really get asked anything on Myyearbook. So without further ado, let’s get started.

Q: Who’s the most overrated musician?

A: Definitely Justin Beiber.

Q: What’s your favorite type of flower?

A: Red rose.

Q: What was your favorite thing to do during recess at school?

A: Play outside.

Q: What do you fear?

A: Failure and rejection.

Q: What’s your favorite Marvel superhero?

A: Spider-Man, of course.

Q: Staring at women’s breasts can make you live longer!

A: Now this may not be a question, but I’ll respond anyway by saying, “SWEET!”

Q: Eminem is life! Don’t you agree?

A: Hell, yeah! Slim Shady FTW!

Q: Have you dated someone you met online?

A: Interestingly enough, I have met only two women in person that I initially met online. It didn’t work out with either one, but I still have them as friends.

Q: Would you ever move away from YouTube to another vlogging site such as LetsVlog?

A: I was planning to do some videos on LetsVlog when I signed up for it last year, but I never got around to it. I also tried BlogTV but that didn’t work. I have blip.tv where I upload The Adventures of Blackcatloner videos every Friday but other than that, I would have to say I’m gonna be sticking with YouTube for the time being.

Q: What do you think of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” and “One of the Boys” albums? Which one did you like better?

A: “One of the Boys” was good, but “Teenage Dream” is even better, especially since I can’t get the title song out of my head.

Q: What hobbies do you have? Are you a gamer, a comic book nerd or a movie buff?

A: I’m gonna answer this in two parts. 1) I write, work out (although I have been slacking in that area because I work overnights but should get back into it again), and of course all my online activities (blogging, YouTube, social networking, etc.) 2) I’m not a gamer (mostly because I can’t afford it) but I collected comic books in high school and I am in fact a movie buff. In fact, last weekend, I saw the latest “Fast and the Furious” film, “Fast Five.” It was awesome.

Q: What are your thoughts on chivalry? Is it dead?

A: Unfortunately yes.

Q: Have you abandoned MySpace like almost everyone else has or do you still keep your MySpace page running out of sympathy?

A: I still have my Myspace (all three of them) up, but I’m not on there anymore. Thank you, Mark Zuckerberg. Facebook and Twitter FTW!

Q: Were you ever a teacher’s pet?

A: Not really.

Q: Did you ever have a teacher who picked on you?

A: I’ve had a couple.

Q: Adamantium is supposed to be unbreakable and can’t be destroyed. Therefore, could Superman break Wolverine’s skeleton? Or could Wolverine’s claws pierce Superman’s skin?

A: Probably one question that will never be answered, even by the most experienced comic book aficionado.

Q: Does the Dark Side really have cookies?

A: Yeah. Chocolate chip ones.

Q: What sort of cell phone do you have? If you don’t have one, which one would you like to have? What are the requirements that a phone must have for you to want to have it?

A: I have a Verizon Prepaid phone which I’ve had for just over a month and it is really awesome. I am able to hang out online (specifically Facebook and Twitter) whereever I am and it is also a camera phone.

Q: If you could drink only one thing for a year and it couldn’t be water, what would you drink?

A: Pepsi.

Q: Where’d you find out about formspring.me?

A: My YouTube peeps.

Q: Who’s the sexiest woman alive?

A: Definitely not an easy question…

Q: Would you rather be a famous musician or a famous actor?

A: Famous actor. Can’t sing to save my life.

Q: Would you rather get up early or sleep late?

A: Sleep late.

Q: What was the last book you read?

A: “A Shore Thing” by Snooki. Yes, I’m a Jersey Shore fan. Deal with it. Plus a little tidbit: I come from the same area of NY (Hudson Valley/Poughkeepsie area) as Snooki.

Q: What’s the most unselfish thing you’ve ever done?

A:  Well, last week I gave a dollar to a diabetic woman for a soda because she looked like she was about to have a stroke.

Q: What would your dream vacation be?

A: A return trip to Puerto Rico.

Q:What’s the oldest piece of clothing you still own and wear?

A: My Terminator shades from high school.

Q: Who’s your favorite character on The Office?

A: Michael Scott. Good luck, Steve Carell.

Q: Do you believe there’s intelligent life on other planets?

A: I’m sure there is.

Q: What’s the furthest place you’ve ever traveled to?

A: Puerto Rico.

Q: If you could date any celebrity, who would it be?

A: I have to pick one? That’s a hard one. lol

Q: If you could have the starring role in one movie what would it be?

A: An action movie.

And the last question comes from a question-asking Facebook app, friend.ly:

Q: If you opened a restaurant, what would your house specialty be?

A: Anything Italian, mainly because I love Italian food.

And there you have it. The latest Q & A is now officially in the books. Remember, if you want to ask me anything and don’t have a Formspring account, you can ask in the comment section either here on the blog or on the YouTube video page. Remember, no offensive comments will be accepted.