Live from Cincinnati...

Hello my friends and my best wishes to all of you. This update comes to you with no greater plan or purpose. Let's just see what happens when I let myself go with the aid of some Weezer and Modest Mouse. Before we begin though, I want to emphasize how grand Weezer is. In many ways I think they're the band closest to the one that I'd form if I formed a band. I love their thoughtful lyrics, creative videos, superb musicianship, catchy tunes, use of dissonance, and wonderful chords...among other things.

Anyway, this past weekend I found myself...actually, that's not true, I chose to go to Cleveland this weekend with my friend Crystal. I can't remember what the original reason she wanted to go was, but it is her home and she has a lot of friends there that she wanted to see and that's reason enough really. I was happy to provide transportation to and from Cleveland. It was a unique opportunity for me really. I got to meet a ton of new people and experience a new city for three days. It was definitely crazy, though I would not have expected anything less. I'm not going to run through a ton of details for you all, mainly because I do not really have the desire to chronicle the entire trip for you, but I will say that I saw Lake Erie for the first time and had also tried Denny's. Ah, that reminds me of something...not Denny's, gypsies, I was thinking of what else I did this weekend and remembered something I meant to write about.

So, this past Sunday found me watching television with Crystal. Those of you who know me know that watching television can be hard on me at times...this was one of those times. No offense to anyone who enjoys TV, but it is seldom "for me". But I digress. I ended up sitting in the room where I was staying with nothing really to do. A thought crossed my mind: I have that big book in my trunk...why not read that? Well, for those of you not possessing an intimate knowledge of the trunk of my car or my Sunday morning, the book I'm referring to is a collection of the essays, speeches, and poetry of Ralph Waldo Emerson. I'm sure a few of my friends know that Emerson and I go way back, but those people probably don't read this blog. So, I'll just let you all know that in my junior year of high school, I became a fan of his and even played him in a skit. But again, I digress. I opened up the book and began to read "Nature". It's not an easy read by any estimation, but I was doing pretty well. However, that television was still audible in the background and it was killing me. Crystal, please don't be unhappy with me for saying so, I don't blame you in the least. *ahem* I decided to do something different. I decided to read aloud to myself.

The first few sentences were shaky as I found a good pacing, but soon I was really getting into it. I took care not to speak to loudly though, I didn't want to be heard because it seemed what I was doing was very silly. However, I really was getting into it. The words not only resonated with me, but the style of writing allowed me convert the text to speech quite well. Anyway, I read nearly the whole thing before it was time to leave the house and I felt grand. I've got to say, it was the closest thing to a spiritual experience I've had in years. That's saying something. I might even try it again in the future.

On another subject, college is winding down, as is my interest in it. I'm ready to get back to working, living on my own terms, and making money. I just hope it isn't a lonely summer. I've had good times with my friends this quarter. Certain people have made it known to me that they might visit me during the upcoming quarter; I hope that works out for both of us. I'm just sorry I am going to be living in such a boring area and that I will be working 5 days a week. Oh, my 21st birthday is this summer as well. It seems the accepted idea is that I am to return to Huber for that weekend (as my birthday falls on a Saturday), but I might not feel like it. 95% chance that's where I'll be though. Anyway, do try to say "hello" to me on my birthday though...I really do like to be spoken to.

I am beginning to wonder if I'm an independent person or an unstable person. Perhaps I am both. I certainly have my own ideas and am not afraid to make them known. Only time will tell how I turn out. I hope that at least some of you are there to see it with me.

Public enemy number 1, that's me. I think I've taken a step backward. I like myself less right now. It's not nearly as bad as it has been, but I don't feel the calm I used to feel. Maybe co-op will help again. And don't you gypsies dare worry, because I'll be alright. I'm not going to end this on an emo note, so allow me to encourage you to check out Weezer's newest music video for their new single "Pork and Beans".

"Imma do the things that I wanna do
I ain't got a thing to prove to you
I'll eat my candy with the pork and beans
Excuse my manners if I make a scene
I ain't gonna wear the clothes that you like
I'm fine and dandy with the me inside
One look in the mirror and I'm tickled pink
I don't give a hoot about what you think"

If tomorrow never comes...

Okay, so the the last post was a lie. However, in my defense, I was up until 5 in the morning that Sunday night working on lab reports for organic chemistry. Anyway, I've neglected this blog for a number of reasons since then, some reasonable, some not quite as pressing, but that's life. I'm not going to promise to be better about it anymore...but I will do what I can.

So the last few weeks have been a whirlwind, and my head continues to spin from it. There's a lot going on in my life. I'm not going to go into too much detail about some things, however, due to the nature of the material. But try not to worry too much about it, gypsies.

Well, since it's been so long since I've updated, I guess I should start by saying that I'm back at UC (and have been since the tail end of March) after a very successful co-op at Kraton Polymers. This academic quarter has offered a myriad of new and exciting challenges and opportunities and I feel that I've really stepped up and faced them with the kind of effort worth being proud of. My grades are solid and my social life is complicated but grand. I've even scheduled my classes for the fall. Guys, it is going to be exciting. I've got 21 credit hours worth of classes...17 of them are pure engineering. That in itself is awesome. I no longer have to deal with labs or non-engineering math classes. Instead I'll be learning material directly related to my major. However, engineering classes are not the only things I'm taking. Much to my surprise, I was able to fit in Men's Choir and Asian Civilizations: Japan. Those classes should be grand and help keep me fresh when the engineering classes are testing my sanity. The Japanese class is also my first step towards international co-op. Hooray!

Hmm. I've been really happy lately. I think that living on my own for co-op really helped my develop myself even further as a person. I consider myself a true adult now...I even eat tomatoes (an inside joke). I also do not feel that I have a set home anymore. I am in transit and I have yet to create a space for myself beyond my person. That's fine...that is life. As evidenced by my previous revelations, I have been thinking about my future a lot more lately. I'm much more optimistic about my prospects. I believe I can become the happy and successful person I want to become. I am also happy with the person I am right now...and that's something I'm quite proud of.

Apologies if I've been redundant in this post, by the way. But there are certain things I feel I have to be sure are conveyed. Other news...I'll be in Cleveland for Memorial Day. That will be my first time up there. I'm excited about seeing and experiencing a new place. I also found out that I'll have about a week after school ends before I have to return to Belpre/Parkersburg. I'll try to hang out with as many people as possible in that period.

I suppose I should try to wax poetic or philosophic at some point in this post for you gypsies. However, I don't really want to be preachy. Well, at the very least I can say that I've been thinking a lot about my own mortality lately. Life really is beautiful and fragile. I think people have adapted to avoid thinking about that sort of thing. Or perhaps it's just that people don't need to think about things too thoroughly. Just think about it though...every time someone dies, that's a life exactly as deep and as important as yours being ended. It makes me sad. I just hope that I live for a lot longer than I already have. I have a lot of things I want to do. But once I'm dead I will not really have regrets...please don't think I'm being morbid, I'm a happy person, remember?

But seriously folks, life is grand and we'll be in touch soon, right? I hope so. Cheers and best wishes, my friends.