Break

First off, Happy Holidays to everyone. Despite any kind of bad news I've encountered/experienced these past couple of weeks, it's hard not to maintain a good mood this time of year. It's a shame that it takes a certain time of year to bring out the good in people (for the most part).

I'm back at home for Winter Break, which is pretty much one of those bittersweet feelings. Good on one hand because there's no school, and bad in the sense that I'm laying in bed at 11:30 on a Thursday night. Ah well, such is life.

Hard to believe Christmas is only a few days away. This weather would have you thinking otherwise. I'm hoping it holds out through Saturday, when we get together to play football once again at the high school. And this time I'm definitely stretching and warming up; I don't want a repeat of the Thanksgiving game, where I couldn't move for three days after.

It's getting late, and I'll just stop now, seeing as how I have to work tomorrow morning. Nothing like filing and throwing boxes around in a warehouse in Madison Heights to enforce the need for a college degree.

Design Day Debacle, Part 2 - Video

Being a semi-pro engineer, I was pretty happy with the way the machine worked. Check it out and tell me what you think. Kickass paint job courtesy of yours truly.

Design Day Debacle

It wasn't so much a debacle, actually- I just felt like using some alliteration.

I just woke up from a fantastic 2 hour nap, which I feel was well deserved. Today was the College of Engineering's Design Day, and now it's finally over.

We pulled an all-nighter making sure the pizza slicer would work, and of course, getting that paint job done (Don't be fooled by the photo-realistic look, that is indeed just a painted on pizza to make the tray a little more exciting.

While we didn't win any awards, I was proud to showcase the Pizza Cutter, or "Fresa Della Pizza," as we ended up titling it. It was an ingenious design, and despite a few design flaws, worked pretty damn well. With a crispy crust pizza on the tray, the blade chopped and chopped well.

Frankly, I'm still a little tired- 2 hours of sleep in the past 36 hours isn't really going to do much. Time to relax tonight, then get ready for finals. Fun fun.

Consumed

Between Habitat, Streets, Baja, school, and the rest of my life, I've had no time to sit back and relax. Two more weeks to go, and instead of studying more for tomorrow's Circuits lab final, I'm taking a break and updating this stupid thing.

Not much has happened in the past three weeks. This semester has flown by; Thanksgiving was nice, but a little strange given the fact that it was about 30 degrees above the average temperature. Classes have been just about what I've expected them to be- some hard, some less hard. My Design class has been taking up a lot of my time lately. Our final project is to design a mechanism that accomplishes some kind of task, which in our case, is cutting a pizza. It should be really interesting to see how it turns out, especially given the fact that we started building last week, and Design Day is this Friday. I'm very excited about the chance to finally do some hands on work- I feel it's the best way to learn.

Next week is Finals week, which means zero sleep and far too much studying. I've got Dynamics on Wednesday, Circuits and Math on Thursday, and Design on Friday. You'd think I might give myself a chance to relax on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday, but I can't afford to. Too much hinges on my grades for this semester, and I need to make them as good as possible.

Can't wait for Christmas break. Then I can start stressing about next semester.

Just Get Me Through Wednesday

So during an incredibly extended study break, I decided to live in the past and check out my old livejournal, and came across this post. Since it's now more than two years old, I've decided to update it.

THINGS YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT:
Something important on your desk: Water Bottle. Everyone needs water.
When you sleep you wear: Shorts, maybe a shirt
If you could afford it at the moment, you would buy: I don't really need anything.
Something you don't have a lot of: Friends. But I'm not complaining.
If your house was burning and you could only save 3 items what would they be: Josh, my photos, and TV.

MORALS:
If there were no side effects, you would enjoy being addicted to: spending money.
A time when you purposely hurt someone emotionally: Can't say I ever have.
A time you accidentally hurt someone emotionally: If you know me, you know that I sometimes don't think before I speak. Sorry.
One person you have killed in your thoughts: The kids that jump on that trampoline out back, all the damn day. Emphasize "thoughts."

FRIENDS:
Three traits you look for in a friend: Honesty, sense of humor, and kindness.
Who makes you laugh most often: Josh.
A friend who you can tell anything: Andy.
A friend you can go to for advice: Josh.
The best piece of advice you had been given: "It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks so long as you're comfortable with who you are."
Two closest friends: Josh and Andy.
The friend who uses most of your energy: Neither. I've got plenty.

EGO:
Your 3 best qualities: Outgoing, honest, and unnecessarily nice.
Your 3 worst qualities: Lack of motivation. Vulnerability. Jealousy.
Describe your Ideal self: I'm comfortable with myself.
You are embarrassed when: I wave at someone who isn't waving at me, but at a person behind me.
The greatest physical pain you ever endured: Definitely still the thumb in the car door. I've been lucky.
The greatest emotional pain you ever endured: Seeing my dad cry when his father passed away.
Moment you are most ashamed of: Telling the senior citizens that I visited every week that I'd come back after Christmas break. I never went back.
Your best physical feature: I'd say my eyes.
Who/What makes you happy: Running. A brisk fall afternoon. Seeing a smile on anyone's face. Being appreciated.
Who/what makes you sad: People who are helpless in improving their situation. Knowing that things will never be the same.

EMOTIONS:
Emotion you hide most: Anger.
The emotion you tend to experience most: Happiness.
The emotion you are feeling most lately: Frustration.
You have a huge amount of guilt regarding: Those senior citizens. Not a day goes by where I don't feel terrible about it.
When you are angry you need: To work out.
When you are sentimental you need: An ear. Maybe a notebook.
When you are in love you need: To know that it goes both ways.

MEMORIES:
One of your most peaceful memories: Standing on the terrace of my grandfather's home last winter, with him standing next to me.
One of your most tragic memories: I've been lucky enough to not experience significant tragedy.
One of your angriest memories: Can't think of anything significant.
A memory that makes you laugh: Andy throwing up at our apartment, and the aftermath.
A memory that makes you happy: Those nights when none of us knew what we were doing, but we were completely fine with it.
Something someone can say or do that you find extremely attractive: Smile or laugh, that's all it takes.
Something someone can say or do that you find unattractive: Smoke. Be completely ignorant.
Two things appealing about people: 1) A zest for life. 2) An ability to care.
A personality trait you find appealing: Sense of humor.
Your secret passion: I love volunteering. And drawing.
What you enjoy most about having a committed relationship: I wouldn't know.

FINALLY:
If you had more time alone you would: Probably kill myself. I have enough of that time as it is.
If you had more patience you would: tutor kids.
If you could change one thing about your physical appearance what would it be: Now, I'm fortunate enough to be healthy, but I'd obviously change the height.
If you had no commitments what would you be doing: Volunteering overseas.
If you could have one super power what would it be: Who the hell doesn't want to fly?
If you could start all over.... not an option

Staying Busy

This week has been about as busy as they come. Besides class on Monday, I was nominated to be the Public Relations coordinator for MSU Habitat for Humanity. I'm really excited about the opportunity, it's a great cause and gives me a chance to work with people who care about the community as much as I do. If you're in the Lansing area and want to help out, check out the MSU Habitat homepage.

Tuesday I made the drive down to Ohio for the interview at the Honda Engine Plant in Anna. I think the interview went really well, but I doubt I'll pursue anything with them regardless of what happens. I've got a good thing with Toyota, and summer co-ops are incredibly hard to come by.

I got back to East Lansing just in time for a meeting with Into The Streets, an MSU service organization that focuses on two main events each year. The next big event is scheduled for Martin Luther King Day, which is January 15th. Once again, if you're in the Lansing area and interested, just let me know. It's a great way to give back.

I'm just getting focused on staying as busy as possible and keeping my mind from being idle and straying; nothing good comes of it. The good will come in time, and all I can do is just be patient.

Hello November.

Well October came and went. The Pistons opened up their season tonight with a loss against the Bucks. Did I watch the game, you ask? No, because the games show on some stupid channel that doesn't have a Lansing area affiliate. And because of that, it's very possible that I'll miss out on 25 games that are televised everywhere but here. Fantastic.

I have an interview with Honda next week. Regardless of what happens, it's 98% likely that I won't be working in Ohio anytime soon. I like Kentucky and Toyota too much to pass it up. As much as I'd like to travel and see as much of the country as possible, I'm pretty sure The Buckeye State has nothing to offer. Absolutely nothing.

Hard to believe there's only 6 more weeks left in the semester. I think now is as good a time as any to get my ass in gear and start pushing towards that finish line.

Oh yeah, Tigers lost the World Series to a much more deserving Cardinals team. They just outplayed and out hustled Detroit. At least there's something to look forward to next year. God knows the Lions won't win more than 5 games total in the next 3 years, and I really don't think anyone's paying attention to the Red Wings.

Untitled

It was taking too long for me to come up with a title, so I said screw it. Well, it's been a while since I posted anything here, but don't let that fool you. I haven't been occupied, busy, or even lazy. I've just had absolutely nothing to talk about. That's what happens when your life is the epitome of mediocrity.

Anyway, nothing new to write about school. It still sucks, only difference now compared to a month ago is that I've come to accept that I've still got 2 more years of this crap.

This past weekend I went downtown with the intent of doing some volunteer work, but when that fell through, I walked around Lansing and just took pictures. Then I went over to Baker Woodlot and brought the camera along as well. It's amazing out there this time of year, really peaceful. Some of the pics made it to Flickr.

After last night, the Tigers are down 2-1 to the Cardinals. Am I worried? I'd be lying if I said no. Hopefully tonight's outcome is a bit better; the hitting hasn't been able to get anything done lately.

And to end, Abbott Pointe Apartments suck. Honestly, if you live in the East Lansing area, don't live here. Our running water comes in just two temperatures-- scalding hot and lukewarm. There are random sounds at all times of the day, mostly from birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and mythical creatures running/flying/screwing and/or just spiting me. I honestly think the birds flying into my window know exactly what they're doing. I'll just end on that note.

Mother Nature's A Clever One

Just when I thought I had the old lady figured out, she goes and throws snow and wind right in my face. Anyway, let's recap the week, since I've done nothing but a whole lot of nothing today.

Tigers beat the Yankees, moved on the ALCS, and have an incredible 2-0 lead on the A's. This is probably the most excited I've been in a long while. To think that the same team that had 119 losses 3 years ago is on the verge of the World Series is heartstopping. Which, by the way, is actually what I felt last night, with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th and Frank Thomas up to bat.

I had my second Dynamics exam yesterday. Want to know how it went? If you like me, you'll send a hate-filled email to my professor. Here's his website. That was easily the hardest exam I have ever taken, and believe me, I've flunked my fair share. The good news is that I'm not failing any of my other classes, so I'll still be a college student for at least another semester after this one.

I'm going home for part of this weekend. I kind of wish I weren't, mostly because it's fairly pointless. I'll make the most of it and be back Saturday night hopefully. Well now I'm just talking boring crap. Later.

6-0

Amazing. I haven't been this happy about a Detroit sports team since the Pistons won the championship.

Top 5 Reasons Game 3 was the best Tigers game all season:

5. Ernie Harwell doing the ESPN broadcast for a couple innings.
4. The incredible amount of energy 43,000 fans brought to Comerica Park.
3. Solid, clutch hitting with 2 outs.
2. Postseason baseball in Detroit for the first time in 19 years.
1. 41 year-old Kenny Rogers proving everyone wrong with a dominant curveball.

Here's hoping Game 4 tomorrow is the last we see of the Yankees.

Yes, A Second Post.

This one's a little more general, just a few things on my mind:

1) I realize the few people reading this might be reading this from facebook or some other source, the real address of this site is http://4ourthyear.blogspot.com. Just in case you were wondering.

2) A while back, I had a separate "A Photo A Day" blog. That got old pretty fast, so now I just post whatever photos I like the most on my Flickr page, which is http://www.flickr.com/photos/jstealth03. I don't take photography too seriously, it's just something I like to do.

3) MSU Football? Incredibly Disappointing. Lions Football? Somewhat disappointing. Tigers Baseball? Depressing end to a great season, but that gets tossed out the window tonight. Hope Game 1 is a bit better than the last 5 games of the regular season.

Good Weather = Great Day

Today was a beautiful day. With a beautiful day comes a great mood, and I couldn't be feeling better than I am right now.

I applied to be an Engineering Ambassador for MSU last week, and got an interview scheduled for this Thursday. Hopefully that goes well, because not only would it be a little extra cash on the side, it'd be a good experience.

I got calls from the recruiting departments at Honda and DaimlerChrysler today, which was shocking to say the least. I don't think I'll be pursuing anything with Honda though, as they're looking for students to intern from January to May. I don't want to miss another semester, unless it's a really good offer. DaimlerChrysler, on the other hand, is a very tough internship to obtain, and the fact that they even contacted me is flattering. They're looking for a summer intern in the Detroit area- which is both good and bad. Good because it'd be close to home, and bad, well, bad because it'd be close to home.

Toyota is really my ideal company, and I love Kentucky, but I'm just keeping my options open. I'll probably be going to the Career Gallery tomorrow, just for the sake of getting a bunch of free stuff and throwing the résumé around. And advice to all of you looking for internships and co-ops: Grades aren't everything (take my career 3.1 GPA for example), desire and motivation are just as important, and the hardest thing to do is getting your foot in the door. Once you get that, you're set.

Here Comes October

It took 19 years, but thank Sweet Jesus that the Tigers finally made it to the playoffs. August might have been rough, but it's worth it. Seeing those guys celebrate in the locker room was such a great feeling, and I'm excited as all hell for them to wrap up the division.

Well, that was pretty much it for the good news. The pathetic Packers crushed the even more pathetic Lions, and honestly, I'm wondering if we'll ever get a win with such a lousy secondary. I mean, those guys are terrible.

And if John L. Smith isn't fired by the end of this season, that'll be a miracle in itself. Saturday night's game against Notre Dame was probably was one of the worst football games I've ever seen, at least from MSU's view. Any other fan would call it a classic, coming back from 17 down to score 19 unanswered. I know I was shocked, as were every one of the fans that the cameras laughed at.

Anyway, this week ought to be fun--not. It'll just be another week in which I pretty much struggle to get to the next day. But oddly enough, that's the way I like it, I don't like doing things 7, 6, 2 days in advance. I'll do it 5 hours before the damn thing is due, and that's just the way it's going to stay. I should probably get ready for class.

It's Never Been This Bad

I really don't know if it's just September, or school, or just the general way things have been going, but life has sucked an awful lot lately.

First off, school just keeps getting worse. The really terrible part of it all is that I know what I need to know to get a job after I graduate, and the things that I'm learning don't apply. So of course my interest in class has taken a hit, which leads to poor study habits and even poorer grades. So far I've been able to steer clear of that last one, but it's only a matter of time. I can honestly say that the past month here has been about as bad as it's ever been. I just want to graduate and get the hell out of East Lansing and Michigan.

Second, the weather has been downright crummy. It's been cold, rainy, and just bitter. It seems to match the moods of most students though, so I guess it's alright. I'm still hoping for those cool autumn days, the ones where you can walk on campus in a comfortable jacket and your favorite pair of jeans and just breathe in that fresh air without having to hunker down and avoid the cutting winds.

And finally, what happened to my friends? I mean, I know I only had a few to begin with, but I haven't talked to anyone. The better way to put it is that no one has talked to me. Every so often I think about going on Facebook and deleting all the would be "friends," the ones that I've messaged just to say hi but haven't even heard from. Or even the ones that I've never met but only added me because I look like someone they know, or I found their wallet, or because we have a lot of the same "friends" in common. Ridiculous. All I know is that the only friends I need are the ones that have been by my side, not the ones who I hang out with a few times and say, "We're going to have a blast hanging out in the future." There is no future, stop with the lies. It's all just a reminder of those middle school and high school yearbooks: "K.I.T., Let's hang out over the summer, You better give me a call!" Bullshit.

If I could snap my fingers and go to any place in time, it'd be May 2008. I'm ready to get out of here and move on.

I Hate Clowns

Now, I've been fortunate enough to experience/be witness to some strange, funny things. Take for instance, the story I'm about to tell. Honestly, it'd be funnier if I were able to tell it aloud, just because I have a way with words. What? I really do. Anyway, onto the story.

This actually happened a few weeks ago, but I won't be forgetting it anytime soon. You see, I was driving back from work, down I-275 South, in usual rush hour traffic. There's a part of I-275 where the left two lanes split off and go to I-96 East, and there are always those ass-hats that merge back onto I-275 at the last second. I became a victim on this day.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a car start edging over. I knew the driver wanted to get over, but there was no way, seeing as how I was taking up the space he wanted. Apparently this was not an issue, and the car kept moving closer.

Next comes the part where I lay on the horn and look over to the driver, just to give him that "Hey buddy, our side view mirrors are getting pretty intimate, care to back off?" look. So I turn my head to look over at him, and what do I see?

A CLOWN! A FRIGGIN' CLOWN! And all he/she/it does it look back at me with its stupid mouth agape in happiness/silly horror. It backs off, and I continue on my way, swearing to myself for the next two or three minutes.

In the end, what really pissed me off was the fact that this clown was driving a Buick Rendezvous. I mean, where's the novelty in that? If I see 8 clowns come out of that car instead of an old Beetle, that's not funny! That's just economical! And as far as I'm concerned, clowns are not economical. I really do hate clowns.

Man, School Sucks

Seriously, it's taken me nearly two weeks to really, really, truely realize this fact. Besides the amazing boredom surrounding all of my classes, nothing else is new, really just the same old.

I still feel out of place walking around campus, riding the bus to class, sitting in a desk and taking notes (or drawing, depending on how bored I've gotten). I still haven't started my full schedule, and this week will be the easiest week I've ever had at Michigan State. No class on Monday, nothing doing on Tuesday, 4 classes on Wednesday, no lab tomorrow, and 2 more classes on Friday. I better enjoy this free time while I can, because before I know it, I'll be spending more than enough time in the Engineering Building- that I'm not looking forward to.

I'm getting back to working out on a regular basis, and I'm definitely starting to feel better, both mentally and physically. There's something about running that just helps me clear my head. Plus, God knows there's enough motivation (wink wink) around here to pick up the pace and sprint like an idiot that doesn't know his body is about to die on him.

One Door Closes...

And another one opens. Life is full of surprises- great surprises and the kind of surprises that just make you think "What in the hell is going on?"

Things might have changed in the past few days, but that's what happens. If you're like me, you hate when people talk in subtleties and don't really say what they want to say. I don't feel like discussing specifics, lest the people who I'm talking about realize I'm talking about them.

Anyway- classes started yesterday. All 4 classes on both Mondays & Wednesdays (ECE 345: Electronic Controls, ME 371: Mechanical Design I, ME 361: Dynamics, & ME 391: Advanced Engineering Math), and absolutely nothing on Tuesdays. Hopefully I take advantage of that day off to do absolutely nothing. Thursday I'll have my ECE lab, but that doesn't start for two more weeks. And then I finish the week out with 371 & 361. Not too bad so far, and it'd be great if it stayed that way.

I really don't have much else to say, I'm just going to get through the rest of this week and then enjoy the weekend as much as I can.

Just One of Those Weekends

It has definitely been a strange past few days, but strange in the good way the more I think about it. I moved up to East Lansing this past Wednesday, and I was glad to finally be here.

Thursday night I went out to P.T.'s and met up with a few friends, made some new ones, and even managed to run into a couple old ones- my ex included.

I thought it would be awkward at first, but we ended up hanging out Friday night and some of Saturday night. We just talked about everything, from family to friends to life in general, and that was nice. It's not very often that you can still stay friends with someone you were so close to, so I appreciated it.

Life is moving along fairly briskly. The girl I've been crazy about this whole summer went back to Italy, and the fact that I didn't get a chance to visit her before she left had me doing a lot of dwelling, which is never good. School starts tomorrow; it'll be the first time in 8 months that I'll be sitting in a class again, and I don't know what to think. I could barely sit still for an entire period before, so I'm going to give myself 25 minutes before I walk out of class to take a break. Hopefully that's not the case.

I'm looking forward to having a productive and fun fall semester, and there's no reason I won't. Have a good week.

I Hate Nail Polish Remover

And no, I wasn't using it to take off the Barbie California Sunset Red polish on my toes. What I was actually doing was attempting to remove some stickers from my windshield. I put the uncapped bottle on the roof of the car, thinking it would stay put. Of course not- the wind blew the bottle over, and in a very feeble attempt to catch the bottle, I slapped it, and out came all the liquid.

Long story short, I went blind for close to 15 minutes. My eyes have never burned so badly, and all I could think of was, "Wow, I'm going to be blind and the last thing I saw was my car door." Pathetic.

Everything's alright now, and I couldn't be happier to have my sight. There's so many things I still need to see and experience, and to lose such an important sense would be terrible. I definitely won't be taking it for granted any more.

I'm finally up at MSU for good. I don't know why I was looking forward to it so much, things haven't really changed here in the 8 months I've been gone. Class starts Monday, so I'll enjoy the next few days as much as I can and then hit the books. Hard.

Too Much But Not Enough

My room is a mess. There's DVDs, different cables, clothes, and electronics everywhere, and instead of cleaning them all up, I'm sitting here because there's too much going through my mind to just suppress.

I went to the John Fogerty/Willie Nelson concert at DTE this past Friday night. We were a little late and missed quite a bit of Willie's opening act, which seemed pretty short anyway. Jen was more than disappointed, and I felt bad- she's a big Willie Nelson fan.

Fogerty didn't disappoint- sure his set was just shy of two hours long, which was pretty short compared to his other tour stops, but I'm not complaining. He pulled out all the hits and rocked them all; it's amazing how true his vocals have stayed over time. Overall, not too bad a show, could've been better.

Josh and I went up to MSU and crashed at the apartment last night. We had our cable installed, which was a pretty exciting time, considering the new tv and the HD and such. Besides that, we pretty much just hung around the place. EL hasn't changed too much, not that I expected it to.

I was supposed to be staying in EL until school started, but work beckoned, and I could always use a little more cash. It's not like I was going to be doing anything or hanging out with anyone (God forbid anyone call), so I might as well spend a couple more days in this hellhole of a town/house and get out of here a little later. Have a good week.

Staying Busy Again

Obviously, I mean, it's Tuesday and this is the first chance I have to talk about my weekend.

We (meaning the family) took a trip to the Toronto area this past weekend. And don't think we did anything fun and cool, it was mostly just family time. My cousin moved to Canada from India a little while ago, and his wife and two kids came along a little while after him. After spending two nights at his place, I now I have a newfound appreciation for what my parents went through when they first came to this country.

Some pics from the trip:

All in all, Toronto was fun, customs was not a hassle at all (here's a hint: take the tunnel, not the Blue Water Bridge), and we all got back in one piece.

2 Weeks

2 more weeks until I move back to MSU. 2 more weeks until I can finally say my summer is over. Not that it's been terrible or anything, I'm just ready to move on and get the school thing started with.

These past couple of weeks have been pretty normal, more or less. More relaxing, more hanging out, more pointless errands, more family parties.

So instead of just shooting off more inane BS that no one reading this really cares for, I'm just gonna throw out some personal topics and discuss what the hell I'm thinking about...

School: Oh Jesus Christ, we start August 28th, and I am nowhere near ready. I haven't been in a classroom since last December, and just the thought of cracking open a book and studying gives me the shakes. But at the same time, I know what I need to do, I know the grades I need to get, and I'm more motivated than ever before to do well.

Work: Short term? I'm going back to my aunt's to work for the next couple of weeks, basically just to pay off my TV and make some gas money. Hopefully it's nothing hard, because my brain has been on autopilot for the past 6 weeks. Long term? I'll be going back to Toyota in May, but I'm not sure where. I could get assigned to Georgetown again, or Indiana, San Antonio, or one of the Ontario plants. I wouldn't mind going to Kentucky again, but Texas would be pretty nice too. Hopefully Toyota offers me a position after I graduate, because I would love living in Kentucky.

Money: I feel I'm in a pretty good financial state at 21 years old. I could always be better, but right now, I'm happy. There's money in the bank, I've got the stuff I want/need. At the same time, I do realize that I need to control or keep track of my spending, because there are times when it can get out of hand (picking up the tab all the time, buying useless stuff, etc)

Girls: haha, oh man, fuck it. I know I'm a good guy, and I've got a lot going for me. If something happens, hey, that's great, but if not, I'm not going to punch myself in the face and cry over it. I'm young, and right now time is on my side. Of course there's a girl I care a lot about right now, but there are just so many circumstances surrounding our relationship that I have no idea what's going to happen. It's really out of my hands, I've said what I wanted to say, and that's all.

Friends: I'm lucky to have two really close, good friends. If I was given the choice of having 50 average friends or these 2 great ones, I'd take the 2 any day. Of course I have other friends, and I care about them too, but those ones will come and go- the two will stay through thick and thin. I'm always up for meeting new people and making new friends though, don't try and label me as some inconsiderate bastard who already has enough friends.

Family: Finally, family. Besides my 2 best friends, blood is the only real constant in life. I consider myself very lucky that my parents are in relatively good health, and that my brother, as much a prick as he may be, is healthy and has his whole life ahead of him. I've been fortunate enough to not have to experience tragic losses or events up close; I mean, my Dad's parents passed away when I was younger, and it really hurt me more to see my Dad crying. Since my grandparents lived in India, I only met them a handful of times, and all of those times were before I was even in middle school. Bottom line, I love every single one of my family members, and I would do anything for them. And that's a family that spans the country and a few different countries.


Good night and have a good week, stay positive.

2 Funny Things

Well, funny to me anyway.

1) "According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Detroit is the first team since the 1891 St. Louis Browns to score five runs or more in the first inning of three straight games...Those 1891 Browns followed five- and six-run first innings against the Cincinnati Porkers with five against the Columbus Colts." www.espn.com

2) The other day, Josh and I were sitting out in the parking lot of one of the 7-11's, enjoying some delicious Slurpee concoction along with our 89 cent large donut. I'm pretty sure that the donuts had been sitting in that bakery case since March of 2003, but that's another story.

Anyway, there was this one guy who came out of the 7-11 and apparently saw a girl he knew. He then proceeded to grab his junk, shake it vigorously, and yell "Felonious Bonehogger!" I didn't know whether to be more impressed by his attitude or the fact that this guy managed to use the word "felonious."

Needless to say, felonious bonehogger is a word I plan on using every day in some kind of capacity.

Good Monday by the way, got some painting done, relaxed, and decided that I'm going to build a custom frame/headboard for my bed. Should be fun.

I Hate Rollercoasters [of the Emotional Sort]

Up, Up, Up, Down, Down, and back Up. Worst rollercoaster ever, I know. Not even a single turn.

Started off the morning by talking to her online. Really, this past week has been kind of stressful. Her grandfather had a heart attack on Sunday, and since then, she's been really distant, physically and emotionally exhausted, and just out of it. I hate not being able to do anything about it except be that voice at the other end of the line that says everything is going to be alright, that she has to be strong. I care a lot about her, and she deserves nothing but the best.

So as a result, I've been kind of down this whole week as well. Stange how emotions can rub off on a person so easily, or how you can almost feel the pain that a person is going through. And good Lord, if I haven't been obvious about it, then I don't know. I'm a pretty easy person to read- it's readily apparent when I'm in a good mood, or when I'm the opposite.

I talked to my ex-girlfriend for a little bit today, and not only did I come out of it feeling consoled, but I felt a lot better about myself. It always helps to get an outside perspective on things, and she did just that. I really am glad we stayed friends; our relationship was something special for the both of us, and it would have been stupid to just throw it all away and move on.

Hung out with the guys tonight, watched the Tigers game. Another impressive outing by Verlander, and it was good to see Young get back into things. I'm definitely looking forward to watching this team play in the fall.

I'll just end by saying that I know what I want, and I won't be happy until I get some kind of resolution. I hate being left hanging, it's not the best feeling in the world. Hope everyone has a good weekend.

Staying Distracted

I don't have a lot to talk about, I've just been flying solo for most of the week and I'd been meaning to update this piece of crap for a while. And with plenty of solo time comes a lot of time to think, which I'm not really a big fan of.

I had planned on going down to Lexington this past Tuesday, but things took a turn for the worse, and as a result, that trip is postponed. Hopefully I'll be able to make it down there soon, I've been looking forward to it for a while now.

So it's July 20th. Where the hell did this month go? In less than 2 weeks I'm going to start moving stuff up to East Lansing; in 5 weeks, classes begin. This summer has been incredibly low key and laid back. I'm not complaining, but it'd be nice to mix things up a bit, get out of Canton, hang out with friends and have something to do besides hanging out at the house. Kind of tough when everyone but me is working.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind getting out of Canton and living in East Lansing for all of August. It's hard adjusting to living at home after living on your own for 6 months. And as much as I like the comforts of being at home, I'd much rather fly solo and do things at my own pace.

Just Gets Better And Better

As much an optimist I am, I can't help but think that the higher I fly, the harder the fall back to Earth will be. God forbid something bad happen, but it's just been so amazing so far that I can't help but think it.

I'm going down to Kentucky on Tuesday, and will most likely be down there until Saturday or Sunday. Excitement, anxiety, happiness, and just sheer anticipation have been overwhelming me these past couple of weeks.

I'd hate to jinx it, but I haven't felt this good in a long time, and I welcome the feeling. Have a good weekend everyone.

Getting This One Off My Back

I swear on everything holy, if the idiots that control Hollywood allow the Wayans brothers to make any more movies, I will skip the whole "go crazy" stage and head directly for "foaming at the mouth."


I mean, honestly. You've got to be shitting me.

In fact, in the case that you're as bored as I am, check out what Sony has done to desecrate the Internet just a bit more.

Create Your Own Little Man Poster!

Christ, It's Early

Lately I've been waking up really early- like 7:30 or 8am kind of early. Today I managed to "sleep in" until 9, so I consider that a moral victory.

This week has been fairly boring; I started running again, because it's all I can really do with a sprained wrist. Josh is out of town, Andy's working, and I'm struggling to find ways to get through the day. There's only so many movies I can watch, and God knows I'm not going to spend another 6 hours cleaning my room up.

I had been planning on going down to Kentucky this week, but the combination of family visiting and other important things have delayed the trip until next week. I can't wait to go back though, I really do miss the place.

Couldn't Be Better

As of late, my life has been pretty damn great, and it's all because of one person.

That's right, yours truly has met the perfect girl, and I have no intention of letting her go anytime soon. She's intelligent, has an amazingly similar sense of humor (loves Family Guy, John Candy, and quotes Super Troopers like a fiend), and she's nothing short of drop dead gorgeous. Add all that to the fact that she's so kind hearted and has got the perfect Southern accent, and you've got a guy (me, in case that wasn't clear) that absolutely adores her.

It's good to be home again. New York was fun, especially the part where we got a flat tire on the Jersey turnpike. Michigan is always good for spending time with friends, but I'm ready to go to Kentucky and see what develops.

By the way, here's my favorite picture from the past few days- It's the Liberty State Park Visitors Center in Jersey City, NJ. Hope you like it.

NYC Photos

New York City went pretty well. Our first stop was St. Patrick's Cathedral, where we went to mass and felt less like tourists for an hour. Really nice church, and I've been in quite a few.

After mass, we started walking towards Central Park. The thing I love about New York is the architecture; it's absolutely amazing and inspiring. There were quite a few buildings I especially liked, be it for its simple lines, color scheme, or the way the structure just imposes itself on the skyline.

Next stop was Central Park. While the parents and grandparents went on a horse-drawn carriage ride, Brian and I just walked around a small part of the park. Central Park may very well be my favorite part of the city; once you get surrounded by the trees and wildlife, you completely forget that you're in a completely urban setting.

More later, time to head on home.

NYC A Go-Go

In a little less than 5 hours, I'll be making a road trip to New York City. Sounds awesome, doesn't it? But wait, it gets better. I get to go with my parents, younger brother, and grandparents. Should be a great time. I may not get to do everything I want to do, but it'll be nice spending time with the family and seeing new places. There's so much to do there, I don't think 4 days will be enough.

I'll get back next Wednesday, and then take off for Kentucky soon after. This time it'll just be me and I-75, and my princessangel at the finish line.

I haven't felt this exhilarated in a long time, and I can only say it's long overdue, but much appreciated. I'll talk more about the school stuff when it gets closer to that time; for now, I'm just loving life.