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.