Swim Toward the Surface!

I know... just when you thought I was all blogged out.... I'm surprised myself, really. Oh, well.... Run with it, I always say.

I'm stuck in a decent routine, workin' that nine to five (thirty..... six..... thirty.... ok... nine to five just sounds better than eight to six thirty.) I'm pretty well immobilized by these shins/ankles/calves/feet/you tell me, so I haven't been kickin' up nearly enough dirt to keep me sane, but I'm trying to make up the distance in the pool, and I'm on the market for a decent bike. I've finally decided to go see an orthopedic surgeon in hopes that I'm not a 23-year-old invalid, so keep your fingers crossed, please.

Let's see.... I'm doing software development (and playin' foozball, naturally) at Strictly Biz, the place I interned in high school. It's the most enjoyable work I've ever done.... Excellent sign.

Basically, I'm working on getting my head cleared out and trying to pick up momentum in life. It's kind of hard to do with all the distractions of the old stompin' ground scattered about, but I'm holding my own. It'll be nice to get back to Purdue and press on the grind a little bit on my own. Everything I do feels better when I do it on my own.

I can't breath. I miss you.

Fuck.

Yeah, I said it.

This is getting harder by the second.

It's like figuring out which way's up deep under water, blind-folded, and completely disoriented. And I'm running out of air. Time's moving too fast.

Like the Cavalry at Dawn

For all the things I don't know, there's at least one thing I do -- My sleep "schedule" is out of control. It's too cold to sleep in my bedroom most of the time, so I find myself on the couch or in the office, and that puts me less than 5 feet away from something better to do than sleep. Of course there's also the overwhelming influx of homework I'm strapped with this semester (my sincerest gratitude to Old Man Winter for sending the Math and Italian departments into a "catch up from the blizzard" frenzy) I seriously spent the better part of two straight days doing Calculus homework last week, and that was because I missed 2 days. Rock on.

Right.... sleep.... I don't know. I tried it for a few hours tonight, but coughing and worrying about all that homework got the better of me, so here I am at 5am getting ready to read about women's rights for my 8:30 class so I can spend the hour after that prepping for my Italian exam at 10:30. Then, of course, I'll have an hour to finish up my Calc homework before class at 12:30, and then I'll have about 45 minutes to eat something before I have to trudge across campus to go to my CS lecture. At about 3:30 I'll probably head back home for some food, and if I'm not too tired, I'll work out for an hour. Then I'll head back down to campus so I can finish my CS project and hopefully try to take the reigns on this whole homework fiasco so the rest of the week isn't quite so high-paced.

I need to read something that wasn't assigned to me, and I need to run on a riverbank with nothing but my iPod in tow. I need a balmy evening where no shirt feels good, and I need a bourbon, two ice cubes in a heavy glass, and my guitar. I need a haircut. I need my health. I need to wake up at sunrise and feel refreshed. I need to see God on the ground and in the sky, and in the eyes of everyone I meet. I need to treasure the blessings I have, but these things I need to seek out for myself. I need my best friend.

Thanks. I needed that.

And now, I need the golden sun to charge the midnight sky like the cavalry at dawn.

I got this. It's a beautiful day.

Is HHS the #1 Prep Team in the Country?

Thursday, the top 2 boys basketball teams in the country, according to ESPN, both lost. #1 Oak Hill Academy lost to Chicago Simeon and #2 Artesia lost to another team from California.

Huntington High was ranked third in the latest poll. When the poll is updated next week, it's likely HHS will be on top.

These rankings are a little different than the USA Today standings which showed Artesia below HHS already.

PS - I know.... I know....... Give it time.

A Toast, A Promise, and Some Fireworks

I'm going to recap 2006 shortly. But first, I'm going to go run. It will help clear my mind, collect my thoughts, and put me on track to fulfill my first resolution: to hit the ground running in 2007.

Warning: This is going to be rough, but I'll make it enjoyable if I can.

Here's to

Staying Afloat

Tonight the whirlpool touched the ocean floor. I'm cascading with the current... splashing around helplessly... thrashed by debris.... desperate gasps for sweet, sweet air chopped into desolate pieces as I sputter in the salty water. The ocean's falling faster now, its belly gliding smoothly down the shores, and down, and down, and splash! back up again! And down, and down, sculpting the sand, naked and wet, to the figure of the receding tide. And now, as wildly as the clouds roared in so many months ago, as violently as the torrents poured down on me and swept me away, the ocean lays me down, breathless and beaten (but alive and oh, so well) on the soft, soggy mattress that will soon become dry land again. And lying, back pressed firmly against my beloved terra, my chest heaving up and down like my turbulent captor, the sea, the corners of my lips turn up ever so slightly. I'm gazing so far out into the universe, my eyes reflect the glow of moonlight and stars I can't even see, and tonight, right now, I own this moment.



I haven't written in so long. It feels incredible. If you can't tell, this is an allegory; and no, it's not about sex :P. Believe it or not, I was just talking about this semester ;-) Hope you didn't hate it too much! :P (Gah! Must use less emoticons in blog....)

I'll be back. I can see it in the moon, reflected with the midnight sky onto the icy pond behind me.

Peek-a-boo!

An interesting question:

Does the greater Middle East have a comparative advantage over the United States in crude oil production?


I know I'm in(ternet)cognito these days, but I'm focusing on kicking ASS in school. Week 1 is finished and I have perfect attendance. ROCK!

I might update my reading list later, but if anybody is interested, I'm on my way to the library to get Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations. I'll post my schedule here in the next few days (namely when I get my apartment set up and my computer plugged in. Yes, that's right, I haven't set my computer up yet. That's how many computers there are on Purdue's campus!) I LOVE THIS PLACE!


BOILER UP!

100%

God, I'm going to miss this place, but not that much.

Huntington tomorrow. If you're on my A-list, you'll get a call.

This is surreal. I can't believe it's ending just as quickly as it began.

If I thought I was dedicated this year, I'm about to switch into uberfocused mode.

I'll try to catalogue my incredibly healthy life choices here, both for motivational purposes and future reference. I shall start by reading my text books and studying as much Italian as possible with this Rosetta Stone software.

I'll post my schedule soon.

Tonight, I sleep. Tomorrow, I win.