Peacenation

Serenity is paramount.

My phone doesn't work. Aside from building a boat dock, a ramp, and a few fires, I have no responsibilities whatsoever. I have no schedule. I don't have to worry about money, people, noise, pollution..... pretty much the only concern I have is for the bugs. I'll survive them though.

Lake Michigan is absolutely gorgeous. The weather is impeccable. The flight in was quick and uneventful (which is usually better than the alternative). I can feel my chest relaxing for the first time in months. I kicked up dirt on the shores of Lake Michigan this morning. It's a little more awe-inspiring than the Ohio.

Honestly, I couldn't be happier right now. I'm going to go play the guitar or read or indulge some other guilty pleasure I never find time for in the "real world". Catch ya on the flip side.

I'll be camping tonight when the moon kisses the midnight sky.

Hi, My Name Is

All sorts of crazy goings on today.... I got my official acceptance letter at Purdue (for the second time), I got a pretty cool compliment at work which I'll have to tell you about later, I made some good money, I found people to cover all my shifts so I can head to West Lafayette tomorrow, Donovan confirmed that he will indeed graduate, and I just helped my new neighbors Jason and Clara(??) set up their network.... They apparently noticed my Computers Plus uniform a few times and knocked on my door tonight to ask for help. No harm, no foul. They're cool folks anyway.

Today rocked.

Now, I should go pack. Please note that the primary purpose of this post was to help me remember their names, but I've already forgotten dude's wife's name. Why am I terrible with names?

The Wind Up

If I had a summer to speak of, this would be it. That's right, I'm less than 3 months away from West Lafayette, IN. Work's going well, I've got some pretty sweet vacation lined up for the next couple of months, and then I've got to redirect all my energy into academia.

Milton wrote a dissertation on his idea of an ideal education. I won't bore you with the gory details, but I was interested and pleased that he included physical exercise, diet, and theological study as integral parts of the broader whole. His school varied little from those of Aristotle, Isocrates, Plato, Galileo Galilei, and the host of poets, philosophers, and kings who were raised under their tutelage. These aren't men who "took themselves too seriously" as a principle. Prima facie, they took the world seriously and made serious endeavors to wield what knowledge it presented them to forge for mankind its future. From the die of their lives we have cast the blazons of intelligence, fortitude, temperance..... These are not emblems to be cast down and forgotten, nor to be worshipped as unattainable idols of men before our time. They are a compass-head for those men and women willing to sacrifice comfort, fortune, and companionship to the glory of God and His creation.

How's that for letting go of myself? Come to think of it, how cowardly is that? And what a tragic shame.

I Fear, Too Early: For My Mind Misgives

Well, I'm basically one week into April. This is going to be a long, dry month.

Pshh..... I just wrote three or four paragraphs about love and then highlighted them and replaced them with this sentence. I should not try to write seriously when I'm this tired. I'll need to remember that when I'm at Purdue ;-)

Suffice to say I'm beginning to notice the effects of the phenomenon of exponential growth within my person as the years progress. At the same time, I'm becoming increasingly aware of the stablizing effect age has on my personality. Perhaps the "refining" effect would be a more appropriate nomenclature.

Of course, at the same time this is developing within me, it's manifesting itself in all the beautiful women around me.

I'm thankful I didn't get married when I was eighteen years old. It works for some people. It's not for me, though I always thought it was.

I've lived. I've loved. I've learned. I don't believe in regret. Life is, after all, yours to miss.

But He, that hath the steerage of my course,
Direct my sail! On, lusty gentlemen.

My Blood, Shed for You

The Lion said to her, “Are you not thirsty?”

“I’m dying of thirst,” said Jill.

“Then drink,” said the lion.

“May I—could I—would you mind going away while I do,” said Jill.

The Lion answered this only by a look and a very low growl. And, as Jill gazed at its smooth motionless bulk, she realized she might as well have asked the whole mountain to move aside for her convenience. The delicious rippling noise of the stream was driving her nearly frantic. “Will you promise not to—do anything to me, if I do come?” said Jill.

“I make no promises,” said the lion.

Jill was so thirsty now that, without noticing it, she had come a step nearer. “Do you eat girls?” she said.

“I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities and realms,” said the lion. It didn’t say this as if it were boasting, nor as if it were sorry, nor as if it were angry, it just said it.

“I dare not come and drink,” said Jill.

“Then you will die of thirst,” said the lion.

“Oh dear!” said Jill, coming another step nearer. “I suppose I must go and look for another stream then.”

There is no other stream," said the lion.

Spring Forward, Fall Back

Hey! What if I updated this thing? Wouldn't that be weird?

Problem is I get tongue-tied every time I try to say what I want to say...

The details of my vacation have been withheld at the request of the CIA. They are now need-to-know classified pending further investigation.

Not much in the way of an update so far, I suppose. I'm taking a voluntary sabbatical from alcohol for the month of April. Really, I started about a week ago. So far, so good, though there was a hearty bout between the little guys chilling on my right and left shoulders earlier this evening in front of the fridge.

In entertainment, lately I'm bouncing back and forth between C.S. Lewis and my new TV adventure, Gilmore Girls. If you have any comments about the implications of my enjoyment of the show, I invite you to direct them to my bulging bicep, who will more than likely direct his secretary, my right fist, to take a message on your face. ;-) No, seriously though. Lauren Graham and Alexis Biedel are both hott as hell. (Author's note: Those of you who know me best should know that I had to look up both of those names. I only know them as Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. I'm not good with actors' and actresses' names, social lives, or fashion faux pas. Lorelai, by the way, is a beautiful name.) The dialogue on the show is written by somebody with a measurable IQ (that's an anomaly in Hollywood) Plus, there's a healthy level of sexual mother-daughter innuendo which keeps me coming back for more. Honestly, it's a good show. I had no idea what it was until recently, even though it has apparently been on the air since 2000. I've almost burned through season one now. Between that and C.S. Lewis's gripping literature, I find myself with just enough free time to work out, run, clean, and cook myself ridiculously healthy meals in between work and sleep. All in all, I'm content. Now let's go to Ollie with the Black-U-Weather Forecast. Ollie?

"It's gon' rain!"

Thanks, Ollie. Tune in next time when we uncover the truth about Roald Dahl. Great British novelist or sick, twisted megafruitophile?



Oh, one more thing. This is serious.

I love you. I miss you. You were more to me than you'll ever know.



Rest in peace. :'(

Freakonomics

I really need to update you guys on the last week and a half of my life. I have a cold and I'm reading Freakonomics right now before I go to work. I'll get back to you tonight or tomorrow. As always, names will be changed to protect the innocent.

I'll bet you didn't know Norma McCorvey was largely responsible for one of the biggest crime reductions in US history. Fascinating.

Next post - Fear and Loathing in West Virginia: Behind the Scenes