Christmas Song

In light of the Christmas season, I thought I’d share my favorite Christmas song. I posted it to my video page, along with the lyrics, here.

Christmas is by far my favorite season. Not only does it have both my birthday and Christmas, but it also harbors love between all peoples. I haven’t really felt it this year that much though. A lot of that is probably my own fault. I haven’t played much Christmas music nor do I have a Christmas tree. Maybe I’ll fix that next week. I get my bass back this week too, so maybe I’ll just play my own Christmas music.

Listen to the song. Especially the lyrics. It is amazing.

Degree Change

Because this weekend was so awesome, I was going to write about that. Sitting down to do it though, something else comes to mind. So, until I get the video of our choreographed dance, I’ll just leave it at this. It was one of the best weekends of the year.

I changed my major this morning. Not entirely sure how I feel about it though. It puts me on a much different course, but I think it may be better. So, my major yesterday was Mechanical Engineering. Today, it is Philosophy. I like the idea of both, but I don’t know whether or not I actually like both. Sitting around a hookah with 3 or 4 people discussing philosophy and life is one of my favorite pastimes. Will being a philosophy major detract from the ability to do that? If my companions are not, it may be too much of a difference in thought processes. If that makes sense. Still the idea of learning more about the philosophical points of life is intriguing.

Engineering fits as far as the mechanical aspect. I don’t know that it fits my goals career-wise. I want to be able to travel, I want to have a family, and I want to be happy. Money isn’t really an issue as long as I can support the family. I don’t know that I would have time or the ability to take my family elsewhere on that route.

As far as the military is concerned, it doesn’t matter what degree I have as long as I have a Bachelors. To become a pilot, I don’t even need one.

I should also note that with the philosophy degree, I’d be doing a concurrent major of Poly Sci and a minor in Chinese. That would give me the opportunity to work for any 3-letter-agency. So with the polysci/philosophy/Chinese route, I could do pilot, 3-letter-agency, or get a teachers certificate and go live on an island to teach. There’s always the option of a combination of the 3.

So anyway, I guess I’ll have to wait til after next semester to really say whether or not it will be a good choice. I will be loading up on political science classes and philosophy classes. That will be a better determining factor. I have a friend though that took the logic course that I am in now then took intro to philosophy. Talking with her today made me nervous. She liked the logic class, but very much disliked the philosophy class. Hopefully we think differently.

That’s about it for my ill-phrased argument. I know it’s more lopsided to the Philo/PoliSci degree, but that’s because that’s what’s been on my mind today.

Basically all of October

So, I know I’ve been slacking big time concerning my life documentation. I feel like I’ve had no time this past month, but at the same time, I don’t know of any real time consuming things that have been going on.

I got initiated into Pi Kappa Phi. That was probably the biggest thing that happened this month. I’ve got my letters on now. I find it interesting that I’m advertising for my fraternity. I don’t even advertise for the Army. I’ve got veteran plates on my truck, but that’s about it. I guess I used to wear army shirts and whatnot, especially back when I was a private. Maybe it’ll be the same way with the fraternity. You might ask why I don’t like to advertise that I’m in the army. Well, here it is. I don’t want to be prejudged. I am a very atypical army guy. Its magnified by what people think a typical army guy is. Having grown up in the mountains of North Carolina, I have a bit of a hippie nature to me. I like to keep an open mind and accept radical ideas if they make sense to me. In the army, that is ridiculous. It’s all about perspective though. They always say, “you F***ing hippie..” It’s not meant in a mean way at all. Rather, it’s an acknowledgement that I have that mentality. I remember telling a girl that I went to high school that they think I’m a hippie and she just started laughing.

That actually brings me to a good tangent story. I met this girl, Alex Ivers, in my junior English class and immediately started liking her. I know it’s hard to believe with how much of a charmer I am now, but I was definitely a geek in high school. So anyway, I was talking to her on the phone, and decided to just be up front about it. So I flat out said, “I like you.” She thought that was funny, so she said she couldn’t hear me and made me repeat it. Then in true Alex Ivers style, she started laughing. Turns out she liked me too and we dated for a while. For a successful moment, that was probably one of the more embarrassing times of high school. Luckily it wasn’t in front of a lot of people.

So, what else has happened this month? I finally brought my bass in to the shop to get repaired. Its going to be around $250. Gag me. Worth it though, I guess. I can’t play until its fixed. Cagney is coming in January so I have to get back into the groove before we jam. Speaking of which, I got my plane ticket to go back to NC at the beginning of January. I feel bad cause I’m only going to have 10 days to spend there. I don’t think that’s going to be enough, but its better than nothing. I’ve not been since 2004, when I worked at Gwynn Valley.

Other than that, I started flying this month, but I still haven’t been given clearance to film the birds, so once I do, I’ll start putting some of that stuff on.

I hope to do better at writing this month

Friendly or Friends?

After getting my morning cup of hot chocolate chai from Cupz, the coffee shop on University and College, I was thinking about writing a blog and how I would refer to the guy that I talk to every morning I go in there. I don't know his name, but we talk more and more as though we are friends. That led me back to an idea I've held onto for a while. What makes someone a friend, best friend, or just friendly?

A friend recently told me about the secret garden on campus. Ironically, there is a small sign on the ground with an arrow pointing inside that says, ‘Secret Garden’. It is such an escape from campus. This is my first time actually coming here to write, but it’s quiet. When I first got here, I was the only one. Since then, a few people have walked through, but there is only one other girl here on her computer. So for those of you who have not seen it, I took a few pictures.

This is what you see when you first walk in.

I’m sure you are dying to know how I define friends. Wait no longer.

Most people I know are in the friendly category. People I see at school, work, church, or coffee shop, are all friendly. Until we both make an effort to hang out outside of our usual place of contact, we will only be friendly. This is important simply because once people know you they are generally nice. It doesn’t mean though that they want to hang out with you in their free time. A friend would.

Being a friend is a two way street. Both people need to be willing to make time and hang out. If there is one person always asking to hang and the other always too busy, something is wrong. I have been on both sides of it, but it really works best when both are mutual friends.

I have 3 best friends. For me, I will do anything for my best friends. None of them live in Arizona, but if they needed me, I’d drop everything and go to either Utah or NC. Come to think of it, I think only one of them knows that. All are guys, which makes sense. In fact, if I move out of AZ, 2 of the 3 have offered and want me to live with them. I think it would be amazing, obviously. So really a best friend is someone you love.

What do ya’ll think? Do you hold your definitions differently? Do you care what you call people, whether it is friend, acquaintance, or best friend?

The Life; Busy Weekend

I didn’t sleep a whole lot this weekend. I had too much to do.

I really don’t remember what I did on Friday. Maybe I just went home and relaxed.

NO! I remember what I did. So I start working as a server at Outback pretty soon. I thought I was supposed to go in for training last weekend, the 3rd and 4th. Turns out it is actually this weekend, starting the 9th. So all day I was trying to get stuff done for it. Got my food handler’s card, found some dickies, made an appointment for the liquor certification. That was about it for the day. I found the paper that showed my schedule, so for the rest of the day, I just studied.



Saturday, I played with Brock all day! He beat me up, made my tongue start bleeding. Then in the evening, I got ready for my blind date to the ADPi formal. I timed it. I ironed, showered, shaved, got ready in a shirt and tie and was out the door in under 20 minutes. It turned out to be a very good night. I was really skeptical going into it as I had never actually danced at a dance before. Moe, my Pi Kapp big brother, was asked to go to the formal and his conditions were that I went along with. Hooking me up. We waited at the ADPi house for a long time, people were just chilling mostly. There were about 11 Pi Kapps there, as well as other fraternities. The other guys reminded me why I thought I’d never join a fraternity. By the time we got to the Hilton, I was relatively relaxed with the group I was with. Once there, we had salad, chicken and dessert. I didn’t think we were getting an actual meal, so I ate my dessert before my chicken. It was good though. Immediately after eating, we went out to the dance floor and went crazy until it was time to leave. I met a guy there that told me he’d hook us up with rooms if we would get him into some of the Tempe parties. We’ll see what happens I guess. After several changes to plans, we ended up at an apartment in vista. I brought my hookah out and Moe and I had some amazing deep conversation until 4am. Once that ended, I slept.

Unfortunately, Sunday morning came way too early. I got up after 3 hours of sleep and knocked out a rough draft of our next project in English 101 and studied history and information on Pi Kappa Phi. I missed our first meeting and got behind everyone else in that study, so I feel like I’m trying to catch up to their knowledge now. In the afternoon, I went and got some Ted’s Dogs and then headed to our meeting. I had to leave early though since I had a non-date to go on that evening. I was having trouble finding a date for it, but Shannon, a girl in my ASU101 class, is not only a female engineer, but also a Star Wars geek. I convinced her to come with me to share my excitement. It was so cool once we got there. There were not as many people dressed up as I expected. Mostly it was kids in Star Wars pajamas. It was a orchestral concert that played a handful of John Williams Star Wars songs. There were Lasers, Fog, Fire, and amazingness. After the first song, the Phantom Menace, I was yelling and cheering. I got pretty darn pumped. Music does that to me. Anthony Daniels, C3P0, narrated the entire event. There was also a choir in the back of the orchestra. I really want to figure out what words they actually sing. I wonder if they have to memorize gibberish. After the concert, I made sure we snapped a pic with Chewie, and then we headed home.

That was the weekend. Hanging out with Moe and the Star Wars concert really made it super. Moe and I actually figured out our costumes for Halloween, but that will be revealed later. I’ll for sure be putting pictures of it up.

This week I think is going to be all studying and paper writing. Then the weekend, I’ve actually got the Outback training. Hopefully I don’t bomb it.

My rules of debate

Well, originally I was going to write about my argumentativeness, but I got off on a tangent on debates. Not debates like you would see on a debate team. Rather, the kind you would encounter in splendid converstaion. So here are my rules.

#1 The easiest thing is that it has to be a subject that is interesting. Really the only thing that I could imagine falling into this category would be where people are talking way over my head and I can't picture it in my mind. I can't think of anything off the top of my head that I couldn't spin to be an interesting topic of discussion with the right person.

#2 There need to be two sides of an argument. This is a general rule. It can be bypassed, but you have to have a couple people willing to play both sides of the story. When you are debating with someone over the same topic on the same side, you'll have to come up with your own counter arguments. While this works and can still get you new ideas and trains of thought, its not as good as actually having someone with that opinion.

#3 Have at least an idea of what you're talking about. You don't need to be an expert, but you have to be able to challenge the ideas that are being presented to you. Otherwise its a one sided conversation. This is great a lot of times, but more often people talk about superficial things that are not on this same level of deep conversation.

#4 Both parties need to truly be open minded. This is a critical rule. Each person needs to know they are not trying to convert the other to their idea of thinking, but rather convey their own thoughts on the issue in a way the other can understand. Too often, this is the piece that people forget and it becomes a bludgeoning match without any new thoughts.

As a side note, just because someone is liberal, it doesn't mean they are open minded. And just because someone is conservative, it doesn't mean they are close minded. Please remember that.

#5 The last part of a good debate is the structure. You start off with a main argument. It can be as simple as "That guys mullet is awesome." The other side would obviously be the negative of that. From there you will make a point like, "Its a mullet, but he can still get the girls, therefore it must be awesome." The other side will make a counter argument to this. Don't get hung up on the same small points over and over, and don't make lame arguments that have no substance to them. Then repeat this process.

If both of you follow these rules, your conversations will traverse a very wide range of topics. Generally.

So if anyone wants to practice, let me know and we'll go have some good conversations over some chai.

First Essay

So that essay I just posted about the night in basic is actually my very first college essay. Thats got to be some kind of milestone right? At least in the college scheme of things.

English 101 First Essay; The Night I Grew Up

After a full day’s missions, night had fallen, and it was time for my platoon in basic training to assault the rest of the company. Although we were outnumbered by 4 to 1, we were up to the task. Everyone had been issued blank rounds for our rifles as well as MILES gear. The MILES gear is the Army's version of laser tag. There is a mounted laser on the end of your rifle and you have receivers on your helmet as well as chest. When the blanks go off, a laser is sent out. If someone is shooting at you and the laser is a near miss, you hear it whiz by. If you are hit, all your gear goes into a high whine. Outfitted with the high tech gear, and the challenge of being the underdogs, our adrenaline was pumping as we set out through the woods to gain a better position. Although it was a game, we didn’t want to lose. We had gotten as close as we could, running without being seen, but we knew we could get closer. Low crawling to the enemy's fighting positions, we waited for the order. We all rose like berserkers and charged through their line of fighting positions. There was chaos everywhere; flares were going off around us, gunfire, and lots of high pitched whines. When the pandemonium was all said and done, according to the MILES gear, no one had died (electronically, of course). Once we had gathered up, cleaned up the camp, and done our after-action reviews, we set out for the final mission in basic training, otherwise known as the Night Infiltration Course.

When I was 16, I was like most other kids. Living with my parents, they provided my food, allowance, transportation, housing, and everything else I needed. I had started making minor decisions independently (many of which still needed to be approved), but the majority of things were still completely up to the parents. About 3 weeks after I turned 17, I decided to join the army and serve the country. However independent this action seemed, even it required parental consent. After talking with the school counselor, I found out about the split option program the Army had, that would allow me to do basic training during the summer between my junior and senior year of high school. I decided this would be a great opportunity to “start life.”

I remember the feeling as the time for me to leave for basic training approached. It was that gut punch you get when you are really dreading something. I was scared. I was neither a leader, nor was I very athletic. I was a scrawny little high schooler that didn't even break 100 lbs and I was supposed to get through the US Army basic training? Despite my reservations, the day arrived. I reported to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri to begin my basic training.
The first day of basic, anytime one of the privates did something different than anyone else, there were at least 4 drill sergeants immediately screaming at him or her. I decided right there I would do everything I could to just fit in and remain anonymous.

Basic training is broken up into three segments. Phase I, or “Red Phase”, is what most people imagine our training to be. “White Phase” was the second set of three weeks. That entire time was dedicated to playing with our rifles and then qualifying on the range. “Blue Phase” is a culmination of everything we prepared for while going through the first two phases.

Those first 3 weeks consisted of being under total control. As we were under constant scrutiny, there were no decisions to be made, simply execution of the tasks given to us. From what clothes (down to our underwear), to how long to shower, we were given direction in every task. As basic continued, we were given more and more freedom. Our final test would be a field training exercise, or FTX, that would try the skills we learned throughout the course.

We started our march out to the training site later than expected. I remember we didn't leave until around 11 in the morning. As it was July, it was very hot and we were going to have a lot of people needing water. In addition to carrying my own pack, weapon, and other various gear, I was tasked with carrying the water jugs to everyone when we stopped on a break. The march there was only 7 miles, but with the humidity and heat it was exhausting. Once we got to the site, we realized there would be no rest for the weary that week. Immediately, we were hit with CS Gas and had to don all of our chemical protective gear. While we were in that gear we started to dig our fighting positions. That’s how the week went. We were actually playing war games, going on patrols and getting ambushed, practicing ambushes, and anything else as per the creativity of the drill sergeants. Throughout the week, our ambushes continued. We laid in our fighting positions, mostly fighting sleep so that we weren’t taken by surprise by the drill sergeants. More than once, we had to don our protective masks so that we could breathe while surrounded by the CS Gas. While this was all exhausting, none of it compared to the final challenge.
To get to the Night Infiltration Course, we had a 20 kilometer tactical road march. The tactical aspect of it just meant we had to stay quiet and keep the right distance between the people in front and to the rear. This march didn't seem as hard as the initial one to start the week had; partially because it was the middle of the night and cool, and partially because we didn't have as much gear with us.
After a couple hours, we got to a concrete wall about 10 feet high. There was a faint light coming from the other side. We had been told what was going to happen for this event, but no amount of instructions really would have prepared me for what would come.

We started scaling the wall with the ladders that were mounted to the side. It was at that point that I noticed music was playing, and I immediately recognized it. The Ride of the Valkyries was being broadcast at the battle scene and even now, as I write this, I am listening to the same music, very nearly reliving the moment.
Once we had gotten up to the top of the wall, the sight was straight out of a movie. The field we were supposed to get across was 300 meters long and all sand. There were burning vehicles in our path with concertina wire surrounding them. Once we started low crawling to the end, we heard gunfire. At the other end of the field, were 2 automatic rifles firing tracer rounds in our direction. Looking up, you could see the paths of the bullets zipping over our heads. While crawling with my head as low as possible, the ground suddenly shook with a massive explosion. In addition to the burning cars and tracer rounds, there were cylinders around us that had been set with C4 to detonate while we were near. To make things even more intense, in addition to the war-like simulations, there were drill sergeants “motivating” us by yelling in our faces. They knew the rotation of the machine guns, so they knew when to stand and when to get down. I had never been this excited in my life. It was like I was in a Hollywood movie. I didn’t really believe that’s how combat was, especially with Wagner in the background, but it was still pretty cool. Once we got to the end of the field, there were some human silhouette dummies that we were supposed to charge with our bayonets. Since I had previously earned my expert badge for bayonets, I ran at him with a war yell and gave him a swift butt stroke to the head with the butt of my rifle.

After calming down, I realized how tired I had become. I hadn’t even realized the amount of adrenaline pumping through my body to carry me through that. Luckily all we had to do from there was sit down and wait for transportation back to the barracks. By the time we stumbled off the cattle trucks, it was about 4am. Behind the barracks was the field of mulch, dirt, and rocks called the Pit. We would go there when we were undergoing “physical remediation.” Instead of going into the barracks to wash up and sleep, the herd of privates was going around to the back. All I could think was, "what did we do to deserve punishment tonight?” Instead, I started hearing more music, music to get you motivated to fight.

As I walked into formation, the song playing was the Mission Impossible 2 theme song. I remember my steps were in cadence with the song beat. This unexpected formation was our unofficial graduation. Up to this point, we were called many names, some worse than others. That night, we had become soldiers. For the first time in my life, I had made an accomplishment on my own. I had, without the help of my family, gone through basic training, and met all of the requirements to be a part of the US Army. At the end of the ceremony, even after the day’s events, we were still energetic enough to sound off with the soldier’s code. It has now turned into the soldier’s creed, but if you are ever lucky enough to hear a motivated group of soldiers saying it, the thunder will send a shiver down your spine.

Going back home after that, I walked with my head held a little higher. I had done something most high school students wouldn’t even think of. Not only did I now have a solid job, but also it was one that was worthy of putting on a resume. Basic training wasn’t about the war games. It was really about learning how hard I could push myself, and what enduring really meant. Even now, I know that will be one of the most important accomplishments of my life. I had taken a risk to start my life. That night had marked the very beginning of starting to be a man and letting go of childhood.

Initial Tech Thoughts

So, for a while, I’ve wanted to write a blog about the great stuff we were given to prep us for the time capsule. I figured since I now have everything on my computer working, we’ll see how the handwriting recognition goes. I have serious doubts since my handwriting is rarely legible while written. I could use print, which I’m sure would work, but speed is key here.
OK, before this thing got started, I was snooping around the internet and found a timeline that UTO had put together in preparation for the time capsule. Thinking I was slick, I thought I knew what our tech stuff would be. I was very pleasantly surprised when the day came that we actually got the gear. We were outfitted with the newest Blackberry, the Tour. Along with that came the full data plan, so I can be in contact with all of ya’ll. In addition to that, we got a neat Dell tablet PC. I didn’t think I’d use it, but after the thieving happened, I am surprised at how much I like it. On a side note, I saw a commercial for Windows 7. What is with the speed of a new OS? Why not let people figure out Vista first. Maybe 7 will be better. I no longer play around much on the comp, so internet and word processor are enough for me.
The Blackberry is pretty amazing. I had an iPhone a couple of years ago that I liked, but not enough for the bill. The Blackberry has a small learning curve for those of us who have never used them before, but I think I’m getting a handle on it. I know there are a lot of little tricks that I’ll continue to learn though. I haven’t really figured out what the difference is between instant messaging with the BB app and using ‘PINing’ someone. I don’t have an army of pins yet either, but hopefully I’ll build one. A couple weeks after I got the phone, the left/right trackball went. I could get it to go sometimes, but I was limited in the use because of that, but now I have a new one. Now I just have to set up all of the settings and get the programs like Pandora back on. That is probably one of my favorite features of the Blackberry. Not only can I use Pandora on my phone anywhere I have signal, but the headphone jack is normal sized.
The tablet had its share of issues too. I think they are mostly worked out now though. My internet could connect neither through WiFi nor through an Ethernet cable. Turns out I had a corrupt version of windows. A new install cleared that up and then I got all the drivers in. I even got the fingerprint scanner working. Somewhat. My thumb isn’t always recognized, so it actually is still easier to type in my password than it is to swipe my finger. Other than that, I’m loving the computer. The turning screen is kind of frivolous since I don’t have the handwriting to use the recognition software. I use the rotation while I’m sitting at a table and want to show a picture off. Unnecessary, but fun.
The third thing we got was the Google Flip camera. It is so nice. It’s simple and effective. The audio quality isn’t the best, but it has just the right number of buttons. I have another camera that can go underwater, so I use that one for that. That one is a Sanyo Xacti. I remember they really pushed the fact that you can edit video while still on the camera and film in youtube quality video, but really, is it that much more difficult if not easier to just put it on the comp first? I think the best thing about the Flip is that it takes common sense and actually uses it.
Overall I’m really happy about all of the groovy tech pieces we got for the time capsule. I’m really excited about it. Time has flown by through the past month. My classes are all getting a unique sense of how much technology is used. My precal class, which I dropped the first week, the teacher said, “No technology in the classroom.” Then for my English class, which I also dropped for another Eng class, the prof showed a YouTube video on the screen for our first assignment. Those are just two of them that I swapped out of. As the year progresses, I’ll update on the current ones.

As an outcome for the handwriting recognition? Epic fail.

The life v. 2

Today has been kind of weird. I went to a party last night after our initiation for Pi Kapp and as I didn't leave there until 2, I decided not to try and sleep for 3 hours. I just sat on the couch. Might have drifted a couple times, but I was sitting up the entire time, and I know I was awake for most of that stretch. I took Brock to the park again at 5, and we were the first ones there. I think 4 showed up eventually. I worked on some MATLAB stuff while he played. MATLAB for those who do not know is a program to make scripts and programs. I think anyway. I'm just learning it. We had to go back around 630 so that I could make it to school in time to print some stuff off and get to class. I made it there in time, did the class, then went straight from there to the institute building and started writing more for my english class. I had critiqued my peers' essays, but I didn't actually read the assignment prior to that, and when I did, I realized it had to be 250 word minimum critiques. Not too big of a deal, but I was low on time. Turned out, I got those submitted with 10 minutes to spare, then high tailed it over to the classroom. I think I'm getting better at using blackboard because I did it without any flaws this morning. Once the 30 minutes of English was over, I had to take an online exam for philosophy. A guy in my class was kind enough to give me a copy of his notes as mine were on my mac. Even with those though, I did much worse than I had hoped. I think it was the Venn diagrams that kicked my butt. That was the last academic thing I had for the day, so I went over to help clean up Parker's place. When I got there I asked what he wanted me to start on and he said just go where it needs work. I got the bathroom done first. I'm pretty sure it hadn't been cleaned for a while, but it looks nice now. I definitely felt like a pledge in a fraternity. Back to being a private, scrubbing the floors and walls with a toothbrush. Thats not just a saying either. Once Terrence, Matt, and myself had finished that up, I just went back to campus to wander around for a little while. We had a Time Capsule meeting at 4. I guess our sites are going live tomorrow. As of right now, the only people that know about them are the ones we've told. Maybe I'll make business cards and hand them out. I truly believe that the more people I have with feedback, the easier it will be to write more. Plus, its nice writing while I'm at the parks. Right before the meeting started, a possible job came onto the horizon. Since my very first job, I have not worked for a non corporate company. With a little luck, I could be a waiter for a “mom and pop” place. Cross your collective fingers. I got home as fast as I could after the meeting and picked up Brock for another round at the dog park. He hasn't really played with anyone tonight, but there were over 15 dogs in the run at one point. We've been here for a while, so maybe he's tired. Right now he's starting to warm up to some of them and run around. Its pretty interesting. Most of these people here know each other and know each other's dogs. I was here before they all showed up, but They all sat on one end of the run and I'm on the other. Brock has been staying over on my side, so maybe thats why he hasn't been as social tonight. Because I haven't. Maybe we'll see tomorrow, depending on what time I get done with duty. This weekend is drill weekend, so I'll let ya'll know how it goes.

Tangent for today. Its September 11th. My Dad's birthday, and the day of the twin towers attack. I didn't expect people to really remember forever, but I would imagine it didn't even cross people's minds today. To be completely honest, I saw a flag at half mast today, and didn't know immediately what it was for. Just a little side thought on how short our memories really are.

The life v. 1

I haven't posted as much as I would have liked. We will soon remedy that. I had 3 posts ready to go a couple days ago. Mostly they were just about how last week went, and since last week was fairly uneventful, I'm not going to try and recreate them. The biggest thing that happened last week was that I got sworn into the AZ National Guard. I joined a MEDEVAC unit that I'll be meeting this weekend. I'll post the video in on my site.

The reason I no longer have those posts is that my laptop got stolen. Honestly, I don't mind that it did. I had set my backpack down in the bushes and walked about 15 feet away. I was with the Pi Kapps at the sorority bid day thing. When I came back, the backpack was unzipped and the laptop taken out. The think that frustrates me is that it was password protected and they didn't take the charger. I have insurance on it and I still have the computer I got for the Time Capsule, which incidentally is growing on me. What gets me is that they aren't even going to use it. I mean I could be wrong, but I envision getting to the password and not being able to get in, then tossing it. I wish I could have kept my files.

I submitted a first draft project for English 101 on Sunday. Not sure if I am just being ridiculous with Blackboard, but I am constantly having trouble with it. So I emailed my teacher to see if she could send me the file I submitted so that I could print off some hard copies. What she sent back to me, I couldn't open. I spent that morning from 430 to 630 trying to get my computer connected to the internet, and then recovering the file. I gave up around 630 and brought Brock to the park. While we were there, I started writing a new draft so that I would have at least something to turn in that day. Around 800 words in, Ms. Hooper emailed me letting me know she had recovered my file and turned it into RTF format. I stopped writing immediately, but I'll probably go back and merge the two to get the best from both.

The rest of the day went pretty smoothly. ASU 101 was very nice. We went on a field trip to the library. A few of us left the group and were playing around with the moving bookshelves. Humming the Indiana Jones theme song, we were imagining the shelves closing while trying to run out. Eventually, we figured out that the safety mechanism was in the floor. Guess there will be no last minute hat saves from a closing trap door.

After school, I took Brock to the park again. Then went to the mall to get a haircut. My last haircut, I was told, was the worst I've ever had, so I was glad to be rid of it. I had a formal dinner to go to, so I wanted to look sharp, even though it was with a bunch of guys. It was the preference dinner for Pi Kappa Phi. I find out later today what fraternities I got a bid with. Anyway, after driving around on low gas for a while, I got there and hung out with them all. I am starting to get to know them a lot better. Even the new guys that are freshmen like me and just rushing are pretty darn cool. We'll see what happens.

Pre School Weekend

A few weeks ago, a friend from Goodyear invited me to go tubing with him down the Salt River. I guess there was some kind of a party going on that weekend. It was the weekend right before school, so I decided to enlist the help of the ASU facebook application. I sent out a whole lot of messages to my future classmates inviting them to join us on the river. By that week, there were 16 people from Tempe planning on going down the river. I had 3 cars coming down to help get everyone up there since most were freshmen like myself, but didn’t have vehicles. That Friday, there was a pretty big storm, and the weather was forecasted to be poor Saturday as well. People started bailing. Saturday morning came and was beautiful all day! I decided to listen to some music and walk around campus for a while. Around lunchtime, my friend Dayton called. Dayton is for sure the first friend I met in Tempe. Super cool dude, and if you ever meet him, consider yourselves lucky. We got some stuff squared away at MCC and then ate at Ted’s Hot Dogs. AMAZING! I don’t even like hot dogs, but I like those. We were considering going to see Inglorious Basterds, but he told me his roomie was going cliff jumping and invited me to go. I ran home (by ran I mean drove quickly) and grabbed some shorts. On the way there, we were rockin out to some Rage Against the Machine with the windows down. We could see the purple clouds and flashes of light right where we were heading. Everyone on that road was trying to get out of there while we were driving to it. After parking, we had a small hike into the cliff and met another group there. Their dog, and the dog with us didn’t get along so well, so they decided to move down to a different swimming hole. I think we were there for half an hour or an hour and then the rain started coming down. While I was on the cliff, wet, with the wind blowing, I was freezing, but when I jumped down into the water, it was amazingly warm. On a side note, a while ago, I bought a “waterproof” video camera. It actually worked. I really was expecting it to leak in and get destroyed, so it was wonderful that we could get some footage of the jumps. Even got some shots of jumps into the water. The drive back home was pouring. Not even ten minutes after we started driving, it was bright and sunny again. I’m glad we got to go jumping or I would have been upset that we didn’t go tubing on such a beautiful day. That Sunday, I went to go visit my Mom and little brother on the other side of town. I brought the video camera and Brock with me. Matthew, the brother, took the camera right away and started playing around with it. Brock chases people in the water, so when you go under, he’ll just circle you. Matthew had too much fun filming it. Later that day, I played fetch with him. Him being Brock, not Matthew, though I’m sure I could get Matthew to play fetch as well. I love that dog so much. He’s my baby. Only 5 months old, so he’s kicking my butt right now. So, anyway, about the video, I threw some of the clips from the weekend with some music and that’s what you get, the drive, cliff jumping, and Brock swimming and playing fetch, all with the waterproof camera.

Time Capsule Essays

Please list the clubs and organizations you've belonged to in the past 12 months.

For more than half of the last 12 months, I was stationed in Kuwait with an army general support aviation battalion as a Blackhawk mechanic. Although the army isn’t a club, it is an organization that I was happy to be a part of. Since getting back, my life has revolved around buying my house, finding a good job, gearing up for school, and general re-entry into the US.


If you were a piece of technology, what would you be and why? (100 words or less)

Of the numerous pieces of technology we have, I would have to be a handheld GPS. Not one of the ones that go into your car to get you places, but one of the ones you can take out into the mountains or woods and really get lost. Think of all the places a well-loved GPS goes. I would much rather go to the cave that isn’t on a trail as opposed to the 4 star hotel. The life of a GPS would never be dull.

What makes you a unique individual?
As a camp counselor after high school, I was given the nickname MacGyver from my fellow counselors. I was the only one that had lived on a tropical island, gone to school in Mexico, driven an 18-wheeler, jumped from an airplane, worked as a nanny, and thrown a hand grenade. I think it’s the last one that got them. I truly appreciate people who walk to the beat of a different drummer. I have a poster in my room that reads “Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who couldn’t hear the music.

What extracurricular activities or hobbies have you participated in, and what did you like most about each?

My senior year in high school I picked up the string bass. Often, the bluegrass band we made would go out to a community center where there was some bluegrass jamming going on. The best part of that was the family feel of going there, having dinner, and then playing music with your friends. Another passion of mine is Ultimate Frisbee. The best thing about that sport is the spirit of the game. My first game in a league, the guy I was defending explained that I was defending him wrong and then showed me how.

What's the most exciting thing you've ever done, and why was it so great?
When I was 12, my dad got the idea to go on a bike trip. There was a trail from Western NC to the coast that we decided to ride. We didn’t do the entirety of it, and we didn’t stay on it the whole time, but it became one of the strongest memories I have. Carrying our small amount of gear with us, outrunning storms, and racing to catch the ferry are just a few of the things that make this a memory that still makes me smile.

Describe your life up to the present.

I was born over 24 years ago in Wisconsin. A little after that, we moved to North Carolina, where I lived for the majority of my childhood. My parents’ love of traveling brought me to a 36 square mile island in the Pacific for two years as well as the opportunity to live and study Spanish in Mexico while I was in middle school. I joined the Army Reserves at 17, later switching to the National Guard. I’ve tried to go to college in the past. I’ve even been registered and attending. Unfortunately, the Army has the power to pull me out when they deem necessary. My parents and siblings moved to Arizona in 2005. I transferred to a unit in Phoenix shortly after they moved. Since high school, I have lived in 6 different states and 2 countries. I am now ready to have some stability and go to school for a good stretch of time.

I would say a core part of my personality is my interest in other people. I like to treat others with dignity, whether I am serving them as a waiter picking them up on the side of the road while they are hitchhiking. Everyone has a story and something to share. I do my best to make other people happy. I think it’s just as important to hold the door for someone, as it is do well in class, or make a large income. The places, and people I have grown up around have given me a very unique set of ideas and an interesting outlook on life. I’m just happy about it.

First day...

I am sitting in front of the MU right now listening to All You Need Is Love by the Beatles. I know I’ve heard this song plenty times before, but I am catching new notes and musical phrases that I’ve never heard before. It’s the second day of classes and life is good.

I realized that I’ll need to really keep up with what I write. Whether or not its read, I have a decent amount that I want to talk about. Yesterday, during my first day of classes, I took no notes pertaining to the class. Not that I really needed to. Through most of the classes, we went over attendance and what was expected of us. The notes I did take were of what I wanted to write about.

In the future, I’m sure I will be going off on odd tangents and rants. Sometimes they will be just obscure thoughts or reflections on what people said throughout the day. Other times, it will be a simple today in the life. Feedback is welcome, as it will help give direction to what to write about. Otherwise I will be overwhelmed with the thoughts that I want to share. I figure, if you are coming to this site, reading my posts, you are either super bored, or actually care bout my thoughts. My guess is most will be coming from the first option. Only time will tell.